The Reasons for the Growth of Prussia’s Influence in Germany by 1862

1038 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: issues with the 1871 economic development of germany

The Reasons for the Growth of Prussia’s Influence in Germany by 1862

In 1815 there was no such thing as a German State or Nation. In the

geographical area known as Germany the most powerful state was Austria

which was the biggest factor in the increase of Prussia’s influence by

1862. Prussia was the second most powerful state but she was far

behind Austria politically and economically. In 1815 the Austrian

foreign minister Metternich made a big mistake by giving Prussia the

area of Westphalia and the Rhineland. Prussia was also given parts of

Silesia. In trying to make Prussia more ‘German’ Metternich had

effectively signed Austria's death warrant. The Rhineland was full of

iron ore, coal and other valuable raw materials that had not yet been

discovered.

In 1818 Prussia passed a tariff law which did four things, firstly

they abolished most internal Prussian customs and allowed most raw

materials duty free into Prussia. The tariff law also allowed only

ten- percent tariffs on manufactured goods and it passed a weight duty

on goods travelling through Prussia. These laws effectively made

Prussia a tariff free zone and therefore increased trade greatly. This

was a huge boost to the Prussian economy and it was extremely

significant that Austria didn’t really take notice and follow Prussia

into reducing tariffs. During the 1820’s the Prussian economy became

bigger and stronger. What was really important for Prussia to do was

to build good relations with her neighbours who, in particular, could

be very important to her success. Crucially, Prussia did do this. To

cement these relationships with her neighbours the Prussian free trade

zone became a Prussian customs union.

When Napoleon had invaded Prussia he had begun a massive road building

program so that his forces could easily be transported to countries

such as Russia, whom he wanted to invade and defeat. After Napoleon

had been defeated Prussia continued this infrastructure building

program and went to great lengths to improve transport. By 1845 the

three main rivers in the area were connected and this also gave trade

Show More
Related

  • The Effect Otto Von Bismarck's Leadership and Politics Had on Pre-World War I Tensions in Europe

    1821 Words  | 4 Pages

    The focus of this study is the effect that Otto Von Bismarck's leadership and politics had on Pre-World War One tensions in Europe. This study investigates to what extent the actions of Otto Von Bismarck led to World War One. The focus of this study is the period between Bismarck's appointment to Minister President of Prussia on September 23, 1862 and the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Bismarck's earlier career is discussed briefly but only as a method to understand his political attitudes. And similarly, as Bismarck was removed from office in 1890, the only events discussed between 1890 and 1914 will be based off of policies instilled by Bismarck, not those of Wilhelm II.

    Read More

  • Conservatism Between 1815-1851 in Prussia, France and Austria

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    Between 1815 and 1851, there was an increase in conservative demands and ideals across Europe. Three nations fit into this mold exceptionally well, one of them being Prussia. The other nation that best shows how conservative ideals achieved their goals is France and how it changed after the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. The third nation being, Austria and how the rulers handled the discontent of the different minority groups within it’s borders.

    Read More

  • Why Prussia Needed Fredrick the Great

    317 Words  | 1 Pages

    Before Frederick took charge Prussia was not a country. It was broken into separate territories. France and England had become very powerful in the 1600's and Prussia felt endangered. Frederick's father Frederick the I was the elector of Prussia. When Frederick came to power his goal was to make Prussia a country. He believed that good government was rational but also authoritarian. Frederick was the first modern organizer. He put most of the country's wealth intro the military. He believed that the key to a country's wealth was through its military. 80% of Prussia's income went to the military. Prussia selected people for the military through the draft. Eventually Frederick died and left the kingdom to his son. Frederick the great was left with a 72,000 person military. This was a great deal of people for such a little country. Prussia only had 2,000,000 people.

    Read More

  • The Break Out of the Revolution in Germany in 1848

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Break Out of the Revolution in Germany in 1848 There were a numerous external and internal factors behind the 1848 revolutions in Germany. Externally, changes in the international climate and political upheaval in Austria provided German nationalists with an avenue of opportunity to cease power. Internally, the growth of German nationalism and liberalism coupled with the acute financial and food crisis of 1847 created an atmosphere fit for revolutionary activity. Between 1815 and 1847, the Great powers reduced the importance of nationalism and liberalism in order to maintain the ideals set about at the Treaty of Vienna of peace, order and stability within the balance of power. The Great powers installed Austria as the ‘reactionary henchman’ of Europe.

    Read More

  • Black Power Influence in West Germany

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1960’s-1970’s, violence increasingly became an important factor in the Student movement for liberation in West Germany. Different levels of oppression were applied to various countries around the world, including Vietnam which was oppressed by the U.S. Student activists shadowed the different movements, and slowly incorporated the various methods into their own movement in West Germany. Indeed, Student activists fought for their liberation through a combination of international methods, however, the fuel for their violent actions mainly came from the Black Power Movement in the U.S which was motivated by Frantz Fanon’s ideas on decolonization. During the 1960s-70s, West German activists began to view that the elite higher class exploitation of the youth who went against societal norms in West Germany was very similar to the discrimination towards the Black population of America due to their skin color. Because of the newfound similarities, the two groups decided to exchange ideas on gaining liberation. The student activists and the African-Americans involved in the movement engaged in personal exchanges by traveling to each other’s countries and observing the corruption on their own, while studying tactics of fighting back. Indeed, Rudi Deutschke, the face of the SDS himself, made a trip to America and visited the slums of New York and Chicago to witness accounts of oppression with his own eyes. Through their observation of the Black Power Movement in America, as well as their interactions with members of the movement, many West German activists (SDS) increasingly supported the idea that a violent approach was the only way to seek liberation. The Black Power movement also motivated Left Wing terrorists, such as Bommi Baum...

