Resumen de Die Parlamentarismusdebatte in der Weimarer Republik
From the outset of the Weimar Republic on 9 November 1918, the organization of a parliamentary democracy after the First World War and the repartition of powers between the German Parliament and the German State President aroused a lively debate about parliamentarism. The first phase of the debate was dominated by constitutional advocates who defended the form of parliamentarism created by the Weimar Constitution. In the course of time, criticism became more systematic and this was enhanced by the permanent condition of political instability, due to the inability to form stable coalitions and lasting governments. The advocates of parliamentary democracy were progressively forced onto the defensive and at the same time, they became aware of the existing difficulties of the political situation. This article therefore examines the key issues and reform proposals that characterized these constitutional debates in the Weimar Republic.
