Kaiserreich: 3 government and opposition, 1888-1914

Question 1

what was Kaiser Wilhelm II’s personality like?

Answer 1

• full of energy and ambition, confident in his own ability to make decisions
• outward appearance hid a nervous, moody, changeable and unpredictable character
• nicknamed ‘Reisekaiser’ or travelling emperor since he was always travelling on his yacht
• really only at ease when surrounded by military personnel - adored public ceremony and his military uniform
• loved childish games and pranks
• strict upbringing
• difficult breach birth left him with some birth defects - insecure e.g. would shake hands with his right hand so hard that the other person would cry

Question 2

what did Kaiser Wilhelm II declare about his power?

Answer 2

‘there is only one man in charge of the Reich and I will not tolerate any other’
however he was influenced by his ‘favourite’ men such as Philipp zu Eulenburg and Baron von Holstein

Question 3

which parties performed well between 1890-1912?

Answer 3

Zentrum - always about 100 seats
Conservatives - began at 93 dropped to 57
SPD - began at 35 increased to 110

Question 4

when was Caprivi Chancellor?

Answer 4

1890-1894

Question 5

what did Caprivi first implement whilst Chancellor?

Answer 5

‘new course’ which included…
- an end to the Anti-Socialist Law
- more influence over policy-making for ministers
- reduction in tariffs
- social reforms e.g. recognition of trade unions, reduction of working hours an progressive income tax

Question 6

what did political parties think of Caprivi’s new course?

Answer 6

welcomed by working classes, socialists, industrialists, Zentrum and Liberals
opposed by Prussian landowners and circle of aristocrats known as camarillo

Question 7

what did Caprivi pass regarding the military?

Answer 7

1893 agreed to reduce military service from 3 to 2 years and allow the Reichstag to discuss the budget every 5 years instead of 7
in return the Reichstag passed a bill increasing the size of the army by 84,000 men

Question 8

what was the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 8

1892
military strategy to use in the event of a war on two fronts
for it to be effective the army reserve had to be expanded
Kaiser feared a war with France due to Alsace Lorraine

Question 9

did the Kaiser and Caprivi get along?

Answer 9

Kaiser was difficult to work with
- interfered when C tried to allow both Protestants and Catholics control over education
- n 1893 elections Socialists made considerable gains and Kaiser declared there needed to be a new Anti-Socialist Subversion Bill

not helped by Eulenburg encouraging the Kaiser to act independently

Caprivi resigned saying ‘you cannot imagine how relieved I will feel to get out of here’

Question 10

when was Hohenlohe Chancellor?

Answer 10

1894-1900

Question 11

why was Hohenlohe selected as Chancellor?

Answer 11

not for his personal abilities but because he posed no political threat
more of a figurehead chancellor
Kaiser described him as his ‘straw doll’

Question 12

what bills did Hohenlohe introduce to curb Socialist activity?

Answer 12

1894 Subversion Bill
1899 Anti-Union Bill
both were rejected by the Reichstag

1899 turned to Posadowsky to try and pass a bill imposing prison sentences for strike action which was also rejected

Question 13

what was the Kaiser interested in politically?

Answer 13

ignored domestic affairs and focused on weltpolitik (an expansionist foreign policy including colonial expansion and the development of the navy)
Admiral Tirpitz (naval secretary 1897) believed weltpolitik had the power to unite people of different backgrounds and therefore overcome difficulties the gov faced in the Reichstag

Question 14

what did the Kaiser’s circle favour a policy of?

Answer 14

concentration - a continuation of sammlungspolitik and the ‘alliance of steel and rye’
fostered nationalist sympathies in direct opposition to socialism and the demands of the working class
supported by several right wing pressure groups who had influence disproportionate to their membership

Question 15

who were the Pan-German League?

Answer 15

estab 1891
c.25,000 predominantly middle class
anti-semitic
aims
- unite ethnic germans around the world
- acquire colonies
- suppress socialism

Question 16

who were the Navy League?

Answer 16

1898
c.500,000
aims
- promote naval expansion
- develop popular support for the navy
- put pressure on Reichstag to pass naval bills
- promote growth of colonies

Question 17

who were the Agrarian League?

Answer 17

1893
c.250,000
led by Junkers but many were smallholders and tenant farmers
aims
- protect agricultural interests
- lobby for tariff protection to help farmers

Question 18

who were the Imperial League against Social Democracy?

