History - Germany

• The German empire was founded in 1871 and lasted until 1918
• The Kaiser was the leader of Germany and ruled like a king. He had personal control of the army and foreign policy, appoints and dismisses the Chancellor and can dissolve the Reichstag at any time.
• The Chancellor runs the government and proposes new legislation. They don’t need the support of the Bundesrat or Reichstag to stay in power.
• The Bundesrat are representatives from each state of the German empire. Their consent is needed for all legislation but can be overruled by the Kaiser.
• Members of the Reichstag are elected by the public every 5 years. Members pass or reject legislation from the Bundesrat.
• The Prussian army played an important role in Germanys unification and the Kaiser was strongly influenced by its prestige and power.
• The Kaiser adopted a system of militarism - strengthening Germanys military to increase its influence.
• Germanys economy expanded massively between 1880 and 1914. Production of iron and coal doubled and by 1914 Germany produced two thirds of Europes steel.
• Industrialisation meant new jobs were created and the population in cities grew. The working classes expanded and upper classes had less power.
• The rise of socialism and the SPD (Social Democratic Party) was a problem for the Kaiser. The Kaiser did not want to give up his power.
• In 1887 the SPD had 11 seats in the Reichstag and by 1903 had 81
• Trade unions were also a problem as workers were demanding better conditions and were threatening strikes.
• By 1914 membership of trade unions was around 3.3 million
• The Kaiser tried to reduce discontent among the working classes with limited social reforms eg. The 1891 Workers protection Act to improve workplace safety.
• In 1897 The Kaiser adopted a foreign policy called ‘Weltpolitik’ which focused on expanding German territory and boosting the size of the army and navy.
• The 1898 Navy Law aimed to build up a Navy that would rival Great Britain’s. It increased Germanys navy to include 19 battleships.
• The 1900 Navy law put a 17 year navy expansion programme in place.
• Towards the end of the war the German people were suffering. The allies has set up naval blockades which prevented imports of foods and essential goods.
• Public opinion had turned against the Kaiser and there were calls for democracy as German people were tired of the war.
• In November 1918 some members of the German navy rebelled and refused to board their ships. In Hanover German troops refused to control rioters. A Jewish communist Kurt Eisner encouraged general uprising which sparked mass strikes in Munich.
• Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated in November 1918 and Germany was declared a republic.
• In 1919 Friedrich Ebert became president and members of the Reichstag met at Weimar to create a new constitution.
• The president was elected every 7 years and chooses the Chancellor and head of the army. They can dissolve the Reichstag, call new elections and suspend the constitution.
• The Reichstag was the new German parliament. Members were elected every 4 years using proportional representation.
• The Reichsrat was a less powerful parliament and consisted of members from each local region. Can delay measures passed by the Reichstag.
• Positives of the new constitution was that it was fair as even small political parties were given seats. Also the voting age was lowered to 20 and women could vote.
• Negatives of the constitution was proportional representation meant there were many parties in the Reichstag so decisions couldn’t be made. Also the president could pass laws without the Reichstags consent.
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919.
• The TOV said that Germany had to take all blame for the war.
• The TOV said that the army had to be reduced to 100,000 men, they could only have 6 warships and no armoured vehicles, aircraft or submarines.
• The TOV said Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reservations to pay for damage.
• The TOV said that Germany lost all its empire and the German military was banned from the Rhineland which left them open to attack from the west.
• Germans called the TOV a ‘Diktat’ and blamed Ebert for accepting the terms.
• Some Germans believed they could have won the war and felt ’stabbed in the back’ by the November Criminals.
• In January 1919 the communist group Sparticists tried to take over Berlin.
• 50,000 workers went on strike in support of the Sparticists.
• The Freikorps helped but down the rebellion and over 100 workers were killed. Their leaders Karl Liebnicht and Rosa Luxemburg were killed.
• In March 1920 The Freikorps took part in the right wing rebellion called the Kapp Putsch.
• The Freikorps marched on Berlin and the Weimar government had to flee.
• In the Kapp Putsch workers went on strike which forced Kapp to give up.