Unification of Germany Realpolitik in Action

Otto von Bismarck 1881 speech to the Reichstag  “I have often acted hastily and without reflection, but when I had time to think I have always asked, What is useful, effective, right, for the fatherland. I have never been a doctrinaire. Liberal, reactionary, conservative… these, I confess, seem to me luxuries. Give me a strong German state, and then ask me whether it should have more or less liberal furnishings and you’ll find that I answer Yes. I have no fixed opinions… Many roads lead to Rome. Sometimes one may rule liberally, and sometimes dictatorially, there are no eternal rules. My only aim has been the creation and consolidation of Germany.”

 Yellow = Austria; Blue = Prussia  Red line = boundary of the German Confederation

Why was unification led by Prussia, not by Austria?  Why Prussia—called Kleindeutsch  Economic—Prussia led the Zollverein; by 1853 all German states belonged, except Austria  Powerful army  Efficient bureaucracy

 Why not Austria—called Grossdeutsch  Multi-national country—partly in the German Confederation, partly out  If the German Confederation unified, Austria would have to make a decision about the structure of their own country  Divide? Germany be a multi-ethnic country?  Emperor Franz Joseph against unification, to keep the unity of the Austrian Empire

Austria has no Friends  During the Crimean war, Austria stayed neutral—Russia was upset about this  In the 1860s, Italy wanted to get Venetia from Austria

Schleswig-Holstein  Schleswig was in Denmark; Holstein was in the German Confederation  However, the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein was considered one unit  People in central & southern Schleswig considered themselves German, not Danish

 According to the London Protocol of 1851, Schleswig was not to be incorporated into Denmark.  In 1863, the November Constitution was passed in Denmark unifying Schleswig and Denmark.  This led to the Danish War 1864

Danish War 1864  Convention of Gastein 1865  Austria—Holstein  Prussia—Schleswig  Schleswig & Holstein joined the Zollverein  North German Confederation formed 1867

Danish War 1864  Convention of Gastein 1865  Austria—Holstein  Prussia—Schleswig  Schleswig & Holstein joined the Zollverein  North German Confederation formed 1867

Austro-Prussian War 1866 or The Seven Weeks War  Problem… administration of Schleswig-Holstein  Austria complained to the German Confederation  Bismarck said Austria was violating the Convention of Gastein  Austria was given a lenient peace… they only lost Venetia

German Unification… the rest of the story

Who will be king of Spain?  1868 Isabella II was deposed in a military coup  Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen was one of the candidates for the throne  Prince Leopold was the Catholic cousin of William I of Prussia  Bismarck knew the French would not like this so at first promoted Leopold; he wanted war with France  Leopold accepted the throne of Spain

How to spoil a vacation and annoy a monarch  King William I was on vacation at Bad Ems  France sent Ambassador Count Vincent Benedetti to talk with William about Leopold taking the Spanish throne  In the meantime, Leopold’s father renounced his son’s candidacy  William was relieved that conflict was avoided  France should have been satisfied

However…  The French government was not satisfied and told Benedetti to go back & talk with the king  While William was out for a walk in the park, Benedetti accosted William and demanded the king promise that Leopold would NEVER again be a candidate for the Spanish throne  Napoleon III wanted a big diplomatic victory over the Prussians

William I & Count Benedetti

The Ems Telegram  Benedetti tried again to see the king, who refused  William wrote about the incident and sent the information to Bismarck in a telegram. Prince Leopold

The original telegram William I sent to Bismarck  “Count Benedetti intercepted me on the promenade and ended by demanding of me in a very importunate manner that I should authorize him to telegraph at once that I bound myself in perpetuity never again to give my consent if the Hohenzollerns renewed their candidature.  I rejected this demand somewhat sternly as it is neither right nor possible to undertake engagements of this kind [for ever and ever]. Naturally I told him that I had not yet received any news and since he had been better informed via Paris and Madrid than I was, he must surely see that my government was not concerned in the matter.

 [The King, on the advice of one of his ministers] “decided in view of the above-mentioned demands not to receive Count Benedetti any more, but to have him informed by an adjutant that His Majesty had now received from [Leopold] confirmation of the news which Benedetti had already had from Paris and had nothing further to say to the ambassador.  His Majesty suggests to Your Excellency that Benedetti’s new demand and its rejection might well be communicated both to our ambassadors and to the Press.”

Tone of the King’s telegram?  Define…  Importunate  Perpetuity  Candidature  Adjutant  How was Benedetti treated according to (a) French point of view (b) Prussian point of view

Bismarck’s edited version  “After the news of the renunciation of the prince von Hohenzollern had been communicated to the imperial French government by the Royal Spanish government, the French Ambassador in Ems made a further demand on His Majesty the King under- took for all time never again to give his assent should the Hohenzollerns once more take up their candidature.  His Majesty the King thereupon refused to receive the Ambassador again and had the latter informed by the adjutant of the day that His Majesty had no further communication to make to the Ambassador”

The Franco-Prussian War  Bismarck’s edited telegram caused the French to become upset with Prussia & the French declared war on the North German Confederation. Napoleon III  Russia promised to be neutral  The British were neutral; Bismarck had published Benedetti’s plan for the French annexation of Belgium.

Franco-Prussian War  Napoleon III wanted to regain land west of the Rhine River that his uncle had conquered decades earlier  He also wanted to show that France was greater than Prussia  The war was short… July Feb. 1, 1871  Napoleon was captured at the Battle of Sedan Sept  Paris surrendered Jan  William I was proclaimed Kaiser of a united German in Versailles Jan  Ended with Treaty of Frankfurt 1871

Bismarck statue in Hamburg  34 meters tall

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