Ch. 22 An Age of Nationalism and Realism, 1850-1871 National Unification: Italy and Germany

FQ: What actions did Cavour and Bismarck take to bring about unification in Italy and Germany, respectively and what role did war play in their efforts?

The Unification of Italy 1850 – Austria remained to be the dominant power on the Italian peninsula. Ruled by the royal house of Savoy (suh-VOI), the northern Italian state of Peidmont became a leader in the cause of national unity. 1852 – new king of Piedmont, Victor Emanuel II (1849-1878) named Count Camillo diCavour as his prime minister.

The Leadership of Cavour 1852 – Cavour became prime minister and pursued policies of economic expansion, encouraging the construction of infrastructure. Also expanded credit and stimulated investment in new industries. Growth in the Piedmontese economy and government revenues allowed Cavour to equip a large army. However, not large enough to take on Austria alone.

Deal between Napoleon III and Cavour 1858 – Cavour came to an agreement with Napoleon III to ally with Piedmont to fight against the Austrians. Following Austria’s defeat, Italy would be reorganized. Piedmont would be added to the kingdom of Upper Italy, while France would receive the Piedmontese provinces of Nice and Savoy. 1859 – Napoleon made peace with Austria without telling Italy. Austria maintained control of Venetia while Piedmont only received Lombardy. Northern Italian states began to join Piedmont.

The Efforts of Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi led the Red Shirts (volunteer army) from southern Italy up the peninsula. Garibaldi backed down from Cavour in favor of national unity. Unification became possible only with the help from the Austrian- Prussian War of 1866. Prussia’s victory gave Italy Venetia. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War resulted in the withdrawal of French troops fro Rome. Italy annexed the city in 1870 and it became the new capital of the united Italian state.

The Unification of Germany The Holy Roman Empire had dissolved by 1806 leading to the German Confederation created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The rivalry between Austria and Prussia weakened the confederation. In 1834, Prussia formed the Zollverein to stimulate trade and add to overall prosperity. Prussia established a legislative assembly elected by a voting population divided by the amount of taxes they paid.

Prussia: the king and parliament King William I (1861-1888) wanted to expand the Prussian military to remain in power. Middle-class liberals in the parliament feared compulsory military service and rejected the king’s military budget proposal. Otto Von Bismarck was appointed prime minister in 1862 to help push the military budget through parliament.

Otto von Bismarck Viewed as the ultimate realist, the foremost nineteenth century practitioner of Realpolitik. Diplomatic alternatives were exhausted before going to war. Bismarck submitted his military proposal to parliament multiple times only to be rejected. He then went ahead and collected the taxes and reorganized the army anyway.

The Danish War (1864) The Danish attempted to bring the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein in to Demark. This areas included large German populations, which upset German nationalists. Bismarck was able to persuade Austria to join forces against Demark in February of 1864. Demark was defeated leaving Schleswig to Prussia and Holstein to Austria. Tensions rose between Austria and Prussia.

The Austro-Prussian War Bismarck used his diplomatic skills to isolate Austria. Russia remained neutral because of Prussia’s support in repressing a Polish revolt in 1863. Napoleon III agreed to neutrality in exchange for territory in the Rhineland. An alliance with the new Italian state was made in exchange for Venetia.

Austro-Prussian War Cont’d While Austria was defeated, Bismarck allowed them to only lose Venetia to Italy but would be excluded from German affairs. German states north of the Main River were organized into the North German Confederation. Bismarck used nationalism to win the support of from liberals and to prevent government reform.

Franco-Prussian War The throne of Spain was offered to Prince Leopold Of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a distant relative of Prussian royalty. Bismarck encouraged the idea while the French strongly opposed it. The French were coerced into war with Prussia and were defeated in 1871. Southern German states agreed to enter the North German Confederation, achieving German unity.