Wilhelmine Germany (1890-1914) Flashcards
1
Q
Was Kaiser Wilhelm II an absolute monarch?
A
- KWII had the authority to appoint and dismiss the Chancellors; he chose to surround himself with those that would cater to his personal wants.
- in 1897, KWII appointed Admiral Tirpitz as Navy Secretary with the aim of following Weltpolitik.
- when a Chancellor lost KWII’s confidence, he was forced from office.
- the Kaiser’s presence increased pressure on the Chancellors.
- the constitution was established around the Kaiser, giving him final authority.
- KWII maintained a very personal involvement in government (ultimately leading to Bismarck’s resignation); in Burlow’s years of chancellorship, KWII reached the peak of ‘personal rule’ as he dictated policy and controlled all appointments, legislation and diplomatic moves.
2
Q
Was Kaiser Wilhelm II a schattenkaiser?
A
- KWII’s political power was within a constitutional framework; a Reichstag majority was necessary to pass or reject a law.
- the government could only work through a system of agreement, or compromise, between the Reichstag majority and the Kaiser’s ministers; all KWII’s repressive laws (anti-socialist laws of 1894 and 1899) were defeated in the Reichstag.
- the Daily Telegraph Affair (1908) led to the Reichstag demanded curbs on KWII’s activities and made him more aloof; the Zabern Affair (1913) led to an outcry against militarism in both the Reichstag and the country as a whole (as it was made out as though KWII was prepared to let the military to do as it pleased with no respect for the law), in addition, the Kaiser’s association with military figures increased the feeling that KWII’s government did not represent the wishes of the people.
3
Q
What measures did Caprivi implement as Chancellor?
A
- Chancellor from 1890-1894.
- made concessions to socialists, Poles and Zentrum party members due to Bismarck’s actions (Anti-Socialist Bill was lapsed and Polish language reinstated for educational purposes).
- social measures, 1891: using Reichstag support, Caprivi prohibited Sunday work, forbade the employment of children under 13 and women to work more than 11 hours a week.
- Caprivi wanted to reform the 1879 Tariff Act; he negotiated a series of commercial treaties with Austria, Italy and Russia between 1891-94 and agreed to reduce tariffs on agricultural imports in return for favourable rates on German manufactured goods.
- Caprivi reduced the period of military service from 3 to 2 years; allowed the Reichstag to discuss the military budget every 5 rather than 7 years; and introduced an Army Bill that increased the strength of the army to 84,000 men.
4
Q
How successful was Caprivi as Chancellor?
A
- his social reforms were welcomed by the working classes, socialists, industrialists, Zentrum and Liberals; they were opposed by the Conservatives and camarillo aristocrats.
- most parties supported the Tariff Act refrom; the Conservatives and Agrarian League (anti-Caprivi and considered him a socialist who wanted to ruin wheat producers) did not.
- by reducing military conscription and lowering the malarkey budget fix from 7 to 5 years, Caprivi angered the right.
- through the Army Bill, Caprivi angered the left, and it was initially defeated in the Reichstag; Caprivi dissolved the Reichstag and the Conservatives and NL improved their positions and passed the Army Bill.
- KWII demanded that Caprivi win approval for higher taxes to support increased military expenditure (Schlieffen Plan) even though details of the plan were not given to the Reichstag, making i an impossible task.
- considerable Conservative opposition to his ‘new course’ reinforced KWII’s doubts over Caprivi’s political suitability and after Caprivi refused to draw up new Anti-Socialist measures, he resigned.
5
Q
What measures did Hohenlohe implement as Chancellor?
A
- Chancellor from 1894-1900.
- between 1894-95, KWII’s governments took strong action against potential revolutionaries and subversives as KWII advocated for the forcible repression of the SPD (offices were ransacked and party leaders put on trial) and Hohenlohe tried to do as the Kaiser wished and introduced 2 bills to curb the socialist threat; the 1894 Subversion Bill, and the 1899 Anti-Union Bill.
- KWII tired to pass the Hard Labour Bill under Hohenlohe’s chancellorship which was rejected by a huge majority.
- KWII’s circle favoured the policy of concentration; they deliberately fostered nationalist sympathies in direct opposition to socialism and the demands of the working class.
- KWII became obsessed with Weltpolitik and having a large army so that Germany could become a world power, he proposed the 1898 Naval Bill which suggested the building of 16 major ships; the 1890 Naval Bill suggested the building of 3 battleships a year for the next 6 years.
6
Q
How successful was Hohenlohe as Chancellor?
A
- the Reichstag rejected all efforts to pass an anti-socialists law.
