Rise of Socialism - W Flashcards
Who were the SPD?
The SPD stands for “The Social Democratic Party”.
It became popular among workers and believed in socialism.
Socialism: power and wealth should be shared equally among the people.
The SPD hoped that the Kaiser might allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms/laws to improve worker’s rights and conditions.
They disagreed with power and priveledged positions held by land and factory owners.
Around 1/3 Germans voted for the SPD.
Why was there a rise in socialism?
Many workers were unhappy with low wages and poor working conditions.
What did workers do?
Workers joined trade unions and organised strikes hoping to force the government to improve pay and working conditions.
In 1914, more than 3 million workers had joined the trade unions.
What was the government’s response to the rise in socialism?
The Chancellor put in place anti-socialist laws which angered the socialists.
The Kaiser wanted to spend money on building a bigger empire to challenge Britain and build ships - this would have also caused conflict outside Germany as other countries would see Germany building their army assuming they are preparing for an attack, and therefore start strengthening their own army.
