German constitutional reforms of October 1918

The German constitutional reforms of October 1918 (German: Oktoberreformen) consisted of several constitutional and legislative changes that transformed the German Empire into a parliamentary monarchy for a brief period at the end of the First World War. The reforms, which took effect on 28 October 1918, made the office of chancellor dependent on the confidence of the Reichstag rather than that of the German emperor and required the consent of both the Reichstag and the Bundesrat for declarations of war and for peace agreements.

Although many members of the German Parliament had long favored democratic reforms within the Reich, the immediate impetus for the October reforms was Germany's impending defeat in the war. The Supreme Army Command under Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, in whose hands the real power lay at the time, hoped that democratizing the Reich would lead to better peace conditions from the Allies. They also calculated that if the peace treaty turned out to be unfavorable to Germany, they could place the blame on the political parties that supported the peace.

The reforms came too late to establish a lasting parliamentary monarchy. The German Revolution of 1918–1919 that broke out soon afterwards swept them away. On 9 November a republic was proclaimed and, a short time later, Emperor Wilhelm II formally abdicated. In the summer of 1919 the democratic Weimar Constitution replaced the amended Reich constitution.