| "Weimar Constitution Reexamined" by Jeff Provine 
  
   Author 
    
    says: we're very pleased to present the tenth story from Jeff Provine's 
  
  excellent blog This 
    
    Day in Alternate History Please note that the opinions expressed in this 
  
  post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). 
     
    _svg.png) July 31st 1919, 
     
      on this day in the city of Weimar concerns over the problem of extremism 
      caused the National Assembly to vote for a final review in committee of 
      the otherwise greatly progressive document for its new constitution.
 After the fall of the German Emperor in the Great War, the revolution in 
      Germany led to a greatly progressive document for its new constitution in 
      the city of Weimar. It called for sweeping checks and proportional 
      representative government, ideas evolved during the strong years of 
      Germany before the war.
 
 However, throughout the nation, there were a growing number of "political 
      parties", a democratic ideal that had not yet affected Germany. Historical 
      reflection on parties from the first republic of neighboring France showed 
      a time of strife that would follow as extremists fought for their own mad 
      notions. They needed strong leadership initially to avoid this, or else 
      they might end up with a bloody revolution, a Reign of Terror, or even 
      fall to a Napoleonic tyrant of their own.
 
 Just before final approval, the National Assembly voted to take a final 
      review in committee of this problem of extremism. After much discussion, 
      they decided to postpone truly proportional representative government 
      until the finances of the country were balanced and the war reparations 
      paid. Until then, Germany would have tiered elections aimed toward 
      moderate, unified leadership. To hold back single-handed power from 
      another kaiser, Article 48 (giving the president power to "take all 
      necessary steps" in the case that "public order and security are seriously 
      disturbed or endangered") was more carefully defined and limited to true 
      moments of panic or war.
 
 The new constitution was ratified and came into affect in August of 1919. 
      When elections came around, it was seen that the radicals on both the left 
      and the right were taking wild stands. Fortunately, the follow-up 
      elections allowed for control over different angles and solid centrists to 
      take command. Many former low-level leaders before the war were returned 
      to office, and they set about to restore the strength of Germany despite 
      the odds.
 
 Initial problems broke out as violence challenged the strength of the new 
      republic. The communist Red Guards and the right-wing Freikorps both 
      instigated attacks on each other as well as civilians. Rather than simply 
      arresting whomever they could to try to bottle up a torrent, the German 
      government set about on a program of "Rationalization" where disagreeing 
      parties were drawn together to discuss their differences. While that 
      served as the cover, many times the plan was used to pit the extremists 
      against each other, such as the Freikorps paramilitary being used to bring 
      down an attempted communist coup in Bavaria. Whenever possible, the 
      government would then arrest leaders and exile them, sending many to 
      Soviet Russia or increasingly conservative Italy.
 
 With balance vaguely achieved (though the process was continual... a young 
      artist named Adolph Hitler was arrested in Bavaria a number of times and 
      exiled to Austria in 1923, for example), the government focused on its 
      economic policies. Hyperinflation was controlled by freezing prices and 
      continually discussing reparation treaties with other countries, gradually 
      talking down the amount rather than paying fully as international tempers 
      cooled.
 
 In the 1920s, elections would broaden as the Goldene Zwanziger was in 
      swing. Few were interested in extremism while the country grew prosperous. 
      As the markets crashed and the Great Depression set in, however, the 
      political climate changed. Still, with even its short tradition of 
      leadership, the dark age only strengthened the German peoples' faith in 
      its government. A gradual system of social nets began to grow, mirroring 
      the public works projects put up in the United States by their president 
      FDR.
 
 The world economy would gradually pick itself back into place in the 
      1940s, helped a good deal by the international demands for food, steel, 
      and cloth in the Italian campaigns in Africa (to which many German 
      right-wing expatriates would go, alleviating unemployment) and the Pacific 
      War. Fought by the Japanese against the Americans, British, and French, 
      the financial and material needs of their countries would give Germany a 
      boost back into solvency. In fact, the war would even prove the 
      shortcomings of the League of Nations, which would be strengthened by the 
      Treaty of Kyoto in 1944.
 
 When the Soviet Wars of the 1950s broke out, Germany found itself on the 
      front lines after the conquest of Poland. The armies of Stalin and later 
      Khrushchev, began marching west and south, conquering and even entering 
      the Mediterranean. Joining with former enemies France, England, and the 
      United States, Germans fought for their nationhood, holding out for long 
      years against sieges and bombings by Soviet forces. With the defeat of 
      Soviet Russia and the fall of communism in 1971, Germany and the Allies 
      set to rebuilding the world.
 
 
 
     
     Author 
    says in reality, the Weimar Constitution was academically brilliant, but 
    did not have the practicality for the real world. Hyperinflation would 
    cripple Germany, which would be fought over by extremists each thinking they 
    had the best idea. Through propaganda and chutzpa, the once tiny National 
    Socialist party would gain power under Hitler, strengthening Germany but 
    forever changing the history of the world. To view guest historian's comments on this post please visit the
    
    Today in Alternate History web site.
 
 
     Jeff Provine, Guest Historian of
    
    Today in Alternate History, a Daily Updating Blog of Important Events In 
    History That Never Occurred Today. Follow us on
    
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    Twitter.  Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit 
    differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items 
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    superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy 
    Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting 
    fictional blog. 
 
 
    
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