Weimar National Assembly Explained

German National Assembly
Legislature:Constituent assembly of Germany
Coa Pic:Wappen Deutsches Reich (Weimarer Republik).svg
Coa Res:150px
House Type:Constituent assembly
Established:6 February 1919
Disbanded:21 May 1920
Preceded By:Imperial Reichstag
Succeeded By:Weimar Reichstag
Members:423 (at dissolution)
Voting System1:Direct competitive elections
Last Election1:19 January 1919
Session Room:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-15436-0010, Weimar, Nationaltheater, Denkmal Goethe-Schiller.jpg
Meeting Place:Deutsches Nationaltheater, Weimar

The Weimar National Assembly (German:), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly, was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of its duties as the interim government, it debated and reluctantly approved the Treaty of Versailles that codified the peace terms between Germany and the victorious Allies of World War I. The Assembly drew up and approved the Weimar Constitution that was in force from 1919 to 1933 (and technically until the end of Nazi rule in 1945). With its work completed, the National Assembly was dissolved on 21 May 1920. Following the election of 6 June 1920, the new Reichstag met for the first time on 24 June 1920, taking the place of the Assembly.

Because the National Assembly convened in Weimar rather than in politically restive Berlin, the period in German history became known as the Weimar Republic.

Background

At the end of World War I, following the outbreak of the German Revolution of 1918–1919, state power lay with the Council of the People's Deputies. It was formed on 10 November by revolutionary workers' and soldiers' councils in Berlin and headed by Friedrich Ebert of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He had been appointed German chancellor on 9 November by Maximilian von Baden, the last chancellor under the German Empire. Both von Baden and the Social Democrats called for the speedy election of a National Assembly to establish a new government for Germany. The Council decided on 30 November to hold the election on 19 January 1919. On 19 December the Reich Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils also approved the decree by a clear majority.

Because of the Spartacist uprising, a general strike and the accompanying armed struggles that roiled the Reich capital from 5 to 12 January 1919, it was agreed that the National Assembly should not initially meet in Berlin. Four possible locations – Bayreuth, Nuremberg, Jena and Weimar – were considered. Friedrich Ebert favored Weimar because he wanted the victorious Allies to be reminded of Weimar Classicism, which included the writers Goethe and Schiller, while they were deliberating the terms of the peace treaty.[1]   On 14 January 1919 the choice fell to Weimar.[2]

Elections

See main article: 1919 German federal election. The elections for the National Assembly were the first held in Germany after the introduction of women's suffrage[3] and the lowering of the legal voting age from 25 to 20 years. Together the changes raised the number of eligible voters by around 20 million.[4] The turnout was 83%, a slightly lower percentage than in the last Reichstag elections in 1912, but a much greater absolute turnout due to the expanded suffrage. Among women the turnout was 90%.[5] The Communist Party of Germany (KPD), founded in December 1918, boycotted the elections.

The election for the National Assembly resulted in the SPD receiving the most votes at 38%, followed by the Catholic Centre Party (which in this election ran as the Christian People's Party) with 20%, the liberal German Democratic Party (DDP) 19%, the national-conservative German National People's Party (DNVP) 10% and the more leftist and antiwar breakaway from the SPD, the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), 8%. Numerous small parties made up the remainder.[6] Out of a total of 416 delegates 36 were women, although this increased to 41 during the term of the Assembly.[7] If the latter number is taken, at 10% women, the Weimar National Assembly was one of the most female parliaments of its time.[8] [9] On 10 February the Assembly passed the "Law on Provisional Reich Power" [10] to go into effect the following day. It regulated the government's powers during the transitional phase from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic. The National Assembly was to adopt a constitution and "urgently needed" Reich laws, thus allowing it to act as an interim parliament. A States' Committee served in the place of the later Reichsrat to represent the interests of the German states. The "business of the Reich" was to be conducted by a Reich president. His function was somewhat like that of the former emperor but with the restrictions that had been made to the constitution in October 1918, notably that war and peace were to be decided by Reich law, not by the head of state. The ministers appointed by the Reich president required the confidence of the National Assembly.

Assembly as provisional parliament

The National Assembly convened at the German National Theater in Weimar on 6 February 1919. It elected the SPD politician Eduard David as its president, but because of an inter-party agreement he stepped down after just four days.[11] On 14 February 1919 the National Assembly elected Constantin Fehrenbach, a Centre Party deputy and former vice president, as his successor.

On 11 February the National Assembly elected the previous head of government, Friedrich Ebert (SPD), as provisional Reich president. He asked Philipp Scheidemann of the SPD to form a government. The three party coalition of the SPD, the Centre Party and the DDP that he brought together in the Scheidemann cabinet came to be known as the Weimar Coalition.