Answer 18

1904
c.200,000
supported by heavy industry
aims
- curb growth of socialism
- promote conservative values

Question 19

who were the Industrialists’ League?

Answer 19

1895
members from manufacturing and export industries
favoured high tariffs to promote exports
aims
- protect manufacturing interests
- promote exports

Question 20

who were the Army League?

Answer 20

1912
c.300,000
aims
- promote expansion of German Army
- pressurise the Reichstag to pass army bills

Question 21

why did Hohenlohe resign?

Answer 21

disagreement with the Kaiser over colonial policy

Question 22

when was Bulow Chancellor?

Answer 22

1900-1909

Question 23

what was Bulow’s nickname?

Answer 23

‘the eel’ as he went out of his way to flatter the Kaiser
was groomed for office by the Kaiser’s inner circle
first chancellor that the kaiser really trusted

Question 24

what policies did Bulow implement?

Answer 24

• abandoned the aggressively anti-socialist aspect of Sammlungspolitik but still tried to win support by appealing to patriotism
• 1902 new tariff law restored duties on agricultural products and a few key manufacturers - increasing revenue for the developing navy

Question 25

what did Minister for the Interior, Posadowsky, implement to combat socialism

Answer 25

• developed social security from 1900-03 hoping to draw support away from the Socialists
• introduced a series of social reforms, extending accident and heath insurance and new rules for the arbitration of industrial disputes
  however socialists received credit for these
  electorate concerned about rising food prices and the SPD vote increased in 1903

Question 26

what reforms came from socialist pressure?

Answer 26

1904 secret ballot
1906 establishment of payment for Reichstag deputies permitting lower middle and working class men with no other income to put themselves forward as deputies

SEPARATE POINT TO SOCIALISM
increase in repressive action against Poles and other minorities as well as increased Anti-Semitism

Question 27

why were relations between the Kaiser and Bulow no longer harmonious in 1905?

Answer 27

• Bulow failed to control the Reichstag to win approval for the Kaiser’s increased military spending as the income raised by the new tariff laws proved insufficient
• Bulow tried to increase taxes but was opposed by the SPD and Zentrum who he had relied on in the past - resorted to a small tax on legacies in 1906 supported by SPD and Zentrum but not Conservatives and Bundesrat

Question 28

what coalition did Bulow negotiate in 1907?

Answer 28

the ‘Bulow Bloc’
consisted of Conservatives, members of the Agrarian League and Liberals to avoid reliance on Zentrum won an overwhelming victory but was difficult to hold together

Question 29

what was the Hottentot election of 1907?

Answer 29

election fought on the issue of support for Bulow’s policies in South-West Africa
Zentrum and SPD were critical of the gov’s imperial policies and forced the election
however a huge campaign grew against the parties labelling them ‘unpatriotic’ which swung the vote

Question 30

what happened to the national debt between 1900 and 1908/

Answer 30

doubled
cons and agrarian league favoured increased tax on consumer goods but socialists and progressives wanted an increase in property and inheritance tax. progressives pushed for constitutional reform

Question 31

why did Bulow resign?

Answer 31

1909 finance bill defeated by cons, zentrum, progressives and spd
scandal regarding his sexuality and failure to stop reports of the damaging Daily Telegraph interview led to his resignation

Question 32

when was Bethmann Hollweg Chancellor?

Answer 32

1909-1917

Question 33

why was Wilhelm happy to have Bethmann Hollweg as Chancellor?

Answer 33

he allowed him to take personal control over military and foreign affairs

Question 34

what challenges was BH faced with?

Answer 34

• reconciling a budget deficit with demands for increased military expenditure
• constant demands from the left such as a reform of the three-stage voting system of the Prussian Landtag in 1910 - defeated by progressives however universal male suffrage at 21 was introduced in 1911

Question 35

who won 1/3 of the votes in the 1912 election?

Answer 35

the SPD making it the largest party in the Reichstag
chancellor could no longer win majority for his policies as the SPD and progressives had a left wing majority

Question 36

what was passed in July 1913 by the Reichstag?

Answer 36

large increase in the army bc it was funded by a special ‘defence tax’ on the value of property
met strong opposition from the cons and SPD

Question 37

what happened in 1913 to BH?

