Authoritarian States- Germany

Kaiser Wilhelm I
During the First World War of 1914-1918, Germany was run by the Kaiser (King).

 The Kaiser was in charge of the Government and the army.

 The Government decisions were made by the Chancellor – but the Kaiser chose who the
Chancellor was, so he could always pick Chancellors that would do what he wanted.

 The people could vote, but Mp’s didnt really have any power.

 The Kaiser was obsessed with the miltary – he spent millions on building up a strong army for
the war, and borrowed millions trying to win it.

 The German people liked this form of Government. They loved their military tradition, and
felt that being told what to do was a sign that the Government wasstrong

 The Kaiser ran away into exile 2 days before the war ended.
Major Strengths and achievements of the Constitution

 All Germans had the right to vote at the age of 20 – few countries in the world allowed
everyone to vote.

 The Proportional Representation voting system was, in theory, fairer. Each party got a
number of seats in proportion to the % of votes they got.

 The President had similar powers to the President of the USA- his power was very strong, so
he could protect the Republic in a crisis.

 Free speech, freedom of newspapers, the freedom to set up trade unions, and anyone could
form a political party – all of these were completely new freedoms for Germany, and very
modern for the time