...D. Analysis Reda Belmaachi Question: To what extent was economic development from 1815 – 1871 the most influential in causing the unification of Germany in January 1871? D. Analysis The German economy of 1815 was a disaster, lacking industry and urban areas. Throughout this time the states in Germany started industrializing. The state that played a great role in industrialization of German states was Prussia, its economic policy facilitated trade and economic expansion in Germany. Prussia was also in the main control of the Zollverin, who controlled most of German states. The zollverein was a custom union that involved all the Germans state economic involvement. This also caused a growth of German national consciousness, meaning German states could compare their status in the policy compared to other states, and reflect whether they would be stronger economically stronger or alone. Through the era of the 19Th century, German states developed communication and shipping, largely grew in capital and machine industry, and developed industrially. By the end of 1871 all the German states and especially Prussia, would make the greatest industrial nation of Europe if they combined, and all this economic increase also made nationalism increase. Throughout the summary of evidence, we learn that the economy and especially the industry were rapidly increasing from 1815 to 1871. This expansion formed a sort of bond with all the German states. The states knew if they could combine...
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...| Unification of Germany | | | | HISTORY | | | Unification of Germany Introduction Economic success, political failure, and diplomatic tension marked the idea of a unified Germany in the period after the Napoleonic Wars. It was not clear around which power, Austria or Prussia, Germany could achieve national unification (Merriman 2010). Prussian merchants, with the support of the Prussian crown, established the customs and trade union known as the Zollverein in 1834 (AP Central - German Unification 2013). The Zollverein freed trade between most of the German states, with the exception of Austria. The upper class were wary of any change that might threaten the status quo and feared the strong nationalist feeling unleashed by the revolution, the expansion of which might lead to, they reasoned, the proclamation of the equality of all citizens (Merriman 2010). Industrialists and merchants thus brought liberal politics into German nationalism. During the Revolution of 1848, liberals met in the Frankfurt Assembly and drafted a constitution modeled on the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789 (AP Central - German Unification 2013). The assembly offered to share power under a constitutional monarchy and offered the crown of a unified Germany to Frederick William IV of Prussia. The Revolution of 1848 brought some liberal reforms to Prussia, such as the ability of the parliament to obstruct certain forms of taxation. However, the Prussian leadership, which...
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...How far does the role of individuals explain the outbreak of the German Wars of Unification? The German Wars of Unification can be blamed on a myriad of reasons however the pragmatism of Otto Von Bismarck often allowed him to take advantage and shape the course of German history. Conversely it would be remiss to state that Bismarck was solely responsible for the German Wars of Unification, nationalist elements as well as growing calls for liberalism all spurred the way for the beginning of a German state. Compounding this was the economic prosperity of Prussia, as Prussia grew economically stronger it diminished Austria’s sphere of influence in the region. This would also spur calls for greater German unity whilst isolating Austria. Prussian ambition can be first seen to rival Austria with the creation of the Zollverein. Prussia in 1818 created a law to integrate Prussian customs systems onto neighbouring small states, over the next fifteen years through a complex mixture of threats and concessions the Prussians managed to create a concrete policy that would lay the foundations for the Zollverein. In 1833 the Zollverein was created and most importantly Austria was firmly excluded. The importance of this is summed up in Metternich’s quote “a smaller rival confederation..which all too quickly will become accustomed to following its own objectives with its own means”. Metternich’s fears would eventually become a reality, this is reiterated by the historian Treitschke...
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...constitution, agreed that Prussia and other German states should merge into a single nation-state in 1848. In 1849, he opposed the unification of Germany, arguing that Prussia would lose its independence in the process. He grew up representing the land-owning nobility. His mother also had close connections to the Prussian court. He opposed his mother’s beliefs and ambitions. 2) Where/when is your leader from? What major historical events connect with his/her life? (Think in terms of national, international, and global context). -Bismarck was born in Saxony, Germany in 1815). He spent his childhood and college years studying in Germany as well. The Crimean War of the mid-1850s shocked Bismarck. The Eastern Crisis of the 1870s, put fear in Bismarck and pushed him to signing the Dual-Alliance with Austria-Hungary in 1879. He launched his political career during the revolutions of 1848. 3) In concrete terms, what was your leader’s “vision”? (Political goals, life mission, etc.) How does that vision connect to nationalism? -Otto Von Bismarck’s “vision” was to preserve German hegemony in a Europe and to secure Prussia's position in Germany and Europe. As for dealing with the bankruptcy crisis, his stance was to refuse to compromise with the legislature and collect the taxes anyway. His visions connected to nationalism because he wanted to join together with Germany and Europe. He also claimed that the...
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...In the years preluding World War II, the German government had gone under drastic changes under the new chancellor, Adolf Hitler. Hitler despised the Treaty of Versailles, and sought to build a greater Germany in defiance of the Treaty. Hitler began to rebuild the military in secret, and soon, rearmed the Rhineland area bordering France, in clear violation of the Treaty. After this action passed with no action taken by Great Britain or France, Hitler became more aggressive, and set his sights on Austria. Austria’s population was almost entirely Germanic, and almost everyone spoke German. Hitler’s idea of a greater Germany included the unification of all Germanic peoples into one German Reich. So, Hitler’s troops soon marched into Austria...
