Weimar National Assembly

National Assembly Deutsche Nationalversammlung
Constituent assembly of Germany
Type
Type	Constituent assembly
History
Established	1919
Disbanded	1920
Preceded by	Imperial Reichstag
Succeeded by	Weimar Reichstag
Seats	423
Elections
Voting system	Direct competitive elections
Last election	19 January 1919
Meeting place
Deutsches Nationaltheater, Weimar

The Weimar National Assembly (German: Weimarer Nationalversammlung), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (Verfassunggebende Deutsche Nationalversammlung), 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

Friedrich Ebert

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.  On 14 January 1919 the choice fell to Weimar.

Elections

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 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. 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%. 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. Out of a total of 416 delegates 36 were women, although this increased to 41 during the term of the Assembly. If the latter number is taken, at 10% women, the Weimar National Assembly was one of the most female parliaments of its time.

Results of election to the National Assembly by district

On 10 February the Assembly passed the "Law on Provisional Reich Power" (Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt) 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. 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

Philipp Scheidemann

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 (Gewaltfrieden) 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 (Burgfriedenspolitik) during the war.

The Scheidemann cabinet resigned on 20 June 1919 because of the Entente's rejection of its counterproposals and the resulting disagreement over the question of signing the Treaty of Versailles. 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. 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 (wehrlos ist aber nicht ehrlos). 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.

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" (Gesetz über den Friedensschluß zwischen Deutschland und den alliierten und den assoziierten Mächten) 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. 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.

Hugo Preuß

Constitutional deliberations

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. 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 structure	Retain federal states
	Flag and colors	Black-red-gold
4 July	Reich president	Adopted 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 July	Reich administration	Germany unified as an economic territory; legislative responsibility for tax law to be with the Reich. Unified postal and railroad systems
10 July	Justice	Established a system of administrative courts and a high or constitutional court. Restricted military jurisdiction to wartime. Independence of courts incorporated into the constitution.
11 July	Fundamental rights	Constitution to include expanded list of fundamental rights as in draft version.
15 July	Equality of the sexes	Adopted 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 July	Death penalty	Rejected draft constitution's proposal to abolish the death penalty.
	Censorship	Guaranteed freedom of expression in speech, print, or “pictorially”. Censorship forbidden except in “cinematographs”, “indecent and obscene literature”, and for “protection of youth”.
	Illegitimacy	Illegitimate children to have the same rights as legitimate.
17 July	Right to assemble	Guaranteed right to assemble peaceably without any special permission needed.
	Church and state	Guaranteed freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
18 July	Education	Universal public education ensured to age 18.
21 July	Economic Life	Right 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.

