The Unification of Germany

A. The Unification of Germany In 1815 there were 39 independent German states. By 1871, these German states, except Austria and Switzerland had united into a single nation. 1. Steps toward Unity The Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation in 1815. It was designed to keep the French from expanding as they had under Napoleon. These states met in Frankfurt with Austria dominating the diet, Prussia rising quickly. Prussia was well organized and powerful. The majority of her power lay in the hands of an aristocratic group of landholders called the Junkers. They were opposed by a group of liberals who wanted to rise to power. The economic union called Zollverein further empowered Prussia, causing the liberals to move to revolt. Internal feuding caused the Liberal control to waver and allowed the Conservatives to keep control. 2. Rise of Bismarck The Prussian control of the German state was furthered by the new King of Prussia, William I in 1861. His objective was to increase the size of the military. To do this William went to the German people who rejected his proposal. The Liberal assembly overrode his plans and William appointed Otto Von Bismarck to the office of Prime Minister. His policy of Realpolitik was Machiavelli all over again. Realpolitik means that a nation-state has the right to pursue its advantage by any means. In 1862, he is quoted as saying that great issues of the times will not be decided by speeches and majority decisions but by blood and iron. 3. Three Wars Bismarck had several objectives in declaring war when he did. First was the objective of raising money for army expansion. Secondly he wanted to limit the control of Austria and finally to bring all German states under Prussian control. a. Danish war When the Danes gained the territories of Schleswig and Holstein, the Germans who lived there were unhappy about it and appealed to the German confederation. Eager to gain land and power, the Germans quickly declared war on Denmark and won. The Austrians would govern Holstein while Prussia would control Schleswig. This did not last long as Prussia wanted both. Because of this she declares war on Austria. b. 7 Weeks war Bismarck is looking for a fight with Austria over Holstein. Prussia plans carefully to assure that Austria does not have any allies. Russia is promised help with her control of Polish rebels. France is promised compensations for remaining neutral. Italy is promised the Italian province of Venetia in the case of a Prussian win. War begins on June 15 th, 1866 when Prussia declares war on Austria for invading Holstein. The Seven Week war ends with the surrender of the Austrians and the formation of a new organization called the North German Confederation that allowed the German countries north of the Main River to govern themselves internally but put foreign policy in the hands of Prussia. c. Franco-Prussian War The countries south of the Main River were mostly catholic and not interested in being controlled by the Protestant Prussians. France was unhappy with the new situation having not received their land that was promised by Bismarck in the Seven Weeks war. The issue of the Spanish succession to the throne was the topic of a telegraph that Bismarck issued to the press. The countries went to war and it seemed that the French as declared the war although the real culprit was Bismarck. The Southern German countries were working with Prussia instead of France. The French were quickly defeated. 4. Formation of an Empire- Kaiser/ chancellor William became Kaiser or emperor of Germany in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian war. Bismarck was the Chancellor. There were 25 German states each of which had their own domestic policies and leaders but the head of the whole was William I. When William I died, his son Frederick, a liberal took over and began to change the country.

Bismarcks Realm Germans were not united, because they were religiously, economically, socially and politically divided. Bismarck took charge of policy in the German Empire. Bismarck and the Church Bismarck makes a campaign against the church by expelling the Jesuits from Germany in 1872. Germany then passed the May Laws to destroy Catholic influence. Industry and socialism At the end of the 1800s, Germany became a major industrial power, from the investment capital from Great Britain, France and Belgium. Bismarck and the socialists Believed that any Socialist party was out to change the government, posing a treat to the Germany Empire. He banned all Socialist movements, but his reforms did not last long. The fall of Bismarck William I dies at the age of 91 and his son, Frederick III takes over. 100 days later, Frederick dies and his son takes over. His name is William II. William II and Bismarcks ideas about absolute authority and the divine right of kings clashed, so Bismarck threatened to resign and William II accepted. Empire of the Czars Russia- In the early 1800s stretched from Europe to Pacific. The country had 60 Nationalities, 100 languages, 2/3rds Slavs or Russians but also Middle Easterners and Asians. Serfdom governed agricultural economy, little industrialization. Government was an Autocracy, a type of government in which one person rules with unlimited authority. Alexander I ruled from 1801 to 1825 and attempted reform. When he died in 1825, some of the military staged the Decembrist Revolt due to the transfer of power. There were two things that came from the revolt: 1. Those who died were considered martyrs 2. The resolution of Nicholas I to oppose any opposition became stronger. Secret police were given the authority and freedom was thwarted. Nicholas I died in 1855 and his son, Alexander II became Czar. Russia was backward because of its serf system. To modernize Russia needed to industrialize and to do that she needed the labor force of the serfs. To this end the Czar emancipated the serfs from the land on March 3rd, 1861 granting them legal but not economic freedom. For this he became known as the Czar Liberator. To leave the mirs (village community) the ex-serfs had to help pay off the land which they did and moved to the cities. From this came a new system of government. In 1864, a new system was made into law. This new system was called zemstvos that ran local matters. These were divided into three voting parts: the Nobility, the wealthy and the peasants. As usual the first two dominated the third. Although Alexander II was known for his benevolent policies, he failed to satisfy the Russian people and their appetite for reform. Those opposed to the Czar were the intellectuals and the students. Without political experience or contacts with the people of Russia. Michael Bakunin advocated Anarchy or elimination of all institutions including state, family, property, law and other institutions. Nihilists believed that Russia should start from the beginning again. By the 1870s, the Populist Movement had gathered power. This group believed that the Peasants would lead a revolt and overthrow the Czar. The students and intellectuals who led this movement traveled from village to village to gather power and were unsuccessful and eventually turned to violent tactics. Because of this pressure Czar Alexander II drafted a plan to establish a national assembly but before he could put his plan into effect he was killed by a bombing 1881. Alexander IIs son Alexander II reversed the reforms of his father, re-installed government control and attempted to establish nationalism with a program called Russification. This became a policy of intolerance and mass prosecution. Jewish people in particular were singled

