Transcript Unification of Italy & Germany

Unification of Italy & Germany
Vocabulary
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Nationalism: pride in one’s own nation; desire
for independence
Nation-State: a political state whose people
also share the same language and culture
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Prussia was a nation-state of Germany
Tuscany was a nation-state of Italy
Risorgimento: resurgence or revival. Name
given to the unification movement in Italy
Realpolitik: political theory that national
success justifies the use of any means
Italy’s Struggle for Unification
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1848, Giuseppe Mazzini led a republican revolution in
Sicily.
Later that same year, the revolutions in France &
Austria sparked uprisings throughout Italy
Italian forces joined to run the Austrians out of Italy
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Pope Pius IX opposed fighting another Catholic country
(Austria) & withdrew his troops.
By November 1848, angry mobs forced the Pope to
flee Rome. Nationalists named Rome a republic &
called Mazzini to lead the government.
The Struggle Continues
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Victor Emmanuel II became king of Sardinia
His advisor, Count Camillo di Cavour sided
with Britain & France in the Crimean War.
Sardinia established itself with a claim to
equality with other warring nations
Other Italian nation-states wanted to align with
Sardinia
Finally in 1871, Italy became a unified country
with its capital in Rome
German Steps Toward Unity
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By 1815, there were 39 independent German
states.
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The Congress of Vienna created the German
Confederation
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Most powerful were Prussia & Austria
Established closer economic ties between the
German states & helped pave the way for a
greater political union
The smaller German states feared unity
because they thought it would be ruled by
Austria & Prussia
Otto von Bismarck (a Prussian)
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1861, William I became king of Prussia
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He appointed Bismarck his Prime Minister
Embraced the policy of “realpolitik” & approved
a new army by collecting taxes without
authorization
War against Denmark, Prussia joined with
Austria to gain territory from Denmark
The Seven Weeks War, Prussia aligned with
France & Italy against Austria
The Franco-Prussian War
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Bismarck believed that France & Prussia must
go to war before there could be a united
Germany
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He decided to take advantage of Napoleon III’s
weak foreign policy abilities
In 1868, Spain offered the crown to Prince
Leopold of Hohenzollern, a Catholic cousin to
William I
France protested, but Leopold refused the
crown
The Ems Telegram
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William I was vacationing at the German resort
of Ems, where he met with the French
ambassador
William I sent Bismarck a telegram describing
the meeting
Bismarck altered the telegram to make it seem
that William I had insulted the French envoy &
released it to the press
Napoleon III declared war on Prussia
War Erupts
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Fighting began on July 19, 1870
Southern German states aligned with Prussia
Prussia easily defeated France
On January 18, 1871, William I became kaiser
(German for emperor) of a united Germany
Bismarck became chancellor (chief minister) of
Germany
The new empire united 25 German states into
one federal nation