germany 1890-1945 - democracy and dictatorship

what year was the german empire established (i.e. when did it become a united country)?

1871

before 1871, what had germany been made up of?

several independent states

what was the capital of the german empire?

Prussia

who could the kaiser appoint (and dismiss)?

the chancellor

what did the chancellor have power over?

policies and appointments

answered only to kaiser

could ignore the reichstag

• what was german parliament called?

• how much power did it have?

• the reichstag

• very little power

who was chancellor (that even though he shouldn’t have, acted as if he had more power than the kaiser) in the 1870s and 1880s

otto von bismarck

what did he do for germany? give one example

tried to unify the country, e.g. introduced a national coinage

what were germany’s imperial ambitions?

to have an empire like britain

to expand its territory into europe and other continent

when did kaiser wilhelm ii become kaiser?

1888

describe kaiser wilhelm’s character

• unstable in mood / overly emotional

• impulsive

• prone to violent rages

• born with a withered left hand - felt insecure as commander in chief of the armed forces bc he was crippled

• had national pride

• driven

• royal families he was related to found him overbearing and arrogant

what did this mean for the kaiser?

he lacked the ability to govern effectively or command the army

what was the kaiser’s weltpolitik?

a foreign policy aimed at establishing Germany as a global power

through aggressive diplomacy, colonial expansion, and a strong navy

how did wilhelm ii want to rule differently to bismarck?

• bismarck focused on strengthening german empire internally, promoting peace and unity, but wilhelm ii wanted to strengthen germany externally

• e.g. wanted to join in the ‘scramble for africa’ to seize colonies there (and in asia)

• bismarck cautiously wanted to build alliances to avoid conflict, wilhelm ii pursued his weltpolitik, which could lead to tensions with european powers (who were also seizing colonies)

• wilhelm ii was more obssessed with military matters - relied heavily on military advisors in making decisions - led to a militaristic foreign policy. wanted big navy and army

• wilhelm wanted to abandon treaties

how did he think germany would achieve its ‘place in the sun’? (3 points)

through

• industrial growth,

• rising population

• and nationalist ambition

what did he want germany to have in terms of military?

why would this cause tension with the left wing supporters

• a navy to match Great Britain’s

• an army

they wanted money to be spent on improving conditions for workers and bringing more beenfits for them

what would bulding a navy as fine as britain’s do for their relationship

would make GB an enemy, not an ally

who was the kaiser the grandchild of?

(note: he also had other british royal relatives, e.g. cousins)

queen victoria

why was he jealous of them?

wanted to be as striking, impressive and glory worthy as them

could any major decisions be taken w/o the kaiser’s agreement

no

what the reichstag was allowed to do in terms of leglislation (laws)

• could discuss, amend and vote and pass new laws

• but kaiser could veto any he disagreed with (had the ultimate authortiy)

which political parties dominated government in the early years of the kaiser’s reign

right wing parties (capitalists, but don’t say this - just for u to get it)

who were right wing parties hostile to

jews (they were anit-semitist)

by 1914 the right wing parties had…

declined in influence

what gained support instead?

give a fact for this

social democrat party (was left wing, so they support democracy, where everyone can vote)

1912 -Social Democrats gained nearly 1/3 of the seats in the Reichstag

why

rapid increase in industrialisation

so growth in population and workers

left wing parties more concerned with workers interests, so grew in popularity

how was this a problem for the kaiser’s rule?

threatened his autocracy

because of the prospect of socialist revolution and uprising

which germans supported authoritarianism

BEFORE GROWTH IN INDUSTRIAL WORKERS:

most in scoiety accpeted it as the norm

especially the middle class - they benefited from the wealth and power the structure of the empire brought them

hence, also the right wing parties

how did this change after the growth of industrial workers?

what was the ruling classes’ (upper classes) reaction?

they didn’t want authoritarianism as they supported the social democrat party.

so there was a growth in socialism

ruling classes felt afraid of this social movement that was growing in strenghth - threat of opposition and revolution

define social reforms

deliberate changes and improvements made to address issues within society

aim to create a more just and fair community

give one social reform enacted

kaiser’s 1st chancellor caprivi banned children under 13 working and unday working was banned

but how did wilhelm deal with growth of socialism through repression, not reform? (one example)

