Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and Dictatorship
What's covered
Key facts
Under the 1871 German constitution the Kaiser held supreme executive power — he appointed ministers, commanded the army, and could dissolve the Reichstag.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi extermination camp, where over one million people — overwhelmingly Jewish — were murdered.
Kaiser Wilhelm II dismissed Otto von Bismarck as Chancellor in 1890.
Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 (Operation Barbarossa, launched 22 June).
The British naval blockade caused severe food shortages in Germany; by 1917 large numbers of civilians were close to starvation.
Operation Barbarossa ultimately failed because Germany could not defeat the USSR before winter set in, and Soviet resistance proved far greater than the Wehrmacht had projected.
The Daily Telegraph Affair (1908) was a published interview in which the Kaiser made provocative anti-British comments, damaging his prestige at home and abroad.
Blitzkrieg ("lightning war") used fast, coordinated attacks combining tanks, motorised infantry and tactical aircraft to overwhelm defenders before they could organise.
In reality the German army was not on the verge of winning in November 1918; the Spring Offensive had failed and Allied counter-offensives were driving German forces back.
The Einsatzgruppen were SS mobile killing squads that followed the German army into the USSR from 1941, murdering Jews and others by mass shooting (notably at Babi Yar).
Sample questions
A taste of the 46 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Who became Kaiser (Emperor) of Germany in 1888 and dominated German politics until his abdication in 1918?
- •Kaiser Frederick III
- •Kaiser Wilhelm I
- ✓Kaiser Wilhelm II
- •Otto von Bismarck
On what date did Germany invade Poland to start World War Two?
- •1 September 1938
- ✓1 September 1939
- •15 March 1939
- •3 September 1939
Under the German constitution of 1871, who held supreme executive power?
- •The Bundesrat, representing the individual German states
- •The Chancellor, who was directly elected by the German people
- ✓The Kaiser held supreme power — he could appoint ministers and dissolve the Reichstag
- •The Reichstag, which had to approve all government decisions
What was Blitzkrieg?
- •A defensive strategy of fortified lines holding back Allied advances
- •A naval strategy using submarines to sever British supply lines
- ✓Fast coordinated attacks using tanks, aircraft, and infantry to overwhelm defenders
- •Sustained bombing of civilian populations to break enemy morale
What was the Reichstag in Wilhelmine Germany?
- ✓Elected parliament — could debate and vote on laws but the Kaiser could override it
- •The Kaiser's personal advisory cabinet with no elected members
- •The supreme court overseeing laws in the German Empire
- •The upper house representing Germany's princes and regional kings
Why did Operation Barbarossa (1941) ultimately fail?
- ✓Germany could not defeat the USSR before winter; Soviet resistance proved far greater
- •Soviet forces captured Berlin before German forces could regroup
- •The German army was withdrawn to fight in North Africa first
- •The USA immediately supplied the USSR with overwhelming weaponry
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