out and massive Pogroms or organized massacres of a minority group were carried out. When Alexander III died in 1894, his son Nicholas II continued his strict policies. Unfortunately for Nicholas I, a revolutionary mood swept Russia. Followers of Karl Marx believed that the working class would rise up in the Revolution not the peasants. The Mensheviks believed that the time was not right for a revolution (not enough workers yet) but the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov- known as Lenin thought that the workers could be led by a small group of professional revolutionaries. As the anti-government feelings grew worse as the time went on. On January 22, 1905, 200,000 workers marched in St. Petersburg and the palace guards opened fire. This became known as Bloody Sunday and sparked many political protests. Organizations drew up programs for political reform. In 1905 the first Soviet or workers council was formed to voice workers grievances. A representative government with universal suffrage was what the workers wanted. In October 1905, workers seized control of the major cities and demanded change. In response, Nicholas II announced a law providing for the election of a Duma or legislature that would serve as an advisory body. The lack of power afforded the Duma only made people angrier. As a result, Nicholas issued the October Manifesto that granted civil rights to the citizens and power to the Duma. But before the Duma could act, Nicholas dissolved it. By the beginning of W.W.I, the problems of Russia had not only been unsolved but also intensified. Have the students draw evidence from the text to support the following statement: Tsarist reforms were incomplete, aroused opposition, and were always followed by reactionary measures. Be sure to include the emancipation, the Duma, and the Zemstvos as examples of Tsarist reforms. Discuss Russification, pogroms, secret police, and censorship as reactions to the growth of revolutionary forces. Austria Hungarys Decline A. The Revolution of 1848 Prince Klemens von Metternich is the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 18091848. He believed that democracy and nationalism would weaken the peace of Europe, the Concert of Europe and the Metternich System. In 1848 Nationalist groups began to form and demanded: Freedom of Speech Freedom of Press Peasant relief of Feudal Dues Representation in the government of Austria. Infighting among the protest groups kept the groups from challenging the established government. In October of 1848 Emperor Francis Ferdinand resigned the throne and his nephew, Francis Joseph became emperor at the age of 18. He attempted to hold together a diverse empire that slowly slips from his grasp. In 1859 he loses Lombardy to the Italians, in 1866 there is a loss of influence over the German States and a loss of Venetia to the Italians in the Austrian/Prussian war. B. The Dual Monarchy The Magyars of Hungary challenged Francis Joseph. In 1848, Hungarian Nationalists declared their independence. With the help of Russia, Francis Joseph put down the revolt. By 1866, Joseph realizes that he will need Hungary and works with the Hungarian leader, Francis Deak to compromise. In 1867, a compromise is reached, an AUSGLEICH (compromise) that is the Dual Monarchy. Emperor Francis Joseph is the Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary. The two countries shared a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, War and Finance. Independent were the two Constitutions, Prime Ministers and Parliaments. The two countries depended upon each other with Austria providing the industrial base and Hungary providing the Agricultural one. Conflict arises over the groups of people in the combined monarchy. Bohemia and Moravia become industrialized and urban faster than the rest of the country. Austrian Germans and Hungarian Magyars are happy but 3/5ths of the population is unrepresented in

the government. The Slavs, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs and Bosnians have no say in the government and hold the common goal of wanting to break away and form a Slav kingdom. C. Powder Keg in the Balkans. The Ottoman Empire is falling apart. Greece becomes independent in 1829. Moldavia and Wallachia fall under Russian control and Algeria to France in 1850. Egypt, Arabia and other Balkans gain their independence. The Crimean War is a thinly veiled attempt on the part of the Russians to overtake the Ottoman holdings in the area and the European nations enter the war based on the idea of eliminating Russian influence. In 1875, the Serbs, Bulgarian and Romanians rise up against Turkey and are brutally put down. In 1877, Russia declared war on Turkey to liberate the Slavs under the control of the Ottomans. The Russo-Turkish war was ended in 1878 by the Treaty of San Stefano (1887) that gave Russia a large Bulgarian state. The English heard the news and led the protest of the Treaty. Meeting in Berlin they rewrote the treaty dividing Bulgaria into three parts: D. Under Ottoman Rule Serbia, Montenegro and Romania won their independence Britain get Cyprus and Austria Hungary gets Bosnia and Herzegovina D. Congress of Berlin By 1912 the Balkan states including Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia declare war on Turkey and drive the Turks back to Istanbul. 1913 is the Second Balkan War. Bulgaria vs. Greece and Serbia and Montenegro then Romania then the Ottoman Empire. The Treaty of Bucharest ends the 2nd Balkan war. We end up the war with all European countries are trying to stop Austria/Hungary or Russia from taking the whole continent.

Explain that each has cultural and ethnic ties with populations within the empire and threatened the coherence of the empire. Prepare a chart of the diversities of AH. Use their text to fill in facts for each group under three headings: language, culture and religion. Make a timeline of Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1806-1867.