Germany 1890-1945 Flashcards
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s ideals
Weltpolitik (wanted to make Germany a world power); maintain a powerful army a build a large navy;
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s background
from Prussia - strong militaristic beliefs; spent most of youth in the army
Industrialisation in Germany from 1880 - 1890 - 1913
Germany started to industrialise in the late 1800’s; and quickly caught up to Britain by around 1890; by 1913, Germany = Britain in coal and Germany» Britain in iron and steel.
trade unions becoming popular amongst workers
workers unhappy with low wages and joined trade unions and organised strikes; by 1914, 3M workers had joined trade unions
Social Democratic Party (SPD) ideals
socialism; more power to the Reichstag; less power to factory + land owners; !!one in three germans voted for this party!!; some wanted to overthrow the Kaiser
What were the Navy Laws
Between 1898 and 1912 a huge amount of money was spent to expand the navy (and army).
Why did the Kaiser introduce the navy laws?
To protect Germany; make Germany a world power; and take over surrounding countries
What money was used for the navy laws?
taxes were increased and money was borrowed; Germany went into debt for a long time
Parliamentary Government in Germany (under the Kaiser)
Kaiser - full power over military and foreign policy, could ignore gov advice; chancellor and ministers - advised Kaiser; Bundesrat - representatives of each state; Reichstag - elected by men over 25, debated and voted on laws
28 October 1918
Navy mutinied; worker’s and soldier’s councils took over; Kaiser lost control
9 November 1918
Kaiser abdicated; Friedrich Ebert (SPD) took over to hold elections and end the war.
11 November 1918
Germany surrendered
Economic impacts of WW1 on Germany
bankrupt; owed money, exhausted factories, had to pay war pensions
Societal impacts of WW1 on Germany
factory owners made a fortune; worker’s wages were restricted; women worked (come felt this damaged traditional family values)
Political impacts of WW1 on Germany
mutiny and rebellion; some felt politicians betrayed Germany by ending the war.
how was the Weimar Republic formed? timeline
(1) Ebert (SPD) arranged for elections in January. A small group of Communists (the Spartacists), however, used the chaos to seize power in Berlin (6 Jan 1919)
(2) Ebert (SPD) sent the Freikorps to attack the Spartacists. After three days, the Freikorps won and killed the Spartacist leaders. Ebert (SPD) won the elections.
(3) Met in Weimar instead of Berlin since Berlin was full of violence. Created the Weimar Constitution (a set of rules about how Germany was to be run) (including “all Germans have the right to vote”). Germany was now known as the “Weimar Republic”
weaknesses of the Weimar constitution
proportional representation: lots of parties had seats, difficult to get a majority, voting difficulties and slow lawmaking; germans disliked the new governing system and linked it to the end of the war (“November criminals”); Article 48, laws could be passed without the Reichstag in times of catastrophe; upper classes, factory owners, old army generals, judges, university professors longed for the Kaiser
