Nationalism Triumphs in Europe

By: Eric DeLuca, Christian Figueroa, Kevin Blumenstein,

John Gallagher, Joe Bojko

Section 1: Building a German Nation

• A)Otto von Bismarck was known for a policy of "blood and iron”

• Bismarck strengthened the army to help pursue an aggressive foreign policy. Each war increased Prussian power and paved the way for German unity.

• Bismarck success was due in part because he was a master of realpolitik, or realistic policies based on the needs of the state.

The Holy Roman Empire• In January 1871, German

nationalists celebrated the birth of the Second Reich.

• The new unified Germany was known as the Second Reich because it was considered heir

to the Holy Roman Empire. • German nationalists called the

unification of Germany under William I the Second Reich because they considered it heir

to the Holy Roman Empire.

Section 2: Germany Strengthens• A) Germany Becomes an Industrial Giant

– 1) Making Economic Progress• A disciplined and educated work force also helped

the economy.• In the aftermath of unification, the German empire

emerged as the industrial giant of the European continent; setting the standard worldwide in chemical and electrical industries.

• 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.

• During the 1850’s and 1860’s Germany founded large companies such as the house of Krupp, making steel and weapons for the markets.

• Also, Carl Zeiss built a company that became known for its telescopes, microscopes and other optical equipment.

– 2) Promoting Scientific and Economic Development• German industrialists were the first to see the

value of applied science in developing new products such as synthetic chemicals and dyes.

• After 1871, it issued a single currency for Germany, reorganized the banking system, and coordinated railroads built by the various German states.

• B) The Iron Chancellor• As chancellor of the new German

empire, Bismarck posed several foreign-policy goals.

• He wanted to keep France weak and isolated while building strong links with Austria and Russia.

– 1) Campaign Against the Church• After unification, Catholics made up

about 1/3 of the German population.• When he saw the Catholic threat,

Bismarck launched the Kulturkampf or “battle for civilization.”

• His goal was to make Catholics put loyalty to the state above allegiance to the Church.

• Finally, Bismarck made peace with the Catholics.

– 2) Campaign Against the Socialists• Now he is threatened by the power of

socialism.• He feared that socialists would

undermine the loyalty of German workers and turn them toward revolution.

• Bismarck set out to change the course, and even though they benefited from his plan, they did not get rid of socialism.

• C) Kaiser William II– In 1888,William II succeeded his

grandfather as Kaiser, and the new emperor was supremely confident in his abilities.

– He resisted efforts to introduce democratic reforms, and at the same time his government supported social welfare.

– William’s nationalism and aggressive military stance helped increase tensions on the eve of World War I.

Section 3: Unifying Italy– People had not experienced unity since

Roman times.

– Early 1800’s Italian Patriots determined to build new united Italy.

• A) Obstacles to Italian Unity• Frequent welfare and foreign rule led people

to identify with local regions.• At Vienna, Austria took control of much of

Northern Italy.• Nationalists organized secret patriotic

societies to expel Austrian forces.• 1820-1848 nationalists revolts explode across

the region.• Austria send troops to crush rebels.

– 1) Mazzini Establishes Young Italy• 1899 Mazzini helps set up revolutionary

republic in Rome; French forces soon topple it.

– 2) Nationalism Takes Root• Revolution fails.• To Mazzini, United Italy made sense because

of geography, common language and history.

B) The Struggle for Italy

• - After 1848, leadership of Risorgimento passed to the kingdom of Sardinia

1)Cavour Becomes Prime Minister

-In 1852, Victor Emmanuel made Count Camillo Cavour his prime minister

-Once in office, Cavour moved first to reform Sardinia’s economy

2) Intrigue With France

-In 1855, Sardinia joined Britain and France against Russia in the Crimean War

-In 1858, Cavour negotiated a secret deal with Napolean who promised to aid Sardinia in case it faced war with Austria

-With help from France, Sardinia defeated Austria

3) Garibaldi’s “Red Shirts”

-By 1860, Garibaldi recruited 1000 red-shirted volunteers

-Garibaldi’s forces won control of Sicily

4) Unity At Last

-Sardinians overran the papal states and linked up with Garibaldi’s forces

-Garibaldi turned over Naples and Sicily to Victor Emmanuel

-In 1861, Victor Emmanuel was crowned king of Italy

-Italy formed an alliance with Prussia

C) Challenges Facing the New Nation

• - Strong regional rivalries left Italy unable to solve critical national issues

1) Divisions

Hostility between Italy and the Roman Catholic Church further divided the nation

Popes urged Italian Catholics not to cooperate with the new government

2) Turmoil

Socialists organized strikes against conservative government while anarchists turned to sabotage and violence

Slowly government extended suffrage to more men a passed laws to improve social conditions

3) Economic Progress

Industrialization brought urbanization as flocked cities to find jobs in factories

By 1914, Italy was significantly better off than in 1861

Section 4: Nationalism Threatens Old Emipres

• A)Napoleon had dissolved most of the Holy Roman Empire which the Hapsburgs ruled for close to four hundred years. This caused their empire to slowly dissolve. The decline started to give more people independence which caused further decline because of revolts. This empire was the oldest ruling family in Europe at the start of the decline. The Hapsburgs were ruling over many nationalities so they had to be able to satisfy many different groups of nationalists during the revolts. Eventually many people wanted change that the Hapsburgs could not bring about.

Austria and Hungary were originally the same countries. When the Prussians defeated the Austrians, Ferenc Deak made an attempt at a compromise for reform. He proposed that the Austrians and the Hungarians form a dual monarchy. This would have given the Hungarians a say in the way the country was run. The other groups of people resented it because they all wanted to be free.

The ottoman empire collapsed because many people in the empire wanted their own freedom which led to revolts. Many people actually started to win their independence which caused fewer people to have to fight. The first group to gain independence was the Balkans, which were made up of Serbs and Greeks.