Core: Social and Cultural
Continuity & Change
Country Study: Germany
Time periods in the ‘history of
Germany’
• Traditional Society
- First Reich (16th C)
- - Second Reich (1871- 1919)
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1. Weimar Germany(1919-1933)
2. Third Reich Nazi Period(1933-1945)
3. Cold War Period (1945-1990)
4. Reunification Period:Oct 3rd, 1990- Today
For each time period you need to be able to apply (explain
& give specific examples) of the following concepts:
- Society
- Culture
- Persons
- Environment
- Time
- Power
- Authority
- Gender
- Technology
• If you were asked to describe the nature of
‘traditional’ Germany society, what would it
look like?
• What is meant by the term ‘traditional
society’? (p. 155)
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• A custom or practice that has been
handed down by generations over time. A
tradition can be seen at both a social and
a personal level.
• To help you see the student worksheet…
‘Then and Now Traditional Germany’
When did the ‘traditional Germany’
period end? Why?
• German universities became world-class
centers for science and the humanities,
while music and the arts flourished.
Unification was achieved with the
formation of the German Empire in 1871
under the leadership of Prussian
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The
Reichstag, an elected parliament, had only
a limited role in the imperial government.
• Population
The population of the German Confederation (excluding Austria) grew
60% from 1815 to 1865, from 21,000,000 to 34,000,000
• Industrialisation
- Before 1850 Germany lagged far behind the leaders in industrial
development, Britain, France and Belgium by a wide margin.
- By 1850, the German states were catching up, and by 1900
Germany was a world leader in industrialization, along with Britain
and the United States.
- In 1800, Germany's social structure was poorly suited to
entrepreneurship or economic development. Domination by France
during the era of the French Revolution (1790s to 1815), produced
important institutional reforms, including the abolition of feudal
restrictions on the sale of large landed estates, the reduction of the
power of the guilds in the cities, and the introduction of a new, more
efficient commercial law.
- Nevertheless, traditionalism remained strong in most of Germany.
Until midcentury, the guilds, the landed aristocracy, the churches,
and the government bureaucracies had so many rules and
restrictions that entrepreneurship was held in low esteem, and given
little opportunity to develop.
• Urbanisation
- Industrialisation brought rural Germans to the factories,
mines and railways= cities
- The population in 1800 was heavily rural, with only 10%
of the people living in communities of 5000 or more
people, and only 2% living in cities of more than
100,000.
- After 1815, the urban population grew rapidly, due
primarily to the influx of young people from the rural
areas. Berlin grew from 172,000 in 1800, to 826,000 in
1870; Hamburg grew from 130,000 to 290,000; Munich
from 40,000 to 269,000; and Dresden from 60,000 to
177,000. Offsetting this growth, there was extensive
emigration, especially to the United States.
- Emigration totaled 480,000 in the 1840s, 1,200,000 in
the 1850s, and 780,000 in the 1860s.
• See power and authority student
worksheet/table
• A simple way to address power and
authority is through features of society and
culture such as:
- Political structure
- Class structure
- Racial ideologies
- Gender roles
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Conflict Theory: Applying CT to the History of Germany
CHANGE: In Society and Culture when we look at change we are talking
about significant changes to society and culture. This means changes to the
way society is organised (politics, social structures and organisation such as
education, class) and culture (beliefs, practices, traditions).
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Conflict Theory
Founding Theorists:
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Research continued by Max Weber
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Main Ideas:
RADICAL CHANGE is inevitable in society (revolutionary transformation)
Social order is maintained through socisalisation, education and ideology
(think of the Nazis)
Each society reaches a CRISIS POINT and that is where the change occurs
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• Causes of Change:
• Conflict and subsequent change could be caused by a
number of factors including:
• conflict between social classes (often seen in opposing
political views)
• conflict between races
• conflict between genders
• Types of conflict
• Warfare and revolution
• Strikes and protests
• Domination and subjugation
Strengths/Weaknesses of CT
General Strengths of Conflict theory:
General Weaknesses of Conflict theory:
• Does not take into account how continuities happen
• Does not explain gradual change/ advancement or
progression in a society (e.g. advancements in
technology, science or the process of westernization)
• Does not really explain changes in family structures (i.e.
how the family changes in organization)
• Does not take into account peaceful settlements or
agreements????? (Division of Germany in 1945)
• Gender ROLES and the STATUS of men
and women
• Scenario writing through the framework of
STEEP!!!!