Discussion of the Treaty of Versailles

On 12 May 1919 the National Assembly met in Berlin for the first time. There it heard and then debated a statement by Minister President Philipp Scheidemann on the peace terms of the Versailles Treaty. In his speech Scheidemann, to great applause from all parties, called the Entente Powers' terms a "dictated" or "enforced" peace intended to strangle the German people. The territorial, economic and political demands would deprive Germany of the air to breathe. The conditions were unacceptable, he said, and were in stark contrast to the assurances given by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The Reich government could not agree to the conditions and would make counterproposals based on Wilson's 14-point program. Prussian Minister President Paul Hirsch assured the Reich government of full support on behalf of the constituent states of the German Reich and also sharply criticized the Entente's conditions. Speakers from all parties, from the USPD to the DNVP, also declared the Entente's demands unacceptable. The chairman of the liberal German People's Party (DVP) and later Reich Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann described the peace terms of the victorious powers as "an outpouring of political sadism". Only Hugo Haase, chairman of the USPD, combined his rejection of the Entente's demands with sharp attacks on the Reich government, accusing it of having caused the current situation in the first place through its policy of enforcing a truce between political parties during the war.

Following the Entente's rejection of its counterproposals, the Scheidemann cabinet resigned on 20 June 1919 because it was unwilling to give its assent to the Treaty of Versailles.[12] The new Minister President, Gustav Bauer (SPD), who headed a government of the SPD and the Centre, promoted the signing of the treaty but continued to criticize individual provisions, especially those concerning the extradition of Germans to the Entente and the imposition of war guilt on Germany alone. He combined his call for approval with the comment that it would be impossible for the German Reich to fulfill all the economic conditions of the treaty and regretted that it had not been possible to extract further concessions from the Entente.

Initial vote in favor

Speakers from the SPD and the Centre, Paul Löbe and Adolf Gröber, also condemned the treaty. They objected in particular to the statement in the Entente draft treaty that Germany was solely to blame for the war. On behalf of their parliamentary groups, however, they spoke in favor of acceptance, since the only alternative was the resumption of hostilities, which would lead to even worse consequences. Eugen Schiffer, the former Reich Finance Minister, spoke on behalf of the majority of German Democratic Party deputies against accepting the treaty. He reminded the two governing parties of Philipp Scheidemann's 12 May warning that the hand that signed the treaty would wither.[13] He did not see that the situation had changed since then. The DNVP and DVP were also strongly opposed to the treaty. The USPD was the only opposition party to endorse its acceptance. Hugo Haase called the issue at stake a terrible dilemma for the National Assembly. Although he too sharply criticized the treaty, he pointed out, as had the representatives of the governing parties, the consequences if the treaty were rejected.

In a 22 June roll call, 237 deputies voted in favor of signing the peace treaty, 138 against, and five abstained. Of the major parties, the SPD, Centre and USPD approved, while the DDP, DNVP and DVP rejected the treaty, on both sides by large majorities of the delegates.

The Reich government informed the Entente the same day that it would sign the treaty but with reservations as to the provisions on war guilt and the extradition of Germans to the victorious countries. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau replied that evening on behalf of the Allied Powers that the treaty could only be accepted or rejected in its entirety.

Second vote following allied ultimatum

At the meeting of the National Assembly on 23 June, Minister President Bauer informed the plenum of the Entente's position and stated that the government no longer had a choice; it had to sign the treaty:

Let us sign, that is the proposal I have to make to you on behalf of the entire cabinet. The reasons that compel us to make the proposal are the same as yesterday, only now we are separated by a period of barely four hours before the resumption of hostilities. We could not justify a new war even if we had weapons. We are defenseless, but without defense does not mean without honor . Certainly, our enemies want to take away our honor, there is no doubt about that, but that this attempt at cutting away our honor will one day fall back on the originators, that it is not our honor that will perish in this world tragedy, that is my belief until my last breath.[14]
Eugen Schiffer (DDP) and Rudolf Heinze (DVP), whose parties had rejected the treaty the day before, explicitly stated in their speeches that the supporters of the treaty would act exclusively out of "patriotic sentiment and conviction" (Schiffer), even if they had different opinions about the right path forward. The DNVP speaker Georg Schultz, however, did not make his opinion on the issue clear.

Ratification of the treaty through the "Law on the Conclusion of Peace between Germany and the Allied and Associated Powers" [15] finally took place on 9 July 1919 with results similar to the 22 June vote. The only exception was that the majority of the deputies of the Bavarian Peasants' League, who had abstained from the first vote, now approved the ratification law.

