History
Answer
The process of German unification can be traced as follows:
- Middle class germans united in 1848 to create a nation-state out of the numerous German States. But the monarchy and the military got together to repress them and they gained support from the landowners of Prussia (the Junkers) too.
- Prussia soon became the leader of the German unification movement.
- Chief Minister Otto von Bismarck was the architect of the process with support from Prussian army and Prussian bureaucracy.
- The unification process was completed after Prussia won wars with Austria, Denmark, and France over seven years time.
- In January 1871, the Prussian king, Kaiser William I, was proclaimed the German Emperor in a ceremony held at Versailles.
Related Questions
What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the French people?
Who were Marianne and Germania? What was the importance of the way in which they were portrayed?
What changes did Napoleon introduce to make the administrative system more efficient in the territories ruled by him?
Explain what is meant by the 1848 revolution of the liberals. What were the political, social and economic ideas supported by the liberals?