The Unification of Germany

Unification

The Congress of Vienna - 1815

Following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, the major European powers of the day met in Vienna, Austria to establish a plan of peace and discuss the realignment of territorial borders. The European powers present at the Congress of Vienna included Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and England. Headed by Austria's Prince Metternich, the Congress of Vienna attempted to stem the tide of nationalism sweeping across Europe. Metternich believed nationalism created disorder because it fostered violent revolution. The Congress of Vienna sought to restore absolutist ruling families to the thrones of Europe and maintain a balance of power. A balance of power means that one nation should not be allowed to dominate and threaten other nations. The Congress of Vienna was successful in suppressing nationalistic movements from 1815 to 1848, a period also known as the Metternich Age, however, nationalism would eventually return to the Europe. Nationalistic movements in Italy and Germany would result in unified, sovereign nation-states.

The Unification of Germany

Germany, during the Metternich Age, was also fragmented. For many of the same reasons, there was a nationalistic movement calling for the unification of Germany. Many felt that to be considered a legitimate nation with political power on the international scene, Germany would have to have autonomous sovereignty. Of all the German states, Prussia was the most powerful, dominating the other, smaller states. Prussia was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm, however, the person with the most power was Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, shown here. It was Bismarck who strengthened German unity and power by calling on the nationalistic tendencies of the German people. Bismarck was able to unite Germany through his policy of Realpolitik, or realistic politics, which is a Machiavellian "end justifies the means" approach to strengthening and uniting Germany. Bismarck was a strong proponent of "Blood and Iron". Blood represented the sacrifices the German people would have to make in achieving the goal of unification. A culture of militarism, or the glorification of the military, was created by the crafty Bismarck. This played out in a series of wars against the Austrians and the French. Iron represented the need to industrialize. Bismarck saw that in order to be a world power, Germany would have to catch up with much of the rest of Europe in the areas of technology and factory production. In 1871, Bismarck succeeded in placing Wilhelm on the throne of a unified Germany. German power achieved through nationalism would foster a period of imperialization and would set the stage for the outbreak of World War I.