German History 1871-1890

1871- germany is united, the second reich is declared, Wilhelm 1st is Kaiser, Bismarck is chancellor, catholic section of the prussian culture ministry closed, beggining of national liberal era

1873- may laws directed against catholic chruch in prussia 

1875- founding of the SAPD, socialist workers party 

1876- founding of the reichbank 

1878- assasination attempt on the kaiser used to push through anti-socialist laws 

1879- protection laws passed 

1883- sickness insurance act passed, beginning of a series of welfare reforms 

1888- Wilhelm 2nd becomes Kaiser following breif reign of Frederick 3rd, 100 day reign 

1890- Bismarck dismissed by Wilhelm 2nd, SPD becomes biggest party in the Reichstag 

1872 the Jesuits were expelled from Germany.

The following year, the "May Laws" were introduced in Prussia.

• The state was given control over education.
• They extended State control over the education of the clergy. They laid down required subjects for ordination.
• It decreed that candidates for the priesthood had to attend a German University for three years before entering a seminary.
• Civil Marriage was introduced.
• The power of the Papacy in Germany was undermined when disciplinary authority over the Church was given to state agencies e.g. civil appointment of Bishops.

In 1874 when the Church refused to accept the validity of these laws the government responded with even more severe restrictions on the power of the Church. A law in May gave the Prussian government the power to expel all clerics who did not meet the requirements set in 1873. It authorised the state to fill vacancies.

However elections to the Reichstag showed that these policies had failed to weaken the Zentrum who won 95 seats. The laws had convinced many Catholics that a separate party was necessary for the defence of their interests.

In 1875 the Pope issued an encyclical that declared all the measures invalid. The state responded by cutting off all financial aid to Bishops until they recognised the laws. All monastic orders except those engaged in medical work were expelled from Prussia.

For Catholics Prussia became a police state. Many Bishops and priests were imprisoned including the Archbishop of Posen, the Archbishop of Cologne, and the Bishop of Treves and others were expelled from Prussia. one third of those in Prussia - were left without priests.

Although the law did not ban the SPD directly, it aimed to cripple the organization through various means.

The banning of any group or meeting of whose aims were to spread social democratic principles, the outlawing of trade unions and the closing of 45 newspapers are examples of suppression.

The party circumvented these measures by having its candidates run as ostensible independents, by relocating publications outside of Germany and by spreading Social Democratic views as verbatim publications of Reichstag speeches, which were privileged speech with regard to censorship. 

• Re-introducton of tariffs on imports of foreign goods
• Bismarck was sympathetic to the demands of the agriculturalists. In 1873- slump- the "depression that lasted for many years". National Liberals and the start of a new political alignment with the Reichstag.
• Although agricultural prices continued to fall, the tariff on grain protected farmers and landowners from the worst effects of the agricultural depression.
• Owners of large industrial enterprise also abandoned their support for free trade and therefore their support for the National Liberal party. in the 1880's leading industrialists supported the Conservative party in the 'alliance of steel and rye".
• The National Liberal party never recovered from the strains of the tariff-reform crisis. There wee already divisions in the party before 1878. The party split in 1879. The right wing of the party supported Bismarck over tariff reform and the Anti-socialis Law but in the 1880's this group was but a its former self.