German unification

Unification

1. By Nick Stout, 2018 German Unification

2. German Nationalism German nationalism slowly began to show in the early 1800’s. Germany was divided into a number of small states and desired a unification within them. There goal was to become completely independent out of the control of all other nations as they had been in the past.

3. Thoughts “Nothing can be more absurd than the practice that prevails in our country of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strengths and with one mind, for thus, the state instead of being whole is reduced to half." -Plato

4. Prior to Unification Before the process of German unification began, German speaking people lived in small, separate states, as well as in the Austrian Hapsburg Empire, and in Prussia. When Napoleon began his invasions throughout Europe in 1807, many territorial changes throughout the German states were made.

5. German Territory - 1800

6. Napoleon Between 1807 and 1812, Napoleon made major changes to the territorial states of Germany. As a French leader at the time, he gained a number of European lands and put many German -speaking states under French rule. (In red) Many Germans welcomed him because they liked his policies.

7. Congress of Vienna People began to demand a unified German state more and more as German Nationalism increased due to Napoleon’s invasion . Many German Nationalists brought their demands to the Congress of Vienna . An Austrian politician, Klemens von Metternich , opposed these demands and stated that joining the governments of the many separated states would be extremely tricky . Instead, the group formed a German Confederation , which was a very weak body headed by Austria.

8. Enter Prussia Prussia , a great rival to Austria, took over the German states in the 1830’s. Trying to create an economic union , they took away borders between the German states. They still remained politically separate though. At the Frankfurt Assembly in 1848, liberals offered the throne to a united Germany to the Prussian king, but they were refused. Germany remained divided but still had a desire for unity.

9. Otto von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck is known as the “founder of the German Empire.” He was Prussia's prime minister from 1862 to 1873 and was Germany’s first chancellor from 1871 to 1890. He lead the Germans to victory in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 and in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

10. Ideology He believed that power was more important than principles and that politics should be based upon the needs of the state. “For the state, in contrast to the individual, self-preservation is the supreme law. The state must survive at any price; it cannot go into the poorhouse, it cannot beg, it cannot commit suicide; in short, it must take wherever it can find the essentials of life.”

11. “Blood and Iron” After years of peaceful attempts to take the dominance of Germany, Bismarck gave up and turned to other means. He used neither speeches nor resolutions to take Germany, but his new slogan of “ Blood and Iron .” Bismarck marched Prussian armies into the colonies of Schleswig and Holstein in hopes of war with Austria. This would enable Prussia to take over the German states that were under Austrian rule.

12. Speech “The position of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power ... Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favourable moment, which has already come and gone several times. Since the treaties of Vienna, our frontiers have been ill-designed for a healthy body politic. Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided - that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 - but by iron and blood .”

13. Schleswig and Holstein Bismarck thought becoming allied with Austria would be a good idea. In 1864, Prussian armies under Bismarck’s leadership took over the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark rule. Bismarck gave the province of Holstein to Austria and kept Schleswig under Prussian rule in hopes of an alliance .

14. Territory

15. Victor Shortly following the victory of Prussia , Otto von Bismarck eliminated the Austrian led German Confederation. The ruler then established a new North German Confederation which was ruled by Prussia.

16. Ems Telegram In early 1870, the German Prince Leopld , of the Roman Catholic  Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen , had been offered the vacant Spanish Throne. The government of French Emperor Napoleon III voiced concern over a possible Spanish alliance with the Protestant House of Hohenzollern that ruled the Kingdom of Prussia, protested against it, and hinted about a war .

17. Following the protests by France, Leopold had withdrawn his acceptance in July 1870. This was already considered a diplomatic defeat for Prussia. The French were not yet satisfied with this and demanded further commitments, especially a guarantee by the Prussian king that no member of any branch of his Hohenzollern family would ever be a candidate for the Spanish throne.

18. Response Bismarck manipulated the situation by making the Prussian king look as if he was more hostile towards the French then he really was . This provoked chaos in both France and Prussia and eventually led to the Franco-Prussian War .

19. Franco-Prussian War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpJKSMoiVds

20. The German Empire After the defeat of both Austria and France, Germans persuaded William I from Prussia to take the title Kaiser, or emperor . In January of 1871, Germans celebrated their empire known as the Second Reich which had in the past been taken over by Napoleon of France.

21. A New Government A constitution proposed by Bismarck and a two house legislature was set up for the Second Reich. The two houses were made up of the Bundersat (upper house) and the Reichstag (lower house). The houses were elected by rulers of German states and universal male suffrage.

22. The Second Reich

23. Economy of Iron After the unification of Germany, it rose to be the Industrial giant of the Europe. Germany’s chemical and electrical industries were beyond any other industries in the world. Germany’s coal and iron resources resulted in massive growth of the economy. A work force and rapidly growing population also aided in the development of the economy.

24. Legacy of Kaiser Wilhelm the Second Kaiser William II was a nationalist and believed in a strong military. He provided many funds for the German military and launched a campaign to expand the German navy and obtain an overseas empire like that of France and Britain. He strongly believed in his divine right to rule and opposed any democratic reforms.