1.2 Bismarck in Power Flashcards
Evil Bismarck
. Manipulated Kaiser with tantrums, threat resignations
. Exploited power over Kaiser and country
. Made sure secretaries of state didn’t confer with Kaiser without his permission
. Aggressive, emotional, impulsive, unpredictable
. His methods brought him into conflict with William I, the Prussian military and political elites
Good Bismarck
. Clever, enterprising, determined
. Unified Germany in 1871: spearheaded whole thing
. Determined to make Prussia as mighty as possible
. Brilliant diplomat, balanced approach
. Brought about unification through series of wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), France (1870-71)
The Liberal Era
. After 1871, Bismarck needed a parliamentary majority
. Had to work with National Liberals, ideal allies
. Useful legislation passed early 1870s:
- National system of currency introduced
- Reichsbank created
- All internal tariffs abolished
- Much legal standardisation
The Army Budget
. 1867: Bismarck and National Liberals agreed that a military budget should stay at a fixed level beyond Reichstag control until 1872
. Budget extended to 1874 during Franco-Prussian war
. B presented a law proposing army over 400,000 be automatically financed by federal expenditure
. ‘Eternal Law’ - opposed by National Liberals
. Compromise reached: military budget fixed for 7 yrs (the Septennates) rather than voted for annually/fixed
Catholics and the German Empire
South states (Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Baden, and Hesse Darmstadt) supported Catholic Austria against Prussia in 1866
. Last, most reluctant states to join German Empire
. Rhineland, the Saar, Alsace and Lorraine and Silesia were also Catholic areas
Catholic Action
. 1864: Syllabus of Errors - Pope declared opposition to Liberal Nationalism and ‘recent civilisation’
. The Zentrum’s policies were thus in direct conflict with those of the National Liberals
. 1870: Doctrine of Papal Infallibility - stated that on matters of morality and faith, the Pope couldn’t be wrong
Bismarck’s Attitudes towards Catholicism
. He was Protestant, had little affection for Catholicism
. Many national minorities (French in west and Poles in east) didn’t want to join the Reich + were Catholic
. Bismarck saw the Centre Party’s 1871 success as a threat to the unity of the Reich
. He thought Centre politicians would encourage civil disobedience among Catholics when policies of state conflicted with the Church
Religious Context of Germany
. 2/3 Germany was Protestant, 1/3 Catholic
. Catholic action alarmed many in Germany - liberals
. Believed militant Catholicism would interfere in the Reich’s domestic affairs, support reactionary causes
. National Liberals saw it as a life and death struggle for freedom and progress against backwardness
Kulturkampf
. 1872: Catholic schools brought under state control and the Jesuit order forbidden to set up establishments in Germany and/or expelled
. May 1873: May Laws
. 1875: climax - Prussia suspends subsidies in parishes where the clergy resisted new legislation
. All religious orders except nurseries were dissolved
. Clergy could be fined, imprisoned or expelled
May Laws
. Dr Adalbert Falk, the Prussian Minister of Religion and Education, intro’d them to bring the Church under state control, May 1873:
- Priesthood candidates had to attend secular uni before training
- Religious appointments subject to state approval
- 1874: obligatory civil marriage intro’d in Prussia
Results of Kulturkampf
. By 1876, all but 2/12 Prussian Catholic bishops were in exile/under house arrest
. More than 1000 priests suspended
. Only 30/10,000 Prussian priests submitted
. 1871: the Centre won 58 seats, 1874: 91
. By 1876 Bismarck realised he’d failed: he’d encouraged disunity rather than removed it
Why did Bismarck end Kulturkampf?
. Working class socialism seen as a bigger threat
. National Liberal Jews said it increased anti-semitism
. Bismarck’s natural allies were against it
. The Zentrum’s success meant they could threaten Bismarck’s ability to win reichstag majority
. B wanted to abandon free trade, he’d lose the National Liberals so he needed Centre support
Treatment of National Minorities
. Danes, French, Poles: ‘enemies of the state’
. Polish lang outlawed in education + law courts
. Alsace-Lorraine denied autonomy, German lang imposed in schools and local administration
. French people who disliked German rule could go
. School, conscription and everyday life ‘Germanised’ many minorities
Legislation passed in the 1870s with Liberal support
. Reichsbank (1876), controlled new currency
. Mark: stable new currency backed by gold
. All internal tariffs were abolished
. Legal standardisation: national penal code (1872)
. Single system of weights and measures
. National postal and telegraph system
. Single court system: central supreme court for Leipzig appeals (1879)
. Support for extension of railway network
Bismarck’s relationship with National Liberals +
. NL ideal allies, many applauded Bismarck for unifying Germany and were eager to help him consolidate a national army
. NLs + B united against the Catholic Church
. 1867: B + NLs agreed that the military budget should remain at a fixed level outside Reichstag control until 1872
Bismarck’s relationship with National Liberals -
. B wasn’t a natural liberal
. B disagreed with their hopes for the extension of parliamentary government
. They opposed the Eternal Law and B accused them of trying to undermine German military strength
. B had to work with the NLs - little alternative
. B became increasingly irritated as the NLs opposed many of his proposals
How did Bismarck treat National Minorities?
