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| | ==Nationalism== | | ==Nationalism== |
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| − | Nationalism was a concept that arose around the same time as Romanticism.<ref>Romanticism was an artistic and literary style in the late 1700s that emphasized emotion and upheaval.</ref> Nationalists believed loyalty to one’s nation was of utmost importance. They felt that society should be viewed as a whole, rather than as being made up of individuals. In Germany and Italy, nationalism inspired unification, where only loose connections had existed before (recall that Germany and Italy became nations much later than France and England). | + | Nationalism was a concept that began in the early 1800s, after Romanticism laid the cultural groundwork.<ref>Romanticism was an artistic and literary style in the late 1700s that emphasized emotion and upheaval.</ref> Nationalists believed loyalty to one’s nation was of utmost importance. They felt that society should be viewed as a whole, rather than as being made up of individuals. In Germany and Italy, nationalism inspired unification, where only loose connections had existed before (recall that Germany and Italy became nations much later than France and England). |
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| − | The Congress of Vienna had left the independent city-states of Italy under Austrian control in the north and Spanish control in the south, and had established Germany as a weak confederation of 39 states. But nationalism in the 19th century (1800s) changed all this. | + | The Congress of Vienna had left the independent city-states of Italy under Austrian control in the north and under Spanish control in the south, and had established Germany as a weak confederation of 39 states. But nationalism in the 19th century (1800s) changed all this. |
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| | ===Italy=== | | ===Italy=== |
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| | ===Germany=== | | ===Germany=== |
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| − | Germans were dissatisfied with the Confederation established by the Vienna settlement, and the Frankfurt Assembly attempted unsuccessfully to unify in 1848. Prussia, the strongest “German” state, established a “Customs Union” — which resembled a national market system — and a parliament. King Wilhelm I of Prussia selected Otto von Bismarck to be Prime Minister in 1862. Fiercely patriotic to his native Prussia, Bismarck believed in “Realpolitik” (translation: “reality politics”) and sought to unify Germany under Prussian control. He believed the only way this could be done was by creating a war with a foreign adversary, which would have the effect of unifying the German people against the common enemy. | + | Germans were dissatisfied with the Confederation established by the Vienna settlement, and the Frankfurt Assembly attempted unsuccessfully to unify in 1848. Prussia, the strongest “German” state, established a parliament and a “Customs Union,” which resembled a national market system. King Wilhelm I of Prussia selected Otto von Bismarck to be Prime Minister in 1862. Fiercely patriotic to his native Prussia, Bismarck believed in “Realpolitik” (translation: “reality politics”) and sought to unify Germany under Prussian control. He believed the only way this could be done was by creating a war with a foreign adversary, which would have the effect of unifying the German people against the common enemy. |
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| | Bismarck’s motto by which he waged this war was “by blood and iron.” Lacking Parliament’s approval, Bismarck forced the northern states to join the Northern German Confederation. When the southern states would not also join, Bismarck tricked France into declaring the Franco-Prussian War, which Prussia won. This accomplished Bismarck’s goal of creating southern Germany, which was now willing to accept Prussian rule. Then, in 1871, the North and South were united into the new German Empire, the “Second Reich,” and Wilhelm was made “kaiser” (A German word for “Caesar” or emperor, used primarily between 1871 to 1918). Hence Germany became a nation. | | Bismarck’s motto by which he waged this war was “by blood and iron.” Lacking Parliament’s approval, Bismarck forced the northern states to join the Northern German Confederation. When the southern states would not also join, Bismarck tricked France into declaring the Franco-Prussian War, which Prussia won. This accomplished Bismarck’s goal of creating southern Germany, which was now willing to accept Prussian rule. Then, in 1871, the North and South were united into the new German Empire, the “Second Reich,” and Wilhelm was made “kaiser” (A German word for “Caesar” or emperor, used primarily between 1871 to 1918). Hence Germany became a nation. |