In part as a response to the treaty, and particularly Article 231 that assigned sole responsibility for the war to Germany, the Assembly established an inquiry into guilt for the war on 20 August 1919. Its four subcommittees were tasked with examining the causes of the war, what brought about its loss, what missed opportunities for peace had presented themselves, and if international laws had been broken.[16] [17] The inquiry continued for thirteen years, until the Nazi Party victory in the election of July 1932. The inquiry's findings were hampered by lack of cooperation from both the government and the military and were in general watered down and deflected blame away from Germany.

Constitutional deliberations

See main article: Weimar Constitution. On 15 November 1918 Friedrich Ebert had appointed Hugo Preuß to the Reich Office of the Interior and charged him with drafting a Reich constitution. Preuß, a teacher of constitutional law and one of the founders of the German Democratic Party, based his draft of the Weimar Constitution in large part on the Frankfurt Constitution of 1849 which was written after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and intended for a unified Germany that did not come to pass at the time. He was influenced as well by Robert Redslob's theory of parliamentarianism, which called for a balance between the executive and legislative branches under either a monarch or the people as sovereign.[18] After the National Assembly was seated, Preuß became a member of the constitutional committee, which was chaired by the Assembly's vice president, Conrad Haußmann of the DDP. Preuß later became known as the father of the Weimar Constitution.

During July of 1919, the Assembly moved quickly through the draft constitution with most debates concluded within a single session. On 31 July the Assembly passed the revised committee proposal for the constitution by a vote of 262 to 75, with USPD, DNVP and DVP against.

Key topics of debate were as follows:

!Date!Topic!Decision
2 July National name'Deutsches Reich'
National structureRetain federal states
Flag and colorsBlack-red-gold
4 JulyReich presidentAdopted a semi-presidential system with power divided between president, cabinet and parliament. The president was to rule in conjunction with the Reichstag. Emergency powers to be used only in exceptional circumstances.
7 JulyReich administrationGermany unified as an economic territory; legislative responsibility for tax law to be with the Reich. Unified postal and railroad systems
10 JulyJusticeEstablished a system of administrative courts and a high or constitutional court. Restricted military jurisdiction to wartime. Independence of courts incorporated into the constitution.
11 JulyFundamental rightsConstitution to include expanded list of fundamental rights as in draft version.
15 JulyEquality of the sexesAdopted what became Article 109: "(1) All Germans are equal before the law. Men and women shall fundamentally have the same civic rights and duties. (2) Public and legal privileges or disadvantages of birth or status shall be abolished."
16 JulyDeath penaltyRejected draft constitution's proposal to abolish the death penalty.
CensorshipGuaranteed freedom of expression in speech, print, or “pictorially”. Censorship forbidden except in “cinematographs”, “indecent and obscene literature”, and for “protection of youth”.
IllegitimacyIllegitimate children to have the same rights as legitimate.
17 JulyRight to assembleGuaranteed right to assemble peaceably without any special permission needed.
Church and stateGuaranteed freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
18 JulyEducationUniversal public education ensured to age 18.
21 JulyEconomic LifeRight to property, patent protection, and unionization guaranteed.

Miscellaneous

On 13 January 1920, while the National Assembly was negotiating the Works Councils Act, which created an obligation for companies with twenty or more employees to have works councils, a demonstration against the law took place in front of the Reichstag building. The left-wing opposition parties USPD and Communist Party, among others, had called for the demonstration because they felt the councils would lack sufficient worker representation. About 100,000 people gathered for the demonstration. Prussian security police fired into the crowd leaving 42 people dead and over 100 wounded. The Reichstag Bloodbath was the deadliest demonstration in German history.[19]

Beginning on 30 September 1919, the National Assembly met in the renovated Reichstag building in Berlin. During the Kapp Putsch it briefly moved to Stuttgart and met there on 18 March 1920.

The National Assembly dissolved on 21 May 1920. After the Reichstag election on 6 June 1920, the Republic's first Reichstag took the place of the National Assembly.

