Wilhelm II (Chapter 3)

Question 1

What was Wilhelm II like as a person?

Answer 1

Energetic, ambitious, impulsive
- He asserted dominance and had a need for control

Question 2

What was Caprivi’s plan for Germany?

Answer 2

The ‘new course’
- to maintain stability and avoid conflict

Question 3

What did Caprivi do that the Kaiser disagreed with?

Answer 3

Ended Anti-Socialist Laws and allied with Trade Unions

Question 4

When did Caprivi resign?

Answer 4

1894

Question 5

What was the Affair in 1908?

Answer 5

Daily Telegraph Affair
- interview where Kaiser made remarks about Germans being anti-British

Question 6

What were the consequences of the Daily Telegraph Affair?

Answer 6

Reichstag demanded that the Kaiser be accountable for his actions

BUT ultimately he remained untouchable and Bülow took the fall and resigned

Question 7

What was the rise of ‘mass politics’?

Answer 7

many political parties and trade unions joined the political landscape - not only elites calling the shots

Question 8

What are some examples of Right Wing groups? What were their ideologies?

Answer 8

Pan German League
Navy League

• nationalism, militarism, anti-semitism

Question 9

What fueled the rise of the SPD?

Answer 9

economic boom
- industrialists, elites and bankers reaped the rewards while w/c still struggled

Question 10

What were some developments in media?

Answer 10

Boom in newspaper readership
Film
Radio

• crucial role in shaping public opinions and highlighting political and social divisions

Question 11

What was the breaking point for WW1?

Answer 11

The assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand