CLIL
HISTORY
LESSON
-
GERMAN
STATES
1815
---- THE
RISE
OF
A
NATIONAL
CONSCIOUSNESS
In
1815
Europe
had
just
defeated
Napoleon.
Germany,
as
we
know
it,
did
not
exist.
There
were
39
German
states,
each
ruled
by
its
own
prince.
They
joined
in
the
German
Confederation
(Bund)
with
a
parliament
or Diet but
it
was
powerless.
Throughout
the nineteenth century,
the populations of these separate states began to develop a sense
they were not just citizens of their own individual states but part
of a German volk (people). They realised they had much in common.
ECONOMIC
NATIONALISM
Industrialisation
was
gaining
pace
in
Germany.
Businessmen
wanted
to
increase
the
markets
available
for
their
goods
to
maximise
profits.
In
1834, with the support of the Prussian crown, was established the
customs and trade union known as the Zollverein
which
freed
trade between most of the German states.
POLITICAL
TURMOIL
IN
GERMANY
Throughout
the
1840s
many
German
states
were
under
pressure
from
nationalist
and
liberal
demonstrators
wanting
greater
political
representation
and
reform.
During
the
Revolution
of
1848,
liberals
met
in
the
Frankfurt
Assembly
to
discuss
reforms
and
attempt
to
draft
a
constitution
for
a
unified
Germany
and
the
Crown
was
offered
to
Prussia's
Frederick
William
IV,
but he
refused
to
accept
the
crown
because
it
had
not
been
offered
by
the
other
German
Princes.
After
the failure of the Frankfurt Parliament, Prussia put forward a plan
to unify the German states under Prussian control. The question was
whether a united Germany should contain Austria (Grossdeutschland) or
leave it out (Kleindeutschland).
The
Prussians,
as
rivals
of
Austria,
argued
for
Austria's
exclusion.
THE
MASTER
PLAN?
The
man
who
did
most
to
unite
the
German
states
was Otto
von
Bismarck.
He
was
the
Prussian
Chancellor
and
his
main
goal
was
to
strengthen
even
further
the
position
of
Prussia
in
Europe.
His
primary
aims
were
to:
unify
the
north
German
states
under
Prussian
control
weaken
Prussia's
main
rival,
Austria,
by
removing
it
from
the
Bund
make
Berlin
the
centre
of
German
affairs
-
not
Vienna
strengthen
the position of the King of Prussia, William I, to counter the
demands for reform from the Liberals in the Prussian parliament (the
Reichstag).
ARMY
REFORMS
Bismarck
wanted
to
build
up
Prussia's
army
in
case
his
unification
plans
led
to
war.
To
do
this
he
needed
money.
The
Prussian
parliament
refused
to
allow
money
to
be
raised
for
Bismarck's
military
reforms.
Bismarck
ignored the Reichstag and simply collected the money for army reforms
through general taxation. He never bothered to obtain permission from
the Reichstag.
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN
Two
small
German
states,
Schleswig
and
Holstein
were
under
the
control
of
Denmark
but
not
technically
a
part
of
it.
In
1863,
the
King
of
Denmark
declared
Schleswig
and
Holstein
to
be
a
part
of
Denmark;
Prussia
declared
war
on
Denmark
and
won
easily
ISOLATING
AUSTRIA
Austria
had
lost
key
allies
and
was
losing
influence
in
Europe.
Prussia
strengthened
and
had
become
the
most
industrialised
state
in
Germany.
She
was
now
a
force
to
be
reckoned
with
in
Europe.
Bismarck
knew
Austria
was
a
major
obstacle
to
unification.
To
succeed
in
his
aims
war
seemed
inevitable.
Before
he
fought
the
powerful
Austrian
empire,
however,
he
needed
to
weaken
its
position
in
Europe.
In
fact,
he
also
struck
a
deal
with
Italy.
Italy
promised
to
help
Prussia
in
any
war
against
Austria,
providing
Austria
were
the
aggressor
and
Italy
gained
Venezia
in
return.
In
1866,
the
Austrians
were
quickly
defeated
by
the
Prussian
army
in
the
battle
of
Sadowa.
There
was
the
help
of
Italy,
but
in
the
two
battles
of
Lissa
and
Custoza
the
Italian
army
was
defeated.
The
Treaty
of
Prague:
Bismarck's
plan
to
isolate
Austria
was
working
:
Prussia
kept
all
the
territories
it
had
captured.
A
North
German
Confederation
was
set
up
under
the
control
of
Prussia.
Austria
promised
to
stay
out
of
German
affairs.
ISOLATING
FRANCE
With
Austria
weakened,
Bismarck
now
turned
his
attention
to
France.
France
had
watched
Prussia's
growing
power
with
alarm.
Bismarck
tried
to
weaken
France
as
much
as
possible
before
war
started.
FRANCO
PRUSSIAN
WAR
1870
-
71
Bismarck
found
his
excuse
for
war
when
Spain
offered
its
vacant
crown
to
a
relative
of
the
Prussian
King,
William
I.
France
was
outraged
since
it
didn't
want
Prussia
to
become
more
powerful.
The
French
insisted
King
William
make
his
relative
refuse
the
crown.
King
William
refused
to
guarantee
this.
Bismarck
used
the
King's
refusal
as
a
way
to
provoke
the
French.
He
published
a
heavily
edited
and
provocative
telegram,
known
as The
Ems
Telegram,
of
the
King's
refusal,
making
it
seem
he
had
insulted
the
French
ambassador.
The
French
Emperor,
responding
to
fury
from
the
French
press
and
public,
declared
war
on
Prussia.
In
the
Franco-Prussian
war,
France
was
heavily
defeated
in
the
battle
of
Sedan(September
1870),
and
its
ruler,
Napoleon
III,
was
overthrown
by
a
French
rebellion
UNIFICATION
ACHIEVED
In
the
build
up
to
war,
the
southern
confederate
German
states
voluntarily
joined
the
Prussian-controlled
Northern
German
Confederation.
Germany
was
now
unified.
As
a
result
of
the
Franco-Prussian
war,
with
the
Treaty
of
Frankfurt
France
lost
the
territory
of
Alsace-Lorraine
on
its
border
with
Germany.
It
also
had
to
pay
Germany
five
billion
franc
in
compensation.
A
new
imperial
constitution
was
set
up
within
the
now
unified
German
states, with William I as Emperor (Kaiser) and Prussia firmly in
control.
