Unification of Germany
Between 1807 and 1812, Napoleon
made major changes to the
territorial states of Germany. He
gained a number of European lands
and put many German -speaking
states under French rule. (In red)
Many Germans welcomed him
because they liked his policies. But
soon, extreme German
nationalism arose!!!
Nationalism Comes to Germany
• France and Russia had long-standing policy of
keeping Germany weak and divided
• Nationalism came to Germany, but different from
Italy
– Superiority to Slavs
– Independent of West – own particular way of life and
political system
– There were not widespread ideas of individual liberty –
tended to glorify the state
•People began to demand a unified German state more and
more as German Nationalism increased due to
Napoleon’s invasion.
•Many German Nationalists brought demands to the
Congress of Vienna. But Metternich, opposed these demands
and stated that joining the governments of the many separated
states would be extremely tricky.
Instead, the group formed a German Confederation, which
was a very weak body headed by Austria.
Prussia, took over control of the German states in the
1830’s from Austria. Trying to create an economic
union, they took away borders between the German
states. They still remained politically separate though.
•At the Frankfurt Assembly
in 1848, liberals offered the
throne to a united Germany
to the Prussian king, but they
were refused. Germany
remained divided but still
had a desire for unity.
German Unification and Bismarck
German confederation
made up of 39 separate
principalities– all
German speaking
“Zollverein”
Prussian Junker class – Bismarck on the left
Set up powerful trade
federation (customs
union) with other
German provinces – led
to prosperity and being
seen as dominant
German state.
Europe 1848
Frederick William IV of Prussia
(1840-1861)
• Mad as a hatter!
• Anti-liberal, but an ‘Arthurian’ medieval
romantic.
– Agricultural romantic.
• Relied on Junker support. (Junkers were
members of the landed nobility of
Prussia
• Prussia in the mid-19c:
– Efficient.
– Good economy.
– Strong military.
-The Prussian King in
1861was Wilhelm I,
the brother of Frederick
William.
-Wilhelm was an
ultraconservative who
believed in the Divine
Right of Kings.
-King Wilhelm I’s
prime minister was a
good friend of his, a
conservative noble
named Otto Von
Bismarck.
Wilhelm I
Bismarck
Enter Bismarck, in Prussia (1862)
Bismarck and ‘Realpolitik’
• Realistic Politics based on the needs of the state
– Whatever actions necessary to achieve his desired
goals.
• Power more important than principles
• “Blood and Iron” Philosophy
– He wanted to eliminate Austrian influence and
bring about unification on Prussian terms.
– Expand Germany’s Economy and Industrial base
with use of its resources.
– Do not make the same mistakes that were made
by the French in 1848-1849.
Prussia was famous for
its powerful military.
Voltaire once said:
“Prussia is not a
country with an army,
but an army with a
country!”
Bismarck wanted to
use this army to unite
the German people
under Prussian
leadership.
•Bismarck thought becoming
allied with Austria would be a
good idea. In 1864, Prussian
armies under Bismarck’s
leadership took over the
provinces of Schleswig and
Holstein from Denmark rule.
Bismarck gave the province of
Holstein to Austria and kept
Schleswig under Prussian rule in
hopes of an alliance.
First, Prussia Attacks Denmark - 1864
The Austro-Prussian war of 1866
The Austro-Prussian war of 1866
• Prussia wins war in 7 weeks.
•Shortly following the victory of Prussia, Otto von
Bismarck eliminated the Austrian led German
Confederation.
• The ruler then established a new North German
Confederation which was ruled by Prussia.
Southern States..
• Four southern states remained independent and not part
of the North German Confederation - Hesse-Darmstodt,
Bavaria, Wurtemberg and Baden.
• Bismarck knew that he could not simply annexe these
states.
• He also knew, however, that a potential threat from
France would stir up German nationalism in the
southern states and that these states, deprived of
Austria, would then look to Prussia as a ‘big brother’.
• Bismarck engineered secret alliances between Prussia
and the four southern states before the Treaty of Prague
had been signed at the end of the Austro-Prussian War.
• These alliances stated that in the event of war the south
German states would fight with Prussia and also place
their armies under direct Prussian control.
Tension After 7 Weeks’ War - Prussia v
Austria, 1866
• Napoleon III (France) was
shocked by speed of
Bismarck’s victory against
Austria
• Bismarck excluded Napoleon
III from treaty negotiations
(between Prussia and Austria)
• Napoleon was looking for
territory in the Rhineland as
reward for staying neutral
while Prussia fought Austria
The Spanish Candidacy
• In 1868, Queen Isabella of Spain was deposed and
the Spanish parliament sought to appoint a new
monarch.
