Transcript German Unification - Winston Knoll Collegiate

German Unification
Impact on Europe
Germany prior to Confederation
Prior to Confederation
• In the early 1800s Prussia was the only
German state of any size
• In fact Prussia was roughly equal to the
Austrian empire in terms of size, population,
and wealth
• Austria was opposed to German confederation
as a portion of its population was German
Prior to Confederation
Austria Weakened
• Austria lost a key ally in
Russia when they refused to
help Russia fight England
and France during the
Crimean War
• Austria was defeated by the
French and northern Italian
states in the unification of
Italy and therefore lost
territory and prestige
Prussia Strengthened
• Prussia was ahead of
Austria in the industrial
revolution
• Prussia had set up a trade
alliance with other German
states making trade easier
and more profitable
1848 Revolts
• Like other places in
Europe Germany
experienced several riots
demanding changes
• Unlikely elsewhere in
Europe, Prussian King
Fredrick William IV
sympathized with the
rioters
• King William promised
the people a constitution
and an elected assembly
Otto von Bismarck
• First came to
prominence when the
new King Wilhelm
wanted to expand his
army
• Bismarck convinced
parliament making a
famous speech called
“Blood and Iron”
Otto von Bismarck
• When Bismarck became Chancellor he had
several goals:
– unify the north German states under Prussian control
– weaken Prussia's main rival, Austria, by removing it
from the Bund
– make Berlin the centre of German affairs - not Vienna
– strengthen the position of the King of Prussia, William
I, to counter the demands for reform from the Liberals
in the Prussian parliament (the Reichstag).
Dealing with Austria
• Bismarck correctly saw Austria as a stumbling
block and set out to deal with them
– First Bismarck allied with the Austrians and
attacked Denmark in 1864 over two small German
nations (Schleswig and Holstein)
– Allied with Russia in large part by refusing to help
Poland fight Russia
– Allied with France in return for supporting France
against Belgium
– Allied with Italy if Prussia wasn’t the aggressor
Seven Weeks War
• Bismarck ensured that
the treaty regarding
Schleswig and Holstein
was so complicated that
there would be
arguments
• Eventually Austria
became so frustrated
that they declared war
on Prussia
Seven Weeks War
• Several German states sided
with Austria but proved to
be ineffective
• France sided with Austria
but came late and were
ineffective
• Austria was hampered by
having to send troops to
fight the Italians
• The Prussian needle gun
gave Prussia a technological
advantage
• Austria was quickly and
decisively defeated
Consequences
• Austria was forced to pay
compensation to Prussia
but didn’t lose land
• Austria agreed to stay out
of German affairs
• A Northern German
confederation was
established
• A Southern German
confederation was
established as a result of
the Northern
confederation
Video Clip
Weakening the French
• After the Seven Weeks war France viewed Prussia
with alarm
• Mean while Prussia looked for ways undermine
France’s power and influence
• Bismarck attempted to weaken France by:
– Making a deal with Russia, to keep them out of a war
– Keeping ties with Italy to ensure they remained
neutral
• Bismarck also gambled that Britain would not
intervene on behalf of France
Spain Provides an Excuse
• Spain offered its vacant crown to a relative of
Prussia’s King
• France feared Prussia gaining more influence
and power
• France put pressure on Prussia’s King Wilhelm
I to get his relative to refuse the crown
• Bismarck published a heavily edited version of
a French telegram called the Ems Telegram
Franco – Prussian War
• In the lead up to war the
Southern Confederation
of Germany joined the
Northern Confederation
to fight France
• France had hoped to ally
with the Southern
Confederation in a war
against Prussia and now
found itself without any
allies against an united
Germany
Franco - Prussian War
• Prussia was able to much
more quickly mobilize its
forces than France
• This combined with
Prussia extensive rail
system allowed Prussia to
quickly and easily
concentrate its forces
while French troops were
still marching to the
battle
Franco – Prussian War
• France held a
technological edge in
rifles
• Prussia held the
advantage in mobility and
tactics
• The war went badly for
France in 6 weeks with
France’s leader Napoleon
III was captured along
with most of the French
army
Franco – Prussian War
• The humiliation the French suffered resulted
in Napoleon’s opponents over throwing him
and declaring the Third French Republic
• The republic refused to surrender to the
surprise of the Prussians
• Prussia put Paris under siege and this lasted
until France’s surrender in mid January 1871
Consequences
• France was forced to give up most of its
traditional German speaking territory, most
significantly Alsace and parts or Lorraine
• Germany would also administer Paris and parts of
Northern France until such time as France paid
Germany the war indemnity (200 million pounds)
• Germany became officially unified with Wilhelm I
as emperor (Kaiser)
• Bismarck was named Chancellor and was named
prince and given an estate
The End
Now bring on 50 years of war