Jake
AP World History Snapshot #27
Compare and Contrast nationalism in Germany (under Otto von Bismarck) with
nationalism in Latin America (under Simon Bolivar).
In the late 1700s and early 1800s in Latin America, and in the 1860s in Germany,
nationalism led to independence and unification, and had many similarities and
differences in both countries. Nationalism in Germany led to unification by Otto von
Bismarck, and there were multiple attempts to establish independence and unity in Latin
America by several leaders. Both countries were similar because they had strong
militaristic leaders that worked to unify their territories. They were different because
Germany remained unified for a long time while the unification of Gran Colombia (now
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama) after achieving independence was short
lived .
Nationalism in Germany and Latin America were similar in many ways. Both had
strong leaders. Latin America had revolutionaries and reformers like Toussaint
L’Ouverture, who led to Haitian independence, Simon Bolivar, who revolted against the
Spanish in 1819, José de San Martin and Bernardo O’Higgins, who won independence
for Argentina, Chile, and Peru, and Miguel Hidalgo and José Morelos, two priests who
helped achieve Mexican independence. Otto von Bismarck, the prime minister of
Prussia, unified the many German states with his policy of “blood and iron”, using the
Prussian army to unify, especially by ending Austrian dominance and invoking
nationalism in German states by provoking a war with France. Both Latin America and
Germany were inspired by the French Revolution. Latin America was inspired to desire a
more democratic society, so they fought for independence against Spain under Simon
Bolivar’s lead. Germany was angered by the Napoleonic Wars, which had cost them a
great deal of German land, so they wanted to unify and become a powerful nation again.
They accomplished this through a series of wars, the most important being the Franco—
Prussian war. Thus, the reason that nationalism was similar in these countries is that
they both had strong militaristic leaders and both were influenced by the French
Revolution. These factors guided their nationalism into independence and unification
movements.
Latin American and German nationalism were also different in many ways. The
most significant difference was that Germany was unified into the second German
Empire (Reich), while Latin American unification was very brief in the country known as
Gran Colombia, led by Simon Bolivar. Geographic barriers in the diverse terrain of Latin
America, as well as border disputes and rivalries over regional power led to the quick
collapse of Gran Colombia. Another difference was in the struggles that both Latin
America and Germany faced. Latin America faced many struggles for independence,
such as Simon Bolivar’s revolt in 1819. The Germans, on the other hand, did not have to
rebel in order to achieve independence, instead Prussia conquered territories while
under Bismarck’s rule and used the nationalism of adjacent Prussian states—based
upon a common Germanic heritage—as a means to unify into one country. The reason
why nationalism was different in these countries was due to the contrasting geographical
factors in these regions as well as the fact that Germany fought for unification of one
cultural territory, while Latin America fought for independence from foreign aggression.
Therefore, it is evident that Latin American and German nationalism and
unification movements had many similarities in how they were led and inspired, but their
differences were more significant, specifically because Germany became a successful
nation, and Latin America was not unified into one successful country for a long period of
time.