GERMANY: UNITED, DIVIDED AND REUNITED
DEPTH STUDY 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqwif71ANsU
THE CONSTITUTION 1871:
PRUSSIA LED UNIFICATION- not much feeling of unity between states
Population of 41 million- 63% protestant, 39% catholic, 1% jewish
25 states- two houses- bundesrat and reichstag
Prussia biggest state (60% of land and population) followed by Bavaria
In 1871- 67% lived in villages- rural population
Objectives of constitution; create a feeling of unity, retain junker dominance
German flag created 1792, Wilhelm became a figure of unity for germans
● KAISER- KAISER OF PRUSSIA
● CHANCELLOR APPOINTED BY KAISER
Reichstag: representatives elected every three years
- 297 representatives elected by all males over 25 (secret ballot)
- Constituencies decided in 1871- never altered to reflect growing urban population
- Could reject any law and was in charge of domestic laws e.g. education
- Prussia- three tier franchise- richest 15% elected 85% of delegates
Bundesrat: 25 states
- Each had individual constitution
- Prussia was 17 of them
- Needed 14 to veto a constitution
- Prussian dominance
ARMY:
- 4 armies: Bavaria, Prussia, Wurttenburg and Saxony
- But Kaiser held supreme command
,THE NATIONAL LIBERALS
Led by Benningsen
1871: 30.1% of vote (biggest part in Reichstag) and ZP got 18.6%
1874: 29.7% but still biggest party
IDEOLOGIES: Represented interests of middle and industrial classes
- National unity and free trade ideologies
- Single economic system and no protectionism policies
- Constitutional change for greater democracy and civil liberties
BISMARK’S POSITION: Passed lots of free trade policies
- Free travel within Germany
- Removed laws restricting interest on loans
- Reichsmark- single German currency
- Measurements standardised
- Import duties on some metal products removed
- BASIS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH 1890s →
WHY:Biggest party: demands could not be ignored
- Abide to economic demands and political demands would be ignored
- Economic concessions for political concessions
- Both feared the ZP and NLs supported Bismarck’s Kulturkampf (+)
HIS BREAK:
Mid 1870s: tension because of Bismarck’s refusal to extend parliamentary power
- Wanted to split NLs and work with the more right wing members
Economic downturn 1870s:
- Economic growth was too fast
- by 1873: 150 businesses had gone bankrupt
- Industry contracted and economic growth slowed
- Poor harvests 1873 and 79: price of rye fell by 50% 1871-79
- Competition from USA and Russia and relied on Russian imports
- New pressure group, Central Association of German Industrialists anti NL
- 1876- bill for tariffs defeated in Reichstag
BUT: Tariffs would protect Junker interests (Bismarck)- determined to pursue policy
Also provided opportunity to split the party 1878 election:
- Bismarck campaigned directly against NLs
➔ FT policies anti patriotic as tariffs protecting Germany against foreign competition
- Many NL voters switched to Conservatives backed by Bismarck
- NLs lost 29 seats- mostly to pro-tariff conservatives
- Vote declined to 23%
1879: protectionism tariff law passed - ZP and right-wing NLs supported bill (conservatives)
Aug 1780: party was officially split- National Liberals and Liberal Union
CONSEQUENCES:
Split of NLs- weakened their position in Reichstag- couldn’t form coalition with conservatives
- Reichstag’s support of Bismarck’s policies weakened
ZP now biggest party in Reichstag; much more difficult for Bismark to manage government
,1881: Progressive party and Liberal Unions won 21.1% of vote combined
- Merged into German Free Minded Party
● 1884: second biggest party in Reichstag after ZP
Two biggest parties in Reichstag opposed to political goals of Bismarck; he was isolated
THE KULTURKAMPF 1871-78:
Culture struggle (translation)
- Control of education and religion
- Objection: destruction of centre party
➔ Threatening to the consolidation of his new empire
➔ Limited success
➔ Kulturkampf isolated catholic population (36% of population in 1871)
➔ 1874- ZP doubled vote (91 seats)- second biggest part after NLs (147 seats)
➔ Bismarck super unsuccessful
Political system:
- 1871- prussian franco war- germany declared
- Wilhelm I- kaiser- Bismarck first chancellor (both prussian)
➔ Won wars against austria, denmark and france
- Galvanised non-prussian German states into unification
- Bavaria and barden sceptical of prussia’s role- consolidation of Germany hard
- Lots of regional loyalty
- Religious divide dangerous fracture line- geographical