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

• 6 February 1919 – Friedrich Ebert, as chairman of the Council of the People's Deputies, opened the first session of the National Assembly.
• 10 February 1919 – Against the votes of the USPD, the Assembly passed the "Law on Provisional Reich Power" (Gesetz über die vorläufige Reichsgewalt). It designated the Assembly itself as the legislative power and set up the position of Reich president, who was to be in charge of "the Reich's government affairs". A States' Committee was to be created to represent Germany's constituent states.
• 11 February 1919 – Friedrich Ebert was elected provisional Reich president. He asked Philipp Scheidemann to form a government.
• 13 February 1919 –Scheidemann formed a government based on the Weimar Coalition.
• 14 February 1919 – Konstantin Fehrenbach (Centre Party) was elected president of the National Assembly.
• 27 February 1919 – The Assembly passed a law setting up a provisional military in accordance with the terms of the Armistice. By 1921 the armed forces were to be transformed into a professional army without conscripts. The number of land troops was to be cut from 800,000 to 100,000.
• 4 March 1919 – The Assembly passed a law clarifying the position of imperial laws and those passed by the Council of the People's Deputies.
• 12 May 1919 – The National Assembly met for a protest rally against the Treaty of Versailles. Philipp Scheidemann called it "unacceptable".
• 20/21 June 1919 – The Scheidemann government resigned. The next day Gustav Bauer (SPD) formed a new government.
• 22 June 1919 – With the approval of the Assembly, the new government declared itself ready to accept the Treaty of Versailles if the admission of Germany's sole responsibility for the war were dropped.
• 3 July 1919 – The Assembly accepted the new national colors.
• 7 July 1919 – Finance minister Matthias Erzberger (Centre Party) presented his fiscal reforms including the introduction of the first German income tax and fiscal burden sharing.
• 9 July 1919 – The Assembly ratified the Treaty of Versailles and the regulatory statutes about the military occupation of the Rhineland.
• 31 July 1919 – The Assembly passed the Weimar Constitution with 262 delegates voting for and 75 (USPD, DNVP and DVP) against.
• 11 August 1919 – Reich President Ebert signed the constitution. It came into force on 14 August 1919. Final meeting of the Assembly in Weimar.
• 30 September 1919 – First meeting of the Assembly at Berlin, after law and order were deemed to have been restored in the capital.
• 17 December 1919 – The Assembly passed a law that called for a one-off wealth tax to pay for the national debt.
• 18 January 1920 – The Assembly passed the law on workers' councils.
• 13 March 1920 – The Assembly left Berlin as a result of the Kapp Putsch. It returned from Stuttgart seven days later.
• 25/26 March 1920 – The government of Chancellor Gustav Bauer resigned. The next day President Ebert asked Hermann Müller (SPD) to form a new government.
• 8 May 1920 – A law came into force establishing a security zone around parliamentary buildings in which demonstrations were not allowed.
• 12 May 1920 – A law that was the basis for movie censorship came into force.
• 20 May 1920 – Supported by the SPD, the majority of the Assembly called on the government to end the state of emergency in all of Germany. The government refused.
• 21 May 1920 – The National Assembly dissolved. After the Reichstag election on 6 June 1920, the Republic's first Reichstag took the place of the National Assembly.

Presidents of the Weimar National Assembly

Name	Party		Entered Office	Left Office
Eduard David		SPD	7 February 1919	13 February 1919
Conrad Haußmann (acting)			13 February 1919	14 February 1919
Konstantin Fehrenbach		Centre	14 February 1919	21 June 1920