Summary of important events and decisions

Presidents of the Weimar National Assembly

NamePartyEntered OfficeLeft Office
Eduard David7 February 191913 February 1919
Conrad Haußmann (acting)13 February 191914 February 1919
Constantin Fehrenbach14 February 191921 June 1920

Members

MemberPartyConstituencyNotes
Bruno Ablaß11 (Liegnitz)
Karl AderholdEntered on 1 March 1919 as a replacement for August Merges
Lore Agnes25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Joseph Allekotte21 (Coblenz-Trier)
Ludwig Alpers37 (Bremen-Hamburg-Stade)
Josef Andre31/32 (Württemberg)
Albert Arnstadt36 (Thuringia)
Julius Aßmann8 (Posen)
Jacob Astor21 (Coblenz-Trier)
Erhard Auer24 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Benedikt BachmeierEntered on 24 February 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Männer
Paul Bader12 (Magdeburg)
Max Baerecke2 (Westpreußen)
Moritz Baerwald8 (Posen)Died on 26 December 1919
Gertrud Bäumer36 (Thuringia)
Max Bahr6 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Franz Bartschat1 (Ostpreußen)
August Baudert36 (Thuringia)
Gustav Bauer9 (Breslau)
Marie Baum14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Eduard BaumerEntered on 26 February 1920 as a replacement for Eugen Taucher
Johannes Becker20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Johann Becker34 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Josef Becker19 (Hessen-Nassau)
Roman Becker10 (Oppeln)
Margarete Behm7 (Pommern)
Marie BehnckeEntered on 7 August 1919 as a replacement for August Jordan
Franz Behrens1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Beims12 (Magdeburg)
Johannes Bell23 (Düsseldorf-West)
Ferdinand Bender12 (Magdeburg)
Theodor Bergmann23 (Düsseldorf-West)
Karl BethkeEntered on 12 May 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Buck
August Beuermann8 (Posen)
Konrad Beyerle29 (Franken)Joined Bavarian People’s Party on 6 January 1920
Anton Bias10 (Oppeln)
Franz Biener30 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Albert BillianEntered on 13 January 1920 as a replacement for Heinrich Kürbis
Jakob Binder
Joseph Bitta10 (Oppeln)
Lorenz Blank
Anna Blos
Johannes Blum26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Andreas Blunck14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Wilhelm Bock13 (Thuringia)
Karl Böhme11 (Magdeburg)
Wilhelm Böhmert
Friedrich Börschmann
Minna Bollmann
Eugen Bolz34 (Württemberg)
Otto Brass25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Otto Braun26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Adolf Braun29 (Franken)
Heinrich BraunsReichswahlvorschlag
22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
August Brey
Alfred Brodauf33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Elisabeth Brönner1 (Ostpreußen)
Arno BruchardtReichswahlvorschlag
Hermann Bruckhoff
Paul Brühl4 (Potsdam I)
Friedrich Brühne
Wilhelm Bruhn5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Wilhelm Buck31 (Dresden-Bautzen)Resigned on 11 April 1919
Ewald Budde
Michael Burgau
Eduard Burlage16 (Weser-Ems)
Oskar Cohn
Hermann Colshorn18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)Elected on a joint list with the Centre Party
Eduard David22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Georg Davidsohn
Kurt Deglerk8 (Breslau)
Karl Deichmann
Clemens von DelbrückReichswahlvorschlagDied on 18 December 1921
Carl Delius12 (Merseburg)
Bernhard Dernburg3 (Potsdam II)
Hermann Dietrich35 (Baden)Resigned on 12 April 1919
Hermann DietrichReichswahlvorschlag
Karl Dietrich
Carl Diez35 (Baden)
Theodor Dirr
Wilhelm Dittmann11 (Magdeburg)
1 (Ostpreußen)
Hedwig DransfeldReichswahlvorschlag
Ernst Dröner
Adelbert Düringer35 (Baden)
Wilhelm Dusche18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Bernhard Düwell12 (Merseburg)
Friedrich EbertResigned on 11 February 1919
Hermann EgerEntered on 19 November 1919 as a replacement for Adolf Gröber
Franz Ehrhardt10 (Oppeln)
Emil Eichhorn2 (Berlin)
Wilhelmine Eichler13 (Thuringia)
Georg Eisenberger27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Elise Ekke
Paul EndeEntered on 22 June 1919 as a replacement for Oscar Günther
Fritz Endres
Emil EngelhardResigned on 3 October 1919
Anton Erkelenz25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Eugen Ernst
Joseph Ersing35 (Baden)
Matthias Erzberger34 (Württemberg)
Bernhard Falk
Wilhelm Farwick
Constantin Fehrenbach35 (Baden)
Jan FegterEntered on 20 November 1919 as a replacement for Theodor Tantzen
Franz Feldmann8 (Breslau)
Otto Fischbeck
