Before the rise of the NSDAP, the term "Wehrmacht" was used in a generic sense to describe armed forces of any nation, being utilized as the "home defence" version of the more general "Streitmacht". For example, the term "Britische Wehrmacht" would identify the British armed forces. Article 47 of the Weimar Constitution of 1919 declared "Der Reichspräsident hat den Oberbefehl über die gesamte Wehrmacht des Reiches" (meaning: "The "Reichspräsident" holds supreme command of all armed forces of the "Reich""). To make a distinction, the term "Reichswehr" was commonly used to identify the German armed forces.