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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Kaiser |
He could appoint and dismiss the chancellor and his ministers. He was Commander-in-Chief of the army, in charge of foreign policy as well as being sovereign. Furthermore, he could dismiss the Reichstag and call for new elections and was president of the Bundeserat |
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Chancellor and ministers |
Responsible for presenting legislation to parliament and the Chancellor and ministers implemented the law. Furthermore, they were only accountable to the Kaiser and not the Reichstag and the Kaiser tended only to appoint members of the Prussian aristocracy to these positions. |
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The Reichstag |
The democratic element of the system, all of its members were elected by the general public. All men over the age of 25 had the vote and the Reichstag could accept, reject and amend legislation - but not implement it |
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The Bundesrat |
The Bundeserat's members were members of the regional state assemblies and held legislative powers. The Bundesrat could initiate legislation and if 14 or more voted so, they could veto laws. Furthermore, Bismarck engineered the composition of the body to ensure the dominance of Prussian conservatives. Many of the Kaiser's powers were supposed to be shared with the Bundesrat but due to the way it was structured the Kaiser could control it |
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The federal state |
Reflected the independent origins of parts of the newly unified Germany. Individual states had power over education, the police and health care |
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What happened during the budgetary crisis and what did it demonstrate? (1906 and 1907) |
The SPD and Centre Party joined forces to vote against the government's budget, in protest of the colonial policies. THe Kaiser dissolved the Reichstag and called the Hottentot election in which imperialist parties emerged stronger. This demonstrated the Reichstag trying to control the actions of the Kaiser, government and army, as well as the tensions between a left wing Reichstag and a conservative government. Furthermore, it showed the powers of the Kaiser and his willingness to use them |
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What happened during the Daily Telegraph Affair? (1908) |
Kaiser made unguarded comments regarding the British and his foreign policy. It resulted in him being criticised both by the Reichstag and the press, so the Kaiser conceded and said he would consult the Reichstag first. However, he pressured Von Bulow into resigning. This showed: that the Reichstag and Press were prepared to criticise the Kaiser, that the Reichstag could gain concessions from the Kaiser, that the Kaiser could not be completely autocratic but that he could remove chancellors |
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What happened due to the Zabern affair? (1913) |
After controversy in Alsace Lorraine, the Kaiser supported the army, whereas the Reichstag criticised them and Bethmann-Hollwegg. Hollwegg even lost a vote of no-confidence but he refused to resign, and showed that the Reichstag's power had limitations as late as 1913. Furthermore, it showed that the army acted independently of authority and only supported the Kaiser, and the Reichstag can be ignored |
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Who were the DKP? |
The party represented Junkers and so was powerful in Russia. Furthermore, the party also had links with the government and in the 1890s, anti-Semitic elements were included in the party's constitution. |
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What was the FKP? |
Free conservative party, supported by industrialists and landowers and had broad geographical support |
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Who were the NLP? |
Represented bankers and industrialists, they supported economic and political liberalism but over time the agenda became similar to that of the DKP |
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Who were the Centre Party? |
They represented Germans Catholics (around 1/3 of Germany). It consistently received approximately a quarter of the votes and normally worked with conservative parties. Sometimes worked with left wings e.g. Budgetary crisis and often held the balance of power. |
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Who were the SPD |
The largest left wing party, they had theoretically revolutionary aims but the party was mainly moderate and reformist |
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Who were the Agrarian League? |
A junker pressure group - tariff laws 1902 |
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Who were the Central Association of German Industrialists? |
Another pressure group, conservative leaning - tariff laws 1902 |
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Who were the Navy League?
