MONARCHY OR REPUBLIC?

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 433.

Unit 12

(1) Between 1871 and 1890, Chancellor Bismarck led the German Empire. He built it as a union of monarchies in which Prussia had the strongest voice. The empire had a constitution and a lower house (Reichstag) elected by universal male suffrage. But real power lay with the chancellor and the aristocratic upper house (Bundesrat).

In 1890, Bismarck quarreled with the new emperor, William II, and was forced to retire.

(2) In 1876 Spain became a constitutional monarchy. The right to vote was given only to male property owners, however. And Parliamentary rule had no meaning. The government

remained corrupt and ineffective.

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(3) Between 1853 and 1889, Portugal moved toward parliamentary government. But then the government returned to a monarchy that favored the established nobility. A revolution in 1910 overturned the hated monarchy, and Portugal became a republic.

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(4) Unification did not erase Italy's old problems. The land system and tax structure were unfair. And the people had very little experience in parliamentary government.

Even though Italy was a constitutional monarchy, only men of education and property could vote. Out of 20 million people, only 150 thousand had voting rights. Politicians cared more about being elected than about making reforms.

In 1911 suffrage was given to all men over age 30.