germany chapter 1 Flashcards
(23 cards)
what belief was important in Prussia?
militarism - the belief that a country should have strong armed forces
what was the collective name given to representatives that each state sent to discuss with the kaiser?
the Bundesrat
how was Germany ruled after it was unified?
- kaiser ruled over the states
- bundesrat discussed new laws with the kaiser
- kaiser was supported by advisors/ministers and the chief minister (chancellor)
- there was a parliament (reichstag) who discussed and voted on the laws that the kaiser and his ministers drew up
what were the problems with the way Germany was ruled after the unification?
the kaiser could choose to ignore the reichstag and make all his decisions on his own. he also made all the decisions that related to the army, navy, and foreign countries
who voted for the reichstag in germany after the unification?
all men over 25
when did Wilhelm become kaiser?
when he was 29
who was Wilhelm’s grandma and cousin?
his grandma was Queen Victoria and his cousin was George V (Britains future king)
how large was Britain’s navy when Wilhelm came to power?
it was twice the size of its two closest rivals put together
what process did Wilhelm start in Germany to make Germany as great as Britain?
industrialisation
how much stuff was Germany producing by 1913 (compared to Britain)?
producing more iron and steel and as much coal as britain, German companies dominated industries such as electrical goods and chemicals
what people became rich from Germany’s successful industry?
many landowners, business, and factory owners
who had influence with the kaiser?
landowners, business and factory owners, and noble army officers
why were workers in the mines and factories unhappy?
they had low wages and poor working conditions and food was expensive
what did working class people do to try and force the kaiser/politicians to improve conditions?
they joined trade unions and organised strikes
what party did many ordinary workers vote for?
the Social Democratic Party (SPD)
what political belief did the SPD believe in?
socialism - the idea that power and wealth should be shared equally among people
what did the social democrats hope the kaiser would do?
share his power and allow the reichstag to make more social reforms or laws to improve workers’ conditions and rights
how many germans voted for the SPD?
around one in three germans
what did the more extremist socialists want?
they wanted to rebel against the kaiser’s rule, start a revolution, take over the country, and allow cities and towns to be governed by councils of workers
what did Kaiser Wilhelm do if ministers didn’t do what he wanted?
he’d sack them
what was the idea known as ‘weltpolitik’?
meant world policy, the idea that he wanted to transform Germany into a global power with control over countries in different parts of the world
why did the kaiser want a large navy?
to help germany take over more countries and to protect the countries already in the german empire
how did the kaiser pay for increasing the german navy? (and the size of the army)
using taxes and borrowing money - Germany would remain in debt for a very long time
