D+D essay: Kaiser Wilhelm, political and economic problems

• POINT 1: The rise of the Socialist SPD and demands for greater parliamentary democracy makes it difficult for the Kaiser to rule Germany. Industrialisation with Germany producing 1/3rd of Europe’s chemicals and electrics meant a larger working class. German working class join trade unions and vote for the SPD, following 1912 the Socialists dominate the Reichstag and there are strikes.
• POINT 2: Weltpolitik and the Navy Laws were costly for the Kaiser. The cost of building dreadnoughts and an overseas Empire resulted in debt and higher taxes.
• CONCLUSION: Cost of Weltpolitik and Navy Laws impacted on politics, working class Germans vote for the SPD and the Kaiser can’t pass any more laws.