Germany: Bismarck

Question 1

What was the Reichstag’s role?

Answer 1

Agree/reject laws and control over the budget

Question 2

What couldn’t the Reichstag do?

Answer 2

Couldn’t remove the Kaiser or the govt

Question 3

What was the role of the Kaiser?

Answer 3

Could dissolve Reichstag, and controlled army

Question 4

Who was the electorate?

Answer 4

Men over 25

Question 5

What was the Bundesrat?

Answer 5

58 members nominated by state assemblies: 17 from Prussia, 6 from Bavaria and smaller states had just 1 each

Question 6

What was the Bundesrat’s job role?

Answer 6

Could veto legislation passed by Reichstag

Question 7

What party were Prussian landowners in?

Answer 7

German Conservative Party

Question 8

What party were landowners and industrialists in?

Answer 8

Free conservatives

Question 9

How many royal rulers were in the newly unified Germany?

Answer 9

22

Question 10

What fraction of the German population was Catholic?

Answer 10

1/3

Question 11

How frequent were Reichstag elections?

Answer 11

Every 5 years

Question 12

When was a single German flag created?

Answer 12

1892

Question 13

What 4 states made up the army?

Answer 13

Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony and Württemberg

Question 14

What did the 3 class system mean?

Answer 14

Junkers votes were worth 3x than normal votes

Question 15

The lowest taxpayers represented what % of the population?

Answer 15

85%

Question 16

How did Bismarck try to limit the Reichstag’s power?

Answer 16

• members weren’t paid
• couldn’t initiate legislation
• Bundesrat

Question 17

How did the Reichstag remain powerful?

Answer 17

Could control the budget and had parliamentary immunity

Question 18

Place parties in order from left to right

Answer 18

SAPD Z party National Liberals National Groups DVP DKP

Question 19

How long did conscription mean all men served for?

Answer 19

2-3 years

Question 20

Bismarck presented a law that said an army with over 400,000 men would what and when?

Answer 20

Would automatically be financed by federal expenditure in 1874

Question 21

What % of federal expenditure was spent on the army?

Answer 21

80%

Question 22

How long were military budgets fixed for at a time?

Answer 22

7 years

Question 23

When did the National Liberals split

Answer 23

August 1880

Question 24

What are the benefits of Bismarck’s split with the National Liberals?

Answer 24

Pushed the national liberals into an even more conservative outlook

Question 25

What are the disadvantages of Bismarck’s split of the National Liberals?

Answer 25

- Z party grew in size - 2 largest parties were opposed to B - Lost power over Reichstag

Question 26

Kulturkampf What was the aim of the Centre Party?

Answer 26

Sought to protect Catholic rights in 1871

Question 27

Kulturkampf Why was Bismarck suspicious of Catholics?

Answer 27

Most had sided with Austria against Prussia in 1866 war + non-Catholic minorities joined the centre party

Question 28

Kulturkampf What law and when introduced a range of laws establishing state control over the Catholic Church?

Answer 28

1873 Prussia May Laws

Question 29

What is the Bread-Basket Law?

Answer 29

Withdrew financial support from any priest who didn’t publically declare his support for the german state

Question 30

By what year had 1800 priests been jailed or exiled?

Answer 30

1879

Question 31

Kulturkampf The German state seized church property worth how many Reichsmarks?

Answer 31

16 million

Question 32

Kulturkampf This only increased support of Z party. By 1878, how many votes did they have?

Answer 32

Same share of the vote as the National Liberals

Question 33

Kulturkampf Why did the Kulturkampf end?

Answer 33

- B needed Z party support - Change in pope who was more willing to talk - Prussia + royals opposed it

Question 34

When was the national holiday of Sedantag introduced?

Answer 34

1870 after Battle of Sedan

Question 35

What was taught at schools?

Answer 35

The Reichsdeutsche identity and nationalism

Question 36

In the late 1879s, what did Bismarck do to foreign Poles and Jews?

Answer 36

Expel them from Germany and used education + military to enforce German identity on minority groups

Question 37

How did Bismarck declare socialism was a threat to Germany?

Answer 37

The 2 assassination attempts on Wilhelm I to 1878

Question 38

What did Bismarck do after declaring socialism a threat?

Answer 38

Dissolve the Reichstag, resulting in reduced votes of National Liberals and SAPD

Question 39

When did Bismarck pass the anti-socialist legislation that gave police power to randomly search, arrest and exile socialist politicians?

Answer 39

October 1878

Question 40

Between 1878-90 how many socialists were imprisoned?

Answer 40

1500

Question 41

By 1890 how many votes did the SPD have and how many seats in the Reichstag?

Answer 41

1 million votes and 35 seats

Question 42

The War in Sight Crisis How did it seem France were preparing for war?

Answer 42

Had 800,000 trained men - an increase of 80,000 - and increased French infantry battalions from 3 to 4

Question 43

The War in Sight Crisis In what newspaper and when was an article published suggesting the German govt believed a war was in sight?

Answer 43

The Berlin Post - 9th April 1875

Question 44

The War in Sight Crisis What caused Bismarck to back down from a possible war?

Answer 44

Talks with Russia and Britain

Question 45

The War in Sight Crisis Why did Bismarck feel humiliated?

Answer 45

Discussions between the Tsar and Kaiser had determined German policy, which he’d been excluded from

Question 46

The War in Sight Crisis What was weakened by poor relations between Germany and Russia?

Answer 46

The Three Emperors League between Austro-Hungary, Germany and Russia in 1873

Question 47

How many seats did the Catholic party have?

Answer 47

58

Question 48

In 1871, what % of votes did the Z party have?

Answer 48

18.6%