The Unification of Germany: Bismarck’s Realpolitik

Before 1871 there was no single Germany on the map. Otto von Bismarck built one in nine years, with three short wars.

He did it from the top, using state power, not a popular uprising. This lesson follows his plan step by step.

1What did “Germany” mean before 1871?

Before 1871, “Germany” was a name for a region, not a country. The Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation in 1815. It was a loose association of 39 states.

It replaced the old Holy Roman Empire, which had ended in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Confederation had only one common body, a federal assembly of delegates.

The two biggest members were Prussia and Austria. Each wanted to lead. Neither would accept the other as master.

Trade came first. The Prussian-led Zollverein began on 1 January 1834. It removed customs barriers among most German states. By 1866 it included most of them.

Why does this matter? Economic ties came before political unity. Austria was not part of the Zollverein.

• 1815: the German Confederation, 39 states.
• Zollverein began in 1834, led by Prussia.
• Austria stayed outside the customs union.

2Why did the first try at unity fail in 1848?

In 1848 liberals met in the Frankfurt Parliament. They wanted a united Germany under a constitution.

They offered the imperial crown to the Prussian king, Frederick William IV. He refused it. He said the offer ignored the rights of the princes.

So a parliament could not unite Germany. The Prussian crown and army would have to do it.

• Frankfurt Parliament: liberal, elected.
• The Prussian king refused the crown.
• Lesson: unity would come from above.

3How did three wars build the German Empire?

Bismarck led Prussia’s government. He believed in Realpolitik. He is remembered for the phrase “blood and iron”.

The first war came in 1864. Prussia and Austria together fought Denmark over Schleswig and Holstein.

Then Bismarck turned on Austria. The war of 1866 beat Austria. Afterwards he replaced the old German Confederation with the North German Confederation. It left Austria out.

The 1866 war mattered for another reason. It ended Austria’s role in German affairs. The way was now open for Prussia alone to lead the German states.

The third war was against France in 1870. The Ems telegram stirred up anger. France declared war on 19 July 1870. The southern German states joined Prussia in the fight.

• 1864: Denmark. Austria fought on Prussia’s side.
• 1866: Austria. Rival removed.
• 1870 to 1871: France. The south joined in.

4Why was the Empire proclaimed on French soil?

The war against France went badly for the French. German forces besieged Paris.

On 18 January 1871, during the siege, Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor. The place was the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. It was a powerful insult to France.

The new constitution came into force in April 1871. The Treaty of Frankfurt ended the war.

Why does this matter? France remembered this humiliation. In 1919 the Allies chose the same hall for the Versailles treaty.

• Proclaimed 18 January 1871.
• Place: the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles.
• War ended by the Treaty of Frankfurt.

5Why did Bismarck leave Austria out?

The new Empire excluded Austria. Prussia’s king became the German Emperor. That secured Prussian leadership.

The new constitution built on the one Bismarck had drafted for the North German Confederation. It gave the Empire a parliament called the Reichstag. Real power still sat with the Emperor and his chancellor.

After 1871 Bismarck turned cautious. He sought alliances to keep France isolated. He wanted to protect what he had built.

• Austria excluded, so Prussia led.
• Prussia’s king was the German Emperor.
• Later aim: isolate France with alliances.

6How did the new Germany unsettle Europe?

Italy’s unity came with a popular movement behind it. Germany’s came through deliberate wars led by the state.

The new Empire grew quickly in industry and military strength. That upset the old balance of power in Europe.

Some historians trace later tensions, including the road to the First World War, back to this change.

• Germany: top-down. Italy: a more popular movement.
• New power unsettled the balance in Europe.

7Was the new Germany fully centralised?

No. The Empire kept its states. Bavaria and Saxony kept their own kings and some powers.

Bismarck did not stay in power forever. Wilhelm II dismissed him in 1890. The new Kaiser wanted to rule his own way.

• The Empire was federal.
• Bavaria and Saxony kept their kings.
• Bismarck dismissed by Wilhelm II in 1890.

8What are the exam traps?

• Know the order of the wars: Denmark 1864, Austria 1866, France 1870 to 1871.
• Austria fought beside Prussia in 1864 and against it in 1866.
• The German Confederation of 39 states came from the Congress of Vienna, not from Napoleon.
• Do not call German unity a people’s revolution. It was driven from above.