Imperial Germany 1850-1918

✍ Scribed by Ed Feuchtwanger

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 257
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Imperial Germany focuses on the domestic political developments of the period, putting them into context through a balanced guide to the economic and social background, culture and foreign policy. This important study explores the tensions caused within an empire which was formed through war, against the prevailing liberal spirit of the age and poses many questions among them: * Was the desire to unify Germany the cause of the aggressive foreign policy leading to the First World War?* To what extent was Bismarck's Second Reich the forerunner of Hitler's Third? * Did Bismarck's authoritarian rule permanently hinder the political development of Germany? Recent debates raised by German scholarship are made accessible to English speaking readers, and the book summarises the important controversies and competing interpretations of imperial German history.

✦ Table of Contents

Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Chronology......Page 10
Introduction......Page 16
Maps......Page 22
The Unification of Germany......Page 23
Europe: 1878......Page 24
German nationalism between failure and revival 1850 1862......Page 26
The aftermath of the 1848 revolutions......Page 27
Economy and society during the restoration......Page 31
The politics of restoration......Page 34
The economic struggle between Austria and Prussia......Page 39
The Crimean War and changes in the European power balance......Page 40
The New Era in Prussia......Page 43
The Italian war of 1859......Page 44
The Prussian constitutional conflict......Page 47
Bismarck becomes prime minister......Page 49
The wars of unification 1862 1870......Page 53
The Schleswig-Holstein crisis......Page 57
Revival of conflict between Austria and Prussia......Page 61
The war of 1866......Page 66
Domestic consequences of the war of 1866......Page 68
The establishment of the North German Confederation......Page 69
The North German Confederation and the South......Page 72
The war of 1870......Page 77
The creation of the German empire......Page 82
Imperial Germany the liberal phase 1870 1879......Page 85
The Kulturkampf......Page 88
Economic boom and bust......Page 92
The end of the liberal period......Page 95
Bismarck breaks with the Liberals......Page 97
Anti-socialist law and protection......Page 101
Foreign policy during the first decade of the Reich......Page 103
The dual alliance......Page 107
Bismarck's system in decline 1879 1890......Page 109
Bismarck's social policy......Page 110
Changes in party alignments......Page 112
Foreign and colonial policy in the 1880s......Page 115
Anti-Polish measures......Page 116
The cartel elections......Page 118
The fall of Bismarck......Page 120
The Wilhelmine age......Page 124
Modernity and cultural pessimism......Page 127
The changing structure of politics......Page 129
The political parties......Page 132
The SPD and the free trade unions......Page 133
The liberal parties......Page 136
The conservative parties......Page 137
The Centre party......Page 139
Organized interests and lobbies......Page 140
Towards Weltpolitik and social imperialism 1890 1909......Page 144
The chancellorship of Hohenlohe......Page 150
Divisive social issues lex Heinze and lex Arons......Page 152
Towards Weltpolitik......Page 154
The Blow years......Page 159
Social policy under Posadowsky-Wehner......Page 161
Blow's social imperialism......Page 162
Domestic policy in the later years of Blow......Page 167
Germany's international position deteriorates......Page 171
The Daily Telegraph interview and the fall of Blow......Page 172
Stagnation at home, 'encirclement' abroad 1909 1914......Page 176
The SPD between reformist pragmatism and revolutionary rhetoric......Page 178
The minority problems of the Reich: Poles and Alsace-Lorrainers......Page 179
Bethmann Hollweg's foreign policy......Page 181
The repercussions of Agadir......Page 183
Efforts to reduce Anglo-German tension......Page 186
The Balkan wars......Page 187
The Zabern affair......Page 191
Cultural clashes......Page 192
The coming of war......Page 195
Germany during the war years 1914 1918......Page 200
German war aims......Page 203
The strains of war at the front and at home......Page 205
Hindenburg and Ludendorff form the third Oberste Heeresleitung......Page 208
1917: the turning point......Page 210
The fall of Bethmann Hollweg and the Reichstag's peace resolution......Page 212
The Russian collapse......Page 214
The German army crumbles......Page 216
The revolution begins......Page 219
Conclusion......Page 222
Appendix: Tables......Page 224
Suggestions for further reading......Page 228
Index......Page 234