Quest for Political Stability in Germany -AQA A-Level History: The Kaiserreich, 1871-1914.

Who was Otto Von Bismarck?

-Junker

- from Brandenburg, prussia

- prussian ambassador to vienna

- kwi appointed him as minister president of the prussian diet in 1862

- awful medical conditions

'blood and iron' (war and industry) unification

How was Germany Reuinified?

- 300 states of the holy roman empire were destroyed by napoleon

- 39 states emerged

-kwi and ovb took prussia to war with austria, and forged a north german confederation in 1867

- franco prussian war - 1870-71 saw this confed extended to the south of germany

- kwi was proclaimed german kaiser in 1871 in the hall of mirrors in versailles, making the kaiserreich the 2nd reich

How was the Kaiserreich set up?

- kwi presided over 26 states, inc prussia (largest)

- included alsace lorraine and north schleswig (danish)

- states retained own sovereignty over internal affairs

22 of the lander retained their on monarchies, and some the right to maintain their own army

-some like hesse and hamburg were free/ self governing (powerful)

- Bismarck's reunification was supported by liberals on the premises that it resembled a democratic constitution, but ovb was no liberal

Important facts about Prussia?

-controlled 2/3 of territory

- 3/5 of population

- emperor= king of prussia

-17/58 bundesrat votes there

-civil service and bureaucracy of reich mimicked prus's and the imperial army

- 3 class franchise system - parliament dominated by junkers

prussian influence - break on change

milit prowess and strength

What was the role of the Kaiser/ Emperor?

- birth monarch - emperor

- appointed/dismissed chancellor

-call/dissolve RS

- commander of arms, foreign policy (treaties and aliiances)

- gave assent to laws

- made policy with chancellor

-final say

- article 17 - kaiser had to prepare and publish laws of the empire and to supervise their execution

What was the role of the Government?

- appointed and dismissed by kaiser

- decided policy outlines with Kaiser/Bundesrat

- chancellor assented to laws

What was the role of the Reichstag?

- elected by males 25+

- deputies had free speech

- elections held every 3 years by an indirect vote

- consented to all laws

- couldn't dismiss chancellor

What was the role of the Bundesrat?

- 58 reps from 25 states

- presided over by chancellor

- decisions made by majority vote (14)

- approved laws

- veto laws

- could approve war if germ was not under attack

What was the role of the Chancellor?

- head of government

- powers from kaiser delegated - meetings presided over by chancellor and countersigning

What was the character of Bismarck?

- expected the rs to agree to all his proposals and condemned opposition

- with rs criticism, he would hold new elections to get his way

- became more vociferous as he got older

- manipulative - he usually got his way by threatening to resign or throwing tantrums/hysterical outbursts

- had little speaking skill, or party support, but ruled through hard work

Who were the National Liberals?

- formed in 1867 by biz supporters, protestants

- supported by wealthy, well ed men (bankers, civil service, merchs)

- favoured free trade and lib constitution

- grew more conservative 1875 onwards - growth of SPD

- divided over press law and arms bill (1874), and tariff reforms and ASL

- right wing cont. support for biz, left went to progressives

Who were the Zentrum Party?

- founded in 1870

- rep for German Catholics - opps to bizzy

- strong down south - bavaria, rhineland

- wanted to preserve cath authority

- conservative regarding the constitution and favoured decentralisation (equal power)

- weakened by kulturkampf (71-78)

- supportive of anti lib + sd policy

- unreliable

Who were the SPD?

- founded 1875

- rep for working classes and trade unions

- wanted reduced elite power and welfare reform

- some extremes wanted constitution overthrow - revolution

- grew 1878-90 - vocal in opps to biz

Who were the German Conservative Party? (DKP)

- founded in 1876

- rep for protestant prus junkers

- right wing - elected by universal suffrage

- dominant in prussia

- became biz's strongest support

- leaders of sammylungspolitik (unite politics)

Who were the Free Conservatives? (Reichspartei) (FKP)

- founded 1871

- represented landowners and industrialists, busimen etc

Who were the Progressives/Fortschrittspartei?

