-
Creation of German Confederation
The German people wanted to break free from Napoleon, so they created the German Confederation. It was headed by Austria. The German Confederation was a weak attempt in unifying the Germanic states. -
Bismark's rise to power
Otto von Bismark was named Prime Minister by King William I. Bismark rose from Prussia's junker class. Within a decade of being named prime minister, he was named Chancellor of Prussia. He was a very smart and strategic leader. -
The first war of unification
Austria and Prussia formed an alliance to fight against Denmark. They seized the provinces Schleswig and Holstein together. Then Prussia liberated Schleswig while Austria liberated Holstein. -
Austro-Prussian war
Bismark wanted to be the only German super power, so they tricked Austria getting in a war with them. Prussia had a superior army and this allowed Bismark to win in seven weeks. He made it seem like Austria had broke the alliance. -
Franco-Prussian War
Germany wanted to become a superpower in Europe. To do so, Bismark tricked Napoleon by editing a telegraph so it seemed like they were insulting a frenchman. So Napoleon III declared war on Prussia and lost within a few weeks, making Germany the new superpower in Europe, only behind Great Britian. -
The Formation of the German Empire
To form the German Empire, William I was convinced to become Kaiser. There were two houses of Legislature. The Reichstag was considered the lower house, and the Bundesrat was considered the upper house.
