Germany : 1890 - 1945

• what was germany like prior to 1871

  • it was divided into 39 different states
  • each had their own leader + rules + customs
• which was the strongest of the 39 states


  prussia
• who ruled prussia


  the kaiser + the chancellor
• who was the chancellor of prussia + what were his beliefs

  otto von bismarck

  • believed heavily in militarism
  • wanted the unification of all german states to one country
• how did the states react to bismarks desire to unite into one country

  • most states agreed unification was advantageous as it would eliminate invasion threats from surrounding countries - france & russia
  • main opposition was from austria who worried this would affect their empire + mean they lost power in the area
• which war led to the german states uniting

  • prussia was involved in many wars for territory
  • the most famous is the franco-prussian war of 1870-1871
  • the prussians defeated france + took alsace lorraine from them
  • this embarrassed + angered the french who then held a grudge over this
  • germany then unified with the prussian kaiser + otto von bismarck as chancellor
• who was kaiser wilhelm ii

  • he became kaiser aged 29 in 1888
  • he was queen victorias grandson + cousin of future king george v
• what were the kaisers goals

  • he heavily invested in industrialization -> following the british industrial revolution
  • was obsessed with nationalism + making germany the best country in the world
  • 'a place in the sun' -> felt germany needed to expand its territories through african colonialism
  • spent most of his youth in the army -> saw militarism as the key to a successful country + wanted a strong army and navy like britain
• what was the kaisers personality like

  • he had a traumatic childhood so was very anxious + unstable + partially disabled
  • he had an energetic + strongly outgoing personality -> persuaded rich, powerful businessmen to invest in his successful industrialization of germany
  • he was also very rude + impatient -> often sacked important ministers ,such as otto von bismarck in 1890, if they didnt follow his orders
  • he was an autocrat with absolute power
• what were the kaisers foreign policies

  the kaiser followed a foreign policy of weltpolitik + believed germany should have her 'place in the sun' by competing with + being recognised by other powers

  • he thought the key to achieving this was maintaining a strong army + navy
  • his advancements worried britain who ,in 1906, released the dreadnought battleship
  • germany then released their own version of this battleship
  • he also introduced compulsory conscription in 1913 in prep for war
• in which years did the kaiser introduce new naval laws

  • 1898
  • 1900
  • 1906
  • 1908
  • 1912
• how did socialism grow during the kaisers rule

  • many workers in new factories + mines were angered by low wages + poor working conditions
  • increasing no.s of workers joined trade unions + strike against the kaiser
  • support for the social democratic party (SPD) grew exponentially + 1/3 germans voted for them by 1912
  • some extreme socialists wanted to rebel against the kaiser + start a revolution to take control of the country
  • this pressurised the kaiser to introduce reforms to avoid revolution
• what is socialism


  the idea that power + wealth should be equally shared among the people
• how was germans rapid industrialization a problem for the kaiser

  • by 1914 germany produce 2x the steel that britain did + 1/3 of the worlds electrical goods
  • these developments led to an increase in workers joining violent trade unions + extremists groups that actively opposed the kaisers autocratic rule
• what were the impacts of ww1 upon germany

  • by 1918, following the entering of the us in war, germany was close to collapse
  • most farmers had been drafted so only half of the produced previously was being made + importation was impossible as the british blockaded their ports
  • 750,000 germans died from both disease + starvation
  • oct 1918 -> german politicians were told they would never win the war + the allies may treat germany more fairly if the country becomes more democratic
• how did the kaiser respond to germany neding to become more democratic

  • he allowed the main political parties to form a new government + transferred some of his power to the reichstag
  • 28 oct 1918 -> the navy was ordered to sea to attack british ships but the sailors refused
• what did the october 1918 mutiny lead to

  • news of the initial mutiny spread
  • nearby sailors + workers also refused to follow order
  • soldier ,sent to deal with protests, also joined the mutiny
  • protestors then took over towns + set up special councils to govern them, in less than 6 days
  • the kaiser lost control of the country + even his army generals refused to support him
• what happened on 9th nov 1918

  • the kaiser abdicated
  • he secreftly left germany too
• in which ways was autocracy strong in 1914

  • no political party had gained a majority by now
  • nationalism + propaganda established loyalty and unity in the country
  • enjoyed support from military establishments + bureaucratic apparatus
  • centralized authority meant efficient decisions were made and policies were implemented quickly
• in which ways was autocracy weak in 1914

  • economic disparities with wealth concentrated with the elite angered the working class
  • foreign hostility from the kaiser agitated rival powers in europe
  • exacerbated social divisions that led to disunity in the population
  • growing support for left wing social democrat party (SDP)
• what happened 11th nov 1918

  • germany surrendered
  • ww1 was over
• what happened after the kaiser fled

  • friedrich ebert (SDP leader) became leader of germany as the party was the largest in germany
  • he promised to hold democratic elections soon
  • gave people what they really wanted through ending the war
• what were eberts government known as after they signed the treaty of versailles


  november criminals
• what was the result of the january 1919 elections

  • the social democrats won
  • they held their first meeting with their new government in the town weimar
  • they were then nicknamed the weimar government
• what constitution (set of rules) did the weimar government create

