History of Unification of Germany
Here are the major events related to Unification of Germany as mentioned below.
1. The Germanic States Before Unification
Once upon a time, a fragmented patchwork of Germanic kingdoms, duchies, and peculiar principalities made up the German lands. Nobles small and sovereign ruled their realms as they willed, with scribbled borders between the Bavarian, the Prussian and the Saxon. They bore the faded trappings of the dead Holy Roman Empire, a ghostly memory of an empire in name alone.
2. Challenges to Unity
Trying to unite these tangled German states seemed an impossible task indeed! For answers blew but migraines – should they rope in ancient Austria to form a Greater Germany? Or expel the Habsburg’s realm, forging a Lesser Germany instead? With endlessly differing interests, the German lands found it easier to point flags at each other than shake hands.
3. Economic Cooperation and the Zollverein
Trade, however, heeds few borders oft drawn by martial marquises. In 1834, a daring customs union swept aside trade barriers, the Zollverein bringing economic unity to German merchants, if not her people. Coin knows no tribe, nor privilege, and perhaps this golden visa of commerce foreshadowed what marshal manoeuvres could not.
Unification of Germany: Hisotry, Causes, Overview
Unification of Germany: The unification of Germany in 1871 was a process led by Prussia under Otto von Bismarck, involving victorious wars against Denmark (1864) and Austria (1866). The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) further galvanized German states, resulting in the proclamation of the German Empire on January 18, 1871.
In this article, We have covered the complete history of the Unification of Germany Causes and many more in Detail.
Let’s dive right.
Table of Content
- Unification of Germany Overview
- Unification of Germany
- History of Unification of Germany
- Cause of the German unification
- The Rise of Prussia
- The Germanic States Before the German Unification of 1871
- Otto von Bismarck
- Effects of Unification of Germany
- German Unification Timeline
- FAQs on Unification of Germany