Lecture notes
AQA GCSE History Germany revision notes
A complete set of revision notes tailored to the AQA specification for section AB of GCSE History Paper 1- Germany.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Content preview
Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and dictatorshipUnder Wilhelm II
Before 1871, under Kaiser Wilhelm I, Germany was not a country but a collection of smaller
states who were joined by language and culture. Prussia was the largest and most powerful
of these states. Once Germany was united with wars involving neighbouring countries, the
King of Prussia became the new Kaiser of Germany.
Wilhelm II:
o Reigned 1888 – 1918
o Strong personality, often violent which did not suit his position as Kaiser.
o He lacked the ability to govern effectively or command the army.
o He didn’t want to rule Germany in the same way as Bismarck. He wanted Weltpolitik
and wanted Germany to build an overseas empire such as in Africa.
o To achieve this, he believed that Germany needed a navy to match Great Britain’s
and an army that could defeat all other powers in Europe.
The Empire’s constitution was a federal one meaning each state kept their own individual
princes, constitutions and governments. It was made up of:
• The Emperor (Kaiser) – Head of the armed forces, controlled foreign policy, and he
appointed the chancellor
• The Chancellor – In charge of the government and had authority over the Bundesrat
• The Bundesrat – Federal Council made up of 58 representatives from 25 states.
Introduced laws to the Bundestag and power to approve them.
• The Bundestag – Federal parliament made up of 397 deputies. Voted on laws
introduced by the Bundesrat.
Weaknesses of the system:
• Chancellor could be easily dismissed by the Kaiser
• The 25 individual states controlled income tax, which meant the central government
struggled to raise enough tax to cover its spending. This became a bigger problem
when the government went into a budget deficit as it spent more and more money on
the army and navy.
• Prussian influence was dominant:
▪ In times of war, military forces go under Prussia’s control
▪ Prussia has a veto (only 14 votes were needed to veto any laws passed by the
Bundestag and Prussia held 17)
▪ Prussian prime minister is almost always the chancellor and has authority over
the Bundesrat
▪ King of Prussia is also the German emperor and presides over the Bundesrat
▪ Legal system, civil service and diplomatic corps were dominated by powerful
Prussian noble landholders, known as Junkers. They controlled the Prussian
army which had a large influence over foreign and domestic fairs. This meant the
most influential force in Germany represented the strength of relatively few
people.
• Industrialisation led to a large rise in Germany’s urban population. Poor working and
living conditions were largely ignored by the unelected Chancellor and the Kaiser
who held the greatest power in Germany which led to the growing socialist party.
, ▪ In 1880, Germany had half the steel of Britain but in 1914, they had double the
steel of Britain and a third of the world’s electrical goods
▪ Exports rose rapidly and foreign trade flourished
▪ This led to the large growth in Germany’s urban population
Wilhelm’s Aims:
o Maintain authority over Germany
o Make Germany as powerful as Britain and France
o Increase Germany’s empire
o Ensure the success of the economy
Problems:
o Rise of socialism – rise in support of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Otto von
Bismarck (Chancellor who had united Germany, excluding Austria) introduced
several liberal reforms to reduce support for the SPD. He also pushed through laws
to weaken the influence of socialists. Social insurance systems had already been
introduced by Bismarck in the 1880s but the SPD wanted to pass further social
reforms. The Junkers and industrialists needed to limit the influence of socialists so
they compromised and made modest reforms to keep the workers happy and loyal.
o Prussian militarism – continued to allow Prussian military to have influence over
foreign policy. He believed a strong military was essential and worth the hinderance
of democracy.
o Empire – Wilhelm II slowly built up his navy otherwise Britain would completely
destroy them in a naval battle. This was a key part in Weltpolitik and the navy laws
were essential to turn Germany into a world power by building an overseas empire,
growing its world trade and increasing its naval power.
World War 1
o 1914 – assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand
o Both countries were very patriotic and assumed it would be over quickly
o By 1917-18, Germany was suffering defeats
o On 3 November, frustrated German sailors in Kiel mutinied instead of attacking the
British Royal Navy. This sparked rebellions all over Germany and led to the collapse
of the German government forcing Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate on 9 November.
Effects
Social:
o Food shortages (turnips and potatoes) – by 1918 it was only producing 50% of the
milk it had been producing before the war, 293,000 Germans died from starvation
and hypothermia
▪ Blockade on Germany by Britain which restricted Germany’s ability to trade,
which was the basis of its pre-war economic growth.
o 750,000 died of flu
▪ Lack of food weakened their immune system which led to many flu-related deaths
o Women workforce increased to 37%
▪ They replaced soldiers who went out to fight
o German workers’ wages were falling despite the extra work they were doing to
support the war, by 1918, miners’ salaries were 60% of what they used to be.
, ➢ This affected the whole of Germany. It led to urgency and desperation and still
impacted Germany years after the war had ended.
Political:
o SPD was the leading party
▪ Kaiser failed the people
o Many uprisings on both sides
▪ He boasted victory to the Germans but ended up losing not only the war but his
support
o Spartacists – extreme communist party
o Freikorps violently suppressed the uprisings
▪ The people hated the government and its Kaiser
o Many countries decided to trade with allies which lead to food shortages
▪ Nobody wanted to trade with Germany which had a scarcity of resources
➢ Affected the whole of Germany and were left in a bad position after the war
Economic:
o $40 billion now spent on the war
o Much of the money was from loans so Germany was bankrupt
▪ The economy was weak because 35% of trade happened in the black market
o 40% of the output of the industry dropped during the war
▪ Couldn’t drive cars due to lack of resources
▪ Workforce couldn’t work efficiently because of food shortages
o The machinery was run by unskilled workers
o The Mark was losing its value and inflation was rising rapidly. The government had a
huge budget deficit but was unable to raise taxes on the rich.
➢ Impacted Germany massively for the amount of the money they spent in the war
impacted the position they ended up in after the war and made it harder to recover
End of the war:
o Ebert (head of the SPD) became Chancellor on the understanding that he would hold
an election soon and took power over Germany.
o He gave the people what they wanted – an end to the war
o 11th November 1918, he signed the armistice
The Weimar Republic
o Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate at the end if WW1 leaving Friedrich Ebert, the
leader of the SDP in charge
o He declared Germany to be a democratic republic
o He called an election in 1919 and became the first German president
o They moved to Weimar because there was conflict in Berlin from the Spartacist
uprisings.
Political change and unrest:
o The Spartacists were a left-wing communist party led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa
Luxemburg who argued strongly against Ebert’s plans for a democratic Germany and
instead wanted a country ruled by workers’ councils or soviets
o Early in 1919, joined by rebel soldiers and sailors, the Spartacists tried to set up
many soviets in towns
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Alec01. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
48756 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now