1898 - wilhelm made a speech saying any worker who went on strike should be put in prison

3 examples of industrialisation in germany

1880 - germany was producing half the amount of steel produced by britain

1914 - germany was producing more than twice as much

1914 - germany was producing 1/3 of the world’s electrical goods

(so germany dominated chemical, steel and electtrical industries)

germany’s engineering firms of bosch and siemens were known worldwide

problems created by industrialisation (apart from increase in support for SPD)

• created rapid influx of people into towns and cities —→ meant overcrowding and poor living conditions

• factories had dangerous conditions and long working hours with low wages

• increased social inequality - gap between rich and poor grew

• food was expensive as it had to be imported

• high rates of immigration provided workers but fuelled hate for foreigners

• anti-semitism grew

why did foreign trade flourish

exports grew rapidly

how did population increase from 1871 to 1914

what did this help to provide

1871 - just over 40 million

1914 - nearly 68 million

helped to provide manpower for the growing industrial cities

why did germany need a lot of food imports

only 1/3 of the labour force still wokred in agriculture

define autocracy

a system of government where 1 person has abolsute power

strengths of kaiser’s authoritarian rule

kaiser controls government policy

appoints chancellor and ministers

people have to agree with major decisions the kaiser makes

prussian army swore oath of allegiance to him

weaknesses of kaiser’s authoritarian rule

industrial growth so more workers so more support for left wing parties so more threat of socialist revolution and opposition

germany can’t match british and french navies

which was the most important of the 25 states within germany

prussia

why was prussia the most important of the 25 states within germany

• had 2/3 of the population

• and over half the territory

prussia had a proud tradition of….

military activity

what did the prussian army swear to the kaiser

an oath of allegiance

who often influenced german foreign policy concerned with expansion

prussian military cheifs

because the army had such a special hgih status and was admired by government and civilains….

it stood in the way of any development of democratic systems of government

if germany had a more powerful navy than britian….

this would ensure germany could achieve world power for itself

as britain would be scared of germany, so theyd be more amenable (agreeable) to germany gaining colonies

leader of the german navy

admiral von tirpitz

what were the navy laws for

to help build a navy to rival britian’s

when were the first and second naval laws passed

what did they both do?

1898 - First Naval Law - authorised addition of 7 battleships, bringing total no. in navy to 19

1900 - Second Naval Law - authorised no. of battleships to be doubled, bringing total no. in navy to 38

economic impacts of Navy Laws

• increased germany’s debt, led to higher taxes

• 1913 - germany owed 489 billion in marks (this was even before WW1 reparations!)

• 1913 - 24% of germany’s annual spending was on the navy

what did social democrats think of the Navy Laws?

thought the money could be spent on worrkers instead

general consequences of the navy laws

• led to an arms race with britain

• led to alliances being formed (germany w/ austria-hungary and italy)

in 1918, why did germany expect a quick victory after the war

why could the russian peace treaty being harsh be used as a justification for

on the eastern front russia had been defeated

they had been forced to sign a humiliating, harsh peace treaty (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)

could be used to justify germany deserving a harsh peace treaty themselves when the war eneded (ToV)

what was the ludendorff offensive

to seize a military advantage on the Western Front (france, belgium) before American troops could fully mobilise.

because russia had been defeated on the eastern front, german divisions could now be trnasferred to…

the ludendorff offensive went well for a while, but when did it slow, then eventually come to a stop?

the western front

june 1918

when did the allies counter-attack?

what faciliatated then to do this?

august 1918

USA was sending fresh soldiers and equipment to build up the allied forces, even though they joined in 1917. on the other hand, germany had lost many of its best officers in eralier battles + soldiers were poorly supplied after years of the british naval blockade

how was it clear germany was losing?

allies had recaptured all the land germans had gained

and german territory itself was threatened

on what condition did the allies offer peace?

on the condition that germans got rid of the kaiser, who they blamed for starting the war.

did the kaiser want to abdicate

no, he refused

where did the kaiser flee to?

holland (“catch you later!” ahh 💀)

when did the army surrender

11th november 1918

economic impacts of the war

• factories turned to producing weapons and war supplies

• 1918 - german industry was only producing 2/3 of what it had in 1913

• G government ran out of supplies + struggled to support families

the british blockaded ports of northern G during WW1. what were the impacts of this?