- believed in a liberal constitution

- disliked militarism and centralism - opps to bizzy

- wanted extended rs power

What was the personality of Kaiser Wilhelm I?

- reliant on bizzy for most state occasions

- liked the military prowess, ceremonies, aristocratic

- was 91 in 1888 when he died, let biz take control

Who won the 1871 Reichstag Election, and how many seats?

National Liberals - 125 seats, with Z the next largest at 63.

What policies were made with the NL's leader, Rudolf Von Bennigsen and Bismarck?

- 1876 'Reichsbank' - controlled the mark (stable)

- uniform law for commerce: no tariffs on internal trade entre lander

- 1 system of weights, meas

- national post + telegraph syst

- national penal code - 1872 - single civil code not finalised till 1900 - states controlled their polices tho

- single court system - supreme for leipzig 1879

What was the cause of the Kulturkampf?

- 2nd largest party in rs

- biz feared opposition to strengthen state

- wanted to show prot loyalty/ support

-1864 - syllabus of errors - pope said catholics should be opps to liberalism and nationalism - direct opps to NLs values

- 1870 - doctrine of Papal infallibity - pope was always right on moral grounds

BUT they were still only a minority

What actions took place in the Kulturkampf?

- zentrum portrayed as reichsfeinde

- cath part of the pruss ministry of relig + edu was removed

- clergy to not mention politics

- may 1872 dimplomacy w/ vatican stopped

- jesuits stopped from preaching/ going in prus schools - spread across reich

What did the May Laws of May 1873 do?

- supervised cath edu

- only ppl who studied in Germ and passed an exam could be priests

- existing priests to retrain and prove loyalty to state

- state appointed clergy

- civil marriage service was mandatory and all cath religious orders stopped (for whole reich)

What was the result of Kulturkampf?

- pope told caths to disobey laws

- 1876 - all bishops were either exiled or imprisoned

- regarded with disfavour by other monarchs

- catholic church thrived - created martyrs

- new politician for Z - Windhorst, attacked kulturkampf

- Z got 91 seats in rs

- intensified divides

Why did Bismarck call off the Kulturkampf?

- favoured a closer cath alliance w/ austria - alliance formed in 1879!

- anxious to abandon free trade, and the Z party would support this as the NLs wouldnt

- protestant cons (natural allies) were increasingly opposed to it and he needed support

- socialisms threat > catholic threat - needed centre party support

- 1880, May Laws were gradually repealed

- improved papacy relations

- z became completeluy religious - boosted unity

- biz was free from NL dependence

What were Bismarck's beliefs on economic protection?

- threats to farmers incomes would undermine junker positions

- germany should be self sufficent (for wars etc)

- tariffs would be good revenue for gov

- would draw in germ conserves and Z - good4 combatting socialism

- protection could be retaliation from russia - over balkans disputes and its use of protection

- in 1879 he introduces tariffs

What was the result of the 1877 Reichstag Election?

1. NLs - 128 seats

2. Zentrum - 93 seats

3. Progressives - 52 seats.

What was the result of the 1878 Reichstag Election?

1. NLs - 99 seats?!?!!!

2. Zentrum - 94 seats

3. German Conservatives - 59 seats

What were the political results of the changes of 1878-1879?

- NLs lost influence and split

- biz had support of conserves and landowners/industrialists, previous lib supporters - alliance of steel and rye

- reich - +united in protection supp, as biz made it seem a necessity 4 fatherland

- tariffs raised cost of living for workers - socialsim?!

- biz political skill

Why was there a struggle against Socialism?

- spd gained 12 seats in 1877 election

- saw socialism like cath - a threat!! ( to monarchy, army and junkers too)

- socialist attack would boost ties with austria and russia

- ASSASS ATTEMPTS HERE:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What did the Anti Socialist Law of October 1878 do?

- banned socialist orgs: unions, cultural assos's, meetings

- banned publications (pamphlets, papers,books)

- increased police powers - could search homes, arrest on sus, break meets, festive gatherings, censor publications, and seize property that 'endangered' state

- brought in fines/penalties/imprisonment/labour back

What was the result of the Anti Socialist Law?

