The German government was known as the "Weimar Republic" between the end of the Imperial era (1918) and the rise of Nazi Germany (1933). The multifaceted Weimar period was marked by political unrest and bloodshed, economic suffering, as well as new social liberties and dynamic cultural developments. The difficulties of this time period paved the way for Adolf Hitler's ascent to power in many ways.

The central German town of Weimar, where the constitutional assembly convened, gave rise to the Weimar Republic (and era) as well as its name. Although many of the problems of this time period contributed to Hitler's ascent to power, some people now believe that the Weimar Republic was doomed from the beginning.

Germany was devastated by World War I. The conflict had claimed the lives of two million young men and injured another 4.2 million, totaling 19% of the male population. The Allied blockade caused malnutrition in the civilian population at home, with famine as a significant and frequently fatal consequence. To demand improved working conditions, workers went on strike; there were 562 different strikes in 1917 alone. In other words, Germany was disintegrating. The administration, led by a powerless Emperor, deteriorated into a military dictatorship that was unable to change the status quo.

After the unrest was subdued, 25 men—among them the renowned sociologist Max Weber, the legal expert Hugo Preuss, the politician Friedrich Naumann, and the historian Friedrich Meinecke—worked from February to July 1919 to draught a new constitution that was passed on August 11. The challenge for the writers of this new constitution was to create a government that would be acceptable to both the political left and right without being overly extreme. To appease both sides, they reached a compromise.

The Reichstag, the German parliament, and the president made up the core structure of the government. The President was a real political force who possessed real political authority, had the power to declare new Reichstag elections, and was elected to a seven-year term by the general public. The framers also incorporated provisions like Article 48, which permitted the President to exercise emergency powers, suspend civil rights, and govern without the approval of the Reichstag for a certain period of time, as a concession to conservatives wary of too much democracy.