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Campaigned for German naval expansion, the League was very popular and had a member ship of around 1 million |
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Who were the German Colonial League and the Pan German League? |
Two right wing groups that supported colonial expansion, the PGL also sought a dominant role for Germany in Europe |
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How did von Bulow influence the regime? |
He outwardly co-operated with the Kaiser, sometimessucceeded in side lining or defeating him e.g. Tariff Law. Kaisertried to reassert his authority by making minister appointments 05-06. He sought align conservative and centralist parties through foreignpolicy, known as ‘bringing together’ or sammlungspolitik. Created the von Bulow Bloc of allnon-socialist parties. Tried to appease socialist forces with social reforms – such as measures relating to sickness insurance in1903 and child labour in 1908. Faced a serious challenge to hisauthority from the Reichstag during the budgetary crisis of 1906-1907. |
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Howdid Bethmann Hollweg influence the regime? |
Heillustrated the Reichstag’s lack of control over the government. In 1913,following the Zabern Affair, Bethmann lost a vote of no-confidence in the SPDdominated Reichstag. However, the Reichstag did not have the power to force himout of office and so he remained Chancellor. He had more success with the 1913Army Bill earlier in 1913, where he gained SPD support by agreeing to fund itthrough progressive taxation |
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Whateconomic growth was there in the period? |
It was exceptional between 1890 and 1914. The economyexpanded by 4.5% a year, coal and iron production almost doubled in these yearsand, by 1914, Germany’s share of world trade was equal to that of Britain.Germany’s steel industry (dominated by the massive Krupp Corporation) wasparticularly strong: German steel production exceeded that of Britain by 1900. |
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What new industries were there in the period? |
Germany excelled in industries that used new and innovativetechnologies, such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrics and motormanufacture. Daimler and Dieseldeveloped cars, whereas AEG and Siemens became huge electrical business – infact, by 1913, Germany produced 50% of the world’s electrical goods. |
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Howwas Germany an industrial economy? |
These economic developments resulted in a growing proportionof the population working in the industrial and service sectors of the economy.The contribution that industry made to the country’s GNP rose from around 33%to 42% |
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Howwas there improved transport infrastructure? |
Germany’s transport network also developed at this time withtrains, tramways and trolley buses constructed to facilitate travel andindustrial development. |
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Whaturbanisation was there? |
Apopulation boom and new jobs and opportunities in industry stimulatedurbanisation: by 1910, 60% of the population lived in urban areas, the highestrate in Europe. The populations of Breslau, Cologne, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzigand Munich all exceeded half a million by 1910, while Berlin had in excess of 2million inhabitants. Overcrowding and homelessness were negative consequencesof this population shift, but the development of an effective transportinfrastructure helped to alleviate problems. |
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What poor standards of living were there? |
Despite low unemployment and increases in average wages, thestandard of living for most working people was low and conditions at work poor.Discontent about this created a boom in membership of trade unions: over 3million people were members by 1913. |
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Whatclass tensions were there? |
Industrialisation produced heightened tensions.The industrial working class were sometimes in conflict with industry ownersover pay and working conditions at work. The Junker were keen to keep a dominant position in society and, in common with the owners of industry,were concerned about the growth of socialism. The lower, or Mittelstand (smalltraders, shopkeepers and artisans), were often discontented, as they found thattheir living standard was threatened by new industries. In the country,competition from USA and Canada squeezed the peasantry and farmers. |
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Whatwas the economic impact of the war? |
Fightingthe war was an enormous economic strain, only 16% of the £8.4 million cost ofthe war was met by taxation, war bonds were also used and money printed.Printing money led to inflation and the mark declined in value by 75% between1913 and 1918. The KRA, War Raw Materials Department, had some success insupplying the German army but German agriculture was not mobilised effectivelyand there were food shortages. |
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What was the social impact of the war? |
2 million soldiers were killed and 6.3 million injured, withinflation and tight controls on wages, living standards fell by 20/30%.Shortages caused by the war effort and by the British blockade of German portsled to the ‘Turnip winter’ of 1917, when turnips were the main food available.Food and fuel shortages caused misery, and even starvation, and exacerbated theimpact of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. |
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Whatwas initial unity? |
