German Unification Bismarck s Masterpiece
Prior to 1866 The revolutions of 1848 brought to light many underlying issues of Europe The emergence of the Industrial Revolution brought more people to the cities, and with this, new problems which Europe was not able to deal with on such a large scale Prussia and the German confederations had to deal with the some liberal ideas found in all parts of Europe
Revolutions of 1848 Prussia and the German Princes approached the Revolution differently than other cities and countries of Europe After the Revolution, Germany and Prussia enjoyed a decades worth of growth in industry The Prussian Zollverein (businessmen) became the dominant economic power, and this power translated into politics. Even though Germany rioted like the rest of Europe, German riots did not last as long because they negotiated with the nobility and they would not sacrifice individual liberties
Revolutions of 1848 In Germany Germans wanted to hear King Frederick William respond to these political issues The Frankfort Assembly was created The assembly pushed for: universal suffrage, debate over monarchy, wished to have the Habsburgs or Hohernzulles in charge, and settle the issue of Prussia vs. Austria
Congress of Vienna Like Italy Germany s fate started with the Congress of Vienna. During the reign of Napoleon he created the Confederation of the Rhine The purpose of this confederation was help France with their problems with Austria It was later renamed the German Confederation
Enter the Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Bismarck was the man willing to do the things William I did not have the stomach to do He gave William the ability to have a clear conscience in politics
Otto von Bismarck Bismarck was schooled to be a lawyer His social status was known as a Junker Prior to 1848, his life was a professional failure Bismarck s personality and stubbornness provided a reputation as a strong defender of conservatism Bismarck was able to re-emerge as a political asset to the Prussian King William IV. During the 1850 s he was awarded many political posts
The Big Break Between 1848 and 1862 the Prussian King appeased the people by placing liberals in his cabinet providing the appearance that he was sensitive to the people s needs that stemmed from the Revolution of 1848 In reality it politically kept the heat off his government during elections William I faced a dilemma that the parliament refused to back down from
The Big Break The German Progressive Party refused to pass a budget unless William met their demands. Otto von Bismarck wrote William letting him know that he will not bend and defend the conservative view Bismarck did exactly what he stated, he ignored the parliament, collected taxes, and expanded the military
Otto von Bismarck Bismarck was described as impatient, arrogant, and also an opportunist His vision for Prussia was make it a power in Europe He was brilliant at pitting countries and political factions against each other. He also had the ability to drum up any emotion needed to support his plan. In 1864 the Danish War started a series of minor wars in Europe which place Germany on the path of unification
Austro-Prussian War 1866
Austro-Prussian War 1866 Two countries stood in the way of German/Prussian dominance of Europe, France and Austria Bismarck has been called a war monger by many people, however he wished to use diplomacy and secret deals because in his opinion war outside of defense and honor were unacceptable
Austro-Prussian War 1866 Austria in 1866 was definitely a war he did provoke. He saw the issue with Austria as a way to unify the German Confederations and also strengthen the Prussian government. This war was one of the most significant wars of the 19 th century Bismarck showed brilliance by obtaining victory while not humiliating Austria
Austro-Prussian War 1866
The Final Piece Napoleon was angry at Bismarck prior to the Austro-Prussian war. Both men met in secret and Bismarck implied that if France stays neutral, Bismarck would be given the Rhine Napoleon also believed that this war would weaken both sides to his benefit. (It didn t)
The Final Piece The success of the Germans made Napoleon III very nervous. The situation become even scarier for Napoleon in 1869 The Spanish Throne became vacant and the Spanish proposed the throne to Prince Leopold, a distant relative of William I Napoleon was fearful to have Germans on both sides of France
The Ems Dispatch The situation between the two men, came to a head when Bismarck manipulated the response to the Spanish throne to look like the Prussian king was insulted and the French ambassador was insulted The dispatch was published in newspapers for public reaction
The Ems Fallout The Ems telegram brought significant reaction on both sides The French prepared for war and saw no way out of this. Napoleon believed his forces were superior to the Germans Bismarck used this situation to bring in southern kingdoms. He pushed the idea of fear for the kingdoms on the border of France
Franco-Prussian War 1870-71
Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 The Prussians destroyed the French The Prussians had better weapons, troops, generals, and industrial support This war brought more modern weapons into play, unfortunately, after this war no country improved their plans while technology advanced through World War I (1914)
Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 The results of the war brought down the Second French Empire The Unification of Prussia and the German Confederations is complete, it is now the German Empire William I is crowned the Emperor in 1871
Europe 1871
Bismarck after Unification Achieving his goals of German/Prussian dominance, Bismarck spent his final 19 years protecting Germany from 2 countries France Russia
The Alliance s As stated before, Bismarck was a master at pitting countries against each other and using emotion and fear for his endgame Individually, these alliance s did not directly place Europe into the path of World War I, but collectively like shaking a can of Pepsi, it will explode.
The Emperors League (1873-75, 1881-87)
Triple Alliance 1882, 1887, 1903
Tensions Build
Lasting Effects Germany more than Italy pushed Europe to the development of World War I The pitting of countries against each other, the crippling of France, and their dominance moved countries to a position of choosing sides Add into the mix the desire of Empire of Germany, Italy, Great Britain, France and others on the continent of Africa WW I was unavoidable
THE MOST DOMINANT MEN OF THE 19 th Century