The Monarchy Under Threat

• Social Problems Increased and Germans wanted Reform

  -The growing population in cities and towns created new social problems. The working classes wanted better working and living conditions, and new and growing industries needed more regulation

  -Initially, the government didn't want to pass reforms because it was afraid of encouraging socialist ideas. This meant that groups promising changes became more popular
• Social Problems Increased and Germans wanted Reform

  -In 1887, the Social Democratic Party(SPD) had just 11 seats in the Reichstag, but by 1903 it had 81. Trade unions(organisations set up by employees to defend their rights) became more popular too- by 1914, membership stood at around 3.3 million.

  -Even though the SPD and trade unions promised to work with the government to introduce reforms, the Kaiser still saw them as a threat. He was afraid of a socialist revolution and didn't want to give more power to the German people.
• Social Problems Increased and Germans wanted Reform

  -The SPD had very different political views to the Kaiser. It wanted to improve conditions for the working classes and disagreed with the privileges held by elites like the military and the monarchy.
• German Politics became more unstable

  -German Politics had become more radical. The upper classes feared the growth of the working classes and thought rapid industrialization threatened their wealth and social status. As the SPDs popularity increased, extreme nationalist groups also grew.

  -This made it harder for the Kaiser to govern Germany. He was under pressure to introduce socialist reforms, but knew that doing so would risk angering his supporters.
• German Politics became more unstable

  -To make matters worse, the popularity of the SPD made it more difficult for the government to get legislation passed in the reichstag.

  -Chancellors found it hard to get support in the Reichstag, so they struggled to pass new laws. The reichstag had more influence over German politics than it had ever before.
• Wilhelm tried to Divert Attention away from Socialism-The Kaiser tried to reduce discontent among the working classes by introducing some limited social reforms, e.g. in 1891 the Workers Protection Act was introduced to improve safety in the workplace.

  -In 1897, the Kaiser adopted a foreign policy called “Weltpolitik”- this focused on expanding Germany's territory and boosting the size of Germany's army and navy.

  -The Kaiser hoped this would distract attention from socialism and increase support for the monarchy and the military. It would also help to make Germany a world power.
• The Navy Laws made people feel patriotic-The government used propaganda to promote the navy laws and inspire patriotism among the German people. The laws were popular, and socialist opposition to them was seen as unpatriotic. In the elections of 1907, the SPD lost 36 seats in the Reichstag

  -In 1898, the first Navy Law was passed. Its eventual aim was to build up Germany's navy to rival Great Britains. It increased Germany's fleet to include 19 battleships.

  -in 1900, the reichstag passed another navy law, which put a 17 year navy expansion programme into place
• The Navy Laws made people feel patriotic

  -Despite the Kaiser's best efforts, by 1912 the SPD was the largest part in the Reichstag. The Kaiser had managed to keep his power, but the growth of SPD showed an increasing desire for democracy amongst the German people.