On
August 4th, 1914 Germany entered World War I.
At the time which it embarked on this campaign, Otto von Bismarck had
long since resigned. However, it is
Bismarck's legacy of economic growth, and military might which eventually
forced Germany into World War I.
Germany was without question the most powerful industrial state on the
Continent. Germany (and its uninformed
population) feared Russia's future strength would threaten it, and therefore
rationalized that military planning necessitated an attack on France in the
event of a war with Russia. As far as
Bethmann Hollweg (the Chancellor of Germany) was concerned:
"The aim of this war is not the restoration of
the European balance of power, but rather the final destruction of that which
has been described as the European balance of power and the foundation of the
German domination of Europe."[i]
Both the Chancellor and
the population of Germany believed the war was a rational answer to the
questionable destiny of Europe. All
these matters, which came to question Germany's involvement in World War I,
could not have come about if Otto von Bismarck had not played an intrinsic role
in perpetuating the industrial revolution of Germany.
In 1862, Otto Von Bismarck was appointed Chief Minister of
Prussia. Bismarck was a Junker, which
was a Prussian Aristocrat. He believed that parliamentary bodies to be
irresponsible components of government.
Bismarck also believed that individual liberty was disorderly
selfishness.[ii] Bismarck's stubborn belief of 'parliamentary
bodies' was greatly exemplified in
structure of the government of the German Empire. The lower chamber 'Reichstag', which
represented the people, was elected by universal suffrage. The Upper chamber, which represented the
states, was represented by Prussian aristocrat.
Bismarck thought his government to be fair, seeing as though the
conservative Junkers and the liberal Bourgeoisie were both represented in the
government. However, the country's
ministers were subject to the upper chamber (the emperor), not the lower
chamber (elected body). Bismarck had
created a government which was not as liberal as the French republic, and not
as conservative as the English parliamentary system. The set-up of this government was typical of
Bismarck's political style, which was 'Realpolitik'.[1] Though probably not as practical as he would
have wanted his government to be, Bismarck had to please both sides.
From his early days as Head of State, Bismarck's prime objective
was to expand The German Reich's borders extensively. To do so, Bismarck had to first ensure a
solid economic base on which to build a well-equipped army. And secondly, Bismark had to amalgamate
Prussia, the southern states and the Northern Federal Union all together.
One
of the biggest problems which Bismarck had to tackle on the economic course,
was to control the demands between the Industrialists and the Agrarians. The Agrarians consisted mainly of land-owning
aristocrat, while the Industrialists included:
Heavy industries; Railroads; Banks; and Public utilities. For numerous years these two groups were in
constant dispute over one issue:
Tariffs. German heavy
industrialists and the hardpressed textile manufacturers continued to call for
protective tariffs. However, the
Agrarians dominated political life, particularly in Prussia, and therefore,
their wishes for free trade remained. After four years of lobbying, the
Industrialists finally obtained their wish, when their Agrarian counterparts
were alarmed by the falling prices of grain and corn in 1875. Having realised that the foreign nations were
invading their market, the Agrarians now too wanted tariff protection. It took another four years to implement
protective tariffs on imported goods, after having the upper chamber
re-organized by Bismarck.[iii]
One of Bismark's other concerns was manifesting the amalgamation
of the three Germanic states. In 1867,
Bismarck reached an agreement with the social democrats (Northern Germany) that
in return for democratic suffrage, the social democrats would accept North
German Confederation, and thus be included in the new enlarged Prussian
state. Now, only the Southern German states
were left to join the Reich.
The right opportunity arose for Bismarck
when a confrontation with France was inevitable in July, 1870. Through the media, many people became aware
of a possible conflict between France and Prussia. Bismarck was well aware that South Germany
feared France enough, that eventually it (the Southern German states) would be
forced into a union with Prussia.[iv] Bismarck's predicament was factual, and in
July, 1870, the remaining south German states joined Prussia, and to then form
the German Reich two years later.
Not only was Bismarck able to bring Germany together by using
France as a decoy for the Southern states, his country was also able to annex
Alsace and most of Lorraine following the Franco-Prussian war. These territories held deposits of potash and
iron ore, which were badly needed by the heavy industries in Germany. Unlike
most European countries, Germany was not perusing to acquire or exploit any
colonies. Colonialism was never an option
for economic expansion for Bismarck.
