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Napoleon Invades German Land
France conquers Prussian and Austrian Poland possessions, establishing the Duchy of Warsaw. -
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Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. -
Otto Von Bismarck's Birth
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg, known as Otto von Bismarck, was a conservative Prussian statesman who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. -
Zollverein
The Zollverein was a German Customs Union was a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories. -
Frederick William IV is Offered the Throne
Frederick William became King of Prussia on the death of his father in 1840 -
Frankfurt Assembly Demands Unity
In the south and west, large popular assemblies and mass demonstrations took place, The Frankfurt Assembly worked to find ways to unite Germany. -
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Economic Development in Prussia
The German government promoted economic development. They were determined to maintain economic strength and military power. -
Bismarck Becomes Prime Minister
Bismarck became prime minister and foreign minster of Prussia in September 1862. He had come to know personally the architects of French, Russian, and Austrian foreign policy. -
Blood and Iron Speech
by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck given in 1862 about the unification of the German territories. -
Bismarck Declares War on Denmark
With support from Austria, he issued an ultimatum for Christian IX to return Schleswig to its former status. When Denmark refused, Austria and Prussia invaded, commencing the Second Schleswig War and Denmark was forced to cede both duchies. -
Bismarck Declares War on Austria
In 1866, Austria reneged on the agreement and demanded that the Diet determine the Schleswig–Holstein issue. Bismarck used this as an excuse to start a war with Austria by accusing them of violating the Gastein Convention. -
Constitution Drafted by Bismarck
On 16 April it accepted the constitution, which was essentially written by Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian minister-president and first minister of the confederation. -
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Franco Prussian War
Prussia's victory over Austria increased tensions with France. Its emperor, Napoleon III, feared that a powerful Germany would change the balance of power in Europe. -
Campaign Agains the Socialists
were a series of acts, the first of which was meant to curb the growing strength of the Social Democratic Party. -
Bismarck Becomes Chancellor
He was appointed as the first Imperial Chancellor of the German Empire, but retained his Prussian offices including those of Minister-President and Foreign Minister. -
William I of Prussia Becomes Emperor
Under the leadership of William and his Minister President Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. -
House of Krupp
The Krupp family was a German dynasty of industrialists. The Krupps started the first major steel-works in Germany in 1811, and their enterprise expanded rapidly to become one of the world's largest companies and Germany's leading supplier of armaments. -
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Second Reich is Created
The unified Germany which arose under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1871 was the first entity that was officially called Realm of Germany in the Second Reich -
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Population Growth
Prussia's population numbered 24.69 million, accounting for 60% of the German Empire's population. -
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Campaign Against the Church
Bismark restricted the Catholic Church's power to stop the danger by legislation restricting the Catholic church's political power -
William I Becomes Kaiser
The first German Emperor , as well as the first Head of State of a united Germany. -
Bismark Resigns
In 1888, the German Emperor, Wilhelm I, died leaving the throne to his son, Friedrich III. The new monarch was already suffering from an incurable throat cancer and died after reigning for only 99 days. He was succeeded by his son, Wilhelm II, who opposed Bismarck's careful foreign policy, preferring vigorous and rapid expansion to enlarge Germany's "place in the sun".