- prussian cabinet civil service etc were purged to remove libs

- 15k socialists imprisoned

- 1881 saw spd struggle for candidates - august bebel stood in 35 diff constituencies

- broadened spd appeal - non revolutionary, industy workers turned to socialism more

- spd votership doubled from 1878 and 1890 from 9 to 35 seats, membership was around 1.5 mil!

- idea of state socialism - fake socialism - through security insurance: medical (1883) and accident (1884) insurance, and oap in 1889.

What policies were adopted towards minorities?

- germanisation in the east, germ was only lang for edu, law, commerce

- in kulturkampf, biz imprisoned polish catholics leader for 12 years

- germs prompted to buy polish farms in est prus - boost germ control

- he expelled 34k poles and jews who he claimed cross from aust+russ 1885-6

- germ was only lang in north schleswig

- alsatians mainly ok, but catholics were persecuted there: 15 rs depuities there, 1874 he put humane governors, wanted revival of strassbourg uni. but germ was edu language and strongly french citizens were advised to leave

total of 400k did so 1870-1914!!!!!

How democratic really was the constitution?

- biz hated democ - only had rs as he believed reps would be dedicated to monarchy and state, but some wanted real democ

- biz didn't like taking on other ppls ideas - didn't share power into cabinets etc

- he had to use reichstag to pass laws, so aligned himself with parties - prefered autocracy tho

- biz tried to set up a reich council and model it in prus to bypass the rs, but it was rejected by rs

- biz dissolved the rs when they disliked his 10% tax increase to finance army (1886) - forced a war scare crisis to pass it

What were the results of the 1881 election?

1. Z - 100 seats

2. German Conservatives - 50 seats

3. NLs - 47 seats

What were the results of the 1884 election?

1. Z - 99 seats

2. DKP - 78 seats

3. Progressives - 74 seats

What were the results of the 1887 election?

1. NLs - 99 seats

2. Z - 98 seats

3. DKP - 80 seats

What were the results of the 1890 election?

1. Z - 106 seats

2. Progressives - 76 seats

3. DKP - 73 seats

What was the significance of the year 1888? (think year of the 3 kaisers...)

- KWI died - Frederick became Kaiser.

- died after 3 months from throat cancer

- wilhelm ii became kaiser: disagreed with kwi's lenience w/ biz, and biz didn't care to make an effort in friendship

What did Bismarck and Wilhlem II disagree over?

- biz wanted to control policy making, kaiser wanted personal rule, reduce minister pres power

- biz wanted repressed socialism, kwii was symp and wanted to win over workers

- biz wanted close to russia, kwii wanted closeness 2 austria

- chancellor didnt care for popular views, aloof politics but kwii wanted to be people emperor

Why did Bismarck resign in 1890?

- tried to put forward 2 bills: 1. 125k increase in men, 2. severe ASL. - would call on BDR to change const to reduce rs power. kwii rejected this scheme - biz had 'lost touch with reality'

- kwii accused biz of meddling in foreign affairs - forced to resign in march 1890.

What was the character of Kaiser Wilhelm II?

- energetic, confident in ability

- inwardly nervous and moody

- 'reisekaiser' - liked yachting

- only calm around military personnel - loved ceremonies, uniform (changed loads) - ragey!!

- silly - Eulenberg affair - 1908, got 56yr old general hulsen head of mil cab, wear a tutu for a dance - he died mid show...

- slapped ferdinand of bulg on the bum and wouldnt apologise

What was Kaiser Wilhelm's background?

- breech birth resulted in partial paralysis of his left arm and damage to his balance

- strained relationship with his parents. He opposed their liberal views and spent more time in adolescence with his grandfather

- potential symptoms of insanity, megalomania or sadism

- studies suggest that he was a repressed homosexual or a sufferer of ADD

What were the election results of 1898?

1. Zentrum - 102

2. Conservatives - 79

3. Social Democrats - 56

What were the election results of 1907?

