What Were the Economic and Political Reasons for Protective Tariffs in 1879

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him. Also by the late 1870s landowners and industrialists were protesting for protective tariffs and by adopting these protectionist policies, Bismarck could win influential support from these groups. So in the 1878 elections, when the National Liberals lost around 30 seats, Bismarck saw his opportunity and with the combined strength of the two Conservative parties, The German Conservatives and Free Conservatives, he could form a majority government and outvote the National Liberals in the Reichstag over legislation such as the anti-socialist bill. This could explain his establishment of protective tariffs, as it won him more support from popular and substantial groups like the industrialists.

Bismarck’s alliance with the Prussian landowning class and powerful industrialists and the parties representing their interests had profound social effects. From that point on, conservative groups had the upper hand in German society. The German middle class began to imitate its conservative social superiors rather than attempt to impose its own liberal, middle-class values on Germany. The reputation of the military became so great that many middle-class males strove to enhance their social status by becoming officers in the reserves. All these protective and conservative policies and acts gave Bismarck a massively influential stance in the Reichstag as he had the backing of a majority government that agreed with all his legislation and he effectively faced no major opposition from within the government for a long time.

To conclude, I believe the economic factors for the introduction of protective tariffs are more influential and outweigh the political aspects, as although the protectionist legislation ended up gaining support for Bismarck and giving him a strong position in the Reichstag and a new strong alliance, the economic benefits are far more numerous and influential as he provided income to the federal government, helped the agriculture sector emerge from a depression and boosted industrial growth. So overall the tariffs established were more advantageous to the economy of Germany than the political scene.