AQA GCSE History
Paper 1
Germany 1890-45
Revision Booklet
Name: …………………………………………………............................................................
, Germany - 1870-1918: The Kaiser
The Unification of Germany
• Prior to 1871, Germany was divided into 39 states. Each with their own leader,
rules and customs.
• The strongest of these states was Prussia.
• Prussia was ruled by the Kaiser and the Chancellor – the Chancellor at the time
was Otto Von Bismarck; a man who believed heavily in militarism and unifying all
of the German states together to create one country.
• Many of the German states agreed that unification was a good thing, as it would
get rid of the threat of invasion by the surrounding large countries; Russia and
France.
• Austria disagreed with unification as they worried that it would impact on their
empire and result in them losing power in the area.
• Prussia were involved in a number of wars for territory, the most famous being
the Franco-Prussian War which they fought against France in 1870-1871.
• Prussia were successful in defeating France in this war and took land from them
(Alsace-Lorraine). France were left embarrassed and were furious at Germany
(holding a grudge way past WW1).
• After this war, Prussia was successful in their mission to unify Germany and the
country of Germany was born.
• Germany was now a united country with the Prussian Kaiser at its helm, with Otto
Von Bismarck acting as Chancellor.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
• In 1888, the 29-year-old Wilhelm became Kaiser. He was the grandson of
Britain’s Queen Victoria and the cousin of Britain’s future king, George V.
• When he became Kaiser, Britain was the world’s most powerful country; it had
the largest empire, and dominated world trade. Britain also had a navy that was
twice the size of its two closest rivals added together.
• Wilhelm dreamed of making Germany as great as Britain, and began by building up
Germany’s industry. This process is called industrialisation.
• Supported by rich, powerful German businessmen, Wilhelm’s desires came true
and, by 1913, Germany was producing more iron and steel and as much coal as
Britain. In industries such as electrical goods and chemicals, German companies
dominated Europe.
• Wilhelm was very energetic with a strong, outgoing personality. He could be
charming and kind, but also impatient and rude.
, • The Kaiser would often sack ministers if they did not do what he wanted them to.
This resulted in him sacking the much loved Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck, in
1890.
• The Kaiser had spent most of his youth in the army and as a result championed
militarism as being the key to a successful country. He was keen to maintain a
strong army and build up a strong Navy which rivaled Britain’s.
• Re replaced his father aged 29, after he died suddenly and unexpectedly of
cancer.
Kaiser Wilhelm II Foreign Policy
• The Kaiser followed a Foreign Policy of Weltpolitik (World policy) and believed
that Germany should have their ‘Place in the sun’ competing and being recognised
with the other world powers.
• The Kaiser believed that the key to achieving his aim, was to establish and
maintain and strong army and Navy. As a result of this he became involved with
other European powers in the Arms and Naval Race.
• One of his main aims was to compete with the British Navy, and therefore he
introduced Naval Laws in 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 to build up the size of
his Navy.
• This resulted in Britain becoming worried by Germany’s Naval advancements and
continuing to strengthen their own Navy, releasing the new battleship the
Dreadnought in 1906. Germany then released their own version of the
Dreadnought and continued to build up their Navy in preparation for war.
• The Kaiser also wanted to increase the size of Germany’s army and introduced
compulsory conscription in 1913,
• The Kaiser hoped to use his strong army and navy to build up Germany’s empire
and establish them as a world power.
The growth of Socialism
• The success of German industry had made many landowners, business and factory
owners very rich. These people, along with noble army officers, were a powerful
force in Germany at this time and had much influence with the Kaiser. They were
keen to preserve their positions of influence, but things were changing.
• Many workers in the new factories, mines and workshops were unhappy because
their wages were low, working conditions were poor, and food was expensive.
More and more working class people joined trade unions and organised strikes in
the hope that this might force the Kaiser, his advisers and the politicians in the
Reichstag to try to improve their conditions.
, • Many ordinary workers voted for a new political party called the Social
Democratic Party [SPD]. They believed in socialism - the idea that power and
wealth should be shared equally among the people.
• The Social Democrats hoped that the Kaiser might share some of his power, and
allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms or laws to improve workers’
rights and conditions.
• Around one in three Germans voted for this political party at this time.
• There were some socialists who took a more extreme view: they wanted to rebel
against the Kaiser’s rule, start a revolution, take over the country, and allow
cities and towns to be governed by councils of workers.
• The rise in popularity of socialism is one of the major events in Germany at this
time - and was potentially a major problem for the government.
Germany and the First World War
• People in Germany soon started to suffer during the war, when the British used
their large navy to stop supply ships getting to Germany. As a result, there were
terrible shortages of food, medicines and clothing. As the war continued, people
grew weary and tired of it.
• In 1915, 500 women gathered in front of the German parliament buildings and
said that they wanted their men back from the trenches.
• A year later, 10,000 workers assembled in Berlin to shout,‘Down with war, down
with the government!’ The police quickly moved in to make arrests and calm the
situation.
The impact of WW1
• By 1918, Germany was close to collapse.
• The German people were so short of food that they were surviving on turnips and
bread, and a deadly flu epidemic was sweeping the country, killing thousands
already weak from a poor diet.
• On the battlefields, too, Germany was close to defeat.
• In October, General Ludendorff, a leading German army general and war hero,
told German politicians that they could never win the war. He advised the Kaiser
that the British, French and Americans might treat Germany more fairly if the
country became more democratic - in other words, the Kaiser must share more
of his power with the German parliament.
• The Kaiser reluctantly did exactly that. He allowed the main political parties to
form a new government, and transferred some of his powers to the Reichstag.
However, the changes came too late to satisfy the German people.