1. Zentrum - 95

2. Conservatives - 84

3. NL's - 54

What were the election results of 1912?

1. Social Democrats - 110

2. Zentrum - 91

3. Conservatives - 57

Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II's first Chancellor, and when was he in power for?

General Georg Leo Count Caprivi

1890-94

What did Caprivi do as Chancellor?

- brought in to be moderate chancellor

- caprivi's 'new course': end of ASL, ministers need more control over policy, reduction in tariffs, social reform: working with trade unions

- changes welcomed by the working class, opposed by conserves

- allowed rs to discuss military budget every 5 years rather than 7 thus increased the state army by 24,000 troops.

- 1893 Wilhelm II felt the ASL was necessary, caprivi disagreed. kwii's inner circle encouraged him to be independent.

- caprivi resigns in 1894.

Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II's second Chancellor, and when was he in power for?

Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst

1894-1900

What did Hohenlohe do as chancellor?

- selected as he posed no political threat to wilhelm - 'straw doll'

- tried to make 1894 subversion bill and 1899 anti-union

bill for kwii to suppress socialism, both were thrown out by rs

- kwii ignored Hohenlohe and domestic politics focusing on weltpolitik (expansionism).

- right wing pressure groups tried to support Wilhelm's nationalist agenda sammlungspolitik , an alliance between urban and rural populations.

- hohenlohe resigned due to his opposition of Wilhelm and his secretary's colonial policies - glad to resign

Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II's third Chancellor, and when was he in power for?

Count Bernhard von Bulow

1900-1909

What did Bulow do as chancellor?

- kwii trusted him, he was groomed for the job - 'the eel'

- abandoned aggressive anti-socialist policy and played on

nationalism.

- used tariffs on farmed goods to raise money for the military which alienated farmers.

- extended accident and health insurance, gain favor with socialists but working class credited them

- increased cost of living led to growing support for the SPD in the 1903 election and increasing anti-semitism.

- by 1905 the relationship between bulow and kwii deteriorated as bulow had failed to push kwii's military spending agenda and national debt doubled.

- bulow resigned over a scandal involving allegations of homosexuality, illegal in germany.

Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II's fourth chancellor, and when was he chancellor for?

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg

1909-1917?

What Hollweg do as chancellor?

- allowed kwii to take control of military and foreign policy.

- balanced budget and increased military expenditure

demands as well as demands from left, wanted to reform the voting system but unsuccessful

- voting age was lowered to 21 in 1911. As a result the 1912 election saw 1in3 voters vote SPD. he failed to push kwii's nationalism.

- vote of no confidence in 1913 which he survived (the parliament put forward a vote to push him out but the majority voted for him to remain).

- by 1914 he stopped working with the rs and pushed policies into law without their approval. !!!!(odd lol)

How democratic really was the government? (90-14)

- kwii determined to be sole leader, personal involv in gov.

- not democratic in sense that kwii removed chancellors when they lost his faith

- 1897 -1908 was kwii's peak of personal rule - actions weren't constitutional at all: controlled all appts, law, diplomacy etc

- rs was still crucial - needed a rs majority to pass laws

- gov only worked via agreements/compromise

- increasing distance between rs and kaisers gov't made the constitution hard to navigate, if parties cooperated better, rs could've been more powerful

- kwii's interference pressured chancellors - he saw his power diff to how rs did.

What was the Daily Telegraph Affair?

- oct 1908, kwii gave interview to the daily telegraph

- it suggested that the general public in germ were anti-british, he was personally restraining this sentiment

- bulow was tasked with suppressing the release of the interview, but failed

- the brits saw him as arrogant - worsened relations, backlash from germs. rs demanded kwii would reduce his activities, forcing him to use moderate conduct

- bulow - scapegoated, resigned soon after

How did the left wing change from 1890-1914?

(spd)

SPD grew HUGELY.

- cap's new course and removal of ASL boosted members, maj were skilled workers.

- party confr - halle (1890)= well attended

- erfurt programme - abolition of class rule, equal rights and use of income, property and inheritance tax for gov rev.

