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German Confederation was Established
An organization of 39 states was established by the Congress of Vienna. It was created to replace the Holy Roman Empire, which was destroyed by Napoleon and the French in 1806. The German Confederation prompted Germany to unify later on. -
Revolutions in Attempt to Unify German States
The middle class revolted in an attempt to unify the German States. Liberals wanted natural rights and found themselves unhappy with the social and political laws the Congress of Vienna established, which led to an outbreak of revolts. Those revolts are regarded as failures since they did not succeed in their goal to unify the German States. -
Otto von Bismark was Appointed Chancellor
After King Wilhelm succeeded his father, he appointed Otto von Bismark as chancellor. Bismark was a representative of the upper class and aspired to help create a government that appeased the upper and lower class. Bismark manipulated the king into giving him power and led the German states into many wars. Bismark believed he could unify Germany by driving out Austria and strengthening the Prussian army. He accomplished many of his goals in the 1860s. -
Second Schleswig War
This conflict was a result of Denmark declaring that Holstein and Schleswig were Danish territories. These territories were located inside of the German confederation, which angered Prussia and Austria, prompting them to fight Denmark. The war resulted in Prussia's and Austria's victory, in which Schleswig became Prussian territory and Holstein became an Austrian territory. -
7 Weeks War
SInce Bismark had planned to drive Austria out of the German Confederation, he manipulated Austria into going to war with Prussia. Austria was upset that they had to pass through Prussian territory to get to Holstein. Prussia had alliances with Italy that determined the outcome of the war. Since Italy had troops along the Austrian border, Austria could not handle attacks from Prussia and Italy, leading to Austria's demise. From this war, Italy gained Venetia and Prussia gained Northern states. -
Franco-Prussian War
King Wilhelm was offered the Spanish throne, which enraged Napoleon III. Napoleon III believed this went against the balance of power within European nations, an idea set by the Congress of Vienna. Napoleon also feared that Prussia would become too powerful with Spain under its control. To instigate the war, Bismark humiliated Napoleon III, by publishing a telegram sent by Napoleon III to Wilhelm. As a result of Napoleon's lll humiliation, France declared war on Prussia -
Unification of Germany
After the Franco-Prussian War, the western German States aligned with the North German Confederation. Germany was declared a nation in Versaille, France, at the Hall of Mirrors. The Unification of Germany went against the balance of power since a new powerful country was established, which left Europe in awe and fear. -
Start of William ll's Reign
William II wanted to assert his own power and encouraged Bismark to resign in 1890. William pushed for colonial expansion and economic growth during his reign. Germany's economic and military growth quickly made Germany one of Britain's competitors. -
Naval Arm Races
After William ll came to power, he focused on building naval forces. Germany found competition with Britain, as they also worked on strengthing their battleships. This led to the Naval Arm Races and contributed to huge friction between the two nations. -
Germany Supported Austria-Hungary
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand led Austria- Hungary to attack Serbia. Since Austria-Hungary had an alliance with Germany, Germany supported Austria-Hungary with their attacks on Serbia. To counter Germany's alliances with Austria-Hungary and Italy, Britain declared war on Germany. All of the wars occurring in Europe marked the start of World War 1.