German Unification: Timeline (1815–1871)

• Study Guide: German Unification Timeline (1815–1871)

Congress of Vienna (1815)

• The German Confederation consisting of 39 states was created under Austrian leadership after the Napoleonic Wars.
• Austria dominated German affairs while nationalism and liberalism were suppressed.

Creation of the Zollverein (Customs Union) (1834)

• Prussia led most German states in a free trade agreement.
• Austria excluded, building Prussian economic dominance.
• German economic unity was promoted and ties between north and south German states were strengthened.

Revolutions and the Frankfurt Parliament (1848-1849)

• Liberals and nationalists attempted to unify Germany under a constitutional monarchy.
• The Frankfurt Parliament offered the German crown to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.
• He rejected the crown.
• The revolution failed, showing the desire for unity along with its limits under liberal leadership.

Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795-1861)

• King of Prussia (1840–1861)
• The Frankfurt crown was refused, fearing liberalism and Austrian reaction.

Wilhelm I becomes King of Prussia (1861)

• A conservative monarch, he supported army reform.

Wilhelm I (1797-1888)

• King of Prussia (1861–1871) and Kaiser of Germany (1871–1888)
• Vital to legitimizing unification, despite reluctance about the Kaiser title.

Bismarck becomes Prime Minister of Prussia (1862)

• Appointed to solve the constitutional crisis over military reforms.

Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898)

• Prussian Junker, conservative and monarchist
• Believed in Realpolitik
• Prime Minister (1862–1871), later Chancellor of the German Empire
• Germany was united through war and diplomacy.

Danish War (1864)

• Conflict over Schleswig and Holstein
• Austria and Prussia allied against Denmark
• Victory led to joint administration with Prussia getting Schleswig, and Austria getting Holstein.

Helmuth von Moltke (1800-1891)

• Chief of the Prussian General Staff
• Mastermind of war strategy and troop movement using railways.

Austro-Prussian War (Seven Weeks' War) (1866)

• Bismarck provoked war with Austria over Holstein.
• Prussia defeated Austria at the Battle of Königgrätz (Sadowa).
• The Treaty of Prague resulted in Austria's exclusion from German affairs.
• Subsequently, Prussia annexed northern German states, and Italy gained Venetia.
• Formation of the North German Confederation occurred in 1867.

Albrecht von Roon (1803–1879)

• Minister of War
• Modernized the Prussian army
• Key ally of Bismarck

Creation of the North German Confederation (1867)

• 22 northern states were under Prussian control.
• Southern states remained independent but were tied to Prussia through military alliances.

Hohenzollern Candidacy & Franco-Prussian Tension (1868-1870)

• The Spanish throne was offered to Leopold of Hohenzollern, a relative of Wilhelm I.
• France opposed this candidacy.
• Bismarck edited the Ems Telegram to provoke France.

Napoleon III (1808–1873)

• Emperor of France
• Declared war on Prussia. (July 1870)

Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

• Southern German states joined Prussia against France.
• Major battles included Sedan where Napoleon III was captured, and the Siege of Paris.
• France was defeated, and Paris fell in January 1871.
• France was humiliated, sowing seeds of WWI.

Proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles (January 18, 1871)

• Wilhelm I was crowned German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors.
• Germany was united under Prussian dominance.
• Bismarck became the first Chancellor of the German Empire.

Extra Themes & Context

• Zollverein created a de facto economic union that prepared Germany for political unity.
• Exclusion of Austria helped shift the balance of power toward Prussia.
• Bismarck manipulated rivals diplomatically, isolating Austria and France.
• War was used as a tool for national unity, not ideology.
• Unification was not liberal or democratic
• Prussia co-opted nationalism to strengthen the monarchy and the military state.
• Versailles was chosen deliberately to humiliate France, setting the stage for future Franco-German hostility.
• Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803) contributed as a German philosopher of nationalism, emphasizing shared language/culture.
• The Frankfurt Parliament (1848) attempted liberal unity but failed, influencing later efforts.
• Unified Germany became the dominant European power.
• France was weakened and bitter.
• Austria refocused on the eastern empire, Austria-Hungary.
• Germany was unified through war and monarchy, not liberalism.
• Bismarck created a federal but autocratic empire with a strong state but weak democracy.