- aug bebel - 'gradual socialism' - socialists missed many chances to challenge rule (daily telegraph, zabern etc), maybe to appeal to the nationalist feeling emerging.

- karl leib and rosa lux (members) still were revolutionary - revisionist part of the erfurt programme was defeated in 1900.

- revolutionary slogans made it hard for other parties to support them, and gave right wing opportunity to attack

- gov tried to portray socialists as the enemies in sammylungspolitik.

What changes were also seen among other left wing opposition? (1890-1914)

- growing industry and urbanisation boosted trade unions

- 1890 - general federation of trade unions - carl leigen - wanted better work conds, shorter hrs etc, which thus supptd socialism and encouraged rebellion

- free trade unions had 2.5+mil members by 1913!!!

What change was there among the centre groups, 1890-1914? (zentrum + liberals)

- united in wants for church interests but divided over other issues (class needs)

- libs drew suppt from wealthier middle classes/business

- national liberals on the right opposed socialism, wanted expansionist foreign policy

- left liberals and progressives sought social reform, rs power!!!

What changes were seen among the right wing? (1890-1914)

- conserves rep anti socialist/democratic views, the former rep'd prus junkers/military officers

- overall suppt for kwii's policies, relied on NL's againts reich enemies.

- supported by pan-german league, agrarian league and naval league - all wanted expansion, colonies, more milt spending, high tariffs.. etc

- pressure groups - direct effect on policies - pan germans known for confrontation and opposing all reformist policy, wanted suppressed spd, accused gov't of being moderate

- overtly anti-semitic views

How did industry expand in the Kaiserreich?

- empire made coordination of industry easy

- french paid wartime defeat sum in 1871, and the new currency made good credit for industrial expans.

- 1871-75 saw the setup of the current number of factories in the prev 70yrs!

- 1873-96 - trade recession, impacts not immed felt due to prev railway investment. but falling demand for textiles/ engineered goods saw slower/intermittent growth til '94.

- til 1880s agriculture made up 35-40% of GNP, industry=30-35% - this had flipped by 1914, with 45%=industry and commercial servs = 30%

- annual growth rates of 4.5% for industrial sector

- 1890-1914, germ's industrial produc TRIPLED. germ was a world leading industrial nation.

What was the cause of the economic growth in the Kaiserreich?

- POPULATION GROWTH - large market+ lab force for econ. population shifted to youth - more mobile and adapting

- RAW MATERIALS - abundance of coal in ruhr, sar & silesia, iron ore in alsace-lorraine&ruhr, and alsace lorraine had potash (valuable)

- GEOGRAPHY - the rhine and elbe, broad northern plain (good4rails), canal, river and railways invaluable for transport of RM across germ + to ports

- EDUCATION SYSTEM - germ elementary school best in world, higher ed was best at prepping technical skills for indusrty. 1870 - more graduates from Munich uni than from all english ones combined

- GERMAN BANKING SYSTEM - banks free from state control, invest in industry, trade & econ dev't. 49 new banks opened in prussia like deutsche bank, businesses and banks= close

- CARTELS - went from 8 in 1875 to 300 by 1900, 600 by 1911, the 5 lrgst dyestuff companies accountd for 90% of the industry. AEG+siemens in electrics cartel.

- SUPPORTIVE GOV'T - development supported thru biz's tariffs and cap's trade treaties (subsidies to shipping companies, lowered transp cost)

What growth/change did Germany's old industries experience?

- by 1910, Germ produced 222m tonnes of coal, 9.5m tonnes of pig iron + 13.8m tonnes of steel.

- railway went from 41820km in 1890 to 63km by 1913

- germ merchant marine was x3 usa's

What growth/change did Germany's new industries experience?

- abundance of coal/potash made foundation of chemical prods, by 1900s Germ produced c3/4 of worlds chem dyes.

- germ scientists discovered new chem processes (1890s), pyrites, K salts used in maufact'g + as fertilisers

- went from 1m tonnes of H2SO4 in 1878 (worldly) to 1.402m in germ alone in 1907.

