Political Movements & Pressure Groups

Political Movements & Pressure Groups

Starter Using the cards; match the correct party to their correct views & groups.

Conservatives Groups representing: Junkers, landed interests, especially in Prussia. Views: Supported the Kaiser, discipline and authority; in favour of a nationalist foreign policy.

Free Conservatives Groups representing: Commercial, industrial and wealthier professionalclasses from across Germany. Views: Similar to Conservatives. Strong supporters of Bismarck and protectionism.

National Liberals Groups Representing: Industrial Middle Class, Protestant Middle Class. Views: Nationalist; believed in a strong nation state & encouragement of a state with a liberal constitution; supported Bismarck’s attack on the Catholic Church (Kulturkampf); political allies of the conservative parties.

Liberal Progressives Groups Representing: Middle Classes   Views: Very much in favour of the development of Parliamentary government; not so keen on Bismarck’s idea of the power of the nation state, views closely shared by the German Peoples Party.

Centre Party Groups representing: The Catholic Church & its members, essentially based in the south; also support from non-socialist working class and middle and middle & lower middle class interests. Views: Opposed Bismarck’s attack on the Catholic Church; feared rise of socialism; antiPrussia.

Social Democratic Party Groups Representing: Working Class after Bismarck’s AntiSocialist Laws lapsed in 1890. Views: Split. Marxists argued for revolution and noncooperation with the political with the political system; Reformists argued that the party should work within the political system to achieve social reform.

Learning Objectives: To undsterstand the political make up of Germany pre WWI. Including parties, pressure groups & views. Success Criteria: To create a chart showing each political party & pressure group and the relationships between them

Consequences of Economic Development The changes that took place in the German economy provided pressures which the political system had to deal with. Some historians have suggested that the pressures were too much for the system to deal with. • There was a contradiction between economic modernisation (seeing industry flourish & cities grow) and the lack of political reform & the restricted spread of democracy. • There was uneven economic growth leading to rising unemployment & prices between 1912 & 1914. This period saw clashes between workers & strikers (the Ruhr). • There was an increase in participation in politics in the run up to WWI. The chalenge for the governing classes was to channel and control the impact of such pressure.

Socialist Movement What is a socialist movement? Where do the origins of socialism lie?

One of the major impacts of indistrialisation was the growth of the socialist movement. The german government hoped to dampen the working classes enthusiasm by passing the Anti-Socialist Laws of 1878 – 90 (Banned groups, meetings & publications. Upheld by Police surveilance and powers given to local authorities). However, this had the opposite effect. There were elements in the SPD that were revolutionary but that did not mean this was indicative of the whole movement. But it was the establishments perception of the movement that was important & led to the rise of Socialism being such a big issue. How would the establishment view the Socialist movement?

Party

1898

1903

1907

1912

Conservatives 56

54

60

43

Free 23 Conservatives

21

24

14

National Liberals

46

51

54

45

Liberal Progressives

41

31

42

42

Centre Party

102

100

105

91

Social Democrats

56

81

43

110

Others

82

63

69

52

Seats won in the Reichstag 1898 – 1912 Use the table to explain the developments in voting and the fortunes of political parties from 1898 to 1912. You might choose to plot this on a graph.

Just before WWI, around 2.5m German workers were members of trade unions & 400,000 went out on strikes at some point in 1913. In 1910, the SPD had 720,000 members making it the largest Socialist party in Europe. Memebership was predominantly Protestant & working class. By the eve of the war, the SPD were winning 75% of the vote in Berlin.

How much of a threat were the SPD to the establishment? Read the information on the ideas relating to the aims of the SPD and decide if the SPD posed a real threat.

Pressure Groups This was another consequence of economic & social changes. These groups often focused on single issues but highlighted tensions & division in Germany. These are divided into 2 groups: Nationalist and Economic

Nationalist Pressure Groups There were three main groups that pressurised for German colonial expansion and the assertion of German interests. They were to have an important impact on the deveopment of policy.

The German Colonial League Was founded in 1892 and was concerned with the acquistion of German colonies. It also played a part in ruling various parts of the farflung empire, e.g. 1884 the Colonial League took control of German South West Africa.

The Pan German League Founded in 1890. It was also committed to the acquistion of colonies but also to German dominance in Europe. The League had strong support from the political establishment, some 60 members of the Reichstag (mostly National Liberals) being members of the organisation in 1914.

The Navy League Founded in 1898. Was highly popular and had a membership of around 1 million. The League played an important role in the successful campaign in and outside the Reichstag to promote naval expansion.

Economic Pressure Groups The Central Association of German Industrialists Created in 1886 to protect industrial interests, and from 1878 onwards that meant the implementation of tarrifs. In the 1912 election the organsiation funded 120 candidates from the conservative & liberal parties, at a cost of 1 million marks. Not surprisingly, it was considered to be the most powerful pressure group in Germany.

The Agrarian League Founded in 1893 to protect agrarian interests. Although Junker led, it gained widespread support from the peasantry and had a third of a million members by 1914. It pushed for protectionsim and subsidies for agriculture.

Task With there being a number of Political Parties and pressure groups in Germany, it is important to undertand their position in relation to each other and their left or right wing positions. Plot the political & pressure groups on a chart from left wing to right wing and try draw links between each group and then explain your reasons.

Plenary