This is known as 'particularism', the principle of leaving each state in a federation free to govern itself and promote its own interests. The chancellor of Austria, Metternecht, believed it was in Austria's interests to keep Germany divided and therefore easier to control. Austria also supported particularism in the Confederation as unification of Germany would encourage nationalism leading indefinitely to unrest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and possibly the disintegration of it. Prussia was given more land in central and
Bismarck and German Unification Extended Essay How important was Prussian military strength in bringing about the unification of Germany by 1871? During the French wars (1792-1815) Napoleon dominated Germany and he replaced the Holy Roman Land for the Confederation of the Rhine, were the 400 states became 39. This caused a surge in nationalism in the German states and they united to defeat Napoleon in 1815. This was the first time there was unity between the German states which a surge in nationalism and a desire for unification and with the help of other factors Germany eventually became one country.. Certainly the strength of the Prussian military was key to the unification of Germany as it was vital in winning the three wars of unification, but it shall be argued that the military were as strong as they were due to other more important actors such as Economics and Bismarck.
During the years 1900-1914 the Kaiser faced many potential threats to the extent of his power. These ranged from demands for social reform, from the SPD, to the demands for constitutional change, from the liberals, to demands for more power, from the Centre Party and finally to demands for a more aggressive foreign policy. Despite these threats ultimate power remained in the hands of the Kaiser in 1914. This retention of power was primarily due to the sense of patriotism and nationalism that existed in Germany and can most clearly be seen in the support that was apparent for nationalist foreign policies. The exact workings of the political structure of Germany also allowed the Kaiser to retain control but this structure could only remain because of the patriotism and nationalism that the Kaiser both exploited and enjoyed.
In 1914, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany addressed a jilted crowd of his people, urging them to “stand together like brothers, and then God will guide the German sword to victory!” (Doc. 1). This quotation is a direct parallel of the sense of unity the government was hoping would result from the Burgfrieden. It is easy to assume Wilhelm II’s speech was very biased, being
How important were the German princes in creating the atmosphere within which Lutheranism was successful? The German princes were essential for creating the atmosphere in which Lutheranism was successful between 1521 and 1555 because they maintained Luther’s teachings, making it a reality. Also they obtained military authority over Charles V who at this time, was a new, inexperienced emperor and also had major influence over Charles power due to the fact they were the ones who elected him. This proved useful at the Diet of Worms in 1521 when instead of Luther being issued full excommunication, instead he was offered a full hearing and this was all down to princely support. By 1531 the Schmalkaldic League was set up as a united defence alliance by protestant princes in response to Charles’s threat of eradicating Lutheranism.
He had no rigidly defined programme when he became Prime Minister in 1862." Since 1848, there were several favourable international situations facilitated Bismarck in completing unification. First of all, Metternich’s resign in 1848 helped a lot as Austria was an obstacle to unification. Bismarck took advantages in the weakening Austria after the Crimean War and the Italian Unification. Second, Bismarck developed good relationships with numerous powers so that they would assist Prussia and help Bismarck to isolate its enemies.
As the chancellor in 1923 he led Germany out of the hyperinflation crisis and as the foreign minister, he ended Germany's isolation amongst the international community and helped the country to become a magnet for foreign investment. Stresemann was admired by some, reviled by others. In September 1923 when the Germans were unable to pay reperations to France, French and Belgian troops took resources from the Rurh area as payment, which influenced the German workers to refuse to work in Ruhr. The workers strike worsened the fall in production. This encouraged Stresemann to call off the passive resistance and he agreed to repay the reperations and persuaded workers to return to work.
In order to shift attention away from the liberal pressure to reform and modernizing Prussia, Bismarck was able to keep modernization forces at bay by pushing for a united Germany. This was supported by Mary Fulbrook in 1990 who said “what came as the unification in 1871 was less a result or expression ……” of Prussian colonization. Wolfgang Mommsen also has supported the idea it was a public agenda by Otto Von Bismarck, unification through the interactive dominance of Prussia and through war. Bismarck’s early life before German unification: Otto Von Bismarck was born in 1815, the year of Waterloo. He was born into a Junker heritage.
How successful were successive German Chancellors in protecting the position of the Second Reich's ruling elite? Germany's ruling elite were made up primarily of Prussians, land owning aristocrats or high ranking military leaders. It also consisted of leading industrialists and the judiciary. However, their position as the ruling elite was under threat. Although the industrial revolution had a huge positive impact on German economy, it also lead to a rise in socialism which meant the emergence of pressure groups, such as the Nationalist pressure groups and the Economic pressure groups.
World War 2 & Hitler Nationalism was a large part of the second world war. Hitler wanted to achieve the status he desired for Germany, and there for he displayed multiple forms of ultranationalism. I agree with Margret MacMillan that Hitler would have always wanted more power no matter what happened, but I do not agree that the Treaty of Versailles had no effect on world war two. The Treaty of Versailles had a direct impact on the second world war, without Hitler violating the treaty Britain would not have declared war in 1939 kick-starting the second world war. I agree with Margret MacMillan that Hitler would want to gain more power no matter what happened.