Members

Member	Party		Constituency	Notes
Bruno Ablaß		DDP		11 (Liegnitz)
Karl Aderhold		USPD			Entered on 1 March 1919 as a replacement for August Merges
Lore Agnes		USPD		25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Joseph Allekotte		Centre		21 (Coblenz-Trier)
Ludwig Alpers		DHP		37 (Bremen-Hamburg-Stade)
Josef Andre		Centre		31/32 (Württemberg)
Albert Arnstadt		DNVP		36 (Thuringia)
Julius Aßmann		DVP		8 (Posen)
Jacob Astor		Centre		21 (Coblenz-Trier)
Erhard Auer		SPD		24 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Benedikt Bachmeier		BB			Entered on 24 February 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Männer
Paul Bader		SPD		12 (Magdeburg)
Max Baerecke		DNVP		2 (Westpreußen)
Moritz Baerwald		DDP		8 (Posen)	Died on 26 December 1919
Gertrud Bäumer		DDP		36 (Thuringia)
Max Bahr		DDP		6 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Franz Bartschat		DDP		1 (Ostpreußen)
August Baudert		SPD		36 (Thuringia)
Gustav Bauer		SPD		9 (Breslau)
Marie Baum		DDP		14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Eduard Baumer		BVP			Entered on 26 February 1920 as a replacement for Eugen Taucher
Johannes Becker		Centre		20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Johann Becker		German People's Party	34 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Josef Becker		Centre Party	19 (Hessen-Nassau)
Roman Becker		Social Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)
Margarete Behm		German National People's Party	7 (Pommern)
Marie Behncke		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 7 August 1919 as a replacement for August Jordan
Franz Behrens		German National People's Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Beims		Social Democratic Party	12 (Magdeburg)
Johannes Bell		Centre Party	23 (Düsseldorf-West)
Ferdinand Bender		Social Democratic Party	12 (Magdeburg)
Theodor Bergmann		Centre Party	23 (Düsseldorf-West)
Karl Bethke		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 12 May 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Buck
August Beuermann		German People's Party	8 (Posen)
Konrad Beyerle		Centre Party	29 (Franken)	Joined Bavarian People's Party on 6 January 1920
Anton Bias		Social Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)
Franz Biener		German National People's Party	30 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Albert Billian		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 13 January 1920 as a replacement for Heinrich Kürbis
Jakob Binder		Social Democratic Party
Joseph Bitta		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Lorenz Blank		Centre Party
Anna Blos		Social Democratic Party
Johannes Blum		Centre Party	26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Andreas Blunck		German Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Wilhelm Bock		Independent Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)
Karl Böhme		German Democratic Party	11 (Magdeburg)
Wilhelm Böhmert		German Democratic Party
Friedrich Börschmann		Social Democratic Party
Minna Bollmann		Social Democratic Party
Eugen Bolz		Centre Party	34 (Württemberg)
Otto Brass		Independent Social Democratic Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Otto Braun		Social Democratic Party	26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Adolf Braun		Social Democratic Party	29 (Franken)
Heinrich Brauns		Centre Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Otto von Brentano di Tremezzo		Centre Party	22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
August Brey		Social Democratic Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Alfred Brodauf		German Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Elisabeth Brönner		German Democratic Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Arno Bruchardt		Independent Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Hermann Bruckhoff		German Democratic Party
Paul Brühl		Independent Social Democratic Party	4 (Potsdam I)
Friedrich Brühne		Social Democratic Party
Wilhelm Bruhn		German National People's Party	5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Wilhelm Buck		Social Democratic Party	31 (Dresden-Bautzen)	Resigned on 11 April 1919
Ewald Budde		Social Democratic Party
Michael Burgau		Social Democratic Party
Eduard Burlage		Centre Party	16 (Weser-Ems)
Oskar Cohn		Independent Social Democratic Party
Hermann Colshorn		German-Hanoverian Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)	Elected on a joint list with the Centre Party
Eduard David		Social Democratic Party	22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Georg Davidsohn		Social Democratic Party
Kurt Deglerk		German National People's Party	8 (Breslau)
Karl Deichmann		Social Democratic Party
Clemens von Delbrück		German National People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag	Died on 18 December 1921
Carl Delius		German Democratic Party	12 (Merseburg)
Bernhard Dernburg		German Democratic Party	3 (Potsdam II)
