The German Question, Part Sixty-Five

"Bismarck" Part 5/J "Bismarck as Chancellor & A Treaty With 'Contentious Relatives' "

"The End Of Bismarck"

Kaiser Wilhelm I, the man who appointed Bismarck to power and then stuck with him in that capacity through the years, died in 1888. His son, Friedrich III, became Kaiser (emperor), but he was dying of throat cancer, and he passed away a little more than three months after his father. Then Friedrich's son, Wilhelm, came to the German throne, as Wilhelm II. I would dare say, when many Americans hear the term "Kaiser," this is the man they think of (besides Kaiser rolls, haha), as he was the German leader during World War One. In fact, it would not surprise me in the least if some Americans think his first name was "Kaiser," as he is commonly referred to simply as "Kaiser Wilhelm," and I will use that here.

Once German unification had been achieved, Bismarck worked to keep peace in Europe often through alliances, although the very alliances he used to keep the peace, eventually led other countries into alliances, which then made war more likely if a lit match touched some powder keg. Whatever Bismarck's strengths or faults, he was able to help keep the Europeans from the throats of each other, and he worked hard to keep Germany from the possibility of a two-front war. He also sought to keep a distance from the hot issues in the Balkans, where the declining Ottoman (Turkish) Empire held large non-Turkish areas under their control, and these areas were interested in independence. Here, Russia's role as "protector of the Slavs" came into conflict with the Turks (and Austria-Hungary), as some of these areas were populated by large Slavic majorities.* Germany's closest ally, Austria-Hungary, also had large restless Slavic populations there, but Germany's treaty with Austria-Hungary did not guarantee German military involvement, unless Austria-Hungary was attacked by Russia.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was far more brash. Unlike his long-ruling grandfather, Wilhelm I, who essentially permitted Bismarck to run governmental affairs, this Wilhelm intended to take a far more active role in the governing of his country. This was bound to lead to conflict with Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany.** The relationship between Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck was complicated by the fact that Wilhelm had grown up during Bismarck's time as the head of the Prussian government, and then as chancellor of a unified Germany, and Bismarck probably never thought of Wilhelm becoming Kaiser during his time in office, or perhaps even in his lifetime, but Friedrich III's terminal illness intervened. Bismarck saw Wilhelm as something of a "pupil," who could be reined in, but he was terribly mistaken. Bismarck had been in office for so long, he undoubtedly assumed that the new Kaiser would go along with the policies he, Bismarck, decided to continue or to pursue. Bismarck was 73 years old when Wilhelm became Kaiser, at the ripe "old" age of 29. Just as an example, Bismarck had not shown much interest in a large German navy, but Kaiser Wilhelm did. Big, flashy ships were a way to demonstrate German power (and the Kaiser's), but big, flashy ships also antagonized the European naval powers, especially Britain, drawing them closer together to resist growing German power, instead of keeping them apart, as was Bismarck's policy.

Domestically, Bismarck was disillusioned with workers who, in spite of his "state sponsored socialism," could not be brought into the fold against socialist political views. With growing German prosperity, Bismarck decided to quash the German socialist movement. A large strike by coal miners in 1889 brought the focus on workers.*** Bismarck basically supported the mine owners, but Kaiser Wilhelm felt the miners had valid points and he wanted mine conditions improved. Bismarck then pushed for permanent anti-socialist laws in the Reichstag, where his allies (a majority) essentially supported the legislation. One part of the law permitted the police the power to evict socialists from their homes. A bit of German democracy showed, as even some of Bismarck's supporters felt this part of the law, which had been used against political opponents previously, was too extreme, but hardliners, following Bismarck's lead, insisted on the measure. The Kaiser disapproved. Bismarck had hoped that the strict legislation would bring socialist protests and violence which then could be used as a reason for a strong crackdown on the workers' movement. Bismarck and the Kaiser had a serious disagreement over this whole matter, and the Kaiser made it clear that he did not intend to wage war on his own people. Bismarck, seeing how he had misplayed the matter, backtracked, but the well had been poisoned. Bismarck also made it quite obvious that he did not support the Kaiser's position; a dangerous thing to do, when the chancellor's office relied only upon the Kaiser's support. The whole matter made voters turn away from Bismarck's supporters in the next election, and Bismarck had to put together a new coalition among the political parties in the Reichstag. He met with one party leader without informing Kaiser Wilhelm. Unlike his father and grandfather, Wilhelm expected to be kept informed of Bismarck's actions. The two German leaders clashed heatedly. Bismarck resigned at Kaiser Wilhelm's insistence in March of 1890. He eventually moved to the Hamburg area, where he died in 1898. Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm never really reconciled, although the Kaiser bestowed certain honors upon the former chancellor and founder of modern Germany. (A Word History is below the notes)

Next..."Kaiser Wilhelm and World War I"

* Being seen as "protector of the Slavs" was not the only reason Russians were involved in the Balkans, as they had a longstanding interest in acquiring territory there themselves.