• Wilhelm I’s nephew – Leopold Hohenzollern was
proposed as a potential candidate by Bismarck.
• Bismarck knew that France would not accept this
proposal as it would threaten French security, so he
hoped to have the proposal approved before the
French found out.
• The French did find out, however, and were
outraged.
The Ems Telegram
•The Ems telegram was sent in 1870 from
the Prussian King to Bismarck informing
Bismarck about his meeting with French
Ambassador.
• The eager Bismarck was waiting for his
opportunity to strike and when the king
left it up to him to let the press know
about the meeting, he took advantage of
the situation.
The Ems Telegram Cont’d
Bismarck manipulated the situation by making
the Prussian king look as if he was more hostile
towards towards the French then he really was.
•
•This provoked chaos in both France and Prussia
and eventually led to the Franco-Prussian War.
Franco-Prussian War
•Otto von Bismarck wanted to achieve unity within south
Germany states under Prussian rule.
•Bismarck wanted to eliminate French influence on the
country.
•The war lasted from 1870-1871 and resulted in the loss of
France to the German States.
Bismark
• "I knew that a Franco-Prussian War must take
place before a united Germany was formed."[
Why did the French fight alone?
• Once again, Bismarck made sure that his enemy was
isolated.
• The Austrians were grateful for the lenient Treaty of
Prague.
• The British were hostile to the French because Bismarck
had leaked details of Napoleon’s interest in Belgium.
• The Italians were happy with their territorial gains at the
end of the Franco Prussian War. They were also hostile to
the French because of the presence of a French army in
Rome, which was preventing Italian unification.
Why did the Prussians win the war?
• The Southern states fought with the North German
Confederation, because of Bismarck’s secret alliances.
• The German armies mobilised in 18 days and the Germans
invaded France, so the French were always fighting a
defensive war.
• Once again the Prussian military proved to be decisive.
• Prussian technology (especially breech-loading rifle) and
tactics were far superior.
• Prussia used 6 railway lines, France had 2
• The French suffered heavy defeats at Metz and Sedan.
Napoleon’s government was overthrown and a republic was
declared.
• Paris was besieged for several months until the French
surrendered in January 1871.
Édouard Detaille, Prisonnier
Alphonse de Neuville, The Cemetery of St Privat, 18 August
1870 (1881)
Napoleon III meeting Bismarck after Sedan, 2 September 1870
The Treaty of Frankfurt
• This was far harsher than the peace treaty with Austria had
been.
• France was forced to pay an indemnity of £200 million
within 4 years.
• Territory was annexed, most notably Alsace and Lorraine.
(buffer-zone – contained fortresses of Metz and Strasbourg
+ rich in iron ore)
• The German army triumphantly marched through Paris.
• Von Moltke: “What we have gained by arms in half a year,
we must protect by arms for half a century”.
The German Empire
A United Germany
After the defeat of both Austria and
France, Germans persuaded William I
from Prussia to take the title Kaiser, or
emperor.
In January of 1871, Germans celebrated
their empire known as the Second Reich
which had in the past been taken over by
Napoleon of France.
Wilhelm Crowned
Emperor
• The German Emperor
had considerable
powers. He had
personal control of
the armed forces. He
appointed and
dismissed all
ministers including
the Chancellor
(Bismarck 18711890).
Crowned in the hall of mirrors in
Versailles outside Paris, on January
18, 1871
A constitution proposed by
Bismarck and a two house legislature
was set up for the Second Reich.
The two houses were made up of
the Bundersat (upper house) and the
Reichstag (lower house).
 The houses were elected by rulers
of German states and universal male
suffrage.
Otto von Bismarck, 1886.
A Growing Economy
•After the unification of Germany, it rose to be the
Industrial giant of the Europe.
•Germany’s chemical and electrical industries were
beyond any other industries in the world.
•Germany’s coal and iron resources resulted in massive
growth of the economy.
•A work force and rapidly growing population also aided
in the development of the economy.
German Unification Timeline
1818 –
Prussia
eliminates
tariffs
1848 –
Revolution &
Frankfurt
Parliament
1819 - Carlsbad Decrees
1844 – Zollverein includes
Almost all German states
1862 –
William I
Bismarck
appointe
d
Head of
cabinet
1866- 7 Weeks’ War;
German Confederation
Dissolved; Prussia takes
Schleswig & Holstein
1864 – Austria &
Germany defeat Denmark:
Austria takes Schleswig,
Prussia takes Holstein
1870 FrancoPrussian
War;
France loses
AlsaceLorraine
1871:
German
Empire
Proclaimed;
Bismarck
appointed
Chancellor
Europe
today