history- Kaisers Germany

• Kaiser Wilhelm 1888 –1918 Personality

  •The German Constitution gave the Kaiser great power and he intended to use it

  •If ministers did not do what he wanted he would sack them
• Structure of Government 1890 –1918

  Kaiser (King –Head of State)

  •The Kaiser had full control over foreign and domestic policy. He had the power to make alliances, sign treaties, wage war and make peace

  Chancellor (like Prime Minister)

  •The Chancellor was directly responsible to the Kaiser as Chief Minister of the Reich. He was also in charge of the appointment and dismissal of the other politicians

  Reichstag (Parliament)

  •This was the part of German parliament which could make laws. It often debated laws which people wanted to introduce, but did not have the power to suggest new laws
• Industrialisation

  •By 1913 Germany was producing more iron and steel, and as much coal as Britain. In industries such as electrical goods and chemicals, German companies dominated Europe
• Positive Social/Economic impact.

  German industry made many landowners, business and factory owners very rich. These people had a lot of influence over the Kaiser

  •Rapid economic growth meant full employment. There were a lot of working class people in Germany, working in factories and businesses
• Negative Social/Economic impact.

  •Workers in the new factories, mines and workshops were unhappy because their wages were low, working conditions were poor and food was expensive
• Social Democratic Party (SPD)

  •They believed in socialism –the idea that power and wealth should be shared equally among the people

  •During the early 1900s some members of the SPD were becoming more radical and were calling for a higher number of strikes and revolutions
• Navy Laws

  •The Kaiser wanted an empireto rival Britain and France

  •The Kaiser wanted a large navy to help Germany take over more countries and to protect countries already in the Empire

  •He introduced a series of Naval Laws which increased the sizeof the German navy and money spent on the armed forces

  •Taxes were raised and money was borrowed to pay for this

  •1902 -German people were told that Britain intended to deny an German Empire. From this point onwards the German naval Arms racedeveloped
• Impact of WW1 1914-1918

  •The Allies (Britain, France, Russia) blockading German ports. Up to ¾ of a million Germans died of hunger and disease

  •There were huge gaps between the living standardsof the rich and the poor

  •During the war Germany was run as a military dictatorship
• End of the WW1 1918

  Abdication (resignation)

  •Strikes in Germany and naval mutiny showed that the Kaiser was losing control.

  •Social Democrats threatened the Kaiser with revolution if he didn’t abdicate.

  •Kaiser Wilhem abdicated 9thNovember 1918.

  •Social Democrats declared a republic.

  •November 10thGermany abolished the monarchy
• Armistice. 11thNovember 1918

  •Ceasefireagreed to end the fighting of WW1.

  •The new government felt they had no choice -people were starving and military morale was low

  •Right-wing Germans felt betrayed and believed Germany could still win the war

  •Weimar Politicians who signed the armistice became known as “November Criminals”
• Weimar Government (Formed January 1919).

  •Germany was now a democracy with President Ebert

  Treaty of Versailles. June 1919

  •President Ebert signed the Treaty of Versailles. This proved unpopular within Germany. Social Democrats were in charge
• Terms of the Treaty

  Article 231 War Guilt clause.

  Armed Forces reduced to 100,000 men, no armoured vehicles, aircraft or submarines, only allowed six battleships.

  Reparations -forced to pay £6.6 billion for damaged caused during the war.

  German Territory –lost their empire and were put under the control of the League of Nations.

  Also German military banned from entering the Rhineland. This left Germany open to attack.
• Strengths of the Weimar Constitution

  •New constitution(decided how the government would be organised and laws) to be as fair as possible

  •The constitution allowed women to vote for the first time and lowered the age of voting to 20 –more Germans could vote and had greater power
• Weakness of the Weimar Constitution.

  •Proportional representation meant that even small parties were guaranteed to get into the Reichstag. This meant it was difficult to get decisions made

  •President could suspend the constitution and pass laws without the Reichstag’s consent. (Article 48)This power was only supposed to be used in an emergency . It was used to get around disagreements which undermined democracy
• Germans reactions Germans felt humiliated by having total blame. German felt vulnerable to attack from other countries

  Unfair to Germans and would cause lasting damage to the economy.

