Unification 1852-1871

Italian Unification 1852 King Victor Emmanuel II selected Count Camillo di Cavour as prime minister. 1859 Cavour made an alliance between Piedmont and France. Cavour provoked a war with Austria in the same year.

Italy Second War of Italian Independence April – July 1859 Battle of Magenta June 4, 1859 Battle of Solferino June 24, 1859 Napoleon III made peace soon after the battles. Piedmont gained Lombardy, but fell short of unifiacation.

Italy In April 1860, Guiseppe Garibaldi invaded Sicily and claimed it in July 1860. Garibaldi then invaded the Italian boot in September of 1860. March 17, 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of Itay. Cavour died on June 6, 1861. Sept. 20, 1870 Rome was made the capitol of a fully unified Italy.

Germany In 1862, Wilhelm I attempted to enlarge the Prussian military, but the legislature refused to grant the funds. Wilhelm appointed Otto von Bismarck as chancellor as a response in Sept. of 1862. Bismarck forced the military spending bill without the consent of the Prussia diet.

Germany 1862-1866 Bismarck effectively ruled Prussia without the consent of the diet. 1864 Prussia and Austria entered a war against Denmark for the possession of the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein After the war’s successful conclusion Austria gained possession of Holstein and Prussia gained Schleswig

Six Weeks War June 14, 1866 Bismarck provoked a war with Austria over Schleswig and Holstein July 3, 1866 Battle of Koniggratz proved to be the decisive engagement of the Six Weeks War. The northern German states joined with Prussia, while 4 southern states remained independent. However they were allied to Prussia in a defensive alliance. Austria was excluded from German affairs.

Franco-Prussian War France viewed a unified Germany with great misgivings. After the death of the Spanish king, a relative of Wilhelm I was named king of Spain. French foreign minister Count Benodetti met with Wilhelm I at the spa town of Ems. Ems Telegram

War July 15, 1870 War was declared by France. South German states sided with Prussia. September 1, 1870 Battle of Sedan Paris surrendered on January 28, 1871

Germany Triumphant Treaty signed in Versailles France ceded the territories of Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia. $1 billion in reparations. Wilhelm I proclaimed Kaiser of a unified Germany. Paris Commune

Austria-Hungary Ausgleich or Compromise of 1867created a dual monarchy between Austria and Hungary. Both nations had their own political framework, but remained united under the Habsburgs. Serbs, Croats, Slavs remained unsatisfied.

Victorian Age Britain Queen Victoria 1837-1901 longest ruling monarch of England. Era characterized by social, political, and economic reforms. No revolutions or civil unrest. Age of duty and respectability. Reform Act of 1867 doubled Britain’s voting rolls.

Karl Marx Karl Marx 1818-1883 Fredrich Engles 1820-1895 Argued that history was a constant struggle of class warfare. Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat Communist Manifesto

Communism Violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie by the proletariat. Dictatorship to reorganize the means of production. Classless society. No private ownership of land, production, or possessions. No religion.

Charles Darwin 1809-1882 1859 Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection Struggle for survival. Natural selection Stronger species adapt and change to their environments, while weaker ones die out.