UNIFICATION OF GERMANY

(unification through diplomacy)

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Do you ever feel the need of being diplomatic or is straightforwardness your only guide in life? Well, a peek at the events of Germany’s unification might enlighten your thoughts.

 INTRODUCTION

It all started in the early 19^th century with Napoleon Bonaparte, the fearless ruthless French emperor who took half of the Europe in a sweep. Germany was divided into 100 independent states. After the conquer Napoleon congregated them into 39 larger states. He also established the Confederation of the Rhine, a league of 16 German states. This brought further unification to Germany. Bonaparte was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Waterloo (1815). The defeat however arose in the Germans the collective feeling of Nationalism. They understood the concept of UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL. This created German Federation in 1815, containing all territories of the former Empire with majority German speakers. Prussia and Austria became the main powers.

Initial efforts at unification were not political but economic. Zollverin was a trade agreement in which the tariff barriers were removed, taxes decreased. Then came the Romantic movement. “The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”, a painting by German romanticist Caspar David Friedrich dwelled upon the unknown future.

Congress of Vienna created in 1814–1815 after fall of Bonaparte was an international diplomatic conference. It aimed to restore the European political order after French and Napoleonic Wars. The conference however faced backlash due to its ignorance towards national and liberal impulses. The reaction against Congress of Vienna were the Revolutions of 1848 (which had spread across Europe). These revolutions did stir feelings of nationalism in public. However The Revolution of 1848 failed in its attempt to unify the German-speaking states because the Frankfurt Assembly reflected the many different interests of the German ruling classes.

ENTRY OF OTTO VON BISMARCK

King William I appointed Otto von Bismarck as the new Minister President of Prussia in 1862. After less than a decade, he served the public with a unified Germany! For this he chose the path of diplomacy.

Otto von Bismarck (1818- 1898) was a Conservative Statesman from Prussia. He believed in Mcachiavelli’s ideology of Real Politik i.e. policy to be applied rather than have a handbook. In his famous Blood Iron Speech he said:

“Germany does not look to Prussia’s liberalism

but to her power…not by speeches and

majorities will the Great Questions of the day

be decided- but by Iron & Blood.”

He was a master of complex politics. His diplomacy helped win support of Liberals and Socialists. For Liberals’ support-

• Diminished church rights
• The class struggle with Catholic churches was called Kulturkampbh
• Bismarck was already a supporter of Industrialisation, this benefited in gaining liberal support

For Socialists’ support-

• Socialist party was banned at first
• Social welfare programs were started instead: Health insurance, accident insurance and old age pensions

 

WAR STRATEGIES

The unification of Germany was done with three wars and several layers of diplomacy.

First war included Prussia and Austria against Denmark (1864). It was a diplomacy to gain Austria’s support. Denmark lost and the states of Schleswig and Holstien were taken by Prussia and Austria respectively.

The second war saw clash between Austria and Prussia in Austria-Prussian War (1866). Prussia obviously won and Austria’s territories were annexed. This made Prussia the leader of German unification. Prussia was backed by Italy here because of a treaty signed between the two nations against Austria.

The final war of Franco-Prussia (1871) was a mind game played by Bismarck. He wanted France to attack on Germany to arouse Nationalism. For this first he declared that Spain would be ruled by German. Next, he modified the news that Kin William I insulted French ambassador Count Benedetti. This enraged France and accordingly it waged war.

CONCLUSION

With all the diplomacies, he provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in its defeat of France. Therefore whenever it is said that Bismarck is the architecture of Unified Germany, it must be mentioned that Diplomacy was his tool.