The military

• Prussia used its influence to emphasise militarism
• The Prussian army was very poerful and the foundation of the German army
• Leading army officers were Prussian
• Prussia effectively continued to rule the Germna government and military after unification
• Prussia focused on military prowess over culture
• Prussian officers and the Kaiser both wanted Germany to be the most dominant country in the world
• To become the most dominant country in the world Germany needed to become more powerful than great Britain
• The kaiser used 'weltpolitk' to grow the German empire
• The Kaiser expanded the Germany navy in 1898 as part of weltpolitik
• The kaiser hoped expansion of the navy would lead to industrial growth, protect and expand the German empire, increase German patriotism and be a symbol of German strength to Great Britain and the world
• First naval law


  1898

  Increased navy by 7 battleships
• second naval law


  1900

  doubled German navy to 38 battleships
• Third naval law


  1906

  expanded navy by 6 battleships

  some German battleships became dreadnoughts in response to the launch of the British dreadnought
• The German navy continued to grow in size in 1912
• naval laws encouraged patriotic and nationalist(political independence) sentiment
• naval laws created more work for businesses and industries
• the naval laws caused German people to see Germna power over Britain and agreed to support the Kaiser's other policies
• The government raised taxes to fund navy laws, affecting German workers the most
• The government had to borrow money to fund the navy laws increasing the states debt to 490 billion marks by 1913
• socio democratic party opposed navy laws because they were so expensive
• Arguements broke out between the kaiser and his army officers because they wanted more funding to go to the army not the navy