Unification of
Italy and
Germany
Chapter 8
Section 3
Cavour Unites Italy
O Nationalism did not only
destroy empires, it helped
build nations.
O Italy formed from crumbling
empires.
O 1815-1848 – fewer Italians
were content to live under
foreign rulers.
Cavour Leads Italian Unification
O Italian nationalists looked for
leadership from the kingdom
of Piedmont-Sardinia, the
largest and most powerful of
the Italian states.
O Kingdom adopted a liberal
constitution in 1848.
O Unification sounded like a
good plan to the liberal
middle-class.
Count Camillo di Cavour
O Became Prime Minister of Sardinia in
1852.
O Worked tirelessly to expand PiedmontSardinia’s power.
O Wanted to gain control of northern
Italy.
Roadblock to Italy
O Cavour realized that Austria
would cause a major
roadblock.
O Napoleon III agreed to help
drive Austria out of the
northern Italian provinces.
O Cavour then started a war
with Austria.
O With the help of the French,
Sardinia won two quick
victories.
O Sardinia took all of northern
Italy, except Venetia.
Garibaldi Brings Unity
O While Cavour was uniting northern Italy, he
secretly helped nationalist rebels in the
south.
O May 1860 – a small army of Italian
nationalists captured Sicily.
O Army was known as the Red Shirts.
O Leader – Giuseppe Garibaldi, and his
followers, always wore a bright red shirt in
battle.
Garibaldi
O Garibaldi and his soldiers marched
north from Sicily.
O Garibaldi agreed to unite southern
areas with the kingdom of PiedmontSardinia.
O Garibaldi met with King Victor
Emmanuel II.
O Garibaldi agreed to step aside and let
the King rule.
Final Additions
O 1860 – Venetia became part of
Italy.
O 1870 – Papal States came under
Italian control.
O This included the city of Rome.
O Rome became the capital of Italy.
O The pope would continue to govern
a section of Rome known as
Vatican City.
Bismarck Unites Germany
O Like Italy, Germany also
achieved national unity in the
mid-1800s.
O 1815 – 39 German states
formed a loose grouping called
the German Confederation.
O The Austrian Empire
dominated the confederation.
O However, Prussia was ready to
unify all the German States.
German Confederation
Prussia Leads German Unification
O Prussia had several advantages:
O Prussia had a large German
population
O Unlike the Austro-Hungarian
Empire
O Nationalism unified Prussia and
tore Austria-Hungary apart.
O Prussia’s army was the most
powerful in central Europe.
O Berlin rioters forced a constitutional
convention to write up a liberal
constitution for the kingdom, paving
the way for unification.
Bismarck Takes Control
O 1862 – Wilhelm I succeeded
Frederick William to the
throne.
O Liberal parliament refused
him money for reforms that
would double the strength of
his army.
O Major challenge to
Wilhelm’s authority.
O Based on this information, do
you think Wilhelm was a
liberal or a conservative?
Junkers & Bismarck
O Junkers supported his view.
O Junkers = strongly conservative
members of Prussia’s wealthy
landowning class.
O 1862 – Wilhelm chose a conservative
Junker to be his Prime Minister
O Otto von Bismarck
Realpolitik
O Bismarck became a master at
realpolitik.
O Means “the politics of unity”.
O Used to describe tough power
politics with no room for
idealism.
“It is not by means of
speeches and majority
resolutions that the great
issues of the day will
be decided but by
blood and iron.”
Dealing with Parliament
O Bismarck declared that he would
rule without:
O Consent of parliament
O Legal budget
O These actions were in direct
violation of the constitution.
Prussia Expands
O 1864 – Bismarck took the first
step toward molding an empire.
O Prussia and Austria formed an
alliance.
O Went to war against Denmark
to win two border provinces:
Schleswig (P) and Holstein
(A).
O The quick victory increased
national pride among Prussians.
O Won new respect from other
Germans.
Seven Weeks’ War
 Bismarck purposely stirred up
border conflicts with Austria
over the two provinces.
 Austria declared war on
Prussia in 1866.
 Prussians used their superior
training and equipment 
devastating victory for
Prussia.
 Austria = humiliated
 Austrians lost Venetia.
Prussia’s Control
O Due to its victory, Prussia
took control of northern
Germany.
O Eastern and western Prussia
were joined for the first
time.
O 1867 – the remaining states
joined the North German
Confederation.
O Prussia completely
dominated.
The Franco-Prussian War
O 1867 – a few southern German
O
O
O
O
O
states remained independent.
Southern Germans – Catholic
Prussia – Protestant
South resisted domination by
Prussia.
Bismarck felt that the
southerners would give in if
they felt an outside threat.
Bismarck felt that a war with
France would suffice.
Franco-Prussian War (cont.)
O Bismarck manufactured
“incidents”.
O Created the impression that
the French ambassador had
insulted the Prussian king.
O France reacted by declaring
war in 1870.
O Prussia entered France and
captured 83,000 people including
Napoleon III.
O Parisians finally gave in due to
hunger.
O Final stage of German
unification.
After the War
O Southern Germans finally
had nationalistic feelings.
O Accepted Prussian
leadership.
O 1871 – Captured Versailles.
O King Wilhelm I of Prussia
was crowned kaiser or
emperor.
O Called empire The Second
Reich
O Holy Roman Empire was
the first.
A Shift in Power
O The 1815 Congress of Vienna
had established five Great
Powers in Europe:
O Britain, France, Austria,
Prussia and Russia
O 1815 – powers were nearly
equal in strength.
O 1871 – Britain and
Germany were the most
powerful.
O European balance of power
had broken down.
Questions
1. Which 2 nations were formed because of
2.
3.
4.
5.
nationalism?
What was Cavour secretly doing in south
Italy?
What advantage did Prussia have over
Austria in uniting the German states?
What does realpolitik mean?
By 1871, what were the two most powerful
countries in Europe?