Germany's Strong Economic Growth After 1871
In January of 1871 Wilhelm of Prussia was proclaimed Emperor of
Germany. The many German states had been unified with Prussiaat their
head, the second Reich began. This unification of Germany and the
'iron chancellor' Otto Von Bismarck then lead Germany through a period
of huge economic growth. In the space of 50 years Germany grew from a
feudal simplicity to the great power which terrorised Europe
throughout the First World War.
We must first enquire into the reasons behind the unification of
Germany. A gradual process of economic interdependence from the early
stages of the Industrial Revolution saw the Germanic states move
towards economic unification, before they engaged in political
unification. This economic growth became increasingly reliant upon the
strong bonds throughout the Germanic states. This illustrated an
emerging identity of a strong Germany separate form Austria.
Schleswig and Holstein are two German duchies (remains of old German
tribes) that were under Danish rule. In the 1840's the Danes attempted
to claim Schleswig and Holstein as being part of Denmark, rather than
them remaining as semi-independent Germanic tribes. This resulted in
uproar from German nationalists and demands for the two duchies to be
fully incorporated into the German Confederation. The confederation
consisted of thirty-eight sovereign states and four free cities and
included the five large kingdoms of Austria, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria,
and Württemberg. In 1848, this had led to a brief war for control of
the two duchies. Christian IX of Denmark formally incorporated
Schleswig and Holstein into the Danish state; breaking the terms of
the Treaty of London, the result of the previous war. Once more this
led to an outcry amongst German nationalists and the German
Confederation mobilized an army and invaded the duchies. Following the
victory it was agreed that Austria would manage the duchy of Holstein
and that Prussia would be in charge of the day to day running of
Schleswig.
In 1866 further arguments about the administration of
Schleswig-Holstein led to war breaking out between Austria and
A German confederation ‘Deutscher Bund’ was agreed to by the states of Germany in the ‘Bundesakte’ of 1815. This was because the leaders of the new territories did not want to give up their power over their land they had recently reclaimed, to another source of power, i.e. Austria or Prussia the two dominant German states. The ‘Deutscher Bund’ was an alliance between the 39 states of Germany and had no head of state or cen...
The German state was forged out of the fires of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 by the Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Prussia was by far the largest and most dominant state of the 25 unified in the creation of Germany, with the King of Prussia automatically becoming the Kaiser (Emperor) of the German Reich. In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm II ascended to the throne, obtaining absolute and total control of the country. However, there is still debate as to whether Wilhelm II exercised full control of Germany or if true power lay in the hands of others in the years preceding the First World War.
Germany’s Economic System the Federal Republic of Germany’s economy has now flourished despite its harsh times that have been faced throughout the decades. Most people know about Germany from its historic involvement in World War II; its successful campaign to unite East and West with the successful collapse of the Berlin Wall; and its world class development and production of automobiles. Unfortunately, what most people don’t know is that Germany continues to fight an uphill battle in keeping its established ranking among the world’s most important economic powers.
great powers. It led to either a rise or decline in power in each of
World War II was a war of blood. Blood replaced water in the irrigated fields of the humble farmer and washed away the lives of so many of our own. Blood poured out of the pens which signed orders of transcription, the seals which signified trades of weapons, the lettered keys which broke a new heart with every passage of staccato taps. In World War II, we learned that out of every wound comes red blood, and that out of every weeping eye comes tears. The tears of companions, of wives, of mothers, mingled with the blood of the fallen, leaving a stain on the face of diplomacy which will fade only with time. And time is definitely crucial, as this world of blood and tears must be mopped back up before the reminders of purpose, of courage, of patriotism, are absorbed by the unforgiving ground of ignorance. Before they are forgotten.
Evaluation of Weimar Germany The Weimar Republic was an extremely complex and diverse place throughout the entirety of the interwar years. The society and the culture that the Weimar created had several different facets and frontiers according to how one chooses to approach it. The fundamental themes of the period evolve around Political conflict, economic instability, social unrest and diverse ideologies. In relation to this essay I shall be focusing my attention on the latter themes, as I believe that the determinants of social unrest and conflicting ideologies are paramount when investigating the social and cultural development of the Weimar Republic. There is little doubt that pre-war and post-war German societies were very different.
