Growth of Democracy Flashcards
What was a kaiser?
the name for the German emperor, named after the Roman Ceasar
What is a republic?
a state which power is held by the people who elect their leader rather than through a monarchy
Describe the political set up of pre-WW1 Germany.
Kaiser
Chancellor, Imperial Parliment and Army
Government, Bundesrat and Reichstag
Chancellor ministers
What was the Bundesrat?
Part of the Imperial Parliment that was made up of Germany’s states’ reps. They made laws, under the rule of Kaiser and members were chosen by Gov.
What was the Reichstag?
Debating chamber that could only approve/ reject laws, not make them. Elected every three years by all men over 25.
Changed to five years after 1888
What could the Kaiser do?
Kaiser could appoint and dismiss the chancellor and his state secretries, no matter what anyone thinks
What was the role of the chancellor?
was chosen to run gov. and gov. ministers and was only answerable to the kaiser. Couldn’t make major change without Kaiser’s permission.
When was Kaiser Wilhelm II born and when did he die?
1859-1914
Describe Kaiser Wilhelm II’s early life.
Was born weak and disabled and blamed the British doctor, who his grandma, Queen Vic, had sent to oversee his birth.
He underwent electrotherapy, metal restraints and horrifc treatments like having a freshly slughtered hare strapped to his disabled arm as a child.
Frequently visited his grandma and saw the benifits on Britain having a large empire, feeding his nationalist and militaristic desires.
Describe Kaiser Wilhelm II’s early adulthood.
Had a fraught relationship with his british mother, becoming fixated on the idea of her love when studying science at the University of Bonn, sending her some erotic letters.
Princess Victoria marries him in 1881, and they have 7 children
Kaiser Wilhelm died in 1883, and Wilhelm II blamed the British doctors caring for him
When did Kaiser Wilhelm officially come to power?
June 15th 1888
Describe some of the turbulences in Kaiser Wilhelm II’s rule.
He immediatley dismissed Otto Von. Bismark, his father’s first chancellor
His extream nationalism meant he was determined to win a ‘place in the sun’ for Germany
1907: he was accused of having homosexual friends
1908: he said ‘you English are mad, mad, mad as march hares’ to the Daily Telegraph, increasing international tensions
He was friends with Franz Ferdinand and after his assassination in 1914 though his blood relations to Tsar and King would stop any backlash in his declaring war on France in 1914.
How did Kaiser Wilhelm II lose power?
After declaring war on France and Russia in 1914, he lost power to two German generals, taking fascist control of Germany in 1916.
Abdicated in 1918 and went to the Netherlands, living in exile and dying in 1941.
How did industry fair under the kaiser’s rule?
Industrial strength increased rapidly under him
How did German steel production vary from 1800s to 1900s?
And other industries
- 1880 Germany had only been producing half the amount of steel as Britain, but in 1914 was producing more than double
- 1914 Germany produced a third of the world’s electrical goods and had the most advanced telephone system, and eld the world in chemical industry
How did the population change in Germany?
Grew from 40 million in 1871 to nearly 68 million in 1914, causing rapid increase in industrial power and growth
By 1914, how many Germans worked in agriculture?
a third of German workers worked in agriculture, and therefore food imports grew to a fifth of German’s imports.
How did German trading grow from 1800s to 1900s?
1880 Germany made 2977 million marks from foreign trade, which grew to 10, 097 million in 1913
What was the kaiser’s world policy called?
weltpolitik
What did Welpolitik include?
the Kaiser wanted to see huge change in Germany, earning them a ‘place in the sun’
As a result, Germany conquered many parts of the world including Namibia, Tanzania and Papa New Guinea
How many trained soldiers did Germany have by 1914?
8.5 million
France had 3.5 million
Describe Prussian militarism under the kaiser.
- Prussia had two thirds of the German population and over a half of German territory
- It was a state of proud, militeristic tradition, swearing oaths to the kaiser
- Influence of their military cheifs determined German foreign policy
- special status of army encouraged conservative nationalism and not democratic socialism
What class dominated German society under the kaiser and how did this imapct society?
- German society was dominated by traditional ruling classes.
- This was supported by the middle class, who wanted to build their wealth by pushing Germany to build its empire.
- There was an increase in the working class population, due to the increase in German population, which led to an increase in socialist ideas.
What did the gov. under the kaiser do in 1889 and why?
They introduced old age pensions, twenty years before Britain, to appease the threatening socialist ideas.
They also introduced sickness and accident insurance schemes that covered nearly 14 million by 1911
How has the Social Democratic Party (SPD) grown in 1912?
1912 they had a third of the seats in the Reichstag and 3.3 million workers had joined a union by 1914
Why did the Kaiser impose the naval laws?
*Admiral von Tirpitz (who became state secretery in 1897) argued Germany needed battleships to compete with Britain and follow Kaiser’s desire to be a power
* A fresh ship-building programme would frighten British gov.
* Encouraged imperialist attitudes, distracting from the rising socialism that threatened the kaiser’s position
* Brought tension, leading to the arms race, and a rise in nationalism, imperialsim and right winged loyalty
What was the first naval law and when was it passed?
1898
Allowed the building of 7 more battleships, Germany already had 12, and marked a turning point in the worsening of Anglo-German relations, done against SDP desires.