- protestants 62%- prussia and central germany
- Barden and bavaria- Catholic
- Poles and catholics- insecurity in protestant-dominated reich- fuelled ZP growth in
Reichstag
- Reichstag: parliament with limited powers
- No sway in defence and foreign policy
- Controlled budget and passing laws
- Bismarck scared that ZP would collaborate with Catholic C to undo Cerman state
- Catholic influence severely declined in c19th
➔ Pope pius ix
- Italy and Germany- excommunicated both of their leaders and opposed the
unification
- Actively encouraged italians to boycott politics
- Sided against Prussia in Austro-Prussian war and Franco Prussian war
- 1864: ‘Syllabus of Errors- modern political ideology e.g. freedom of religion
condemned
- 1870: claimed pope could make no mistakes in matters of faith - provocative
- 10th Dec 1871: Pulpit Law- censorship- Kulturkampf started
- Forbade clerics from discussing politics- 2 years imprisonment
- Falk appointed as minister for religion, education and health
- School supervision act- education purely under state control
- Falk laws 1873
, - controls on the clergy
- royal court of justice for ecclesiastical affairs
- Banned excommunication
- Germans could server connection with church- financial debts gone
- 1875- last major law- prussia payment law
- No prussian payments to church unless they accept past laws
Response from Catholics:
- 1873 election: 50-90 seats in bundesrat and 63-91 seats in reichstag
- July 13th- Edward Kulman- assassination attempt
- 1875- church declared falk laws as invalid
- 1878- 3 of 8 prussian dioceses had bishops
- 1800 priests in jail/escile
- ½ nuns and monks left
- ZP doubled its popular vote in Reichstag
End of Kulturkampf:
- Hard for Bismarck to run government without ZP support
- SPD- became more threatening than ZP
- Economic threats from Russia and US
- Turned to ZP for support on anti-socialist laws
- First mitigation law- allowed payments to dioceses
- 1873- all religious of bishops allowed
- 28 expelled clerics pardoned 1783
Bismarck’s motivations:
- NLs and ZP were the biggest parties
- NLs: 37% of seats, ZP: 22% (1874)
- Needed support of one to pass laws
- Specificieties delegated to the NLs; Falk Laws
- Beyond Bismarck’s goals but needed their support
DEPTH STUDY 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqwif71ANsU
THE CONSTITUTION 1871:
PRUSSIA LED UNIFICATION- not much feeling of unity between states
Population of 41 million- 63% protestant, 39% catholic, 1% jewish
25 states- two houses- bundesrat and reichstag
Prussia biggest state (60% of land and population) followed by Bavaria
In 1871- 67% lived in villages- rural population
Objectives of constitution; create a feeling of unity, retain junker dominance
German flag created 1792, Wilhelm became a figure of unity for germans
● KAISER- KAISER OF PRUSSIA
● CHANCELLOR APPOINTED BY KAISER
Reichstag: representatives elected every three years
- 297 representatives elected by all males over 25 (secret ballot)
- Constituencies decided in 1871- never altered to reflect growing urban population
- Could reject any law and was in charge of domestic laws e.g. education
- Prussia- three tier franchise- richest 15% elected 85% of delegates
Bundesrat: 25 states
- Each had individual constitution
- Prussia was 17 of them
- Needed 14 to veto a constitution
- Prussian dominance
ARMY:
- 4 armies: Bavaria, Prussia, Wurttenburg and Saxony
- But Kaiser held supreme command
,THE NATIONAL LIBERALS
Led by Benningsen
1871: 30.1% of vote (biggest part in Reichstag) and ZP got 18.6%
1874: 29.7% but still biggest party
IDEOLOGIES: Represented interests of middle and industrial classes
- National unity and free trade ideologies
- Single economic system and no protectionism policies
- Constitutional change for greater democracy and civil liberties
BISMARK’S POSITION: Passed lots of free trade policies
- Free travel within Germany
- Removed laws restricting interest on loans
- Reichsmark- single German currency
- Measurements standardised
- Import duties on some metal products removed
- BASIS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH 1890s →
WHY:Biggest party: demands could not be ignored
- Abide to economic demands and political demands would be ignored
- Economic concessions for political concessions
- Both feared the ZP and NLs supported Bismarck’s Kulturkampf (+)
HIS BREAK:
Mid 1870s: tension because of Bismarck’s refusal to extend parliamentary power
- Wanted to split NLs and work with the more right wing members
