Bismark’s next war was against Austria, seeming more planned. In 1866 he provoked war by proposing that the German confederation should be dissolved and a new one set up excluding Austria. Lasting only seven weeks, this proved a great success as it led to the setting up of the new ‘North German Confederation,’ making the unification of Germany easier as Prussia’s main rival was excluded. The ‘Peace of Prague’ Treaty was then signed which achieved Bismark’s main aims of Prussian domination.
Bismark’s third war came over the issue of the succession of the Spanish throne in 1870. Napoleon III feared the encirclement of France if a Hohenzollern became king and demanded that Prince Leopold withdraw. This was agreed but he then demanded guarantees that the candidature would not be renewed. Bismark altered the Ems telegram so that the French Government could only take it as a rebuff. The French public demanded a war which was again a triumph for Prussia, giving her Alsace and Lorraine and enabled Bismark to complete the unification of Germany.
Military superiority in Prussia also aided the unification process. The declaration of a German Reich followed the victories of the Prussian army over Austria and France. Within a month the French armies were decisively defeated, the Prussian capturing over 160 000 French soldiers. The Prussian army was able to mobilise at speed compared to France. The Austrian was lasted only seven weeks as Austria had to fight on two fronts and Prussia’s planning and weaponry were far superior to that of Austria.
Chief of Staff, Von Moltke was a good organiser and planner of the army. He was able to increase their size, improve tactical mobility and also the provision of supplies. Without this strength of backing the unification of Germany would not have been possible. The Prussian army also had good quality weaponry, shown in the introduction of the ‘breech-loading Dreyse gun.’ Also, in 1866 Prussian soldiers had three times the rate of fire in comparison to Austrians. There was also major training carried out to improve the use of this new technology.
Economic factors such as the Zollverein inspired a desire for greater national unity, which excluded Austria, setting the scene for eventual Prussian takeover. Prussian leadership was established in economic terms and a Prussian tariff was used in the Zollverein. Prussia therefore usually won any disputes as it was able to apply pressure on smaller states. This, along with the growth of heavy industry and the development of the railway network, gave Prussia economic predominance in Germany by the mid nineteenth century.
The foundation for the unification of Germany under Prussia was laid by the Zollverein as it gave Germans a practical demonstration of the advantages of unification through abolishing international customs barriers which meant reduced import and export duties. The development of industry and railways also assisted the expansion and reorganisation of Prussia’s military strength by Roon.
Popular nationalist sentiment did play a small part in the eventual unification of Germany, especially through the ‘Nationalverein,’ an organisation which involved economists and lawyers in calling for unification. This organisation gained the support of some German people in various states. However, support was limited to only 20 000 members, mostly middle class.
The 1850’s and 60’s saw an increased membership in clubs such as singing, shooting, and gymnastics. It was suspected that these were Liberal and Nationalist organisations, and more political than on face value, desiring unification. However, this feeling was not strong throughout Germany as people could see that the German nation would be dominated by Prussia, so were not so favourable towards unification.
In conclusion, although Bismark does seem the most important and influential factor in the unification of Germany, other factors were of great importance in aiding him to carry this out. He relied upon the Prussian military power, as only military strength could overcome Austria’s hostility, who wanted a divided Germany. Similarly, it was likely that France would eventually try to prevent the emergence of a greater power to its east. Therefore, the roles of Roon, Moltke and the minister of war in building up the Prussian army, were crucial to Bismark’s success.
The economic development of Prussia also underlay its military power. Prussia was already the most industrialised state in Germany before Bismark came to power, and the zollverein allowed it to gain economic supremacy over other German states. However, there was little popular demand for unification amongst the German nation as a whole and the majority of Germans were uninspired. However, the leaders of Prussia decided it was time for unification and they had the power to achieve this.