The Unification of Germany Essay example -- History Historical German

The Unification of Ger some(prenominal)In 1871 the thirty-eight states of what was once the Holy Roman Empire, re-united to dumbfound what was known in the early twentieth century as simply, The German Empire, united under the rule of the German Emperor, or Kaiser. There are many factors which led to the unification of the German states liberalism, nationalism, Otto Von Bismarck, fear of another Napoleon, the Prussian King William I, and the three wars Prussia fought.One of the key factors which led to the Unification was nationalism. Nationalism is the supposition that certain things such as race, culture, religion, language or territory set them apart from those around them, and they could identify their interests with a group of heap not and a local monarch. This idea created the belief that ones loyalty was first to the nation not the monarch. On 23 February 1848, there was a monstrance in Paris that resulted in the abdication of King Louis Philippe. Then on 13 March student s in Vienna staged a rebellion which after that day forced Prince Metternich to resign as Austrian Foreign Minister. Prussian King, Frederick William IV, stood against reform and used troops to break up demonstrations. But on audience of Metternichs resignation he lost his nerve and called together a Diet, granting a constitution. When a crowd gathered at the Palace in Berlin the royal stag guard opened fire. The resulting revolution ended by November of that year as the people began to fear the consequences of prolonging it. The failure of this revolution, and the failure to achieve national unity, broke the joining between liberalism and nationalism. In the end it was the nationalistic ideals of the German aristocracy, not the general populace that brought about the Unification of the German States in 1871.(1) ** I remember to suck in been so entirely absorbed by what was happening that I could hardly turn my thoughts to anything else. Like many of my friends, I was dominated b y the feeling that at last the great opportunity for giving the German people the liberty which was their birthright and to the German fatherland its unity and greatness, and that it was now the first duty of all German to do and to sacrifice everything for this sacred object. We were profoundly, solemnly in earnest. **Liberalism was an important factor of the German Unification. ... ...ded and supremely outmatched. These three wars achieved Bismarcks goals of obtaining support for the legions reforms and unifying Germany under Prussian leadership (which meant the expulsion of Austria from Germanys affairs).So, the unification of Germany in 1871 was achieved through a combination of factors the idea held by the German people of a unified nation (nationalism), the fear held by the German aristocracy of anything which may result in a reduction to their power, such as liberalism and the Napoleonic Fear, the Prussian King William the first whose most important roles were appointing B ismarck and the introduction of the multitude reforms, and of course, Otto Von Bismarck. Bismarck was the reason for the three wars against Austria, France and Denmark, the implication of the Prussian army reforms and he made sure that the German states finally unified under the rule of a Prussian monarch, or German Kaiser, ruler of the newly founded German Empire in 1871.Works Citedwww.schoolshistory.org.uk/ ASLevel_History/unificationofgermany.htmmars.acnet.wnec.edu/grempel/ courses/wc2/lectures/germanunif.htmlwww.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/germanunification.html