Unification + Kaiser Wilhelm

Cards (21)

  • Unification of Germany from States
    1871
  • Who was Otto Von Bismark
    Led unification of Germany, first chancellor of Germany, former chancellor of Prussia
  • What did Prussia take when they defeated france in Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)
    Alsace-Lorraine (French territory)
  • What happened as a result of industrialisation at this time
    Rise in socialism as there was an increase in working class people
  • When was Kaiser Wilhelm II crowned
    1890
  • What is Weltpolitik and what was its aim
    A German foreign policy that aimed to expand German influence in Europe and give Germany a 'Place in the sun'
  • What were the Naval Laws and when did they begin
    Germany introduces 5 laws to strengthen Germany and compete with Britain's navy / 1898
  • What did Naval Laws result in
    Britain becoming worried about Germany's growing strength + created tension that would contribute to WW1
  • What did the Kaiser do in 1913 and why
    introduced compulsory conscription to increase size of German army and establish more power
  • Why were workers unhappy
    low wages, poor working conditions, expensive necessities
  • What did working class people do
    Joined trade unions, organised strikes, voted for new Social Democratic Party (SPD) or became communist
  • How popular was the SPD
    1 in 3 Germans voted for them at the time
  • Why was the rise in socialism a problem for the government/Kaiser
    People were causing problems and demanding that he improve life for them + extremists wanted to overthrow him and completely take his power
  • Why did the Kaiser's strengthening of germany become a problem for him
    It costed a lot of money causing Germany to go into debt - they had to borrow money from US
  • How did the public feel about WW1
    • people hated it as Britain stopped supply ships reaching Germany - led to shortages of food, clothes etc
    • 1916 - 10,000 workers protested against the War and the government
  • What happened in October 1918 and what did it lead to
    • sailors on ships refused to follow orders to attack british ships because they didn't want to fight anymore
    • led to a mutiny which spread to soldiers, workers and other sailors
  • How did people take control from the kaiser
    They set up councils in cities like Munich and Hamburg
  • When did the Kaiser abdicate (Month and year)
    November 1918
  • Who temporarily took the kaiser's place and what political party was he from
    Friedrich Ebert - leader of SPD
  • What was the impact of WW1 on the public
    • Allied Naval Blockade stopped supplies into Germany - left many starving
    • deadly flu epidemic swept the country, killed thousands as they were weak from poor diets
    • 2 million troops dead - loss in workforce
  • What happened to Germany's economy after WW1
    • By 1918, industrial production was reduced by a third from 1913 levels.
    • 150 million in debt + germany was bankrupt from spending gold reserves on war
    • Inflation increased as a result of the weak German mark so the prices of goods were increasing