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Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm - Coggle Diagram
Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm
kaiser
hereditary monarch (also king pot Prussia) as head of state
appointed chancellor
could dismiss the chancellor and/or the chancellors ministers
power to dissolve the reichstag
commander of the armed forces
in charge of foreign policy
Bundesrat
federal council
made up of representatives from the 25 state governments of Germany but dominated by Prussia
consulted with the kaiser and chancellor over government policies
proposed laws that were then sent to the reichstag. It then has to approve the laws passed by the reichstag
The army
swore an oath of allegiance to the kaiser
highest ranks advised the kaiser and therefore could play a political role
officers were from upper classes, usually right wing, and politically conservative
depended on reichstag for funding but only every 5 years
Chancellor
responsible only to the kaiser
chief minister
appointed his own ministers to help him make government policies
led the bundesrat and proposed topics and laws to be debated
could choose to ignore the decisions of the reichstag
Reichstag
parliament
made up of members elected by universal male suffrage (all men over 25) in a secret ballot every 3 years
passed, amended or rejected laws proposed by the bundesrat/chancellor
could pass or reject a grant to fun the military every 5 years
Prussian militarism
Prussia had often been threatened by other countries
therefore it strongly believed in militarism (the idea that a country should have strong armed forces)
a large army
high government spending on maintaining the army at all times
strong culture of service and absolute loyalty to the king
the Prussian army was admired and respected by Prussian society
militarism became very influential
as the Prussian army was experienced, well equipped and well led it was used as the basis for the German army
army generals has great influence in Germany's government
strong views on foreign policy
played an important role under kaiser until they were in complete control of Germany in final years of WW1
Kaiser Wilhelm
became kaiser in 1888 aged 29
grandson of queen Vic
passionate and energetic but could be unstable with a violent temper
determined to get his own way
before becoming kaiser, spent time in the army and loved all things military
believed it was his destiny to rule- wanted a very hands on role in ruling Germany and had little regard for the reichstag
wanted Germany to rival Britain as the most powerful country in the world- wanted to build an overseas empire to add to Germany's wealth and power
pushed for Weltpolitik (world policy)
strong believer in militarism
could not influence election votes
Industrialisation
growth between 1890 and 1913 was astonishing
rapid population growth- provided workers and consumers
traditional industries grew rapidly- coal production rivalled Britains by 1914
more coal, iron and steel helped to build and fuel railways, trains and ships, aiding communications and trade
by 1914, Germany was out-producing the rest of Europe in electrical goods and chemicals
people became wealthier and living standards improved
industrialisation was accompanied by rapid urbanisation as people moved to towns and cities for work - outbreaks of diseases
although unemployment was very low, gaps between rich and poor grew wider
agricultural production didn't increase at same rate so more food was imported and food was expensive
high rates of immigration provided workers but fuelled social problems (hatred for foreigners) and anti semitism grew
The growth of socialism
socialism had been growing in Germany since unification in 1871 and continued to grow after 1890
socialism was greatly feared by the ruling and middle classes
it became an increasing problem for the kaiser as he needed the reichstag to pass new laws
the SPD is a political party that wanted more socialist policies and rights for workers
the SPD attracted increasing support from voters but it wasn't until 1912 that it held the most seats in the reichstag
SPD members of the reichstag consistently voted against some of the Kaiser's desired laws. He could dismiss the reichstag but the same or new members of the SPD were voted back in again.
Social reform
there were some efforts to meet the workers concerns such as:
in 1891, employing children under 13, women working over 11 hours a day and businesses operating on Sundays were all banned
throughout the period, old age pensions and welfare provisions for those too ill or injured to work were improved
after 1900, industrial courts to settle disputes between workers and their employers were made compulsory in towns with over 20,000 people
The Navy laws
from 1898-1912 a set of naval laws were passed that extended the size and power of the German navy
Wilhelm believed that increasing the size and power of the navy would:
lead to further industrial growth
protect and potentially increase Germany's empire
be a great symbol of Germany's power in the world
rival the royal navy of Britain
The navy league were a patriotic group which aimed to popularise the navy and its expansion and represented it as a symbol of German greatness
it was supported by many industrialists and soon had over 200,000 members
domestic importance of the Navy Laws
the huge cost was born by raising taxes and borrowing money
SPD was very opposed to the navy laws which won them some support but also helped Kaiser present them as the unpatriotic enemy
encouraged patriotism and nationalism and therefore helped win support for the policy of Weltpolitik
Britain's response to navy laws created a greater fear within Germany which generated support for the Kaiser's other policies
helped industries and businesses by creating more work and employing people
created conflict between the Kaiser and army leaders who argued the army should have the money allocated to the navy