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Congress of Vienna
The Monarchs of Europe met in Vienna in an effort to force political change in the likes of the French Revolution. -
Bismark birth
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Zollvereign
A union of 18 German states was formed and headed by Prussia. This was called the Zollverein. The union worked on creating a national currency, and extended railways between member states, which became useful for the mobilisation of soldiors in the wars that followed. -
Bismark becomes prime minister
Bismark was appointed Prime-Minister/President by Wilhelm. He introduced conscription, established a military college and continued to build railways to move forces and modern artillery. Bismark created alliances with some neighbours while isolating others. He famously said "not through speeches and majority votes are the great questions of the day decided but through iron and blood" -
Blood and iron speech
"Blood and Iron is the title of a famous speech by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck given in 1862 about the unification of the German territories. It is also a famous transposed phrase that Bismarck uttered near the end of the speech that has become one of his most famous quotations. -
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Population increase
Between 1871 and 1914, the populaton in the German Empire dramatically increased. The population grew from 41 million in 1871 to 68 million in 1914. This lead to a larger working class, which lead to higher production. -
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House of Krupp
The House of Krupp is a family company that has been around from 1826 to the present. During the rise of the German Empire, they played an important role in providing jobs and shaping the Empire into an economic superpower. This made them quite powerful. -
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Economic Developement
During this time, the German Empire was growing as an economic superpower. The government was attempting to stimulate the economy and doing quite a good job of it. Families like the Krupps were also providing quite a bit of jobs for the growing economy. The new nation quickly developed into the most economically dominant country in Europe. -
William I of Prussia becomes Emperor
On this date King William I of Prussia was crowned as the German Emperor. He was the first one, and he lead the country alongside Otto von Bismarck until his death. -
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Kulturkampf
At the formation of the Empire, catholics made up about 37% of the population. Threatened by the influence possessed by the Roman Catholic Church, Bismarck enacted policies to encourage secularity and to persecute the catholic minority. The plan backfired, however, and reenergised the catholics to fight for power. Therefore, it was abandoned in 1778. -
Bismark drafts constitution
On this date, the constitution of the German empire was officially enacted(make a law). Heavily influenced by Bismarck, it is often refferred to as Bismarck's imperial constitution. -
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Campaign against the Socialist
During this time, Bismarck campaigned to keep the socialist party out of the Reichstag, Germany's legislative body. The SPD, as it was and is known, campaigned to gain seats. The effort lapsed during 1790. -
William II becomes Kaiser
The next emperor, William II was crowned on this day. This began a major shift in policy, both domestically and abroad. -
Bismark resigns
On this date, the great German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck resigned. He was forced into resignation by the recently crowned Kaiser William II, who was greedy for personal power.
