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History Revision: Germany - Coggle Diagram
History Revision: Germany
Rule of Kaiser Wilhelm II
King of Germany - inherited his job.
Autocracy
Could bypass the Bundesrat
Had ultimate power
Could shut down the Reichstag
The Kaiser did not believe in democracy and disliked the Reichstag.
He preferred the army and used military advisors to help make decisions.
Was jealous of Queen Victoria's navy
The Kaiser liked to increase Germany’s power through building up their military forces. He hoped to make Germany a world power in this way.
The Chancellor: They ran the government and the day to day things.
proposed new laws
He only needed the support of the Kaiser to stay in power.
The Bundesrat: Government of Germany
Members represented each state in the German Empire.
It needed to approve new laws, but could be bypassed by the Kaiser.
Kind of ineffective, if the kaiser wanted to do something nothing could stop him from doing that.
The Reichstag:
Was elected by the public every 5 years. It approved or rejected laws from the Bundesrat. But it couldn’t propose new laws.
kind of like parliament
Threats to his power.
As industry boomed with everyone making weapons and machines, the economy grew as did the population in cities. The working class wanted better representation.
Social Democratic Party had more seats on the Reichstag and they wanted laws on better working and living
conditions.
Trade unions grew with over 3 million members by 1914. The Kaiser refused to wok with them as he feared a socialist revolution.
Politics became strained and divided. The rich hated the socialists and didn’t want to give them any of their demands while extreme nationalist groups grew in popularity and the SDP made it hard to get laws passed in the Reichstag.
Dealing with Threats to his power
Weltpolitik
foreign policy that focused on gaining land and building up the army and navy.
introduced limited social reforms
the workers protection act - improved safety inside factories and stuff.
The Navy Laws:
in 1898, a law was passed aiming to build a German Navy as powerful as Britain’s. It increased Germany’s navy to include 19 battleships and a new kind of ship called the Dreadnought.
Impact of WW1 (including Treaty of Versailles)
World War 1 lasted from 1914-1918
by the end of the war, there was great unrest that led to a revolution and the kaisers abdication.
the public wanted democracy, and an end to the autocracy. even the navy refused to board their sips at the end.
By November Germany was almost in the midst of a civil war.
Treaty of Versailles
The new government were forced to sign this treaty
this made them even more unpopular with the right wing peeps
Germany had to take all the blame for starting the war.
Germany also had to pay £6,600 million in reparations
This was to pay for all of the damage the war had caused
Germany lost 13% of its land.
Saar coal fields, a buffer zone between Germany and France and the Polish corridor, divided Prussia from the rest of Germany and allowed the Poles access to the sea.
Its army was reduced significantly
To only 100, 000 men. this prevented Germany from invading other countries but the Germans felt defenceless.
Germany was forbidden from joining the league of nations
This meant they couldn't really trade with other countries