German Confederation

all of the German states were completely separate. They had nothing tying them together until 1815. This is when the Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation, a group of 39 loosely joined German states. The Confederation still had no central government, but delegates would meet once a month to discuss things like mutual laws and policies. The Confederation was mainly a loose political organization who had common allies and enemies (Britannica). The states in the Confederation were still

Prussia coalesced to form its industry of war. Prussia’s newfound industrial domination attached itself to its patriotic and driven population, forming a sense of industrial nationalism unrivalled throughout the continent. Using industry to empower Germans, Bismarck and Moltke would alter the landscape of

In the 1800’s there was a growing sense of nationalism as Europe was under the control of emperors and kings. Unity became a value countries across Europe sought to achieve. This included Germany and Italy. Both countries had many issues to resolve though before they could achieve any type of unification. Though very similar in overcoming them, Germany and Italy’s end result contrasted in many ways. Europe in the 1800’s was divided into several states and there was no balance of power among them

Germany B. Although it may have not been the intent of Prussia to unify Germany, it is certain that Prussia had the greatest amount of influence in German politics C. Austria was not in a political, economic, or social state to take on such significant role D. Prussia’s advantages: a. Almost exclusive German population b. Leadership more acceptable to German liberals c. Economic strength, including Zollverein d. Otto von Bismarck and diplomacy e. Military, as seen later E. Simply put, Prussia was

this caused a problem in Europe since they thought unified Germany would be too powerful. At the time there was one main leader for German unification, Otto von Bismarck. He followed a philosophy known as realpolitik, a system of politics principles based on practical rather than more moral or ideological considerations. Bismarck United the various kingdoms of German into one unified state. He started three wars to accomplish his goal but after unification he successfully maintained peace in europe

simultaneously as they arose, is what assisted him come into supremacy and ultimately unify the German states, excluding Austria. On the 18th of January, 1971, Bismarck proclaimed the German empire in the Hall of Mirrors in the Place of Versailles. The unification of all countries involved three wars, however, it was not by a desire for nationalism rather a struggle to establish the Prussian dominance within the German states. One of the key factors which led to the Union was nationalism. Nationalism is

source because Steinberg was a professor at Cambridge University for 33 years teaching, he now teaches at the University of Pennsylvania as professor of Modern European History. His teaching covers modern Europe since 1789, primarily focusing on the German, Austrian Empires, Nazi Germany, and Fascist Germany showing that he is very knowledgeable on this topic. The purpose in writing this book is to “illuminate the life of the statesman who unified Germany but who also embodied everything ruthless about

of the German nation that he helped to create. The German states were swelling with nationalism during the mid-nineteenth century, best exemplified by the Revolution of 1848. Perhaps the German states would have eventually unified on their own, but Otto von Bismarck certainly smoothed and hastened the process. His insightful unification tactics resulted in a desirable outcome: Kleindeutschland, or a German Empire that deliberately excluded Austria. Bismarck expedited the process of German Unification

Napoleon. On June 8, 1815, the German Confederation was created by the Congress of Vienna. This confederation consisted of a loose union of thirty-nine German states. Its purpose was to guarantee peace for all German states, replace the Holy Roman Empire, and to sustain the independence of the member

they refused to help them go against France and Britain in the Crimean War of 1854-6. Prussia, though, began to build successful economic alliances with other German states to make trade easier and more profitable. Bismarck began to view Austria as a rival to Prussia’s dominance over the German Confederation and an obstacle to overall German unification. Bismarck strengthened the foreign military alliances with Russia, France, and Italy by agreeing to assist those nations in their military affairs