Germany Booklet 1 Flashcards
How many states did the German Confederation consist of?
39
What was the name of the economic agreement created by Prussia which Austria didn’t join?
Zollverein
When were the wars of unification?
1864
1866
1870-71
What was the biggest problem facing the new unified Germany?
Each state valued its independence and often had strong regional identities, some states even had their own king
The different states were also divided along religious lines, the catholic area of Bavaria had a very different outlook and values from the protestant Prussia
Which issue led to the war between Prussia and Austria in 1866?
The issue of leadership in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia was administering Schleswig and Austria in Holstein
What was the Schleswig-Holstein issue?
There was a disagreement on who to make the king of Denmark as the ones the Prussians wanted would incorporate Schleswig into Prussia not Denmark. War ensued in 1864 and the Austrians and Prussians invaded Denmark and won within months
How long was the war between Austria and Prussia?
7 weeks
Which was the largest battle in the Austro-Prussian war?
Koniggratz
Which treaty led to the creation of the German State?
Treaty of Prague, August 1866
Which states remained independent after the Treaty of Prague?
Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Baden and Hesse-Darmstedt
Why did the Franco-Prussian war start?
Disagreements over if a Prussian could take the Spanish throne
What did Prussia take after the Franco-Prussian war?
Alsace Lorraine, and £200,000 as compensation for the war
What powers did the Kaiser have?
Could dissolve the Reichstag
Controlled foreign policy and armed forces
Appointed/Dismissed government
What powers did the reichstag have?
Could agree/reject laws proposed by Kaiser/Government
Main power was control over budget
Elected every 5 years and members not paid
What powers did the Chancellors and other ministers have?
Appointed/Dismissed by Kaiser
Proposed new laws to the reichstag
Chaired sessions of the bundesrat
What powers did the bundesrat have?
Had 58 members nominated by state Landers
17 members were from Prussia, 6 from Bavaria, smaller states had just 1 each
Could veto legislation passed by the reichstag
Who could vote in Germany at the time?
Men over 25 could vote in the Reichstag every 5 years
What were the major political parties at this time?
National Liberals
Centre Party
SAPD
German Conservative Party
The Progressives
What portion of the new German population was Catholic?
1/3
When was a single German flag finally created?
1892
Which four states made up the German army?
Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
Why did Bismarck allow democracy?
He believed that allowing Germans a democratic vote would minimise the impact of more liberal influences and encourage the continued support for the monarchy
How did Bismarck limit the power of the Reichstag?
Reichstag members received no payment
Reichstag could vote on all legislation but not initiate any
Allowed the bundesrat to veto all legislation from the reichstag
The Kaiser could dissolve the Reichstag if he wanted to
What did the National Liberals support?
Creation of a German Empire
Represented the educated and wealthy middle class
What did the German People’s party support?
Opposed the creation of a unified Germany
Mainly based in the south of the country
What didthe Catholic Party support?
Represented Catholic interests
Strongest supports
What did the German Conservative Party support?
Represented the interests of German landowners (Junkers) in Prussia
Disliked unification and only backed Bismarck after 1878
What did the National Groups support?
Represented the many Poles, Danes and French living in Germany
Won 10% of the vote in 1874 but overtime became less relevant due to assimilation
What did the Socialist Workers’ Party support?
Represented the interests of the workers
Attracted about 7% of the vote during the 1870s
Which was the most dominant party during 1871-78?
National Liberals
How long was the conscription for all German men?
2-3 years
Why was conscription so important?
It instilled the Prussian values of discipline, loyalty and pride in the military in young German men
What percentage of federal expenditure was on the army?
80%
How many states were there in Germany from 1871?
25
What are some examples of Bismarck’s work with the National Liberals from 1871-79?
A considerable amount of legislation related to free trade was passed
Standard legal system introduced
The Reichsmark became the sole legal currency in Germany
Why was there tension between Bismarck and the National Liberals during the mid-1870s?
He refused to extend the parliamentary power of the Reichstag
How did Bismarck split the National Liberals?
