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Napoleon Invades German Lands
Napoleon annexed parts of German speaking land for France. He took land alone the Rhine, and dissolved the Holy Roman Empire. He also made the Rhine confederation out of several German states. -
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Congress of Vienna
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 birth
Otto Von Bismack is born in Schonhausen Germany to a wealthy Prussian family. -
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna met after the French Revolution. It was comprised of European leaders who wanted to make Europe the way it was before, and keep Germany weak so it could not rise to power. -
Zollverein
The Zollverein was an economic union in Germany. It made it so all German states could trade with each other without having to worry about tax tariffs. -
Frankfurt Assembly demands unity
Liberals in the Frankfurt Assembly wanted political unity for Germany. They offered the throne to a Prussian ruler. -
Frederick William IV is offerd the Throne
Frederick William IV is offered the throne of a united Germany by the Frankfurt Assembly. He turns it down, saying he doesn't want a throne offered by the people. -
Bismarck becomes prime minister
Otto von Bismarck is made Prime Minister of Prussia by King William I. He first served Prussia as a diplomat. -
Blood and Iron speech
Otto von Bismarck's famous "Blood and Iron" speech was given this day. It illustrated his plans and ideas for unifying Germany through military force and war. -
Bismarck declares war on Denmark
Bismarck made an alliance with Austria, then used them to attack Denmark. He seized Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. -
Bismarck declares war on Austria
Bismarck invented a reason to attack Austria, and the war lasted for 7 weeks. It ended with a Prussian victory. -
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Franco Prussian War
Napoleon III was angry over France losing to Prussia, and did not try to stop any ensuing war. Bismarck did not either, provoking France into battle by rewriting a telegram in an unflattering way. This led to France declaring war on Prussia, and surrendering just a few short weeks later. -
William I of Prussia becomes Emperor
Germany was happy about the Prussian defeat of France, and nationalism was high. This allowed them to convince William the First of Prussia to accept the role of kaiser of the German Empire, which he had previously declined. -
Second Reich is created
The Germans celebrated the birth of the Second Reich. They called it the Second Reich because they considered it to be the heir of the Holy Roman Empire. -
Constitution drafted by Bismarck
Bismarck's constitution made a two-house legislature of the Bundesrat and Reichstag. The Bundesrat could veto any decisions made, so they really held all the power. -
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Population Growth 1871-1914
The German Empire experienced a huge population boom over this time. The population grew from 41 million in 1871 to 67 million in 1914. This meant a very large workforce for economic growth. -
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Economic Development
Germany's population boom led to a large and highly educated workforce. This meant Germany was able to build up their economic infrastructure. The large abundance of natural resources also helped the economic progress. -
Bismarck becomes chancellor
Otto Von Bismarck becomes the first chancellor of the German Empire, and through his diplomatic skills, he managed to maintain the peace in Europe for a generation -
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Campaign against the church
Otto von Bismarck tried to subject the Roman Catholic church to state controls. The term came into use in 1873, when the scientist and Prussian liberal statesman Rudolf Virchow declared that the battle with the Roman Catholics was assuming “the character of a great struggle in the interest of humanity.” -
William II becomes Kaiser
William II becomes kaiser and king of Prussia from 1888 to 1918. He was known for his frequently militaristic manner as well as for his vacillating policies. -
Bismarck resigns
Bismarck resigned with a sense of having failed.