Reichstag

The Reichstag was Germany’s national parliament, including the legislature elected under the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933. Its members were chosen by proportional representation.

Weimar Constitution: Germany’s 1919 constitution established a democratic republic with a parliamentary government and an elected president. It defined the Reichstag’s powers and the electoral system used to choose its members.
North German Confederation: A federal state founded in 1867 under Prussian leadership, preceding the German Empire. Its Reichstag provided the institutional model for the imperial parliament.
Great Depression: A severe worldwide economic crisis that began in 1929 and caused mass unemployment and financial distress. Economic collapse intensified political polarization and weakened support for parliamentary coalitions.
Reichstag of the German Empire: The elected lower chamber of Germany’s empire from 1871 to 1918, operating alongside the Bundesrat and imperial executive. It shared the name but had less control over the government than the Weimar Reichstag.
Proportional representation: An electoral system that allocates seats in proportion to parties’ shares of the vote. It translated Weimar votes into Reichstag seats and enabled many parties to enter parliament.
German Empire: The German nation-state established in 1871 under Prussian rule and dissolved after the First World War. Its Reichstag was the predecessor of the Weimar parliament, though the emperor and chancellor held executive power.
Presidential cabinets of the Weimar Republic: German governments from 1930 to 1933 that relied on presidential appointment and emergency decrees rather than stable Reichstag majorities. Their rise marked the shift of governing power away from elected parliamentary majorities.
Reichstag (Nazi Germany): The legislature retained under Nazi rule after 1933, largely reduced to a body that endorsed government decisions. Its nominal continuation contrasts with the Weimar parliament’s competitive elections and legislative role.
Reichstag election of 1930: A September 1930 German election in which the Nazi Party became the Reichstag’s second-largest party. The result showed how electoral gains could transform the parliament’s balance of power.
Revolution of 1918–1919 in Germany: A revolution that ended the German monarchy and led to the establishment of a republic. It created the political conditions for a democratically elected Reichstag.

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