- germ led in pharmaceuticals, artificial fibres, plastics, explosives.

- electrics industry - fast grwth in rhine, generators powered by gas steelworks. siemens led electricals produc, (dynamos) electrical energy produc increased by 150% from 1901-15, elec light & trolleys on the rise. by 1913, germ controlled 1/2 worlds elec trade, exportiing £11m worth.

- daimler benz, mercedes, aviation all made significant progress.

What change/growth did the agriculture industry experience?

- 35% of population employed in farming in 1907

- junkers - made rye and beet, peasants made cereals, fruit,veg,wine,livestock,dairy products.

- 4m acres of land was tilled, yields+output rose to meet inc demand.

- number of horses, cattle, pigs, poultry increased, by 1900s, germ producing 40m tonnes of potatoes per year

- for this boom - tariffs were imposed, substantially growing from their beginnings in 79. while cap lowered them in 90s, bulow increased them again and remained in force since 1902.

- tariffs kept cheaper grain from flooding the germ market but kept prices high for germ consumers.

BUT - synthetic foods, new processes and refrigeration challenged old farming methods, costs rose as lab supply fell and new fertilisers/machinery became standard - rural debt increased

What evidence is there to suggest agriculture declined?

- prices fell, desp protection

- bad harvests in 1870s led to cheap US grain imports

- new railways exposed farmers to competition

- more landowners faced financial difficulty - had to sell

- peasant farmers fled to industrial towns

- people employed in agricult fell from 50-35% in 1907

- gnp share fell to 25%

What evidence is there to suggest agriculture didn't decline?

- growth of towns + protect given to farmers after 1879 made chances for farmers to supply to growing market

- machinery and fertilisers were cheaper and more available - raise yields

- 4m+ acres land brought under cultivation form 1880-1900

- rootcrop cultivators did well, more crop rotation greater fertiliser/ machinery use and fooder for cattle etc

- cultivation of land = more organis'd, looked to farm profitably, employing cheap, temp workers ...

How did free trade versus protection debates change?

- slower growth meant demands for protection from junkers and germ manufact's rose

- 1878, central assoc of germ manufact's lobbied for change, thus tariffs were introduced

- caprivi negotiated trade treaties with russia, aust and romania agreeing to lower farming tariffs for a reduction of their tariffs on indust goods. - after his removal high tariffs remained til 1914.

-pressure groups (industrialists in 1895, imperial league in 1904 and hansabund of 1909) maintained powerful lobbies.

What was population growth like in Germany?

- 1871, 63.9% lived in rural germ, whilst 36.1% lived in urban areas

- 1890, 57.5% lived in rural germ, 42.5% lived in urban areas

- 1910 - 40% lived in rural germ, 60% lived in urban areas

How did elites evolve in the Kaiserreich?

- top of hierarchy

- made up of prussian junkers, milit officers

- some served at court, moreso w/ kwii

- some made fortunes in industry, like krupp, hugenbergs etc

- didn't have quite the same status as landowners

- involved in politics, via pressure groups or by supp other peoples wealth

How did the industrialists evolve in the Kaiserreich?

- educated profeshs, skilled experts,

- engineers, doctors, lawyers grew increasingly prominent in society - upper middle class

- had comfortable houses, paid for kids education, had some servants - stalwarts of local community, maybe involved in politics or local town gov'ts, staunch support of church

How did the lower-middle class evolve in the Kaiserreich?

- clerks, small businessmen, shopkeepers, minor officials

- known as mittelstand - lower m.c

- not much wealthier than workers - proud of status, shared values with umc

- aspirational, wanted edu for kids, tended 2B conserves, hoping to be local councillors

How did the urban working class evolve in the Kaiserreich?

- top highly skilled workers - conscious of superiority over the lower wc - type to be butlers for elites

- middle ranks of wc were semi skilled workers - miners etc, better paid but still wanted reform

- lower wc - unskilled workers - vulnerable to lay offs, fluctuations. described as marxists 'lumenproletariat' - apolitical, no care for revolution

How did the peasants evolve in the Kaiserreich?