• stopped G importing supplies causing food and fuel shortages

• many faced starvation

• winter of 1916-1917 - supply of potatoes ran out, only turnips to eat

• civilians were weak —→ vulnerable to disease

• around ¾ million germans died from hunger + disease

why could food shortages not be made up for by farming?

fact about reducttion in food production

farmers were drafted into the war

1918 - germany was only producing 50% of the milk and 60% of the butter and meat which it had been producing before the war

were wages low in ww1?

but some factory owners still profiteered. why did this cause resentment?

what was the result of this?

yes

increased social inequality/gap between rich and poor

1918 - increase in strikes from workers demanding peace and a democratic government

the reichstag was weak before the war, but how did it get even weaker

germany was ruled as a dictatorship

who were imprisoned during the war?

opposition leaders (so at this time, germany was in a state of political unrest)

whenw as the mutiny at kiel (mutiny means rebellion)

what happened + consequences

29th october 1918

sailors refused to obey order. took over naval base and joined with local dock workers to demand democracy and peace

consequence - this revolution quickly spread across germany. there were strikes and demonstrations against the war. soliders returned home, and also mutinied and joined the protests

when did the kaiser abdicate

9th nov 1918

what happened to germany?

what type of government was set up?

who became the new chancellor?

• germany became a republic

• democratic government

• friedrich ebert, leader of the SPD party

what did the german government come to be known as

weimar republic

need to know treaty terms (common with conflict and tension)

remember that reparations = 6.6 billion

what did germans think the november criminals did to them

they had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by weak politicians (the november criminals) because they didn’t let the army fight on to preserve germany’s honour and instead demanded peace

when did germany announce they could not afford reparations

1922

what was france’s reaction

wanted to make germany pay and decided to take what they were owed by force

when was the occupation of the ruhr

jan 1923

what acc was it

60,000 french and belgian soldiers occupied germany’s industrial area called the ruhr

what did they seize control of

mines, factories and railways

the government told workers to go on strike. how did they do this?

through passive resistance

like refusing to work, flooding mines and setting fire to factories

how many workers were killed in clashes with french and belgian soldiers

140

how did the occupation of the ruhr worsen germnay’s problems

led to hyperinflation

their industrial area was also destroyed - would slow down production of goods

how exactly did hyperinflation occur

• German production ground to a halt, but striking wokrers still expected to be paid. so the German government resorted to printing more money. 

  more money combined with a weakened economy already burdened by war and reparations —→ rapid decline in the value of the German Mark. 

• prices rose dramatically —→ leading to hyperinflation, where prices became astronomically high and the value of the currency plummeted.

by nov 1923, what did money become (ie how much worth did it have)

virtually worthless

which people didn’t ebenfit from hyperinflation

people with lots of cash savings

people with fixed incomes (their earnings did not increase to match the rapid rise in prices)

who did benefit from hyperinflation

• people with debts could pay them off with worthless money

• people that owned land that didn’t change value

• workers who were paid daily

• big businesses gained profit (prices rose faster than wages). they also could take over the smaller businesses that had gone bankrupt

define consititution

a set of rules which lays out how a country should be run

key rules in the weimar consititution

• article 48 - president could make emergency decisions without consuting reichstag

• all germans had equal rights, freedom of religion and free speech

structure of the weimar republic

who became first president of the weimar republic

ebert

who is the president elected by and how often

con of the president having too much power

by the people every 7 years

risk of them turning into a dictator

who is the chancellor appointed by

who does he have to have support from

who does the chancellor lead

the president

the majority of the reichstag

the reichstag

members of the reichstag were elected by…

proportional representation - parties got the same proportion of seats as they got votes

meant parties had to wokr together in coalitions

so there could never be a strong government

what is the reichstag

german parliament

who voted for members of the reichstag and how often

the german public every 4 years

give three political oppositions fcaed by germany from 1919-1923

• spartacist rising

• kapp putsch

• munich putsch

when did spartacist rising take place

jan 1919

why

workers were still protesting, wanted to turn this into a revolution

who was the spartacist rising led by

karl liebknecht and rosa luxemburg

what party were they a part of

left-wing german communists