. Bismarck targeted more national minorities
. 7mil: B concerned, they tended to live on the borders
. Policy of ‘negative integration’ or repression
. They had the same political + civil rights as Germans but forced to minimise importance of their cultures
. These policies often strengthened group cohesion among the minorities
Results of Bismarck’s treatment of National Minorities
. Integration never occurred
. Instead, restrictions led to minorities looking to their fatherlands more and kept their culture alive
. Bismarck should’ve pursued economic integration, minorities would realise that being within Germany would benefit them
. By 1900 Germany still wasn’t fully united, still clear signs of tensions and discrimination against minorities
Treatment of Danes
. From Schleswig Holstein
. Resented being governed by Berlin, tried to veto their laws and formed their own party
. Bismarck refused a plebiscite on SH’s future, so they didn’t get the chance to gain autonomy from the imperial government
. So they resented the German empire
Treatment of French
. From Alsace-Lorraine
. Bismarck didn’t like that they mostly spoke French
. AL was administered by the Reich government, without rep in the Federal Council until 1911
. 1913 Zabern Affair: Germans soldiers attacked AL citizens
. So they hated Germans, didn’t want to join the Reich
Treatment of Poles
. From East Prussia
. Spoke Polish so felt a common bond with others under Russian + Austrian rule
. Largest non-German minority in the Reich
. Polish lang outlawed in education and law courts
. B tried to ‘Germanise’ them in Prussia by encouraging internal colonisation by Germans of Polish areas
. 1885-1890: he deported over 30,000
Economic and Financial factors explaining why Bismarck supported Protectionist Policies
. Late 1870s, bad harvests + cheap wheat imports from USA and Russia. Wheat prices fell, farmers suffered
. B feared if they were relient on foreign wheat, they’d be weakened in war time
. Industrial growth slowed after 1873, produced a crisis of confidence in free trade
. New tariffs would give the federal govn a needed extra source of income, making it financially independent of the states and the Reichstag
Political factors explaining why Bismarck supported Protectionist Policies
. Late 1870s, landowners and industrialists wanted it, B could get their support
. Popular with Conservatives, B could break off with NLs and broaden his political support
. Combined strength of 2 Conservative parties was enough to outvote the National Liberals
The Tariff Act
. July 1879 passed through the Reichstag
. Duties were imposed on imports
. National Liberals split, some remaining loyal to Bismarck and others united with the Progressives in 1884 to form a new radical party
Political outcome of the Tariff Bill
. NLs split and lost influence
. B had Conservatives, landowners, industrialists support, he had control over Reichstag
. He’d shown his political skill and opportunism
. The Reich became more united in its support of protectionism, presented as a patriotic necessity
. Start of ‘alliance of steel and rye’; saw an alliance between industry and agriculture
Economic outcome of the Tariff Bill
. Cost of living and living standards increased
. German jobs were protected
. Cost of living increase led to support of socialism
. ‘Frankenstein Clause’ preserved budgetary rights of Reichstag and state parliaments
. Drew North and South Germany together and accelerated growth of German industry
The Press Law
. Allowed prosecution of editors who published materials Bismarck didn’t approve of
. Undermined liberal principle of freedom of press and was passed with Conservative support
. Showed that Bismarck wasn’t working with National Liberals anymore
Why did Bismarck hate the Socialists?
