GERMAN UNIFICATION 1871
Role of Bismarck
Prussian economic strenght
Decline of Austria
Prussian military power
• workers experienced better working conditions.
• there was less regulation for the coal and iron industries
• the government helped peasants take out loans
• taxes were lowered
• Prussia had successfully set up the Zollverein with other German states - making trade between states easier and more profitable
• it surged ahead of its rival in building road and rail networks to help promote trade
• Prussia was producing more key resources such as coal and iron than Austria
Austria had long been opposed to unification of the German states. However, Austrian power declined after 1850, making it unable to take a strong stand against Prussia. Due to:
international issues
economic issues
Main objectives:
to unify the north German states under Prussian control
to weaken Prussia's main rival, Austria, by removing it from the German Federation
to make Berlin, not Vienna, the centre of German affairs
to strengthen the position of the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I, countering the demands for reform from the Liberals in the Prussian Reichstag
They developed new reforms which includeed:
an increase in army conscription from two to three years
the introduction of new battle tactics
the introduction of and weapons such as the needle gun
The Isolation of France and Austria
The Franco-Prussian war was ended on 10th May with the signing of the Treaty of Frankfurt.
the border between France and Germany was established
France lost the territory of Alsace-Lorraine on its border with Germany
it also had to pay Germany £200 million in compensation.
a new imperial constitution was set up within the now unified German states
Wilhelm I, was officially recognised as Emperor (Kaiser) of the German Empire