Paper 1
Germany 1890-45
Revision Booklet
Name: …………………………………………………............................................................
, Germany - 1870-1918: The Kaiser
The Unification of Germany
• Prior to 1871, Germany was divided into 39 states. Each with their own leader,
rules and customs.
• The strongest of these states was Prussia.
• Prussia was ruled by the Kaiser and the Chancellor – the Chancellor at the time
was Otto Von Bismarck; a man who believed heavily in militarism and unifying all
of the German states together to create one country.
• Many of the German states agreed that unification was a good thing, as it would
get rid of the threat of invasion by the surrounding large countries; Russia and
France.
• Austria disagreed with unification as they worried that it would impact on their
empire and result in them losing power in the area.
• Prussia were involved in a number of wars for territory, the most famous being
the Franco-Prussian War which they fought against France in 1870-1871.
• Prussia were successful in defeating France in this war and took land from them
(Alsace-Lorraine). France were left embarrassed and were furious at Germany
(holding a grudge way past WW1).
• After this war, Prussia was successful in their mission to unify Germany and the
country of Germany was born.
• Germany was now a united country with the Prussian Kaiser at its helm, with Otto
Von Bismarck acting as Chancellor.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
• In 1888, the 29-year-old Wilhelm became Kaiser. He was the grandson of
Britain’s Queen Victoria and the cousin of Britain’s future king, George V.
• When he became Kaiser, Britain was the world’s most powerful country; it had
the largest empire, and dominated world trade. Britain also had a navy that was
twice the size of its two closest rivals added together.
• Wilhelm dreamed of making Germany as great as Britain, and began by building up
Germany’s industry. This process is called industrialisation.
• Supported by rich, powerful German businessmen, Wilhelm’s desires came true
and, by 1913, Germany was producing more iron and steel and as much coal as
Britain. In industries such as electrical goods and chemicals, German companies
dominated Europe.
• Wilhelm was very energetic with a strong, outgoing personality. He could be
charming and kind, but also impatient and rude.
, • The Kaiser would often sack ministers if they did not do what he wanted them to.
This resulted in him sacking the much loved Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck, in
1890.
• The Kaiser had spent most of his youth in the army and as a result championed
militarism as being the key to a successful country. He was keen to maintain a
strong army and build up a strong Navy which rivaled Britain’s.
• Re replaced his father aged 29, after he died suddenly and unexpectedly of
cancer.
Kaiser Wilhelm II Foreign Policy
• The Kaiser followed a Foreign Policy of Weltpolitik (World policy) and believed
that Germany should have their ‘Place in the sun’ competing and being recognised
with the other world powers.
• The Kaiser believed that the key to achieving his aim, was to establish and
maintain and strong army and Navy. As a result of this he became involved with
other European powers in the Arms and Naval Race.
• One of his main aims was to compete with the British Navy, and therefore he
introduced Naval Laws in 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 to build up the size of
his Navy.
• This resulted in Britain becoming worried by Germany’s Naval advancements and
continuing to strengthen their own Navy, releasing the new battleship the
Dreadnought in 1906. Germany then released their own version of the
Dreadnought and continued to build up their Navy in preparation for war.
• The Kaiser also wanted to increase the size of Germany’s army and introduced
compulsory conscription in 1913,
• The Kaiser hoped to use his strong army and navy to build up Germany’s empire
and establish them as a world power.
The growth of Socialism
• The success of German industry had made many landowners, business and factory
owners very rich. These people, along with noble army officers, were a powerful
force in Germany at this time and had much influence with the Kaiser. They were
keen to preserve their positions of influence, but things were changing.
• Many workers in the new factories, mines and workshops were unhappy because
their wages were low, working conditions were poor, and food was expensive.
More and more working class people joined trade unions and organised strikes in
the hope that this might force the Kaiser, his advisers and the politicians in the
Reichstag to try to improve their conditions.
, • Many ordinary workers voted for a new political party called the Social
Democratic Party [SPD]. They believed in socialism - the idea that power and
wealth should be shared equally among the people.
• The Social Democrats hoped that the Kaiser might share some of his power, and
allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms or laws to improve workers’
rights and conditions.
• Around one in three Germans voted for this political party at this time.
• There were some socialists who took a more extreme view: they wanted to rebel
against the Kaiser’s rule, start a revolution, take over the country, and allow
cities and towns to be governed by councils of workers.
• The rise in popularity of socialism is one of the major events in Germany at this
time - and was potentially a major problem for the government.
Germany and the First World War
• People in Germany soon started to suffer during the war, when the British used
their large navy to stop supply ships getting to Germany. As a result, there were
terrible shortages of food, medicines and clothing. As the war continued, people
grew weary and tired of it.
• In 1915, 500 women gathered in front of the German parliament buildings and
said that they wanted their men back from the trenches.
• A year later, 10,000 workers assembled in Berlin to shout,‘Down with war, down
with the government!’ The police quickly moved in to make arrests and calm the
situation.
The impact of WW1
• By 1918, Germany was close to collapse.
• The German people were so short of food that they were surviving on turnips and
bread, and a deadly flu epidemic was sweeping the country, killing thousands
already weak from a poor diet.
• On the battlefields, too, Germany was close to defeat.
• In October, General Ludendorff, a leading German army general and war hero,
told German politicians that they could never win the war. He advised the Kaiser
that the British, French and Americans might treat Germany more fairly if the
country became more democratic - in other words, the Kaiser must share more
of his power with the German parliament.
• The Kaiser reluctantly did exactly that. He allowed the main political parties to
form a new government, and transferred some of his powers to the Reichstag.
However, the changes came too late to satisfy the German people.
