Germany United and Divided, 1890-1991 German Unification Germany United and Divided, 1890-1991

Germany in 1815 There was no actual state called Germany – ‘Germany’ refers just to the regions where a majority spoke German. There were 39 independent states, all ruled by individual Kings/Princes. They were however linked through the German Confederation – Austria was the largest. Prussia was the 2nd largest – the only one that could challenge Austria.

Germany in 1815 There were two main political ideas; Liberals and Nationalists – Wanted German people united into a one nation state – a new German Reich. *Some nationalists emphasised a racial superiority of the German people.*

National Constituent Assembly Influenced by the French Revolution, Germany, still suffering from the effects of the 1847-8 economic crisis, saw widespread outbreaks of unrest. – there were Revolutions in Austria and Prussia. The Liberal Nationalists saw their chance to create a new united Germany. A national Constituent Assembly was set up – it stated it had overall power (in reality it did not)

National Constituent Assembly At the Frankfurt Assembly in 1848, liberals offered the throne to a united Germany to the Prussian king, but they were refused. Germany remained divided but still had a desire for unity.

The unification of Germany 1862-70

Otto von Bismarck German Chancellor 1862-1890 Otto von Bismarck is known as the “founder of the German Empire.” He was Prussia's prime minister from 1862 to 1873 and was Germany’s first chancellor from 1871 to 1890. He lead the Germans to victory in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 and in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. Otto von Bismarck German Chancellor 1862-1890                                                    

Bismarck Bismarck was not a nationalist but he did want to make Prussia the leading power in Germany. He believed that power was more important than principles and that politics should be based upon the needs of the state. “For the state, in contrast to the individual, self-preservation is the supreme law. The state must survive at any price; it cannot go into the poorhouse, it cannot beg, it cannot commit suicide; in short, it must take wherever it can find the essentials of life.”

"Blood and Iron" After years of peaceful attempts to take the dominance of Germany, Bismarck gave up and turned to other means. He used neither speeches nor resolutions to take Germany, but his new slogan of “Blood and Iron.” Bismarck marched Prussian armies into the colonies of Schleswig and Holstein in hopes of war with Austria. This would enable Prussia to take over the German states that were under Austrian rule.

Schleswig and Holstein: Bismarck thought becoming allied with Austria would be a good idea. In 1864, Prussian armies under Bismarck’s leadership took over the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark rule. Bismarck gave the province of Holstein to Austria and kept Schleswig under Prussian rule in hopes of an alliance.

The Austro-Prussian war of 1866 The war lasted only 7 weeks and resulted in a decisive victory for Prussia.

Shortly following the victory of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck eliminated the Austrian led German Confederation. The ruler then established a new North German Confederation which was ruled by Prussia.

The Ems Telegram The Ems telegram was sent in 1870 from the Prussian King to Bismarck informing Bismarck about his meeting with French Ambassador. The eager Bismarck was waiting for his opportunity to strike and when the king left it up to him to let journalists know about the meeting, he took advantage of the situation.

The Ems Telegram Bismarck manipulated the situation by making the Prussian king look as if he was more hostile towards the French then he really was. This provoked chaos in both France and Prussia and eventually led to the Franco-Prussian War.

Bismarck wanted to eliminate French influence on the country. Franco-Prussian War Otto von Bismarck wanted to achieve unity within south Germany states under Prussian rule. Bismarck wanted to eliminate French influence on the country. The war lasted from 1870-1871 and resulted in the loss of France to the German States.

The German Empire A United Germany After the defeat of both Austria and France, Germans persuaded William I from Prussia to take the title Kaiser, or emperor. In the space of 9 years and through 3 wars, Bismarck had succeeded in uniting Germany under Prussian leadership. In January of 1871, Germans celebrated their empire known as the Second Reich.

A constitution proposed by Bismarck and a two house legislature was set up for the Second Reich. The two houses were made up of the Bundersat (upper house) and the Reichstag (lower house). The houses were elected by rulers of German states and universal male suffrage. Otto von Bismarck, 1886.

A Growing Economy After the unification of Germany, it rose to be the Industrial giant of the Europe. Germany’s chemical and electrical industries were beyond any other industries in the world.

A Growing Economy Germany’s coal and iron resources resulted in massive growth of the economy. A work force and rapidly growing population also aided in the development of the economy.

Three Emperors’ League 1873 Agreement between Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany Isolated France Reduce disputes between A-H and Russia over Balkans 1879 collapsed

Dual Alliance 1879 Bismarck began to work on the idea of an alliance with Austria-Hungary. It was a defensive alliance which would last for 5 years. It stipulated that if either power were attacked by Russia the other would come to the support of its ally.

Triple Alliance 1882 Bismarck took advantage of tensions between Italy and France by bringing Italy into the Alliance in 1882. Serbia was included in the Alliance in 1882 and Romania in 1885.

The Reinsurance Treaty 1887 Bismarck’s plan to isolate France ineffective Loss of effective alliance with Russia meant Germany remained vulnerable to attack from both west and east if France and Russia form an alliance Bismarck wanted to avoid this and signed Reinsurance Treaty with Russia to guaranteed German and Russian neutrality in any war as long as Germany did not attack France, or Russia attack A-H