The German urban working class has grown steadily in importance and prosperity throughout the years 1871-1990’. How far do you agree?

Question 1

At the beginning of the Kaiserreich, what proportion of the population lived in rural villages , yet by 1914 due to rapid industrialisation, what proportion of the population lived in towns?

Answer 1

⅔ ⅔

Question 2

Between which two dates was state socialism?

Answer 2

1883-89

Question 3

What was the insurance act in 1883?

Answer 3

Sickness Insurance Act 1883

Question 4

What did the Sickness Insurance Act 1883 provide for?

Answer 4

provided 12 weeks’ sick pay to 3 million workers

Question 5

How did the Sickness Insurance Act 1883 work?

Answer 5

workers contributed ⅔ and employers contributed ⅓

Question 6

What was the insurance act 1884

Answer 6

1884 Accident Insurance Act

Question 7

What did the 1884 Accident Insurance Act give?

Answer 7

13 weeks’ payment financed by employers

Question 8

what happened to the 1884 Accident Insurance Act and the 1883 Sickness Insurance act?

Answer 8

They were combined in 1886 to give protection to an extra 7 million workers

Question 9

Which state socialism act gave pensions to all those over 70, or earlier if they were disabled?

Answer 9

1889 Old Age Pensions Act

Question 10

Between which two dates did real wages increase by what percent?

Answer 10

25% between 1895 and 1913

Question 11

What three things did Caprivi do for the working class?

Answer 11

Sunday work prohibited
Children under 13 couldn’t work
Women didn’t have to work more than 11 hours a week

Question 12

What three things did Bülow do for the working class?

Answer 12

Accident insurance was extended 1900
Industrial courts were introduced in all large towns 1901
Ban on child labour was extended to all industries in 1903

Question 13

How did trade union membership flourish?

Answer 13

50 000 in 1877 to 278 000 in 1891

Question 14

Analyse the growth of union membership from 50 000 in 1877 to 278 000 in 1891?

Answer 14

Whilst this could show that the political importance of the Urban Work Class was becoming more important, it could equally be symptomatic of a continually troubled position.

Question 15

Between 1875-1890 what happened to the SPD’s vote?

Answer 15

doubled to 1.5 million

Question 16

What happened to the SPD’s Reichstag deputies between 1875-1890?

Answer 16

They grew from 12 to 35

Question 17

Analyse the growth in the SPD votes to 1.5 million and the number of deputies to 35 by 1890?

Answer 17

Equally, though this improved their political representation, it could be indicative of a ‘hunger politics’ approach, driven to politics by a worsening position in society.

Question 18

Industrialisation led to overcrowding and poor sanitation in the growing towns. What of all families were living in destitution?

Answer 18

30%

Question 19

When were the anti-socialist laws?

Answer 19

1878

Question 20

Under the anti-socialist laws, what socialist organisation including what were banned?

Answer 20

trade unions

Question 21

What kind of publications were banned under the anti-socialist laws?

Answer 21

Any socialist newspaper or publication

Question 22

Between 1878 and 1890, how many socialists were imprisoned?

Answer 22

1500

Question 23

What is a limation of the anti-soclaist laws?

Answer 23

The law was implemented differently in the Germans states and it didn’t prevent SPD members from Standing in elections and speaking freely in the Reichstag and the Länder.

Question 24

How would you describe the rise of the worker under bismarck?

Answer 24

They did well, the anti socialist laws that did happen only consolidated their support and their unity as a movement

Question 25

what were enshrined in the Weimar constitution?

Answer 25

Equal rights for the worker and the employer, determining working conditions and an 8 hour working day

Question 26

Between which two dates were conditions quite good for workers during Weimar?

Answer 26

1925-29

Question 27

Real wages increased by which percentages in which tow years?

Answer 27

Real wages increased by 9% in 1927 and 12% in 1928

Question 28

By 1927, how many million were recipients of unemployment relief?

Answer 28

17 million

Question 29

Analyse the 17 million people in receipt of unemployment benefit?

Answer 29

Whilst it is a symptom of a dangerous situation for workers, it does show how committed government was to helping them

Question 30

The rise of the Nazis and paramilitary units is emblematic of what?

Answer 30

the extent of the economic crisis

Question 31

What two things helped to reduce unemployment during the Nazis?

Answer 31

public works schemes such as the RAD and the re-armament process

Question 32

What social scheme was there under the Nazis and how significant was it?

Answer 32

The KDF holiday shame had given 9 million holidays by 1938.

Question 33

By 1935 unemployment had dropped from what to what million employed.

Answer 33

6 to 2.5

Question 34

what was there never in the Nazis which suggests that there was quite good conditions for workers and that they were perhaps content?

Answer 34

Never any worker rebellion

Question 35

What grew for the Nazis which suggests that workers supported what they were doing?

Answer 35

the proportion of workers who voted for the Nazis grew in the March 1933 election

Question 36

Working classes between 1929 and 1938 grew by what percentage suggesting improving conditions and status?

Answer 36

10%

Question 37

What two things did workers lose under the Nazis?

Answer 37

rights and a trade union after offices were raided on the 2nd May 1933

Question 38

Under Ley’s DAF, what was lost?

Answer 38

The ability to strike

Question 39

Did the Nazis improve things for the urban worker?

Answer 39

yes compared to the previous situations, but no during the wartime economy

Question 40

What fact about the decline in the population of rural communities shows the growth of the urban working class?

Answer 40

The Urban working classes grew significantly. The population in rural communities fell from 23.1% in 1950 to 8.3% in 1970.

Question 41

What fact about the FRG’s population structure shows how much the urban areas had grown?

Answer 41

By 1980, 74% of FRG citizens lived in communities of more than 10 000

Question 42

when was co-detemrinism?

Answer 42

1951

Question 43

When were works councils?

Answer 43

1852

Question 44

What is German for guest worker, the strongest case against the improving status of the domestic worker?

Answer 44

Gastarbeiter

Question 45

From which two countries were Gastarbeiters brought in?

Answer 45

Turkey and Greece

Question 46

In which two industries did Gastarbeiters fill Labour shortages?

Answer 46

Ship building and electricity

Question 47

How many million Gastarbeiters did the government recruit?

Answer 47

14 million

Question 48

How could you turn the Gastarbeiter into a positive?

Answer 48

in the short term facilitated the economic growth that benefitted all in the long term

Question 49

What could be said about the FRG?

Answer 49

Only good for workers compared to previous war time economy