Unification of Germany

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Unification of Germany

On January 18, 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed宣佈æˆç«‹. It is a

turning point轉æ©é»ž in the European history, and was one of the remote

causesé å› that led to the outbreak of the First World War. In fact, the

success of German unification was due to the interplay互相交織 of many

factors.

Ideological

-----------

a. Liberalism: Ideas of liberalism had been sown by the French

Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. During the upheaval巨變, such French

ideals of liberty, equality and fraternityåšæ„› were spread to Germans.

Besides, a varietyå„種 of Napoleon's reforms like those in education,

trade, administration, taxation and laws had encouraged the rise of

middle class who then became the backbone骨幹 of the German unification

movement.

b. Nationalism: Napoleon grouped all Germans into a big state, i.e.

the Confederation of the RhineèŠèŒµæ²³é‚¦è¯. The Germans tasted嘗試éŽnational

unity on one hand; yet they disliked the alien French rule on the

other. Nationalism thus appeared. Though Germany was once again

fragmented分裂 in 1815, the desire for national unity lingeredæ®ä¹‹ä¸åŽ».

Political

=========

Domestic國內:

a. Rise of Prussia: In the Battle of Waterloo滑éµç›§ 1814 Prussia played a

decisive role in defeating Napoleon. This raised her prestige

considerably among not only the German states but the European Great

Powers. Prussia became one of the "Big Five" which dominated the

Congress of Vienna. She got many territorial gains.

b. Vienna Settlement: At the Congress of Vienna, for the sake由於 of her

contribution to the victory over Napoleon, and the...

... middle of paper ...

...

Prussia. Consequently, Austria's economic hardship was never improved.

She remained an agrarian以農業為主的 economy. In the long run, Germans

tended to think of national unity without her.

5. The importance of the Zollverein to the success of German

unification should not be exaggerated誇大. By the 1860s, actually, the

industrial capacity of the Zollverein was just about ¼ of the British.

So Prussia's economic foundation基礎 was merely a supplementary輔助性, not

a major, factor for the creation of the German Empire.

Conclusion

David Thomson points out that in the 19th-century Europe there were

struggles between the forces of change and the forces of continuity.

Prussia championed代表 the former, and the success of German unification

in 1871 marked surely a turning point in European history.

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