Politics In The Second Reich Flashcards
When was the second reich
1871-1918
what could the kaiser do?
Kaiser / emperor
- hereditary monarch, King of Prussia
- appoints/dismisses government
- can dissolve Reichstag
- controls foreign policy and armed forces
What could the Reichstag do?
- members/deputies are elected by male suffrage
- agree or reject laws proposed by Kaiser or gov
- cannot remove chancellor or gov
What could the government do?
Chancellor + other ministers
- appointed and dismissed by the Kaiser
- proposed new laws to the Reichstag
- not dependent upon support from Reichstag to stay in office
What could the Reichsrat do?
- assembly of ambassadors from 26 state governments
- veto on legislation passed by Reichstag
What could the electorate do?
Men over 25
- voted in Reichstag elections every 3 years
- voted for local state assemblies
- had written constitution but no statement of individual rights
What were the liberal parties?
- DDP Deutsche Demokratische Partei (Democratic Party)
- DVP Deutsche Volkspartei (People’s party)
What were the conservative parties?
-DNVP Deutschnationale Volkspartei (National People’s Party)
What were the catholic parties?
-ZP Zentrumspartei (Centre Party)
what were the left-wing parties?
- KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party)
- SPD Sozialdemokratische Partei Deuschlands (Social Democratic Party)
- USPD Unabhangige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deuschlands (Independent Social Democratic Party)
More about KPD
- Spartacists, extreme left-wing
- Marxist revolutionary socialists
- want to build up class consciousness and angry/unhappy people to support revolution
- Ernst Thalmann
More about SPD
- moderate wing of socialist movement
- most popular
- democratic socialists; want gradual change
- Friedrich Ebert and Philipp Scheidemann
More about USPD
- broke away from SPD in April, 1917
- included more radical elements of German socialism
- Hugo Haase and Karl Kautsky
What happens in German politics after Germany go to war in 1914?
- Parties in Reichstag make a political truce to support Kaiser and military
- Military high command begin to run Germany as a military dictatorship
- Reichstag still meet but are ignored by high command
- Germany almost at point of economic and military collapse, social and political unrest
Who are the military high command?
Paul Von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff
What does the USA joining the war in Oct 1917 prompt?
- Ludendorff advises Kaiser to calm unrest by changing gov
- Revolution from above put into place
What is the revolution from above?
Army leadership steps down to new gov formed by majority parties in Reichstag, led by Prince Max Von Baden
(Intended to stop revolution from below/by people)
What does Prince Mx’s gov do almost immediately?
Make some constitutional reforms
eg. extending suffrage to all men & making ministers and army responsible to gov (not Kaiser)
What happens on 3rd of October 1918?
Prince Max asks allies for armistice
What happens on the 28th of October 1918?
- New governments official Inauguration Day
- Sailors mutiny in Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, refusing to set sail against British fleet (suicide mission)
What happens after the navy’s mutiny?
- Strikes and mutinies spread across Germany = revolutionary situation
- Soldiers and workers set up councils/soviets
What happened on the 8th of November 1918?
- Bavaria proclaimed Socialist Republic by Kurt Eisner in Munich
- Prince Max unsuccessfully tries to convince Kaiser to abdicate
- 2 socialist members of gov resign
What happened on the 9th of November 1918?
- General strike declared
- Prince Max announces Kaiser’s abdication, who is fleeing to Holland
- Gov of Prince Max resigns after SDP withdraws from gov and Friedrich Ebert (head of SPD) becomes Imperial Chancellor
- Rumours that communists will proclaim a republic so Scheidemann (Ebert’s second in command) announces German Republic instead
What happens on the 10th of November 1918?
New gov officially set up, ‘Council of People’s Representatives’, led by socialist parties that held power in Reichstag
What is the Ebert-Groener pact?
Telephone call between Imperial Chancellor and new Head of Army
- army will support gov provided gov suppresses communist threats and opposes radical left-wing ideas in Reichstag
- Ebert keeps structure and ones within army
When was Armistice signed by Germany?
11th November
- signed by Matthias Erzberger
- ceasefire, NOT peace treaty
- Germany told that she could not take part in treaty negotiations
What social reforms were made by the government in November 1918 to settle the political/economic situation in Germany?
- 8 hour working days
- allowed independent trade unions
- set up help for ex soldiers to find work
- widened health and unemployment benefits
What was decided on the 19th December?
National Assembly elections were to be set for 19th January 1919
What was the issue with the SPD and USPD coalition government?
- Ebert (SPD) wanted to leave significant changes to the National Assembly who write the constitution
- Haase (USPD) wanted immediate social and economic reforms, didn’t want to use army without reforming it first