  • everyone over 20 could vote for mps -> mps sit in the reichstag -> the reichstag suggest + vote for new laes
  • the chancellor who be the head of the reichstag + would be voted for every 4 years
  • the president would choose the chancellor and keep control of the army + would be voted for every 7 years
  • proportional representation would be the decider for seats in the reichstag
• what is proportional representation

  • each party gets a fair share of seats in the reichstag
  • e.g. if the party wins 10% of the votes they get 10% of the seats
• what were the strengths of the weimar constitution

  • all germans had equal voting rights
  • poor chancellors + presidents would only be around for limited time
  • state governments controlled their own affairs + local issues were addressed
• what were the weaknesses of the weimar constitution

  • proportional representation meant no one party could get a majority so they were based on coalitions + could never have a strong government
  • the president risked having too much power + was allowed to stop listening to the reichstag and become a dictator
  • state governments could take action against the national reichstag government
• what happened in the spartacist revolution

  • in jan 1919 the german communist party felt eberts policies didnt go dar enough + were inspired by the boleshiviks to overthrow the government
  • 6th jan -> they sarted a revolution
  • in a week, ebert with the help of the freikorps (ex ww1 soldiers) stopped the rebeliion + killed many communists
  • spartacist leaders , rosa luxemburg + karl liebnecht, were killed
• what was the public image portrayed after eberts handling of the spartacist revolution

  • it helped him that the sparcists were no longer a threat + were dealth with quickly and efficiemyly
  • however he looked weak as he relied on the freikorps (far right ex soldiers) to keep order
  • they could also turn on him at any point
  • this wasnt the last communist rebellion -> german communists created many other riots around germany that the freikorps also had to stop
• what happened in the kapp putsch

  • in mar 1920 the freikorps themeselves marched against ebert
  • they supported dr wolfgang kapp as the next president
  • the putsch failed as workers in berlin strike + refused to help the friekorps
  • the defeated right wing fled to sweden by the 18th mar + the government returned to berlin
• what happened between 1919 - 1923

  • over 200 people associated with the weimar gov were assassinated
  • the most famous was walther rathenau -> the politician involved in the armistice + treaty of versailles
  • the assassinations showed the dislike for the new gov + their failure to prevent this violence implied they were doing a bad job
• what was reaction to the treaty of versailles

  • treaty germany signed after ww1 to end the war
  • germans were outraged -> called the treaty a diktat (dictated peace)
  • they thought the gov 'stabbed them in the back' by agreeing to the harsh terms
  • people began to look to other more nationalistic politicians to rule germany better than the social democrats
• what were the main terms of the treaty of versailles

  B -> Blame

  • germany had to accept responsibility for starting the war + causing all the damage in the 'war guilt clause'

  R -> Reparations

  • germany had to pay £6.6B to pay for repairing damage from the war

  A -> Armed Forces

  • army reduced to 100,000 men + no tanks, submarines or planes + rhineland was demiltarised

  T -> Territory

  • lost 13% of their land and all colonies + 12.5% of their population + union with austria + economically valuable land
• how did the nazi party begin

  • anton drexler had a party called the german workers party
  • hitler joined in 1920 + he agreed with their disobedience of the treaty of versailles
  • hitler soon became its leader + renamed it the nationalist socialist german workers party (NSDAP/ nazi party)
  • he gave it a new flag + a new private army to protect it (the SA/brownshirts)
• how did the nazi party grow initially

  • it gained attention because of Hitlers powerful speech -> particularly his rants against the treaty of versailles
  • the SA would beat up opposition -> particularly communists
• what was the invasion of the ruhr

  • germany paid its first reparation payment in 1921 but coudnt afford the 1922 payment
  • france + belgium invade jan 1923 to take payment by force
  • they invaded the ruhr, germans main industrial region, to take its goods
  • germans reacted with passive resistance -> striked + sabotaged the making of goods
• how did the weimar government support the resistance towards the invasion of the ruhr

  • they supported them by printing more money to pay them so they could afford to keep striking
  • too many notes meant the economic price went out of control + with the price of essentials like bread even growing exponentially
  • this nov 1923 hyperinflation meant the elderly + middle classes lost all their savings and pensions
• what was the munich putsch

  • as the hyperinflation of nov 1923 angered german citizens, hitler chose the evening of the 8th nov to gain futher support as a new leader
  • hitler + 600 nazis seized a beer hall during a meeting between bavarian leaders
  • despite hitler holding the 3 bavarian leaders hostage they escaped + called the police
  • the putsch was very easily stopped but afforded hilter more publicity through his trial
• what was mein kamp

  • this was the book hitler wrote whilst in prison that shared his right wing + nationalistic ideas for germany
  • he also changed his stratergy from trying to take power by force to winning votes