The German Weimar Republic was born amidst the defeat of the imperial army, the revolution of 1918 against the Hohenzollerns, and the hopes of German Liberals and Social Democrats. Its name derived from the city of Weimar, in which its constitution was written and promulgated in August of 1919. While the constitution was being debated, the republic, headed by the Social Democrats, accepted the humiliating terms of the Versailles Treaty, the part of the Paris settlement that applied to Germany. Although it had signed only under the threat of an Allied invasion, the republic was nevertheless permanently associated with the national disgrace and the economic burdens of the treaty. The failure of the Weimar Republic can be blamed on Constitutional Flaws, Lack of Broad Popular Support, and the French Invasion of the Ruhr.
The Weimar Constitution was in many respects a highly enlightened document. It guaranteed civil liberties and provided for direct election, by universal suffrage, of the Reichstag and the president. It also contained, however, certain crucial structural flaws that eventually allowed its liberal institution to be overthrown. It provided for proportional representation for all elections. This system made it relatively easy for small parties to gain seats in the Reichstag. Ministers were technically responsible to the Reichstag, but the president appointed and removed the chancellor. Perhaps most important, Article 48 allowed the president to rule by decree in an emergency. The constitution thus permitted a temporary presidential dictatorship.
Beyond the burden of the Paris settlement and these potential constitutional pitfalls, the Weimar Republic did not command the sympathy or loyalty of many Germans. No social revolution had accompanied the new political structure. Many important political figures favored a constitutional monarchy. The school teachers, civil servants, and judges of the republic were generally the same people who had served the kaiser and the empire.
