Why did Prussia achieve so much power in Germany by 1871?

The eventual unification of Germany in 1871 under a dominant Prussia was the culmination of many inter-related factors. The complete dominance Prussia had obtained in this arena was no accident. By playing with German Nationalism, Prussian Economic Power, War, the international situation and the failures of the Austrian State Bismarck had managed to guide Germany into an overwhelming position of power.

Arguably, this state of complete political control originally stemmed from economic control. In the form of the Zollverein, Prussia had extended trading links with virtually all of Germany by 1834i. Thus, by increasing the economic ties of Germany with Prussia, Prussia had also increased the need for Prussian backing upon those states with whom they traded. "During the [first] eighteen years that the Zollverein [had] existed contacts in trade [had] become some many and the interests ... so interlocked... that the tearing apart of these countries would be accompanied by the most damaging effects upon industry and trade"ii. Also, because the states that traded within the Zollverein were used to the rule of Prussia economically, it also meant that they were also more prepared for Prussian rule politically. Thus, in 1867 the creation of the Zollparlament, which was to administer the closer cooperation between north and south Germany, was more widely accepted than in the Zollverein had not been in place.

The implications of Prussian economic power do not stop at the eventual increase in political power. Because the Zollverein was a free market, it favoured the strongest economy. In this case, the strongest and most efficient economy was that of Prussia. Thus Prussia's industrial strength rocketed through the huge market for its goods, thus allowing continual reinvestment in further development. This impacted the way in which Prussia fought wars. By having more railways, more efficient cannons and having the access to unrivalled resources in areas such as the Saar and the Ruhr, it was ready to fight the new breed of industrial war. Its logistics helped I mobilisation and supply, and helped to achieve the short, decisive victories it won in the 1864-1871 period.

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But these victories in war cannot be solely attributed to the industrialised and efficient Prussian economy. Only by exploiting the industrial strength, in conjunction with other factors such as a favourable international climate could have been achieved. Bismarck's shrewd diplomacy, where he played off power with power, had a major effect. Firstly, Bismarck used the alliance system to great advantage. He knew that if he was to extend his power over all of Germany, he would have to defeat Austria, and gain the favour of the German states. Firstly, to defeat Austria he knew that he would have to fight Austria and Austria alone. To do this he would have to secure the backing of France, Italy and Russia. By taking advantage of the international climate he was able to do this. Firstly, he needed to gain Russia's support. In 1863 he saw his chance. When the Poles revolted against Russia in a series of risings, Russia stood alone in the face of unsympathetic European feeling. However, by dispatching an envoy to Russia to secure the so-called Alvensleben Convention, he gained the gratitude of an otherwise isolated Russia.

Next came Italy and France. In 1865 Bismarck paid an informal visit to see Napoleon III in Biarritz. Despite making no concrete agreements, Bismarck discovered that if Venetia were to be secured for Italy, then Napoleon would have been unlikely to intervene on behalf of Austria. Moving swiftly to Italy, Bismarck secured a short-term agreement with Italy, whereby if Prussia were attacked Italy would intervene on their side. In return for this Prussia promised to help Italy absorb Venetia into her territories. Thus Prussia could be assured a swift victory against Austria, which duly followed.

This crushing victory could not have been imagined in the previous days of dualism. So, why did Austria fail so grievously to stop Prussia? The answer to this question lies in the fact that Austria was an empire in decline. It was lucky to have survived to that day. It had been suffering ever since the 1813 war. It had taken the decision that because it had lost this war that reform was bad. Thus the decay set in, while Prussia had learnt the opposite lesson. More recently, the Crimean war had also set them back. Financial crises stemming from that period had meant that it had had to cut military spending in order to restabilise its economy. Thus it was ready for defeat in war.

However, he now only had half of Germany inside the new Prussian borders. To persuade the remainder to join him, Bismarck would have to evoke nationalism on his side. Bismarck's astute manipulation of this feeling was a crucial element in overcoming the south's dislike of Protestant Prussia. However, by evoking the memories of the crushing Napoleonic victories at Austerlitz and Ulm the strong anti-francophone sentiment was reawakened. The public were now in favour of unification under Prussian rule. Due to the steady growth of literacy due to the Protestant religion, industrialisation and through the enlightenment, many of the Romantic Movement's key ideas were being lapped up by eager Germans. The massive growth of the Railways in Germany, which by 1860 had reached the dizzying heights of 1163kmiii, only helped to spread these Nationalistic ideas.

Thus with French hatred whipped up to a frenzy, all that the Prussian's needed to extend their influence was a war. Again by manipulating international affairs, Bismarck secured this. This time the events came in the form of the Hohenzollern Candidature. Here, after the overthrow of Isabella II, a new king was sought to rule the new constitutional monarchy. The post had subsequently been offered to a one Prince Leopold, a member of the same Hohenzollern family as William I. To the Prussians, this offered an extremely sympathetic ear strategically place on the other French border, and to the French a Prussian puppet again on their southern-most border. Napoleon III felt himself obliged to go with public opinion and declare that the Prussians would not become any more involved in Spanish affairs. However, after careful manipulation of Napoleon's request through the Ems telegram, Bismarck had achieved the war he had sought. Thus German unity was furthered through the deliberately prolonged war, which in the end saw a rousing, victorious birth to the Second Reich. These victories came about, as I said before through successful manipulation of the international situation by Bismarck, and the industrial might of Prussia. However one thing that we must not forget is the role system of governments. The government of France did not fight effectively because of its nature. It was a democratic, populist government, which by definition is not effective at taking the tough decisions necessary for war. However in Prussia the hard-line centralist monarchy offered complete control over the difficult organisation process. In addition to the manipulation of current affairs by Bismarck, we should also remember that this period was characterised by a period of non-intervention by Britain and Russia, who saw the Balance of power as being upheld by Prussia.

Throughout this entire period, one man has been responsible for the main ebb and flow and manipulation of events. Bismarck' successful diplomacy and use of skills helped to extend Prussian power no end. His skills lay in his manipulation of public opinion. The use of short, successful wars such as in 1864 (with Denmark) and in 1866 (with Austria) helped to increase Prussian popularity. His careful use of the Schleswig-Holstein incident also helped his eventual aims. Diplomacy in the fields of war and enlargement were influential. By binding stated to Prussia using the Zollparlament, the Zollverein and the army, he increased the likelihood of unification under Prussian rule. His use of nationalism also was important to this end. As has been previously outlined, his use of foreign powers around wartime was also influential. We are shown this during the defeat of Austria, where he sought “to reserve the possibility of becoming friends" so that "she would [not] become the ally of France and of every opponent of ours.”iv

So, in conclusion we can see the expansion of Prussian power being as a result of many things. The role of economics, diplomacy, nationalism, Bismarck, the international situation and war all played integral parts in the eventual establishment of the second German Reich in 1871.

i Eric Wilmot, The Great Powers 1814-1914 (1992) P.243

ii Wurttemberg Office for Industry and Trade (1851)

iii Modern History Review, February 1996

iv Bismarck, Reflections and Reminisces (1898)

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