Hermann Dietrich		German Democratic Party	35 (Baden)	Resigned on 12 April 1919
Hermann Dietrich		German National People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Karl Dietrich		Social Democratic Party
Carl Diez		Centre Party	35 (Baden)
Theodor Dirr		Bavarian Peasants' League
Wilhelm Dittmann		Independent Social Democratic Party	11 (Magdeburg)
Alexander Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien		German People's Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Hedwig Dransfeld		Centre Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Ernst Dröner		Social Democratic Party
Adelbert Düringer		German National People's Party	35 (Baden)
Wilhelm Dusche		German People's Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Bernhard Düwell		Independent Social Democratic Party	12 (Merseburg)
Friedrich Ebert		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 11 February 1919
Hermann Eger		Centre Party		Entered on 19 November 1919 as a replacement for Adolf Gröber
Franz Ehrhardt		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Emil Eichhorn		Independent Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Wilhelmine Eichler		Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)
Georg Eisenberger		Bavarian Peasants' League	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Elise Ekke		German Democratic Party
Paul Ende		German Democratic Party		Entered on 22 June 1919 as a replacement for Oscar Günther
Fritz Endres		Social Democratic Party
Emil Engelhard		German Democratic Party		Resigned on 3 October 1919
Anton Erkelenz		German Democratic Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Eugen Ernst		Social Democratic Party
Joseph Ersing		Centre Party	35 (Baden)
Matthias Erzberger		Centre Party	34 (Württemberg)
Bernhard Falk		German Democratic Party
Wilhelm Farwick		Centre Party
Constantin Fehrenbach		Centre Party	35 (Baden)
Jan Fegter		German Democratic Party		Entered on 20 November 1919 as a replacement for Theodor Tantzen
Franz Feldmann		Social Democratic Party	8 (Breslau)
Otto Fischbeck		German Democratic Party
Gustav Fischer		Social Democratic Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Richard Fischer		Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Paul Fleischer		Centre Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Wilhelm Frank		Centre Party		Entered on 9 March 1920 as a replacement for Richard Müller
Richard Franke		German Democratic Party
Wilhelm Frerker		Centre Party
Karl Frohme		Social Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Karl Gandorfer		Bavarian Peasants' League
Karl Gebhart		German People's Party	30 (Pfalz)
Oskar Geck		Social Democratic Party	35 (Baden)
Julius Gehl		Social Democratic Party
Liborius Gerstenberger		Bavarian People's Party	29 (Franken)
Curt Geyer		Independent Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Friedrich Geyer		Independent Social Democratic Party	32 (Leipzig)
Karl Giebel		Social Democratic Party	5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Anna von Gierke		German National People's Party
Johannes Giesberts		Centre Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Anton Gilsing		Centre Party
Emil Girbig		Social Democratic Party	9 (Liegnitz)
Wilhelm Gleichauf		German Democratic Party
Heinrich Gölzer		Social Democratic Party
Georg Gothein		German Democratic Party	8 (Breslau)
Georg Gradnauer		Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag	Resigned on 10 April 1919
Albrecht von Graefe		German National People's Party	7 (Mecklenburg)
Adolf Gröber		Centre Party		Died on 19 November 1919
Martin Gruber		Social Democratic Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Helene Grünberg		Independent Social Democratic Party		Entered on 21 November 1919 as a replacement for Josef Simon
Wilhelm Grünewald		German Democratic Party
August Grunau		Centre Party
Oscar Günther		German Democratic Party		Resigned on 1 June 1919
Magnus Haack		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 19 August 1919
Ludwig Haas		German Democratic Party	35 (Baden)
Hugo Haase		Independent Social Democratic Party		Died on 7 November 1919
August Josef Hagemann		Centre Party	16 (Weser-Ems)
August Hampe		Brunswick State Electoral Association
Heinrich Hansmann		Social Democratic Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Gustav Hartmann		German Democratic Party
Rudolf Hartmann		German National People's Party	10 (Oppeln)
Ludwig Hasenzahl		Social Democratic Party
Frieda Hauke		Social Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)
Conrad Haußmann		German Democratic Party	34 (Württemberg)
Benedikt Hebel		Bavarian People's Party		Resigned on 24 February 1920
Werner Heidsieck		German Democratic Party		Entered on 17 January 1920 as a replacement for Moritz Baerwald
Wilhelm Heile		German Democratic Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Georg Heim		Centre Party	28 (Niederbayern-Oberpfalz)	Joined Bavarian People's Party on 9 January 1920
Hugo Heimann		Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Wolfgang Heine		Social Democratic Party