- by 1987, a state of deadlock existed between the government and Reichstag; the government would not introduce legislation acceptable to the Reichstag majority, and the Reichstag would not accept bills presented to them by the government.
- KWII increasingly ignored his Chancellor after his decision in 1897 to peruse Weltpolitik.
- the policy of concentration was encouraged and supported by right wing pressure groups (who lobbied ministers, sought influence in the Reichstag and used advertising to spread their views).
- resigned over a colonial disagreement with KWII.
- the 1898 Naval Bill was carried by 212 votes to 139 and was opposed by the left (opposed any increase in military spending) and right (thought the money would be better spent on the army).
- the 1890 Naval Bill was passed with an even bigger majority than that of her 1898 Naval Bill.
7
Q
What measures did Burlow implement as Chancellor?
A
- Chancellor from 1900-1909.
- Burlow resumed Caprivi’s ‘new course’ by introducing a series of measures designed to win working class support; an extension of accident insurance in 1900, a law court settling disputes between employers and employees in 1901, and an extension of the prohibition of child labour in 1903.
- there were repressive actions carried out against Poles and other national minorities and oversaw an increase in anti-Semitism.
- worked with the Reichstag to restore tariffs to their pre-1872 level.
- in 1902, a new tariff law restored duties on agricultural products and a few key manufacturers.
- abandoned the aggressively anti-socialist aspect of Sammlungspoltitik, but appealed to patriotism.
- in 1905, Burlow suggested implementing indirect taxes and inheritance taxes to cope with the mounting costs of maninting the army and developing the navy; in 1909, he tried to implement his finance bill of 1909 which increased indirect and inheritance taxes.
8
Q
How successful was Burlow as Chancellor?
A
- the restoration of tariffs to their pre-1872 level pleased the left and the right.
- the 1902 new tariff law pleased industrialists (increased revenue for the navy) and the agrarian interest.
- the left voted against indirect taxes while the right weakened the inheritance tax so much that it became insignificant; Burlow and KWII’s relationship worsened as Burlow had failed to win the support KWII needed for increased military spending.
- Burlow’s finance bill of June 1909 was defeated by a combination of the Conservatives, Zentrum, Liberals and Socialsits.
- Burlow’s government was criticised over its handling of the Hottentots and Hereros Revolt in 1904-05 and this caused the SPD and Zentrum to ally against Burlow in December 1906 to defeat his proposal to provide extra money for colonial administration.
- a number of parties came together to create the ‘Burlow Bloc’.
- the Daily Telegraph Affair in 1908 secured his resignation.
9
Q
What measures did Bethman-Hollweg implement as Chancellor?
A
- Chancellor from 1909-1917.
- introduced universal male suffrage at 21 years was passed in 1911.
- implemented the inheritance tax.
10
Q
How successful was Bethman-Hollweg as Chancellor?
A
- his attempts to broaden his Reichstag support only alienated his natural supporters.
- Bethman-Hollweg’s chancellorship coincided with increased left wing support (1912 elections saw the SPD win 110 seats to become the largest party in the Reichstag) and so he was left to rely on background deals and compromises to get support for his government bills.
- the Conservatives denounced him for being weak; the SPD wanted more reform.
- his inheritance tax proposal was accepted; but still opposed by both the Conservatives (because it would hit the elites hard despite supporting the military measures it was being used for) and somewhat supported by the socialists (who disliked military spending but were keen on a property-based tax).
- the inheritance tax did not solve the financial crisis and by 1914, the Reich debt reached 5 billion Marks; given that indirect taxes were unpopular with the left, and direct taxes were unpopular with the right, there was no easy political solution.
- in 1913, SPD deputies supported BH’s new taxes.
- after 1912, many pressure groups became extremely vocal in their criticism of the German government.
- Zabern Affair in 1913 (army acted above the law and brutally attacked the French in Alsace-Lorraine) led to a vote in no confidence (293 to 54 votes) in BH which the Kaiser ignored.
11
Q
What political opposition did Kaiser Wilhelm II face?
A
SPD:
- after 1890, the SPD grew exponentially due to the lapse of Anti-Socialist Laws and Caprivi’s New Course.
- at a party conference in Erfurt, a statement of principles was drawn up known as the ‘Erfurt Programme’ in which they SPD demanded; the abolition of class rule, equal rights and the use of income/inheritance/property taxes for government revenue.
- the SPD developed the theory of ‘gradual socialism’ in order to achieve their longterm goal of constitutional change; they failed to exploit any opportunities for revolution (Daily Telegraph and Zabern Affair) for fear of appearing unpatriotic; working with others in the Reichstag became difficult due to the party’s revolutionary slogans that alienated other parties (such as the NL) and gave right wing parties an excuse to attack them.
