Transcript Unification of Germany

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During the time
of the
Reformation,
and later Thirty
Years War of
1618-1648,
Germany
remained ununified.
There were
powerful
“German”
states such as
Catholic
Bavaria and
Frederick the
Great’s Prussia.
Other German states, such as Hanover and
Hesse provided prince and princesses that
intermarried with the British royal family.
(Act of Settlement 1801- England’s Monarchy went from Stuarts to
House of Hanover/ Hessian soldiers provided infantry for British against
American Colonists in Rev. War)
There had been preliminary attempts at
combining the German States.
When Napoleon
was in power, he
created the
Confederation
of the Rhine,
and important
step in German
Unity.
There had been a customs union, a zollverein, formed by Prussia in
1834, which was a significant step in lowering customs and tariffs
among the German States. Free trade, better business
This was the biggest source of tension between Austria and Prussia.
It excluded Austria, and Austria tried unsuccessfully to destroy it!
This is also what led to Prussia being so industrialized with a better
economy than Austria.
After the upheavals of 1848, when
several German governments collapse,
meetings were held in Frankfurt.
(Frankfurt Assembly)
•
The goal of the Frankfurt
Assembly:
Organize a
Germany by constitutional
methods!
Why did the Frankfurt Assembly “fail?”
• It was unable to include Austria because of the risk of
having the Habsburgs be the rulers of Austria and Germany
• The throne was offered to Prussia’s King, and he refused to
accept a throne with constitutional limitations on his power.
• (Grossedeutsch vs. Kliendeutsch) Big Germany vs. Little
Germany
The Prussian King, a proud Hohenzollern, actually
said he would not “pick up a crown in a gutter”
Humiliation of Olmutz
• After the Revolutions, in 1849, Austria
blocked attempt of Frederick William IV to
unify Germany “from above”.
The failure of the 1848-49 efforts to produce
an enlightened German monarchy resulted
in something that would be far harsher in
the future.
LOOK OUT BALANCE OF POWER!
AND YOU THOUGHT NATIONALISM IN
FRANCE WAS BAD!?
So at the end of 1848, it became clear, that in the future there were
only two states that could lead the country into unification—
During this time, Germany moved into
the industrial revolution
• German quality and engineering brought wealth to the various
states
• The need for unity became even more important as Railroads
and massive public infrastructures needed to be built--
industrial revolution
•
The German Zollverein states led the way with this massive industrial growth during the 1850’s
•
The fact that Austria was left out helped increase tensions
•
Austria tried to even convince and persuade some southern states in the Zollverein to leave, but to
no avail. They were on the outside looking in
•
Nationalism within the rising German middle classes brought dreams of a unified Germany without
Austria
Germany 1860… the quest for unity continued. Many
began to looking to Prussia as the leader for
unification.
WHAT TO DO?
•When Italy began seeking and gradually obtained unification, it had a
profound impact on Germany
•People realized the Austria had lost its edge and the time could be near
for a unification of Germany
•King William I took over for Frederick William IV and immediately began
making sweeping military reforms
•He wanted to double the size of the military by making universal male
conscription and reduce the importance of the militia (created during the
Napoleonic wars)
•To pay for this he needed to increase the budget and raise taxes
•This created a power struggle with the parliament that had emerged in the
wake of Frankfurt
•It was run by liberals who wanted less military and more power taken away
from the king
•In 1862 they rejected the military budget and many conservatives were
defeated in parliamentary elections
•King William considered abdication, but decided to bring in
reinforcement
1862, the Prussian King appointed a new chief
minister…Otto von Bismarck.
Bismarck—one of the great names from
European History. Born a Junker, in 1815, the
year of the Congress of Vienna, in the
Brandenburg state of East Elbe. He was a
brilliant leader.
THE GREATEST GERMAN HISTORICAL FIGURE BETWEEN
LUTHER AND HITLER
Early on, in his complex mind, he had a far reaching
goal to lead Germany into unification. Bismarck was
charming and heartless, ruthless and cunning, even the
King was afraid of him..
He was a hero some and a villian to others
He was power hungry
He entered the civil service which was the only other
aristocratic choice other than military service
• He initially hated the political game
• Originally he quit and went back home (“My pride
bids me command not obey”)
• He went back to politics and put Prussia on a
collision course which would create Germany
• His theory was that liberalism would get in the way
of the opportunity for Germany to be great.
Bismarck had a vision, and whatever it took
to accomplish, Germany would unite.
• The enemy of today might be the
friend of tomorrow.
