Kaiser Wilhelm II & the Government (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Natasha Smith
How much power did the Kaiser have over the government? - Summary
The Kaiser had total power over the government. The Kaiser was the head of state and the Commander-in-Chief of the army. This meant that the Kaiser had control over the military and could make important decisions about foreign policy such as Weltpolitik.
The Kaiser also had significant control over the government institutions. The Reichstag was elected by the people. However, its power was limited. The Kaiser could dismiss the Reichstag or ignore its decisions if he didn’t agree with them. The Bundesrat represented the various German states and had some influence. However, as many of its members were Prussian, they mostly supported the Kaiser’s decisions. The Kaiser appointed the chancellor so they could be fired whenever the Kaiser wanted. This meant the Chancellor often had to follow the Kaiser’s wishes, even if it was unpopular.
Over time, many Germans grew frustrated with the Kaiser’s control. The citizens felt they didn’t have a true voice in the government due to the weakness of the Reichstag. The Kaiser's focus on military power put pressure on the economy and led to high taxes. This eventually caused anger and unrest in Germany, especially by 1918.
Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II?
The Kaiser's foreign policy
Foreign policy is how a government deals with other nations
When Wilhelm II became the Kaiser, he had a clear vision for Germany's foreign policy
Weltpolitik
Weltpolitik is German for 'world policy'
The aim of Weltpolitik was for Germany to achieve its 'place in the sun'
This meant that the Kaiser wanted Germany to expand its empire to gain the world's respect
To achieve Weltpolitik, the Kaiser wanted to:
gain more colonies in Africa
During the Scramble for Africa in 1885, European powers viewed Germany as weak. As a result, Germany only gained four colonies
The Kaiser felt that this was unfair. He wanted Germany to be given their 'fair share' of Africa
build up Germany's armed forces
A large navy would help Germany gain more colonies
A strong army would be key in Germany becoming a world power, respected by other European nations
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Many students struggle to spell 'Weltpolitik'. Keep practising its spelling until you feel more confident. You could also create a mnemonic for words that you find difficult in this topic. This will help you to remember the order of the letters in each word.
Germany's government in 1871
Considerations for the new German government
When Germany unified in 1871, a new government had to form
Key decisions had to be made on:
what type of government should Germany have?
Germany could have been a democracy or a dictatorship
The Kaiser could rule as an autocrat or take advice from his people
how much independence should each German state have?
Would the German government operate federally? This would allow each German state to make lots of decisions about how to govern their region
Would the German government be more centralised? The government would make all of the decisions and force all German states to comply
how would policies be decided?
The Kaiser could make all of the decisions on his own, without a parliament
The Kaiser could select his own government which could advise but have no real power in policymaking
The German government could be a powerful, elected system that made all of the country's decisions
The structure of the German government
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Study the structure of the pre-war German government and compare it to the Weimar Constitution. This is important to see the similarities and differences between the two government systems.
Issues with the government system in 1871
The Kaiser had ultimate control in Germany
He did not have to listen to the chancellor's advice
The chancellor had to be careful not to displease the Kaiser as he held the power to appoint and sack ministers as he wished
He could dissolve the Reichstag whenever he wanted to
This meant that the Reichstag had no real power in Germany
He had to approve all laws that the Bundesrat created
The Bundesrat had more power than the Reichstag but was still under the control of the Kaiser
He held the ultimate power to declare war and make treaties
The Kaiser took virtually no advice in his military and foreign policies
The federal nature of the government
Each state controlled their taxes
This meant that the Kaiser struggled to raise the taxes needed to run the country
Prussia was incredibly dominant in German politics
The other German states were not fairly represented in the Bundesrat
Worked Example
Describe two problems with the Kaiser's government system up until 1914
[4 marks]
Answer
One problem of the Kaiser's government was the Reichstag's lack of power (1). This was a problem because the people who voted, which was all men over 25, felt that they had no power in Germany (1).
Another issue of the Kaiser's government was the Bundesrat decided upon their state's taxes (1). This was a problem because the Kaiser could not easily raise the taxes needed to finance policies such as Weltpolitik (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In a 'Describe two' question, you need to provide two points about the issue outlined in the question. For each part, you should:
identify - write a relevant point based on the question topic (1)
In the example, one point could be about the Kaiser's ultimate power over the government.
describe - add relevant specific information about the point you have made (1)
In the example, you could state that he could start wars without approval from the government.
Our exam skills pages give further guidance and advice on the 'Describe' question
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