The Unification of Germany
The construction of a united Germany was the
single most important political development in
Europe between 1848 and 1914.
• It transformed the balance of economic, military
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and international power.
The method of its creation largely determined
the character o the new German state.
Germany was united by the conservative army,
the monarchy and the prime minister of Prussia,
whose chief motives was the out maneuvering of
German liberals
A unified Germany sought for two generations
by German liberals, was actually achieved for
most the most illiberal of reasons.
After the failure of the Frankfurt
Assembly to achieve German
Unification in 1848-1849, German
nationalities focused on Austria
and Prussia as the only two
states powerful enough to
dominate German affairs.
Zollverien
• Formed by Prussia in 1834. It was a
German customs union,.
• It eliminated tolls on rivers and roads
among the member states.
• Stimulated trade and added to the
prosperity of its member states, especially
Prussia.
• All German states joined except Austria.
Frankfurt Assembly 1848
• We cannot conceal the fact that the whole
German question is a simple alternative between
Prussia. We need a powerful ruling house…
Prussia desired German unity in order to supply
the deficiencies of her own power. Already
Prussia is Germany in embryo. She will “merge”
with Germany…
Johann Gustav Droysen: Speech to the
Frankfurt Assembly, 1848
King William I
In 1861, William became King of
Prussia.
In the usual Hohenzollern
tradition, his first concern was the
army.
In 1860 he proposed to enlarge
the army, to increase the number
of officers and to extend the
period of conscription from two
years to three years.
The Prussian Parliament
Created by the
Constitution of 1850,
the Prussian
parliament refused
to approve the
necessary taxes to
enlarge the army.
The liberals who
dominated the body,
sought to avoid
placing additional
power in the hands
of the monarchy.
Call for help
In September 1862,
William I turned for
help to the person
who, more than any
other single individual,
shaped the next thirty
years of European
history: Otto von
Bismarck, the new
Prime Minister of
Prussia
Otto von Bismarck and the Art of Realpolitik
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Junker and Prussian patriot
Conservative
Opposed parliamentary government
Understood that Prussia, later Germany,
must have a strong industrial base
Opportunist not a gambler
Waged war when all other diplomatic
alternatives had been exhausted and when he
was reasonably sure that all military and
diplomatic advantages were on his side
Politically, he trusted action and power not
ideas
Bismarck and Realpolitk
•The politics of reality.
•It describes tough power politics with no
room for idealism
There was a time when the Junker’s thought
Bismarck a traitor. The king was actually afraid of
him. He made friends with liberals, democrats and
even socialists and in turn made enemies of them.
First he made wars, and then insisted upon peace.
Alliances were passing conveniences. The enemy
today might be a friend tomorrow. He took
advantage of situations as they emerged.
“...blood and iron”
In 1862, Bismarck resubmitted the army
appropriations bill with a passionate appeal to his
liberal opponents in parliament.
“Germany is not looking to Prussia's
liberalism but to her power…the great
questions of the day will not be decided
by speeches and majority decisions – that
was the mistake of 1848-1849 – but by
blood and iron.”
Parliament not impressed rejected the bill again.
For the next five years, Bismarck went ahead and
collected taxes and reorganized the army anyway.
From 1862 to 1866, he governed Prussia by largely
ignoring Parliament.
Bismarck had to find a way to attract popular
support away from the liberals and toward the
monarchy and army. He therefore set about
uniting Germany through the conservative
institutions of Prussia,
The Danish War - 1864
Schleswig-Holstein were
two duchies that were
ruled by the kings of
Denmark without being a
part of Denmark itself.
Populations were a mix of
Danish and German.
In 1863, the Danish
parliament made a move to
incorporate both duchies
into Demark.
Austria and a Prussia went
to war and easily defeated
Denmark.
Bismarck was maneuvering Austria into war with Prussia
Results of Danish War
Austria was put in charge of Holstein and Prussia
in charge of Schleswig.
Bismarck then moved to mend diplomatic fences.
1. Gained Russian sympathy by supporting the
1863 suppression of a Polish revolt
2. Persuaded Napoleon III to promise neutrality
in an Austro-Prussian conflict
3. Promised Italy it would gain Venetia if it
attacked Austria in an Austro-Prussian conflict.
