the-german-reich-that-was-founded-in-1871-was-nothing-but-a-greater-prussia.pdf

7/30/2019 The-German-Reich-that-was-founded-in-1871-was-nothing-but-a-greater-Prussia.pdf

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The German Reich that was founded in 1871 was nothing but a greater Prussia

The German Reich of 1871 was a creation of Prussia for Prussian interests. Otto

von Bismarck a Prussian landowner was the politician who did most to create

united Germany. He was traditionalist who realised that the traditional order

would not survive without reforms. He cynically used the language of German

nationalism to gain popular support for his unification of Germany underPrussia. Austria with its tradition of liberalism and its multi ethic Empire, was

pushed out of Germany. The Austrian chancellor could be forced out by the

parliament. This was not the practice in Prussia or in the united Germany. The

government of the German Reich was autocratic with elements of liberalism. The

Keiser appointed the chancellor and the Reichstag could nothing about it. The

German Reich was mostly protestant because the Catholic German power,

Austria, was pushed out. Bismarck underlined this when he engaged in a policy

of Culture struggle Kulturkampf. He wanted to minimise the political power of

the Catholic Church. This had the added bonus of pleasing the liberals with

whom Bismarck was in a tactical alliance. But the 1871 settlement didnt satisfy

Bismarck. He set out in 1878 to set up independent income stream for the Reichby a tariff on grain imports. The formation of the German Reich and the

characteristics of that Reich once formed show that it was dominated by Prussia.

Bismarck took advantage of German Nationalism to form the Empire under

Prussian rule. German nationalism was a movement that wanted to unite all

ethic Germans in state ruled by popular sovereignty. Reactionaries opposed

German nationalism because it would destroy the tradition German social order.

The Junkers, Prussian landowners, were firmly opposed to revolutions that

would undermine their social status. Bismarck was a Junker who was firmly

devoted to the tradition German order. But Bismarck believed that the best way

to defend the traditional was to compromise with nationalism and liberalism. In

later life for example he introduced social insurance in order to stop thedevelopment of the Social Democratic party. Bismarck made a similar deal with

nationalism. He gave them a united Germany albeit a one that excluded Austria.

Austria posed a problem to German nationalism. It had an empire that was made

up of many nationalities. The Austrian emperors were against German unity. The

best possibility of a united Germany was one that excluded Austria. Nationalist

could have a compromise national state if they supported Bismarck. Bismarck

had said in 1850s that the confederation was too small for the two of us 1.

Bismarck exploited the idea that Prussia had a mission to unite Germany. [T]here

is nothing more German than Prussian particularism properly understood2 he

said. Weather Bismarck was a sincere nationalist is debatable. But we know he

used German nationalism to further Prussian dominance of a united Germany.

The German Reich was formed by Prussia defeating Austria and pushing her out

of the German confederation. Prussia and Austria were allied against Denmark.

But Bismarck was still planning to unite Germany and push out Austria. Austrias

1 Matthew S. Selgmann and Roderich R. McLean, Germany from Reich to Republic,

1871-1918 (London, Macmillian Press, 2000),42 Seligmann and Roderich, Germany, 4


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possible allies were not in a position to help Austria. Russia had domestic

troubles, France was occupied in Mexico and Britain was committed to staying

out of continental disputes. Prussian troops marched into Holstein in 1866.

Austria rallied most of the German states against Prussia. But Prussia was able to

defeat them all on the battlefield. Austria was defeated and was pushed out of

Germany. Austria had advocated a third Germany. In a third Germany Austria

and Prussia would share power. This option was definitively closed with thedefeat of Austria. Bismarck could now satisfy the liberals with universal male

suffrage. The Prussians were happy to see Prussia increase in prestige. The

nationalists had a united Germany. Austria was made sign mild peace treaties.

For Bismarck the most important factor was that the European Balance of Power

was maintained. Austria acted as a buffer between Germany and Turkey.

Without Austria Russia would have a free hand in the Balkans. This was a

traditional Prussia position. The united Germany was acting like Prussia in the

realm of foreign policy.

The governmental structure of the second German Reich clearly shows that it

was greater Prussia. It was not a liberal constitution but there were elements ofliberalism in it. The Chancellor was appointed by the King of Prussia. The King of

Prussia was the German emperor. The Prussian chancellor was the imperial

chancellor. The Keiser was both royal and imperial. The Keiser had control over

foreign affairs, the army and he had the power to declare martial law. The

parliament the Reichstag was limited to scrutinising legislation. It was not a

proper liberal regime. Bismarck ignored the law if it suited him. The P russian

practice of passing budgets for seven years meant that any one parliament might

never see some important bills. So in theory the Reichstag could veto budgets

but might never see it during a parliamentary term. The Prussian antipathy

towards liberal constitutionalism continued in the German Reich. Prussian

dominance of the Reich was built also into the constitution itself. Constitutional

amendments required a super majority in the Bundesrat. Prussia had seventeenvotes, enough to block any amendments. Prussia had firm control over the levers

of power in Imperial Germany.