Gustav Fischer18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Richard Fischer2 (Berlin)
Paul Fleischer1 (Ostpreußen)
Wilhelm FrankEntered on 9 March 1920 as a replacement for Richard Müller
Richard Franke
Wilhelm Frerker
Karl Frohme14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Karl Gandorfer
Karl Gebhart30 (Pfalz)
Oskar Geck35 (Baden)
Julius Gehl
Liborius Gerstenberger29 (Franken)
Curt GeyerReichswahlvorschlag
Friedrich Geyer32 (Leipzig)
Karl Giebel5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Anna von Gierke
Johannes Giesberts25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Anton Gilsing
Emil Girbig9 (Liegnitz)
Wilhelm Gleichauf
Heinrich Gölzer
Georg Gothein8 (Breslau)
Georg GradnauerReichswahlvorschlagResigned on 10 April 1919
Albrecht von Graefe7 (Mecklenburg)
Adolf GröberDied on 19 November 1919
Martin Gruber27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Helene GrünbergEntered on 21 November 1919 as a replacement for Josef Simon
Wilhelm Grünewald
August Grunau
Oscar GüntherResigned on 1 June 1919
Magnus HaackResigned on 19 August 1919
Ludwig Haas35 (Baden)
Hugo HaaseDied on 7 November 1919
August Josef Hagemann16 (Weser-Ems)
August HampeBrunswick State Electoral Association
Heinrich Hansmann20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Gustav Hartmann
Rudolf Hartmann10 (Oppeln)
Ludwig Hasenzahl
Frieda Hauke10 (Oppeln)
Conrad Haußmann34 (Württemberg)
Benedikt HebelResigned on 24 February 1920
Werner HeidsieckEntered on 17 January 1920 as a replacement for Moritz Baerwald
Wilhelm Heile18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Georg Heim28 (Niederbayern-Oberpfalz)Joined on 9 January 1920
Hugo Heimann2 (Berlin)
Wolfgang Heine
Rudolf Heinze31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
August Hellmann15 (Hamburg)
Alfred Henke16 (Weser-Ems)
Konrad Henrich
Karl Hense
Richard HerbstEntered on 20 November 1919 as a replacement for Hugo Haase
Karl Hermann34 (Württemberg)
Carl Herold19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Alfred Herrmann
Hans Herschel10 (Oppeln)
Fritz Hesse
Michael Hierl
Karl Hildenbrand34 (Württemberg)
Franz HitzeReichswahlvorschlag
Gustav Hoch21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Else Höfs
Otto Hörsing
Johannes Hoffmann30 (Pfalz)
Arthur Hofmann13 (Thuringia)
Hermann Hofmann30 (Pfalz)
Peter Holl
Franz HolzapfelEntered on 30 September 1919 as a replacement for Magnus Haack
Otto Hue20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Anna Hübler
Paul HugResigned on 22 May 1919
Alfred Hugenberg19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Otto Hugo19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Heinrich Imbusch20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Martin IrlJoined on 9 January 1920
Heinrich Jäcker25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Willy Jandrey6 (Pommern)
Alfred Janschek19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Viktor Jantzen
Heinrich Jasper
Josef Jaud27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Philipp JohannsenEntered on 1 August 1919 as a replacement for Detlef Thomsen
Joseph Joos23 (Köln-Aachen)
August JordanEntered on 22 May 1919 as a replacement for Paul Hug, resigned on 5 July 1919
Marie Juchacz4 (Potsdam I)
Max Jungnickel
Ludwig Kaas24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Wilhelm Kahl2 (Berlin)
Wilhelmine Kähler1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Käppler13 (Thuringia)
Hermann Kahmann31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Franz Kaufmann
Simon Katzenstein
Wilhelm Keil34 (Württemberg)
Adolf Kempkes25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Gottlieb Kenngott
Andreas Kerschbaum29 (Franken)
Katharina Kloss
Friedrich KnollmannDied on 16 April 1920
Christian Koch
Johann KochReichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Koch25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
William Karl Koch
Erich Koch-Weser16 (Weser-Ems)
Franz Heinrich Költzsch
Wilhelm Koenen12 (Merseburg)
Max König20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Alwin Körsten6 (Pommern)
Bartholomäus Koßmann
Theodor Kotzur1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Krätzig31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Heinrich von Kraut
Karl Kreft
Franz Kreutz
Wilhelm Kröger7 (Mecklenburg)Entered on 25 July 1919 as a replacement for Franz Starosson
Peter Kronen
Franz Krüger
Hans Krüger
Josef Kubetzko10 (Oppeln)Resigned on 12 July 1919
Wilhelm KülzEntered on 20 January 1920 as a replacement for Emil Nitzschke
Heinrich KürbisResigned on 2 December 1919
