The essays which this paper is based on, "Liberalism and society: The Feminist Movement and Social Change", "The Politics of Demagogy in Imperial Germany", "The Mythology of the Sonderweg", and "A Bonapartist Dictatorship" were enlightening, but tended to repeat a central theme, the unwillingness of the Junkers of Germany to give up even the smallest bit of their power over the lower classes. I suppose there will always be many opinions on what influenced the formation of Germany, but it really can be laid at the feet of Otto von Bismarck. He ran Germany from Prussia in the way he saw fit, through the eyes of a Junker.Junkers and heavy industry are what controlled Germany during its formation years and the Industrial Revolution, trying to keep independence while Bismarck tried to bind the many city-states together. The Junkers had the money and the power and were not willing to give up their vast influence. This meant they were naturally conservative, giving the government more influence in the running of the regions would mean less power and money in their pockets. Each Junker in every small province wanted to keep their independence and traditional way of life. They felt the need to keep the power over the poor and uneducated.The three party voting system helped to insure that the rich elite would keep their power. This system divided the population into three sections; the poor bourgeoisie, Junkers and industry, and the elite. With the votes being even for each faction, the rich, with two thirds of the vote, would always have the advantage over the poor. This sammlung of Junkers and heavy industry feared government socialism, which would take away from their power, and did all they could to block any democratic reform, which would give the poor more power in the form of voting ability as well.As far as women having an added influence in Germany at this time, I believe they were only slightly influential. Prior to the advent of the ...