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...Was Germany any closer to being unified by 1849? The period from 1815-1849 is often described as “time period where nothing happened” in terms of unification, this can be seen with Germany remaining divided by 1849. However, throughout this period there was significant steps that both enhanced, and hindered how close Germany was to being unified, these include economic changes with the Prussian customs union, political changes within the congress of Vienna and social changes through the 1848-49 revolutions. There were significant economic changes throughout the period from 1815-1849, most importantly the creation of the Prussian customs union in 1818 that then went on to become the Zollverein in 1834. This was done after the Napoleonic war and the following peace brought fierce competition from British goods and the poor harvest of 186-17, it was intended to develop trade in the post war slump with neighbouring states by linking the German key rivers with the Rhine, Main and Danube. The states were also linked with the building off 2,800km of new road. “Prussia’s policy was deliberately aggressive and designed to enrich itself” this led to a trade war which Prussia soon won, and by 1834 rival trade zones joined with the customs union to create the single Zollverein. It can be argued that this brought Germany close to unification as it gave Prussia, the only nation capable of overcoming Austria’s opposition to unification economic power. The Zollverein also brought Germany...
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...politicians causing political transformation in Europe. German and Italian unification was the product of the nationalism in 19th century. The unification movement that took place in Germany and Italy has similar aspects of each other. Italy’s unification involved as much drama as Napoleon III’s reign had provided France. The Italian unification was achieved by nationalist who were very different from Bismarck. Bismarck was the...
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...of a horrific genocide. Today, Germany dominates Europe on many levels. Participating in two world wars caused havoc on Germany’s economy and for many years, their future seemed bleak. They rebuilt their economy with great success. While most of Europe entered recession in late 2008, Germany was going from strength to strength economically. These topics are very relevant to our personal lives, not a day goes by without the economic state or fiscal crises being mentioned in the various forms of media. These issues affect us directly. Germany as a whole has developed greatly in recent years, in it’s society, it’s economy and other important areas. In my speech I will address many points that discuss Germany’s evolvement into a European economic superpower. I will discuss most importantly the history of Germany in the European Union and how it’s connected to the role of the economy in German history, exploring how Germany has developed in areas such as foreign policy, Gross Domestic Product and Inflation figures, the great divide between East Germany and West Germany after World War II and then Reunification. I will explore and refer to journals, books and popular press sources in Germany throughout my speech. After the First World War, Germany was left in a vulnerable state. Germany was economically devastated after a gruesome defeat in World War I. The economy was completely ruined. The Versailles Treaty didn’t help matters and forced Germany to give up 13% of its land, a...
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...Period Before 1848 as: ‘The Time when Nothing Happened’? Bismarck described the era before 1848 as ‘the time when nothing happened’ and to a certain degree it is true, however, a number of key events did occur that had long lasting effects on Germany that would come to hinder, advance and affect the pace and direction of unification. Friedrich I established Prussia as a kingdom, independent of its previous association as a Polish fief, Prussia expanded its borders massively into neighbouring states. Under Friedrich I Prussia emerged as one of the strongest military and economic powers in Europe proper. The strong economy and growing military reputation lay foundations for a strong, proud and militaristic culture. As a relatively new state it could learn from the mistakes of others and as a large state it could bully and manipulate its neighbours, but it was still a subordinate of Austria in the Holy Roman Empire and nowhere near powerful enough to contend Austria’s seat of dominance. The influence that Prussia gained allowed for a stronger Prussia later, the knowledge that Prussia was vastly superior to its neighbours aided in giving Prussians a sense of self-confidence that allowed them to make the exertive steps towards unifying Germany after 1815. From the 9th century until 1806, the Holy Roman Empire dominated the German states, a common language and a notably similar culture had developed and bound the member states together as the ‘Germanic states’ of central Europe. Prior...
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...interest and expectation of unification has been growing after the reunification of Germany. As the expectation was growing, the problems that can be raised from the United Korea have been discussed (Cumings, 2010). Different political view, national economic status, and cultures between North and South Korea can cause serious problems, and it can possibly leads the United Korea to be undeveloped country. North Korea have been living in the communist political system. In North Korea, people are brainwashed in communism and restricted the basic human rights under severe monitoring system of government. Unlike North Korea, South Korea emphasizes the implementation of human dignity and support the freedom and equality by supporting the liberal democracy (Shuja, 2003). The extreme polarization of political view can cause staging a coup and even cause assimilating one to the other. The unification of Germany shows how the national unification cause a severe economic depression. The united Germany ended up mass unemployment, and the unemployment cause increasing in suicide rate (Kaiser). The critical different economic status and the cost of unification can result in economic aggravation. According to Woolf, "In then-current dollars, the estimates cover an enormous range between $400 billion and $3.6 trillion" (2006). Since North Korea is an economically depressed country, South Korea may have to cover enormous cost of unification which is not affordable. Unification of Korea can cause severe...
