Exam (elaborations)
To what extent did Bismarck succeed in reducing divisions in the new Germany in the years 1871-79? A* essay
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Full marks A* essay on Bismarck's reduction of divisions in Germany
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To what extent did Bismarck succeed in reducing divisions in the new Germany in theyears 1871-79?
Bismarck designed a political system that tried to achieve a progressive and peaceful unified
nation, he had an impossible task in finding this with a multitude of conflicting interests, and
the fact that his constitution lasted for 47 years is nothing short of remarkable. However,
ultimately, the perpetual dividing factors of religion, class, geography, culture, dialect, and
ethnicity - to name a few - could not be reduced fully by Bismarck's endeavours. Catholics
rallied against the Prussian leadership, Socialists kept on striking and polish separatists
continued to demand their own state. While great progress was made in reducing divisions
in the new Germany, Bismarck’s policies against the Catholics and the socialists meant that
the nation still retained many of its class/social and religious divisions in 1879.
The German states had developed separate identities over hundreds of years, and in 1871
Germany was still divided in spite of its apparent unification. Bismarck helped to craft a new
German constitution that attempted to create an integrated a more unified Germany under
Prussian dominance. Bismarck’s system that underpinned the Reich was an extremely fragile
balancing act that tried to appease all interest groups. Most of the weaknesses of Bismarck’s
set up came from the inherent paradoxes of the German empire, and not from Bismarck's
deliberate attempts to frustrate the constitutional process. The Reichstag that he
constructed in his constitution served a crucial role in creating a unified German nation. The
elections constituted a unifying national political process whereby Germans from across the
country could exercise their voice on how the country should be run. Within the Reichstag
itself, the right to debate allowed objections and dissent to at least be voiced in an open
forum. This was important in trying to overcome the serious regional and social divisions
that affected the new nation. Furthermore, the Reichstag was very important in giving a
political voice to these minorities who, over time, came to be more and more integrated
within the German system. For instance, the nationalist and separatist parties won around
10% of the vote in 1874. Over time, polish, danish and French minorities came to attend
German schools, were conscripted into the army, and increasingly saw themselves as part of
the German nation, demonstrating Bismarck’s success in reducing divisions in the new
Germany.
To further help reduce divisions and achieve unity, Bismarck cooperated with the National
Liberals. In 1871, the political aims of both Bismarck and the national liberals stood in
alignment, and Nationalism once again showed its unifying potential. Bismarck managed to
work with the national liberals to unify the economic infrastructure of his new Germany so
that a true common market could be set up. This alliance helped Bismarck to pass most of
his legislation in the early 1870s and set up the Reich’s economy. The coalition passed a
standard civil and criminal code for the whole empire. It brought about the adoption of the
gold standard while further stimulating the economy by abolishing all internal tariffs. Social
and economic gains were made by this as well - the railway network grew massively, which
reduced divisions by creating connecting lines across the new nation. Urbanisation, job
mobility and even early forms of commuting all meant that people were on the move,
intermixing and overcoming their regional divisions. Therefore, due to this it can be said that
through his alliance with the national liberals, Bismarck was successful in reducing divisions,
prominently regional ones.
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