Chapter 23
Nationalism Triumphs
in Europe
Section 1
Building a
German Nation
Setting the Scene
The Prussian legislators waited restlessly for Otto von
Bismarck to speak. They knew he wanted them to vote more
money to build up the Prussian army. Liberal members of the
parliament, however, opposed the move. At last, Bismarck
rose and dismissed their concerns:
"Germany does not look to Prussia's liberalism,
but to her power. . . . The great questions of the
day are not to be decided by speeches and
majority resolutions—that was the mistake of 1848
and 1849—but by blood and iron!"
Bismarck delivered his "blood and iron" speech in 1862. It set
the tone for his policies in the years ahead. Bismarck was
determined to build a strong, unified German state, with
Prussia at its head.
I. Steps Toward Unity
In the early 1800s, German-speaking people
lived in a number of kingdoms including
Prussia and the Austrian Hapsburg empire
I. Steps Toward Unity
Between 1807 and 1812,
Napoleon organized many German states into
the Confederation of the Rhine
I. Steps Toward Unity
1815 - The
Congress of
Vienna created the
German
Confederation, a
weak alliance of the
39 German states
headed by Austria
I. Steps Toward Unity
In the 1830s, Prussia created an
economic union between German states
called the Zollverein
I. Steps Toward Unity
1848 – The Frankfurt Assembly demanded a
united Germany under Prussia, and offered the
throne to Frederick William IV but he turned it down
II. Bismarck and German Unity
1862 - Otto von Bismarck, a diplomat from
Prussia's Junker class, was named as
chancellor (prime minister)
Chancellor of Germany
Period in office: 1871–1890
Date of birth:
1 April 1815
Date of death:
30 July 1898
II. Bismarck and German Unity
As Chancellor, Bismarck would succeed in
uniting the German states under Prussian rule
II. Bismarck and German Unity
Bismarck was a master of Realpolitik–realistic
politics based on the needs of the state
This 1887 American
political cartoon depicts
Bismarck balancing the
figures of war and peace
on a teeter-totter made up
of a powder keg and a
board named "European
politics". At the same time,
he is juggling the great
powers of Europe. An
artillery piece lies in the
foreground.
II. Bismarck and German Unity
Bismarck built up the army and
fought three wars,
increasing Prussian power and
paving the way for German unity
Franco-Prussian War
II. Bismarck and German Unity
1864 - Bismarck formed an alliance with Austria and
they seized the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein
from Denmark. Prussia gained Schleswig and Austria
gained Holstein.
II. Bismarck and German Unity
1866-The Austro-Prussian War (Seven Weeks’ War) was
fought between Prussia and Austria. Prussia was victorious
and annexed Holstein and several other north German states
II. Bismarck and German Unity
Bismarck dissolved the German Confederation and created
the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia
II. Bismarck and German Unity
A growing rivalry between France and Prussia
led to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870
II. Bismarck and German Unity
Napoleon III declared war on Prussia due to the
vacant Spanish throne and the “Ems dispatch”
but France was defeated within a few weeks
Stone of Benedetti - Ems dispatch
A memorial stone reminding of the fatal
correspondence between King Wilhelm I
of Prussia and the French ambassador
Earl Benedetti. The telegraphic message
of the Prussian king to Berlin, which
entered history books under the name of
"Ems Dispatch" and the shortened
version of the contents, which was
published in the press by Bismarck on
July 13, 1870, led to the outbreak of the
Franco-Prussian War 1870/1871.
II. Bismarck and German Unity
Results of the Franco-Prussian War
Treaty of Frankfurt, Feb. 1871
-France surrenders the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine
national humiliation for France
-France must pay Germany a large indemnity
**France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
and the loss of Alsace and Lorraine
 France would desire revenge on Germany
one of the causes of the outbreak
of WWI in 1914**
III. The German Empire
- William I of Prussia took the title
Kaiser or emperor and German nationalists
celebrated the birth of the Second Reich
January 1871
On the 18th January 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles,
King William I of Prussia was proclaimed by all the states of
Germany to be their emperor.
III. The German Empire
A constitution was drafted which set up a two-house
legislature - the appointed Bundesrat (upper house)
and the elected Reichstag (lower house)