North German Confederation persuaded William I of Prussia to take the title Kaiser emperor In January 1871 German nationalists celebrated the birth of the Second Reich empire Bismarck drafted a constitution which set up a twohouse legislature The Bundesrat BOON ID: 641390
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Slide1
The German Empire is Created
North German Confederation persuaded William I of Prussia to take the title Kaiser (emperor).
In January 1871, German nationalists celebrated the birth of the Second Reich (empire)
Bismarck drafted a constitution which set up a two-house legislature: The Bundesrat (BOON
dus
raht
) or upper house (appointed by the rulers of German states) and the Reichstag (RYKS
tahg
) lower house(elected by universal male suffrage).
The Bundesrat could veto any decisions of the Reichstag, real power remained in the hands of the emperor and his chancellorSlide2
The Iron Chancellor
As chancellor of the new German empire, Bismarck pursued several foreign-policy goals. He wanted to keep France weak and isolated while building strong links with Austria and Russia.
He sought to erase local loyalties and crush all opposition to the imperial state. So he targeted two groups: the Catholic Church and the Socialists…he felt both posed a threat to the new German state.Slide3
Bismarck Challenges the Catholic Church
Catholics made up about 1/3 of the German population
Bismarck was Lutheran and distrusted Catholics because he felt their loyalty was to the Pope not to Germany
He launched the
Kulturkampf
(
kool
TOOR
kahmpf
) or “battle for civilization” which lasted from 1871-1878. He put laws into place that would supervise Catholic life (school, appointment of priests, expelled the Jesuits from Prussia, and made it compulsory for couples to be married by civil authority.
However, his efforts backfired; the Catholic Center party gained strength in the Reichstag. Bismarck seen his mistake and worked to make piece with the ChurchSlide4
Bismarck Attacks the Socialists
Under socialism, the people are supposed to own and operate the means of production.
Bismarck feared that socialists would undermine the loyalty of German workers and turn them toward revolution.
Had laws passed that dissolved socialist groups, shut down their newspapers, banned their meetings.
Once again, this backfired…it actually united workers to support the socialist cause.Slide5
Bismarck Changes Course
Learning from his mistakes, he set out to woo workers away from socialism by sponsoring laws to protect them.
By 1890s, Germans had health, accident and old-age insurance that provided retirement benefits.
Although Germany was a pioneer in social reform, the Social Democratic party continued to grow and by 1912, it held more seats in the Reichstag than any other party.Slide6
Kaiser William II
1888, William II succeeded his grandfather as Kaiser.
Asked Bismarck to resign “There is only one master in the Reich, and that is I”
He felt his right to rule came from God
Resisted efforts to introduce democratic political reform
However, they moved forward with social welfare, programs provided by the state for the benefit of its citizens
Lots and lots of money on the German military machine; launched an ambitious campaign to expand the German navy and win an overseas empire to rival those of Britain and France.Slide7
The Unification of Italy
Topic 14.4Slide8
First Steps to Italian Unity
Austria: control of much of northern Italy
Hapsburg monarchs: ruled various other Italian states
French Bourbon ruler: in charge of Naples and Sicily
Nationalists organized secret patriotic societies and focused their efforts on expelling Austrian forces from northern Italy…with little success between 1820-1848.
Giuseppe Mazzini (founder of the secret society Young Italy) helped set up a revolutionary republic in Rome but French forces soon toppled it. He spent much of his life in exile plotting and dreaming of a united Italy.Slide9
The Struggle for Italy
Giuseppe Garibaldi (
gah
ree
BAHL dee), a longtime nationalist and an ally of Mazzini wanted to create an Italian republic. He along with the help of 1,000 red-shirted volunteers won control of Sicily, crossed to the mainland and marched triumphantly north to Naples.Slide10
Italy Faces New Challenges
Regional Differences: Between north and south. North was richer and had more cities than the south
Conflict with the Papal States: Hostility between Italy and the Roman Catholic Church further divided the nation. Popes resented the seizure of the Papal States and of Rome and urged Italian Catholics not to cooperate with their new government
Political and Social Turmoil: Suffrage to more and more men and passed laws to improve social conditions.