Rudolf Heinze		German People's Party	31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
August Hellmann		Social Democratic Party	15 (Hamburg)
Alfred Henke		Independent Social Democratic Party	16 (Weser-Ems)
Konrad Henrich		German Democratic Party
Karl Hense		Social Democratic Party
Richard Herbst		Independent Social Democratic Party		Entered on 20 November 1919 as a replacement for Hugo Haase
Karl Hermannn		German Democratic Party	34 (Württemberg)
Carl Herold		Centre Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Alfred Herrmann		German Democratic Party
Hans Herschel		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Fritz Hesse		German Democratic Party
Michael Hierl		Social Democratic Party
Karl Hildenbrand		Social Democratic Party	34 (Württemberg)
Franz Hitze		Centre Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Gustav Hoch		Social Democratic Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Else Höfs		Social Democratic Party
Otto Hörsing		Social Democratic Party
Johannes Hoffmann		Social Democratic Party	30 (Pfalz)
Arthur Hofmann		Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)
Hermann Hofmann		Centre Party	30 (Pfalz)
Peter Holl		Social Democratic Party
Franz Holzapfel		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 30 September 1919 as a replacement for Magnus Haack
Otto Hue		Social Democratic Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Anna Hübler		Independent Social Democratic Party
Paul Hug		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 22 May 1919
Alfred Hugenberg		German National People's Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Otto Hugo		German People's Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Heinrich Imbusch		Centre Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Martin Irl		Centre Party		Joined Bavarian People's Party on 9 January 1920
Heinrich Jäcker		Social Democratic Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Willy Jandrey		German National People's Party	6 (Pommern)
Alfred Janschek		Social Democratic Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Viktor Jantzen		Social Democratic Party
Heinrich Jasper		Social Democratic Party
Josef Jaud		Bavarian People's Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Philipp Johannsen		Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)	Entered on 1 August 1919 as a replacement for Detlef Thomsen
Joseph Joos		Centre Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
August Jordan		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 22 May 1919 as a replacement for Paul Hug, resigned on 5 July 1919
Marie Juchacz		Social Democratic Party	4 (Potsdam I)
Max Jungnickel		Social Democratic Party
Ludwig Kaas		Centre Party	24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Wilhelm Kahl		German People's Party	2 (Berlin)
Wilhelmine Kähler		Social Democratic Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Käppler		Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)
Hermann Kahmann		Social Democratic Party	31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Franz Kaufmann		Centre Party
Simon Katzenstein		Social Democratic Party
Wilhelm Keil		Social Democratic Party	34 (Württemberg)
Adolf Kempkes		German People's Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Gottlieb Kenngott		Social Democratic Party
Andreas Kerschbaum		German Democratic Party	29 (Franken)
Katharina Kloss		German Democratic Party
Friedrich Knollmann		German National People's Party		Died on 16 April 1920
Christian Koch		German Democratic Party
Johann Koch		Centre Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Koch		German National People's Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
William Karl Koch		German Democratic Party
Erich Koch-Weser		German Democratic Party	16 (Weser-Ems)
Franz Heinrich Költzsch		German National People's Party
Wilhelm Koenen		Independent Social Democratic Party	12 (Merseburg)
Max König		Social Democratic Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Alwin Körsten		Social Democratic Party	6 (Pommern)
Bartholomäus Koßmann		Centre Party
Theodor Kotzur		Social Democratic Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Hermann Krätzig		Social Democratic Party	31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Heinrich von Kraut		German National People's Party
Karl Kreft		German National People's Party
Franz Kreutz		Centre Party
Wilhelm Kröger		Social Democratic Party	7 (Mecklenburg)	Entered on 25 July 1919 as a replacement for Franz Starosson
Peter Kronen		Social Democratic Party
Franz Krüger		Social Democratic Party
Hans Krüger		Social Democratic Party
Josef Kubetzko		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)	Resigned on 12 July 1919
Wilhelm Külz		German Democratic Party		Entered on 20 January 1920 as a replacement for Emil Nitzschke
Heinrich Kürbis		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 2 December 1919
