To what extent was the 2nd Reich democratic?.
This essay will discuss the levels of democracy and autocracy during the 2nd Reich in Germany. Each will be looked at it detail and then a conclusion can be drawn based on the balance discovered.
The 2nd Reich was proclaimed in 1871 when Prussia united German states and ended in 1918 with the Kaiser's abdication. This immediately implies the level of autocracy during the 2nd Reich, if it ended with the abdication of the Kaiser, who was the King of Prussia and totally autocratic. He had the power to appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve the Reichstag and he controlled foreign policy and the armed forces. The Reichstag was however, was elected by men over 25. The Reichstag could agree to or reject laws put forward by the Kaiser or the government, but they could not remove the Chancellor or the government. Because of this, the government did have to co-operate with the Reichstag but there was no real danger of rebellion from the members of the Reichstag because they would always have more power. This indicates that there was also a certain level of democracy within the 2nd Reich too. The Reichstag did not however, have a parliamentary government, meaning that it had a semi-absolutist regime, which was a modern form of a conservative state. .
As well as a Reichstag, there was also a Reichstrat that the Kaiser could summon. The Reichstrat was an assembly of ambassadors from 26 state governments who had a veto on legislation. The Reichstag passed this veto. .
The success of Bismarck's (the Chancellor) conservative state persuaded many middle class liberals to support the authoritarian notion. This was very important as it weakened potential support for full democracy. Bismarck's success, however, did not go the way he planned. It eventually led to economically increased support for the SPD (Socialist Party) by the proletariat (industrial and urban working class) who wanted not only for Germany's economy to grow, but they wanted a political reform too.
