Germany Chapter 1- Kaiser Wilhelm II and the difficulties of ruling Flashcards
Germany 1890-1945- Chapter 1
What year was Germany unified as a nation?
1871
Who became the ruler of Germany after it was unified as a nation?
The king of the most powerful state, Prussia, became its new ruler, or Kaiser.
Chancellor
-(chief minister) and ministers advised Kaiser.
Bundesrat
-made up of representatives of each state.
Reichstag
-parliament elected by men over 25
-both debated and voted on laws drawn up by the Kaiser and ministers
Kaiser
-could ignore government advice & make his own decisions
-made military and foreign policy decisions
What was the Kaiser keen on?
-he was keen to maintain a powerful army & build up a large navy
-he spent most of his youth in the army
What did the Kaiser take great pride in and interest in?
-took great pride in leading the army
-interested in military tactics
Where was the Kaiser from?
Prussia
Militarism
-the belief that a country should have strong armed forces
How was Prussian militarism used in the new German army?
-militarism was important to Prussia
-Prussian generals, army officers, and tactics formed the basis of the new united Germany army
What did the Kaiser want Germany to be?
-wanted Germany to be a global power
-have an empire to rival Britain’s
-WELKPOLITIK-> “world policy”
When did Germany begin to industrialise?
In the late 1800s
Who supported Germany’s industrialisation?
powerful German businessmen
Industrialisation by 1913
-By 1913, GER were producing as much coal as Britain & more iron & steel
Industrialisation by 1914
-GER produced 2/3 of Europe’s steel
-In industries such as electrical goods and chemicals-> GER companies dominated Europe
-Some leading factory & business owners became rich & influential
Why did workers join trade unions?
-they were unhappy with the low wages and poor working conditions
-joined hoping to force government to improve pay & working conditions
By 1914, how many workers joined trade unions?
-Over 3 million workers had joined trade unions
What new political party became popular among workers?
Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Socialism
power & wealth should be shared equally among the people
What did the SPD believe in?
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-Socialism
-Hoped Kaiser might allow Reichstag to make laws to improve worker’s right & conditions
-Disagreed with the power & privileged positions held by land & factory owners
-Around 1 in 3 GER voted for SPD at this time
What did some more extreme socialists believe?
-some took a more extreme view
-> wanted to rebel against Kaiser’s rule, start a revolution & allow towns to be governed by councils of workers
What were the navy laws?
1898-1912-> series of navy laws introduced
-huge amount of money was spent rapidly to increase size of navy
-army expanded too
Why were the navy laws introduced?
-Kaiser wanted a large navy to help take over more countries & protect those already in GER empire
How were the navy laws introduced?
-Taxes increased & money borrowed to pay
-GER would remain in debt for a long time
