German Unification
Step One – Economic Interdependence
•
A gradual process of economic interdependence from the early stages of the
Industrial Revolution through to the mid 19th century saw the Germanic
states move towards economic unification. For example, the growth of the
railway network in Germany led to easier access to different resources
across the confederation.
•
This helped to stimulate economic growth and meant that economic
prosperity was increasingly reliant upon strong links between different
member states of the German confederation. This led to the introduction of
the Zollverin customs union, an agreement amongst the German states to
have preferential customs policies for member states.
•
This economic union excluded Austria, illustrating a growing German sense
of identify and a lesser dependency upon the largest of the Germanic states.
Step Two – War with Denmark
•
Schleswig and Holstein are two German •
duchies that were under Danish rule.
Holstein's population was largely German
speaking and Schleswig's was a mix of
Germans and Danes. In the 1840s the
Danes attempted to claim Schleswig and
Holstein. This resulted in uproar from
•
German nationalists and demands for the
two duchies to be fully incorporated into
the German Confederation. In 1848, this
led to a brief war for control of the two
duchies. The resulting Treaty of London
stated that upon the accession to the
Danish throne of the Prince, Christian,
the duchies would remain under Danish
rule but not be incorporated into the
nation state of Denmark.
Denmark broke the terms of the Treaty of London. This
led to an outcry amongst German nationalists. The
German Confederation mobilised an army and invaded
the duchies. War with Denmark resulted in a victory for
the Germanic Confederation and the acquisition of
Schleswig and Holstein.
Following the victory it was agreed that Austria would
manage the duchy of Holstein and that Prussia would
be in charge of the day to day running of Schleswig. The
two major German powers clashed many times over
the manner in which the duchies were to be
administered. Historians still debate whether the
German chancellor, Bismarck, deliberately set out to
provoke Austria. Either way, the result was a political
division within the German Confederation with Austria
and Prussia now fighting for dominance of the
Germanic states.
Step Three – War with Austria
• Austrian-Prussian War. In 1866 further arguments about
the administration of Schleswig-Holstein led to war
breaking out between Austria and Prussia. This war
lasted seven weeks and resulted in a Prussian victory
over the Austrians. In beating the Austrians on the
battlefield the Prussians assumed the role of senior
Germanic state. This led to a clearer division between
Austrian and German interests and forced the smaller
states to align themselves alongside the Prussians, with
whom they shared more economic ties due to the
aforementioned Zollverin customs agreement.
Step Four – War with France!
• The Franco-Prussian War. Between 1866 and 1870 relations
between Prussia and France worsened. In 1870, frustrated
by the Prussian attitude to the issue of candidacy for the
vacant throne of Spain, France declared war on Prussia. The
resulting Prussian victory was both swift and decisive. It
resulted in the removal from power of the French Emperor,
Napoleon III and led to a wave of Germanic Nationalism
sweeping through the whole of the German Confederation.
• Following victory over France in January of 1871, Prussia
was able to persuade her partners within the German
confederation that unification was desirable. As a result,
Wilhelm of Prussia was proclaimed Emperor of Germany on
January 18th 1871. The Second German Reich was born.
The First Treaty of Versailles
• The 1871 Treaty of
Versailles ended the
Franco-Prussian War.
• Germany’s victory and
capture of the French
emperor resulted in the
near collapse of the
French government.
• The Versailles Palace had
been used as France’s
centre of political power
outside of Paris for
centuries.
• While the French
government deteriorated,
Bismarck succeeded in
achieving German
Unification on January 18,
1871 creating the German
Empire. King Wilhelm I of
Prussia was declared
Kaiser of the newly
created empire in the Hall
of Mirrors in the
Versailles Palace.
The Final Product
•
The Second Reich was made up of 25 German states. Each of these retained its
own Prince, as each had previously been a Princedom. These states were
represented on a National Level by the Reichsrat, the upper house of legislative
Parliament.
•
The Head of State was the Kaiser. This role was an hereditary one based upon
the old Kingdom of Prussia. The Kaiser had the right to summon the Reichstag
and dismiss it as and when he felt appropriate. He also had the power to
appoint and dismiss the Chancellor and all government ministers. It was these
Ministers who would propose legislation to the two houses of Parliament.
•
The Reichstag was the main legislative body. This institution was democratically
elected every 3 years, with all men over the age of 25 having the vote. This
body debated issues and voted on proposed legislation. The Reichsrat had the
power to veto legislation passed by the Reichstag.
•
Each State within the Reich had its own local legislative body that dealt with
local issues.
Otto von Bismarck
•
Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), born on April
1, 1815 at Schönhausen, is considered the
founder of the German Empire. For nearly
•
three decades he shaped the fortunes of
Germany, from 1862 to 1873 as prime minister
of Prussia and from 1871 to 1890 as
Germany's first Chancellor.
•
Bismarck engineered wars with France and
Austria in order to hasten the process of
German unification. An example of this is his
use of the Ems Telegram.
•
Ems telegram, report of an encounter
between King William I of Prussia and the
French ambassador; the telegram was sent
from Ems (Bad Ems) in the Prussian Rhineland
on July 13, 1870, to the Prussian chancellor
(Bismarck). Bismarck edited the telegram so as
to purposely offend the French government
precipitated the Franco-Prussian War.
Bismarck's greatest achievements included
developing a common currency, a central
bank, and a single code of commercial and
civil law for Germany.
•
Bismarck also became the first statesman
in Europe to devise a social security system
to counter offering workers insurance
against accident, sickness and old age.
•
By 1890 his policies began to come under
attack. On March 18, 1890 two years after
Emperor William II’s accession, Bismarck
was forced to resign. His last years were
devoted to composing his memoirs.