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East Germany Bismarck's Fall
After 1879 Bismarck struggled to defeat the aristocraticmonarchical order. The Military Cabinet and the General Staff, by
Bismarck's authorization, were elevated to the status of
independent agencies responsible only to the emperor. In the
Reichstag, however, the Conservative coalition soon dissolved,
and democratic opposition grew in strength. The dynamic
industrialization of Germany after 1871 altered the political
scene in the 1880s. German liberals abandoned authoritarianism;
the Secessionists left the National Liberal Party and in 1884
united with the democratic Progressives, forming the German Free
Thought Party. In addition, the SPD emerged as a political force.
Bismarck's attempt to regain German liberal support resulted
in the revival of Machtpolitik, and soon German
nationalistic sentiment was stirred with promises of "world
power" status. In the mid-1880s, Germany joined the European
powers in the scramble for overseas colonies, simultaneously
maintaining its position within the European balance of power.
The Bulgarian crisis of 1885-87, a clash between Austrian and
Russian interests in the Balkans, provided an opportunity to
install a progovernment majority in the Reichstag. When the
Reichstag rejected the new armaments bill, Bismarck dissolved
that body, called for new elections, and appealed to the German
nation, claiming that Germany was threatened by both Austrian and
Russian expansionism.
Bismarck's policies toward the SPD reflected the proverbial
conservative fear of the masses. The Social Democrats had only
minor representation in parliament, but the party grew steadily.
Bismarck endeavored simultaneously to pacify and eradicate the
Social Democrats. As early as 1878, he had introduced
antisocialist legislation outlawing all Social Democratic
workers' clubs, organizations, assemblies, and trade unions. The
Social Democrats remained in parliament, however, and by means of
the Sozialdemokrat, a party newspaper published in
Switzerland, continued propaganda activities in Germany. After
1881 Bismarck passed comprehensive social legislation; in 1889,
however, he presented a new antisocialist law that included a
provision for loss of property on suspicion of subversive
activities. The new German emperor, Wilhelm II, and the Reichstag
opposed the bill; Bismarck, however, remained adamant. In the
February 1890 elections, the pro-Bismarck parties were decisively
defeated, and Bismarck, prodded by the emperor, resigned.
Data as of July 1987
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