Definitions and IDs

• Risorgimento• Cavour / Mazzini/ Garibaldi• Otto von Bismarck • “by blood and iron”• Bad Ems Dispatch

Questions and Imperatives

• Discuss French involvement in both Italian and German unification.

• Describe three focused efforts at German unification, clearly explaining the final attempt that worked.

• How and when did the Italian States unify into one nation?

• Is nationalism a constructive force in the modern age? (Class discussion)

Italian Unification• Risorgimento - meaning “resurgence,” to rise again,

was the movement for liberation and unification of Italy (use 1815-1870)

• HOW TO UNIFY ITALY:– (1) radical program of Mazzini who preached a centralized

democratic republic based on universal suffrage and the will of the people

– (2) Catholic priest Vincenzo Gioberti called for a federation of existing states under the presidency of a progressive pope and King of Piedmont/Sardinia as its military defender (called the neo-Guelph movement -- in the middle ages, popes and their allies called themselves Guelphs in the struggle with the HRE)

• DO YOU THINK THE POPE SHOULD BE A POLITICAL LEADER?

The Moderate approach worked

– (3) mostly Piedmont patriots wishing to drive out Austria

• Wars between Austria and Piedmont strengthened this position

• Cavour will lead the way for the moderate approach

MAZZINI (1805-1872)

• patriot, revolutionary, radical liberal, intellectual• spent much of his life in exile• his nationalist philosophy went beyond Italy, throughout Europe• as early as 1830s he pushed for the cause of Italian unity• created a revolutionary group called Young Italy• revolutions in 1848:• wants to establish a republic based on democratic principles and manhood

suffrage• create feeling of wanting to be Italian, Italian Unification• create a nation of equals, we are Italians (a brotherhood)• eliminate regional differences in one fell swoop by unification (I am Italian,

not I am Venetian)• wants this done by spontaneous wills of the people of Italy (uprising by us)

GARIBALDI (1807-1882)• popular hero of reunification• British poet Tennyson said Garibaldi had

“the divine stupidity of a hero”• naive, idealist, suckered into deals (not intellectual)• man of action• attempted to carry out Mazzini’s philosophy, to realize his ideas• like Mazzini, wanted a democratic republic• charismatic, warrior, born leader (social with his men)• didn’t care for money, beloved by poor, doing this for Italy• involved with uprisings in 1830s and sometime then fled to S. America• took part in revolutions in S. America, learning guerrilla tactics (surprise raids)• returned to Italy in 1848 to fight against Austria in revolution• when that failed, he joined Mazzini in Rome• In 1859, he led a volunteer force for Piedmont against Austria• offered a command in the Union Army by President Lincoln (Garibaldi never fought

in the Civil War, but followers did)

CAVOUR (1810-1861)• born to rich noble family, but

more bourgeois than aristocratic in his values• prime minister of Piedmont in 1850’s, a strong diplomat• lacked the charisma of Mazzini and Garibaldi• traveled a lot, learned modernization in England (i.e. agricultural products)• came back to Piedmont (tripled his earnings by introducing agriculture,

modernizations)• a modernizing aristocrat (used England as a model)• tried to cut back church’s control on land (so land can be used)• Piedmont can become 1st class power• to unify Italy or to conquer it (like Bismarck)• favored a liberal monarchy, rather than Mazzini’s republic

Cavour’s approach• 1859• Plombières and French Emperor Napoleon III • Underground ($)• 1860 (Lombardy, Central states and duchies,

and Sicilies) • Move to south, BUT Garibaldi• Cavour dies June 1861• 1866 (Venetia)• 1870 (Rome)

German Unification

• Three attempts– 1817, Student fraternities (Burschenschaften)– 1848-49, Frankfurt Assembly– 1860s, orchestrated by Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck• Bismarck became Chancellor in 1862 for Wilhelm I

(King of Prussia)• Bismarck wanted an army not just the “National Guard” • Wilhelm struggled with the parliament for the

money to maintain an army threatening to abdicate if they didn’t give it to him• Bismarck advised the King to collect the taxes needed for this without going to

parliament• Bismarck:• - “Iron Chancellor”• - a man of violent moods and tempers• - had great oratory skills• - was well read, tough, a dueler• - Chancellor Bismarck was given the title Minister Resident of Prussia”• - wanted German unification• - had been at the Frankfurt Assembly