• Isolate your enemies
• Take advantage of opportunities as
they arise (always keep your options
open)
• Be practical and opportunistic
• “One must always have 2 irons in the
fire”
• The less people know about how
sausages and laws are made, the better
they’ll sleep at night.
• Never believe in anything until it has
been officially denied.
• A generation that has taken a beating is
always followed by a generation that
deals one.
• Some damned foolish thing in the
Balkans will provoke the next war.
Bismarck’s Gap Theory
-The King wanted to raise and increase spending in the
army to make his power internally and externally more
powerful
-The Army Bill Crisis was a stalemate between the king and
the liberal legislature over the reforms of the army
-Bismarck insisted that there was a “Gap” in the Prussian
constitution that didn not mention what was to be done if a
stalemate developed
-Since the king had granted the constitution, Bismarck
insisted he ignore liberals (middle class) in the legislature
and follow his own judgement.
Bismarck gives a famous speech where he outlines
Prussia’s power. He states that Prussia must be
prepared to seize any opportunities for growth:
“The great questions of the day will not be decided by
speeches and resolutions- that was the great error of
1848 and 1849—but by blood and iron.”
BLOOD AND IRON
•He wasn’t received very well
•People called his policy “Might makes right”
•He could’ve cared less
•He illegally began having the Bureaucracy collect the
taxes even though parliament refused to approve
the taxes.
- Remember Germans are traditionally nationalistic
and loyal. Most people just paid the taxes
•The opposition responded by voting more liberals to
parliament
What is
The plotting begins: take out your
opposition one at a time.
Prussian-DANISH WAR 1863
• Danes had decided to annex Schleswig-Holstein
even though there was a large German population
• This was a direct challenge to the German
Confederation
• Bismarck got Austria to join this nationalistic
struggle
First War:
Danish War.
• Bismarck gets
Austria to join him in
seizing the provinces
of Schleswig and
Holstein from
Denmark.
The spoils are split:
Prussia has Schleswig, and Austria has
Bismarck never intends for this to work out—in sharing the
provinces, he hopes there will be enough friction to justify a war
against Austria.
A second war: This time with Austria
(also known as the Seven Weeks War)
1866
-Russia gave Prussia their word that they would be neutral if a war broke out
with Austria (Crimean War Revenge)
-Bismarck then bought Napoleon III’s cooperation because he promised him
territory in the Rhineland
He got Austria to attack them over Schleswig
and Holstien. Always seems to get the other
guy to start it! He plays them!
This war only lasts seven weeks. Though brief, the
Prussian army is vastly superior. This only increases
Bismarck’s confidence as he prepares for the next step.
Prussia annexed Schleswig Holstein, the
whole kingdom of Hanover, Duchies of
Nassau and Hesse Cassel and 18 other
German States.
So now, there is a North German
Confederation.
STAY ONE STEP AHEAD
•Bismarck went against King William who wanted
harsh surrender terms for the Austrians
•Bismarck knew this would be dumb (he was planning
that he might need them in the future)
•He didn’t make Austria hand over any other land
•Austria only lost Venetia (a gift to Italy for occupying
Austria’s attention during the war) and then Holstein
and was excluded from North German affairs (He knew
he’d need them some other time)
•Don’t burn any bridges!
The war had
benefits for
another country:
Italy. Because
Austria was
defeated, Italy
moved to absorb
Venetia--an
important step to
finishing up its
unification
process.
The North German Confederation:
An important step toward unification.
• King of Prussia at its head
• Parliament with two chambers
• Lower chamber elected by
UNIVERSAL MALE SUFFRAGE!—a
step which greatly annoys Marx.
GO BACK AND ASK THEM TO LET YOU DO
WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING TO
THEM?!
• The success made Bismarck look like a genius
• He later asked parliament to pass a bill of indemnity to legalize the illegal taxes
he’d been collected since 1862 (THEY DID!!!- AIN’T NATIONALISM GREAT!)
• HE PROVED THAT NATIONALISM AND AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT
COULD BE ONE (PEOPLE JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON)
• Marx was annoyed because all of the sudden people forgot about misery and
suffering, they were making history!
• Bismarck predicted this (He felt that peasants and artisans were conservative at
heart and could be a valuable tool for the conservatives)
Bismarck continued with his plans…
The Southern German states remained out of the North
German Confederation…
These states, including Alsace and Bavaria, had from time to
time allied themselves with France…so Bismarck and most
Germans could see a conflict with France in the future.
Bismarck felt a “war” with France would
frighten the German Southern States into joining
his confederation.
Funny, but Napoleon III also felt that a war with
Germany, if he won it, would bring him more support
that he badly needed.
