The Weimar Republic
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic's constitution.
Key learning points
- The new Weimar Republic was a representative democracy with several strengths and weaknesses.
- The new constitution allowed all adults over 20 to vote and used proportional representation.
- Divided power between branches of government caused delays, leading to the creation of Article 48 for emergencies.
- Proportional representation caused fragmented coalitions, making it hard to govern and faced opposition from all sides.
- Article 48 gave the President powers to act without parliament's approval in an emergency.
Keywords
Proportional representation - a political system in which parties are represented in parliament according to the number of people who voted for them
Constitution - a set of laws on how a country is run / governed
Coalition - the joining together of different political parties in order to achieve a majority and form a government
Moderate - a person whose opinions are not extreme and are therefore acceptable to a large number of people
Common misconception
Proportional representation was purely a positive step forward because it gave a voice to smaller political parties.
In fact, proportional representation led to fragmentation, with many small parties gaining seats in the Reichstag. This made it difficult to pass laws because no single party had a majority.
Teacher tip
Divide pupils into mock political parties. Have them negotiate forming a coalition, emphasising compromises and challenges of differing priorities. One pupil, acting as president, must decide whether to use Article 48. Finally, discuss the short-term and long-term impacts of using Article 48.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What caused food shortages and economic hardship in Germany during the First World War?
Q2.Which of the following events contributed to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II?
Q3.Match the term to its correct definition.
a form of government without a king or queen
government with power shared by a monarch and a parliament
to step down from power
Q4.Friedrich __________ became Chancellor of the new Weimar Republic in November 1918.
Q5.What agreement did the new chancellor make with General Groener to stabilise Germany?
Q6.Germany signed the __________ on 11th November 1918, officially ending the First World War.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was a key feature of the Weimar Republic as a representative democracy?
Q2.What problem did the division of power between the president, chancellor, and Reichstag aim to solve?
Q3.What is proportional representation?
Q4.Put the following events in chronological order.
Q5.Why was Article 48 introduced to the Weimar constitution?
Q6.Proportional representation was not purely a positive step forward because it made it difficult to pass __________ in the Reichstag.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The Weimar Republic, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The Weimar Republic, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Germany 1890–1945, Democracy and dictatorship unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.