. Threat to the society he wished to maintain . Preached class warfare and the talked of the dictatorship of the proletariat . Socialist support rose as Germany became more industrialised: 1877, SPD won near 500,000 votes, giving them 12 seats in the Reichstag
Assassination Attempts
. 1876: Bismarck tried to pass an bill preventing publication of socialist propaganda, defeated
. May 1878: an anarchist tried to assassinate William I, B thought socialists were involved
. A week later there was another attempt
. B criticised NLs for not passing bills that might have prevented the attack from happening
. He dissolved the Reichstag: SPD vote fell from 493,000 in 1877 to 312,000
. NLs lots 130,000 votes and 29 seats
Actions against Socialism
. Anti-socialist bill passed October 1878:
- Socialist organisations banned
- Socialist meetings broken up
- Socialist publications outlawed
Results of anti-Socialist Bill
. 1878-1890: 1,500 socialists imprisoned, many left
. The law served to rally and fortify their beliefs
. SPD members still stood for election, spoke freely
. After the dip in 1878 the SPD increased support
. By 1890 it had over 1 mil votes and 35 seats
. Bismarck had failed again
State Socialism
. Sickness Insurance Act, 1883: gave medical treatment and up to 13 weeks sick pay to 3 mil low paid workers. Workers paid 2/3, employers 1/3
. Accident Insurance Act, 1884: protected workers who were permanently sick/disabled for more than 13 weeks. Financed by employers
. Old Age and Disability Act, 1889: pensions for >70, disablement pensions for <70, paid for by workers, employers and the state
Success of State Socialism
. Laid the foundations of the welfare state in Germany
. The measures were the first of their kind in the world
. Became a model of social provision for other countries
Failures of State Socialism
. Bismarck’s hopes that working class would be won over by State Socialism weren’t fully realised
. Many workers thought the measures a ‘sham’
. The welfare legislation wasn’t very generous
. Bismarck didn’t grant unemployment insurance
. Many workers continued to work in harsh conditions
. Bismarck opposed demands for state intervention to regulate working hrs and limit child + female employment
Political developments in the 1880s - Liberals and Conservatives
. 1881: the 3 liberal parties gained seats from the conservatives, so B could no longer depend on Reichstag support
. 1884: conservatives won seats back after Bismarck rallied patriotic support with his colonial policy
Political developments in the 1880s - Septennates
. 1887: B was at odds with the Reichstag over the renewal of the army grant or Septennates.
. The current Septennates weren’t due to expire until 1888, but the international situation alarmed the guards who pressed for an early renewal
. Late 1886: B asked the Reichstag to agree to substantial military increases
. The Reichstag agreed only if in future it was allowed to review military expenditure every 3 yrs
Political developments in the 1880s - Reaction to the Septennates
. Bismarck was furious, he dissolved the Reichstag
. He imagined France were ready for war
. He warned that Germany would remain in danger til the Septennates were passed, only the Conservatives + NLs could be relied on to pass them
. Bismarck’s electoral stratagem worked
. Conservatives + NLs won an absolute majority in 1887 and the Septennates were passed
Willhelm II and Bismarck
. Wilhelm believed he ruled by the divine right of kings
. The two were soon at odds
. Wilhelm questioned the need to maintain the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia
Disagreements over social policy
. W thought he could win over working class by extending the welfare system to include ending child labour and Sunday working
. B favoured further repression, in 1889 he proposed making the anti-socialist law permanent
. W wanted the law watering down a bit
. The Reichstag rejected B’s entire bill in Jan 1890
February 1890 Elections
. Wilhelm issued a proclamation promising new social legislation
. B’s counter signature wasn’t on the proclamation
. The election was a disaster for Bismarck
. His Conservative + NL allies lost 85 seats while the Radicals gained 46 seats + Socialists won 24
Bismarck’s final attempt to recover his position
. He proposed a wild scheme: the Reichstag would be asked to agree to a large increase in the army and a new, repressive anti-socialist law
. If they refused, an assembly of German Princes would meet, alter the constitution, and drastically limit the Reichstag’s powers
. Wilhelm refused to support it, relations became worse
The Right of Ministers to Monarch
. B had revived an old order issued in 1852 which forbade ministers to approach the King except through the Minister-President of Prussia
. So, no one could speak to W without being seen by B
. W commanded that the order be withdrawn
. B nearly threw an inkpot at W and enraged him by letting him see a letter from Tsar Alexander III which disparaged his talents
Bismarck dismissed
. W sent B an ultimatum: resign or be dismissed
. 3 days later B sent a letter of resignation, justifying his actions, claiming that the differences between them were bc of W’s pursuit of anti-Russian policy
. The official announcement implied he’d stepped down for health reasons and that W had tried to get B to change his mind
