Post 5: Road to a Unified Germany

Throughout Germany’s history there has been a tradition of separatism and division among the nation’s various regions. After the final elimination of the Holy Roman Empire, however, German kingdoms and states began to unify, sometimes through revolutions and proclamations, and sometimes due to outside forces. Despite the attempts at unification, however, most of Germany remained divided into many parts, especially from a cultural perspective.

What changed primarily in this time period, then, was other nations’ perceptions of Germany. When the rest of Europe began to treat all Germans as if coming from one heritage, Germans themselves began to follow suit. One notable example can be seen in the Franco-Prussian (and later Franco-German) War of 1870-1871. As Schulze explains on p. 142, Spain’s empty throne called for a Prussian king to rule the land; France, however, was more than a little nervous about being surrounded by Germans, so they naturally applied pressure on Prussia to refuse such an offer. When Bismarck refused to cave to France’s ever-increasing demands, France declared war on Prussia that evolved into a war on German lands in general.

The Franco-Prussian War was yet another war fought by Germans away from German soil. One likely effect of this is that Germans saw only the end result of the war--troops left from all over German lands and returned victorious, inspiring confidence and national identity. Perhaps a bloody war fought on the home front would have inspired a little less confidence.

What caused the rest of Germany to become involved in this dispute was primarily the fact that, to France, all Germans were simply that: Germans. Having a Prussian king to the south and Southern German states to the north would mean being surrounded by the same group of people, ones with whom France had particularly bad blood in the past. While Most Germans had nothing to do with this war, though, a number of treaties meant that they would be forced to comply with Prussia’s request for aid. In this way, a disagreement between France and Prussia led to an all-out war between France and all of Germany.

King William I of Prussia didn't particularly want to start a war with France. Indeed, Schulze mentions that he attempted to accede to France's demands (p. 143). France, however, pushed a little too harshly; so when it was required of William to send word to Bismarck as to what had occurred, he framed it as such so that war was inevitable. In a way, it could be said that William himself was a catalyst for German unification.

The effects of this war were far-reaching for Germans. Patriotism reached a definitive high point both for the public and the media—fighting together (and indeed, winning together) gave Germans from across the many lands a new vision of a nation that was truly connected and unified. The Southern and Northern division no longer seemed feasible; why be two separate halves when unification could mean considerably more global power and wealth? This new nation now finally had the approval of both necessary parties: the nobility who yearned for power and the public who wanted better living conditions and national identity.

Despite the many considerable influences, all of this cannot be solely pegged upon victory of the Franco-Prussian war. Rather, the war was definitely a catalyst, and the victory a moment for Germans to devise a new vision for their future as a nation; but this was not the “reason,” nor can there be just one. Many factors were involved, involving international influence as well. In the 1850s, according to Schulze on p. 137, a wave of French nationalism inspired Germans to respond accordingly; if the adage “old habits die hard” has any truth, it can be seen in the France-Germany relationship of the 19^th century. Before this, of course, was the initial catalyst: the failed German Revolution of 1848. What caused the Revolution to fail was, at its root, was caused the unification in 1871 to succeed: identity.

In a parliamentary meeting not much different from this Germans fought endlessly over how to define the nation and who should be ruler. Ultimately, as Schulze concedes, a revolution cannot take hold without clear-cut goals and ideals. The German Revolution of 1848 had neither of those, causing it to inherently fail, at least for the time.

In 1848 Germans working toward unification saw three different solutions, each one giving power to a different party (Schulze p. 126). Despite parliamentary meetings and political fervor, no decision was ever made; ultimately the German people could not decide who was, in fact, German; moreover they could not decide how these Germans would be best represented. By 1871, however, the series of catalysts and motivations gave the Germans a much clearer picture of who they were and what they stood for. It no longer seemed impossible to define Germany’s borders and connect its many cultural roots—Germans were finally inspired to unite in order to combine strength and become a larger presence in Europe and across the globe.