Bernhard Kuhnt		Independent Social Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Fritz Kunert		Independent Social Democratic Party	12 (Merseburg)
Alexander Kuntze		Social Democratic Party	6 (Pommern)
Bruno Kurowski		Centre Party
Hedwig Kurt		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 10 April 1919 as a replacement for Georg Gradnauer
Otto Landsberg		Social Democratic Party
Christian Ritter von Langheinrich		German Democratic Party		Resigned on 21 April 1919
Heinrich Langwost		German-Hanoverian Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)	Elected on a joint list with the Centre Party
Wilhelm Lattmann		German National People's Party		Entered on 24 October 1919 as a replacement for Karl Veidt
Gustav Laukant		Independent Social Democratic Party
Wilhelm Laverrenz		German National People's Party	2 (Berlin)
Peter Legendre		Centre Party
Carl Legien		Social Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)	Died on 26 December 1920
Johann Leicht		Centre Party	29 (Franken)	Joined Bavarian People's Party in January 1922
Gottfried Leiser		German Democratic Party		Entered on 24 October 1919 as a replacement for Emil Engelhard
Felix Lensing		Centre Party
Friedrich Lesche		Social Democratic Party	17 (Ost-Hannover)
Hans Liebig		Social Democratic Party
Julius Lippmann		German Democratic Party
Paul Lockenvitz		German Democratic Party
Paul Löbe		Social Democratic Party	8 (Breslau)
Gertrud Lodahl		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 12 February 1919 as a replacement for Paul Stössel
Heinrich Löffler		Social Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)
Josef Lübbring		Social Democratic Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Marie-Elisabeth Lüders		German Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag	Entered on 24 August 1919 as a replacement for Friedrich Naumann
Frida Lührs		Social Democratic Party
August Lüttich		Social Democratic Party
Friedrich Max Ludewig		German Democratic Party
Hermann Luppe		German Democratic Party
Ernestine Lutze		Social Democratic Party
Wilhelm Männer		Bavarian Peasants' League		Resigned in February 1919
Gustav Malkewitz		German National People's Party	6 (Pommern)
Oskar Maretzky		German People's Party	4 (Potsdam I)
Wilhelm Marx		Centre Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Georg Mauerer		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 2 February 1919 as a replacement for Alwin Saenger
Joseph Mausbach		Centre Party
Wilhelm Maxen		Centre Party	18 (Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig)
Wilhelm Mayer		Centre Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)	Joined Bavarian People's Party on 9 January 1920, resigned on 17 February 1920
Johannes Meerfeld		Social Democratic Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
Richard Meier		Social Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Christian Meisner		German Democratic Party		Entered in Mai 1919 as a replacement for Christian Ritter von Langheinrich
Clara Mende		German People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Merck		Bavarian People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag	Entered in February 1920 as a replacement for Benedikt Hebel
August Merges		Independent Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 28 February 1919
Peter Michelsen		Social Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Fritz Mittelmann		German People's Party	6 (Pommern)
Hermann Molkenbuhr		Social Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Albrecht Morath		German People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Julius Moses		Independent Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Otto Most		German People's Party	26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Hermann Müller		Social Democratic Party	29 (Franken)
Hermann Müller		Social Democratic Party
Richard Müller		Centre Party		Resigned on 31 January 1920
Reinhard Mumm		German National People's Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Josef Nacken		Centre Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
Anna Nemitz		Independent Social Democratic Party	9 (Liegnitz)	Joined Social Democratic Party in September 1922
Friedrich Naumann		German Democratic Party		Died on 24 August 1919
Agnes Neuhaus		Centre Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Adolf Neumann-Hofer		German Democratic Party
Matthias Neyses		Centre Party	24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Emil Nitzschke		German Democratic Party		Resigned on 20 January 1920
Ferdinand Noske		German National People's Party
Gustav Noske		Social Democratic Party
Otto Nuschke		German Democratic Party
Ernst Oberfohren		German National People's Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Karl Obermeyer		Social Democratic Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Richard Oertel		German People's Party	24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Wilhelm Ohler		German National People's Party
Karl Okonsky		Social Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)	Entered in July 1919 as a replacement for Josef Kubetzko
