Uniting Divided Cultural Groups
The newly free nations of the Americas, such as Haiti, Colombia, and Ecuador, were not the only territories to see changes in their status in the 19th century. New nations came into being in Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries as well. The leaders demanding creation of a new nation were fuelled, in part, by a sense of cultural identity and by the wave of nationalism that spread during the
era.
The Unification of Germany
In the 18th century, the region known as Germany was a collection of over 300 independent states. By 1848, these states had consolidated into a confederation of 38 states ruled by princes or kings. Prussia was the largest and most powerful of the states, and many Prussians believed they should be the core of a newly united German nation. King Wilhelm I of Prussia shared this belief.
Blood and Iron To help Wilhelm I achieve his goal, he appointed Otto von Bismarck to be his chief minister in 1862. Bismarck believed in practical rather than idealistic policies to achieve his goals, a viewpoint known as realpolitik. The world, he said, could be changed only by "blood and iron." He intended to use the Prussian military to unify Germans under Prussian leadership.
France, Austria (the other large German state), and many smaller German states opposed creation of a powerful Prussia. To overcome this opposition. Bismarck use warfare. The 1866 Austro-Prussian War (also known as the Seven Weeks War) involved the two German powers' dispute over the administration of two small northern German states: Schleswig and Holstein. Bismarck persuaded France and Russia not to aid Austria in the war, and Prussia was quickly victorious. The easy defeat of Austria demonstrated Prussia's military strength. It also ended Austria's influence over the future of a German state.
North German Confederation To extend Prussia's political power, Bismarck organized the North German Confederation in 1867. It brought together many small northern German states under Prussia's leadership. However, four major states in southem Germany chose not to be part of the confederation. Mainly Roman Catholic, the south Germans feared domination by the Protestant north Germans. The south Germans also did not want to upset France by joining with Prussia.
Franco-Prussian War To encourage the southern states to join with the northern ones, Bismarck started another war-this time with France. He stirred up anti-French feeling in both northern and southern Germany. Emperor Napoleon III of France was also eager for a war. He wanted to stop Prussia from gaining more power. In addition, the emperor hoped that a military victory over Prussia would make him more popular in his own country.
To bring about the war, Bismarck stirred up hostile feelings between the French and the Prussians by playing on their national pride. Through the use of a misleading telegram, Bismarck made it seem as though the two countries had insulted each other. As a result, newspapers in France and Prussia demanded wa
France declared war in July 1870. The south German states blamed France f the situation and came to the aid of the North German Confederation. The Franco-Prussian War, therefore, was really a war between France and all of Germany. German armies invaded France. They defeated a large French army under the personal command of Napoleon III and took the emperor prisoner in September 1870. The Germans moved on to Paris, and in January 1871 the french capital surrended. The germans had achieved a quick and total victory
How did the franco-prussian war fit in with other major conflicts in Europe written like a 8th grader short