Nationalism and Conflict in Europe (Doc 1)

Following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, the major European powers of the day met in Vienna, Austria to establish a plan of peace and discuss the realignment of territorial borders. The European powers present at the Congress of Vienna included Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and England. Headed by Austria's Prince Metternich, the Congress of Vienna attempted to stem the tide of nationalism sweeping across Europe.

Metternich believed nationalism created disorder because it fostered bloody revolution. The Congress of Vienna sought to restore absolutist ruling families to the thrones of Europe and maintain a balance of power. A balance of power means that one nation should not be allowed to dominate and come into conflict with other nations. The Congress of Vienna was successful in suppressing nationalistic movements from 1815 to 1848, however, nationalism eventually returned to the Europe. Nationalistic movements in Italy and Germany resulted in unified, sovereign nation-states after periods of open war within the borders.

Germany, was also fragmented. For many of the same reasons, there was a nationalistic movement calling for the unification of Germany. Many felt that to be considered a legitimate nation with political power on the international scene, Germany would have to have autonomous sovereignty. Of all the German states, Prussia was the most powerful, dominating the other, smaller states. Prussia was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm,however, the person with the most power was Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, shown here. It was Bismarck who strengthened German unity and power by calling on the nationalistic tendencies of the German people. Bismarck was able to unite Germany through his policy of Realpolitik, or realistic politics, which is a Machiavellian "end justifies the means" approach to strengthening and uniting Germany. Bismarck was a strong proponent of "Blood and Iron". Blood represented the sacrifices the German people would have to make in achieving the goal of unification. A culture of militarism, or the glorification of the military, was created by the crafty Bismarck. This played out in a series of wars against the Austrians and the French. Iron represented the need to industrialize. Bismarck saw that in order to be a world power, Germany would have to catch up with much of the rest of Europe in the areas of technology and factory production. In 1871, Bismarck succeeded in placing Wilhelm on the throne of a unified Germany. German power achieved through nationalism would foster a period of imperialization and would set the stage for the outbreak of World War I.

  1. What methods did Bismarck use to achieve his goal of unification?
  2. Define realpolitik in your own words? How does it relate to Machiavelli’s political beliefs?
  3. What did Bismarck mean by blood and iron?
  4. What impact do you think these policies will have on Germany? The rest of Europe?

German Unification (Doc 2)

Bismarck exercises his power over the Germans, as so aptly described in the inscription here: "Here is Bismarck, still with his big broom, who scolds and picks up all of the recalcitrant (stubborn) Germans. Let's go! Go or die! Faster than that! Or the French will eat your sauerkraut!"

  1. To what historical event does this political cartoon refer?
  2. How did Bismarck “force” the Germans into supporting unification?

Famous Quotes from Bismarck (Doc 3)

General Quotes:

"Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war."

"There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America."

"People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election."

“ When you want to fool the world, tell the truth."

"I have seen three emperors in their nakedness, and the sight was not inspiring."

"Politics ruins the character."

"Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.

"When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice."

“I don’t like so many Frenchmen in our house who do not want to be there.” (On the annexation of Lorraine)

"I am bored. The great things are done. The German Reich is made." (After the German unification of 1871)

"A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one." (On France)

"Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans," (Prediction on what would provoke the next war)

  1. How do these quotes relate to Bismarck’s belief in Realpolitik?
  2. What do these quotes tell us about his qualities as a leader?
  3. Do you agree with his belief in realpolitk?

Bismarck: Early Life

He was born at Schonhausen, near Berlin on 1 April 1815. He was a member of the Junker class that dominated the powerful state of Prussia. He attended Gottingen University where he drank heavily and fought twenty-five duels and was supposed to study law. He preferred English novels and was a fluent English speaker.

For a number of years he worked on the family estate where his hard-drinking was legendary. He married Johanna von Puttkamer in 1847. He was devoted to his three children, Marie, Herbert and Bill.

Politically he was regarded as a very conservative Junker opposed to any form of constitutional change. In 1851 he was appointed ambassador to the German Diet at Frankfurt. Here he made it clear that Prussia considered herself equal to Austria.

In 1859 he was sent as ambassador to St Petersburg, the Russian capital. In 1862 he was transferred to France. A crisis over the length of military service saw him appointed Minister President of Prussia in 1862. In later life he suffered from poor health. He smoked fourteen cigars a day, drank beer in the afternoon, kept two large goblets – one for champagne and one for port – at hand during meals. He drank a bottle of champagne before he went to bed to help him sleep. After 1884 he was forced to curtail his consumption of alcohol.