Discuss the importance of the role Bismarck as a cause of German unification. It has been said by several historians that the second half of the nineteenth century was the ‘Age of Bismarck.’ In the mid 1800’s Bismarck provided dynamic leadership- a trait which had been lacking during the events of 1848-89. Ian Mitchell stated “Bismarck was everywhere.” However, there has been a considerable degree of debate concerning the role of Bismarck in the unification of Germany. Some argue that unification would have been inevitable and had nothing to do with Bismarck, although others argue that the unification was solely down to Bismarck’s role. Other factors are such as French revolutionary ideas swept across Europe, 1848 Revolutions, Prussian economic and military strength.
The decisions made restored the rule of legitimate rulers as well as autocratic government, and restored some territories to their pre-Napoleon frontiers. On the other hand, Europe was not completely restored to its pre-1789 condition, as exemplified by the facts that new Germany was reshaped, countries gained and lost territories, the Bourbons in France were no longer absolute monarchs and that new ideologies spread across Europe. Absolute monarchies in 1789 were restored in 1815, despite of the 20 years of revolutions and instability in between. For example, the Bourbons ruled France, Spain and Kingdom of Two Sicilies again. The Habsburgs ruled over Lombardy, Venetia, Parma, Modena and Tuscany, whereas the House of Savoy governed Piedmont, the House of Orange had power over Netherlands, and the Pope ruled the Papal States.
The states were connected mainly by language and a simple political scheme. In the early 1800s, French general, Napoleon Bonaparte, (after appointing himself emperor in 1804) took power in France and soon after began his conquest of Europe. It was through this that the French empire grew and the Napoleonic legal code took prevalence over the feudal systems of many European nations. This consisted of principles such as religious freedoms, rights of property owners, constitutional government, and equality before the law. It was under this Napoleonic reign that areas of what is now Germany were annexed and controlled by the French empire; this area (located on the west bank of the River Rhine) was called the Confederation of the Rhine.
This article also addresses the factors beyond the strength of Bismarck's Realpolitik that led to unification. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation had been informally dissolved in 1806 with the abdication of the Emperor, Francis. [1] Despite the legal, administrative, and political disruption caused by the dissolution of the Empire, the people of the German-speaking areas of the old Empire had a common linguistic, cultural and legal tradition that was further enhanced by their shared experience in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The spheres of influence model created after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 supposedly established Austrian dominance in Central Europe. Prussia's rising competence, embodied in the Realpolitik of "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck, challenged the Austrian authority for real leadership within the German states.
including the strengthening of the Prussian economy due to economic reforms and the Zollverein between 1815 and 1848, and the continued growth after this period with army and financial reforms. As well as the three wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870-71). The founding reasons behind why German was unified under Prussia and not under Austria can be found in the years leading up to 1818, where the 39 states of the Confederation all managed their own economies. The states used customs duties as a way to protect their own economy from the surrounding states, restricting the development of commercial trading between states. Finally in 1818, Prussia abandoned its domestic tariff system and due to the success as a result of the abandonment other German states followed the example of Prussia.
To what extent did Bismarck’s policies encourage greater German national identity in the years 1871–90? (30 marks) When Otto von Bismarck came to power in 1862 he had his plans set in mind, he did not announce his plans until his eventual retirement from politics in 1890. One of these aims was to unite Germany and in 1866 he started making his way towards this aim by removing Austria from any involvement through the Austro-Prussian war, in 1870 he made his final step, a war with France, this war ended in 1871 and Prussia was ultimately victorious. This now meant that Germany could unify as one, however it was very much controlled by the state within Germany that was the strongest, Prussia. Bismarck made Prussia the strongest state in Germany politically as well as what was already understood; their economic and military dominance.
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. This process came through due to years of turmoil and war, with many strategies and manipulations (such as the actions of Otto Von Bismarck to manipulate his way into wars). Different processes were set out, and due to them, a unified Germany was formed. The progress of German unification was greatly encouraged by the Zollverin, a customs union in Central Germany, where internal trade tariffs were abolished, and a common trade policy with external states was developed. As a result of the Zollverein, unification was encouraged, as the states within the German Confederation could now trade with each other easily, and their trading interactions helped lead to a common sense of nationalism.
Why German Unification was Germany Unified under Austria and not under Prussia? The revolutions of 1830/1848 brought lots of turbulence to the scene. In this period liberalism and nationalism ideas strengthen themselves and was particularly a problem for Austria because it suffered from divisions with the diverse nationalities and was over stretched, especially with the Italian commitments. So as the Austrian Empire is fighting against decline, the Prussian Empire was only strengthening itself. This period saw the gradual strengthening of Prussia with the Zollverein and economic reforms.
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation stateofficially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German Empire after the French capitulation in the Franco-Prussian War. Unofficially, the transition of most of the German-speaking populations into a federated organization of states occurred over nearly a century of experimentation. Unification exposed several glaring religious, linguistic, social, and cultural differences between and among the inhabitants of the new nation, suggesting that 1871 only represents one moment in a continuum of the larger unification processes. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which had included more than 300 independent states, was effectively dissolved when Emperor Francis II abdicated (6 August 1806) during the War of the Third Coalition.
It saw different forms of government rise and overtake others between the end of King Louis XVI in 1789 and the overthrow in 1851 of Napoleons vast empire which came to an end in 1870. At this time, France fell to Prussia and was governed by the Third Republic (Hammerstingl, 1998, 1999). Besides government turmoil, religions were faced with scientific advancements that questioned the origins of ancient scripture. The industrial expansion was beginning to take shape. Society as a whole was beginning to change.