  People opposed the losses in territory, especially when people in German colonieswere forced to become part of a new nation
• Felt betrayed.

  •Germans called the treaty a “Diktat.”Many blamed Ebert for accepting the terms

  •Some Germans felt signing the armistice was a mistake. They felt that Weimar politicians had “stabbed them in the back”and bought the Treaty of Versailles unnecessarily on Germany
• Spartacists Uprising (left wing uprising). January 1919

  •Communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg tried to take over Berlin. They took over newspaper headquarters and 50,000 workers went on strike

  •Ebert asked and received help from the Freikorps (ex-German soldiers) to stop the rebellion. Over 100 workers were killed
• Kapp Putsch (Putsch means uprising) March 1920.

  •Wolfgang Kappled the Freikorps who took part in the Putsch. They wanted to create a right wing government

  •Freikorpsmarched into Berlin to overthrow the Weimar regime. German workers opposed them by going on general strike. Berlin was paralysed and Kapp was forced to give up
• Red Rising in the Ruhr. March 1920-1921

  •As soon as Kapp fled, left wing workers in the Ruhr stayed on strike and took over several towns. This was known as the Red Rising. The government sent soldiers to deal with the rebellion. Despite this, some political groups continued to act drastically, and there were over 250 political murders in Germany between 1919 and 1921
• The Ruhr Crisis

  •1923 Germany could no longer meet their reparation payments

  •France and Belgium decided to take Germany’s resources instead, so they occupied the Ruhr –the richest industrial part of Germany. German people were furious and cause a huge strike in the Ruhr
• Causes of Hyperinflation

  •Germany tried to solve the economic problem by printing more money, but this plunged the economy into hyperinflation

  •This happens when production can’t keep up with the amount of money in circulation, so. the money keeps losing its value
• Consequences of Hyperinflation

  •Germany’s currency became worthless. Nobody wanted to trade with Germany, so shortage of food and goods got worse

  •Bank savings also became worthless
• Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler

  •1921 Hitler founded SA (storm troopers). The SA were political thugs. They carried out violent anti-Semitic attacks and intimidated rival political groups. Many people were scared of them
• Reasons for the Munich Putsch November 1923

  •Hyperinflation was at its peak

  •Germans were angry at French and Belgian invasion of the Ruhr. After the general strike ended, discontent increased
• The Munich Putsch 1923

  •In the Beer Hall in Bavarian city of Munich. Hitler announced the revolution had begun

  •News of the revolt had been leaked to the police. Police fired on the rebels and the revolt quickly collapsed
• Trial after the Munich Putsch 1923

  •Hitler was imprisoned.The trial gave him valuable publicity

  •Hitler was given a lenient sentence. By sympathetic judges

  •In prison he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle). He described his belief and ambitions. This proved vital to spreading the Nazi ideology
• Gustav Stresemann Chancellor

  •September 1923 the general strike ended in the Ruhr. This meant it reduced tensions with France and Belgium also the government stopped compensation payments to strikers

  •Replaced German mark with the Rentenmarkto stabilise Germany’s currency

  Gustav
• •The Dawes Plan –1924. Secured France and Belgium’s withdrawal from the Ruhr and agreed more realistic payment dates for the reparations. USA lent Germany £40 million to help it pay off its’ other debts
• •Locarno Pact 1925. Germany, France and Belgium agreed to respect their joint borders –Rhineland to remain de-militarised
• League of Nations 1926. Germany to join in 1926. Germany was re-established as an international power
• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928.65 countries signed it including Germany. Promised not to use violence to settle disputes
• The Young Plan 1929. Allies agreed to reduce the reparations to a quarter of the original amount, and Germany was given 9 years to pay them
• Weimar Republic Golden Years.

  Working class improvements.

  •Working class became prosperous. Wagesfor industrial workers rose quickly in the late 1920s

  •More than 2 million new homes were built 1924-1931. Also provided extra employment

  Cultural Improvements.

  •Period of freedom of expression generated new ideas. Artists began to question traditional forms and styles, especially ones that focussed on authority