Parliamentary government

• The landtag was like a mini-reichstag in each German state
• The Prussian landtag dwarfed other regional landtags
• The Bundesrat proposed laws to the reichstag and in return the bundesrat approved any law made by the reichstag
• The Bundesrat was dominated by Prussian interests
• The Bundesrat was a federal council that consulted over German policies
• The Bundesrat had 58 representatives of each state
• Individual states had the power to control income tax which made it difficult for central government to raise enough for its budget
• Federal constitution(central government) was established in 1890
• Kaiser Wilhelm II was crowned in 1888
• Wilhelm II had hopes of expanding the German empire and was threatened by the rise of socialism back home
• The kaiser was the head of state and the German military as well as being in charge of foreign policy
• Prussia was the most powerful state before Germany's unification in 1871 leading to Germany being largely shaped by Prussia
• Constitution


  Principles for how a state is governed
• The constitution had flaws as the chancellor was ultimately a puppet for the kaiser who could dismiss him if they had a disagreement
• The chancellor was the Kaisers chief minister
• The chancellor had the power to ignore the reichstag and appoint ministers to help him make policies
• The chancellor led the Bundesrat by proposing new subjects, issues and laws to be discussed
• The reichstag had the power to pass, alter or reject laws proposed by the bundesrat/chancellor
• The reichstag could give or refuse military funding every 5 years
• The reichstag had 397 deputies elected by German voters(Voters being Men over the age of 25)
• The reichstag began to grow in the 1890s and parties began to form meaning deputies in the reichstag had their own political agenda
• Eventhough the reichstag didn't have huge power by the 1890s they could put pressure on the government and shape public opinion
• Army officers were fore-runners to the DNVP which joined Hitler in coalition in the 1930s
• Army officers advised the kaiser about political decisions
• Army officers were right wing (politically conservative) and from an elite background