Germany - Political Parties Pre-World War 1.

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Before world war one Germany was reasonably stable except for some weaknesses such as the political status which was struggling due to new government parties like the Social Democratic Party that had formed due to the growth in Germany's industrial status.

Before world war one, Germany had a massive industrial boost due to the ever growing working class. This growth caused both strengths and weaknesses in the country.

One of the main strengths that Germany gained from its industry was that its production of steel and coal grew by over 100% between 1871 and 1914, this led to a great growth in its economy and also in its world status as a industrial country. Soon Germany was a very wealthy country with money to spend on its military and other areas that helped to achieve recognition of its successfulness. Germany was also successful in areas such as chemical and electrical engineering and it's scientists won many Noble prizes.

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However the successfulness of these industries brought new people to the cities, which led to severe over-crowding and poor living conditions. Soon the working class turned to socialism, a socialist government would help them by giving the public more control over the industries and financial institutions, thus allowing them to work out fairer wages, better factory discipline and housing. The working class first formed the Socialist Workers Party of Germany and then changed its name in 1890 to the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The SPD was the best developed and organised socialist party in Europe by 1914 with a great ...

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