Office of the Reich President

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In the Weimar Republic, the office of the Reich President was a supreme Reich authority to support the Reich President.

Despite the extensive rights, powers and influence of the Reich President, Friedrich Ebert created a relatively small office organization under the name "Office of the Reich President", which was available to him when he carried out his official business. The office of the Reich President also had no constitutional basis, but was covered by state practice through budgetary approval. Nor did he have a large advisory staff.

tasks

The main tasks of the office of the Reich President were:

  • Informing and advising the Reich President in the area of ​​his responsibilities in foreign and internal affairs,
  • Perception of his connection to the Reich Government and the Supreme Reich Authorities,
  • Maintaining relations with foreign diplomatic missions,
  • Submission of the international treaties, laws and ordinances to be drawn up,
  • Preparation of personnel matters,
  • Advice and briefing on all matters relating to military command and command
  • Intercourse with members of the Reichstag, party leaders and other factors in public life.

Position plan

The position plan of the office of the Reich President recorded the following positions in 1925:

  • 1 head of the office (with the rank of envoy),
  • 4 civil servants, including 2 for foreign affairs and 2 for personal and budgetary matters,
  • 2 officers , including one as a personal adjutant,
  • 1 senior civil servant
  • 9 officials of the middle and simple service and
  • 19 non-civil servants in the chancellery, porter, housekeeper and heater service.

This small number of altogether 36 employees results not only from the new economical style of the republic, but results from the strong position of the Reich President vis-à-vis the government.

Position within the executive branch

The highest adviser to the Reich President was not the head of his office, but the Reich Chancellor and his specialist minister. Even after the Weimar constitution , the Reich Chancellor determined the policy guidelines (Art. 56 S. 1 WRV) and the Reich Ministers managed their departments independently (Art. 56 S. 2 WRV). But since, unlike today's federal government , they relied on the confidence of the Reich President for their administration and had to convince him of the expediency of their political decisions, they were undoubtedly the advisers of the President. In addition to his own office organization, the Reich President had access to the entire scientific, administrative and technical staff and resources of the ministries. In contrast to the Kaiser, however, the Reich President could in no way avail himself of their authorities over the head of the government. Even if the members of the Reich government were the highest advisers to the Reich President, the head of the office of the Reich President did not have an insignificant role. The morning's lecture by the bureau chief was not intended to anticipate the lectures of the Reich Chancellor and the ministers , but it had a considerable political level due to the time advantage and the mutual trust between the Reich President and the bureau chief, which was independent of parliamentary fluctuations and which was strengthened more and more through constant cooperation Weight. In government crises in particular, the office boss sounded out the parliamentary situation on behalf of the president and held preliminary discussions.

office manager

The heads of the office of the Reich President were:

Predecessor and successor organizations

swell

  • Hermann Butzer : The Federal President and his presidential office . In: Verwaltungsarchiv , Vol. 82 (1991) Issue 4, pp. 497-524, ISSN  0042-4501 .
  • Ernst Rudolf Huber : German constitutional history since 1789, Vol. 3: Bismarck and the empire . 2nd edition Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1978, ISBN 3-17-010099-8 .
  • Franz Spath: The Office of the Federal President (offices and organizations of the Federal Republic of Germany; Vol. 20). Droste, Düsseldorf 1995, ISBN 3-7700-7065-8 .