Q.
Though nationalism was a powerful ideology that continues to hold sway to this date, it
was insufficient to bring about the unification of Italy and Germany. Do you agree? Discuss
with respect to either Germany or Italy.
Nationalism arose among state boundaries defined by historical events in older states such as
Great Britain and France. The French Revolution ushered in not only the greatest of democracy,
but also the best of nationalism and emphasized language consistency inside a nation state. The
absence of political and territorial unity on German and Italian speaking people led to
movements for national unification in the instance of the Germans and Italians. As a result, the
history of German and Italian nationalism is a battle to bring German and Italian-speaking people
together in a single nation state. National unity was achieved in Germany and Italy in the mid-
nineteenth century by internal economic and political union, but it was ultimately based on
military victories against national rivals and international opponents and especially in case of
Germany which forged national unity through warfare and skillful diplomacy of Otto Von
Bismarck.
Germany was neither a state nor a nation at the opening of the 19th century. The eventual
unification of Germany as an empire under the leadership of Prussia was a climactic point in
German history as well as history of Europe. By decreasing the number of autonomous German
states to 38 of the 300 states of the disbanded Holy Roman Empire at the end of the Napoleonic
wars, Germany's political fragmentation was partially resolved and hence the German
Confederation was created in 1815. Political unification of Germany was difficult to achieve in
the 19th century, as conservative kings were reluctant to promote liberal ideas. After 1815, the
representative institutions founded in German states were given very restricted powers. The
existence of Austria in Germany was the second element that worked against greater unity.
Metternich, as chancellor of the Austrian empire and president of the federal diet, constantly
intervened in the affairs of the German states to restrain any movement of change. Thirdly, while
most German governments implemented democratic changes after 1848 the revolution failed
because the Frankfurt Assembly reflected the many disparate interests of the German ruling
classes. Finally, with the exception of a few areas inside Prussia and the rest of Germany, there
was lack of industrialization and urbanization, which meant that a thriving bourgeoisie as the
leader of the liberal or reform movement was largely lacking in major portions of Germany. The
technique of German unification was also influenced by conflict and military might, with
Prussia, Germany's largest state, playing a key part in the process.
Prussia's slow emergence to prominence as one of Germany's most important states is
noteworthy both in terms of economic development and in terms of ideas and leadership. The
creation of the Zollverein in 1833 marked the beginning of Prussia's true economic rise. This
customs union eventually resulted in the unification of German states' markets, indicating
Prussia's potential leadership role in the entire unification process. Zollverein was followed by
the industrial development and coming up of railways in Prussia which in turn helped in the
production of iron and coal. Prussia also fully appreciated the military use of this industrial
growth, manufacturing of heavy artillery transformed warfare. The rise of the population and
their migration to cities, as well as the collapse of rural industries resulted in the formation of
mobile labor, which was absorbed by an increasing number of new industries. All these factors
speeded up the German Unification.
The creation of a strong state in Central Europe was bound to disrupt relations between the great
powers because of which Germany's unification was based on war and diplomacy. Despite the
opposition of the Prussian legislature to Bismarck's military spending, which it refused to
approve, he was able to pursue his goal of Prussian ascendancy and German unification. The
issue of German claims on the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein which had been a major issue in
1848 was revived in 1863, and these duchies were eventually taken over by combined forces of
Prussia and Austria in a war against Denmark. After this it was easy for Prussia to pick up war
with Austria over their tenure, Austria was defeated and expelled from Germany. Bismarck
created the North German confederation, a union of the northern German states under the
hegemony of Prussia. The formation of the North German Confederation in 1867 threatened
France's security; it appeared after Bismarck's victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 that
German unity could only be realized after a war between France and Germany. Napoleon III's
advisors were opposed to further German unification, and Bismarck, too, hoped for military
victory over France to solidify the German nation-state. Bismarck successfully provoked war
with France by skillfully exploiting the dispute over the Hohenzollern candidacy for the Spanish
throne. This conflict with France in 1870 led to victory of Germany and the ultimate creation of
the German Empire.
Many historians have argued that nationalism played a minor role in Germany's unification.
Some believe that nationalism was the most important cause, while others believe that Prussia's
economic power was the driving force behind eventual unification. Other historians, however,
believe that it was a combination of factors that led to Germany's unification in 1871.
Nationalism undoubtedly played a role in Germany's unification in 1871; however, it was of a
very different breed than that seen in 1815, the 1830s, and 1848, and it was frequently
manipulated by powerful diplomats like Otto von Bismarck to their own ends. He was
determined to unite the German states into a single empire, with Prussia at its core, after the
formation of the German Confederation. By 1871, Prussia had officially taken over the rest of
the German states, but Bismarck had already implemented a number of internal and foreign
policies to ensure that this happened alongside unification. Therefore apart from using
nationalism to unify Germany Bismarck also used what some term as Prussification of Germany.
Bismarck became involved in several disagreements with nations such as France and Austria-
Hungary, sparking wars. These wars may have been planned not only to cultivate nationalism,
but also to provide an excuse to increase economic support for the Prussian army, allowing for
an easier takeover of the rest of the Confederation's states. There are numerous examples of
Bismarck relying on international and German rivals to protect Prussia's interests which also
gives us an example of his brilliant diplomatic skills.
Therefore, it seems that while nationalism as a significant factor in Germany's unification, it was
not the only factor. It was combined with other factors like authoritarian monarchy, lack of a
proper constitution, Prussian militarism as well as diplomatic manipulation.
-MUSKAN PAL.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
1. Lynn Abrams. “Bismarck and the German Empire, 1871-1918”.
2. Lynn Abrams. “Bismarck and the German Empire 1871-1918.” Second Edition.
