Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm Flashcards
Who was the Kaiser?
The Kaiser ruled the nation
Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II
Became Kaiser in 1888, and had a plan to expand the German Empire.
What ideology was a threat for Wilhelm?
Socialism
What powers did the Kaiser have? (list 4)
Could appoint or dismiss the chancellor.
Could dissolve the Reichstag (parliament) if he wanted to.
Was in charge of foreign policy.
Was the head of German military.
What was the largest and most powerful state before 1871?
Prussia, it’s power also largely shaped Germany.
What did army officers advise the Kaiser about?
Political decisions, rather than MP’s or civil servants today.
What did these army officers have to swear to the Kaiser?
An oath of loyalty.
What political wing were army officers?
Right-wing (politically conservative).
Who funded the army every five years?
The Reichstag
Who was the chancellor?
The Kaiser’s chief minister.
What powers did the chancellor have? (list 3)
Could appoint ministers to help him make policies.
Led the Bundesrat (federal council) by proposing new subjects, issues and laws to be discussed.
Had the power to ignore the Reichstag.
What was the Bundesrat?
The German federal council.
How many representatives of each German state formed the Bundesrat?
58.
What could the Bundesrat do/ what was it used for?
Was consulted over German policies.
The council proposed laws to the Reichstag.
In return, the Bundesrat approved any law the Reichstag made.
How many deputies formed the Reichstag?
397.
How were the deputies of the Reichstag chosen?
Elected by the German voters (who were at the time only men over the age of 25).
What powers did the Reichstag have?
Had the power to pass, alter, or reject laws proposed by the Bundesrat or Chancellor.
The Reichstag could give or refuse funding for the military every five years.
What had happened to the growing Reichstag by the 1890s?
By the 1890s the Reichstag had begun to grow.
Although Kaiser Wilhelm II could dissolve the Reichstag, he could not stop the elections for parliament.
Political parties had begun to form. This meant that the deputies in the Reichstag had their own political agenda (plan).
While they did not have huge power, they put pressure on the government and could shape public opinion.
What was the Landtag?
Each state had its own mini-government or mini-Reichstag. This was called the Landtag.
Which Landtag was very influential?
The prussian Landtag was so influential that it dwarfed all other regional Landtags.
The chancellor was ultimately a x for the Kaiser. If the Kaiser disagreed with him, the chancellor would be dismissed.
Puppet.
Which Chancellor did Kaiser Wilhelm II dismiss and why?
Chancellor Bismarck, as he had effectively ruled Germany since unification (joining together as one state) since 1871.
Who could and could not sack the Chancellor?
The Kaiser could but the MP’s could not.
As Germany was a federal state, individual states had the power to control what?
Income tax (the tax people pay on earnings).
Why was individual states having the power to control income tax a problem for the government?
It meant that it was difficult for the central government to raise enough tax to meet their budget.
