National Unification and the National State Chapter 4 Section 3

A. Breakdown of the Concert of Europe Revolutions of 1848 had failed Germany and Italy want to be unified The Crimean War will shift European power and allow them to unify in the 1850s

1. The Crimean War – Ottoman Empire controlled the Balkan Peninsula – Empire was weakening – Russia wanted the Peninsula to have access to the Black and Mediterranean Seas – Russia invaded Moldavia and Wallachia in the Ottoman Empire – Britain and France sided w/ Ottomans and defeated Russia – Britain and France gained control of the territories and the Concert of Europe fell apart

B. Italian Unification In the 1850s and 1860s, now that the Concert of Europe was gone Italy unified into a single state Piedmont under the leadership of Camillo Cavour allied with France to break from Austria After, Cavour took over all Northern Italian States Meanwhile, Southern Italy was unified by a man named Giuseppe Giribaldi By 1861, King Victor Emanuel II ruled a unified Italy

C. German Unification Germans were united by Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismark Prussia’s government was authoritarian and militaristic -they relied heavily on their military Bismark united southern and Northern Germany by 1870 Then, Bismark declared war on France, called the Franco- Prussian War France was defeated, and forced to give up the territories of Alsace and Lorraine

D. Changes in other Nations 1. Britain -avoided the revolutions of the 19 th century -they had a stable economy and gov’t -they also allowed the middle class the right of suffrage -working class people were prosperous as well -Queen Victoria ruled during this period -she ruled longer than any monarch in British history

2. France -Louis-Napoleon was president of France -held a plebiscite (vote) to return France to an Empire -Most of France approved -He was named Emperor Napoleon III of France -he took away civil liberties -controlled legislature - became authoritarian leader, but expanded railroads and industry

3. Austria -After Austria was defeated by the Prussians, they were forced to make a treaty with Hungary -the Compromise of 1867 created the joint country of Austria-Hungary -Both had separate governments and capitals (Vienna for Austria and Budapest for Hungary) -They were both ruled by one king, Francis Joseph -The compromise did not satisfy the minorities of the country

4. Russia -Russian government able to withstand revolution because it was oppressive -After the defeat in the Crimean War, Russia realized that it was falling behind -Czar Alexander II issued the Emancipation Edict – got rid of serfdom -now all serfs (peasants) could own land -the government bought the land from land owners and gave it to peasants -land was worthless, so peasants still starved -Alexander II was assassinated and his son took over and pushed Russia back into an oppressive gov’t

E. Nationalism in the U.S. The War of 1812, between Britain and the U.S. caused nationalism to spread throughout America It endured up until the Civil War Civil War was caused by the push for the abolition of slavery Opinions over slavery were divided and when Abraham Lincoln became president, the South seceded The Civil War lasted 4 years and more than 600,000 Americans died Afterwards, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves and united America once again