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The Kaiserreich: Social developments - Coggle Diagram
The Kaiserreich: Social developments
The class hierarchy
White collar workers:
clerks, small business owners, shopkeepers etc all formed the lower middle class. While they weren't the wealthiest of the country, they were proud of their status.
Urban working class:
At the top of the class were foremen and high skilled workers, who were conscious of their superiority over others. At the bottom were unskilled workers who were most vulnerable to tax fluctuations and lay-offs
Upper middle class:
industrial managers, experts in technology, educated professionals, engineers, lawyers, doctors
Peasants:
worked in the countryside, their status varied. Their interests coincided with those of junkers, though having very different lifestyles.
The elites:
Old landed aristocracy, the Prussian Junkers, some served under Kaiser Wilhelm 2. They lived in large country houses often run by servants
Elitism and militarism
The prussian officers and military maintained a strong role in society. This is because Kaiser Wilhelm 2 liked traditional so wanted to keep hold of it wherever possible. This was also linked to aristocracy.
By 1914, Germany was a state of soldiers. Universal military services influenced the thinking of German citizens.
From the start of the Second Reich, elitism was encouraged.
Womens lives
Women in the higher ranks tended to have leisurely lifestyles. Those a step down did touch in housework if there were no servants.
Women of the lower classes often worked in manual labour such as agricultural work.
The working class
Some of the benefits under Bismarck include medical insurance, accident insurance, and old age pensions.
Caprivi was responsible for the recognition of trade unions, minimum wages, and more progressive hours.
The industrialisation of the second Reich had benefits for the working class.
However, living conditions were very tough for some. People still lived in extreme poverty, and were cramped in tiny streets.
The SPD became the largest party in 1912.
Social reforms