A History of Modern Europe - From the Renaissance to the Present

The Unification of Germany 667

Exaggerating reports of Austria’s military preparations, Bismarck
denounced Austria’s “seditious agitation” against Prussia in Schleswig­
Holstein. After Bismarck had secured the temporary alliance with Italy and
assured France’s neutrality, Prussian troops entered Holstein. Austria allied
with some of the smaller states (including Hanover, Saxony, and Hesse­
Kassel) of the German Confederation. Prussia left the German Confedera­
tion, which then voted under Austria’s leadership to send troops against the
Prussian army.
Within three weeks, Prussian troops had defeated the South German and
Hanoverian armies in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). The Prussian army
bested the Austrian forces in the Battle of Sadowa (or Koniggratz) in eastern
Bohemia on July 3, 1866. Almost 1 million soldiers fought in the battle.
Superior military planning as well as the rapid mobilization, deployment,
and concentration of troops, talented officers, and more modern weapons—
particularly the breech-loading “needle gun”—brought the Prussian army
success.

The North German Confederation

In the aftermath of a victory most people did not expect, Bismarck restrained

the Prussian officer corps, many of whom wanted to push on to Vienna. Bis­

marck realized that he would ultimately need the support of the South Ger­

man states, some of whom had been allied with Austria, if Germany was to

be unified under Prussian auspices. Moreover, the chancellor did not want

to provide France or Russia with an opportunity to enter the conflict. The

Treaty of Prague (August 1866) eliminated Austria as a rival for the domi­

nation of the German states. The German Confederation was dissolved.

The Habsburg monarchy recognized the North German Confederation (see

Map 17.2), a new union of twenty-two states and principalities north of the

Main River, with a constitution and a parliament (Reichstag), which Prus­

sia would dominate with William I as president and Bismarck as federal

chancellor. Bavaria signed an alliance promising to join Prussia if it were

attacked by France, which had been alarmed by the relatively easy Pruss­

ian victory. Schleswig-Holstein became part of Prussia. By virtue of the

annexation of Hanover, Frankfurt, Nassau, and Hesse-Kassel, Prussia was

no longer divided into two separate provinces. The Berlin government

intimidated, bribed, or cajoled these smaller states into compliance.

Bismarck left no doubt that he considered the North German Confeder­

ation a provisional solution until Germany could be united under Prussian

leadership. In the meantime, the old Zollverein customs union, which

included the South German states, was expanded to include an assembly

of elected delegates. Bismarck received support from Prussian business­

men who would profit from the removal of customs barriers and the cen­

tralization of railway networks. As long as unification brought material

progress, it did not seem to matter to them that the traditional class system