Nationalism in Europe
Wichtige Frage
• How does nationalism shape Europe in the
19th century?
• In what way(s) was the Congress of Vienna
successful (or not) with regard to their efforts
to squash nationalism?
• How does the creation of a new, united
Germany change the balance of power in
Europe?
Nationalism
• The belief that each nation or group of people
should have their own country, with clearly
defined borders, and their own government
• It is also the idea that people should be loyal
to their country rather than to their leader
• Finally, it is having pride in one’s country and
being patriotic.
What makes a group a nation?
• Nationality
(common ethnicity)
• Language (a
language that all in
the nation will
speak)
• Culture (a shared
way of life)
•History (common
experiences)
•Religion (a religion
for most or all
people)
•Territory (the land
for the nation)
European Nationalist
Revolts
French demand democratic
gov’t
1821
1848
1830
Greece rebels against Ottoman Empire
French depose Charles X
Belgians rebel against
Dutch
Poles rebel against Russia
Hungarians demand selfgovernment
Czechs demand Bohemian
independence
Liberal revolt in German
states
Unification of Italy and Germany
Garibaldi gives up
power to King Victor
Emmanuel
Cavor appointed
prime minister
Seven Week’s War
1866
1860
1848
1858
French help drive out
Austria
1862
1870
Bismark appointed
prime minister
Franco Prussian War
Italian Unification
• Napoleon controlled until 1815
– brought unity for short time
• Congress of Vienna redraws Europe & hurts
Italian unity
– Northern Italy given to Austrians at Vienna
• Italy made up of independent governments
– Papal States, Piedmont Sardinia, Kingdom of the
Two Sicilies, Tuscany, Parma & Lombardy
Moving Toward Unification
• Groups within Italian states begin to push
for unification of Italy
• Most wanted Austrians out of Northern Italy
(WHY?!)
• Literature starts to call for unification
• Different groups emerge: The Carbonari
Giuseppe Mazzini
•
•
•
•
1805-1872
“poor man's lawyer”
“Tin Man” (The Heart)
Founder of Young Italy
movement
• 1830 member of Carbonari
• Arrested in October 1830
• Hope for unity and
autonomy only to be found
in nation-states
Mazzini’s Young Italy
• basic principle : the union of the several
states and kingdoms into a single republic
• "One, Independent, Free Republic“
• Failed uprisings in 1833 & 1848
– Sent into exile after 1848 uprising failed
• Remember Copernicus?
Camillo di Cavour
• 1810-1861
• Founder of Italian
Liberal Party
• Prime Minister of
Piedmont-Sardinia
• The “Scarecrow” (The
Brains)
Cavour
• United Italy unintentionally; true intent was to
strengthen Piedmont-Sardinia
• Attempted, through war with France and
Austria, to gain the northern Italian states in
1859
– France backed out with only half of the territory
gained
– Parma, Tuscany & Modena, which had not been
gained by the war rebelled against Austrians &
joined Sardinia
Cavour
• Prime Minister of Piedmont 1861 Victor
Emanuell II made him Prime Minister of
Italy
• Strain too much on him he dies June 7,1861
• His last words were reportedly “Italy is
made. All is safe.”
Giuseppe Garibaldi
• 1807-1882
• "Hero of the Two
Worlds"
• Member of Young Italy
and Carbonari
• Exiled to the Americas
• Founded the Red Shirts
• The “Cowardly Lion”
(The Strength)
• Unified by the sword not
the ballot box
Garibaldi’s Achievements
•
•
•
•
Helped lead riots in various cities
Worked closely with Mazzini
Commanded Navy in the Uragauy Civil War
Returns to Italy to defend Rome during the
First War of Italian Independence
• Unified the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
– Stopped short of uniting all of Italy by Cavour
Garibaldi
• Garibaldi steps aside to prevent civil war and
allows Cavour to let king of Sardinia rule
Steps to Finish the Job
• Remove the Austrians from Venetia
• May 1860 elections
– Victor Emanuel II voted King of Italy by “the grace
of God and the will of the nation”
• Venetia reclaimed by Italy in 1866 as a result
of the 7 weeks War
• Franco-Prussian War of 1870 forces French to
recall troops from Papal States
– Italy is united
Problems Remain
• Problems between North and South
– Industrial North, agricultural South
– Language (dialect) problems
– Political problems between the two
– Not going to be ready for the 20th century
Regroup
• Define nationalism
• What are some of the characteristics that go
into creating a nation?
