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Karl Eduard Wilhelm Groener : An Overview

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I. Introduction to Wilhelm Groener:

Karl Eduard Wilhelm Groener was born on November 22, 1867 in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

Groener joined the German army in 1884. He was the head of his class in 1896 when he

completed the Kriegsakademie. Groener eventually rose to the head of the railroad department of

the German general staff. He later became the chief of several departments of the War Office,

such as the Army Food Supply Office. He was also made responsible for maintaining production

for the war economy. Under Groener, the army established the principle of collective bargaining

for labor. In 1918 Groener left his position as Chief of Staff of Army Group Kiev to become first

Quartermaster General. Groener helped to bring home …show more content…

The Assembly included both republicans, called the Weimar

Coalition, and conservative anti-republicans. The distribution of votes, however, favored

the creation of a Republic. The constitution of the new Weimar Republic was later

ratified and signed into law in August of 1919. It established a federal republic with a

parliamentary system, called the Reichstag, and a president. The President was given the

ability to appoint a chancellor and the cabinet ministers. The cabinet was forced to align

itself with the Reichstag, which was elected through universal suffrage. However, the

president could dismiss the cabinet, dissolve the Reichstag, and had veto powers. The

president could also allow the cabinet to govern independently of the Reichstag, as

outlined in the emergency clause. These provisions weakened the legislative powers of

the Reichstag.

The Weimar Republic experienced problems from its outset. The president,

Friedrich Ebert, and his government had to contend with both leftists, such as the

communists, and rightists, such as the royalists, in addition to economic issues. The

government’s supporters, who included the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Central

Party, and the German Democratic Party (DDP), failed to act responsibly and many

Germans refused to accept the Weimar Republic’s legitimacy.

The right, supported by the army, elite class,

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