7.2 - Germany Strengthens

Read the following article and answer the questions that follow.
Ch 7 Sec #2 
Germany Strengthens

In January 1871, German princes gathered in the glittering Hall of Mirrors at the French palace of Versailles. They had just defeated Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War. Once home to
French kings, the palace seemed the perfect place to proclaim the new German empire. To the winners as well as to the losers, the symbolism was clear: French domination of Europe had ended.
Germany was now the dominant power in Europe.

Germany Becomes an Industrial Giant
In the aftermath of unification, the German empire emerged as the industrial giant of the European continent. By the late 1800s, German chemical and electrical industries were setting the standard worldwide. Among the European powers, German shipping was second only to Britain’s.
Making Economic Progress Germany, like Great Britain, possessed several of the factors that made industrialization possible. Germany’s spectacular growth was due in part to ample iron and
coal resources, the basic ingredients for industrial development. A disciplined and educated workforce also helped the economy. The German middle class and educated professionals helped to create a productive and efficient society that prided itself on its sense of responsibility and deference to authority. Germany’s rapidly growing population—from 41 million in 1871 to 67 million by 1914—also provided a huge home market along with a larger supply of industrial workers.

The new nation also benefited from earlier progress. During the 1850s and 1860s, Germans had founded large companies and built many railroads. The house of Krupp (kroop) boomed after 1871, becoming an enormous industrial complex that produced steel and weapons for a world
market. Between 1871 and 1914, the business tycoon August Thyssen (TEES un) built a small steel factory of 70 workers into a giant empire with 50,000 employees. Optics was another important industry. German industrialist and inventor Carl Zeiss built a company that became known for its telescopes, microscopes, and other optical equipment.

Promoting Scientific and Economic Development 
German industrialists were the first to see the value of applied science in develop-
ing new products such as synthetic chemicals and dyes. Industrialists, as well as the government, supported research and development in the universities and hired trained scientists to solve technological problems in their factories.
The German government also promoted economic development. After 1871, it issued a single currency for Germany, reorganized the banking system, and coordinated railroads built by the various German states. When a worldwide depression hit in the late 1800s, Germany raised tar-
iffs to protect home industries from foreign competition. The leaders of the new German empire were determined to maintain economic strength as well as military power.

The Iron Chancellor

As chancellor of the new German empire, Bismarck pursued several foreign-policy goals. He wanted to keep France weak and isolated while building strong links with Austria and Russia. He
respected British naval power but did not seek to compete in that arena. “Water rats,” he said, “do not fight with land rats.” Later, however, he would take a more aggressive stand against
Britain as the two nations competed for overseas colonies.

On the domestic front, Bismarck applied the same ruthless methods he had used to achieve
unification. The Iron Chancellor, as he was called, sought to erase local loyalties and crush
all opposition to the imperial state. He targeted two groups—the Catholic Church and the
Socialists. In his view, both posed a threat to the new German state.

Campaign Against the Church 
After unification, Catholics made up about a third of the German population. Bismarck, who was Lutheran, distrusted Catholics—especially the clergy—whose first loyalty, he believed, was to the pope instead of to Germany.
In response to what he saw as the Catholic threat, Bismarck launched the Kulturkampf
(kool TOOR kahmpf), or “battle for civilization,” which lasted from 1871 to 1878. His goal was to make Catholics put loyalty to the state above allegiance to the Church. The chancellor had laws passed that gave the state the right to supervise Catholic education and approve the appointment of priests. Other laws closed some religious orders, expelled the Jesuits from Prussia, and made it compulsory for couples to be married by civil authority.
Bismarck’s moves against the Catholic Church backfired. The faithful rallied behind the Church, and the Catholic Center party gained strength in the Reichstag. A realist, Bismarck saw his mistake and worked to make peace with the Church. 

Campaign Against the Socialists 
Bismarck also saw a threat to the new German empire in the growing power of socialism. By the late 1870s, German Marxists had organized the Social Democratic party, which called for parliamentary democracy and laws to improve conditions for the working class. Bismarck feared that socialists would undermine the loyalty of German workers and turn them toward revolution. Following a failed assassination plot against the kaiser, Bismarck had laws passed that dissolved socialist groups, shut down their newspapers, and banned their meetings. Once again, repression backfired. Workers were unified in support of the socialist cause.
Bismarck then changed course. He set out to woo workers away from socialism by sponsoring laws to protect them. By the 1890s, Germans had health and accident insurance as well as old-age insurance to provide retirement benefits. Thus, under Bismarck, Germany was a pioneer in social reform. Its system of economic safeguards became the model for other European nations.
Although workers benefited from Bismarck’s plan, they did not abandon socialism. In fact, the Social Democratic party continued to grow in strength. By 1912, it held more seats in the Reichstag than any other party. Yet Bismarck’s program showed that conditions for workers could be improved without the upheaval of a revolution. Later, Germany and other European nations would build on Bismarck’s social policies, greatly increasing government’s role in providing for the needs of its citizens.

Kaiser William II
In 1888, William II succeeded his grandfather as kaiser. The new emperor was supremely confident in his abilities and wished to put his own stamp on Germany. In 1890, he shocked Europe by asking the dominating Bismarck to resign. “There is only one master in the Reich,” he said, “and that is I.”
William II seriously believed that his right to rule came from God. He expressed this view when he said:
“My grandfather considered that the office of king was a task that God had
assigned to him. . . . That which he thought I also think. . . . Those who wish to
aid me in that task . . . I welcome with all my heart; those who
oppose me in this work I shall crush.”
—William II


Not surprisingly, William resisted efforts to introduce democratic reforms. At the same time, however, his gov ernment provided programs for social welfare, or pro grams to help certain groups of people. His government also provided services such as cheap transportation and electricity. An excellent system of public schools, which had flourished under Bismarck, taught students obedience to the emperor along with reading, writing, and mathematics.
Like his grandfather, William II lavished funds on the German military machine, already the most powerful in Europe. He also launched an ambitious campaign to expand the German navy and win an overseas empire to rival those of Britain and France. William’s nationalism and aggressive military stance helped increase tensions on the eve of World War I.

(define) Kulturkampf

(define) William II

(define) social welfare

(checkpoint) What factors did Germany possess that made industrialization possible there?

(checkpoint)  Why did Bismarck try to crush the Catholic Church and the Socialists?

(checkpoint) Why did William II ask Bismarck to resign in 1890?

(assessment) How did Germany become an industrial giant in the late 1800s?

(assessment) Do you think Bismarck’s methods were justified by his social reforms? Explain.

(assessment) Do you think the supporters of a democratic government in Germany in the late 1800s had hope of success? Explain.

(objectives) Describe how Germany became an industrial giant.

(objectives) Explain why Bismarck was called the Iron Chancellor.

(objectives) List the policies of Kaiser William II.