Economic downturn 1870s:
- Economic growth was too fast
- by 1873: 150 businesses had gone bankrupt
- Industry contracted and economic growth slowed
- Poor harvests 1873 and 79: price of rye fell by 50% 1871-79
- Competition from USA and Russia and relied on Russian imports
- New pressure group, Central Association of German Industrialists anti NL
- 1876- bill for tariffs defeated in Reichstag
BUT: Tariffs would protect Junker interests (Bismarck)- determined to pursue policy
Also provided opportunity to split the party 1878 election:
- Bismarck campaigned directly against NLs
➔ FT policies anti patriotic as tariffs protecting Germany against foreign competition
- Many NL voters switched to Conservatives backed by Bismarck
- NLs lost 29 seats- mostly to pro-tariff conservatives
- Vote declined to 23%
1879: protectionism tariff law passed - ZP and right-wing NLs supported bill (conservatives)
Aug 1780: party was officially split- National Liberals and Liberal Union
CONSEQUENCES:
Split of NLs- weakened their position in Reichstag- couldn’t form coalition with conservatives
- Reichstag’s support of Bismarck’s policies weakened
ZP now biggest party in Reichstag; much more difficult for Bismark to manage government
,1881: Progressive party and Liberal Unions won 21.1% of vote combined
- Merged into German Free Minded Party
● 1884: second biggest party in Reichstag after ZP
Two biggest parties in Reichstag opposed to political goals of Bismarck; he was isolated
THE KULTURKAMPF 1871-78:
Culture struggle (translation)
- Control of education and religion
- Objection: destruction of centre party
➔ Threatening to the consolidation of his new empire
➔ Limited success
➔ Kulturkampf isolated catholic population (36% of population in 1871)
➔ 1874- ZP doubled vote (91 seats)- second biggest part after NLs (147 seats)
➔ Bismarck super unsuccessful
Political system:
- 1871- prussian franco war- germany declared
- Wilhelm I- kaiser- Bismarck first chancellor (both prussian)
➔ Won wars against austria, denmark and france
- Galvanised non-prussian German states into unification
- Bavaria and barden sceptical of prussia’s role- consolidation of Germany hard
- Lots of regional loyalty
- Religious divide dangerous fracture line- geographical
- protestants 62%- prussia and central germany
- Barden and bavaria- Catholic
- Poles and catholics- insecurity in protestant-dominated reich- fuelled ZP growth in
Reichstag
- Reichstag: parliament with limited powers
- No sway in defence and foreign policy
- Controlled budget and passing laws
- Bismarck scared that ZP would collaborate with Catholic C to undo Cerman state
- Catholic influence severely declined in c19th
➔ Pope pius ix
- Italy and Germany- excommunicated both of their leaders and opposed the
unification
- Actively encouraged italians to boycott politics
- Sided against Prussia in Austro-Prussian war and Franco Prussian war
- 1864: ‘Syllabus of Errors- modern political ideology e.g. freedom of religion
condemned
- 1870: claimed pope could make no mistakes in matters of faith - provocative
- 10th Dec 1871: Pulpit Law- censorship- Kulturkampf started
- Forbade clerics from discussing politics- 2 years imprisonment
- Falk appointed as minister for religion, education and health
- School supervision act- education purely under state control
- Falk laws 1873
, - controls on the clergy
- royal court of justice for ecclesiastical affairs
- Banned excommunication
- Germans could server connection with church- financial debts gone
- 1875- last major law- prussia payment law
- No prussian payments to church unless they accept past laws
Response from Catholics:
- 1873 election: 50-90 seats in bundesrat and 63-91 seats in reichstag
- July 13th- Edward Kulman- assassination attempt
- 1875- church declared falk laws as invalid
- 1878- 3 of 8 prussian dioceses had bishops
- 1800 priests in jail/escile
- ½ nuns and monks left
- ZP doubled its popular vote in Reichstag
End of Kulturkampf:
- Hard for Bismarck to run government without ZP support
- SPD- became more threatening than ZP
- Economic threats from Russia and US
- Turned to ZP for support on anti-socialist laws
- First mitigation law- allowed payments to dioceses
- 1873- all religious of bishops allowed
- 28 expelled clerics pardoned 1783
Bismarck’s motivations:
- NLs and ZP were the biggest parties
- NLs: 37% of seats, ZP: 22% (1874)
- Needed support of one to pass laws
- Specificieties delegated to the NLs; Falk Laws
- Beyond Bismarck’s goals but needed their support