    Read More

  • Key Events of the Imperial Expansion in 1860- 1914

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imperial expansion in 1860-1914 is often referred to as new imperialism, considering the first flush of territorial acquisitions that occurred in 15th &16th century. This expansion is deepening of the process of colonisation by Europeans in Africa and Asia, Japan in East Asia, and the United States in Central America and Asia. It was an aggressive extension of overseas territories, a ' White Man's Burden', establishing half a century of political and economic domination. This essay attempts to outline the sources and responses of this process.

    Read More

  • How Did A Strong Government Strengthen West Germany

    320 Words  | 1 Pages

    A strong government can create opportunities to flourish in prosperity and their economy will boom which creates finality in their country. West Germany had stayed a capitalist country and then decided to reach out and expand until it was a welfare state. Like I said having a strong government made West Germany flourish in prosperity and their economy started to boom this made their hardships form World War 2 a distant memory to them. The United States took it upon them to aid West Germany to try to stop communism ideals from spreading there. The government provided health care, pensions, and support for college kids. On the other hand East Germany did not prosper from any of this sequence because they followed communism they were stagnated

    Read More

  • Why Did Prussia Rise To Power In The Late 1600s

    100 Words  | 1 Pages

    Prussia rose to power in the late 1600s. Prussia’s ruling family, the Hohenzollerns, also had ambitions. Those ambitions threatened to upset central Europe’s delicate balance of power. The Hohenzollerns built their state from a number of small holdings, beginning with the German cities of Brandenburg and Prussia. In 1640, a 20-year-old Hohenzollern named Frederick William inherited the title of elector of Brandenburg. Frederick William decided that having a strong army was the only way to ensure safety, after seeing the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War. To protect their lands, the Great Elector and his descendants moved toward absolute monarchy.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Weakness Of The Weimar Republic And Hitler's Rise To Power

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Weakness of the Weimar Republic and Hitler's Rise to Power The question directly relates to the idea that the political power of a country can be taken over by ambitious people in different ways. From our knowledge we know there is three ways this can be done…by take over by force, also known as a 'coup d'etat', in a more democratic and just way or by a political deal. In the 1920's and the 1930's Hitler led a right wing political party and was seen by many as a dictator. He wanted to overthrow and control the German government and he tried all three of these ways in an attempt to do so, some methods were more successful than others.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Prussian Education System

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most high school students can 't wait for their school year to be over because they feel exhausted by the seven long periods of classes and not to mention boredom. John Taylor Gatto, a former New York State Teacher of the Year wrote an article called "Against School." Gatto criticizes the school system for their inability to meet the students’ expectations and for putting limits on their ability to learn. The children feel neglected, and the teachers feel helpless because they have to work with students who are not interested in the materials they are given. Gatto mentions how US high schools have become affected by adapting to the Prussian education system. According to Gatto, the purpose of high school is to manipulate the student 's mind

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Weimar Republic

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    2. What were weaknesses of the Weimar Republic? How did different political groups seek to remedy these weaknesses?

    Read More

  • The Nazi Party's Rise To Power In Germany After World War Two

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War 2 was a horrific period in human history, it is estimated that over 60 million

    Read More

  • Hitlers Foreign Policy

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    * Saarland was under LN control and after 15 years the people could vote if they wanted to belong to Germany or France

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast the Unification of Germany, Italy, and the United States

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Congress of Vienna in 1814-15 created the so-called German Confederation under Austrian and Prussian hegemony, but this unit disappointed the dreams of nationalists. The rivalry of Austria and Prussia paralyzed it in a way comparable to the effects of Soviet-American dualism on the United Nations during the Cold War. Almost everywhere, the old rulers repressed the nationalist movement after 1815. The German princes realized that nationalism required ...

    Read More

  • Factors Contributing to German Unification in 1871

    3039 Words  | 7 Pages

    Prior to unification in 1871 the territory that would become Germany was comprised of thirty-nine independent states and city states joined together in a loose German Confederation. The most powerful among these states was Prussia, both geographically the largest state and that with the largest population. The influential politicians and policies that came out of Prussia were instrumental in the gradual formation of a united Germany. Beginning with the rise of Napoleon, the nineteenth century was a time of incredible change which dramatically altered the political balance of Europe. In order to understand the factors that culminated in official German unification on January 18 1871, it is necessary to examine the preceding decades. No single factor can be credited for the unification of the German states. Rather, the combined forces of social change, economic strength within a unified customs union, the moral justifications provided by nationalism, Bismarck’s careful manipulation of internal politics and the advantages gained through military action resulted in the unification of Germany.

    Read More

More about The Reasons for the Growth of Prussia’s Influence in Germany by 1862

Open Document