- worked in country, status varied between substantial peasant proprietors who enmployed others and the landless labourers - extremely precarious - went from farm to farm for seasonal emp

- peasant desires sometimes coincided with junkers, despite different lifestyles

- victims of industrial change - growing pop and giving businesses from fathers to sons forces them to 'drift to the towns' - joined wc ranks

How did the position of women in the Kaiserreich change?

- higher ranks - leisurely, did charity if houses were wealthy enough and had servants for kids

- umc - more involved in running the home - household accounts still dependent on maris for status and income

- by 1914 this was slightly different, lmc seized all chances from office work, but numbers of women in that sector stayed low

- working class - more likely to be manual labourers, urban dwellers did piecework, gathered in small shops (sweatshops) for textiles - good for women, some got factory jobs in text

led to stories of illegitimacy and spread of prostitution

- peasant women tilled fields with men.

OVERALL: some challenged the position of women, like the Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine (BDF) (1894) which campaigned for womens rights. aug bebel also wrote of female equality and spd campaigned for a female vote (still unsuc)

What was the growing elitism/culture of militarism?

- started when the 2nd reich emerged, esp with biz proclaiming his junker prestige, large fact owners and militarists had a common interest - broadening wealth + powr

- alliance of steel and rye - backbone of empire

- exerted influ in politics and involvd in right wing pressure grps

- prussian officer corps/ milit assumes central role in reich, partly due to the army's role in unification and due to the militarism of both k's, moreso kwii. troops pledged loyalty 2 him, NOT the state. k saw strong milit=power

- kwii loved tradition, milit uniform, ritual: male dominated cult, felt more comft in this than civilians. desire to have colonies, make germ more respectd abroad. milit expansion was a cause and prod of weltpolitik

- dominance of officer corps linked to aristocrat pwr. high ranks of arms were junkers, +1/2 had titles.

- 1874 onward, money for milit was voted on by rs ever 7 years, (5ys from 1893)

- zabern affair showed how military was in charge, not civils.

- army had 4mil men by 1914, expend reached £60m 1913-14

- by 1914, germ was a state of soldiers.

What was the Zabern Affair of 1913?

- zab= town in alsace, guarded by milit with local recruits help

- a 20yr old germ off called them 'wackes' [square heads] hated nickname.

- officer punished with days confinement in milit prison, locals demonstrated resistance.

- germ soldiers had to disperse protests in nov 1913, charging barbarically at crowds, 15 ppl arrested, inc president, judges, and state attorney of the ct

- kwii CONDONED the actions, desp outrage from press.

What social reform aided the working classes in the Kaiserreich?

- real wage inc by 25% (1895-1913)

- state socialism measures: 1. medical insurance (may 1883) paid by emp and employees. paid 4 medics, covering 3m workers, extended in 1903. 2. accident insurance (june 1884) paid by emp, benefits and grants for ppl injured@work, by 1886 cover 7m workers, 3. oap's (may 1889) for all 70+ workrs

- caprivi and one of bulows ministers made major reforms:

1. recog of trade unions, involved in wage disputes and indust triubunals.

2. employ law change- reduction of fm's working hrs to 11, guaranteed minimum wage, prohibition on sunday emp.

3. progressive income tax: more earners=more tax.

4. extention on time for accident insurance claims.

- by 1914, 15m+ covered by sick insur, 28m+ for accident, 1m had pensions.

Did working class life improve?

- more opportunities from edu, jobs, medical improvs (inoculation), hygiene (longer lives), leisure like cinema, phones, typewriters.

- lower middle and upper wc benefited most, living standrds.

- at bottom of wc: tough, lived under cramped conditions, much poverty, fams sharing rooms, threat of unemp, leading to protest.

- 200k trade union wrks each year went on strike by 1913.

- avg worker did 2+ hrs a day longer than avg worker in brit.

- explains why there was an attraction to spd rule.

- by 1907, rhineland has 1m immigrants

- factories like krupp drew large amounts of peasant's sons, who had little hope in rural areas

- by 1910, 48 towns had pops of 100k+

unification of Germany

1871