Because of the policy of Vienna (Congress of
Vienna, 1815), Germany is clearly too small for us
both (Prussia and Austria); as long as an honorable
arrangement concerning the influence of each in
Germany cannot be concluded and carried out, we
will both plough the same disputed acre, and Austria
will remain the only state to whom we can
permanently lose or from whom we can permanently
gain…I wish only to express my conviction that, in
the not too distant future, we shall have to fight for
our existence against Austria and that is not within
our power to avoid that, since the course of events in
Germany has n other solution.
Bismarck to Minister von Manteuffel, 1856
Austrian-Prussian War - 1866
• Constant tension had arisen over the
administration of Schleswig and Holstein
• Bismarck ordered Prussian forces to be as
obnoxious as possible to the Austrians
• Eventually Austria declared war on Prussia
• Many Europeans expected a quick
Austrian victory
Austrian-Prussian War - 1866
In six weeks, the Austrian
army was decisively
defeated.
Many, including Napoleon
III, overlooked the
effectiveness of
Prussian military
reforms.
“…Not a foot of land was exacted from
Austria, but she had to renounce all part in
the hegemony of Germany…Austria had
exhausted her strength in conquests south of
the Alps, and left the western German
provinces unprotected. Its center of gravity
lay out of Germany; Prussia lay within it.
Prussia felt itself called upon and strong
enough to assume the leadership of the
German races. “
Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke, 1866
How should Austria be treated?
Fearing to create a hostile enemy, Prussia
treated Austria leniently.
1. Austria lost Venetia to Italy.
2. Austria was excluded from German
affairs.
“We had to avoid wounding Austria too severely;
we had to avoid leaving behind in her any
unnecessary bitterness of feeling or desire for
revenge. If Austria were severely injured, she would
become the ally of France and of every other
opponent of ours…The acquisition of provinces like
Austria Silesia and portions of Bohemia could not
strengthen the Prussian state; our task was the
establishment or foundation of German national unity
under the leadership of the king of Prussia.”
Otto von Bismarck, 1866
The North German Confederation
• Since most North
German states
supported Austria, they
were were annexed by
Prussia and their rulers
deposed.
• Under Prussian
leadership, all Germany
north of the Main River
formed the North
German Confederation.
War brings domestic success
• The spectacular success of Bismarck's policy
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overwhelmed liberal opposition in Parliament
In 1866, Parliament retroactively approved the
military budget.
Bismarck had crushed the Prussian liberals by
making the monarch and army popular.
The drive toward unification had achieved his
domestic political goal.
Goals of Bismarck and Napoleon III
• Bismarck now awaited the opportunity to complete
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unification by bringing the states of southern Germany
into the confederation.
What would it take for the southern states to join
Prussia?
• Napoleon realizes that a strong Germany to France’s east
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is not good for security
He needed a diplomatic triumph to offset serious
domestic troubles in France plus he would love the
opportunity to humiliate the Prussians.
Causes of the Franco-Prussian War
• Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed and
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the throne was offered to a Hohenzollern.
France fearing encirclement angrily objected.
This caused King William to force his relative to
withdraw from candidacy for the Spanish
throne
France pushed William to make a formal
apology and promise never to allow his relative
to be a candidate again.
Ems Telegram
• William sent Bismarck a telegram
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informing him of France’s request
Bismarck edited the telegram to
make it appear more insulting to
the French and had it published in
the newspaper.
Bismarck new that the French
would be angry and declare war.
Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871
• As expected, the French
declared war
• The southern German
states fearing French
control, formed a military
alliance with Prussian and
joined the war effort
against the French
Franco-Prussian War
The Prussian advanced into France and at Sedan on
September 2, 1870, an entire French army collapsed and
Napoleon III was captured.
Franco-Prussian War
• By January 1871,
Paris capitulated.
• Ten days earlier, in
the Hall of mirrors at
the Palace of
Versailles, the
German Empire had
been proclaimed and
William I became
Kaiser William
How should the French be treated?
HARSHLY!
France had to pay 5 billion francs (1 billion)
and give up the provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine
From 1871 to
1914, the
French will
look for
revenge.
Impact of German Unification
•Powerful new state had been created in north central
Europe
•It was rich in natural resources
•Military and economically the German Empire would be far
stronger than Prussia had been alone.
•Conservative politics was now backed by the strongest state
on the Continent
•The emergence of a united Italy and Germany revealed the
weakness of both France and Hapsburg Empire