Ruling the second Reich, 1871-79
Introduction
- United German empire known as the Kaiserreich (1871)
- At its head was the Prussian king, now kaiser Wilhelm I
- Prussian chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, main figure behind the unification
- Even if united, divisions over religion, language and culture was still prominent
- German constitution attempted to unify Germany more than just geographically and
assert Prussian supreme authority
- Universal suffrage for men were able to vote in the democratic process to elect
members of the Reichstag
- Bismarck hoped this would nullify calls for greater democratic liberation
- Kulturkampf a policy of discrimination aimed at the Catholic Church in Germany
- It was believed that was the main obstacle to achieve german unity
Trying to reconcile unity and division
- congress of Vienna 1815
- 360 German states solidified into 38 sovereign independent states
- Regional identity remained very strong
- Idea of ‘Germany’ was largely geographical
- Linguistic unity was not strong enough to overcome historical and cultural divisions
The role of Prussia
- the unification of Germany was driven by Prussia
- Prussia had political and military dominance
- Germany became a united nation in 1871
- However divisions did not simply evaporate with the unification
- Prussia ruled the nation as the kaiser was Prussian
- One third of the new Germany was catholic (they believed they were a discriminated
minority)
- Many Germans also saw the new regime with scepticism
- Constitution aimed to enshrine Prussian power and overcome key divisions within the
state
- Constitution:
1) the 22 different royals still maintained substantial power under the kaiser
2) The emperor controlled the national civil service and the military
3) Elected parliamentary body established (Reichstag)
4) Universal male suffrage for all men above 25
5) Single currency created
6) National legal system
- those all provided a greater sense of unification
- German flag in 1892
- The German army was split into 4: the Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
, - Each separate army owed allegiance to their own ruler however the kaiser ruled over
all of them in wartime
- Russian influence in politics and military was highly disproportionate
- However the first 10 years after 1871 were quite successful in forging a sense of
German citizenship
The federal government and the Länder
- before the unification Germany consisted of 38 states known as Länder
- The constitution established Germany as a federal state
- A federal state is a type of government where power is shared between the central
government and the political units in the country, also known as states or provinces
- The states retained certain powers but were under the dominance of Prussia
- The states were allowed to draft their own constitution
- They also had control over their own education, taxation, policing and health
- However the federal government was able to set national tariffs, control the banking
system and foreign and economic policies
The Länder and the Bundesrat
- The power of the Länder was centred on the upper house of parliament, the
Bundesrat
- This body was made up of representatives of the state governments
- However the number of delegates was proportional to the size of the state
- Therefore Prussia, being the biggest state, had 17 representatives while other states
like Bavaria had only 6
- The bundesrat had the veto power however only 14 votes were needed to veto
- The constitution and government was set up in a way that reinstated and assured
Prussian superiority and supreme authority
- Prussia had always the ability to veto legislations if they were not favourable in their
way
- The prussian parliament was also elected in a class based system
- People were divided in 3 classes based on how much tax they paid
- Each part had ⅓ of the votes
- Disproportionate as 85% of the prussian population fell in the lower tax bracket while
only 5% fell in the higher tax bracket
- Therefore the prussian delegates always represented the needs and necessities of
the landed elites
- Additionally votes went to electoral colleges which will then choose a representative
- Ensured prussian political dominance
- The kaiser was always a prussian king, the military and the government were under
prussian nobles
- However the states were given enough power by Bismarck to keep their leaders
happy while Prussia still remained politically dominant
- However some positions had to be given to non-prussians ministers
- For example the chancellor of germany between 1894 and 1900 was a bavarian
Introduction
- United German empire known as the Kaiserreich (1871)
- At its head was the Prussian king, now kaiser Wilhelm I
- Prussian chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, main figure behind the unification
- Even if united, divisions over religion, language and culture was still prominent
- German constitution attempted to unify Germany more than just geographically and
assert Prussian supreme authority
- Universal suffrage for men were able to vote in the democratic process to elect
members of the Reichstag
- Bismarck hoped this would nullify calls for greater democratic liberation
- Kulturkampf a policy of discrimination aimed at the Catholic Church in Germany
- It was believed that was the main obstacle to achieve german unity
Trying to reconcile unity and division
- congress of Vienna 1815
- 360 German states solidified into 38 sovereign independent states
- Regional identity remained very strong
- Idea of ‘Germany’ was largely geographical
- Linguistic unity was not strong enough to overcome historical and cultural divisions
The role of Prussia
- the unification of Germany was driven by Prussia
- Prussia had political and military dominance
- Germany became a united nation in 1871
- However divisions did not simply evaporate with the unification
- Prussia ruled the nation as the kaiser was Prussian
- One third of the new Germany was catholic (they believed they were a discriminated
minority)
- Many Germans also saw the new regime with scepticism
- Constitution aimed to enshrine Prussian power and overcome key divisions within the
state
- Constitution:
1) the 22 different royals still maintained substantial power under the kaiser
2) The emperor controlled the national civil service and the military
3) Elected parliamentary body established (Reichstag)
4) Universal male suffrage for all men above 25
5) Single currency created
6) National legal system
- those all provided a greater sense of unification
- German flag in 1892
- The German army was split into 4: the Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
, - Each separate army owed allegiance to their own ruler however the kaiser ruled over
all of them in wartime
- Russian influence in politics and military was highly disproportionate
- However the first 10 years after 1871 were quite successful in forging a sense of
German citizenship
The federal government and the Länder
- before the unification Germany consisted of 38 states known as Länder
- The constitution established Germany as a federal state
- A federal state is a type of government where power is shared between the central
government and the political units in the country, also known as states or provinces
- The states retained certain powers but were under the dominance of Prussia
- The states were allowed to draft their own constitution
- They also had control over their own education, taxation, policing and health
- However the federal government was able to set national tariffs, control the banking
system and foreign and economic policies
The Länder and the Bundesrat
- The power of the Länder was centred on the upper house of parliament, the
Bundesrat
- This body was made up of representatives of the state governments
- However the number of delegates was proportional to the size of the state
- Therefore Prussia, being the biggest state, had 17 representatives while other states
like Bavaria had only 6
- The bundesrat had the veto power however only 14 votes were needed to veto
- The constitution and government was set up in a way that reinstated and assured
Prussian superiority and supreme authority
- Prussia had always the ability to veto legislations if they were not favourable in their
way
- The prussian parliament was also elected in a class based system
- People were divided in 3 classes based on how much tax they paid
- Each part had ⅓ of the votes
- Disproportionate as 85% of the prussian population fell in the lower tax bracket while
only 5% fell in the higher tax bracket
- Therefore the prussian delegates always represented the needs and necessities of
the landed elites
- Additionally votes went to electoral colleges which will then choose a representative
- Ensured prussian political dominance
- The kaiser was always a prussian king, the military and the government were under
prussian nobles
- However the states were given enough power by Bismarck to keep their leaders
happy while Prussia still remained politically dominant
- However some positions had to be given to non-prussians ministers
- For example the chancellor of germany between 1894 and 1900 was a bavarian
