The German Unification Wars (1863-1874)

Otto von Bismarck can be identified as the man who created a Unified Germany. Born in 1815, Otto von Bismarck studied law at Göttingen. Soon afterwards, he received several minor positions until finally, he was elected to the Prussian Landtag in 1847. Later he became the ambassador to Russia and then France, before finally becoming Premier of Prussia. In a perfect example of how Bismarck was unafraid to do what ever it took to get the job done, Bismarck dissolved Parliament in order to raise taxes for the army himself. This was a clear violation of the constitution of Prussia, but Bismarck went ahead and collected his taxes without parliamentary approval. Throughout his entire career, Bismarck did his best to protect the conservatism of the Junkers.

The war was a short one. Prussia made giant advances quickly and defeated the Austrians even though Austria had some solid victories against Italy, who was allied with Prussia. Not wanting to weaken a potential ally anymore, Prussia was very lenient with the peace settlement. They demanded no land except for Schleswig-Holstein, though they annexed Hanover, Hesse, Nassau, and Frankfurt. These states, combined with Prussia became the North German Confederation. Austria also promised that it would no longer interfere in German politics and so it directed all its attention East, which created the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.

With a newly unified, militaristic and imperial Germany, the world was set up for World War I and therefore set up for World War II. Especially with the revenge minded French who set up harsh terms on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. Germany’s closest ally was the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, an integral part of the Axis Powers. Truly, the German Unification Wars’ lasting legacy is World War I and II

The next step was simply to kick Austria out of Germany. Austria was the only other country with the power to take on Prussia when it decided to make its move, and therefor they had to go. The next war, called the Austro-Prussian war, the war of 1866, or the Seven Weeks War, was brought about. Bismarck used the Gastein Convention, the agreement between Prussia and Austria about the control of Schleswig-Holstein. Under the Gastein Convention, Austria and Prussia held Schleswig-Holstein under a dual administration. This, as Bismarck has originally intended, caused enough friction to start a war.

When the French heard of the disaster at Sedan, they deposed Napoleon III as their emperor and set up a provincial government run by the army for the defense of France. A long siege ensue

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