Answer 37

vote of no confidence
however the Kaiser kept him in office
he stopped trying to work through the Reichstag and issued imperial decrees without consultation or approval

Question 38

what did most disputes from 1890-1914 revolve around?

Answer 38

the issue of where power resided in the Empire
the 1871 constitution was essentially unchanged and placed final authority with the Kaiser
Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power to exert that authority as well as maintain a personal role in government

Kaiser reached his peak ‘personal role’ during Bulow’s time as Chancellor - was his behaviour truly constitutional? caused issues within the Reichstag

Question 39

what was the Daily Telegraph Affair of 1908?

Answer 39

Kaiser gave an interview to the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph
he suggested Germans were anti-British and that he was personally restraining that sentiment
Bulow was given the opportunity however failed to supress the publication
it worsened relations with Britain
the Reichstag demanded curbs on Wilhelm’s activities
Bulow was the scapegoat and resigned shortly after
made the political situation even more chaotic

Question 40

what was the Zabern Affair of 1913?

Answer 40

Kaiser declared his support for excessive military action in the Zabern Affair
press reports of harsh recriminations against the citizens of Zabern in Alsace who had protested against army behaviour
made the Kaiser appear prepared to allow the military to do as it pleased with no respect for the rule of law
led to outcry against militarism both in the Reichstag and across the country
Kaiser’s involvement increased the feeling that his gov did not represent wishes of the people

Question 41

how did the Kaiser view the ‘popular’ political activity?

Answer 41

1890s seen as the period where the masses truly began to have their voices heard in German politics through political parties, pressure groups, trade unions, etc.
Kaiser saw this activity as destructive
he was less averse to the demands of the military and right-wing nationalist demands
politics became more polarised

Question 42

how polarised was politics by 1914?

Answer 42

Germany had the largest socialist party in Europe yet the largest support for the army
support for the SPD was counter-balanced by support for extreme nationalist and anti-Semitic groups
polarisation was at the expense of the moderate centre
the 1890s saw the fragmentation and decline of German liberalism

Question 43

what was the Erfurt Programme?

Answer 43

• abolition of class rule
• equal rights
• use of income tax, property tax and inheritance tax for gov revenue
  all Marxist principles

Question 44

how did the SPD change post 1890?

Answer 44

• grew phenomenally
• became increasingly moderate in outlook
• August Bebel and others developed the theory of ‘gradual socialism’ in order to achieve the Socialists’ long-term goal of constitutional change
• failed to exploit the opportunities provided when the country’s leaders acted controversially such as the Daily Telegraph Affair
• still some traditional Marxists such as Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
• revisionist amendment to the Erfurt Programme was defeated in 1900 making it harder for other parties such as the Liberals to support such revolutionary slogans
• gov’s attempt at portraying the socialists as enemies of the state helped split German society into opposing extremes

Question 45

how did trade unions grow post 1890?

Answer 45

the General Federation of Trade Unions was founded by Carl Legien in 1890
- campaigned for better working conditions, shorter hours and better pay
- unions supported socialism and encouraged workers to challenge capitalist exploitation
- free trade unions had more than 2.5 million members by 1913 and became Europe’s largest labour organisation
- further 3.3 million trade unionists

Question 46

how did the centre develop post 1890?

Answer 46

Zentrum and Liberals
- Z united in desire to protect church interests but often divided on other issues since the party represented a variety of social classes
- Liberals drew support from wealthier middle classes and business but their divisions became more pronounced
- NL opposed socialism and favoured expansionist foreign policy
- left Liberals and Progressives seeked social reform and an extension of Reichstag power

Question 47

how did the right wing develop post 1890?

Answer 47

• Conservatives and Free Conservatives represented anti-socialist and anti-democratic right-wing views in the Reichstag
• German Conservatives represented the Prussia Junkers and military officers
• Free Cons represented the non-Prussian Landowners and industrial elites
• generally supported the Kaiser’s policies and could often rely on the NL backing them up against the ‘reichsfiende’
• growing right wing pressure groups called for an expansionist foreign policy, acquisition of colonies, increased military spending and high tariffs against foreign imports
• pressure groups came to exert influence on policy making e.g. Pan German League opposed all revisionist policies
• Pan German League leader Heinrich Class set out the group’s nationalist agenda in his pamphlet ‘if I were Kaiser’ which was overly anti-Semitic in 1912