Although towards the end of the Depression, Bismarck overcame his
reluctance to setting up colonies by comforting himself with the thought,
however unrealistic it was to be, that if the colonies did not work out satisfactorily
they could always be abandoned. Besides,
these colonies or protectorates could prove to be a vital source of foreign
trade.[v]
The depression, which had come about since
the Prussian-Franco war (in 1870), started to dissipate in Prussia. One of the biggest factors in of the depression had been the fiscal policy
taken on by the Bismarck government. By
implementing the new tax and tariff reforms, the German Reich government was
able to diffuse the much needed cash into the industrial sector. With the growing need for more advanced
transportation modes, many railroads were either bought or constructed.[2] This growth in transportation created many
jobs and would solidify Germany's ability to defend her borders if war came
about in the future.
The infusion of Money had no boundaries in the German Reich.
Many of the federal states,
as well as the municipalities took part in developing industries, which
consisted mostly of state-owned mines and ironworks. Cities were constantly building public
utilities such as waterworks, gasworks, power plants, and public transport
systems.[vi]
Upon the creation of his new German empire, Bismarck worried
that his country could be torn apart if another European war were to
occur. He therefore decided to sign an
agreement with Austria-Hungary in 1879, and Italy in 1882. This agreement was known as the Triple
Alliance. All this alliance meant was if
any member of the alliance got into a conflict of war with two or more parties,
that the allies would respond to the aggressor(s) using force with arms. The alliance lasted until World War I.
Otto Von Bismarck was dismissed as Chancellor in 1890. Bismarck had been Chancellor for nearly
twenty years. Three successors were
appointed in the span of thirteen years, Caprivi, Bulow, and Bethmann
Hollweg. None of which had the leadership
or political skills to guide a country with such a diverse populace. The military build-up of Germany took place
in the last twenty years before the start of World War I. The railroad was already established, and
could easily redistribute arms throughout Germany.
The industry had the
skilled labour and the capital to support a war. The question of Germany's ability to sustain
and fight a war is not as important as to know what the actual aim of the war
was.
At the time leading up to
July, 1914, Germany's heavy industry was is need of raw materials, such as the
ore basins of Longwy-Briey, the coal of north-western France and Belgium, and
most probably the annexation of Belgium.
The heavy industries' need for raw materials, and its
indifference to anyone else's needs, in this case the french and belgian
people, shows how a conviction for 'Realpolitik'. A conviction most obviously initiated by
Bismarck to use as a means to ensure the advancement of both heavy and Light
industries in Germany. If Bismarck had
not ensured this industrial and economic growth, it is questionable whether or
not Germany would have ever entered World War I.
Bibliography
Kitchen, Martin, The
Political Economy of Germany 1815-1914
(McGill-Queen's
University Press, Montreal), 1978.
Palmer, R.R. &
Colton, Joel, A History Of The Modern World
(McGraw-Hill, Inc.,
Toronto), 1992.
Stolper, Gustav &
Hauser, Karl & Borchardt, Knut,
The German Economy 1870
to the Present
(Harcourt, Brace &
World, Inc, New York), 1967.
Veblen, Thorstein, Imperial
Germany and the Industrial Revolution
(The MacMillan Company,
London), 1915.
Appendix A:
German Railroad Network,
1835-1915
-------------------------------------------
Track in Increase during
Year Operation Preceding decade
1835 6 0
1845 2,300 2,300
1855 8,290 5,990
1865 14,690 6,400
1875 27,960 13,270
1885 37,650 9,960
1895 46,560 8,910
1905 56,980 10,420
1915 62,410 5,430
-------------------------------------------
Source: Stolper & Hauser & Borchardt,
The German Economy: 1870 to the Present
(Harcourt, Brace &
World, Inc, New York),1967.
Germany the Making of an
Industrial Giant
by taking advantage of situations as they emerge and
prepare to act in any one of
several directions as events might
suggest.
The German Economy 1870
to the Present
(Harcourt,
Brace & World, Inc, New York),1967 p.38-9
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