weimar germany

how did germany become a country?

through the unification of various independent German states, led by Prussia under Otto von Bismarck after the Franco-Prussian war

what happened in 1871?

after defeating France in the Franco-Prussian war, the German empire was formed and the German states were unified under Kaiser Wilhelm II

who was Kaiser Wilhelm II?

the king of Prussia, when Germany was formed and was crowned the Kaiser

why was the unification of Germany significant?

it made Germany a powerful nation which changed the balance of power across Europe

what was Germany like before the unification?

before 1871, there were 25 independent German states and each of the German states had their own laws, leaders and customs

who was the most powerful German state?

Prussia, they had a strong leader (Kaiser Wilhelm) and large and experienced military

what year was Germany unified?

1871

why was Germany unified?

some Germans feared invasion from France or Russia so a unified country, with Prussia’s military, would deter France and Russia from invading. Prussia’s power increased significantly, which persuaded German states to unite with Prussia

what is the name of the French territory that was taken by Prussia?

Alsace-Lorraine

which state did not agree to unification?

Austria, however they continued to be allies with the united Germany

what were the positives of the unification of Germany?

• combined workers allowed rapid industrialisation

• Prussia’s military was strong and made Germany a powerful nation in Europe

• had one clear leader in the Kaiser who had a clear vision for Germany

what issues were caused by the unification?

• France was angry with Germany from the Franco-Prussian war and were willing to fight Germany to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine

• Britain was frightened of the potential power that the unified Germany had

what is Weltpolitik?

world policy

what was the purpose of Weltpolitik?

to expand Germany’s empire and gain world respect

how did the Kaiser want to achieve Weltpolitik?

• gain more African colonies

• build up Germany’s armed forces as a large navy and army would help Germany gain more colonies

what type of government was Germany?

an autocratic dictatorship

who was the Chancellor?

• chosen by the Kaiser

• gives political advice to the Kaiser

• chairs the Bundesrat and oversees the Reichstag

what was the Bundesrat?

• had 58 representatives sent from each of the German states

• discuss and votes on laws with the Reichstag

what was the Reichstag?

• 397 representatives voted in every 5 years to form a parliament

• parties included the Conservatives, Centre, Social Democratic (SDP) and Liberals

• only men over 25 could vote

what was the issue with the Kaiser having ultimate control in Germany?

• he did not have to listen to the chancellor’s advice and held the power to appoint and sack ministers as he wished

• he could dissolve the Reichstag whenever he wanted to so they had no real power

• had to approve all laws from the Bundesrat

• could declare war and make treaties so he took virtually no advice in his military and foreign policies

• the federal nature of the government as each state controlled their taxes and the Kaiser struggled to raise them to run the country

• Prussia was incredibly dominant in German politics and the other German states were not fairly represented in the Bundesrat

what is militarism?

the belief that a country must have strong armed forces

what is patriotism?

the pride in one’s country and the desire to defend it

what are armaments?

military weapons and equipment

why do many countries pursue militarism?

• patriotism

• employs many people in armed forces and production of armaments

• increases feeling of safety

• helps the leader of a country follow an aggressive foreign policy

why was militarism important to Prussia?

persuaded other German states to unify as the Prussian army defeated many key countries, including France

who were the Junkers?

wealthy landowners who controlled the Prussian army and after unification the Junkers represented Prussia in the Bundesrat

how many seats did Prussia hold in the Bundesrat?

17 out of the 58

how many votes were needed to block laws from passing?

14

who was the leader of industrialisation

Britain

what is industrialisation

the process of changing the economy from an agricultural to an industrial one

how did industrialisation impact working classes of german society

became the largest social group in Germany, by 1910 60% of germans lived in towns or cities, making it overpopulated

what happened when towns became over populated in 1910

poor living and working conditions for the working class

how did industrialisation impacted the middle and upper classes

factory and business owners became very rich and influential in german society

what did Kaiser and the government worry about with industrialisation

the social effects

what is socialism

the idea that the government runs all businesses in the country

who started the trend of socialism

karl marx

what factors influenced the popular belief in socialism

the conditions in towns and cities and trade unions

what were the conditions of towns and cities in the industrial revolution

substandard housing, more workers than available jobs

how did more workers than available jobs impact german society

increase in poverty and unemployment, low wages for workers who found jobs, employers not attempting to improve working conditions and would replace complaining workers

what is a trade union

organisation that represents the people who work in a particular industry to protect their rights

how many workers were in trade unions by 1914

3 million

how did trade unions organising strikes impact the economy

negatively - would place pressure on the government to improve the workers’ pay and conditions

what did socialism promote

creation of trade unions

what was the sdp

social democratic party

when was the sdp created

late 1880s

what were the aims of the sdp

gain seats in the reichstag, pressure the kaiser to make social reforms improving workers rights and conditions, reduce the power of landowners and factory owners

why did socialism scare the government

the sdp became the largest political party in the reichstag by 1912, 1 in 3 germans were voting for the sdp

what did extreme socialists argue for

revolution to overthrow the kaiser, worker’s councils running towns and cities

how did the government react to growing socialists

introducing social reforms

what year was the old-age pension social reform get made

1889

what year did the minimum wage social reform get made

1891

when did the restrictions on child labour social reform get made

1891

when did the arbitration courts (social reform) get made

1901

when did the extension of health insurance (social reform) get made

1903

what were the positive impacts of social reform

supported by junkers and industrialists, the kaiser listened to the sdp and made limited reforms, some improved working conditions, workers became happier and more loyal to the kaiser

what were the negative impacts of social reforms

poor and unemployed still living in extreme poverty with no government help, support for the sdp remained high, some germans still wanted revolution

what were the navy laws

series of policies from 1898 to 1912 passed by the government

qhat did the navy laws aim to do

expand the size of germany and make germany a respected naval power

what were the reasons for the navy laws

the kaiser’s personal aims, admiral von tirpitz and the navy league, weltpolitk

what were the kaiser’s personal aims for the navy laws

he admired the royal navy, saw how important the navy was for making britain a world power

what year was the navy league created

1898

who created the navy league in 1898

Admiral von Tirptiz

what was the navy league

argued the benefits of naval expansion to germany, increased public support for a large navy, pressured the reichstag to pass navy laws

what would the navy laws allow germany to do

establish more colonies, protect existing overseas colonies, be recognised as a world power by other european leaders

what year did germany become the second-largest navy

1914

what were the positive impacts of the navy laws

kaiser had achieved his personal aims for a large navy, increased patriotism, reichstag supported governments actions

what were the negative impacts of the navy laws

federal nature of the government made it hard to raise taxes, government had to borrow money to expand the navy, germany went into debt

how did the navy laws increase tensions with britain

britain created the dreadnought in 1906 causing a naval arms race between britain and germany, putting germany in further debt