German Unification of 1871
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Schönhausen is the name of the main individual associated with Germany in the year 1871. ... All three of them have to do with Germany in 1871, and they each play their own crucial aspect of the country’s history. These three terms are “Realpolitik”, “blood and iron”, and unification. ... The final term of unification is perhaps Bismarck’s greatest legacy as he plays one of, if not the most important, role in the unification of Germany in 1871. In order to achieve unification, Germany needed to be engaged in three wars so that nationalistic ideas could circulate through Germany and Bismarck would be able to erase outside struggles and set the country up economically. Two other outside sources assisted in the process of German unification, the French Revolution in July of 1830 and the Italian Unification in 1859-1860. ... Upon the completion of the French Revolution, the nationalistic views on democracy were so high that the German Confederation suppressed all political speeches, political associations, and political meetings in an effort to eliminate any democratic and nationalistic aspirations in the Metternich era. ... The German question is not a constitutional question but one of power; and the Prussian monarchy s now wholly German, while that of Austria can not be…Austria’s power meant a lack of power for us, whereas Prussia desired German unity in order to supply deficiencies of her own power. ... She will “merge” with Germany…” The Italian Revolution occurred in 1859-60 and added more feelings of nationalism to the German states. ... These two areas were largely German in population and since the Germans had made no move to claim these lands the Danes simply absorbed them. This is an instance where Bismarck’s idea of Realpolitik is used in German history. ... The results of the Danish war begin the goal of German unification in which the Danes were crushed and on October 30, King Christian VIII relinquished his rights to Schleswig and Holstein. ... Interestingly enough, several German states all sided with Austria and in order to pay for their siding Prussia declared war on them. These states consisted of Electoral Hesse, Hanover, Saxony, Frankfurt, and all of the south German states. ... The defeat at Königgrätz resulted in more than just the end of the war but it also ended the German Confederation, and the beginning of Prussia’s rule over the German nation. ... The fact that some of the German states sided with Austria benefited Prussia all that much more as Frankfurt, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, and Holstein were immediately annexed to Prussia. ... It was obvious to the Germany states that Prussia wanted to gain control of all of the German states in an effort to bring together a unified Germany. ... “The war of 1866 was entered on not because of the existence of Prussia was threatened, nor was it caused by public opinion and the voice of the people; it was a struggle, long foreseen and calmly prepared for, recognized as a necessity by the Cabinet, not for territorial aggrandizement, for an extension of our domain, or for material from Austria, but she had to renounce all part in the hegemony of Germany…Austria had exhausted her strength in conquests south of the Alps, and left the western German provinces unprotected, instead of following the road pointed out by the Danube. ... Prussia felt itself called upon and strong enough to assume leadership of the German races. ... Bismarck went into the war with one goal, simply to remove Austria from German political matters so that Prussia may have sole control over the German states.