The French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon caused the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, the “overarching constitutional structure,” in which Germany had existed for centuries. Napoleonic France fostered the divide between Prussia, Austria, and the “Third Germany” and both Prussia and the Third Germany states were subject to Napoleon’s reforms. These events also resulted in the emergence and growth of German nationalism with an anti-French focus among those who sought to resist French domination. This would eventually result in the unification of Germany in 1871 (Williamson, 14-15; 20).
2) What/where was the “Third Germany?” In contrast, which states were considered “first/second?”
The Third Germany was composed of medium-sized states, Mittelstaaten, like Bavaria, Hanover, and Saxony, and the many city-states and smaller territories within the Holy Roman Empire. In short, it consisted of the parts of the Holy Roman Empire that weren’t under Prussian or Austrian dominion, the states considered the first and second Germanys (8).
3) What was the Confederation of the Rhine? What was the German Confederation?
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These included key states such as the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. The German Confederation was based on the cooperation between Austria and Prussia and consisted of thirty-nine states that would defend themselves from any one conquering power, such as France or Russia (17-18;