Bismark Flashcards
Who was Bismark?
Minister President of Prussia from 1852, credited as the political architect of unification, he was an oppotunist who exploited situations to his advantage
What was Bismark aware of by late 1850s?
Popular appeal of German nationalism, he realised that the movement may be manipulated in the interests of enhancing Prussian power.
By what year was Bismark looking for an opportunity to exclude Austria from German affairs? Why?
- Prussia had become economically superior to Austria due to the sucess of the Zollverein.
What was ‘peaceful dualism’? What year did this end and why?
The shared influence of Austria in the German confederation (which had been established in 1815 congress of Vienna) ended in 1866 as Prussia defeated Austria within six weeks and Austria was forced to withdraw from German affairs.
What was a challenge that Bismark faced after the establishment of the North German conferderation in 1867?
Southern states sought to maintain their individuality and resisted unifcation e.g. Baden, Bavaria, Hesse-Darmstadt.
How did Bismark unite the Southern states?
He channelled nationalist feeling through the EMs dispatch. The sucess in France 1870 stirred up nationalist patriotic feeling which led them to accept Wilhelm as king of a united Germany.
Why was Bismark significant in the unification of Germany?
His political leadership was far superior to his counterparts, for example his skillfull editing of the Ems Telegram in relation to the Hohenzollern canditure crisis out-witted Napoleon and forced him into declaring War.
Bismark was more politically astute
Why might Bismark be considered less signifcant in German unification?
He was not a nationalist, his loyalty was to the Prussian king and his inital aims was the Prussian domination of north Germany rather than full national unity. Liberal nationalists veiwed him as an anti-liberal reactionary rather than a potential unifier.
He was a Prussian patriot rather than German nationalist.
