House of the Gründerzeit (foundation years) - around 1880

German unification and the establishment of the Kaiser empire marked the start of the Gründerzeit (foundation years). Mansions in the towns with their pompous interior designs reflected their owners' new wealth. The stylistic trend set by the Viennese painter Hans Markart moved into the salons of the Rhenish upper-middle class. The rising bourgeoisie endeavoured to win the esteem of society. An officer of the Prussian army was the suitable husband for the daughter of a solid middle-class family.

A new political era began with the appointment of Otto von Bismarck as Prime Minister of Prussia. He pushed through his reform of the army while ignoring the constitutional and budgetary rights of parliament. This adapted it to changes in foreign policy. The result was the established supremacy of the officer class in society and increasing militarization of civil areas of life. The uniform became a symbol of the officers' role in educating the nation.

The military tradition of the Prussians was described as follows by Fürst von Bülow:
„King Friedrich Wilhelm I. was not only the rough drill-master of the later invincible Potsdam Guards’ Parade, he was also the creator of the spirit of the Prussian Army, which had led the Prussian and German flags from Mollwitz and Hohenfriedberg to  Tannenberg and Verdun. From the throng of rough and courageous country squires (Landjunker) he created the Prussian officer corps with its strict concepts of duty and honour, their close solidarity with each other and with the teams entrusted to them, the camaraderie, military pride and allegiance to the monarchy. The king who wore the soldier’s jacket was the first officer of the Army, the officers who wore the king’s jacket formed the first rank of the State, …“
(Bülow, Fürst von: Deutsche Politik, Berlin 1916, S. 146f.)

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