Remember Napoleon
was becoming
unpopular as an
authoritarian leader
because of economic
turmoil and unrest.
If he could win he’d be
legendary just like his
Uncle! Unfortunately
for him he was not his
uncle.
I HAVE
SWEET
FACIAL
HAIR!
Bismarck waits for an “opportunity” to arrive…
(“Realpolitik!”
The opportunity “begins” in Spain, when the government collapses.
The throne is offered to a Hohenzollern cousin, who lives in
Prussia.
The Hohenzollerns turn this opportunity down three
times… (mainly because France and Napoleon was
adamantly opposed (they’d be surrounded by
Hohenzollerns!)
but Bismarck persuades the Spanish to offer the throne
for a fourth time…
-King William still fears France…..Bismarck does not!
He knows that the idea of a Prussian prince
on the throne might aggravate and provoke
the French into declaring war on Prussia.
Exactly what he wants.
This time, the throne is accepted by
Prince Leopold.
The French are not happy that a Hohenzollern has
accepted the throne…they demand that Leopold
withdraw his acceptance. He does this—and
Bismarck cannot control what the Hohenzollerns want
to do.
Bismarck was disappointed…as it seemed that things
were settled. But the French take things one step
further. They DEMAND that never in the future will
a Hohenzollern ever become a candidate for the
Spanish throne.
Napoleon III couldn’t help himself. He had to open
his mouth for the publicity to sound powerful…
Should have said nothing.
The King of Prussia relays a telegram back to France
and gives it to Bismarck for review. Bismarck takes
this telegram—the Ems telegram, and doctors it up so
that it is insulting to the French, and an attack on
French National pride--
1868 revolt in Spain.
Spanish leaders wanted
Prince Leopold von Hohenz.
[a cousin to the Kaiser & a
Catholic], as their new king.
France protested & his name was withdrawn.
The Fr. Ambassador asked the Kaiser at Ems to
apologize to Nap. III for supporting Leopold.
Bismarck “doctored” the telegram from Wilhelm
to the French Ambassador to make it seem as
though the Kaiser had insulted Napoleon III.
The French felt snubbed and insulted—and the
decaying empire of Napoleon III unwisely declared
war on Prussia.
Bismarck’s cunning worked—and war broke out. France had no
allies because of its previous aggressive foreign entanglements.
BISMARCK HAD BEEN ISOLATING THEM FOR
NEARLY A DECADE
War began on July 19, 1870—but by September 2nd the French
surrendered at Sedan, and Napoleon III himself surrendered and
was held prisoner.
Paris refused to
capitulate—even
though Napoleon
III was now
prisoner.
It had fortified itself—and thus began the great Siege
of Paris.
Bombardment began on January 4, 1871. It
lasted for 23 days, usually two to five hours
a night.
The Parisians refused to be intimidated—but the siege
effected the economy and people grew hungry.
Food had been running out. The first
meat substitute was horse.
Then it was dogs, cats and rats.
The animals
at the zoo
were eaten,
including
Castor and
Pollux, the
two large
elephants that
were the pride
of Paris.
With provisions exhausted, as in all sieges, it
was only a matter of time before a surrender…
On January 28, 1871, the gates of the city of Paris
were opened…and the Germans began peace
negotiations and setting conditions.
Outside Paris, a few days
earlier, an historic event
occurred in the Hall of
Mirrors, at Versailles…
Bismarck assembled the King of Prussia, King
Wilhelm, and other officers. There they declared
a German Empire.
Treaty of Frankfurt [1871]
The Second French Empire collapsed and was
replaced by the Third French Empire.
The Italians took Rome and made it their
capital.
Russia put warships in the Black Sea [in
defiance of the 1856 Treaty of Paris that
ended the Crimean War].
------------------France paid a huge indemnity and was
occupied by German troops until it was paid.
France ceded Alsace-Lorraine to Germany [a
region rich in iron deposits with a flourishing
textile industry].
• This is part of why France was eager to punish
the Germans financially for the First World
War. Payback.
• -France will get Alsace back after WWI. Hitler
will get it back in WWII. TUG OF WAR.
Europe would never be the same—with a new unified
Germany, the German state becomes the strongest
state in all of Europe.
William I became the Kaiser (emperor) of the 2nd
German Empire. First German Empire was the Holy
Roman Empire. Anyone know what the Third would
be?
THE THIRD REICH (HITLER)
From a disunited Germany at the Peace of
Westphalia, to the Confederation of the
Rhine, to the baby steps of the Zollervein
and now unity, Germany was triumphant.
German for “Empire.”
Austria was left out of this new
great Germany….It will have to
deal with the problems in their
empire alone.