Following the economic crash of 1873, he demanded the introduction of tariffs to protect German farmers and industry which contrasted with the National Liberal’s free trade ideology, as a result of this many voters switched from the National Liberals to the Conservative party. Their vote slumped to 23.1%
By August 1880, which 2 parties had replaced the National Liberals?
The more conservative, National Liberal Party and the more left-leaning Liberal-Union
What was the Syllabus of Errors and when was it?
The syllabus of errors was the Catholic Church’s response to modernisation. published in 1864
What was the Dogma of Papal Infallibility and when was it?
Said that whatever the Pope says is indisputable and must be listened to or followed, published in 1870
Why was Bismarck concerned with the Catholic Party?
They weren’t only supporting German Catholics, they were also supporting the French and Polish ones which made Bismarck suspicious
How did Bismarck think the non-German minorities were undermining unification?
Supporting the Center Party
Speaking their own languages
The Pope was claiming sovereignty over German Catholics
What are examples of the Kulturkampfs?
Inspection of Catholic schools
Banning Jesuit priests
Prussian ‘May Laws’ establishing control over Catholic Churches
Bread Basket Laws - No financial aid to Priests who didn’t declare their support for the German State
1800 Priests jailed, 16 million seized in Reichsmarks
How were the Kulturkampfs a failure?
It reinforced Catholic separation from the German state, strengthened Catholic support for the Centre Party
Centre Party vote was 18.6% in 1871, by 1874 it was 27.9%
Why did the Kulturkampfs end?
Bismarck no longer found it politically helpful
He now needed the support of the Centre Party as he was moving away from the National Liberals
Prussian conservatives and the Royal Family were against the Kulturkampfs
What were the limitations to German Unity?
No National flag yet
No National Anthem
Many German’s opposed the National holiday of Sedantag
What was Sedantag?
The celebration of Germany’s victory over France at the Battle of Sedan in 1870
How did Germany try to increase nationalism?
Primary schools, high schools and universities were required to teach Nationalism
Bismarck pursued a policy of cultural nationalism towards minority groups to ‘Germanise’ them
The school curriculum focused on instilling the values of loyalty to the Kaiser and obedience to the Kaiserreich
What did Bismarck use to declare Socialism as a threat to the German nation?
In 1878, two assassination attempts on Wilhelm I, despite the assassins having no connections to the SADP
Why did Bismarck dissolve the Reichstag in 1878?
They refused to pass his anti-socialist laws and he wanted to reduce the votes of the National Liberals and the SADP
By how much did the National Liberals and SADP votes fall after Bismarck dissolved the Reichstag?
National Liberals: Lost 130,000 votes and 29 seats
SADP: Votes fell from 493,000 to 312,000
Which law was passed in October 1878?
The Law for Combatting the Criminal Aims of Social Democracy
What did The Law for Combatting the Criminal Aims of Social Democracy do?
Prohibited Socialist meetings and gave power to the police to randomly search, arrest and exile socialist politicans
How many socialists were imprisoned between 1878-90?
1500
After Bismarck had banned the SADP, which new party was created?
SPD
By 1890, how many members did the SPD have and how many seats?
1 million members, and 35 seats
Why was not having a national flag bad?
They had to use the old Prussian flag which annoyed some of the Southern Germans
What was the War in Sight crisis?
The French were allowing Catholic Bishops to attack the Kulturkampf policy in Germany and not stopping it, and at the same time building up their military, so Germany publicly announced they were considering a preventative attack on France, and then Russia and Britain had to intervene and calm everyone down
In the Prussian Landtag, what % of the lowest taxpayers voted for what fraction of the parliament?
The lowest 85% of taxpayers elected one third of the deputies
What event caused the war in sight crisis?
The French Army Organisational Law of 1873 which increased army battalions from 3 to 4
Following a disagreement with the National Liberals, how long were army budgets fixed for?
7 years
How many royal rulers were there in the newly unified Germany?
22
What name is given to German landowners?
Junkers
In the 1870s, what % of the vote did the SAPD gain?
7%
Why was Bismarck humiliated by the war in sight crisis?
Discussions between the Tsar and the Kaiser had determined the direction of German foreign policy
