Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Germany under the Kaiser
- Kaiser Wilhelm
- Characteristics
- Positives
- Ambitious
- Intelligent
- Well-informed
- Good personality
- Negatives
- Bad concentration span
- Paranoid
- Cruel and rude
- Irrational
- Kaiser and the military
- Proud Prussian past
- Adopted Weltpolitik
- Wanted to make Germany a world power
- Colonies
- Envied British navy
- Started a naval race
- 5 Naval laws 1898-1912
- Strong army
- Society
- Urbanisation
- Wages up for working and middle classes
- Higher class earned less
- Politics
- SPD becoming more popular
- Socialist
- Kaiser worried
- Lower classes liked
- Got some reforms through
- Kaiser sacked chancellor that allowed it
- Population growth
- Economy
- New industries doing well
- Chemical
- Heavy industry
- Steel
- Iron
- Coal
- 1873 slump in businesses
- Depression
- People unhappy
- WW1
- The Kaiser during WW1
- Never visited trenches
- Left it to his generals
- Only interfered with navy
- Became unpopular
- Tactics
- Schlieffen Plan
- Details
- Go through Belgium into France
- Take out Paris quickly
- Then deal with Russia
- No war on two fronts
- Sneeky
- British had an alliance with Belgium
- Germany didn't think they'd stick to it
- Draw forces to German-French border
- Why did it fail?
- British came quickly
- Belgians resisted
- Battle of the Marne failed
- Russia mobilised quickly
- Effects
- Naval blockade
- British blockaded all ships coming in and out
- Couldn't import food
- People went hungry
- Turnip winter 1916-17
- Couldn't import war resources
- Large war expenditure
- Economic Problems
- Fewer men
- Smaller workforce
- Women had to go in jobs
- Lifestyle & culture changes
- The end
- While the Kaiser came back to Germany to feel safer, the government announced his abdication without him knowing
- He had no choice but to agree
- This was the end of German Kaisers
- War ended 11/11/1918