Western Civilization - History Of European Society

502 Chapter 25

abolished. Several of the north German states (includ-
ing Hanover) were absorbed into an enlarged Prussia.
All other German states north of the Main River (in-
cluding Saxony) were brought into a new confedera-
tion under Prussian domination, the North German
Confederation. A few southern states (Baden, Würt-
temberg, and Bavaria) retained their independence, al-
though Bismarck brought them into the Zollverein and
military alliances with Prussia.
Bismarck resisted the desires of army leaders and
the king to annex Austrian territories because he
wanted Austrian support in the future. Franz Joseph had
other urgent problems. Fearing that civil war could fol-
low the humiliation of Königgrätz, the Austrian gov-
ernment reached a compromise (Ausgleich) negotiated
by the Hungarian statesman Francis Deák. Deák, a

moderate liberal who had resisted Kossuth’s radicalism

in 1848–49, sought only the restitution of the ancient

Hungarian constitution granting self-government in

domestic affairs. In accepting the Ausgleichof 1867, the

Austrians converted the empire into a dual monarchy

known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Vienna con-

tinued to control the western half of the empire, but

the Magyars now controlled the east, cheerfully accept-

ing the task of keeping the Slavic peoples of the empire

subordinated.

The Seven Weeks’ War created a crisis in Franco-

Prussian relations. One month after the battle of

Königgrätz, Napoleon III reminded Bismarck of their

Biarritz agreement. He requested, for the promised

compensation, that France receive her eastern frontiers

of 1814 plus additional territory such as Luxembourg.

DENMARK

SWEDEN

NETHERLANDS

BELGIUM

FRANCE

SWITZERLAND

AUSTRIA

PRUSSIA

RUSSIAN

EMPIRE

LUXEMBOURG

Hamburg

Amsterdam

Brussels

Sedan

Verdun

Strasbourg

Munich

Trier

Frankfurt

Cologne

Weimar

Olmütz

Eisenach

Ems

Leipzig

Dresden

Breslau

Berlin

Danzig

Vienna

Memel

Warsaw

Cracow

Prague

Königgrätz

Nuremberg

Mainz

Königsberg

ALSACE

LORRAINE

BADEN

WÜRTTEMBURG

HESSE -

CASSEL

EAST

PRUSSIA

WEST

PRUSSIA

SCHLESWIG

HOLSTEIN

OLDENBURG

HANOVER

SAXONY

MECKLENBURG

BAVARIA

HESSE -

DARMSTADT

Ba

lt

ic

Se

a

We

se

r

R.

Rh

ine

Elbe

R.

Oder

R.

Vistula

R.

Danu

be R.

Main R.

R.

0 100 200 Miles

0 100 200 300 Kilometers

Prussia, 1862

United in 1866–67 as

North German Confederation

United in 1871

Annexed in 1871 after

Franco-Prussian War

MAP 25.4

The Unification of Germany, 1866–71