Starter

What is your opinion

on Nationalism/Imperialism?
Political Developments
Learning Objectives: To understand
the social, political and economic
structure of Germany in 1900-1914

Success Criteria: To understand the

terms Wetpolitik, Flottenpolitik,
Sammlungspolitik to evaluate the
success of these policies.
The main aim of successive German
Chancellors was to do what?

What area were many of the groups

we looked at last lesson looking for
Germany to strenghthen?
 Demands for Constitutional
Reform
Liberals pushed for this to strengthen the power
of the Reischstag.
Bismarck previously dealth with this using ‘Divide
& Rule’ tactics.
1860’s & 70 he used war & conquest to split the
more national minded liberals from those who
wanted constitutional reform.
After passing the Tarrif Laws, which pleased the
Conservatives & National Liberals, the divisions
remained & demands for more power in the
Reichstag were muted.
Successive Chancellors continued to deal with this
challenge well.
 Demand for Social Reform
Socialists demanded social reform.
The passing of the Anti-Socialist Laws in
1878 drove all socialist organisations
underground.
In 1890, the Reichstag, along with
support from the Kaiser refused to
confirm the legislation and it was
dropped (Bismarck was furious at this).
From then, only limited social reform was
granted.
Foreign Minister & Chancellor Bernhard von Bulow
FM 1897 – 1900
Chancellor 1900 – 1909

During his time in office he devised strategies to

protect the interests of the ruling classes.

Sammlungspolitik
Politics of Concentration. Bulow aimed to build an
alliance of conservative interests in the Reich
between Conservatives & Liberals, Junker &
industrialists, which would provide a broad front
against Socialism.
To do this he created a policy of protectionism and
a nationalist foreign & colonial policy to rally all
Germans called Weltpolitik (World politics).
Integral to Weltpolitik was building up the German
armed forces. Flottenpoliitik was a major part of
this policy which was to build a navy to rival that
of Britain. Secretary to the Navy, Alfred von
Tirpitz was integral to this.
 Questions
1) How successful were Bulow’s
Weltpolitik & Sammlungspolitik?

2) Why was there not an even greater

outcry in response to the Herero
Genocide in Germany?
 Homework
Research the Zabern Affair:
What was it?
Background
Events
Impact of the Zabern Affair