Italian and German Unification Crimean War PDF

Sept 16 2024 Chicago Style Assignment Due in 2 weeks September 16, 2024 11:31 AM Outline available on Brightspace Author-...

Sept 16 2024 Chicago Style Assignment Due in 2 weeks September 16, 2024 11:31 AM Outline available on Brightspace Author-date and notes bibliography styles Both for this assignment - use the footnote style in all other assignments When citing page numbers use the first relevant page Italian and German Unification Crimean War Causes of the Crimean War - Protracted collapse of the Ottoman Empire ○ Serbia, Greece, Russia, France, Egypt - Russian autocracy/culture salvation of Europe ○ Maintain Russian stability ○ They avoided the revolutions seen elsewhere ○ The post-Napoleonic power balance ○ Expansionism ○ Conflicts with Britain over such expansionism  Britain believed that tsar Nicholas was reasonable - Perceived threat to Slavic Orthodox Christians in Danube provinces ○ Orthodox vs Roman Catholic disputes - Sultan Abdulmejid I (Ottoman), Queen Victoria, Napolean III notice that Tsar Nicholas wants the land around Jerusalem due to the Orthodox Christian population - Napolean III declares authority over Palestine Christians ○ They don't like this ○ Napolean III and Tsar Nicholas both see themselves as protectors of Palestinian Christians but for different sects ○ Russia sends in forces (to Romania) (another part of the Ottoman empire) to "protect the Christians" in the Ottoman empire and so the Ottomans declare war on Russia - Britain/France fears Russian expansion in the east and also sends forces - They demand Russia withdraw from modern day Romania - Russia does withdraw, but expansionist proclivities are not held off - In removing the troops, Russia thought they removed the impedance for war but European powers wanted more ○ Europeans wanted the Danube river opened for trade ○ Russia gives up its principality claims ○ Renegotiate the straits convention of 1840 ○ Russia gives up its capability to interfere on the behalf of Orthodox Christians - Russia didn't think there was any reason to go to war (they withdrew their troops), and thus does not cooperate with the demands and so Great Britain/France get angry ○ They invade the Crimean Peninsula ○ To combat "Russian aggression" ○ Britain and France are 2 major powers at this time, especially with a Navy, which was essential to the invasion of the Crimean peninsula The Siege (Defense) of Sevastopol - The most important and decisive battle of the Crimean war - Oct 1854-Sept 1855 ○ Lasts for the better part of the war ○ Allies (Great Britian and France) hope for quick victory ○ Knocks out Crimean capital and black sea fleet - By April 2 1855 the Grand Crimean Central Railway is transporting people weapons and food from the front lines courtesy of the British ○ This railroad is arguably what one the battle: Russian rail technology is just not as good ○ William Russel starts reporting on this ○ Construction started on February 1855 ○ Britain and France have technological superiority over Russia - By 24 May 1855, Western powers cut off Russia from Kerch - Aug 24-26 - sixth bombardment of the city in 11 months New Section 1 Page 1  - Aug 24-26 - sixth bombardment of the city in 11 months ○ Russia abandons the city the next day ○ Abandoning the city leads to the Russian defeat Outcomes - Russia is forced to surrender - Treaty of Paris March 30 1856 ○ Secures British domination in Europe ○ Great Britain is the most powerful nation in Europe - Romania is sovereign within the Ottoman Empire - Russia is weakened ○ Tsar Alexander II takes this as a sine to modernize everything - infrastructure, technology, social structure etc. ○ He thinks that the Serfs and Russian serfdoms were the problem  Because they had no real reason to fight in the war - maybe that’s why they lost - maybe they need to be liberated because they would have greater incentive to fight for Russia  Liberation/emancipation of Serfs does not go well because Alexander II did not want to upset the landlords  Serfs ended up having to pay back the value of the land to landlords (this could take 40 years) and a passport system prevents peasant immigration to the cities - European status quo shaken for the first time since the Napoleonic wars ○ Austria's perceived betrayal of Russia is felt deeply in Russia (Austria did not participate in the war or aid Russia) Unifications in Europe - Up until now Germany and Italy haven't been involved in much of anything - Once they unify as nations their presence shifts the balance of power on the continent - Germany becomes a dominant nation within Europe ○ Industrial and economic powerhouse - Austria is weakened ○ Non-Germans in Austria are inspired by German Nationalism ○ Nationalistic feelings from Hungarian and Slovak and Czech nationalism ○ Italy claims from Austria Lombardy and Venicia in its unification Italian Unification - Seemed unlikely after 1848 uprisings ○ Attempts were defeated multiple times - Led by 3 people ○ Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882)  Popular among average Italians  Republican and socialist  Was distrusted by de Cavour because he feared Garibaldi would turn Italy into a republic (Elected government:( !!! )  Very loyal to the monarchy  May 1860 he heads out towards Naples  His charisma draws followers behind the idea of a united Italian state - this intimidates de Cavour who fears that he will seize Rome from the Pope and anger