Section 2 Strengthening Germany

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• Section 2 Strengthening Germany
• Setting the Scene
• In January 1871, German princes gathered in the
  glittering Hall of Mirrors at the French palace
  of Versailles. They had just defeated Napoleon
  III in the Franco-Prussian War. The palace of
  Louis XIV seemed the perfect place to proclaim
  the new German empire. To the winners as well as
  to the losers, the symbolism was clear. French
  domination of Europe, dating from the age of
  Louis XIV, had ended. Germany, headed by William
  I and his chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, was now
  the dominant power in Europe.

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I. The German Industrial Giant

• After unification, the German empire emerged as
  the industrial giant of Europe

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I. The German Industrial Giant

• The Krupp industrial complex produced steel and
  weapons August Thyssen built a steel empire

Krupp gun works at Essen
Thyssen Krupp Electrical Steel
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I. The German Industrial Giant

• German industrialists used applied science to
  develop synthetic chemicals and dyes

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I. The German Industrial Giant

• Factors that made industrialization possible
• - iron and coal resources
• - a large disciplined and educated workforce
• - a huge home market
• - railroads
• - science and technology

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I. The German Industrial Giant

• The government promoted economic development,
  issued a single currency, and raised tariffs to
  maintain economic strength

Germany 20 mark gold coin (Kaiser Wilhelm
II)Minted 1890 - 1913Fineness .900Actual Gold
Content .2304 troy ounce
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II. The Iron Chancellor

• Bismarcks foreign-policy goals keep France weak
  while building strong links with Austria and
  Russia

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II. The Iron Chancellor
Bismarck launched the Kulturkampf , or "battle
for civilization," to make Catholics put loyalty
to the state above allegiance to the Church
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II. The Iron Chancellor
Bismarck saw socialism as a threat to the new
German empire he dissolved socialist groups,
shut down newspapers, and banned meetings
From the Austrian journal Kikeriki in 1870 the
title Germanys Future. Underneath is the
caption Will it fit under one hat? I believe it
is more likely to come under a Prussian
Pickelhaube!"
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II. The Iron Chancellor
The moves against the Church and socialism
backfired - Bismarck made peace with the Church
and sponsored laws to protect workers
Despite his military outfit and strenuous
exertions, Bismarck is unable to wrestle the
bogey-man of socialism into the box. This cartoon
from the British satirical magazine Punch
appeared while debate on the Socialist Law was
still occupying the attention of Reichstag
deputies in Berlin.
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III. Kaiser William II
1888 - William II succeeded his grandfather as
Kaiser and believed in absolute, divine-right
rule
Kaiser William II (1859-1941)
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III. Kaiser William II
In 1890, Kaiser William II shocked Europe by
asking the dominating Bismarck to resign