Bernhard Kuhnt33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Fritz Kunert12 (Merseburg)
Alexander Kuntze6 (Pommern)
Bruno Kurowski
Hedwig KurtEntered on 10 April 1919 as a replacement for Georg Gradnauer
Otto Landsberg
Christian Ritter von LangheinrichResigned on 21 April 1919
Heinrich Langwost18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)Elected on a joint list with the Centre Party
Wilhelm LattmannEntered on 24 October 1919 as a replacement for Karl Veidt
Gustav Laukant
Wilhelm Laverrenz2 (Berlin)
Peter Legendre
Carl Legien14 (Schleswig-Holstein)Died on 26 December 1920
Johann Leicht29 (Franken)Joined in January 1922
Gottfried LeiserEntered on 24 October 1919 as a replacement for Emil Engelhard
Felix Lensing
Friedrich Lesche17 (Ost-Hannover)
Hans Liebig
Julius Lippmann
Paul Lockenvitz
Paul Löbe8 (Breslau)
Gertrud LodahlEntered on 12 February 1919 as a replacement for Paul Stössel
Heinrich Löffler10 (Oppeln)
Josef Lübbring1 (Ostpreußen)
Marie-Elisabeth LüdersReichswahlvorschlagEntered on 24 August 1919 as a replacement for Friedrich Naumann
Frida Lührs
August Lüttich
Friedrich Max Ludewig
Hermann Luppe
Ernestine Lutze
Wilhelm MännerResigned in February 1919
Gustav Malkewitz6 (Pommern)
Oskar Maretzky4 (Potsdam I)
Wilhelm Marx25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Georg MauererEntered on 2 February 1919 as a replacement for Alwin Saenger
Joseph Mausbach
Wilhelm Maxen18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Wilhelm Mayer27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)Joined on 9 January 1920, resigned on 17 February 1920
Johannes Meerfeld23 (Köln-Aachen)
Richard Meier33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Christian MeisnerEntered in Mai 1919 as a replacement for Christian Ritter von Langheinrich
Clara MendeReichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm MerckReichswahlvorschlagEntered in February 1920 as a replacement for Benedikt Hebel
August MergesResigned on 28 February 1919
Peter Michelsen14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Fritz Mittelmann6 (Pommern)
Hermann Molkenbuhr33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Albrecht MorathReichswahlvorschlag
Julius Moses2 (Berlin)
Otto Most26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Hermann Müller29 (Franken)
Hermann Müller
Richard MüllerResigned on 31 January 1920
Reinhard Mumm20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Josef Nacken23 (Köln-Aachen)
Anna Nemitz9 (Liegnitz)Joined in September 1922
Friedrich NaumannDied on 24 August 1919
Agnes Neuhaus20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Adolf Neumann-Hofer
Matthias Neyses24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Emil NitzschkeResigned on 20 January 1920
Ferdinand Noske
Gustav Noske
Otto Nuschke
Ernst Oberfohren14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Karl Obermeyer25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Richard Oertel24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Wilhelm Ohler
Karl Okonsky10 (Oppeln)Entered in July 1919 as a replacement for Josef Kubetzko
Karl Ollmert
Nikolaus Osterroth
Waldemar Otte
Hermann Pachnicke4 (Potsdam I)
Johann Panzer
Richard PartzschEntered on 3 January 1920 as a replacement for August Winnig
Friedrich von Payer
Carl Wilhelm Petersen15 (Hamburg)
Wilhelm Pfannkuch
Maximilian Pfeiffer2 (Berlin)
Antonie Pfülf27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Albrecht Philipp32 (Leipzig)
Otto Pick
Karl Pinkau32 (Leipzig)
Alexander Pohlmann10 (Oppeln)
Franz Pokorny
Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner
Alois Puschmann8 (Breslau)
Max Quarck
Ludwig Quessel22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Ludwig Quidde
Fritz Raschig
Friedrich Rauch
Gustav Raute12 (Merseburg)
Walter Reek
Heinrich Reineke
Hermann Paul Reißhaus13 (Thuringia)
Johanne Reitze15 (Hamburg)
Ernst Remmers
Anton Rheinländer20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Adolf Richter1 (Ostpreußen)
Johann Sophian Christian Richter
Hartmann von Richthofen
Lorenz Riedmiller35 (Baden)
Jakob Riesser21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Paul Rodemann
Elisabeth Röhl
Paul Röhle
Gustav RoesickeReichswahlvorschlag
Kurt Rosenfeld13 (Thuringia)Entered on 3 May 1920 as a replacement for Emanuel Wurm
Leopold Rückert
Heinrich Runkel14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Elfriede Ryneck3 (Potsdam II)
Hermann Sachse
Alwin SaengerResigned on 2 February 1919
Robert Sagawe
Albert Salm
Ernst Schädlich
Valentin Schäfer
