when was Germany unified and under whom
1871, Kaiser Wilhelm I
how was Bismark essential to German unification
-determined to go to war with Austria
-drove to break Austrian control
-set the diplomatic stage and tried out his new army
how was Bismark unnecessary to unification
-better organisation and leadership under General Moltke
-his policy was dictating by circumstances and changing conditions
-better weapons
how was the Seven Weeks’ War an important step to German unification
-the balance of military and economic strength helped unification
-allowed Prussia to defeat Austrians
-weakened Austria’s influence
what could the Reichstag do that threatened Bismark’s power
-could agree/reject laws proposed by Kaiser or gov
-control over budget (not army budget)
how many royal rulers were there
22
List 3 ways Bismarck attempted to standardise the German states
Single currency, standardised measurements, national legal system, single flag (from 1892)
would the Reichstag increase or decrease divisions in Germany and why
decrease:
-not representative of pop
-Kaiser has all power
-Reichstag biased - only for wealthy people
how many seats did Prussia have in the Bunderstrat
17/58
what percentage of federal expenditure was spent on army
80%
which party was the most popular in the 1870s
the National Liberals
what was Bismark’s goal in dealing with the National Party
he wanted to keep the educated MC voters happy and distracted from his resistance to greater democracy
why did Bismark break with the National Liberals and when
Bismark refused to extend parliamentary power in the Reichstag
how did Bismark break with the National Liberals
through introduction of tariffs to protect farmers which contrasted with NL’s ideology of free trade
had Bismark managed to unify Germany after the break
yes:
-pro-tariff message = patriotism
-stabilises his position and destabilises system
No:
-isolated parties
-lots of political enemies
why did Bismark oppose the Syllabus of Errors and Papal Infallibility
-catholic church opposed ideology the NL were built on
-undermine unity of a German nation
what were Bismark’s concerns about the Centre Party
-Catholics sided with Austria in 1866 war
-supported catholic non-German ethnic groups within Germany
-supported Polish language teaching and Alsace-Lorraine’s autonomous desires
how were minorities undermining unification in Bismark’s eyes
-ethnic groups retained a separate identity
-polish nationalism was disconnected from German nationalism
what was the Kulturkampf
a campaign against Catholic institutions and power in Germany
what did the Kulturkampf do at the start
-began establishing laws that allowed state authority
-banned Jesuit priestly order
what were the Prussian May Laws
established state control over Catholic Church e.g education
what was the Bread-basket law
withdrew financial support from priests who didn’t support German state
how many priests were jailed/exiled from Germany and how much property was seized
-1800
-16m Reichsmarks worth
how was the Kulturkampf unsuccessful
-failed to achieve its goals
-ostracised Catholic population
-issue in employment and disadvantage with education
-reinforced Catholic separation
