Why study Germany 1862-1918

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Why study Germany 1862-1918

• Role of Germany in 20th century history
• What is the role of Germany today?
• Compare to Russian history
• German personalities
• German ideas and ideology

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Unification of Germany

• It took ten years 1862-1871
• Klein-Deutsch
• It was done by Prussia - Austria was excluded
• The Junker Bismarck was leading the way
• He solved the German problem with iron and
  blood but may be he created a new problem.

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Pressures and problems

• Forces of unity
• Zollverein 1834 (Austria not in)
• Nationalism,
• Herder, Grimm
• Frankfurt pre-parliament
• Prussian expansionism
• Industrialization, social question
• Modernization
• Market, railroads, industry, education

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The Erfurt union 1850

• Proposed by Prussia
• For North-German states
• Austria excluded
• Austria was not ready to be thrown out
• 11 states stood with Austria

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Olmutz capitulation 1850

• Erfurt cancelled
• German confederation revived under leadership of
  Austria
• To preserve power balance Austria is kept out of
  Zollwerein

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Changing power balance

• What changed the power balance between Austria
  and Prussia 1850-62 in favour of Prussia?
• Crimean war
• Italian wars of unification
• Improvements in the army
• Economic progress

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Bismarck called to power 62

• The questions of the day will not be resolved by
  speeches or resolutions of the majority but by
  iron and blood
• Overcome domestic difficulties by bold foreign
  policy, the expansion of Prussia.
• He did not have a plan but floated on the stream
  of events.

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Schleswig-Holstein war 64

• Increased Russian goodwill after Polish revolt
• Prussia questioned Austria leadership in the
  Confederation
• Christian IX breaks London protocol
• Joint invasion with Austria but Prussia leader
• Austria control Holstein - Prussia Schleswig
• Bismarcks position in Prussia consolidated

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Austro-Prussian War 66

• The single most important political event of the
  19th century
• Preparations
• Napolean III promises neutrality
• Italy fights with Prussia and against Austria for
  Venetia
• War
• Invasion in Holstein
• Deafeated Austria at Sadova

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Consequenses

• Unification of Northern Germany
• Italy gets Venetia
• Austria prestige gets a blow (looks east Hungary
  home rule)
• France prestige also low
• Bismarck pardoned by the liberals

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Franco-Prussian war 1870

• After 1866 France wants compensation
• Did not get Luxemburg, southern-German states
  become uneasy.
• France against the Hohenzollern candidature
• Elms-Telegram gets France to declare war on
  Germany
• The french threat gets the southern princes to
  hand the crown to Prussia
• Bismarcks triumph was to unite Germany without
  democracy, parliamentarism and Austria.