German Democratization
A history of German democratization.
Contents
German Unification
Weimar Republic
The imperial state rapidly dissolved. The High Seas Fleet was ordered to launch a final offensive against the British navy in October 1918. Sailors refused to execute this suicide mission, instead seizing control of the headquarters in Kiel. The Kiel mutiny then escalated dramatically; soldiers joined in and groups went to every major city to replicate this revolution. Workers' and soldiers' councils (Arbeiter- und Soldatenräte) were established as provisional local governments. While soldiers generally elected representatives from among themselves, civilian representatives came from established socialist parties. The two largest were the MSDP and the USPD, which broke away from the former under the leadership of Hugo Haase.
The revolution reached Berlin by November 9. Max von Baden declared the abdication of Wilhelm II and transferred power to Ebert. Philipp Scheidemann however went one step further and declared a German Republic.
Elections were held in January to convene a National Assembly (officially the German National Constitutional Assembly, Verfassunggebende Deutsche Nationalversammlung) in Weimar. The representatives' first task was to name a president; Ebert won the February vote by a wide margin. They then proceeded with writing a constitution; the Constitution of the German Reich was ratified in August.
Under the new constitution, the legislature had a lower house (Reichstag) elected by proportional representation, and an upper house (Reichsrat) appointed by state governments. The constitution also guaranteed the right to vote for all people at least 20 years old, including women. The parliamentary government was led by a chancellor (Reichskanzler).
The presidency became a presidium, with a president and three deputies. They had extensive powers, including appointment of ministers and calling early elections, but ultimately could be overruled by a simple majority in the Reichstag. The president and deputy presidents were also themselves elected by the Reichstag.
Ebert named Scheidemann as his minister president, an office which seamlessly transitioned into the aforementioned chancellorship under the new constitution. He formed a coalition government with the Centre Party and DDP. Scheidemann's primary focus was negotiating peace with the Allied Powers. He nonetheless campaigned against the Treaty of Versailles. Ebert however organized a majority in favor, and Scheidemann resigned in protest rather than sign it.
Third Reich
Occupation
Germany was divided by the Potsdam Agreement into several separably-administered occupation zones.
The Soviet zone was reorganized into the German Democratic Republic (GDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR), more generally known as East Germany.
The British, French, and American zones were reorganized into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, Bundesrepublik Deutschland), more generally known as West Germany.
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany was re-re-unified on October 3, 1990.
Officially, Russia exited German administration in 1994, although Königsberg remains in Russian control.