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How Did Bismarck Contribute To The Unification Of Germany

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During the mid–1800s, the people of Germany began a nationalist movement. Beginning in 1815, Germany contained 39 states that formed a group known as the German confederation. However, the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I, wanted to unify all the German states in attempt for power and prosperity. At the time, Prussia enjoyed the advantages of having a mainly German population, and having the Prussian army act as one of the most powerful armies in central Europe. Wilhelm I went on to promote a conservative junker, Otto von Bismarck, as his prime minister as proceeded to group all states of Germany into one powerful empire. Although Germany had to face obstacles such as a lack in support from the liberal parliament and a shortage in money towards …show more content…

By winning continuous wars in Germany, Wilhelm and Bismarck were able to successfully unify Germany into one strong empire. Bismarck began his succession of wars in 1866, during the Seven Weeks’ War. This war began when Bismarck intentionally began border conflicts with Austria, which led Austria to have to declare a war due to these tensions. The Prussians were fortunate enough to have their superior training and equipment to help them be victorious. The Prussians easily defeated Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War, which allowed Prussian annexation and more German territory. This victory was so significant towards the unification of Germany because for the first time the eastern and western parts of Prussia were successfully joined. Prussia was able to take control of northern Germany, and completely dominated the confederation. This majorly affected the unification of Germany it ultimately allowed Prussia to conquer neighboring countries, which is extremely helpful and necessary when striving to build an empire. Secondly, The Franco-Prussian War came about shortly after the Seven Weeks’ War, in 1867. By this time, there were only a few states that remained independent of Prussian control. Many of the southern Germans were Catholics, who resisted from Prussian domination.

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(Document C). To expand on this notion, Germany concentrated their powers against their common foe since the 1870s. Document A may support the notion that Germany was still holding animosity from the Franco-Prussian war, or Franco-German war because this was created by Von Bismarck who took actions to diplomatically isolate France. This alliance was to connect them with Austria-Hungary and Italy as a defensive act against French attack. In extension, the German general named Friedrich von Bernhardi states that war is the most beneficial action they can take to expand their country.

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This conflict spread all across Germany as more countries began to take part with the Scandinavian kings to the north of Germany taking up the offensive against the Austrians in the south. These conflicts continued until peace was declared in 1635, however this did not last as France joined forces with Sweden which led to the final stage of the conflict. In 1640 peace negotiations began but the hostility between countries remained rife until 1648, which marked the end of the war. The impact of the war was felt immediately in the arts.

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Germany has been struggling a lot after WWI. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party started blaming and

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1) Militarism- Germany, Britain, and France all wanted to build the largest armies and their navies and the battle to use them on each other Alliances- Serbia had an alliance with Russia and Austria-Hungary had an alliance with Germany which lead to more countries getting involved. Imperialism- countries sought to increase their amount of land either for cultural or economic reasons Nationalism- people thought their country was better than the others which led to more people fighting for their country 2) the official policy that was used at the start of the war was to remain neutral. Wilson had ordered that the US would trade with nations on both sides war. In the start of the war, many Americans agreed with that policy saying

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The lack of support for Austria also led to German unification. Austria’s

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The Colonists at Roanoke The mystery of Roanoke Island has baffled historians for over 400 years. One hundred twenty English Colonists disappeared with only one clue as to where they went; a single word: “Croatoan” carved into a post where they had previously been settled. In Cat Allard’s analyzation of the Roanoke mystery, he goes over several different, yet similar, theories of what might’ve happened to the Colonists. Allard focuses on two main arguments: The Colonists were massacred by natives, or they relocated and assimilated with a different tribe.

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Germany has been a nation that had been divided for many centuries, the Germanic tribes had avoided being taken over by the Roman Empire, they had been the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, then after the Holy Roman Empire fall, it became a handful of individual kingdoms and states, with Persia and Austria being the biggest contenders to make a unified Germany. Germany in the early 1860’s was divided mostly because of failed politics and religious divides. One man was the most important driving force behind these Germanic kingdoms becoming the superpower that is Germany. Otto von Bismarck, the Minister President of Prussia and a friend to Persian king, Wilhelm I. Prussia had tried for years to unify the nations, but it wasn’t until Bismarck came along that this began to become a reality.

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World War One had a devastating impact on Germany. Throughout World War One, the people of Germany had been led to believe by their government that they were winning the war. Government propaganda had been used to great effect. Only the military leaders like Ludendorff and Hindenburg knew the true state of Germany’s military dilemma which had become even more apparent when America had joined in the war in 1917. Germany itself was being starved of food and all goods as a result of the British Navy’s blockade of the northern ports.

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He triggered three wars; with Denmark, Austria, and France; and attracted to German nationalism to create a strong new nation in the heart of Europe. These new nations transformed the stability of power in Europe, causing well-known nations like Britain and France worry that their own power was in danger. Even though this had the disadvantage of wars but it created a new nation. Nationalism, then, was urged on by a restoration of entrenched competition that European nations carried to the end. They competed with one another through trade, industrial invention, and colonization, setting up worldwide

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Otto von Bismarck Otto von Bismarck was the first chancellor of the German Empire. He was a master strategist who used realpolitik. As an aristocrat, he “adopted the liberal goal of national unity, giving the German Empire a broad political base” (Background essay). Otto von Bismarck could be considered Machiavelli's model of the ideal ruler in that, he was feared by his people and he used any ends to justify the tactics he used in bringing about the unification of the German states. Niccolò Machiavelli was a diplomat for many years in Italy’s Florentine Republic during the Medici family’s exile.

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Following the Franco-Prussian War, King Wilhelm I of Prussia proclaimed the German Empire, officially unifying the German states into one under Prussian political structure that also juxtaposed Conservative Nationalism and

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Seen most in Germany, the new country became extremely aggressive due to its late arrival in European powers. As Bernhard Von Bulow stated in Document D, “in the coming century, the German people will be a hammer or an anvil,” and they were going to be the hammer in Europe. Direct evidence of all European powers putting a higher emphasis on their armies is then shown in Document C. From the years 1890-1914, the European powers spent millions of pounds, with Germany spending nearly three times their budget in 1914 than in 1890. Germany, now the most powerful military in Europe and next to no competition, had the option to take on anyone. With all these countries beginning to build their armies, the increase in tension builds, and when combined with the fear caused by a looming German army, once the spark happens in Austria-Hungary, war breaks out.

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Starting in 1815, 39 German states shaped a free gathering called the German Confederation. The Austrian Empire overwhelmed the confederation. Prussia was prepared to unify all the German states. Prussia lead German Unification, Prussia appreciated a few favorable circumstances that would in the long run offer it some assistance with forging a solid German state. Accordingly, patriotism really bound together Prussia.

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The great Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, the man who takes credit for the unification of Germany in 1871, once said “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans.” It went as he predicted and how right he was. On August 1, 1914, four days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, two more great European powers—Russia and Germany—declare war on each other; the same day, France ordered a general mobilization. This event is widely acknowledged to have sparked the outbreak of World War I on July 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot to death with his wife by the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Following the assination,

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However, the peace did not last for long. Soon, World War II had begun. The Treaty of Versailles played a part in starting World War II. It was extremely harsh towards Germany, and made Germany assume all the war

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