Unification of Germany

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From the 19th to 20th century nations were uniting behind the belief of nationalism; the belief that their loyalty was owed to the nation as a whole. This loyalty was believed to be owed to a nation of people who share a common history and language as its core. Due to the growing want for true self-government in Europe, people began calling for unity. Once these nations were created, governments wanted their country to be the strongest and most powerful. A growing sense of pride by the people that their nation was the greatest led to wars to prove who truly had the better military. This sense of unity brought to many a purpose for their personal identity. Loyalty to one’s nation was a core belief of nationalism and allowed for many to stand behind their nation with this belief. Napoleon Bonaparte of France brought this idea to many during his revolution and war in Europe. Through the belief of nationalism the loose states of the German confederation came to become a nation. Germany unification in 1871 was not a merging of culturally similar lands but of a divided political landscape. A trend for unification started more than 40 years prior by revolutionaries in various German speaking territories. In 1815 after the Congress of Vienna was convened, 39 German states were dissolved to create the German Confederation. This confederation was widely dominated by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Prussian Empire. Prussia was considered to be made up of mainly Germans. It had the most powerful army in Europe at the time and it had a far superior industrial capacity than the other German states. This friendship created between Prussia and the German states would eventually lead to conflict in hopes of unifying Germany. In 1848 democratic... ... middle of paper ... ...ate “Lies Bismarck’s guilt and responsibility for the catastrophe –after he had laid down office befell the German nation and the whole civilized world” (Darmstaedter 407). Works Cited Emilio Castelar, “Prince von Bismarck,” The North American Review 167, no. 500 (July 1898) 106. Darmstaedter, Friedrich. Bismarck and the Creation of the Second Reich. New York: Russel & Russel – Inc, 1965. Print. Kassner, Kenneth R., Lieutenant Corporal. "Otto Von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany."COERCIVE DIPLOMACY: OTTO VON BISMARCK AND THE UNIFICATION OF GERMANY (2012): 1-28. USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. tic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc%3FAD%3DADA561542+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&cli ent=firefox-a>. Williams, Kristen P. Despite Nationalist Conflicts. Connecticut. Praeger, 2001. Print

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