LEFT WING:
- trade union organisations (who had more than 2.5 million members by 1913) campaigned for better working conditions, shorter hours, more pay, and encouraged workers to go on strike.
- the Zentrum still wanted to protect the Church’s interests but failed to have any major influence because the party represented a number of social classes who failed to agree on social policies.
- the National Liberals splintered as their divisions grew more pronounced after 1890.
RIGHT WING:
- pressure groups were growing in size and strength and came to exert a direct influence on policy making.
- the Pan-German League opposed all reformist policies, called for the suppression of the SPD and accused the government of being too moderate.
12
Q
How did the economy grow under the Kaiserreich?
A
- a growing population aided economic prosperity.
- internal migration from the countryside to the towns (by 1910, 40% lived in the countryside compared to 64% in the 1800s).
- Germany possessed huge natural resources: coal from the Ruhr and Saar (60 million tones in 1889, 190 tonnes in 1913), and iron from the Ruhr.
- the rapid industrial growth was supported by an increasingly effective transport network (the railway system grew substantially with 1880 having 29,000 miles, and 1900 having 34,000 miles) as the improved transport allowed for raw materials to be factories and produce to be taken from factories to consumers.
- the construction of the U-Bahn started in 1896 and finished in 1902 which improved transport for the public.
- Germany led the way in pharmaceuticals, artificial fibres, photographic materials, plastics and explosives.
- the electrical industry grew as the production of electrical energy increased by 150% between 1901 and 1915 leading to Germany using electric lights and replacing horse-drawn carriages with electric trolleys.
- cartels were seen as eliminating competition and promoting efficient large scale production (1875 = 8 cartels, 1905 = 366 cartels).
- Germany distributed goods across Europe, N/S America, Africa and Asia selling chemicals, metals, machinery, textiles and coal; these profits helped to pay for the imports of food, raw materials and manufactured goods.
- by 1913, Germany was one of the major trading and exporting nations in the world; by 1914, the trademark ‘made in Germany’ was an international sign of high quality.
13
Q
What developments were made in the agricultural industry under the Kaiserreich?
A
- the larges estates of Junkers produced rye and beet; peasant holdings across Germany produced cereals, crops, fruits and vegetables.
- 4 million acres of virgin land was used and outputs rose to meet the demands of a growing and increasing urbanised population.
- in order for agriculture to flourish, it had to be protected by tariffs (lowered by Caprivi but rose under Burlow) as tariffs helped farmers by preventing cheap Russian/American imports.
- synthetic foods, new processes and refrigeration all provided challenging for farmers.
- agricultural prices fell; a series of bad harvests led to the development of cheap grain from the USA.
- the growth of towns supplied a bigger market; machinery and fertilisers became cheaper and more widely available.
14
Q
What was the position of the working class in the Kaiserreich?
A
- following unification, Germany’s population increased and underwent rapid urbanisation; urbanised workers sought greater political representation in order to achieve greater working and living conditions (were tough for the majority of Germans who lived at/on the poverty line) and so trade union membership flourished (200,000 workers went on strike between 1905 and 1913), and the emergence of the SPD (who became the largest party in the Reichstag in 1912).
- real wages increased by 25% from 1885 to 1913 and employment rates were generally high.
- the emergence of the white collar workers class allowed greater opportunities for social mobility as people from the traditional lower middle classes were able to take up higher skilled and better paid professions.
- by 1914, over 15 million Germans were covered by Sickness Insurance (1883), 28 million were insured against Accidents (1884) and 1 million Germans received pensions (1889).
- medical improvements allowed people to live longer.
- by 1914, urban living and working conditions were poor; 1/3 of German’s population lived at or below the poverty line.
15
Q
What was the position of the elites in the Kaiserreich?
A
- in the 1908 state election, the SPD achieved 7 seats with 23% of the vote but the Junker Conservatives won 212 sears with 16% of the vote.
- the Junkers blocked any attempts to change the political system.
- the Junkers enjoyed dominant positions in society.
- the SPD were vary of appearing revolutionary and this left them to peruse a gradual process of political change to the existing constitutional framework, and by 1914, there had been no change to the existing order.
- despite the German society clamouring for social change, Bismarck/KWII did little to change the existing society to satisfy their growing population (any state socialism measures didn’t improve living or working conditions and Bismarck believed the latter was up to the employer) and tried to curb socialist action (1894/1899 Anti-Socialist Laws) but were quick to implement Tariff Acts that would benefit their social classes/Junkers.
