If Germany had won WWI, would they have democratized over the years as Britain did?
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Would Germany have become more democratic had it won WWI?
If Germany had won WWI, would they have democratized over the years as Britain did?
I honestly don't really know, so I'm very interested in your ideas. I think as communication technology had improved after WWI, revolutions and strikes would have become more and more easy to organize. However, a German victory would have also meant a period of economic growth and prosperity in Germany, as open trade borders would have helped German exports, and as we all know, when people prosper they rarely care who governs them.
But what if the Great Depression had still happened, and Germany had still been hit? I don't think the nazis could have risen to power as they did in our timeline, as the Kaiser had never given Hitler too much power. It would have been clear to people that a movement to violently take over the government would have never worked, as the German army was able to crush any rebellion, as it wasn't restricted by the Treaty of Versailles. My guess is that the Kaiser had changed his policies to an even more social democratic direction, after Wilhelm I had already introduced partly socialized medicine and pension funds in the 1880s. That would have meant universal healthcare (in our timeline introduced in Germany by the nazis in '43), public investments in transportation (like Hitler's Autobahn/FDR's New Deal) Social Security (again like FDR) and perhaps even a slightly bigger role for the Reichstag, just to appease the people. The Reichstag would have likely been controlled by the SPD, the Socialdemocratic Party of Germany, which had actually already gained the most votes (35%) in the 1912 Reichstag elections, so it wouldn't have been a very high risk initially for the Kaiser to give them slightly more power. It would have certainly boosted his popularity to for example formally give up his power to dissolve the Reichstag, which gave him quite a bit of control over the laws the Reichstag passed.
And then when the next crisis came around some years later (if there had been one), he would have given up even more of his power. Or maybe he hadn't, I really don't know. What do you think?
But what if the Great Depression had still happened, and Germany had still been hit? I don't think the nazis could have risen to power as they did in our timeline, as the Kaiser had never given Hitler too much power. It would have been clear to people that a movement to violently take over the government would have never worked, as the German army was able to crush any rebellion, as it wasn't restricted by the Treaty of Versailles. My guess is that the Kaiser had changed his policies to an even more social democratic direction, after Wilhelm I had already introduced partly socialized medicine and pension funds in the 1880s. That would have meant universal healthcare (in our timeline introduced in Germany by the nazis in '43), public investments in transportation (like Hitler's Autobahn/FDR's New Deal) Social Security (again like FDR) and perhaps even a slightly bigger role for the Reichstag, just to appease the people. The Reichstag would have likely been controlled by the SPD, the Socialdemocratic Party of Germany, which had actually already gained the most votes (35%) in the 1912 Reichstag elections, so it wouldn't have been a very high risk initially for the Kaiser to give them slightly more power. It would have certainly boosted his popularity to for example formally give up his power to dissolve the Reichstag, which gave him quite a bit of control over the laws the Reichstag passed.
And then when the next crisis came around some years later (if there had been one), he would have given up even more of his power. Or maybe he hadn't, I really don't know. What do you think?
Cheydinal- Pedes
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Re: If Germany had won WWI, would they have democratized over the years as Britain did?
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Last edited by TypedScroll on Sun Dec 30, 2018 7:50 pm; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Typos)
FJIUDOegz2iuoiö- Pedes
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