“By Blood and Iron”

• Bismarck (a Junker, Prussian Aristocracy, a landowner)• could read the sign of the times• was a diplomatic genius, he didn’t plow straight ahead but

took steps • wants to go to war with Austria (Austria is pre-eminent in

Germany because of the Congress of Vienna, Austria is President of the German Confederation)

• there was a feudal bond between William I (King of Prussia) and Franz-Joseph (Austria)

• William said if you can provoke Austria to declare war then I will go along with you

First War• Denmark over Schleswig-Holstein• 2 duchies administered by Danish King (Schleswig

German/Dane and Holstein German)• Holstein was a member of the German confederation• 1863, Denmark annexed Schleswig (north, close to her)• Bismarck “suggested” Prussia and Austria take these two

duchies• it was thought that since the majority of the people in these

areas were German that these 2 areas should become part of a unified Germany

• Prussia and Austria fought against the Danish, the outcome being Prussia got Schleswig and Austria got Holstein (Convention of Gastein, 1865)

Second War• 1866 when Prussia and Austria fought• Austria wanted to take over Schleswig from Prussia• Bismarck saw this as violating the Gastein agreement• Bismarck checked with Russia and France to make sure neither would side

with Austria• BUT DO THESE NATIONS WANT A UNIFIED GERMANY???• Russia had been helped by Bismarck against Poland and Napoleon hated

Austria and wanted to see a long war between the two• Prussian army goes after Austria and wins in the “7 weeks war”• Italy supported Prussia since she was promised Venetia (to be taken from

Austria)• Prussia and Bismarck won, Prussia annexed Schleswig-Holstein and other

states in the north and the North German Confederation was created, (German confederation was split into Northern Confederation and Southern Confederation)

BISMARCK IS HALF DONE• King of Prussia became president of North Confederation

w/ Bismarck as Chancellor• Austria was expelled from the Germanies• on the sidelines, Napoleon III had hoped for a long war• he was disappointed and alarmed; German unification

would put France at risk• by 1870 Bismarck felt he had lost• said to his buddy General VonRoon: “I’ve failed to unify

Germany”• but, a crisis in Spain put unification within grasp

The Story…• Queen of Spain stepped downed without a

successor• Cortez went about looking for a successor

• must be a blue blooded aristocrat and Catholic• in Southern Germany he found Prince Leopold from the Hohenzollern

family (he was the nephew of the King of Prussia)• WHO WOULD NOT LIKE THIS?• If Bismarck moves to bring in Southern Germany into the

Confederation, “our guns will go off by themselves,” an automatic war.

• William agreed to convince Leopold to withdraw his candidacy• But…

BAD EMS• While Emperor William was relaxing at Bad Ems,

French Ambassador (Benedetti)…• When Bismarck received the telegram in Berlin…leaked to the French Press on July

14th (France’s National Holiday)• the telegram had been an insult, and French demanded reaction• Bismarck went to Southern German states and asked them to join in battle• “You’d better like Napoleon more than you hate me if you do not join us” • South joined with the Northern Confederation and Napoleon capitulated• This had also affected the unification of Italy• On January 18, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, Wilhelm was proclaimed the

German Emperor by the German Princes• as predicted by Bismarck, it happened by blood and iron not by debate• having this at Versailles was a way of getting back at Louis XIV• there was even continued fighting in Paris after the defeat at Sedan• now there was German unification• France on her part had to give up Alsace and Lorraine (sowed the seeds of future

conflict) and pay a 5 million Mark indemnity

How to keep her?

• alliances (tries to keep France isolated and keep peace in the Balkans)...– The Duel Alliance of 1879, Austria and Germany (Balkan Peace)– 3 Emperors League of 1873 Austria, Germany and Russia– Triple Alliance in 1882, Italy, Austria, and Germany, w/England

as a sleeping partner– 3 Emperors League only renewed by Russia and so became the

Reinsurance Treaty...canceled in 1887 by the grandson of William (i.e. William II)

• France and Russia also have their own alliance as defensive against Germany

What is the significance of the unification of Germany and Italy?