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Napoleon invades German Lands
Napoleon made territorial changes in German-speaking lands and took over lands along the Rhine river. He also made the emperor of Austria agree to becoming king which ruined the Holy Roman Empire. He even organized a bunch of German states into the Rhine confederation. Inevitably, some Germans liked his changes while some did not. -
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Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was from which "the Germany" of 39 states from Austria and Prussia emerged. -
Otto von Bismarck birth
The day Otto von Bismark was born. -
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Zollverein
The Zollverein (aka German Customs Unit) was a group of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories. -
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Frankfurt Assembly Demands Unity
The Frankfurt Assembly was the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. The session was held for over a year in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main. They demanded the principles of parlimentary democracy, liberal and nationalist movements, foundation of basic rights, and a constitutional monarchy (kaiser as emperor.) -
Frederick William IV is Offered the Throne
Fredrick William IV rejected the title of German emperor in 1849 offered to him by the Frankfurt parliament. -
Bismark Becomes Prime Minister
Otto von Bismarck became prime minister and foreign minister of Prussia in 1862 appointed by King William. -
Blood and Iron Speech
On September 30, 1862 Otto von Bismarck gave a famous speech about the unification of German territories through military force, entitled "Blood and Iron." -
Bismarck Declares War on Denmark
In 1864 Prussia and Austria teamed up and declared war on Denmark. They won easily and ended up signing a treaty with eachother (Prussia and Austria.) -
Bismark Declares War on Austria
Prussia and Austria's treaty did not last long, and Prussia declared war on Austriain 1866, invading the German states of Hanover, Hesse and Saxony. -
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Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian war was conflict between the Second French Empire and the German states of the North German Confederation led by Prussia. It emerged from tensions caused by German unification. Bismarck planned to provoke a French attack in order to draw the Southern German states into an alliance with the North German Confederation. The result was a German victory. -
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Population Growth
Since the unification of Germany, the population quickly rose which created a huge whole market and a highly skilled workforce. -
William I of Prussia Becomes Emperor
On January 18, 1871, William I of Prussia became emperor (kaiser) of Prussia and wanted to build Germany into a major naval, colonial and ecomic power. -
Constitution Drafted by Bismarck
The constitution was a treaty between the North German Confederation and the four German states south of the river Main, adding those states as members of the Confederation. This was instigated/dafted by Otto von Bismark. -
Second Reich is Created
In 1871 the Second Reich was created- when Hohenzollern monarchs ruled Germany. -
House of Krupp
The House of Krupp was an industrial complex that produced steel weapons for the world market. -
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Campaign against the Church (Kulturkampf)
The campaign against the church was enacted by Bismarck to reduce the role and power of the Roman Catholic Church in Prussia. -
Economic Developement
The unification of Germany stimulated major growth in the economy and military. -
Bismarck Becomes Chancellor
The new constitution (revision of Prussian constitution from 1867) included the position of chancellor with Bismarck specifically in mind. So he was then appointed to Chancellor in 1872. -
Campaign against the Socialists
In 1878 Bismarck created the anti-socialist law, banning all social-democratic assosiations, meetings or newspapers. If anyone broke this law, they were imprisoned. -
William II Becomes Kaiser
On June 15, 1888 William II became Kaiser of Germany and was until the end of World War I in 1918 -
Bismark Resigns
In 1890 Bismarck is forced to resign by William II, after much arguing about their opposing views.
