German Unification

German Unification:
The Age of Bismarck

The German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, January 1871. This event was the crowning achievement of Bismarck's political career.

"By blood and iron."

Otto von Bismarck used this phrase to describe the method by which a unified German state would be created. The Frankfurt Assembly of 1848, which attempted to unify Germany through constitutional means, had been crushed. Bismarck knew that the chances of peaceful revolution were nonexistent: Germany could be created only through war.

Two great powers lay claim to German leadership: Austria and Prussia. Both peoples spoke the German language and followed many traditional German folk customs. The two rivals struggled with each other to lead the smaller German states.

In 1851, Bismarck began to represent Prussia in the diet of the German Confederation, an organization dominated by Austria. Bismarck served as ambassador to Russia and France in the late 1850s, and in September 1862, he was named Prussia's chief minister. He was less concerned with German nationalism than he was with expanding the power of Prussia.

The path to such power lay in eliminating Austria's influence over German affairs. Prussia had already created the Zollverein, a customs union of German states that did not include Austria.

Realpolitik

Bismarck was the architect of a policy that came to be known as realpolitik, which means "practical politics." He was determined to strengthen Prussia by any means necessary. Alliances were merely convenient and could be dissolved to exploit an opportunity. Bismarck supported democracy to gain internal support, but had no true interest in liberal reform. He watched international events closely, waiting for the proper moments to advance his agenda.

The Danish king's attempts to annex the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein provided an opportunity for Bismarck to act. He enticed Austria to declare war on Denmark to acquire these two territories. Following a brief war, Prussia assumed control of Schleswig while Austria occupied Holstein. Denmark was too weak militarily to stop either larger power. Bismarck never intended to make the joint occupation permanent. He immediately made plans to stab the Austrians in the back.

Otto-Suggestion

This map illustrates the territories of the German Empire at the time of its creation. The captured province of Alsace-Lorraine, located at the empire's southwest border, proved to be a point of contention until and during the Second World War.

Bismarck then crafted an alliance with Napoleon III of France, receiving assurances that the French emperor would remain neutral in the event of military conflict between Austria and Prussia. Bismarck promised Venetia to the Italians in exchange for their support of Prussia.

Tensions mounted, and in June 1866 Austria declared war on Prussia. Austria was no match for Prussian armed forces, which used the telegraph and rail links in its mobilization. Prussia crushed Austria in only seven weeks of fighting. The Treaty of Prague of August 1866 officially ended the Seven Weeks' War, resulting in Prussia's control of both Schleswig and Holstein.

Bismarck then annexed the recalcitrant pro-Austrian German states to form a new North German Confederation, marking the end of Austrian influence in Germany.

Only several small German kingdoms in the south, such as Bavaria, remained independent of Prussian control. These territories might have fallen into the Prussian, Austrian, or French spheres of influence. Although aligned with the new North German Confederation in the face of French imperialism, south German states feared further "Prussianization" of Germany. Bismarck soon conspired to annex those lands.

The Iron Chancellor

Known as the "Iron Chancellor," Otto von Bismarck was the driving force behind German unification.

Bismarck first used the pen rather than the sword. He seized the opportunity to provoke France when Queen Isabella of Spain abdicated her throne in 1868. Fearing an encirclement by Prussian leaders, France opposed the choice of a Prussian Hohenzollern prince to replace Isabella. Napoleon III demanded in July 1870 that King Wilhelm of Prussia also oppose it. Wilhelm was reluctant to start trouble with France, so he crafted a polite, diplomatic response, which one of his officials conveyed to Bismarck.

Bismarck, in the famous Ems Telegram, carefully edited the king's words to create the impression that the French ambassador and King Wilhelm had traded diplomatic insults. France thus declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870.

Fearing a French attack, the south German states joined the North German Confederation, satisfying Bismarck's dreams. Although the Franco-Prussian War officially ended in May 1871, France was soundly defeated by Prussian forces within two months. In January 1871, in the Palace of Versailles, Wilhelm I was crowned kaiser of the new German Empire, which now contained 39 million Germans. The peace settlement humiliated France, laying ground for future conflict. Germany received an indemnity payment of five billion francs and the territories of Alsace and Lorraine.

Wilhelm I

Germany was now satiated and ready for peace, Bismarck said after the war. But the balance of power in Europe was completely changed. In five short years, Bismarck's Germany had become the most powerful country in continental Europe, soon rivaling Britain in industrial output and military power.

You Be the Kaiser

Try your hand at constructing the Ems Telegram. Will you encourage friendship or incite anger?

A famous person
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Just as Bismarck assembled the divided states of Germany into a single empire, try to assemble the divided Bismarck into a single "Iron Chancellor."

Nationalist composer Richard Wagner was the 19th-century Pokemon. Wagner trading cards came with packages of bouillon. Collect them all!

The Brothers Grimm dreamed of a united Germany. They thought of their major project, Grimm's Fairy Tales, as a collection of patriotic "folk"-lore.

Learn about the Franco-Prussian War the fun way — through cartoons!

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor marauding Prussians could keep the Pigeon Post from delivering the mail.

Review: Fill in the missing words.

1. "_{______________________".}Otto von Bismarck used this phrase to describe the method by which a unified German state would be created.
2. Two great powers lay claim to German leadership: ______ and ______. Both peoples spoke the German language and followed many traditional German folk customs. The two rivals struggled with each other to lead the smaller German states.
3. Prussia had already created the ________, a customs union of German states that did not include Austria.
4. Bismarck was the architect of a policy that came to be known as ________, which means "practical politics."
5. ________ were merely convenient and could be dissolved to exploit an opportunity. Bismarck supported ________ to gain internal support, but had no true interest in liberal reform.
6. Tensions mounted, and in June 1866 Austria declared war on Prussia. Austria was no match for Prussian armed forces, which used the ________ and ________ in its mobilization.
7. Bismarck, in the famous ________, carefully edited the king's words to create the impression that the French ambassador and King Wilhelm had traded diplomatic insults. France thus declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870.
8. Fearing a French attack, the ________ states joined the North German Confederation, satisfying Bismarck's dreams. Although the Franco-Prussian War officially ended in May 1871, France was soundly defeated by Prussian forces within ________.
9. The peace settlement humiliated France, laying ground for ________. Germany received an indemnity payment of five billion francs and the territories of ______ and ______.
10. In five short years, Bismarck's Germany had become the most powerful country in continental Europe, soon rivaling Britain in ________ and ________.

Adapted from Beyond Books, New Forum Publishers, Inc., 2001