Chapter One: Introductions: The German Empire
Republik von Weimar: Einigkeit und Recht und Freihet
by Karl the Writer
by Karl the Writer
Figure 1: The flag of the German Republic
"As a result of the World War, this old Germany collapsed. It collapsed in its constitution, in its social order, in its economic system. Its thinking and feeling changed."- Gustav Streseman
When looking at the history of the German Republic, and the resulting years of instability and violence that followed its creation, it is vital to understand the situation of the German nation and the world at large in the years proceeding its creation. The Republic, like any political entity, was formed by the unique set of circumstances that surrounded its creation, and to understand these circumstances, we must first understand the German Empire before and during the First World War. This will not be a completely in-depth exploration into the German Empire from the years 1871 to 1918, but it will cover what is viewed by this author to be vital to the history of the Germany Republic.
The unification of Germany was a decades long process, beginning in the Napoleonic Wars with the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and ending with the geopolitical masterstroke known as the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. This unification, thanks in no small amount to the diplomatic maneuvering of the Prussian (and later German) chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, was primarily to the benefit of the Kingdom of Prussia, a state famous for its military prowess.
This unification in the favor of the Prussians was reflected in the German Emperor, also known as the Duetscher Kaiser, having both the title King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany, both enormously powerful positions. These two positions would be constitutionally linked to one another, as Kaiser Wilhelm II would find when he attempted to retain his position as King of Prussia after abdicating as Kaiser.
Figure 2: First and last pages of the Imperial German Constitution
In this vein of thought, it is also vital to understand the political system that the German Empire operated under. The German Empire operated as a Federal Parliamentary semi-constitutional Monarchy, in which universal male suffrage was grant to males above age 25, who would elect representatives in Reichstag. Unelected representatives of the 26 states in the German Empire would operate in the Bundesrat, where the number of seats was determined by population, with Prussia naturally being the largest.However, despite this measure of democracy present in the German Empire, the system itself remained deeply autocratic, with the Kaiser maintaining complete control over foreign policy barring declaring a non-defensive war, the power to execute and publish imperial laws, and to appoint and dismiss imperial officials. He also has the power to appoint a Reichskanzler, who maintained much influence over the Bundesrat.
Figure 3: 'Dropping the pilot', a political cartoon satirizing the dismissal of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck by Kaiser Wilhelm II
This system would eventually come to harm Germany in the long term, as Kaiser Wilhelm II would dismiss Chancellor Bismarck in 1890, and ended his diplomatic practice of shifting alliances in order to isolate France, and instead setting about doubling down on the German relationship with Austria-Hungry, having a very confrontational foreign policy, and antagonized Britain by starting a naval arms race with the British.
This confrontational foreign policy, and its unintentional consequence of building an alliance of Russia, France, and England against Imperial Germany, is regarded as one of the primary reasons for the start of the First World War, the subsequent fall of the German Empire, and the rise of the German Republic.
Next Chapter: The First World War
Author's note: I'm sorry for not immediately jumping into the alternate history stuff, however, I would imagine that an actual history book on this subject would at the very least partially cover the history of Imperial Germany before diving into the history of the German Republic. If you are wondering why the author never directly calls the German Republic the Wiemar Republic, that term was first termed by Hitler in the late 1920s, and only came into use in the in the 1930s, after Hitler came to power. While Hitler will have a role to play in this story, he will be... out of the picture, so to speak. I hope this covers at least some of your questions, although I do implore you to comment and give your thoughts.