What were the reasons the Weimar Republic was unstable in 1919?
It's hard to point out one particular reason why the Weimar Republic was so unstable. Here are some of the main ones:The Treaty of Versailles limited Germany in many ways in requiring the country to pay reparations to the winning parties of World War I. This made the German economy weak and contributed to the high inflation and unemployment during the twenties.The Weimar Republic was the outcome of a newly democratic Germany. When the economy went bad, the Germans blamed the government. Any republic that doesn't have the confidence of its citizens has a hard time keeping peace and order.There was no election threshold in the constitution, which resulted in a lot small parties being elected to parliament. The coalition government was constantly unstable and couldn't effectively react to social problems.The atmosphere after the war was very militaristic and a lot of paramilitary groups were formed, especially out of political parties. This contributed to general instability and the ultimate rise of the Third Reich.
Would the Weimar Republic have succeeded if not for the Treaty of Versailles?
There were two things that played a key role in bringing the Weimar Republic down:The Great Depression, which hit Germany exceptionally hard (25%+ unemployment)Active sabotage from the very top by Hindenburg and others. Many ordinary, run-of-the-mill history books fail to mention that intrigue from the top ousted the Social Democratic led coalition and that thereafter Germany was ruled mainly by presidential decree (proposed by Heinrich Brüning - Wikipedia) . From 1930 till May 1932 the Reichstag seldom met. (Democracy was revived briefly in Germany in 1933 in order to get Hitler the powers that he wanted and then shut down again).The Treaty of Versailles, after the rescheduling of reparations, served as a kind of rallying-cry against the republic rather than a major grievance. (In many English-language accounts the Treaty is misleadingly presented as almost the sole reason for the collapse of the Republic).
What problems did the Weimar Republic face from 1919 to 1929?
Also how far did they solve them? This kind of needs to be an accurate and detailed answer, and of course the one that is most accurate and detailed (and preferably lengthy) will get the points ;D Need the answer before 8:00 am tomorrow (UK time) thanks.
Describe how the Weimar Republic was governed?
The Weimar Republic was primarily a Presidental- Parliamentary system of government. The President was Head of State while the Chancellor who was the leader of the majority party in the Reichstag was Chancellor.
Apart from the hyperinflation, how sound was the Weimar Republic as a government?
Have a look at this answer of mine which has been merged with another question:Was the Weimar Republic destined to fail?The hyperinflation of the early 1920s was an event, not a weakness inherent in the system of government.I take it you are asking about actual flaws in the system of government and closely related matters.I should mention these:It used a system of proportional representation that did not have a threshold beyond the number of seats in the Reichstag, so any party winning 1/600th of the vote could get a representative there. Some very small parties that were small interest groups rather than political parties with a full agenda gained representation.It was far too easy for the President to declare a state of emergency and rule by decree already before Hitler came to power.There were also some important background factors that were a problem though not constitutional flaws:The republic was born from defeat in WWI.Many Germans at the time rejected democracy as allegedly ‘un-German’.
What were the main features of the Weimar Constitution?
The people would elect the president. The term of the president would be set at seven years. The president was head of the Armed forces. The president chose the chancellor and had the right to dismiss him. Article 48 of the consitiution allowed the president to rule independently of the Reichstag in case of national emergency. Hitler used article 48, and had practically unlimited power.