It has long been debated within the historiography of German politics, whether the assassination of Kaiser Wilhelm I, was the great catalyst for political change that it has often been portrayed as. Regardless of whether or not it was, his death had several repercussions.
The first of these, was the removal of Bismarck as Chancellor, with Crown Prince Friedrich, who had long disagreed with Bismarck's conservatism, replacing him with the progressive leader Eugen Richter appointed Chancellor, and fresh elections called.
The assassination met with condemnation across Europe, and his funeral was attended by dignitaries from around the world, including former American President Ulysses S. Grant. [1]
Following changes to the electoral boundaries, and the expansion of seats from 397 to 500, the new German Reichstag, following the elections of November 1878 looked like this:
500 seats (226 needed for a majority)
National Conservative Party (NKP)-118 seats out of 500 [2]
National Liberal Party (NLP)-116 seats out of 500
Centre Party (Z)-116 seats out of 500
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-68 seats out of 500 [3]
Social Democratic Party (SPD)-38 seats out of 500
Others-44 [4]
Following the election, Eugen Richter, of the Liberal Democratic Party formed a coalition with the Centre Party and the National Liberals.
[1] Grant had begun a European tour, following the election of Democrat Samuel J. Tilden in 1876
[2] The National Conservative Party formed as a merger between the German Conservative Party and the German Reich Party.
[3] Liberal Democratic Party was formed from the merger of the German Progressive Party, Liberal Union and German Peoples Party to secure more seats for progressives.
[4] These included the Polish Peoples Party (PVP/PPL), Democratic Party of Alsace (DPE/PDA), German-Hanoverian Party (DHP) and the Danish Peoples League (DVB/DFL).
The first of these, was the removal of Bismarck as Chancellor, with Crown Prince Friedrich, who had long disagreed with Bismarck's conservatism, replacing him with the progressive leader Eugen Richter appointed Chancellor, and fresh elections called.
The assassination met with condemnation across Europe, and his funeral was attended by dignitaries from around the world, including former American President Ulysses S. Grant. [1]
Following changes to the electoral boundaries, and the expansion of seats from 397 to 500, the new German Reichstag, following the elections of November 1878 looked like this:
500 seats (226 needed for a majority)
National Conservative Party (NKP)-118 seats out of 500 [2]
National Liberal Party (NLP)-116 seats out of 500
Centre Party (Z)-116 seats out of 500
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-68 seats out of 500 [3]
Social Democratic Party (SPD)-38 seats out of 500
Others-44 [4]
Following the election, Eugen Richter, of the Liberal Democratic Party formed a coalition with the Centre Party and the National Liberals.
[1] Grant had begun a European tour, following the election of Democrat Samuel J. Tilden in 1876
[2] The National Conservative Party formed as a merger between the German Conservative Party and the German Reich Party.
[3] Liberal Democratic Party was formed from the merger of the German Progressive Party, Liberal Union and German Peoples Party to secure more seats for progressives.
[4] These included the Polish Peoples Party (PVP/PPL), Democratic Party of Alsace (DPE/PDA), German-Hanoverian Party (DHP) and the Danish Peoples League (DVB/DFL).
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