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Germany:1914 (Political and Social Groupings (((Right Wing Political…
Germany:1914
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Political System
Kaiser:
Wilhelm II
Role:
Head of State, appointed Chancellor and could remove him
Could call & dismiss Reichstag
Had direct control of the army and it's actions, was the one who declared war
Chancellor:
Bethmann-Hollweg
Role:
Was allowed to pass bills if the Kaiser agreed, If the Kaiser didn't like his vision for Germany the Chancellor could be removed. Position could be used to steer country as long as the Kaiser's vision was still respected. Hitler manipulated people to become Chancellor and wield that power
Reichstag Role:
had very limited power, could stop laws made by the Chancellor/Kaiser but couldn't make laws. Parties were voted in by men over 25. It worked through proportional representation, meaning many small parties got seats. This lead to many disagreements, meaning coalitions were formed to gain majorities. However, these were very unstable and fell out easily. This made it inefficient even within its limited power.
State of the economy
Demographic changes
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Population of Berlin doubled between 1875 and 1910 and cities like Munich, Essen and Kiel grew rapidly
By 1910 there were 48 German towns with populations over 100,000 compared to the 8 in 1871
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Economic mobilisation
Companies began producing goods for the military which increased profit yet non-military industrial production fell by almost half (57% in 1918)
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Role of the army
The Beginnings:
Germany's Navy had 161, 500 men
15 Dreadnought battleships, 42 pre-Dreadnought battleships, 4 battle cruisers, 9 armoured cruisers, 41 protected cruisers, 149 destroyers, 28 submarines
Germany's growing naval fleet awakened the distrust of Great Britain who were the leading naval power at that time.
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The army and navy was a source of pride for the nation and the population of Germany which allows for patriotism