Unification of Germany and Otto von Bismarck
The Iron Chancellor Alters the European Balance of Power
The unification of Germany began with King William I of Prussia in 1861 and his elevation of Otto von Bismarck to the post of prime minister. The “Iron Chancellor” declared in 1862 that the great questions of time, in terms of Prussia and its relationship to the rest of Europe, would be decided by “blood and iron.” The conservative Bismarck followed the principles of Realpolitik, enabling him by 1871 to proclaim the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles outside of Paris following the successful Franco-Prussian War.
Prussian Expansion Up to the Franco-Prussian War
In 1864, Denmark attempted to incorporate the duchies of Holstein and Schleswig, sandwiched between the free city Hamburg and Denmark. Bismarck seized on the opportunity and in concert with Austria, declared war on Denmark. The brief war ended in Danish defeat and Bismarck divided control of the duchies with Austria administering Holstein.
By 1866, altercations between the Prussians and Austrians in the duchies resulted in the Seven Weeks' War between Prussia and Austria. Although several German states in the German Confederation assisted Austria, the decisive battle at Koniggratz in Bohemia resulted in Austrian defeat.
Bismarck imposed lenient terms on Austria but compelled the states in the German Confederation that had allied with Austria to become part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Significantly, the defeat also took Austria out of German affairs, no longer a dominant or influencing force over the areas that had comprised the Confederation. This action drove Austria to look at other areas to expand influence, notably the Balkans, putting Austria in competition with Russian goals.
Without Austrian influence, the southern German states looked to Prussia, but were not yet part of what would become the German Empire. By 1868 events in Spain gave Bismarck the opportunity to provoke a war with France, ultimately ending in the proclaiming of the German Empire in January 1871.
The Franco-Prussian War
Bismarck had successfully ensured the isolation of Napoleon III of France by concluding various alliances with Italy, Austria, and Russia. Additionally, he knew that Britain, which had remained aloof from the previous continental wars, would not intervene.
When a coup removed Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1868, the Spanish crown was offered to a cousin of William I of Prussia, Prince Leopold Hohenzollern. As Bismarck suspected, the prospect of a Prussian on the Spanish throne was met with resistance from Napoleon III. Although the candidacy of Leopold was withdrawn by his father, the French ambassador traveled to Bad Ems in Germany to meet with William I and obtain assurances that Leopold would not pursue the Spanish throne.
The king sent Bismarck a telegram of the proceedings. Sensing an opportunity, Bismarck edited the telegram so that it appeared that William had insulted the French ambassador. France declared war and the Franco-Prussian War began. All of the southern German states joined Prussia and by September 1870 the French were defeated at Sedan, Napoleon III captured and exiled to England.
Shortly after proclaiming the German Empire with William I as the Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at the palace of Versailles, Paris fell on January 28th, 1871 after a bitter siege in which the inhabitants were forced to eat rats to survive. France lost the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine and was forced to pay a stiff indemnity.
The Franco Prussian War resulted in a significant shift in the European balance of power. Within a few short years, Prussia had become the dominant military and economic force on the continent. At the same time, a humiliated France secretly plotted revenge, initiating an unprecedented arms race ending with the guns of August in 1914.
Sources:
Erich Eyck, Bismarck and the German Empire (W. W. Norton and Company, 1964).
Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy Simon and Schuster, 1994).
Otto Pfanze, Bismarck and the Development of Germany (Princeton University Press, 1971).
German Empire Proclaimed
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