In this war Bismarck had gained his reputation, also power. In every situation he twisted the results to suit Prussia. Already he sees the duchies as a way to rid Prussia of Austria- to become closer to being independent. Even when control was decided for the duchies he has out smarted the Austrians and gained control of both duchies even though he officially he only controls Schleswig.
Once the crisis of the duchies passed Bismarck quickly set his sites on Austria. He had to make sure no other great power would intervene in the war, France and Prussia signed an agreement stating that if France stayed neutral the would receive any territory where French was spoken. An alliance was also signed with Italy resulting in Austria having to fight a war on two fronts. Prussia had a stunning success. Bismarck quickly started a peace treaty, only pushing Austria out of Germany, he knew since the treaty was not hard they could get Austria’s support in the future. The Austrians though defeated were not humiliated.
Again, we see more evidence of Bismarck's exploitation of situations and thorough planning. He now seems to be more powerful than the king making all the negotiations is and decisions. With the Austria-Prussian war we see him stepping closer to German unification by discarding Austria out of Germany. The more successful Bismarck gets the more power he achieves
The northern German confederation was established after the Astro- Prussian war. All the land annexed by Prussia and all the states north of the river Main were members. It had control of the armed services and foreign policy. The federation was dominated by Prussia and Bismarck. This political movement helped Germany unite and work as one strong unit.
France gained territory through the Austria-Prussian but they attempted to get more than they were originally promised, Prussia refused them any more land. This was appropriately leaked to the French press. After this event relations between France and Prussia deteriorated. Austria took the Prussians side, again they also had the Italians support. The French had no powerful allies. The final straw went when Bismarck nominated Leopold to take over the Spanish throne; he sent a £50,000 bribe to persuade them. As soon as the French heard about this they sent an ultimatum to the king, the king chose to withdraw Leopold. Later the king was asked to never renew this proposal, he refused and sent Bismarck a telegram informing him of the recent events. Bismarck saw this as an opportunity to begin the war; he shrewdly edited the telegram and leaked it to the press. France declared war on 19 July.
The French were easily beaten, they withdrew to metz. They refused the peace treaty because it meant giving up alscace and Lorraine, they fought on. Later a peace treaty was signed at Frankfurt on 10 May. Alsace and Lorraine, £200,000,000 and fortresses were taken away. As well as a humiliating march led by the king through Prussia.
Again we see Bismarck playing a huge influence. Even though the king did not want war Bismarck went behind his back and provoked the French into war. He even sent £50,000 secretly to annoy the French by getting Leopold in power. His Austrian tactics paid off as there were no bad feelings between the two nations.
In all these wars we see Bismarck gaining power; his power makes him more confident. It even seems as if he controls the country more than the king. Although something’s don’t work out he can always twist events into something that would benefit him, for example the telegram. He is always one step ahead, what the consequences will be and how to use them. This lateral thinking is very successful and apparent in all his work. Bismarck had made Prussia a powerful nation giving the country patriotism which would soon unite them.
As soon as the Franco-Prussian war was declared it seemed as if Germany was about to be united. The final proclamation of the German Empire was announced on the 18 January 1871 in the hall of mirrors near Versailles. A common currency was introduced. King William was proclaimed the emperor of Germany.
However, it was not only Bismarck who united Germany. There were many factors contributing to the unification of Germany.
Germany had never existed as a nation in the centuries before 1815. There were more than three hundred independent states. The French revolutionary war had a devastating effect on Germany. The small, weak states were easy prey for napoleons armies. Even Austria and Prussia were at threat. Napoleon reorganised Germany into forty states.
This reorganisation in the long run benefited Germany profusely. Prussia enhanced in power and prestige while Austria slipped back. By large states being formed, Germany had started on the road to unification.
The zollverein was the economic unification of Germany. It was the greatest single economic factor in Germany. It was a voluntary customs union which avoided the restrictions on trade caused by the custom taxes imposed by each German State. Trade was made easier and there was no black market. The zollverein didn’t just unite Germany economically but encouraged romantic feelings for Germany. It helped Germany become proud of their independence and increasingly want independence
Romanticism became a leading cultural movement in Europe, particularly in Germany. Romanticism sought freedom of expression in arts, music, literature and support for national freedom. People began to want a nation to be proud of and support-a strong successful united one.
In 1948 revolutions broke out. The people wanted freedom of the press and an elected government. The people by petitions and riots achieved this but the revolution was not powerful. The king was still in control and the government had no power at all. Although the revolution failed Germany was becoming closer to becoming a united nation. The people were united because they all wanted one thing. They fought and received a parliament; this would make them believe they had power- give them a sense of nationalism although the parliament had failed in uniting Germany they had still taken a step forward. The parliament had assessed the situation, found the problem thought of a solution and followed it through. It was only that the king did not want Germany united that the event never took place. This was another link in the chain to unification of Germany.
In 1858 King Frederick William was declared insane. His brother was appointed king in 1861; he was King William I. William believed in unification of Germany and he believed Prussia should lead it. This was an essential step in the unification of Prussia.
In the process of unification, things were all in motion- changing, new movements happening frequently. This was the century of change in every way.
Bismarck was the most important factor contributing to the unification of Germany. He created opportunities and used every situation to its full potential. Without Bismarck the process would have taken a far longer time. However Bismarck was not the only factor the were political and economic movements but Bismarck outweighed these by his lateral think and use of his power.