Reichsrat (Germany)

Reichsrat
Bureau of the Reichsrat – sealing stamp
Type
Type	Upper house (de facto) of Weimar Republic
History
Founded	14 August 1919 (1919-08-14)
Disbanded	14 February 1934 (1934-02-14)
Preceded by	Bundesrat, German Empire
Succeeded by	German Bundesrat (1949)
Seats	63–68
Meeting place
Reichstag building, Berlin
Constitution
Constitution of the German Reich

The Reichsrat of the Weimar Republic was the de facto upper house of Germany's parliament; the lower house was the popularly elected Reichstag. The Reichsrat's members were appointed by the German state governments to represent their interests in the legislation and administration of the nation at the federal level. Its powers were relatively limited, making it considerably weaker than its predecessor, the Bundesrat of the German Empire (1871–1918). It could introduce legislation for the Reichstag to consider and veto laws that it passed, but the vetoes could be overridden. The Reichsrat also played a role in administering and implementing Reich laws.

After the Nazis took control in 1933, they centralized all power, including that of the states. The Reichsrat no longer had a function to perform and was dissolved by law on 14 February 1934.