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Napoleon's Empire Falls
Napoleon annexed lands along the Rhine River for France. He organized the Rhine Confederation. He made many new changes to the land and some Germans did not appreciate the changes. Some people fought to free their land from French rule and demanded a unified Germanic State. -
Congress of Vienna
Metternich pointed out that a united Germany requires dismantling the government of each German State. The peacemakers then created the German Confederation. It was a weak alliance that was lead by Austria. -
Economic Union Brings More Unity
Prussia creates the Zollverein which was an economic union with Germany and other nations. It dismantled tariff barriers between a lot of German States. The liberals in Frankfurt Assembly demanded German political unity. They offered a throne to Frederick William IV who was the king of Prussia. He then rejected it. -
Bismarck's Rise to Power
Bismarck served Prussia as a diplomat in Russia and France. He was made Prime Minister by King William I, in 1862. He then became a chancellor and used his "blood and iron" policy to unite the Grman States under Prussian Rule. -
Otto's Steps to Unification
Bismarck had done many things to unify Germany. He was a master of Realpolitik which meant realistic politics based on the needs of the state. He also increased the Prussian Army to win wars for Germany's unification. -
War with Denmark and Austria
Bismarck wanted to form an alliance with Austria. Austria then conquered some provinces of Denmark and later Bismarck invented an excuse to attack Austria. Prussia and Austria won the war and Prussia took control of several north German states. Then Bismarck made a new confederation dominated by Prussia. -
Franco-Prussian War
Prussian victory angered Napoleon III causing a rivalry that led to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. To spur German Nationalism, Bismarck played up the image of the French menace. Then later Napoleon III declared war on Prussia. With a strong Prussian force, Prussia crushed the French soldiers. Napoleon III then surrendered after a few weeks. -
Formation of the German Empire
After the war, southern German states and the North German Confederation made William I of Prussia take the title of kaiser. Then the second Reich was born. Bismarck then drafted a constitution which made a two-house legislature.