Karl Ollmert		Centre Party
Nikolaus Osterroth		Social Democratic Party
Waldemar Otte		Centre Party
Hermann Pachnicke		German Democratic Party	4 (Potsdam I)
Johann Panzer		Social Democratic Party
Richard Partzsch		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 3 January 1920 as a replacement for August Winnig
Friedrich von Payer		German Democratic Party
Carl Wilhelm Petersen		German Democratic Party	15 (Hamburg)
Wilhelm Pfannkuch		Social Democratic Party
Maximilian Pfeiffer		Centre Party	2 (Berlin)
Antonie Pfülf		Social Democratic Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Albrecht Philipp		German National People's Party	32 (Leipzig)
Otto Pick		German Democratic Party
Karl Pinkau		Social Democratic Party	32 (Leipzig)
Alexander Pohlmann		German Democratic Party	10 (Oppeln)
Franz Pokorny		Social Democratic Party
Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner		German National People's Party
Alois Puschmann		Centre Party	8 (Breslau)
Max Quarck		Social Democratic Party
Ludwig Quessel		Social Democratic Party	22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Ludwig Quidde		German Democratic Party
Fritz Raschig		German Democratic Party
Friedrich Rauch		Social Democratic Party
Gustav Raute		Independent Social Democratic Party	12 (Merseburg)
Walter Reek		Social Democratic Party
Heinrich Reineke		German People's Party
Hermann Paul Reißhaus		Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)
Johanne Reitze		Social Democratic Party	15 (Hamburg)
Ernst Remmers		German Democratic Party
Anton Rheinländer		Centre Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Adolf Richter		German National People's Party	1 (Ostpreußen)
Johann Sophian Christian Richter		Centre Party
Hartmann von Richthofen		German Democratic Party
Lorenz Riedmiller		Social Democratic Party	35 (Baden)
Jakob Riesser		German People's Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Paul Rodemann		Social Democratic Party
Elisabeth Röhl		Social Democratic Party
Paul Röhle		Social Democratic Party
Gustav Roesicke		German National People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Kurt Rosenfeld		Independent Social Democratic Party	13 (Thuringia)	Entered on 3 May 1920 as a replacement for Emanuel Wurm
Leopold Rückert		Social Democratic Party
Heinrich Runkel		German People's Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Elfriede Ryneck		Social Democratic Party	3 (Potsdam II)
Hermann Sachse		Social Democratic Party
Alwin Saenger		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 2 February 1919
Robert Sagawe		Centre Party
Albert Salm		Social Democratic Party
Ernst Schädlich		Social Democratic Party
Valentin Schäfer		Social Democratic Party
Josef Schefbeck		Centre Party
Philipp Scheidemann		Social Democratic Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Martin Schiele		German National People's Party	11 (Magdeburg)
Eugen Schiffer		German Democratic Party	11 (Magdeburg)
Karl Matthias Schiffer		Centre Party		Resigned on 24 September 1919
Joseph Schilgen		Centre Party		Entered on 24 September 1919 as a replacement for Karl Matthias Schiffer
Minna Schilling		Social Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Carl Schirmer		Centre Party	29 (Franken)	Joined Bavarian People's Party on 9 January 1920
Käthe Schirmacher		German National People's Party
Peter Schlack		Centre Party	25 (Düsseldorf-Ost)
Alexander Schlicke		Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Schlüter		Social Democratic Party
Richard Schmidt		Social Democratic Party	31 (Dresden-Bautzen)
Richard Schmidt		Social Democratic Party
Robert Schmidt		Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Wilhelm Schmidthals		German Democratic Party
Adam Josef Schmitt		Centre Party
Maria Schmitz		Centre Party
Alexander Schneider		Centre Party
Gustav Schneider		German Democratic Party
Georg Schöpflin		Social Democratic Party	35 (Baden)
Carl Schreck		Social Democratic Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Louise Schroeder		Social Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Clara Schuch		Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Walther Schücking		German Democratic Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Wilhelm Schümmer		Centre Party
Georg Schultz		German National People's Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Heinrich Schulz		Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Hermann Schulz		Social Democratic Party	Westpreußen
Wilhelm Schulz		Social Democratic Party
Gerhart von Schulze-Gävernitz		German Democratic Party		Entered on 12 April 1919 as a replacement for Hermann Dietrich
Oswald Schumann		Social Democratic Party	5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Jean Albert Schwarz		Centre Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Rudolf Schwarzer		Bavarian People's Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Friedrich Seger		Independent Social Democratic Party	32 (Leipzig)
