Germany 1815-71 Timeline Flashcards
What happened in 1815?
Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation
- Germany was divided into 39 separate states
Who was the Key force of the Confederation between the 1815-48?
Austria, under Chancellor Metternich
What happened in 1818?
Prussian Customs Union created, abolishing internal tariffs in Prussia, allowing Prussia to develop its economy
- Rapid economic expansion in Prussia
What happened in 1834?
The establishment of Zollverein (customs union) which created free trade across 18 German states
- Gave Prussia economic predominance in Germany by the mid 1800s
What happened in 1836?
Zollverein extended
- includes 25 states
What happened in 1844?
Zollverein now includes 34 states
- Austria stays outside the customs union
What happened in 1847?
Crop failures lead to increased food prices
Unemployment rose
What happened in 1848?
Revolutions throughout the different states of Germany
- Metternich resigns as Chancellor of Austria, further reducing their dominance in German states
- Revolutions led to the election of a parliament for the whole of Germany-> Frankfurt Parliament, 596 liberals from German confederation, met to plan a constitution for a unified Germany
1848: What was the Problem with the Frankfurt Parliament deciding on a Unified Germany?
- Some liberals argued for a ‘Lesser Germany’, excluding Austria
- Others wanted a ‘Greater Germany’, including Austria but not Hungary
What happened to the Frankfurt Parliament in 1849?
The parliament broke up but the nationalist sentiment stayed strong
What happened in 1849?
March: Frankfurt Parliament agree on a constitution for Germany (Kleindeutschland, without Austria), led by the king of Prussia
BUT Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia rejects the offer
June: Parliament ends
What happened in 1851?
May: The German Confederation is re-established
What happened in 1860?
New Prussian Minister of War, Von Roon, introduces military reforms, longer military service, army twice as big etc
What happened in 1861?
Wilhelm I becomes the King of Prussia
What happened in 1862?
Otto von Bismarck is appointed as Minister President (Prime Minister/Chancellor equivalent) of Prussia
- Anti Liberal Junker
- Built the army to bring about the Unification through war
What happened in 1864?
The Danish War
- Majority of the population of the Schleswig-Holstein region were German, but the King of Denmark wanted to annex this region
- Outcry in German states led to war in which Austria and Prussia together fought the Danes
- War ended in Danish surrender
What happened in 1865?
Convention of Gastein
- Austria gain control of Holstein (nearer to Prussia)
- Prussia gains control of Schleswig
- Bismark knows the solution will eventually lead to conflict with Austria
What happened in 1866?
The Austrian war (the 7 weeks war)
- Bismarck provoked a war over the German Confederation, having first isolated Austria by making an alliance with Italy + ensuring France remained neutral by making vague promises of land
What happened in 1867?
After the defeat of Austria, North German Confederation was created by Bismarck
- Made Prussia the most powerful German state
- Southern German States (ie Bavaria) still follow Austria’s lead
What happened between 1870-71?
Franco-Prussian War
- Relations deteriorated between France and Prussia
- Issues of Spanish succession was a catalyst for war
- Napoleon III felt that a relative of the Prussian royal family becoming the King of Spain would lead to France being encircled
- French demands led to the Ems Telegram
- France was quickly defeated + with the fall of Napoleon III-> a new republic was proclaimed
What happened in 1871?
January 18th: German Empire declared (Germany is created)
- Wilhelm I is Kaiser (emperor)
- Bismarck became Chancellor
- The Treaty of Frankfurt (May 1871)
When was Bismarck Chancellor until?
1890
What did the Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) entail?
- Alsace-Lorraine was ceded to Germany
- France was made to pay a war indemnity
- German troops were occupying Northern Provinces of France
- Nationalism swept German states
