Sobbing Thru Success: Bismarck Takes Control Chapter 16 Section 2 Notes

Blaaahhhd. And Ire-erhn. “Germany does not look to Prussia’s liberalism, but to her power… …The great questions of the day are not to be decided by speeches and majority resolutions… …—that was the mistake of 1848 and 1849—… …but by blood and iron!” –Otto Von Bismarck This speech was stated in 1862 and set the tone for his policies in the years ahead His goal was to unify the German people in one state, with Prussia as its leader

Napoleon’s Dynamite to Germany As Napoleon romped through Europe he annexed lands along the Rhine River and organized several German states along the Rhine River As German nationalism spread, Napoleon became the enemy Napoleon tried to say that uniting Germany would require dismantling each German state’s government Instead, the German Confederation (headed by Austria) was born after Napoleon’s defeat

We All Live in a Yellow Zollverein…a Yellow Zollverein…a Yellow Zollverein… In the 1830s Prussia created an economic union called the Zollverein dismantling tariff barriers between many German states What’s a tariff? Free trade was the first step toward German unity; this was economic unity How could a connection between the German Zollverein and the European Union be made? In 1848 an attempt at political unity was fumbled by Frederick William IV of Prussia when he refused the throne of a unified German state because it was offered by the people

…Then I Resign!... Otto von Bismarck was junk No, really, he was a Junker This was the conservative landowning nobility class of Prussia His rise to power began when he was named chancellor (prime minister) of Germany by King William I

…Then I Resign!... As chancellor, Bismarck was a disciple of political philosophy known as Realpolitik All decisions are based on the needs of the state Based on Realpolitik, which situation is better?  A. The U.S. supporting a murderous dictator if it stops the spread of Communism during the Cold War  B. The U.S. supporting a Communist country with a strong history in favor of pro-human rights policies? The answer is A because the needs of the state are to stop communism; all other issues are secondary

Goals of the State He was not necessarily a nationalist, but rather wanted to bring power to the Hohenzollerns (which he thought he could do through German unification) What Bismarck did: 1. Strengthen the Prussian army  The liberal legislature wouldn’t vote to fund the military so Bismarck used money that had been collected for other purposes 2. Go to war to expand their strength

Denmark and Austria…Goodbye Bismarck aligned with Austria in 1864 and seized the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark (they went from blue to red in the great graphics on the best movie ever) Most people living in these two provinces were German, and that was the justification for seizing and dividing the two areas between Prussia and Austria Two years later in 1866 Prussia attacked Austria The Austro-Prussian War lasted 7 weeks and ended in a decisive Prussian victory; Prussia annexed several German states

France, you’re next Bismarck created a new confederation dominated by Prussia (instead of the old Austrian-led German Confederation) Bismarck allowed Austria and 4 other southern German states to remain independent because he didn’t want anyone seeking revenge The Franco-Prussian War began in 1870 Remembering Napoleon, Bismarck spurred on German Nationalism by talking about the French menace Napoleon III also wanted war to achieve military glory Bismarck furthered the problem by rewriting a telegram reporting a meeting between King William I and the French ambassador The “Ems dispatch” made it seem that William I had insulted the Frenchman; Napoleon III declared war on Prussia, like Bismarck hoped Prussia smashed France and accepted a humiliating peace