German Unification It is the union of 39 states. Until the mid-nineteenth century, Germany had not been constituted as a unified nation, but rather a group of 39 independent states that formed the so-called Germanic Confederation . Among these states, the kingdom of Prussia had excelled in an extraordinary way, this kingdom grouped together peoples of Germanic origin, and, in addition, that of Austria, populated by diverse races. The Napoleonic wars and the nationalist yearning that shook Europe, made the Germanic peoples also aspire to form a single powerful state and a single nation.
Prussia was the nation that started such a unifying movement. For this, he had to go to war with Austria, a nation that also had the same aspiration, but for his benefit, as he also entered into conflict with Denmark and France.
Characteristics of German Unification
German Unification has the following characteristics:
– It was carried out without counting on the free will of the peoples; that is to say, that it was not a spontaneous movement, a nationalist longing, a patriotic aspiration of the majority.
– It was carried out through wars, that is, by force.
– The government emerged in unified Germany, was autocratic and militaristic.
– A powerful nation was formed:The German Empire (governed by the Hohenzollern), which achieved a formidable industrial, cultural and scientific development, with a desire for universal dominance. Its immense military power and its desire for territorial expansion gave rise to the two largest world wars in history. The one of 1914-1918 and the one of 1939-1945, which brought disastrous consequences both for Germany in particular, and for the world in general.
Forgers of German Unification
They were the King of Prussia, William I, who made his nation the foremost military power in Europe; his celebrated Chancellor, Otto of Bismarck, nicknamed the Iron Chancellor due to his extremely authoritarian, hard and energetic character; and the chief of staff of the Prussian army, General Moltke.
Otto Von Bismarck
Bismarck ruled for nearly thirty years, first as a minister to the King of Prussia (1862-1871), and then as a minister to the German Emperor (1871-1890). Europe counted him among its main leaders.
Born into a family of the Prussian nobility, he possessed great conditions of intelligence, daring, tenacity and energy. He was an aristocrat, an ultra-monarchist. He upholder of the divine right of kings and enemy of democracies and parliaments. He did not admit sentimentality in his governmental decisions
He knew German politics well, for he had been successively a deputy in the Prussian parliament and a Prussian delegate to the Diet of Frankfurt for eight years. He knew the life of Germany and the politics of Austria. He was ambassador to Russia and to France, where he learned the intricacies of European politics, becoming a diplomatic expert. Then the king appointed him minister.
To carry out the military reform proposed by William I, Bismarck dispensed with parliament and began a true dictatorship that lasted four years (1862-1866); the king fixed the taxes on his own account, without worrying about the protests of the liberals, and decreed the application of the plan of Roon and Moltke, without waiting for the approval of parliament.
Periods of German Unification
Prussia accomplished this unification through the following wars:
War against Denmark
In alliance with Austria, Prussia made war on Denmark and seized the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, these territories were later under the joint rule of Austria and Prussia.
War against Austria
Prussia, after achieving the neutrality of Napoleon III and in alliance with Victor Emmanuel II, declared war on Austria driven, precisely, by the desire to seize some territories.
The powerful Prussian army, in a few weeks, prevailed over the Austrians whom it defeated in the battle of Sadowa (1866), subsequently signing the Peace of Prague, by which Prussia considerably enlarged its territories with the incorporation of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, the kingdom of Hannover, as well as other regions. Austria, in turn, definitively renounced being part of Germany and accepted the dissolution of the Germanic Confederation. Shortly after, all the German states were unified on the basis of the North German Confederation and proclaimed William I as their sovereign. On the other hand, Austria had to return Venice, which, in turn, was incorporated into Italy.
War against France
The pretext for this dispute arose when Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern, cousin of the King of Prussia, aspired to the crown of Spain, vacant due to the dethronement of Elizabeth II. Such an ambition was opposed by France, as she did not wish to see herself between two nations dominated by the Prussian nobility. Shortly afterward, Napoleon III declared war on Prussia, claiming that William I had snubbed the French ambassador by refusing to receive him at his palace. But Guillermo I, anticipating the events, had already mobilized a powerful army of 500,000 soldiers who, under the command of General Moltke, achieved overwhelming victory over the French in the battles of Freschwilier, Rezonville and Saint Privat.
The final meeting was held in Sedan (September 2, 1870), where the French troops were completely defeated, the Emperor Napoleon III himself being taken prisoner. Knowing that the Capitulation of Sedan had been signed, a revolution broke out in Paris that proclaimed the abolition of the Monarchy and the reestablishment of the Republic (III Republic), under the presidency of León Gambeta.
The new Provisional Government, which replaced the Monarchy, decided to continue the war; but the Prussian army in its sweeping advance occupied Paris. So France surrendered to Prussia. By the Treaty of Frankfort (May 1871). This treaty established that the French yielded Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia; They also promised to pay a very high war indemnity equivalent to five billion francs .
With the incorporation of Alsace and Lorraine, Prussia, hereinafter referred to as Germany, completed the task of Unification.