German Society during the Second Reich

German Society during the Second Reich

German politics had been dominated by the middle classes and the aristocracy in the Second Reich. Whilst there was Universal Suffrage for men aged above 25 the real political power was very firmly in the hands of the nobility. Economic prosperity and growth led to increased urbanisation within Germany, 60% of the populace lived in towns and cities by 1910. This led to the emergence of a stronger socialist movement during the latter stages of the 19th century, though this was controlled initially by Bismarck via the introduction of welfare legislation and later through anti-socialist legislation. Much of Germany could be considered to have a military tradition at this time. The Military was of great importance to the Second Reich throughout its inception and was much loved by many of those with political power, particularly the Prussian aristocracy. Generally speaking, the Second Reich was therefore a conservative society, as illustrated by these electoral results:

Party	1887	1890	1893	1898	1903	1907	1912
German conservatives	80	73	72	56	54	60	43
Free conservatives	41	20	28	23	21	24	14
National Liberals	99	42	53	46	51	54	45
Centre	98	106	96	102	100	105	91
Left Liberals	32	76	48	49	36	49	42
Social Democrats	11	35	44	56	81	43	110
Minorities	33	38	35	34	32	29	33
Right Wing Splinter Parties	3	7	21	31	22	33	19
Total	397	397	397	397	397	397	397
Source: European History for AS Level, Edited by Steve Lancaster, Causeway Press.

[products limit=”8″ columns=”4″ category=”hitlers-germany” cat_operator=”AND”]

 

Weimar Germany Lessons and Teachers Resources
Rise of Hitler revision chart	1-9 GCSE Exam Preparation. Usefulness of Sources: the SA and Nazi methods of control.
Revision exercises@ Life in Nazi Germany	1-9 GCSE History Revision Guide Weimar and Nazi Germany
Teaching resource: How did the Nazi’s rise to power?
German History Homepage
The Second Reich
Unification of Germany	Political systems within the Second Reich
German Society during the Second Reich	Collapse of the Second Reich
Weimar Republic
Interim Government	Founding of the Weimar Republic
Impact of the First World War on Germany	The Treaty of Versailles and its impact on Germany
Weimar Constitution	1919-1923: Years of Crisis?
Spartacist Uprising	Kapp Putsch
The Munich Putsch	Hyperinflation in Germany, 1923
Reparations	Did the Economic Crisis of 1923 help the Nazi’s?
Origins of the Nazi Party	1924-1928: A Golden Era?
Gustav Stresemann	German Foreign Relations 1919-1932
Germany in the Great Depression	Rise of the Nazi Party
Failings of the Weimar Republic	Totalitarian Regime in Nazi Germany
How did Hitler consolidate power?	Mein Kampf
Nazi methods of control	Opposition to the Nazi Regime
Organisation of the Nazi Party	Fuhrerprinzip
Kristallnacht	Youth and Education
Goering and the 2nd 4 Year Plan	Anti-Jewish Boycott, 1933
Nazi Anti-Semitism	DAF (The German Labour Front)
Propaganda in Germany 1919-39	Economic Policy of the Nazi Party
Weimar Germany	Our sister site provides in depth coverage of many aspects of life in Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic
Resistance and Opposition to the Nazi Regime	A wide ranging series of articles on the different opposition and resistance movements in Nazi Germany.
Lesson plans, resources and ideas on Nazi Germany	A range of lesson plans, teaching resources and links of use in the classroom
Economy under Nazi rule	Articles, Resources and Documentation relating to the Economy under Nazi rule
The Holocaust	History Teachers’ Resources
Revision Diagrams
Was the Weimar Republic Doomed from the outset?	To what extent did Germany recover under Stresemann?
The Nazi Party up to 1929	How did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany?
Who gained from Nazi rule?
Revision Diagrams
Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?	|To what extent did Weimar recover under Stresemann?
How did the Nazi Party develop up to 1929?	How did Hitler become Chancellor?
How did Hitler become Chancellor?	How did the Nazi’s create a Totalitarian State?