France ○ Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Piedmont-Sardinia (1820-1878)  Involved in annexation of papal states ○ Count Camillo di Cavour (1810-1861)  He was a man of the people  Cultivated British and French support of an Italian state  Got involved with Britain and France in the Crimean war  This got him a seat at the Paris Peace Conference  Paid France to leave him alone by giving them Nice - Realpolitik ○ The politics of realism - 1859 war between France and Austria ft. de Cavour on the side of France ○ France pulls out because of de Cavour ○ De Cavour was double dealing - also looking to annex the papal states from Prussia ○ France doesn't like this due to their dedication to Roman Catholics everywhere De Cavour leaves Piedmont because of land disputes New Section 1 Page 2  ○ De Cavour leaves Piedmont because of land disputes - 1860: Plebiscite held and Sicily, Rome, etc. vote to unify - March 1861 - Kingdom of Italy established ○ Under the leadership of Vittorio Emanuele II ○ The pope doesn't like it because it is a Piedmont Sardinia state mainly because the only united Italy he wants is one where he's in control - he ends up taking a sulk for 50 years and then they get a new pope ○ Rome is (for now) protected by French garrison Meanwhile in Prussia - Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) ○ Brilliant at military strategy and deception but really mean and evil ○ Dominated Prussian/German politics 1862-1890 ○ In the pursuit of realpolitik he would pursue contradictory policies until the last second. ○ Very loyal to the Prussian monarchy - in his mind everything he did was for the benefit of Prussia ○ The father of German unification but he could not have achieved this without the German people giving him their support - 1850s: returning Germany to the status quo, establishing conservative borders - They don't want democracy - Most German states use combination of 'carrot' (economic development and industrialization - the seeds of a welfare system) and 'stick'(political repression) - 1851 reconstitution of German Confederation ○ Limit parliament and voting, police surveillance, enhance noble privilege ○ Many German states withdraw their constitutions drafted around the time of the 1840 liberal uprisings ○ See the birth of police surveillance and in Prussia the expansion of this secret police - Bureaucracy is growing to match expanding infrastructure - social and physical - Police chief in Berlin creates a spy system, identity checks, seizure of press materials, deportations etc. to stifle political unrest - But also firefighters, tree planting, water supply improvements - Governments hoped to use the pleasant policies to convert the liberals to their side - Bismarck was the Prussian ambassador to the German confederation - This gave him larger ambitions for the German kingdom - He thought that Prussia needed to take the lead in an effort for a unified German state ○ The middle class would play a key role - more energetic, educated, industrious than the elites - He did everything he could to thwart Austrian goals - He did not want a Germany led by Austria - Responsible for Prussian neutrality in the Crimean war - 1861 - Wilhelm I ascends the throne of Prussia and insists they create a professional army ○ Parliament is opposed to this, creating the Military Budget Crisis ○ Bismarck becomes the minister of foreign affairs and finds a loophole - he can directly tax the people to fund the creation of the Prussian Army but this will still eventually require the approval of the (liberal) Parliament ○ They dissolve the parliament and hold new elections ○ New parliament is also uncooperative ○ So on and so forth until they agree to the army (for 4 years)(1862-1866) ○ Bismarck also works to oppress oppositional newspapers ○ He's eventually able to fund the army - Bismakrk is also planning to win over Prussian public sentiment by establishing a good relationship with Russia - In 1863 Poland wants liberation from the Russian empire and they saw the Policy of Tsar Alexander II as a display of weakness - There is an uprising in these Polish territories - Alexander offers social and land reforms - Bismarck offers Russia an agreement: Prussia closes its Polish borders, and Russian police can pursue Polish rebels into Prussia - This alliance lasts 27 years but it ends cooperation between Prussia and France, something that serves the Russians who dislike the Austrians ○ It gives Bismarck a counterweight relationship to that between France and Austria (they are friends) Denmark and Austria New Section 1 Page 3 Denmark and Austria - The king of Denmark dies in 1863 and creates controversy over the control of Schleswig-Holstein - Bismarck seizes the opportunity to undermine Austrian leadership in a war against Denmark from Feb-Oct 1864 - This is the 1st test of the Prussian army and they do extremely well, easing any doubts that remained in parliament - After the defeat of Denmark, the 2 countries spend years arguing over Schleswig-Holstein and by 1865 war seems inevitable ○ Austria is saddened ○ Prussia has been preparing the whole time - Bismarck proposed reforms to the constitution of Germen Confederation ○ Full male suffrage ○ Its proposed knowing that Austria will dislike it ○ In order to impress the liberals within the Frankfurt diet which Bismarck wants to change - Schleswig-Holstein - half under Prussia half under Austria ○ Austria brings this into debate to the