▁Republic , ▁named ▁for ▁the ▁city ▁in ▁which ▁its ▁constitution ▁had ▁been ▁draft ed . ▁It ▁was ▁never ▁particularly ▁popular ▁among ▁the ▁various ▁groups ▁that ▁constit uted ▁its ▁political ▁landscape , ▁receiving ▁lu ke w arm ▁support ▁even ▁from ▁those ▁who ▁supported ▁dem ocracy ▁and ▁being ▁h ated ▁by ▁extrem ists . ▁The ▁We imar ▁Constitution ▁provided ▁for ▁president ial ▁elections ▁once ▁every ▁seven ▁years . ▁However , ▁Friedrich ▁E bert , ▁who ▁had ▁served ▁as ▁temporary ▁president , ▁continued ▁to ▁serve ▁without ▁an ▁election , ▁as ▁the ▁Republic ▁was ▁felt ▁to ▁be ▁sufficiently ▁frag ile ▁that ▁the ▁risk ▁of ▁an ▁anti - rep ublic an ▁candidate ▁winning ▁the ▁presiden cy ▁was ▁too ▁great ▁to ▁have ▁an ▁election ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 9 . ▁E bert ▁died ▁suddenly ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 5 , ▁necess it ating ▁an ▁election ▁to ▁be ▁held ▁that ▁year , ▁a ▁year ▁earlier ▁than ▁scheduled . ▁ ▁Paul ▁von ▁H inden burg , ▁the ▁commander ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁military ▁during ▁the ▁war , ▁had ▁won ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 5 ▁election ▁despite ▁not ▁running ▁in ▁its ▁first ▁round . ▁He ▁defeated ▁Wilhelm ▁Marx , ▁the ▁candidate ▁back ed ▁by ▁the ▁parties ▁supporting ▁the ▁Republic ▁which ▁were ▁known ▁collect ively ▁as ▁the ▁" We imar ▁Co al ition ". ▁The ▁republic ▁had ▁been ▁dev ast ated ▁by ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression , ▁to ▁the ▁point ▁where ▁rule ▁with ▁the ▁consent ▁of ▁the ▁Reich stag ▁had ▁become ▁all ▁but ▁impossible ▁by ▁March ▁ 1 9 3 0