Germany - 1.1.2 The Prussian Military Flashcards
Prussia was the most ___________ state in Germany
Dominant or powerful
What did Prussia use its influence to do?
To emphasise militarism (having a strong military to protect the country)
Was The Landtag Prussian?
Yes
Since the leadership of _____________ ___ _______ in 1740, Prussia had been a military power and focused on military prowess over culture
Frederick the Great
To become the most dominant country in the world, Germany needed to be more powerful than Great Britain.
What policy helped Germany grow their empire?
Weltpolitik (world policy)
After 1898, the Kaiser expanded the navy as part of Weltpolitik. What 4 things did the Kaiser hope this would lead to?
- Industrial growth
- Protecting and expanding the German empire
- Increasing German patriotism
- Being a symbol of German strength (to Great Britain and the world)
Kaiser Wilhelm II strongly believed in militarism. What series of laws were passed that extended the size and power of the German navy?
Navy Laws
What was The Navy League?
A patriotic group which aimed to popularise the navy and naval expansion and represented the navy as a symbol of German greatness. It was supported by many industrialists and soon had over 200,000 members. Tirpitz helped set it up and it certainly helped him get the First and Second Naval Laws passed by the Reichstag with substantial majorities
Who was Alfred von Tirpitz
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s new Navy Secretary
When did the Kaiser pass the First Naval Law?
1898
What did the First Naval Law do?
Increased the size of the navy to seven battleships, taking the total to 19
When was the Second Naval Law passed?
1900
What did the Second Naval Law do?
Doubled the size of the navy to 38 battleships
When was the Third Naval Law passed?
1906
What did the Third Naval Law do?
Expanded the navy by another 6 battleships, in response to Britain launching the dreadnought, some German battleships became dreadnoughts too
What happened in 1912 regarding the Naval Laws?
Further amendments to the Naval Laws were made, increasing the size of the fleet
Alongside the new laws, Germany was signing ____________ agreements
International
When was the Entente Cordiale signed?
1904
Who signed the Entente Cordiale?
GB and France
When was the Triple Entente signed?
1907
Who signed the Triple Entente?
GB, France, Russia
Briefly describe the timeline in which Germany appointed von Tirpitz to the last amendments to the Naval Laws being made (inc. when agreements were signed)
1897 - Kaiser appointed Admital con Tirpitz Navy Secretary
1898 - First Naval Law, + 7 battleships
1900 - Second Naval Law - X2 = 38
1904 - Entente Cordiale agreement
1906 - Third Naval Law, +6 battleships, some changed to dreadnoughts
1907 - Triple Entente signed
1908 - Further amendments, 21 dreadnoughts
1912 - Further amendments, increased size of fleet
What were the domestic successes of the Navy Laws? (4)
- Encouraged patriotism and nationalism: helped win support for the policy of Weltpolitik
- Britain’s response to the Navy Laws helped create a greater fear within Germany which generated support for the Kaiser’s other policies
- Helped industries and businesses by creating more work and employing more people
- The SDP was very opposed to the Navy Laws (mostly due to the expenses) - won them some support but helped the Kaiser present them as the unpatriotic ‘enemy’ within
What were the problems of the navy laws? (4)
- To fund the Navy Laws, the government raised taxes, mostly indirect taxes which hit the lower classes more
- They also had to borrow money, this meant the State’s debt increased to 490 billion marks by 1913
- The SDP opposed the Navy Laws because they were so expensive
- Created conflict between the Kaiser and army leaders because they thought that the army should have the money allocated to the navy
What was the German state’s debt by 1913?
490 billion marks
What was the aim of Weltpolitik? (3)
- The Kaiser wanted Germany to be the most powerful country in the world
- The Kaiser wanted to increase Germany’s status by growing the German Empire
- Part of the reason that Kaiser Wilhelm was so invested in growing the German Empire was his personal obsession with being better than Britain, which had a large Empire at the time. King George V of England was Wilhelm’s cousin
Why did people support the Kaiser’s Navy Laws? (2)
- The Navy Laws brought out feelings of patriotism and nationalism in people. Ordinary citizens felt good about being German and were proud of the fact that their country was strong and powerful. Just as the Kaiser had a personal rivalry with his cousin King George V, the German people also saw the British as rivals.
- The German Naval Laws created many jobs in Germany. Businesses and industries boomed as lots of materials and labour were needed for the building of new navy ships
