Germany before 1918 Flashcards
Who was Otto von Bismarck?
Prussian politician who became Germany’s first-ever chancellor in 1871
What did Bismarck do?
. Unified the Germany as a single country in 1871
.Negotiated duel alliance in 1879
.Prevented spread of socialism be creating welfare state
.Provoked franco Prussian war
How did Bismarck come to power?
In 1851, King Frederick Wilhelm IV appointed Bismarck as Prussian representative to the German Confederation. He then served as ambassador to Russia and France.
What were Bismarck’s beliefs?
. Concentrated on building a strong and powerful army with a strong national identity
. kulturekampf
What does kulturekampf mean?
A conflict between civil government and religious authorities especially over control of education and church appointments.
What was Bismarck’s impact?
The German Empire, Although he had united Germany in one sense, he had failed to create an internally unified people. In domestic affairs—as in foreign policy—he sought to freeze the status quo after 1871. His empire was designed to be conservative.
When was Bismarck dismissed and why?
March 18 1890, due to a disagreement with Kaiser Wilhelm II
What are 3 reasons Germany lost the war?
.Attrition warfare
.Nationalism
.Failure of the schlieffen plan
Why were Germany more at risk of losing the war?
As they were fighting a 2 front war which by the end with the treaty of Brest- Livotsk it meant they didn’t have a sufficient amount of troops.
How were nationalist viewpoints between 1916-17?
Took a downturn, as many lives were lost and stalemate was present, Germany lost many battles with no gain
What does attrition warfare mean?
A strategic concept that to win a war, ones enemy must be worn down to the point of collapse by continuous losses in personnel and material.
How did US joining the war impact Germany?
As they had new troops and a large supply of weapons whilst Germany was too worn out.
What was the kaisers main aim?
Create a Weltpolitik that will make Germany a respected power that is recognized as being as great as, or superior to, Britain; build an alliance w/ Britain
How did Kaiser Wilhelms actions lead to ww1?
- brought on war in Belgium bringing it to the UK
- wanted Germany expansion, September program, ultimately wanted colonial power which brought larger influence to the UK
- failure of Schlieffen plan meant they couldn’t activate September program
- made plans to invade US and the goal wasn’t to conquer but instead weaker and spread their own influence however it was abandoned before execution attempt
- his attitude shows us he has unrealistic goals
what was the September programm?
On 9 September 1914, Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856-1921) had a document drafted that Fritz Fischer famously referred to as the “September Programme”. The text described Germany’s desire to push Russia’s borders as far to the East as possible and annex land from Belgium and France.
