germany and the growth of democracy Flashcards
1st section of germany in revision book.
how much power did the kaiser have ?
the kaiser had ultimate power. He could overule everyone. he had personal control of the army and foreign policy.
where did kaiser wilhelm place his trust ?
he didnt believe in democracy and didnt like working with the reichstag so he placed his trust in the army. he often relied on military advisors for help about important decsisions.
in what order of power were the Kaiser, reichstag , bundesrat and chancellor ?
Kaiser , Chancellor , Bundesrat, Reichstag
how much power did the reichstag have ?
little to none, they didnt have a say in who could become chancellor and couldnt put forward their own legislations. The members also elected by the public every 5yrs (3 before 1888)
how much power did the chancellor have ?
the chancellor runs the government and proposes new legislation. doesnt need support of other 2 to stay in power.
how much power did the bundesrat have ?
members are representatives from each state in the german empire. its consent needed for all legislation.
what did the Kaiser want ?
he wanted to make germany a world point.
what is the traditional class system
where the upper classes held the most power.
what is Prussia
Prussia was a powerful german state that played a crucial role in unifying germany in 1871.
what did Prussia influence the kaiser on ?
The kaiser was influenced by Prussias prestige and power/ and adopted a system of militarism
what did the kaiser adopting a system of militarism do
it strengthened germany’s military (army and navy) and it also increased germanys influence
what happened to germany’s economy in the early 20th century ?
the economy modernized and the working class grew. the economy expanded massively between 1890 - 1914
Why did the economy grow in the early 20th century ?
The economy grew due to the production of iron and coal doubling leading to Germany producing 2/3 of Europe’s steel production by 1914.
why did the upper class have less economic power after the industrialization
in the early 20th century in Germany ?
They had less economic power because the industrialization created lots of new jobs and the population of working class in Germany grew.
what contributed to the rise of socialism in the early 20th century ?
The working class contributed because they now played a larger part in the German society but had poor working conditions. Bc of this, they had a growing sense of identity and wanted better representation.
what did the rise in socialism promote
it was a political ideology that promoted equality and public ownership of industry.
what led to the growth of support for the social democratic
party (SPD) in Germany ?
the rise in socialism
what are some pros and cons of the social and economic changes that happened during Kaiser Wilhelm’s reign ?
PROS - good for industry
CONS - bad for German politics as made ruling Germany increasingly difficult for Kaiser Wilhelm II
why did the growing population cause new social problems ?
The working classes wanted better working/living conditions and industries needed more regulation.
why didn’t the government initially want to pass reforms and what did this lead to ?
the government didn’t want too because they were afraid of encouraging social ideas. This led too groups that were promising change to become more popular.
what are trade unions ?
organizations set up by employees to defend their rights
did the SPD gain more seats in the reichstag by 1903 ?
yes, from 11 seats to 89 seats by 1903
Why did the Kaiser see trade unions and the SPD as a threat even though they both promised to work with the government to introduce new reforms ?
He saw them as a threat because he was afraid of a socialist revolution and didn’t want to give more power to the German public.
why did Germany’s politics become more unstable after the social and economic changes in kaiser Wilhelm’s rule ?
there are multiple reasons why including the upper class fearing the growth of the rapid industrialization, the SPD and extreme nationalist groups gaining more popularity and it all making it harder for Kaiser Wilhelm to govern Germany.