The development and expansionism of the American West was far more aggressive than that of New England. By the early nineteenth century, countries from all over the world were attempting to claim a stake in the rapidly evolving continent. As is described in Major Problems in Environmental History,
Schacht’s Running of the German Economy In 1933 many problems faced Germany economically, the Nazi party’s main aims were to tackle the serious depression and sort out Germany’s rising unemployment. Germany has poor economic and social organization, Hitler wanted to sort this out so Germany’s economy was geared for War. Another problem was the need to balance deficit payments, the economy needed to recover to increase demand for consumer goods and too bring around re-armament through increased demand of raw materials. The World’s high value market was protectionist and made it hard to increase exports at the time. There was a very real danger of inflation as there was already a growing demand for more money and products.
due to a couple of reasons. The most important one was the fact he was
Economic growth during the Gilded Age had a big impact on society from having corrupt politicians to the working class being renamed as the “other half” of the population. There was much growth during the Gilded Age that had re-invented the image of the working class. The politicians were corrupt and took bribes and the working class people were mostly immigrant families working long hours. The businessmen, who were upper class people, preached that success can be achieved through hard work.
Hyper- inflation in Germany 1923 was that of a huge blow to their economy and moreover, to their self-esteem. The value of the German mark became next to nothing, and people ended up having to trolley wheel-barrows full of money just to buy a loaf of bread. There are several causes for this happening in the first place, Germany had no goods to trade with the first place and they weren’t exactly on good terms with other countries to be in a position to do so. Then there was the severe impact of the treaty of Versailles that was “happily bestowed” upon them after the First World War. The French invasion of the Ruhr caused an uproar in the German government and it didn’t help in terms of Germany’s economy either. These were just a few main causes of the hyper-inflation in Germany, however, to find out what really happened what the real truth is we would have to accept the fact that real answer lies with inputs from all of these causes as they all played a part.
According to the textbook Experience History, the economic expansion was the culmination of expansion in the economy and a new era of republican control. It occurred from 1920 – 1929. This was a period of a time of higher wages, more business, and the new paradigm shift to consumerism.
The Extent to Which the Weimar Republic Recovered after 1923 In the period after 1923, under Gustav Stresemann, Germany was able to stand back on its feet and overcome many of its difficulties. Weimar Republic was created in 1919 to govern a defeated Germany after World War One. Germany was facing many social, political and economical problems while the new constitution laid open for the seizure of power. There were many rebellions and attempted revolutions making the country very unstable. Situations were made worse by the harsh terms of Treaty of Versailles, causing hyperinflation and a huge amount of national debt.
It was important that he encouraged many of the middle-sized German states to absorb huge numbers of small independent territories, mostly bishoprics, church lands, and local principalities. This consolidation process, called mediation, led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and brought the same French legal codes, measurements, and weights to most German-speaking areas, thus helping to modernize them. In 1806 Napoleon defeated the last independent and defiant German state, Prussia. The Prussians, quite naturally, were concerned about their defeat and started a thorough reform and modernization of the state and army (they "reinvented government"). Reformed Prussia became the hope of many other Germans who started to suffer increasingly under French occupation (which turned more repressive and exploitative) and their often forced cooperation with France.
Prior to unification in 1871 the territory that would become Germany was comprised of thirty-nine independent states and city states joined together in a loose German Confederation. The most powerful among these states was Prussia, both geographically the largest state and that with the largest population. The influential politicians and policies that came out of Prussia were instrumental in the gradual formation of a united Germany. Beginning with the rise of Napoleon, the nineteenth century was a time of incredible change which dramatically altered the political balance of Europe. In order to understand the factors that culminated in official German unification on January 18 1871, it is necessary to examine the preceding decades. No single factor can be credited for the unification of the German states. Rather, the combined forces of social change, economic strength within a unified customs union, the moral justifications provided by nationalism, Bismarck’s careful manipulation of internal politics and the advantages gained through military action resulted in the unification of Germany.