These revision notes provide an in depth summary of this specific chapter of AQA History in the Study of The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871–1991. They can be used directly as lecture notes or can be reduced further to more of a summary of the topic.
Nazi Ideology - AQA A-level History - 1L Germany 1871 - 1991
‘Bismarck successfully controlled the political opposition he faced in the years 1871-1890’. To what extent do you agree with this statement? - Full Essay
All for this textbook (28)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
History
Unit 1 - Change and Consolidation (7042)
All documents for this subject (53)
5
reviews
By: zuzannastachowicz66 • 4 months ago
By: sprite • 5 hours ago
By: emmcintyre2014 • 7 months ago
By: jemimaruthtugwell • 1 year ago
By: sanafjamal • 4 year ago
Seller
Follow
callumgallagher
Reviews received
Content preview
History revision – The German Empire in 1871 (1)
- Kaiserreich, Second Gr empire, proclaimed on 18 th January 1871
o Follows Prussian-German success in the war against Fr
The German constitution
- Constitution of new Gr Empire incorporated the main provisions of the constitution of
the North German Confederation
o Created in 1867 after Prussia’s victory over Russia in the Seven Weeks war
- Gr was to be federal state
- Power and functions were divided between central government and 25 state
governments
- The King of Prussia was always the Kaiser
- Kaiser had power to:
o Dismiss Chancellor
o Dissolve the Reichstag
o Controlled foreign policy
o Could make treaties and alliances
o Commanded the army
o Could declare war and make peace
- Kaiser also supervised execution of all federal laws
- Chancellor was ‘Chief Minister’ of the Reich – Was responsible to emperor not
Reichstag
- Chaired Bundesrat and could appoint and dismiss state secretaries responsible for
various government ministries
- Reichstag was the national parliament – elected by all males of 25+ years
- Could accept or reject legislation but only had limited powers to initiate new laws
- Members were unpaid and it was elected for every five years
- Bundesrat was made up of 58 members who were nominated by the state
assemblies
- Consent was needed from Bundesrat to pass new laws and they had the power to
veto laws
- In practice, Bundesrat usually rubber stamped the Chancellor’s policies
- The various states in Gr which made up the Reich preserved their own constitutions,
rulers, parliaments and administrative systems
- State governments retained power over taxes, education, police, local justice and
transport
- Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg retained their own armies
See textbook/ notes for diagram of the Reich government system
Autocratic or democratic?
- Autocratic - residing power sat with the Kaiser
- Democratic - Reichstag had considerable potential power
- The system can however be seen to create tension, not least between monarchical
and parliamentary claims to power as well as tensions over federal and state power
Prussian dominance
, - B intended that Prussia should dominate the Kaiserreich
- Prussia had 60% of Gr’s population and 2/3 of its territory
- Had 17 seats in Bundesrat - could block any unwanted constitutional amendments
- As Gr Emperor, Prussian King controlled the Reich’s armed forces
- Prussia’s aristocracy was dominant in politics, military and administrative structure of
Europe
- However, despite claims of ‘Prussianisation’ of Gr, the identity of ‘old Prussia’ was
diluted by the integration of Prussia into the Reich
o Could no longer be governed without consideration of Gr’s wider interests
- Non-Prussians soon held important posts in government in both Reich and in Prussia
Bismarck as Imperial Chancellor
- After 1871, B was Prussian PM, Foreign Minister and Imperial Chancellor
- His reputation of having brought around Gr unification coupled with his influence over
Emperor William I gave him a very strong position which he exploited
- Loathed competition and thus ensured other ministers were in low powered positions
- B dominated secretaries of state and ensured they didn’t confer with Kaiser without his
permission
o Mistrust of rivals meant he relied heavily on his son Herbert who was Secretary
of State of the Foreign Office from 1886
- Despite tight grip on Gr there were some things which limited his power:
o Gr was a federal state
o Reichstag
o Absences to spend time on country estates and illness reduced his day to day
control over Gr
- Many viewed B with awe however modern historians haven’t always felt this way
o Some say he was a lucky opportunist
o Less desirable qualities – vindictiveness, intolerance of criticism and bullying
The Reichstag
- B viewed the Reichstag with disdain – group of squabbling politicians who didn’t reflect
popular opinion
- B only ready to work with Reichstag if they would accept his proposals or come to
compromise which he accepted
o If not he would dissolve Reichstag and call for new elections
- B prepared to use all means available to swing public opinion in elections to secure
passage of contentious legislation
- Many criticise Reichstag for not fully making use of their potential power
- However, many in Germany felt that it was right that the Emperor should rule
o Few thought power should be in hands of political party which just happened to
have a majority of seats in the Reichstag
- However, Reichstag ended up having more power than B had envisaged:
o No bill could become a law until it passed the Reichstag – majority vote needed
o Government needed more money which only the Reichstag could provide
o For many Gr people, the Reichstag was the focus of national attention
o Often criticised and thwarted B’s plans
Led to B looking to the possibility of changing the constitution
- The Reichstag was a thorn in B’s side
- Acquired a genuine popular legitimacy and became a focal point for Poles, Catholics
and Socialists
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 or Stuvia-credit 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 callumgallagher. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $0.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
