Outlines

Germany Strengthens
1. Germany, like Britain, possessed several of the factors that made industrialization possible. 2. Germany’s growth was due in part to ample iron and coal resources, the basic ingredients for Industrial development. 3. Germany’s rapidly growing population –from 41 million in 1871 to 67 million by 1914 also provided a huge home market along with a larger supply of Industrial workers. 4. During the 1850s and 1860s, Germans had founded large companies and built many railroads. The 1850s and 1860s, Germans had founded large companies and built many railroads. The house of Krupp (kroop) boomed after 1871, becoming an enormous industrial complex that produced steel and weapons for a world market.

Taking initial Steps toward Unity
1. In the early 1800S German – speaking people lived in a number of small and medium – sized states as well as Prussia and the Austrian Hapsburg empire .Napoleon Raids German lands. 2. Between 1806 and 1812, Napoleon made important territorial changes in German speaking lands. He dissolved the Holy Roman Empire by forcing the emperor of Austria to agree to the lesser title of king. He also organized a number of German states into the Rhine Confederation. 3. At first, some Germans welcomed the French emperor as a hero with enlightened, modern policies. He encouraged freeing the serfs, made trade easier, and abolished laws against Jews However, not all Germans appreciated Napoleon and his changes. As people fought to free their lands from French rule, they began to demand a unified German state. 4. Napoleon’s defeat did not resolve the issue. At the Congress of Vienna, Metternich pointed out that a united German state. Instead, the peacemakers created the German Confederation, a weak alliance headed by Austria.

Bismarck Unites German

1. Otto Von Bismarck succeeded where others had failed. Bismarck came from Prussia’s Juncker (young kur) class, made up of conservative landowning nobles. Bismarck first served Prussia as a diplomat in Russia and France. In 1862, King William 1 made him prime minister. Within a decade, the new prime had become Chancellor, or the highest official of a monarch, and had used his policy of “Blood and iron” to unite the German states under Prussian rule.

2. Master of Realpolitik Bismarck’s success was due in part to his strong will. He was a master of Realpolitik (Ray AHL poh lee teek), or realistic politics based on the needs of the state.

3. Strengthening the army as Prussia’s prime minister, Bismarck first moved to build up the Prussian army. Despite his “Blood and iron” speech, the liberal legislature refused to vote for funds for the military. In response, Bismarck strengthened the army with money that had been collected for other purposes. With a powerful, well – equipped military, he was then ready to pursue, an aggressive foreign policy. Over the next decade, Bismarck led Prussia into three wars. Each war increased Prussian prestige and power and paved the way for German unity.