Another of the factors that brings you to the conclusion that the 1871 German

Reich was nothing but a greater Prussia is the fact that Bismarck embarked on a

policy of Kulturkampf, Culture struggle in German. It was in the words of

Bismarck not a struggle between believers and unbelievers, it is a struggle

between Kingship and priesthood3. It was struggle against the political power of

Catholicism in the Prussian Germany. Religious order such as the Jesuits were

banned from the empire. Catholics had to have separate civil marriages and

discriminated in the civil service. There was state oversight of ecclesiastical

appointments in Catholicism and catholic education. Bismarck was no liberal but

he was in a tactical alliance with liberals in the German parliament. The liberals

were against the influence of political Catholicism. Catholicism was a powerful

force of reaction in Europe. In the united Germany it suited Bismarck to placate

the liberals and move against political Catholicism. It also tapped into the

cultural background of Northern Germany where there was a suspicion of

3www.zum.de/psm/imperiali#873421


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Catholicism and especially Jesuits. August Reichenspecger said at the time we

ultramontanes are all to certain extent unclean4 Catholics held loyalties to the

Pope over the mountains in Rome. This made Prussians nervous. In united

Germany Catholics were not totally respectable. The fact that Bismarck would try

to marginalize Catholicism illustrates the extent that united Germany was a

greater Prussia. German Catholicism cut off from Austria was now a minority

religion in a Protestant empire.

Prussia was the dominant part of the Empire. Sixty per cent of the of the

population and land mass was Prussian. Even with this Bismarck was not

content. His tariff reforms illustrate that he wanted even more influence for

Prussia. Originally funds were raised for the imperial government from the

individual states. Bismarck was against this every year I have to play the role of

mendicant he complained5. The Reich had no powers to raise taxes. The Reich

was not sufficiently under Prussian control for Bismarck. So he announced on

the 15 of December 1878 that he would place a levy of 1 mark per 100 kg of

grain. What happened next shows that while the German Reich was dominated

by Prussia but the other states still had a degree of autonomy. The Reichstagrefused to accept Bismarcks measures as he presented them. He eventually

accepted a compromise, the Frankstein clause. The Reich was guaranteed 130

million marks raised by customs. Anything in excess of this was given over to the

States. This didnt provide for all the needs of the empire. This episode illustrates

that the Prussia was anxious to increase its power by increasing the power of the

empire as a whole. But the states and Reichstag were able to resist Prussias will

albeit in very minor way. It is the exception that proves the rule because there

are no other case of the states and the Reichstag obstructing Bismarck.

The German Reich founded in 1871 was creation of Prussia. Bismarck was a

reactionary who wanted to preserve the privilege of the Junkers in Prussia and

the traditional balance of power in Europe. But Bismarck was extraordinarilyastute politician. He would play the forces of nationalism and liberalism for his

own ends. It created a united Germany with universal suffrage. So doing he

placated the liberals and the nationalists. His policies of Kulturkampf and tariff

reform were naked examples of Prussian dominance. Kulturkampf was

protestant Germany attacking Catholic Germany. Tariff reform was a power grab

for the imperial government. The imperial government was pseudonymous with

the Prussian government. The 1871 Reich was formed out the defeat of Austria,

her allies and the ideal of Germany that Austria represented. The German Reich

acted in the interests of Prussia in the domestic sphere and foreign spheres.

4 Seligmann and Roderich, Germany, 55 Selgmann and McLean, Germany, 129


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Bibliography

David Blackbourn, Fontana History of Germany: The long Ninetenth Century,(London, Fontana Press, 1997)

Otto Pfanze, Bismarck and German Nationalism, The American Historical

Review60 (1955): 548

Matthew S. Seligmann and Roderick R. McLean, Germany from Reich to Republic:

1871-1918, (London, Macmillian, 2000)

A.J.P. Taylor, The Course of German History, (New York, Routledge Classics, 2010)

(HIS,P) Bismarck on the purpose of the Kulturkampf, Speech in the PrussianHouse of Lords accessed on the February 7, 2011

www.zum.de/psm/imperiali#8876BC

Lecture notes by Raffael Scheck The road to National Unification

www.colby.edu/personal/r#8815B8 accessed February 7, 2011

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