1 - Bismarck Flashcards
When and what was the issue that led to what 2 wars, which allowed Germany to unify
Schlegswig-Holtsein issue 1866
Austro-Prussian War 1866
Franco-Prussian War 1870
Parliament facts
Men over 25 could vote
Reichstag had contol over the budget – however, Bismarck set this to 80% for the military
Members not paid so mostly Junkers
National Liberals had 155 seats in 1874
Z Party had 91 seats in 1874
SAPD went from 2 to 12 seats from 1871 to 1877
Bundersrat could veto legislation with 14/58 votes — 17/58 members were from Prussia
How Bismarck unified the states – nationalsim
Flag in 1892
Currency = Reichsmark in 1873
Constitution in 1871– national legal system
Enemy = Catholics + Socialists + minorities = expelled Polish and Jews
Reichdeutsche identity = Kaiser in every classroom
1878 = 2 assassination attempts on Kaiser = blamed socialists
Sedantag = Battle of Sedan September 1870
Bismarck and the national liberals
In 1874, their vote share doppped to 29.7% but remained largest party in the Reichstag
Caused them to SPLIT over proposed tariffs following the 1873 economic crash and sunsequent depression as they believed in free trade – many agreed with Bismarck and the NL’s vote share dropped to 23.1% and the Tariff Reform Act was passed in 1879
Reasons for the Kulturkampf
Syllabus of Errors 1864 + Dogma of Infallibility 1870
So they became Reichsfeinde = enemy of the Empire
France + Austria were Catholic — Franco-Prussian War 1870 + Austro-Prussian war 1866
Catholic South ignored Sedantag, which celebrated the German victory at the Battle of Sedan as they were mainly based in the South
Kulturkampf facts
16 million Reichsmarks worth of land was seized from the church
Banned the Jesuits + 1,800 Priests jailed
Prussian May Laws 1873 = placed strict state controls over religious training and even over ecclesiastical appointments within the church.
1875 = civil marriage was made obligatory
Breadbasket Laws 1875 = deprived clerics of any state support, as long as they did not officially acknowledge the primacy of the German Empire.
However, the Centre Party’s vote share increased to 27.9%in 1874 = equal to largest party in the Reichstag
Pope Puis IX died in 1878 = end of conflict and reactionary rule
Attack on socialism
1878 = 2 assassination attempts on Kaiser – Bismarck blamed the socialists
Passed the anti-socialist law “Law against the public danger of Social Democratic endeavours” after dissolving the Reichstag = October 1878
SAPD effectively de facto banned
Between 1878-90, 1,500 socialists were imprisoned
Underground support remained = 1890 when legalised, they had 1 million members
The War in Sight Crisis
1875 = France recovered from defeat in 1871 Franco-Prussian War – 1 billion Gold marcks due in reparations
Bismarck worried their strength would encourage Catholics in Germany
Getting ready for war? = Freance passed the French Army Organsiational Law 1873, which increased the number of soldiers by 80,000.
Preventative War = aggressor – The Berlin Post asked ‘is there a war in sight’ = alarm across Europe
Peace talks amongst monarchs – issue settled by Queen Victoria, Tsar and Kaiser and exluded Bismarck undermining his position causing him to back off from foreign policy.
Facts on Bismarck
Iron Cross
Disliked in the South of Germany as he had forced them to join the unified Germany when there was a risk of France invading
Forced to resign March 1890
How did Bismarck help the workers?
Sickness Insurance (1883) which provided 13 weeks’ pay to 3 million workers
- workers paid 2/3rd and employers ⅓
Old Age pensions (1889) to those over 70 - many did not live that long
Ban on child labour extended to all industries in 1903
Opposition to Bismarck
The German States
Did not implement his nationalistic policies + they were Catholic
Did not celebrate Sedantag = celebrated Battle of Sedan [1870] - made into a national holiday
Northern superiority = 17/58 members of the Bundestrat from Prussia
Bismarck formed the German army from four states in the north
22 royal rulers in the newly unified Germany = non-hereditary roles