** Chancellor is really just the chosen German title for the head of the government, and it corresponds to the British "Prime Minister," or to the title "Premier," in certain other countries, although it bears repeating, in the governing system of Germany at that point in time, the chancellor was appointed by, and therefore beholden to, the Kaiser. He did not have to align himself with any particular political party, or have a majority in the Reichstag for that particular party, or even form a coalition with other parties, except on specific issues, which is what Bismarck did. While the German Reichstag was elected by a truly democratic vote of the German people (that is, "democratic" in those times, meaning "proper age males"), the German political parties lacked clout because of their "disconnect" with the head of the German government, the chancellor. What had developed in the British system, on the other hand, was that the Prime Minister was affiliated with a political party, that party, or in coalition with another party, was able to form a majority in Parliament, and the king/queen then "asked" the party leader (or chosen leader of the coalition) to become Prime Minister. (Note: In Bismarck's time, the British monarch was Queen Victoria, and her oldest child, her namesake daughter Victoria, was married to Friedrich, who later became Kaiser Friedrich III, but who died of throat cancer shortly thereafter. Their son, Wilhelm, became Kaiser Wilhelm II; and yes, he was, therefore, Queen Victoria's grandson.)

*** Coal was big business in industrial powerhouse Germany. The companies showed big profits, but paid low wages, implemented longer working hours, and refused to pay workers for their time spent descending into, and ascending from, the mines. Mine supervisors were known for ruthlessness and brutality. These were the main reasons for the strike.

WORD HISTORY:
Frau/Fräulein-These two German words have both come into English over time; "Frau" by the early 1800s, although "likely" earlier, but more widespread by the early 1800s, and, "Fräulein" came into English in the 1600s. The main word is "Frau" (the "au" pronounced like the "ow" in English "how"), which means "married woman," and is also the equivalent to the English title "Mrs.," but also, more generally, means "woman, lady, wife." This goes back to Indo European "pro(w)," one of the notions of which was "main, first, chief." This then gave its Old Germanic offspring "frawan," which meant "lord, master," and the feminine form "fraw(o)." Originally the word had a connection to the nobility, but then became more general. This then gave Old High German "frouwa," which then later became "vrouwe," before acquiring its modern form. (The Old Germanic form also gave Old English "frowe," meaning 'woman, lady,' which later died out.) "Fräulein" simply uses the base word "frau," and the diminutive (see note) suffix "-lein," which initially was spelled "lin," giving the German of the Middle Ages "vröuwelîn," which meant "young noble woman." Later it just came to mean "young woman, unmarried woman," and is equivalent to the English title "Miss." It is properly pronounced as if "froy-line." Low German has "Froo" and "Frölen," Dutch has "vrouw," West Frisian has "frou." NOTE: Diminutive means it makes it "smaller or less;" in this case, "less in age."

The German Question, Part Sixty-Three

"Bismarck" Part 5/H "Bismarck as Chancellor & A Treaty With 'Contentious Relatives' "
"Fear of Average People Brings Social Change"

Bismarck was a staunch monarchist conservative, but he was always thinking about ways to undermine his (and the monarchy's) opponents, which brought him to see a certain sense of reality in the politics of his day. He was very troubled by the socialist movement in Germany, including the more radical variety, communism.* He tried suppressing the socialist movement and its major face to the German public, the "Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei," or "Social Democratic Workers Party."** Laws drawn up by Bismarck were passed by the Reichstag banning the party, and a number of party officials were arrested, but the law was circumvented as the now outlawed party ran candidates as independents, with no political party label, which was a right guaranteed by the German constitution. The number of such "independents" rose in representation in the Reichstag and state legislative bodies. Bismarck feared revolution, and his fears brought him to propose state sponsored social legislation to head off the ever growing popular movement. These programs, most later amended and expanded, became the basis for modern Germany's system of social services. To "soften" the notion of "state sponsored socialism" leveled by Germany's right wing politicians, Bismarck tied the legislative initiatives to Christian principles, something some of America's "Christians(?)" seem to have forgotten. (Anyone can call themselves a "Christian" or any other religious designation, but it doesn't make it so.)

