History ยท WHI01 (Unit 1, option C: Germany, 1918 to 45)

The Weimar Republic, 1918 to 1923

Germany became a democracy at the end of the First World War. Its first five years were full of crises.

A new republic

The Kaiser abdicated on 9 November 1918 and the armistice was signed on 11 November. The Weimar Constitution was approved on 31 July and signed on 11 August 1919: proportional representation, an elected president, and Article 48, which let the president rule by emergency decree.

Threats from left and right

1923: the year of crisis

France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr in January 1923 after Germany fell behind with reparations. Passive resistance and printing money caused hyperinflation: by November 1923 one US dollar was worth about 4.2 trillion marks. Gustav Stresemann's government introduced the Rentenmark in November 1923.

Worked example

Why was Article 48 a weakness of the constitution?

  1. It let the president bypass the Reichstag in an emergency.
  2. This could be used to rule without democratic support.

Answer: It allowed rule by decree, weakening parliamentary democracy.

Key idea: 1918 abdication and armistice; 1919 constitution (Article 48); 1919 Spartacists; 1920 Kapp Putsch; 1923 Ruhr, hyperinflation, Munich Putsch, Rentenmark.

Check yourself

  1. What did Article 48 allow?
    • The Kaiser to return
    • Women to vote
    • States to leave Germany
    • The president to rule by emergency decree
    Show answer

    The president to rule by emergency decree. Article 48 gave emergency powers to the president.

  2. How was the Kapp Putsch of 1920 defeated?
    • By the French army
    • By a general strike
    • By the Freikorps
    • By a referendum
    Show answer

    By a general strike. Workers' general strike paralysed Berlin.

  3. Who occupied the Ruhr in January 1923?
    • Britain and the USA
    • Poland
    • The Soviet Union
    • France and Belgium
    Show answer

    France and Belgium. French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr over missed reparations.

  4. When was the Munich Putsch?
    • November 1923
    • January 1919
    • March 1920
    • October 1929
    Show answer

    November 1923. Hitler's putsch took place on 8 and 9 November 1923.

  5. The Spartacist uprising of January 1919 came from which side of politics?
    • The far right
    • Monarchists
    • The far left
    • The army high command
    Show answer

    The far left. The Spartacists were communists.

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Sources

Last updated 7 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email alevel@lifereadysociety.com.