Kaiser Willhelm II & the difficulties of ruling Germany Flashcards
1.1A & 1.1B
what is militarism?
the belief that a country should have strong armed forces
what was the Bundesrat?
a group made up of German state representatives who supported the Kaiser
what was the Reichstag?
the main elected German parliament
what did the Reichstag do?
discussed and voted on the laws that the Kaiser and his ministers drew up
what were 2 problems with the Kaiser’s government?
- he could choose to ignore their advice and make all the decisions he wanted to on his own
- also made all decisions that related to the army, navy and other foreign countries
what year and how old was Willhelm when he became Kaiser?
- 1888
- 29 years old
What is industrialisation?
when a country transforms from a mainly agricultural society to one based on manufacturing and factories
in what year was Germany producing more iron and steel and as much coal as Britain?
1913
which people had lots of power in Germany at the time?
- landowners
- business and factory owners
- noble army officers
why were workers in the factories, mines and workshops unhappy?
- their wages were low
- working conditions were poor
- food was expensive
what were trade unions?
an association of workers formed to protect their interests
ordinary workers began to vote for what party?
Social Democratic Party
what is socialism?
power and wealth should be shared equally among the people
how many people voted for SPD at this time?
around 1 in 3 Germans
what year did Germany become unified?
1871
