Germany [1]: 1890 - 1914

Germany was unified in 1871. Before it was a bunch of states.
1. The Kingdom of Prussia was the largest state.
Germany was now being ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
1. Wilhelm wanted Germany to be big and powerful.
2. Wilhelm II believed that his country was the best, so he wanted to prove it to other countries in Europe by building up his army, navy and airforce. This eventually ended up in love-hate relationships with other country leaders.
3. He admired the British for having such a big empire. He wanted to have a strong navy like the royal navy to maintain his empire.
The Balance of Power
1. The Kaiser was the most powerful person in Germany because of his authority over others. He controlled how the country was run, the military and foreign relations.
  1. Actions of the Kaiser resulted in an unhappy populace; especially the factory workers.
    1. This led to a new political party appearing, the Social Democratic Party which believed in Socialism.
      1. They hoped that the kaiser would share some of his power and allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms or laws to allow the workers to have better rights and conditions
2. 'The person/group which holds the most power over other people/groups.'
3. Kaiser - Most powerful
  Annotations:
  - 'Kaiser' comes from 'Caesar'
  1. Chancellor - similar to a prime minister
    1. Reichstag (ministers of parliament)
      1. Bundesrat
      2. the people (men over 25 which could vote)
Socialism
1. 'The idea that power and wealth should be shared equally among the people.'
Germany's Industrial revolution
1. Urbanisation
  1. more people now living in the towns and cities instead of the rural countryside.
2. Industrialisation
  Annotations:
  - Germany, by 1913, had produced more industrial goods than Britain.
  1. moving away from agricultural work and starting to work industrial jobs (factories)
  2. Germany started producing lots of goods
    Annotations:
    - They used a bessemer machine to create these goods.
    1. cars
    2. trucks
    3. weapons
    4. battleships
    5. This gave Germany the confidence to start standing up for themselves against other countries, like France and Britain.
  3. famous German manufacturers
    1. Porshe
    2. Henschel
    3. Krupp
    4. Volkswagen
3. Trade Unions
  1. an organisation of workers formed to protect their rights.
4. By 1914, Germany was an economic giant an military powerhouse. Wilhelm II focused on the development of new technology that could be used in the German Navy, to rival the Royal Navy.
  1. With the industrial revolution happening, more urbanization happened. This meant more factories were to be built, resulting to lots of products being made. This gave Germany the capability of mass-producing goods, especially weapons.
Problems the Kaiser faced
1. Workers had less money and rights, some started threatening the kaiser and wanted equality or would end up in a resolution. The rise of Socialism was a great threat.
2. Trade Unions started forming, workers wanted to protect their rights from those who wanted to get rid of them.
3. Urbanization brought many people from the countryside to big towns and cities. This led to the working class increase in numbers; which meant they were met with poor work conditions.
4. Workers started to go on strike because of the unfair treatment. This meant lots of production was halted.
  1. This could also lead to factories being shutdown due to the lack of workers.
5. The increase in militarism saw neighbouring countries to be more alert on Germany.
Realpolitik
1. a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological ideas.
Weltpolitik
1. "world policy" - foreign policy that referred to how Germany would become powerful in the world.
2. This boosted Germany's militarism - more soldiers being recruited and more factories being built to produce weaponry.

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Germany [1]: 1890 - 1914

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	Created by Marcelo Arenas over 6 years ago