Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic is the name now used for the republic which governed Germany from 1918 to 1933.

Officially it was the German Reich (): ( ).  

It was  also unofficially referred to as the German Republic ().

 Origin 
After the German Empire was defeated in World War I, Germany became a republic, but its official name was still "Deutsches Reich" (German Empire). 

Historians today call it the Weimar Republic and refer to this period as the Weimar period, because the constitution was created in the city of Weimar.

 Beginning 
On November 9, 1918, the Republic was proclaimed by Philipp Scheidemann at the Reichstag building in Berlin and two hours later a socialist republic was proclaimed around the corner at the Berlin Castle by Karl Liebknecht.

The Emperor, or Kaiser, Wilhelm II, went into exile in the Netherlands. The new Republic was declared even before end of World War I on 11 November 1918.The fighting in World War I stopped on 11 November 1918 when the Armistice of Compiegne was signed.

 Problems 
The Weimar Republic had a lot of problems. The Treaty of Versailles made things very difficult for the economy. Inflation got completely out of hand. There were political problems because governments ruled only for a short time, not long enough to be able to make important decisions. There were a lot of radical right and left extremists, for example monarchists (people who wanted back the monarchy) and communists, who believed that all things, especially property, land and money, should be shared. Political parties had their own militias to fight each other.

One of the paramilitary organizations that arose after World War I was the  meaning "Steel Helmet, League of Front Soldiers". They operated as the armed branch of the national conservative German National People's Party (DNVP). they were placed at party gatherings in the position of armed security guards (Saalschutz). In 1935 they became part of the Nazi Party.

 Positives 
The Weimar period is also known for its culture. Artists tried out modern ideas and used new things like film. The Bauhaus began in the 1920s.

 End 
The Weimar Republic came to an end on 23 March 1933, when Chancellor Adolf Hitler installed the Enabling Act, which established the Third Reich.

 References 

 Other websites 
 The Constitution of the German Reich (Weimar constitution) of 11th August 1919, in full text 
 PSM Data Bank
 historical Documents 

Category:1933 disestablishments in Europe
Category:1930s disestablishments in Germany
Category:1918 establishments in Germany
Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1930s
Category:States and territories established in the 1910s
Category:Weimar