Bismarck’s Germany, 1871-90
The German Empire in 1871
The 2nd German Empire
18th January 1871, king William I of Prussia became Kaiser William I of Germany.
The constitution was modelled on that of the North German Confederation – a federal state.
o A federal state means that powers and functions are divided between central and
state governments.
The states were no longer free to secede, but states retained their own constitutions, rulers,
parliaments and administrative systems.
Prussian Influence
Prussia had huge influence:
o The Prussian king was head of the imperial executive, the civil service, and was
‘supreme warlord’ (commander-in-chief) of the armed forces.
o 60% of Germany’s population was Prussian.
o Prussia was 2/3rds of Germany’s territory.
o It had 235 out of 397 Reichstag seats, ad could block any constitutional changes in
the Bundestag.
o Except for two brief periods, the imperial chancellor was also prime minister of
Prussia.
o Prussian and imperial ministries were intertwined, e.g., the Prussian war minister
was automatically imperial minister for war.
o Prussia aristocracy enjoyed a dominant position in the political, military, and
administrative hierarchies in Germany.
However, the interests of wider Germany had to be considered when governing, and non-
Prussians held many important posts.
This meant that Prussian culture was diluted somewhat.
Bismarck as Imperial Chancellor
He was the Prussian prime minister, the imperial chancellor, and the foreign minister.
o In this way, Bismarck exercised most of the crown’s powers.
Bismarck had huge influence over the Kaiser.
Other ministers became little more than clerks carrying out his orders.
There was no imperial cabinet, and he could restrict access to the Kaiser.
However, Bismarck’s powers were limited by:
o Germany’s federal state.
o The Reichstag.
o Bismarck’s long absences on his country estate and his frequent poor health.
Strengths of the Reichstag
No bill could become law until it had passed the Reichstag.
The Reichstag could provide the government with more money as they approved the budget.
, The members of the Reichstag had parliamentary immunity, so they had the right to
complete free speech.
As such, it could question (and so, embarrass) the chancellor and ministers of state.
For most Germans, it was the focus of national attention, and not the kaiser, particularly in
regard to political parties.
Bismarck couldn’t afford to ignore the Reichstag (nor the parties within it) because even
though there was no constitutional obligation to adopt policies approved by the Reichstag,
Bismarck needed to secure support for his own proposals.
There was universal male suffrage.
The weaknesses of the Reichstag
Even though the Reichstag could criticise the chancellor, it couldn’t secure his dismissal.
The Reichstag could be dismissed at any time and new elections would be called.
o Therefore, if the Reichstag didn’t adopt Bismarck’s policies, he would dissolve it and
called for a new election.
The balance of power still tilted firmly in favour of the monarchy, and most Germans
remained deeply respectful of its authority.
o There was no widespread opinion that power should be in the hands of a political
party.
The Role of the army
The Prussian army was by far the largest of the 4 armies in Germany.
The three other armies, from Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg all came under the
command of the Kaiser in terms of war.
They all followed Prussian organisation, instruction and weaponry.
All members of the army owed their loyalty to the kaiser, who was also the Prussian king.
All German men served 2-3 years in the army.
Military uniforms encouraged respect and obedience, and Bismarck and the Kaiser always
wore military uniforms in public.
The military budget was decided by the kaiser, and the army didn’t need to consult the
Reichstag or any other civilian authority before acting.
This forwarded both Prussian and monarchical control.
German disunity
Areas of Division
Each stat had its own tradition and had control over its own education, justice, agriculture,
religious matters and local government.
Over 60% of the population, but Catholicism remained popular in the south.
10% of the population were non-German minorities.
There were many economic and social divisions:
o Rich and poor.
o The north and west industrialised, whereas the south and east were predominantly
rural.
Changes in nationalism