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...Germany the Good and Evil: Bismarck and Hitler Joel Wingrove Seminar leader: Anna Student id: 5030069 Friday February 17, 2012 Hist 1F91 Seminar Wednesday February 15 11:00 am 1880 was a time in which there was a busy time in eastern Europe industrialization was quite new and things started moving more quickly technologically. That wasn’t the only thing to be on the rise new soci-economical factors were starting to pop up around Europe at the time to replace old monarchies and hereditary kingship. Things were no different in 19th century Eastern Europe. Germany a new contender on the world stage was making her first appearance. Skip forth fifty years into Nazi Germany and there a whole different picture defines the people of Germany. This essay looks to determine the differences between imperial Germany against that of Nazi Germany. First looking upon how the government was lead differently. Then how the expansion/unification was conducted. Finally looking into how they dealt with people under their authority. The systems of government at the different times in German history were quite estranged from each other. The government of the two times held very polarized views when it came to socialism. On one had at the time of Otto van Bismarck was against fascism as explained by this quote “the anti socialist law that Bismarck passed…banned socialist meetings and publications” on the other hand Nazi Germany had the socialist democratic party as their main party during...
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...The statement that German was united by “iron and blood” refers to the speech given by Prussian statesman Otto Von Bismarck, referring to the ‘Bismarck wars’; the battles heavily acclaimed to be the binding force behind German unification into one, powerful state. However, it is also possible to agree with Kenyes , who challenged Bismarck’s speech and opinions on unification by believing in an economically led charge towards unification; hence the use of the term “iron and steel” To agree on Bismarck’s “blood and iron” beliefs, You have to start with the ‘Bismarck wars’, wars created to help unite Germany against common enemies. The Danish War of 1864, which was fought over the two duchies ‘Schleswig’ and ‘Holstein’. Denmark, who occupied the Duchess at the time, had taken the land from the Prussians in the 1400s (Bismarck was of course Prussian by nature). Denmark was also the main threat from the North of Germany, consequently explaining why the Duchies were such crucial regions for Germany to control/have influence over. Two years later, in 1866 there was the Austro-Prussian war. Austria had always been a strong, united and independent nation; which situated geographically right next to the German states would clearly be enviable of pro-unification German ministers. Bismarck wanted the Austro-Prussian war to show that his Prussia was the more dominant and significant state than Franz Joseph’s Austria. Previously too Bismarck had met with Napoleon III In Biarritz to discuss...
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...The Unification of Italy and Germany During the nineteenth century, two nations disrupted the balance of power in Europe (Spielvogel 663). The unification of Italy and the unification of Germany were the new nation that disrupted the balance of power (Spielvogel 663). Count Camillo di Cavour, Italy, and Count Otto von Bismarck, Germany, are the reason these nations are able to exist and become unified during this time period (Spielvogel 663-669). Both men shared beliefs; however, they had strategies that differed. Furthermore, without both of these men, present day Germany and Italy would not be possible (Spielvogel 663-669). Italy’s first push for revolution was during the years 1848-1849, where they were unsuccessful (Spielvogel 663)....
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...the French and the Germans, resulting in a comprehensive German victory. The primary cause of the war was Otto von Bismarck, Prussian Chancellor, and his desire to create a unified Germany. Unification of Germany - officially occurring on the 18th January 1871, this unification was a direct result of the Franco-Prussian War, although many believed this organisation of German-speaking populations into one nation was inevitable. Nevertheless, this rose tensions for political, religious and cultural reasons, meaning true unification wasn't complete for years. Austria-Hungary - in the Balkans, the growth of Slavic nationalist groups threatened the stability of the already-fragile Austro-Hungarian empire. These groups sought to gain independence from the political domination of this empire. Unification of Italy - this involved the consolidation of states of the Italian peninsula into one state, spanning a large proportion of the 19th century. Many see the completion of this process as 1871, when Rome was made the capital city of this unified state. This was due to a growing national identity and the sight of nearby countries also unifying. The Dual Alliance, 1879 - created on 7th October 1879 as part of Otto von Bismarck's plan to prevent or limit war. This alliance existed between Germany and Austria-Hungary, focusing on protecting one another in the event of Russian or French invasion. The Triple Alliance, 1882 - this was a military...
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...In the eighteenth century, Germany was fragmented into many different states that were grouped under the Holy Roman Empire. Before the revolutions of 1848, different groups of people expressed their concern about the political, economic, and social order in the German states. The liberal middle class wanted to unify Germany because of their nationalistic views; the aristocrats were mainly conservative who feared unification because it would bring disaster to them politically; the working class was oppressed economically and socially. The liberals wanted Germany to unify, so it could become politically and economically stronger. During Napoleon’s rule there became a movement of nationalism through the German state. Unification could not happen...
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