Lecture 2 Blood & Iron

Questions Did Germany need a strong statesman, namely Chancellor Bismarck, to unite? Was this an indication of an underdeveloped civil society? And, did the liberals acquiesce their political agenda in the face of successful unification?

Reforms Give Way 1850: Olmütz Agreement resurrects a conservative German Confederation and the balancing act between Austria & Prussia

Evaluating the Confederation Winners / Losers Possibilities of Reform Living on Borrowed Time?

1850s Optimism Industrialization In Prussia: coal, iron, and steel production increased 8, 14, and 54-fold between Alfred Krupp, the “Cannon King”, employed 60 men in 1836, 1000 in 1858, 8000 in 1865, and doubled again to 16,000 in Over a million new buildings went up in Prussia during the years , the fastest growth located in factory plants and public buildings.

1850s Optimism Demographic Shifts Gradual Rise in Living Standards Increasing separation between urban & rural areas Mass emigration Avg. life expectancy was still low: men, 36.5 years; women, 38.5 years

Crown v. Parliament 1858: Wilhelm I becomes regent of Prussia to succeed Friedrich Wilhelm Budget Crisis of 1860s 1862: Prussian isolation in the Confederation and the Zollverein

Otto von Bismarck “Man cannot create or control the tide of time, he can only move in the same direction and try to direct it.”

Otto von Bismarck ( ) Born in Schönhausen in Brandenburg, the son of a Pomeranian Junker. Educated at Göttingen University. 1836: Entered the Prussian civil service. 1839: Retired from the civil service to manage the family estates. 1849: Elected as an ultra-conservative member of the Prussian Landtag. 1851: Joined the Prussian diplomatic corps, serving as Prussian representative to the Federal Diet and then ambassador to Russia and France. 1862: Appointed Prussian Minister- President. 1867: Became Chancellor of the North German Confederation : Chancellor of the German Empire.

Propitious Circumstances Fallout from the Crimean War French defeat of Austrians in 1859 Franco-British Competition

Shifting the Balance of Power 1863: War of Danish Succession and the take-over of Schleswig-Holstein July 1866: Seven-Week War against Austria over tensions concerning the adminstration of S-H & power plays in the Confederation; Koniggrätz victory for Prussia in July

Making Good 1866 Bill of Indemnity Split among Liberals (Progressive Party & National Liberal Party) Creation of North German Confederation: Prussia and 21 principalities

Bismarck’s Concessions King of Prussia held executive authority as president Chancellor was named by King and responsible only to him Two legislative houses: Federal Council, or Bundesrat, appointed by the state governments; and a lower house, the Imperial Diet, or Reichstag, elected by equal manhood suffrage. Prussia controlled 17 votes out of 43 in the Bundesrat

Shifting the Balance of Power Napoleon III, Emperor of France French-Prussian hostilities Controversy over Spanish succession French declaration of war on July 19 War unites German principalities south of the River Main Franco-Prussian war of : Prussian victory paves the way for the proclamation of a German Empire at Versailles in 1871.

Franco-Prussian War War with France created huge upsurge in German national feeling – popular pressure in the South German states to transform the wartime alliance into a permanent union. However: –The rulers of the South German states wanted a much looser federation than Bismarck proposed, giving them more control over their own affairs –Wilhelm I was reluctant to accept a ‘German’ title which he felt would lessen the dignity of his position as King of Prussia –He insisted that he would only accept the Crown of Germany if it were offered by his fellow German sovereigns, not the German people Bismarck threatened to call on the German people to remove those rulers who opposed a united Germany. Symbolic concessions to South German states – Bavaria retained a separate postal service and peacetime control of its own army. Bismarck paid a huge bribe to King Ludwig II of Bavaria in order to get him to sign a letter offering the German crown to Wilhelm. Germany annexed the territories of Alsace and Lorraine from France.

The Constitution of the German Empire, 1871 Based on the Constitution of the North German Confederation. Germany was to be a federal state. Power was divided between the central government and the governments of the 25 states. The states preserved their own constitutions, rulers, parliaments and administrative systems with powers over direct taxation, education, public health etc. As German Emperor, the King of Prussia was head of state, head of the civil service and ‘Supreme Warlord’ (Commander-in-Chief) of the armed forces. A bi-cameral parliament made up of the Bundesrat (Federal Council) and the Reichstag (National Parliament). Prussia dominated the institutions of the new Empire, with the most seats in both houses of parliament, shared institutions and a dominant position in military and administrative circles.

The Constitution of the German Empire, 1871 Reich Government The Chancellor (Reichskanzler) The ‘highest official in the Reich’ Also Minister-President of Prussia Responsible to the Emperor, not parliament Chairman of the Bundesrat Appointed government ministers Could ignore resolutions passed by the Reichstag The Emperor (Kaiser) Always the King of Prussia Could appoint/dismiss the Chancellor Could dissolve the Reichstag Could make treaties/declare war Commander-in-Chief of the army Had to approve all federal laws Possessed the right to interpret the constitution Bundesrat (upper house) The Federal Council Made up of 58 members nominated by states Not directly elected Consent required in passing new laws 14 votes needed to veto legislation Prussia had 17 of the 58 seats Bavaria had 6, the other states had 1 each Reichstag (lower house) The National parliament Elected by all males over 25 Limited powers to initiate new legislation Government ministers could not be members Members were not paid Could approve or reject the federal budget Elections normally held every 5 years Federal Centralised government with specific Responsibilities for the Reich as a whole (foreign policy, defence, customs etc.) State Regional government with responsibilities For individual states (education, direct Taxation, health, local justice etc.)

Unification National currency Uniform weights & measures Common commercial practices, industrial laws, and financial regulations

The German Empire

From the Meuse? From the Meuse to the Memel / From the Adige to the Belt

“Revolution from Above” January 18, 1871: The German Empire is founded. Lesser-Germany under Prussian domination (approx. 3/5 of the land area and 3/5 of the population). What kind of state is this? What tensions are relieved? What new tensions emerge?