GERMANY 



3496 



GERMANY 



days of aniline dyes England led 

 the way, but German respect for 

 science and the encouragement 

 which its chemists received soon 

 altered the position, and although 

 much was done to enable dyes as 

 good as the German to be made in 

 England, not many months had 

 passed after the conclusion of 

 peace before English manufac- 

 turers were sending to Germany 

 again. Thus in dyes the Germans 

 established something like a mono- 

 poly, as they had in the finer kinds 

 of lenses and optical glass generally. 

 Export of Cheap Goods 



Another product of great value 

 to them is potash, of which they 

 have very large deposits ; this is 

 used so widely in agriculture, and 

 is found so little in Europe, that 

 its possession is most useful. Be- 

 sides the salt beds from which 

 potash comes, there are many 

 others in Germany of large extent. 

 But it was by the export of manu- 

 factured articles rather than of 

 natural products that German 

 wealth so quickly increased during 

 the last fifteen years of the 19th 

 century and the first fourteen of 

 the 20th century. The factories 

 made a speciality of cheapness. 

 They turned out articles which 

 were not of the best quality, but 

 which would meet with ready pur- 

 chasers. 



The progressive movement of 

 German exports led to a large in- 

 crease in shipping, and out of this 

 grew, not only the navy which was 

 begun in 1897 with a complete 

 seven years' programme, and then 

 enlarged in every succeeding year, 

 but also the desire to compete 

 with Britain in passenger carrying. 

 The German liners were as large 

 and as luxurious as any. 



GOVERNMENT. Since the abdica- 

 tion of the third German emperor, 

 William II, the form of govern- 

 ment has been republican. All 

 citizens over 20 years of age, 

 women as well as men, have votes, 

 and return members to the Reich- 

 stag of the whole empire by pro- 

 portional representation. This as- 

 sembly is elected for four years. 

 In addition there is a Reichsrat or 

 federal council, consisting of mem- 

 bers from each of the states form- 

 ing the republic. These states are 

 Anhalt, Baden, Bavaria, Bremen, 

 Brunswick, Hamburg, Hesse, Lippe, 

 Liibeck, Mecklenburg - Schwerin, 

 Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg, 

 Prussia, Saxony, Schaumburg- 

 Lippe, Thuringia, Waldeck, and 

 Wiirttemberg. All the people of 

 all the states elect the president of 

 the republic for a term of seven 

 years. The constitution provides 

 for a referendum to the people of 

 measures in dispute. 



There is no state church, all 

 forms of religion being free and 

 equal. The majority of the people 

 (40,000,000) belong to the Pro- 

 testant Church ; there are some 

 24,000,000 Roman Catholics. In 

 recent years there has been a slight 

 decrease in the number of Pro- 

 testants and a slight increase in 

 the Catholics. Jews only number 

 one per cent, of the population ; 

 among the 'wealthy, however, the 

 proportion is much greater, as it is 

 among those also who follow the 

 arts. 



EDUCATION. Education is left 

 to each state, but it is almost uni- 

 form through out the entire country. 

 Everywhere it is compulsory be- 

 tween the ages of 6 and 14. The 

 defect of German higher education 

 is its intensity, which accounts 

 for so large a number of the people, 

 even children, requiring spectacles 

 or eyeglasses. But on the com- 

 mercial and technical sides it has 

 made itself supreme. Classical edu- 

 cation is given a secondary place, 

 although scholarship is still culti- 

 vated, both in the Gymnasien 

 and in the universities ; the whole 

 system in the schools above the 

 elementary aims at preparation 

 for professional careers. Great 

 pains are taken to ensure that 

 teachers shall be well qualified for 

 their task. 



Effect of Educational System 



Germans have a profound belief 

 in the value of education, and 

 keenly desire it. When those who 

 could pass certain examinations 

 were excused part of their military 

 service, it was considered dis- 

 graceful in any young man of edu- 

 cation that he should not be able 

 to take advantage of this pro- 

 vision. The tendency for educa- 

 tion in Germany is, however, to- 

 wards making all citizens obedient 

 rather than self-reliant. They are 

 accustomed to look to the state for 

 the regulation of many matters 

 which elsewhere are left to indi- 

 vidual or local choice. Germany 

 was, for example, the first country 

 to adopt compulsory insurance 

 against sickness, accident, and old 

 age. Bismarck favoured a modi- 

 fied state socialism as a means of 

 keeping the people comfortable, 

 and therefore contented. The re- 

 sult of this was that poor rates 

 were almost unknown. Destitute 

 persons haVe a claim upon any 

 local union for relief, but the ex- 

 pense of relieving them must be 

 paid by the unions in which they 

 are registered as residents. In the 

 larger towns the Elberfeld system is 

 applied, which employs the unpaid 

 services of well-meaning persons for 

 visiting and inquiring into the con- 

 ditions of those who require help. 



German high-roads are good, and 

 usually the secondary roads are 

 well looked after. An inclination 

 to have things done decently and in 

 order, if possible upon a uniform 

 system, is a German characteristic. 

 The railways are managed by the 

 federal government, and serve the 

 needs of travellers well. In the 40 

 years between 1880 and 1920 they 

 were almost doubled in length ; 

 now there are close upon 39,000 

 miles of them. This increase ac- 

 companied the general develop- 

 ment of the people. In 1890 

 they exported goods to the value 

 of 162,000,000 and imported 

 203,000,000 worth. In J 910 these 

 figures had risen to 382 millions 

 and 465 millions ; during the next 

 three years there was a further 

 very rapid increase ; the exports 

 stood at 509 millions and the im- 

 ports at 560 millions. 



The Germans believed that the 

 growth of their trade was largely 

 due to their policy of protection ; 

 but the chief cause was to be found 

 in their enterprise and energy. 

 Coming into the field when both 

 British and American had to a 

 great extent occupied it, they saw 

 that only hard work and ingenuity 

 could capture markets for their 

 manufactures. Everything possible 

 was done to meet the wishes of pos- 

 sible customers. Catalogues and 

 price lists were always printed in the 

 language of the country to which 

 they were sent, with weights and 

 measures and money to match. 

 Commercial travellers always spoke 

 the language of those among whom 

 they tried to do business, and spoke 

 it well enough usually to be on 

 familiar terms socially with the 

 trading class. In almost every 

 part of the world, therefore, 

 German competition began to be 

 felt by British firms. 



National Ambitions 



National ambition was fiercely 

 stimulated from the time of the 

 successful war with France and 

 the foundation of the empire. Up 

 to that period the Germans had 

 been easy-going, easily satisfied, 

 romantic in their ideas, more de- 

 voted to music and poetry than to 

 material aims. The virus of im- 

 perialism injected into their blood 

 by Bismarck brought about a sur- 

 prising change. Their outlook 

 narrowed, they set themselves de- 

 signedly to fill the chief place 

 among the nations. An immense 

 effort, of which the ramifications 

 were noticeable in all branches 

 of the national life, especially in 

 education, was made to imbue 

 the entire people from early youth 

 with the desire for aggrandise- 

 ment, for the spreading of German 

 influence which they called Kultur. 



