Uniting Germany
• Zollverein – economic union formed to enhance trade between the German states
• King Wilhelm I appointed Count Otto von Bismarck as the chancellor of Prussia
King Wilhelm I
Count Otto von Bismarck
• Bismarck worked to unify Germany through wars with and against Austria
• Leopold (from the Hohenzollern family) was asked to be king of Spain, but France felt threatened by this.
• French demanded that the Prussian king make a promise that no member of the Hohenzollern family would ever rule Spain.
Leopold von Hohenzollern
• Prussian king refused and sent report to Bismarck.
• Bismarck changed the wording on the report and published it.
• War was declared!• The German states sided with Prussia against
France.• German unification had been accomplished
Uniting Italy
• Giuseppe Mazzini formed a group called Young Italy to work to unify Italy
• Count Camillo de Cavour was the prime minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia
• Sent troops to support Britain and France in wars against Russia
• Really just symbolic, but used this later for leverage
• Giuseppi Garibaldi formed an army known as the “Red Shirts” and conquered the island of Sicily.
Giuseppi Garibaldi
• Cavour convinced Garibaldi to turn his conquered territory over to Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia
• They formed the kingdom of Italy and named Victor Emmanuel II as the first king.
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