First came health insurance in 1883. While the new law covered only a fairly small percentage of the German working population, it helped to insure most of the lowest paid workers in Germany. The costs were split between employers and employees, with employers only responsible for about a third. In 1884 came what was essentially "workers compensation," or accident insurance for workers. Not only did it pay for injured workers after exhaustion of the above insurance benefits, but it also paid workers a partial pension if they were temporarily disabled. The program was financed by employers, and eventually just came to be seen as the "cost of doing business." In 1889 came Old-Age and Disability Insurance (more commonly known in America as "Social Security"), financed by fees on workers and employers and supplemented by the government.*** Initially, pensions could be collected beginning at age 70, but this was later changed to age 65. The disability part essentially took over from the "workers compensation" program, mentioned above, for workers who were permanently disabled. An added benefit of these social programs was that fewer young Germans left the country for America, where wages were usually higher, but none of the social protections listed above were in effect. While the loss of German workers to America slowed, the growth of the socialist movement continued to climb, even with the enacted reforms. (A Word History is below the notes)

* Remember, the communism that eventually spread around much of the world was based upon the writings and ideas of two Germans, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

**For those familiar with modern German politics, the above mentioned party changed its name in the 1890s, becoming "The Social Democratic Party of Germany" ("Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands," commonly known by the initials "SPD"), which is still one of Germany's major political parties. Reports in the American media usually refer to the party as the "Social Democrats."

*** Bismarck wanted the German government involved (both financially and administratively) in these programs in the hopes of luring workers away from the socialist movement. Just as American progressives have faced tough opposition to social legislation with claims that the "government is getting too powerful," and, "government takeover," Bismarck faced the same from German conservatives, and he was forced to change his proposals, except regarding "Social Security," to which the government contributed financially and administratively.

WORD HISTORY:
Baum/Beam/Boom-All three words are closely related, and here is the "Baum" part of "Tannen(baum), from the previous part of this series. The word apparently goes back to Indo European "bheu" or "bu," which meant "to be, exist, be living" but also in that sense, "to grow." This gave Old Germanic "baumaz," meaning "a living, growing tree," which became "bauma" in West Germanic (German and English are Germanic, but more specifically "West Germanic" languages). This then gave Old High German "boum," which eventually became modern German "Baum," meaning "tree," but it can (rarely) also mean "girder," similar to the English word "beam." English "beam" is really just the same word, its early history being the same as "baum," and like its close German relative, it too meant "tree" in Anglo-Saxon (Old English). By the late Old English period, English had settled more on "tree" as the word for this woody growing plant, but "beam" did not die out, rather it took on the meaning "timber for a ship," eventually meaning the support timbers of the frame, and of course, we still use it in that sense today, although not only for ships. Further, also in the Old English period, "beam" had taken on the meaning as in "beam of light." I found a speculative reason on why this developed, but I'm not terribly convinced, so I just as well speculate on it myself: "perhaps" the notion of branches emanating from the trunk of a tree (remember, it also still had the meaning "tree" back then) gave Old English speakers the idea of "light rays coming from a common source." Hey, my speculation is as good as the one I saw elsewhere. Eventually the spelling became "bem" and "beme," before taking on the modern spelling. "Boom," not the loud sound of a crash, but the kind used in construction, is also really the same word, but English borrowed it from the Dutch, whose spelling of German "Baum" and English "beam" is "boom." The Dutch word also meant "tree," but like its Germanic relatives, it had developed other meanings, in this case, "a horizontal piece of timber or metal." Forms of these words are widespread in the Germanic languages, especially in the West Germanic languages: besides English "beam," German "Baum," and Dutch "boom," West Frisian has "beam," North Frisian has "buum" and "booam," Low German Saxon has "Boom," Letzeburgisch/Luxembourgish has "Bam," Icelandic has the rare (high style/poetic) "baðmur" (=bathmur). In all of these languages, except English, it still primarily means "tree."