• Who united Italy first in the 19th century?
• Who were the 3 men who unified Italy?
Regroup
• Why is Mazzini the Copernicus of the Italian
unification movement?
• What war brought Venetia back to Italy?
• What war forced the French out of Italy and
finished the unification of Italy?
German Unification
Germany’s Makeup
• Result of the Congress of Vienna was 39
separate German states
– Prussia largest & most dominant
– Homogeneous population made unification
easier
• Religious differences between Catholic south and
Protestant north
Economic Unification
• Creation of the Zollverein (customs union) by
1844
– Reduced tariffs between German states
– Created tariffs against foreign products
– Adopted uniform set of weights, measures &
currency
– Paved way for later political union
Otto von Bismarck
• 1815-1898
• Member of the Junker class
– Conservative landowner
• Machiavellian
• Use of Realpolitik
• “The great decisions of the day
will not be decided by speeches
and majorities, but by blood
& iron.”
– Willing to start wars to
accomplish goals
Steps Toward Unification
• Series of Wars to unify German states
– Second war of Schleswig (1864),
– the 7 Weeks War (1866),
– the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)
Wars
• Second war of Schleswig (1864)
•
•
•
•
Prussians demand territory from Denmark
Austrians join with Prussia
Denmark easily defeated
Prussians get Schleswig & Austrians get Holstein
Wars
• 7 Weeks War
– Bismarck launched war against old ally, Austria
• Wanted to remove Austrian influence from German
states
– Austria had control of Holstein
– Superior German forces destroyed the Austrians
Results of 7 Weeks War
• Prussia to annex some territory from Austria
• Italy regains Venetia
• Bismarck excluded long-time rival Austria and
most of its allies from the German
Confederation
• Formed North German Confederation with the
states that had supported Prussia
• Ended Austrian dominance of the German
nations
Causes of the Franco-Prussian War
• German Prince Leopold offered throne of Spain.
• Following the protests in France, Leopold had
withdrawn his acceptance in July 1870
– Why would France be upset?
• French wanted a guarantee by the Prussian king that
no member of his Hohenzollern family would ever be
a candidate for the Spanish throne.
• Ems Dispatch issued leading to war
The Ems Dispatch
• The French had made certain demands under threat
of war; Wilhelm had refused them
• It was designed to give the French the impression
that King Wilhelm I had insulted Count Benedetti
• Bismarck edited the Dispatch to make it look like the
French had been insulted
• Bismarck intended to give France an opportunity to
declare a war as part of his plan to unify Germany
• The French public was outraged; declared War July
1870
The Franco-Prussian War
•
•
•
•
German forces superior
Efficiently used the railroads
Used steel artillery
Prussian and German victories in eastern
France
• Battle of Sedan on 1 September 1870
– Napoleon III was captured with his whole army
End of The Franco Prussian War
• German armies easily defeated the newly recruited
French armies
• Paris fell on January 28, 1871.
• January 18, 1871: the German states had proclaimed
their union under the Prussian King, uniting Germany
as a nation-state, the German Empire.
– Proclaimed in the Palace of Versailles
The Proclamation of the German
Empire
January 18, 1871
Unified Germany
• 25 states
• 1871 Constitution of the German Empire
• Reichstag (parliament) elected by direct and
equal male suffrage
• Prussia dominated the executive power
Regroup
• Who was the man responsible for the
unification of Germany?
• How many German states were there before
unification?
• What tactic did the unifier of Germany use to
unify Germany?
• Where was the new Germany born?
Wichtige Frage
• How does nationalism shape Europe in the
19th century?
• In what way(s) was the Congress of Vienna
successful (or not) with regard to their efforts
to squash nationalism?
• How does the creation of a new, united
Germany change the balance of power in
Europe?