Josef Schefbeck
Philipp Scheidemann21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Martin Schiele11 (Magdeburg)
Eugen Schiffer11 (Magdeburg)
Karl Matthias SchifferResigned on 24 September 1919
Joseph SchilgenEntered on 24 September 1919 as a replacement for Karl Matthias Schiffer
Minna Schilling33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Carl Schirmer29 (Franken)Joined on 9 January 1920
Käthe Schirmacher
Peter Schlack25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Alexander SchlickeReichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Schlüter
Richard Schmidt31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Richard Schmidt
Robert SchmidtReichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Schmidthals
Adam Josef Schmitt
Maria Schmitz
Alexander Schneider
Gustav Schneider
Georg Schöpflin35 (Baden)
Carl Schreck19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Louise Schroeder14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Clara Schuch2 (Berlin)
Walther Schücking21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Wilhelm Schümmer
Georg SchultzReichswahlvorschlag
Heinrich SchulzReichswahlvorschlag
Hermann SchulzWestpreußen
Wilhelm Schulz
Gerhart von Schulze-GävernitzEntered on 12 April 1919 as a replacement for Hermann Dietrich
Oswald Schumann5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Jean Albert Schwarz21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Rudolf Schwarzer27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Friedrich Seger32 (Leipzig)
Friedrich Wilhelm Semmler8 (Breslau)
Carl Severing19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Richard Seyfert
Otto Sidow4 (Potsdam I)
Ernst Siehr
Karl SielermannEntered on 29 September 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Wallbaum
Anna Simon
Hermann Silberschmidt11 (Magdeburg)
Georg Simon27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Josef Simon29 (Franken)Resigned on 21 November 1919
Hugo Sinzheimer
Hans Sivkovich7 (Mecklenburg)
Wilhelm Sollmann23 (Köln-Aachen)
Peter SpahnReichswahlvorschlag
Emil Stahl
Michael Stapfer
Franz Starosson
Otto Steinmayer
Wilhelm Steinsdorff
Adam Stegerwald19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Willy SteinkopfReichswahlvorschlag
Johannes Stelling7 (Mecklenburg)
Christian Stock
Otto Stolten15 (Hamburg)
Paul StösselResigned on 2 February 1919
Gustav Stresemann3 (Potsdam II)
Franz Strzoda
Daniel Stücklen33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Thomas Szczeponik10 (Oppeln)
Theodor Tantzen der JüngereResigned on 31 October 1919
Paul Taubadel9 (Liegnitz)
Eugen TaucherJoined on 9 January 1920, resigned on 1 February 1920
Johanna Tesch21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Christine Teusch23 (Köln-Aachen)
Johannes Thabor26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Adolf Thiele
Georg Thöne21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Detlef ThomsenSHBLDResigned on 7 July 1919
Franz ThurowEntered on 11 February 1919 as a replacement for Friedrich Ebert
Gottfried Traub
Peter Tremmel24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Karl Trimborn23 (Köln-Aachen)
Oskar Trinks
Carl Ulitzka10 (Oppeln)
Carl Ulrich22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Karl VeidtResigned on 29 August 1919
Wilhelm Vershofen
Otto Vesper
Albert Vögler20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Hans Vogel29 (Franken)
Wilhelm Vogt34 (Württemberg)
Fritz Voigt
Friedrich Wachhorst de Wente
Felix Waldstein14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Wilhelm WallbaumResigned on 29 September 1919
Fritz Warmuth5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Helene Weber
Victor Weidtman
Luitpold Weilnböck29 (Franken)
Friedrich WeinhausenWestpreußen
Konrad Weiß29 (Franken)
Franz Xaver Weixler27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)Entered in March 1920 as a replacement for Wilhelm Mayer
Otto Wels5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Hugo Wendorff
Kuno von Westarp3 (Potsdam II)
Johannes Wetzlich
Franz Wieber26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Philipp Wieland34 (Württemberg)
Carl Winkelmann
August Winnefeld20 (Westfalen-Süd)
August WinnigResigned on 3 January 1920
Joseph Wirth35 (Baden)
Rudolf Wissell
Franz Heinrich Witthoefft
Theodor Wolff
Emanuel WurmDied on 3 May 1920
Constantin Zawadzki10 (Oppeln)
Johann Anton Zehnter
Marie Zettler
Paul Ziegler20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Luise Zietz2 (Berlin)
Georg Zöphel
Fritz Zubeil3 (Potsdam II)

