To what extent was Bismarck responsible for the unification of Germany?

At the same time nationalism also played an important part in the process towards unification, the music of Beethoven, stories from the grim brothers, all served to create a climate of Germanic greatness in all of the states. Germans believed in a golden age when they were free and united. Hegel the great German philosopher stated in relation to German unification "Man alone is nothing only as part of a German nation can man aspire to be something" This culminated in the 1848 revolution and the setting up of the Frankfurt Parliament that established the idea of "Klein Deutschland". The revolution was short lived and easily swept aside by the powerful rulers with the help of their armies.

Another important factor in the process of unification was the decline of Austria. The fall of the anti - German and repressive Metternich was a significant contribution to the cause of unification. The Austrians to put it simply had no one of his stature with which to replace him. The Hapsburg Empire was being torn apart by internal strife and nationalist movements for independence were increasing. The Austrian economy fell further behind Prussia's and their attempt to create a rival Zolverein also failed. By the 1860's Prussian coal and Steal production was triple that of Austria's and the Prussian Railway system, that would inevitably help in any future war with Austria simply outclassed the Austrians in every way. Even within the Bund Austrian influence was being slowly eroded in favour of Prussia.

The Prussian army reforms were also an essential element leading to unification. Bismarck's handling of the constitutional crisis in 1861 not only gained him promotion but it gave the Prussians the opportunity to reform their army to such an extent that it would become, in time, the most powerful in Europe. The army was doubled in strength, conscription increased to three years, and new weapons introduced. It can be argued that the reform of the army was Bismarck's first step on the path towards unification. This was essential if unification was to be achieved through force. Bismarck set Prussia on a war footing.

The first of his wars was to be against Denmark in 1864. Historians argue that he used this war in order to manoeuvre and then manipulate Austria into a future war with Prussia. The war began over the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein. The Danish king wanted to incorporate them into Denmark. The problem was that they were members of the Bund and both had substantial German populations this caused an outcry among the members of the confederation. Prussia and Austria defeated the Danes in a short war.. The Austrians reluctantly agreed to take over the province of Holstein, manipulated of course by the Prussians. Prussia took over Schleswig. This was of course Bismarck's attempt to make Austria look like greedy landgrabbers, not interested in the "German cause" but on expanding their own empire. The German states were furious at the Austrian actions. Bismarck could now use the provinces as an excuse for war with Austria.

Bismarck realised that if unification was to be achieved then war with Austria was inevitable as Austria was totally against the idea of unification. Agreements were made to gain the support of France who was promised Luxembourg and Italy who was promised Venetia. To gain Russia's support, Bismarck helped them put down a revolution in Poland some years earlier. Each of the countries promised their neutrality.

Once again Bismarck used his diplomatic skills, in 1866 into luring another country into a conflict. The war with Austria began after Bismarck called for members of the Bund to be elected by universal suffrage, something the Austrians were totally against, the Prussians also caused trouble for Austrian troops going through Prussia to reach Holstein. Even when mobilisation began the Austrians appeared unwilling to heed calls for a diplomatic solution where as Prussia maintained a willingness to find a peaceful solution In the war that followed Austria was defeated in just seven and was removed from Prussian affairs for good. The Prussian King wanted to punish Austria harshly but Bismarck disagreed and so Austria was let off lightly. Prussia realised the need to maintain Austrian friendship especially in the event of a future war with France. The result of the war with Austria was the establishment of the North German confederation and an undertaking by the southern states to assist the confederation in the event of further conflict.

To complete the unification process Bismarck needed to fight the French. This was simply because the French would never accept a powerful united Germany on their doorstep. When Napoleon asked for Luxembourg, which he had been promised if he stayed neutral, Bismarck refused to give it to him. He even denied promising it in the first place. When this leaked to the press it made France look greedy in the eyes of the rest of Europe. Bismarck used his diplomatic skills to isolate France from the rest of Europe. War began over the issue of the Spanish succession when Bismarck changed the Ems telegram to make it look as if the French ambassador had been snubbed. This was the last straw for the French and they declared war in July 1870. Thus Bismarck succeeded in making France look like the aggressor. The southern states quickly rushed to support the confederation, especially since they themselves were very hostile to the French. The French were defeated easily and during the war Germany was finally unified at the palace of Versailles in 1871.

Clearly then Bismarck's contribution towards unification is very significant in that unification may not have taken place when it did without him at the helm. The German states had clearly indicated their diastase for unification in 1848 yet less than 25 years later Bismarck used Prussian military strength to achieve unification. However without the vital building blocks of economic integration, cultural ties, and of course nationalist elements there would have been very little if any calls for unification. Finally one cannot dismiss the importance of Austria's decline without which any hope of unification would be lost. It is fair to say that although Bismarck's contribution was essential in achieving unification at that time it may not have been a decisive factor in the process of unification. In other words unification would have been achieved without him, how and when is still a matter for debate.