Germany Unification

Grade:98/Point taken off for a question wrong on the map(not on web), accuarcy of info (can't say Germany before unification), .5 off for not explaning blood and iron better, .5 off for summary of events, 1 point off for spelling - over all good job Full Graded Package (with teacher markup and comments)

Germany Unification History Timeline Project Due: 3/10/06

2 pictures: [1] [2]

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German Confederation - 1815

In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Klemens von Metternich, a very important diplomat and the leader of the convention, and others set up the loosely organized German Confederation. This united the 39 countries that made up Germany. Every year, the German states would send representatives to a meeting in Frankfurt, called the Federal Diet. Prussia and Austria dominated this meeting, which didn't do anything unless all 39 states agreed. However, Prussia and Austria did not agree frequently and not much was ever accomplished. However, people looked to this meeting as a sign of what could come.

I liked the German Confederation set up by the leader of my arch-rival Austria. It set the stage in the minds of nationalists of a unified Germany. This was one that I hoped to create and have Prussia rule over central Europe. <ref> http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Central_Europe&oldid=47106875</ref> Other then that, nothing much happened in the convention. Austria was the leader at the time in Rine. However their citizens were from many different backgrounds and cultures. Also, we (Prussia) were more industrialized the Austria. We formed a Zollverein trade group with all of the real German nations. You see, "Germany is clearly too small for both of us [Austria and Prussia]".

Wilhelm I becomes king and selects Bismarck - 1861

In 1861, Wilhelm I became the king of Prussia. He was strong minded and wanted to reform and double the army. However, a liberal parliament that was set up by his predecessor refused his reforms. The Junkers, a conservative, wealthy class that supported the king, also opposed the liberal parliament that they believed challenged the authority of the king. In 1862, Wilhelm I appointed Junker Otto van Bismarck to the post of Prime Minister.

That's me! This is the event when I first seriously come into the picture of European History! King Wilhelm I was a really nice guy. He wanted to double the size of the army and set Prussia even farther ahead then others with our industrialization. Of course the parliament wouldn't hear anything about this, (more on that latter) so desperate measures had to be taken. The Junkers, which I was a member of, was committed to keeping the conservative values of our country strong. So Wilhelm I picked lots of us for the high posts in the government and in the army. He picked me as his Prime Minister and secretary of foreign affairs to help the country!

Bismarck says he will rule without Parliament - 1862

Otto van Bismarck was a strong and commanding figure. He believed strongly in the the idea of realpolitik. (describe below) The Prussian parliament refused to grant his and Wilhelm I's desires. So Bismarck decided that he would rule without the consent of parliament and defy the budget they had set for him. These acts were in direct violation of the new constitution. In parliament, he told them, "The great questions of the day will not be settled by speeches or by majority decisions - that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 - but by blood and iron." Bismarck soundly rejected the idealism of romanticism in favor of a more realistic reality in tune to the here and the now.

So my friend, Wilhelm I, king of Prussia, was having a little trouble with a liberal parliament the previous king foolishly agreed to. They wouldn't accept anything we tried to do. Desperate measures had to be taken, and frankly, I couldn't stand all of those lying libera