Germany and the Growth of Democracy
- Created by: Kenzie_Erica
- Created on: 16-03-19 11:55
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- Germany and the Growth of Democracy
- The Powers of the Kaiser
- Complete control over appointment of Chancellor
- Chancellor had power over policies and appointments
- Could ignore the Reichstag
- Government ministers were answerable only to him
- No major decision made without Kaiser approval
- Chose topics of Legistlation
- Complete control over appointment of Chancellor
- Political Views
- Right-Wing
- Traditional values
- Rights of Land-Owners
- Middle class support
- Lower taxes
- Nationalistic, antisemetic
- Wanted to expand empire
- Left-Wing
- Working class support
- Social Democrat Party
- Growing more powerful
- Growing numbers of industrial workers
- Growing more powerful
- Worker's rights
- Communist Party
- Right-Wing
- Industrial Power (before war)
- From 1890 to 1914 steel production quadrupled
- 1/3 of the world's electrical goods produced (1914)
- Led the world in chemical and steel industries
- Exports grew rapidly
- Population grew from over 40 million to nearly 68 million (1871-1914)
- Only 1/3 people working in agriculture
- More people in industry
- Social Reform
- Responses to demands for worker's rights
- Old age pensions (1889)
- Sickness and accident insurance schemes
- However workers were still unhappy
- Did not feel like they had enough power
- Not all of them were covered
- 14 million Germans covered (1911)
- No unemployment benefit
- Social Democrats gained nearly 1/3 seats (1912)
- Responses to demands for worker's rights
- Prussian Militarism
- Army swore an oath of allegiance to the Kaiser
- Navy Laws
- Kaiser wanted a large navy with battleships
- To rival Britain's navy
- Expand empire
- Admiral von Tirpitz shared the view
- Kaiser made him State Secretary of the Navy (1897)
- First Navy Law (1898)
- Seven addition battleships to the twelve already there
- Second Navy Law (1900)
- Doubled size of fleet to 38 battleships
- Led to anglo-german naval rivalry
- Kaiser wanted a large navy with battleships
- Impact of WW1
- Social
- War deepened divisions in society
- Huge gaps in living standars of rich and poor
- Workers bitter that they had restricted earnings during war but factory owners made vast fortunes
- Women had worked during the war
- Many saw this as damaging to traditional family views and society
- Economic
- National income was about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
- War left 600,000 widows and 2 million children without fathers
- By 1925 state spent about 1/3 of budget on war pensions
- Industrial production was about 2/3 of what it had been in 1913
- Germany was virtually bankrupt
- Political
- Germany became Democratic after a revolution- Weimar Republic
- Abdication of Kaiser
- One of the conditions on the Treaty of Versailles was a more democratic germany
- Naval mutiny in Kiel
- More revolts
- Some socialist
- Bavaria set themselves up as an independant left-wing country
- Kaiser abdicateed on the 9th of November 1918
- Many ex-soldiers and civilians despised new politicians
- Believed that heroic Hindenburg had been betrayed by weak politicians
- The Treaty of Versailles
- Democratic Germany
- Blamed for the war
- Pay compensation to countries
- Lost overseas empire and some European territory
- Forbidden to join with Austria and League of Nations
- Limited armed forces
- Lost 10% territory
- Lost 12.5% population
- Lost almost half iron and steel industries
- Reparations
- £6,600 million total
- Annual installments of 2% of Germany's annual output
- The Invasion of the Ruhr
- Important industrial area in demilitarised Rhineland
- Germany failed to pay second installment of reparations
- January 1923
- French and Belgian troops invaded
- Took what was owed in raw materials and goods
- Workers ordered to passively strike
- Over 100 workers killed, over 100,000 expelled from region
- Caused collapse of German currency
- Social
- Hyperinflation
- When prices increased rapidly and out of control
- Government printed more money to solve economic struggles
- Including war loans (£2,200 million)
- Made money worthless
- Good for Industrialists
- Could pay off debts
- Bad for working and middle classes
- Savings could buy a house in 1921 could barely buy a loaf of bread in 1923
- January-August 1923
- Gustav Stresemann
- Recalled worthless Marks and burned them
- Replaced them with the Retenmark
- Negotiated with America for loans under Dawes Plan
- Revolts
- Threat from the Left: The Spartacists 1919
- Left-wing communist group
- Against Erbert's plan for democracy
- Rebellion
- Early 1919
- Set up soviets in towns
- Erbert made agreement with Friekorp and army to put down rebellion
- Street fighting, high casualties, leaders murdered
- Wanted Germany to be ruled by workers' councils or soviets
- Other rebellions followed the 1919 one
- Threat from the Right: Friekorp
- Right wing ex-soldiers
- Dr Wolfgang Kapp led
- 5,000 Friekorps into Berlin to take over government
- Army refused to shoot them or stop the putsch
- German workers went on strike- stopped putsch
- After a few days Kapp left and the rising was over
- Munich Putsch (1923)
- Hijacked local government meeting
- Said he was going to take over government in Bavaria
- Police rounded up SA and Nazis (16 Nazis killed)
- Hitler escaped but was arrested
- Gained publicity
- Impressed judges and got off lightly (5 years rather that life)
- Only served 9 months
- Hijacked local government meeting
- Threat from the Left: The Spartacists 1919
- Nazi Party
- National Socialist German Workers' Party
- Both right and left wing
- Hitler leader (1921)
- What they wanted
- Right-wing
- Union of Germany and Austria
- Only true Germans allowed (excluded Jews especially)
- Left-wing
- Large industries and businesses nationalised
- Better old age pensions
- The abolition of the treaty of Versailles
- Right-wing
- Gave scapegoats for Germany's problems
- The Allies
- Jews
- Communists
- The Treaty of Versailles
- SA set up 1921
- National Socialist German Workers' Party
- Weimar Republic by 1929
- See Mind Map in File
- The Powers of the Kaiser
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