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The Kaiserreich 1871-1914: Government and opposition - Coggle Diagram
The Kaiserreich 1871-1914: Government and opposition
The personalities of Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck
The Kaiser was generally happy to let Bismarck do what he wanted. Whilst they argued frequently, they seemed incapable of doing without each other.
Bismarck threw temper tantrums in order to get his way. Due to his methods of manipulation he ruled as Chancellor for 26 years - not because of his good leadership.
Parties and opposition
The Zentrum:
Catholics. Weakened by the Kulturkampf, supportive of anti-liberal and anti-socialist laws.
The SPD:
Left wing. Devoted energies to fighting Reichstag elections, party continued after socialist organisations were banned, grew considerably between 1878-1890.
The National Liberals:
Centre right. Dominant 1871-1878, divided over press law and army bill 1874, split over tariff reform and the anti socialist laws. Right wing supported Bismarck but left wing broke away.
The Conservatives:
Right wing. Supportive but challenged liberal dominance, from 1878: Bismarck's strongest support base.
The role of the Reichstag
Bismarck hadn't bargained for the rise of industry and economic shifts which he faced within the Reichstag. He also hated sharing views and taking other peoples opinion into account.
During 1870-1878 Bismarck relied on National Liberals and his junker supporters. Then in 1878-1879 he turned to more Conservative followers and less to the Zentrum - playing on fears of socialism
Policies under Bismarck
Kulturkampf
: Directed against the power of the Catholic Church. New rules included an end to financial aid to the Catholic Church, Prussian Catholics to be deprived of legal and civil rights, Catholic education came under state supervision. 37% of the population was catholic, with Zentrum party being the 2nd largest party in the Reichstag in 1871.
Unification
: The Reichstag enforced 100 laws to unify Germany including the establishment of the Reichsbank in 1876, a single system of weights and measures, a national postal and telegraph system and more.
Struggles against socialism:
The Social Democrat Party was created in 1875 and it spoke of a republic in which industries were nationalised and workers took a share of the profit. Bismarck thought that Socialism was a threat to his government and traditional German society. An anti-socialist law was passed in 1878 which didn't ban the SDP but banned socialist meetings, socialist organisations such as trade unions and socialist books etc.
National Minorities:
In the East, Bismarck enforced Germanisation (German was the only language spoken and taught). He banished 34,000 Poles and Jews.
Weltpolitik: German expansion, aimed to achieve German world power
Maji Maji rebellion:
challenged the authority of German colonial rulers and their local appointed administrators and loyalist African chiefs.
The Herero and Nama genocide:
an example of german military brutality and colonisation. They murdered around 100,000 African tribal people in Namibia to 'clear land' for German settlements. 1904 - 1908.
Kruger Telegraph:
Demonstrates the kaiser's political authority as he sent a message to the president of the Transvaal Republic, congratulating him for repelling British forces.
Agadir crisis:
a brief crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco resulting in French troops sending a gunboat to Morocco.
Samoan Civil war:
Germany and the USA split control of the Samoan islands. This shows some success of weltpolitik, however increased global tensions.