Was The Wilhelmine Empire Authoritarian, Or Was It Based On The Rule Of Law?
The Wilhelmine Empire was authoritarian, but it was also based on the rule of law. It was not at all like some of the totalitarian dictatorships of the twentieth century. First, one can determine that Wilhelmine courts tended to respect the letter of the law, and they enjoyed at least some independence from politicians. Additionally, the press did dare to attack the more repressive measures of the empire and as such, there was some freedom of the press. Sometimes, such press attacks were able to halt the more repressive measures. In terms of the Wilhelmine civil services, historians such as James Retallack have argued that it was quite diverse in terms of its membership and thus included people of all social and educational backgrounds. The civil service was not only for the nobility, but also for the middle class and, in some cases, for those who were able to rise to the ranks of the middle-class. Finally, the military was not quite as strong in society as one would assume. In fact, t