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sturm . Reinhard . 23 December 2011 . Weimarer Republik: Vom Kaiserreich zur Republik 1918/19 . Weimar Republic: From Empire to Republic 1918/19 . 17 June 2013 . Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung . de.
  2. News: Holste . Heiko . January 2009 . Die Nationalversammlung gehört hierher! . de . The National Assembly belongs here! . Frankfurther Allgemeine Zeitung, Bilder und Zeiten Nr. 8, 10.
  3. Web site: Chronologie 1919 (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. 23 July 2013.
  4. Web site: Die Wahlen zur Nationalversammlung . The Election of the National Assembly . 10 December 2007 . Deutsches Historisches Museum . de.
  5. Web site: Sturm . Reinhard . 23 December 2011 . Weimarer Republik: Vom Kaiserreich zur Republik 1918/19 . Weimar Republic: From Empire to Republic 1918/19 . 17 June 2013 . Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung . de.
  6. Book: Winkler, Heinrich August . Weimar 1918–1933. Die Geschichte der ersten deutschen Demokratie . C.H. Beck . 1993 . 3-406-37646-0 . Munich . 69 . de . Weimar 1918–1933. The History of the First German Democracy.
  7. Book: Kohn, Walter S.G. . Women in National Legislatures: A Comparative Study of Six Countries . Praeger . 1980 . 9780030475917 . Westport, CT . 141.
  8. Web site: Schüler . Anja . 8 September 2008 . Bubikopf und kurze Röcke . Bobbed hair and short skirts . Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung . de.
  9. Web site: Jindra . Steffen . 2 March 2021 . Weimar und die 37 Frauen . Weimar and the 37 Women . ARD . de.
  10. Web site: Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt1 . documentArchiv.de . de.
  11. Book: Das Kriegstagebuch des Reichstagsabgeordneten Eduard David 1914 bis 1918 . Droste . 1966 . 9783770050376 . Miller . Susanne . Düsseldorf . XXXIII . de . The War Diary of Eduard David, Member of the Reichstag 1914 to 1918 . Matthias . Erich.
  12. Web site: 22 July 2023 . Philipp Scheidemann . 31 August 2023 . Encyclopedia Britannica.
  13. Web site: Müller . Wolfgang . 8 November 2022 . Versailler Vertrag: Fragen und Antworten . Versailles Treaty: Questions and Answers . NDR . de.
  14. Web site: 4 July 2019 . Vor 100 Jahren: Nationalversammlung ratifiziert Versailler Vertrag . 100 Years Ago: The National Assembly Ratifies the Versailles Treaty . Deutscher Bundestag.
  15. Web site: Gesetz über den Friedensschluß zwischen Deutschland und den alliierten und den assoziierten Mächten . documentArchiv.de . de.
  16. Web site: 20 August 1919 . Verhandlungen des Deutschen Reichstages: 84. Sitzung der Nationalversammlung vom 20. August 1919 . Proceedings of the German Reichstag: 84th Session of the National Assembly . 19 February 2023 . Reichstagsprotokolle . 2798 . de.
  17. Book: Die Deutsche Nationalversammlung im Jahre 1919 in ihrer Arbeit für den Aufbau des neuen deutschen Volksstaates . Norddeutsche Buchdruckerei und Verlagsanstalt . 1921 . Heilfron . Eduard . Berlin . 150–153 . de . The German National Assembly in 1919 in its Work for the Establishment of the New German People's State.
  18. Book: Mommsen, Wolfgang J. . Max Weber und die deutsche Politik 1890–1920 . Mohr . 1974 . 9783165358612 . 2nd . Tübingen . 372–375 . de . Max Weber and German Politics 1890–1920.
  19. Weipert . Axel . 2012 . Vor den Toren der Macht. Die Demonstration am 13. Januar 1920 vor dem Reichstag . At the gates of power. The Demonstration in Front of the Reichstag on 13 January 1920 . Jahrbuch für Forschungen zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung . de . 11 . 2 . 16–32.
  20. Web site: 23 July 2013 . Chronik 1920 . Chronicle 1920 . Deutsches Historisches Museum . de.
  21. Web site: Braun . Bernd . Epkenhans . Michael . Mühlhausen . Walter . September 1998 . Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925). Vom Arbeiterführer zum Reichspräsidenten . Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925). From labor leader to Reich President . 23 July 2013 . Friedrich Ebert Stiftung . de . 22 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222120032/https://www.fes.de/fulltext/historiker/00211005.htm . dead .
  22. Web site: Kabinett Scheidemann, Einleitung II . Scheidemann Cabinet, Introduction II . 23 July 2013 . Bundesarchiv . de.