Diet and Bismarck suggests that Austria should not bring it up to the confederation - the matter is between only the states ○ This is basically a declaration of war in Bismarck's perspective ○ He brings troops to Holstein but not Schleswig, in an effort to provoke Austria into the 1st move and it works - The resulting war is referred to as the Austria-Prussian war or German civil war ○ Many smaller German states side with Austria ○ Austria has to divide their attention because they also share a border with Italy ○ Italy is defeated quickly ○ Prussia is able to make the best use of its railway and superior development of telegraph and armaments  Quickly overruns the northern German states and Bohemia  Enter the Frankfurt Diet  Austria is for all intents and purposes done  They want to keep going and take Vienna  Bismarck does not think there's any reason to humiliate the Austrians and so they leave Vienna alone ○ This is settled in the Peace of Prague in Aug 1866  Austria is expelled from the German Confederation  Venetia ceded to Italy  Many small states annexed  Prussia becomes the dominant power withing the German Confederation - The Frankfurt Diet decides and male suffrage is passed and the German Confederation is reformed as the North German Confederation (1867) with the King of Prussia basically in charge and they have power over lots of this as they have their own votes plus the votes of all annexed states so they are very powerful withing the Diet - Some states do not submit to Prussia - Because of the Austrian military loss, it isn't looking to engage militarily and this results in other independent German states avoiding them Franco-Prussian war - Mid 1860s - Napolean III tries to buy Luxembourg from the King of Holland as payment for assisting in Austria/Prussia peace - Bismarck tries to frustrate the purchase - Napolean tries to form alliances to balance Prussian expansionism but options are few - Russia is allied with Prussia, England is too English (too isolated), Austria doesn't want to come into conflict with Prussia, Italy is disagreeable due to the Rome question - Before the Prussian/Austria war, Prussian ambassadors insisted that Napolean put their territorial claims in writing - Bismarck used this as proof of French aggression and secured relations with German state that were unaligned previously - He made France aware of Prussian plans to put Prince Leopold Hohenzollern Sigmaringen on the Spanish throne - Napolean hates this and demands that Wilhelm withdraws Leopold from candidacy to the throne (he agrees) - Napolean wants Wilhelm to promise that no Prussian prince will ever sit on the Spanish throne (he very much does not agree) - This letter of demands makes it way to Bismarck, who edits and publishes it in the press but without the nice bits and insults the ambassador and insinuates that the mean letter has the backing of the French military - July 18 1870 - Napolean declares war on Prussia ○ France is isolated ○ Bismarck's defensive alliances with the Southern German states kick in ○ Prussia already has a head start, they have a large army ○ France is overconfident and slow to mobilize In 6 weeks they reach France and defeat armies, capturing Napolean III as prisoner (Sept 3) New Section 1 Page 4  ○ In 6 weeks they reach France and defeat armies, capturing Napolean III as prisoner (Sept 3)  The French gov. collapses  Napolean is exiled and dies in 1873 ○ The war continues for another month, at Metz an army surrenders ○ The French people nearly starve and Paris Surrenders in Jan 1871 ○ Also in Jan 1871, Wilhelm is crowned the German Emperor at Versailles ○ The south German states formalize their unification with the North - March 1871 treaty of Frankfurt - France pays massively and cedes certain territory Prussia - This creates animosity between France and Germany Italy - Rome is declared the Italian capital 27 March 1861 - France is busy at war with Prussia - July: during the Franco-Prussian war Napolean must recall the garrison in Rome to avoid further war - The Prussians aren't about to help Italy due to Napolean and the tentative situation with the southern states - The capture of Napolean changes things - he won't help - Italian troops march on Rome and Rome falls 21 Sept 1870 - The pope hides in the Vatican and will not recognise Italy until the 1920s - Naples and Sicily harbour resentment between the northern regions - free trade is hurting the southern economies - Those responsible for the unification do not understand the entire country or the need to bring the majority of Italian people into a civic life - The unified Italian government has questionable legitimacy and undermines the stability of the political system Austria - The Prussian war upsets the dynamic - The loss of Venicia, expelled form Germany, nationalism etc. upsets everything - Compromise of 1867 - the creation of the dual monarchy - Austrian empire becomes the Austro-Hungarian empire ○ United under the emperor ○ Conditions favoured Hungarians ○ Every 10 years things could be renegotiated and they kept getting more - Hungary gained near-sovereignty and now every other nationality within the empire wanted it also - 1867 Constitution: This provided that all nationalities were equal (on paper) but in practice non Germans or Hungarians were discriminated against and the smaller groups began advocating for their own independence - this provided some of the drive towards ww1 New Section 1 Page 5