Abstract

The main problem Germany had to solve after the defeat of World War I was the political and institutional question and the regime change from an authoritarian monarchy to a parliamentary democracy. The author aims to focus to some of the most important events of the autumn 1918, including the institution of a republican structure in Germany and the choice to abandon the monarchy in favor of the republic. The essay highlights the historical culmination represented by the November 1918 revolution and its effects in the constituent phase that ended in August 1919 with the coming into force of the "Reichverfassung". On the basis of the analysis of the events considered in the first part, the author examines the contrast between the plebiscites and the representational elements deriving from them.