The German political system

Politics

German Government

The German Bundestag is the lower house of the legislature in Germany, and many think it is the center of German government. It is a group made up of representatives elected by the people. The type of work that takes place there is both legislative and leadership based. The group is where bills are introduced in the legislative process. They are voted on by the Bundestag, read, commented on and studied, revised, and then if passed, given to the Bundesrat, so the Bundestag is responsible for most of the legislative process, and they can veto (not pass) a bill, too. The Lander is more closely related to the Bundesrat because that is how the Lander goes through the government and legislative process, and this is where the deputies of the Lander sit. Therefore, the relationship between the Lander and the Bundesrat is much closer than that with the Bundestag. The Bundestag differs from the French National Assembly in that the Budestag has more power. They can reject the president's candidate for Federal Chancellor, they can nominate their own candidate, and they elect the Federal Chancellor, and they also have the power to dismiss him. Thus, while the roles are similar, the French National Assembly has less power with leadership. They exist to adopt and supervise, rather than to elect and dismiss.

B. 2. Rempel feels the significance of the Weimar Republic's failure was far-reaching. Because the Republic was weak, it was open to failure, and open to a takeover by a powerful group such as Hitler's Nazis. Basically, the failure of the Republic allowed Hitler to take control of the government, which ultimately led to World War II, the persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust, and millions of deaths. Thus, the fall of the Weimar Republic was extremely significant to world history, and it was because it was created as a weak Republic that it could fall so quickly and have so many weaknesses that Hitler and his party capitalized on. This shows a very diachronic relationship between the Army, the legislative branches, and the Chancellor, because they could not work together harmoniously, and so, they created friction that led to the failure of the Republic. A more synchronic relationship may have created more strength in the Republic, and led to a much different outcome for Europe.