5 Steps to a 5TM AP European History

(^158) › STEP 4. Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High
• Cultural differences between the rural, conservative, Protestant north and the urban,
liberal, Catholic south
• A long history of proud independence on the part of the individual German states
• The powerful influence of Hapsburg Austria, which controlled or influenced a large por-
tion of the German Confederation
Prussian Leadership
With the failure of the liberal Frankfurt Assembly in 1848, leadership in the German
nationalist movement passed to Prussia. Prussia was a strong northern kingdom ruled by
the Hohenzollern dynasty and supported by a powerful class of landed aristocrats known
as Junkers. Prussia also had the strongest military in Germany, and in 1845, Prussia led the
way in establishing the Zollverein, a large free-trade zone, consisting of all German states but
excluding Austria. This combination of military and economic power led many Germans
to look to Prussia for leadership.
Bismarck and War with Denmark and Austria
In 1861, Prussia’s new monarch, William I, wanted to reorganize and further strengthen
the military, but the liberal legislature resisted, and a power struggle between the
monarch and the legislature ensued. William turned to the conservative Junker Otto
von Bismarck to be his prime minister. Bismarck forced a showdown, and it quickly
became apparent that the support of the Prussian people was with the king, the army,
and Bismarck. With the power of the army behind him and the government fully estab-
lished, Bismarck set out a policy to unify Germany under the Prussian crown, which
came to be known as Realpolitik and asserted that the aim of Prussian policy would be to
increase its power by whatever means and strategies were necessary and useful. Bismarck
asserted that the unification of Germany would be accomplished by a combination of
“blood and iron.”
First, Bismarck isolated France through a series of treaties, including the Three
Emperors’ League (with Austria and Russia), the Reinsurance Treaty (Russia), and the
Triple Alliance (with Austria and Italy). Then he quickly concluded that a war with Austria
was inevitable, and he engineered one in an episode that has come to be known as the
Schleswig-Holstein Affair. He began by enlisting Austria as an ally in a war with Denmark
over two duchies, Schleswig and Holstein, which had large German-speaking populations.
Once Denmark was forced to cede the two duchies, Bismarck provoked an argument with
Austria over control of them. Bismarck’s next moves were a perfect illustration of Realpolitik
in action:
• First, Bismarck obtained Italian support for a war with Austria by promising Italy the
province of Venetia.
• Next, he ensured Russian neutrality by supporting Russia’s actions against its rebellious
Polish subjects.
• Then, he met secretly with Napoleon III of France and persuaded him that a weakening
of Austrian power was in the best interests of France.
• Finally, and only after those preparations were in place, he carried out a series of diplomatic
and military maneuvers that provoked Austria into declaring war.
In the resulting Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Prussian troops surprised and over-
whelmed a larger Austrian force, winning victory in only seven weeks. The result was the
expulsion of Austria from the old German Confederation and the creation of a new North
German Confederation, which was completely under the control of Prussia.
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