Name: ____________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________
Period: ___________________
Global Studies II – Italian Unification
The Unification of Germany
Germany, like Italy to the south, was slow to develop into a unified nation-state. In the mid-1800’s it was
made up of 39 individual states, each having its own ruler and its own government. There was no
constitution and no guarantee of civil liberties. Kings and princes ruled with a tight hand.
Efforts by liberals and nationalists to unite the country prior to the 1860’s had ended in failure. But in the
10-year period between 1861 and 1871, unification was finally achieved. The statements below
summarize important steps in the movement that brought German unity.
A. William I became King of
Prussia in 1861 and made
German unification one of
his goals. Prussia was the
leading German state
B. King William appointed Otto
von Bismarck prime minister
and secretary of foreign
affairs for Prussia.
C. Bismarck was convinced that
the German states could only
be united through the use of
military power.
D. Prussia and Austria (both
members of the German
Confederation) declared war
on Denmark in a dispute
over who should rule
Schleswig and Holstein, two provinces with mostly German populations.
E. Prussia and Austria defeated Denmark, but then fought another war --- this one with each other --to settle differences over what should be done with Schleswig and Holstein. Prussia surprisingly
won the Seven Weeks’ War and annexed the two provinces.
F. Austria, which had previously blocked attempts to unify Germany, was ousted from the German
Confederation. Austria was no longer involved in German affairs and could no longer opposed
unification of the 39 German states. Austria knew that unity would mean the creation of a
powerful German nation – state.
G. Bismarck organized the North German Confederation which included Prussia and 21 other
German states. Bismarck had invited the states to join Prussia in a new German union.
H. Prussia dominated internal and foreign affairs of the North German Confederation, but other
states did not resent Prussia’s leadership. They knew that German unification would only be
realized if Prussia and Bismarck were allowed to lead.
I. Only Catholic states in southern Germany remained outside the Confederation. The feared a union
with Protestant (also a Christian religion) Prussia might threaten their religious freedom. But in
the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the Catholic states came to Prussia’s aid in a show of
German nationalism. After helping to defeat the French armies of napoleon III, the Catholic states
joined with Prussia and the other states to form the German Empire. William I became “Kaiser,” of
emperor, German unification was complete and there was then only ONE GERMAN country.
1. What had prevented German unification before the mid-1800’s? _________________________________________
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2. Otto von Bismarck, the man most responsible for uniting Germany, once said, “The great questions of the day are
not decided by speeches and majority votes, but by blood and iron.” What do you think he meant?
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3. The German nation-state that came into being in 1871 was the most powerful country in Europe. It soon set its
sights on obtaining a colonial empire (expanding beyond its political borders). Germany knew that colonies would
mean trade and wealth. What consequences might Germany’s desire for territory have for other countries of the
world?
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4. Most newspapers regularly include a cartoon about a newsworthy event. The cartoon is often accompanied by a
“caption” – a few words or a sentence telling something about the picture. The cartoon and the caption might give
information on how an event occurred, why it occurred, or how the event will affect the future.
Assume you were a newspaper cartoonist at the time of German unification. Make a sketch in the space provided which
represents an important event or some other aspect of the unification movement. Write a caption for your cartoon.
Caption: ___________________________________________________________________________________________