Friedrich Wilhelm Semmler		German National People's Party	8 (Breslau)
Carl Severing		Social Democratic Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Richard Seyfert		German Democratic Party
Otto Sidow		Social Democratic Party	4 (Potsdam I)
Ernst Siehr		German Democratic Party
Karl Sielermann		German National People's Party		Entered on 29 September 1919 as a replacement for Wilhelm Wallbaum
Anna Simon		Social Democratic Party
Hermann Silberschmidt		Social Democratic Party	11 (Magdeburg)
Georg Simon		Social Democratic Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)
Josef Simon		Independent Social Democratic Party	29 (Franken)	Resigned on 21 November 1919
Hugo Sinzheimer		Social Democratic Party
Hans Sivkovich		German Democratic Party	7 (Mecklenburg)
Wilhelm Sollmann		Social Democratic Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
Peter Spahn		Centre Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Emil Stahl		Social Democratic Party
Michael Stapfer		Centre Party
Franz Starosson		Social Democratic Party
Otto Steinmayer		Social Democratic Party
Wilhelm Steinsdorff		German Democratic Party
Adam Stegerwald		Centre Party	19 (Westfalen-Nord)
Willy Steinkopf		Social Democratic Party	Reichswahlvorschlag
Johannes Stelling		Social Democratic Party	7 (Mecklenburg)
Christian Stock		Social Democratic Party
Otto Stolten		Social Democratic Party	15 (Hamburg)
Paul Stössel		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 2 February 1919
Gustav Stresemann		German People's Party	3 (Potsdam II)
Franz Strzoda		Centre Party
Daniel Stücklen		Social Democratic Party	33 (Chemnitz-Zwickau)
Thomas Szczeponik		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Theodor Tantzen der Jüngere		German Democratic Party		Resigned on 31 October 1919
Paul Taubadel		Social Democratic Party	9 (Liegnitz)
Eugen Taucher		Centre Party		Joined Bavarian People's Party on 9 January 1920, resigned on 1 February 1920
Johanna Tesch		Social Democratic Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Christine Teusch		Centre Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
Johannes Thabor		Social Democratic Party	26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Adolf Thiele		Social Democratic Party
Georg Thöne		Social Democratic Party	21 (Hessen-Nassau)
Detlef Thomsen		Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy		Resigned on 7 July 1919
Franz Thurow		Social Democratic Party		Entered on 11 February 1919 as a replacement for Friedrich Ebert
Gottfried Traub		German National People's Party
Peter Tremmel		Centre Party	24 (Coblenz-Trier)
Karl Trimborn		Centre Party	23 (Köln-Aachen)
Oskar Trinks		Social Democratic Party
Carl Ulitzka		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Carl Ulrich		Social Democratic Party	22 (Hessen-Darmstadt)
Karl Veidt		German National People's Party		Resigned on 29 August 1919
Wilhelm Vershofen		German Democratic Party
Otto Vesper		Social Democratic Party
Albert Vögler		German People's Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Hans Vogel		Social Democratic Party	29 (Franken)
Wilhelm Vogt		German National People's Party	34 (Württemberg)
Fritz Voigt		Social Democratic Party
Friedrich Wachhorst de Wente		German Democratic Party
Felix Waldstein		German Democratic Party	14 (Schleswig-Holstein)
Wilhelm Wallbaum		German National People's Party		Resigned on 29 September 1919
Fritz Warmuth		German National People's Party	5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Helene Weber		Centre Party
Victor Weidtman		German People's Party
Luitpold Weilnböck		German National People's Party	29 (Franken)
Friedrich Weinhausen		German Democratic Party	Westpreußen
Konrad Weiß		German Democratic Party	29 (Franken)
Franz Xaver Weixler		Bavarian People's Party	27 (Oberbayern-Schwaben)	Entered in March 1920 as a replacement for Wilhelm Mayer
Otto Wels		Social Democratic Party	5 (Frankfurt (Oder))
Hugo Wendorff		German Democratic Party
Kuno von Westarp		German National People's Party	3 (Potsdam II)
Johannes Wetzlich		German National People's Party
Franz Wieber		Centre Party	26 (Düsseldorf-West)
Philipp Wieland		German Democratic Party	34 (Württemberg)
Carl Winkelmann		Social Democratic Party
August Winnefeld		German People's Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
August Winnig		Social Democratic Party		Resigned on 3 January 1920
Joseph Wirth		Centre Party	35 (Baden)
Rudolf Wissell		Social Democratic Party
Franz Heinrich Witthoefft		German People's Party
Theodor Wolff		Social Democratic Party
Emanuel Wurm		Independent Social Democratic Party		Died on 3 May 1920
Constantin Zawadzki		Centre Party	10 (Oppeln)
Johann Anton Zehnter		Centre Party
Marie Zettler		Centre Party
Paul Ziegler		German Democratic Party	20 (Westfalen-Süd)
Luise Zietz		Independent Social Democratic Party	2 (Berlin)
Georg Zöphel		German Democratic Party
Fritz Zubeil		Independent Social Democratic Party	3 (Potsdam II)

See also

• Herrenchiemsee convention of 1948
• Parlamentarischer Rat of 1949