Atthe start of the war, Germany appeared politically unified: a Burgfriede, orpolitical truce, was declared by the Kaiser and announced ‘I know no parties…only Germans.’ However, this situation did not last: the view of the left thatonly defensive war was justified was not compatible with the aim of many on theright for a war of expansion and conquest (a Siegfriede). |
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What was growing disunity? |
By 1917, 42 SPD deputies had broken away to form theanti-war and radical socialist USPD. Concern about the war led to vote, the ‘peace resolution’, urged the government to negotiate peace settlement. The left/centre won the vote by 212 to 126. Formation of the communist Spartacists arguedfor social revolution and an end to the war. Discontent among workersrose from 1916 as restricted from freely changing Jobs under the AuxiliaryService Law of 1916. Discontent in 1918 e.g. January significant strikes in many areas, e.g five days with 500,000. The polarisation was greater than before the conflict. |
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What was the ‘silent dictatorship’? |
During the war, the government became increasinglyauthoritarian and militaristic. The Kaiser was side lined by the military and,by 1916, Supreme Commanders Hindenburg and Ludendorff were essentially incharge of the country, running a ‘silent dictatorship’. An isolated Hollweg wasforced out of office by the Generals and Georg Michaeli and Georg von Hertlingbecame Chancellors. They were regarded as puppets of Ludendorff and Hindenburgand military government exacerbated political and social tensions. |
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Whatwas the impact of the impending defeat? |
Germany’simpending defeat came as a great shock to many Germans, this contributed to theoutbreak of the revolution and the acceptance of the ‘stab in the back myth’. |
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When was the revolution from above and what happened? |
29 Sept – 3 Oct 1918, they realised that defeat was certain,the Generals advised Kaiser Wilhelm to negotiate an armistice and form a newcivilian government containing members of the Reichstag. On 3 October, liberalPrince Max of Baden formed a new government a new government containing liberaland socialist members of the Reichstag. |
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Towhat extent was the revolution from above a democratic revolution? |
Authoritarian military rule was at an end, Reichstagdeputies formed part of the government, the new government contained members ofthe largest party in the Reichstag and the new government, army and navy wereaccountable to the democratic Reichstag. |
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Towhat extent was the revolution from above a social revolution? |
Thegovernment was no longer solely aristocrats and Junkers but now contained themiddle class and workers too. The government was now accountable to theReichstag which represented the middle class and working class |
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When was the revolution from below and what happened?
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31 October – 8 November 1918, as realisation of impendingdefeat spread, sailors in Kiel mutinied against an order to put to sea. Themutiny soon spread to other ports and many other parts of Germany, Sovietssprang up across the country and there were riots and disturbances in the Ruhr,Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Leipzig and Stuttgart. The government had lostcontrol.
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Towhat extent was the revolution from below a democratic revolution? |
Manyordinary Germans were involved in the disturbances |
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To what extent was the revolution from below a socialrevolution? |
The sailors and workers represented a new and radical formof political organisation in Germany which saw power passed to the workingclass |
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Whenwas the abdication of the Kaiser and declaration of a republic and whathappened? |
9 November 1918, fearing a violent revolution – and with theSPD calling for a republic – Hindenburg advised the Kaiser to abdicate. TheKaiser fled to Holland: the Second Reich was at an end and a government of SPDand USPD members was formed. Ebert of the SPD was a dominant member |
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To what extent was the abdication and declaration of arepublic a democratic revolution? |
The unelected, hereditary monarch was gone, and electedpoliticians replaced him in political leadership in Germany. The dominantfigure in government, Ebert, was the leader of the largest party in theReichstag. |
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To what extent was the revolution from below a socialrevolution? |
The man at the pinnacle of the class of the class system,Kaiser Wilhelm II, was removed and politicians of working class origin – Ebert– replaced him and the government was formed of the representatives of theworking class rather than aristocrats |
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What was the containment of the revolution and when was it? |
10 November 1918 to January 1919, Ebert was anti-communist,and was determined to prevent the German revolution becoming a civil war. So hedid a deal with the army to gain their support (the Ebert-Groener Pact) andcalled for early democratic elections |
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To what extent was the containment of the revolutiondemocratic? |
Elections were held in January 1919 on the basis ofuniversal suffrage and the elections produced a constituent assembly whichwrote the new German constitution |
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Towhat extent was the containment of the revolution social? |
The Junker class remained dominant in the judiciary andcivil service and the army remained unreformed and soviets did not get power |
