Kaiser Era 1888 - 1918

When was Germany unified?

1871 after the Franco-Prussian war

What was the largest state in Germany?

Prussia

Who established the constitution in Germany?

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck - created national coin system, law system, postal service, railway network, army

How much of the population was controlled by Prussia?

They controlled 2/3 of the population and had mass political influence

What held back the growth of a democratic government?

Many military figures became ministers and ran the country - people respected the military tradition

How did Prussia encourage values of courage, toughness, self - sacrifice, and discipline?

A desire to prove themselves but also willingness to accept their place in society

What does kaiser mean?

Emperor

What kind of power did the Kaiser have?

Kaiser chooses the chancellor and ministers, the ministers couldn't do anything without the kaiser

What was the kaiser's relationship between himself and the Reichstag?

The Reichstag could discuss change and vote on new laws - Kaiser told them what to discuss

Who was the last Kaiser of Germany?

Wilhelm II

Wilhelm was born with a withered hand, what did this cause?

This caused him to develop an inferiority complex - constantly felt the need to prove him self

Why did historians believe Wilhelm was not suited to governing the country well or leading the army

He often had unstable moods and violent rages

How did Wilhelm help Germany?

Industrialised Germany

What does Weltpolitik mean?

World policy

What was the goal of Weltpolitik?

To make Germany a major global power

What strategy did Germany use in Weltpolitik?

Expanding its navy

What did Germany seek to acquire through Weltpolitik?

Colonies - to beat the British Empire

Capitalism

A system where people compete and keep the benefits of their work. The winners become the rich and it often causes big divides between rich and poor

What is socialism?

A system based on equality.

Who controls the means of production in socialism?

The government.

What is a potential drawback of socialism regarding worker motivation?

There is no incentive for workers to do more work than what is needed.

Who created Communism?

Karl Marx

What does Communism highlight?

Class struggle

What follows the middle class overthrowing the elite in Communism?

Another revolution by the working class

In Communism, who takes over the means of production?

The workers

Due to industrialisation what political party did workers lean towards?

Social Democratic Party (SPD)

To counter the rise of the SPD what did the gov do?

• Introduced the old age pension (1889)

• Introduced sickness and accident insurance schemes, covering 14 million Germans by 1911

How many seats did the SPD get in 1912?

1/3 of the seats

Why did the SPD pose a threat to the government?

A threat to traditional authoritarian rule in Germany by the kaiser and the land-owning elite

Who passed the 5 navy laws to increase the power of German navy?

Admiral von Tiripitz (1897)

When was the first navy law put in place?

1898

What is the first navy law?

ordered 7 more battleships = 19 ships

What is the second navy law?

When Britain were fighting the Boer War in South Africa. Germany sympathised with the Boers and doubled their warships = 38

When was the second navy law put in place?

1900

When did Britain develop the dreadnought?

1906

Why did the Kaiser want to build dreadnoughts?

It was bigger, faster and had more powerful guns than previous battleships

When was the fifth navy law put in place?

1912

What is the fifth navy law?

added 3 more ships to the fleet = 41 ships

Why were the navy laws put in place?

1) Weltpolitik - thought the best way to build his empire was the navy

2) Social Control - workers were losing respect for their traditional rulers, the navy became a symbol of German nationalism and pride.

3) Britain - the German government felt they had to compete with Britain = started an Anglo-German Naval Arms Race from 1902

What was the Triple Entente?

An alliance between Britain, France, and Russia

How did Wilhelm's 'Weltpolitik' induce tension?

1) The Kaiser's blank cheque for war

2) Schlieffen plan

What was the Kaiser's blank cheque for war?

The Kaiser said he would support Austria-Hungary if they invaded Serbia and would defend them if Russia got involved

What was the Schlieffen plan?

The plan was to punch through neutral Belgium (which dragged Britain into the war) to attack France without having to go through its defences on the border.

Who had taken over Germany in 1916 during "The Silent Dictatorship"?

Hindenburg and Ludendorff

What did Hindenburg do under "The Silent Dictatorship"?

Ordered even more workers to be pulled off the fields and into factories. He also began unrestricted submarine warfare, attacking all enemy ships with submarines, which eventually led the USA to join in the war.

When did the Reichstag try to end the Great War with peace terms?

1917

Why didn't the Reichstag end up ending the Great War with peace terms?

the generals refused and sacked the Chancellor, replacing him with puppets who would do as they said

What is Kiel mutiny?

1918 - Sailor mutiny against Kaiser leading to abdication

Who forced Wilhelm || into abdicating?

Prince Max von Baden announced that Kaiser Wilhelm II was abdicating, even though the Kaiser hadn't said this.

When did kaiser wilhelm || abdicate?

9th November 1918

Where was Wilhelm || exiled to ?

the Netherlands

When did Wilhelm || die?

1941

What happened after the abdication of Willhelm?

Food shortages in 1917 - 1918, Germany are in debt