Italian and German Unification by Rachel Kim
I. Italian Unification
A. Pre-Unification
Ÿ Austria is dominant power of Italian peninsula
Ÿ Some favored try the Risorgimento movement by Giuseppe Mazzini – republican Italy
Ÿ By the mid 1850’s, people look to the state of Piedmont for leadership
Ÿ After the defeats in 1848-49, King Victor Emmanuel and II and Camilo di Cavour (prime minister) assume power
B. Camilo di Cavour
Ÿ Liberal moderate who favored a constitutional government
Ÿ Admired the British economically and politically
Ÿ Encouraged economic expansion
C. Unification
i. Agreement with Napoleon III (France) to drive out Austrians out of Italy (1858)
Ÿ Condition: War must be justified
Ÿ France would get Nice and Savoy and central Italian created for Napoleon III’s cousin
ii. War between Austrians and Italians/French
Ÿ Cavour provokes Austria into invading Piedmont (1859)
Ÿ French defeats Austria at Magenta and Solferino
Ÿ Without Italy’s consent, French makes peace with Austrians (07/11/1859) and withdraw
Ÿ Reason: Prussians were mobilizing to help Austrians
Ÿ Due to Napoleon’s peace-making, Piedmont only receives Lombardy
Ÿ Parma, Modena, Tuscany and papal states join Piedmont soon however
iii. Giuseppe Garibaldi
Ÿ Romantic Republican Nationalism force Cavour to unify ALL of Italy
Ÿ Giuseppe Garibaldi – Italian supporter of Mazzini
Ÿ Cavour sends Garibaldi to southern Italy (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
Ÿ 05/16/1860 – Garibaldi and redshirts (volunteers) land in Sicily
iv. Final stages of unification
Ÿ Garibaldi’s forces pacified Sicily(July 1960)
Ÿ Naples and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fall (Sept. 1960)
Ÿ Cavour stops Garibaldi from attacking Rome in fear of war with France
Ÿ March 17, 1861 – new Italian kingdom proclaimed under King Victor Emmanuel II
Ÿ Through the Austro-Prussian War (during German unification 1866), Italy gains Venetia
Ÿ In 09/20/1870, with the withdrawal of French troops in Rome, Italy annexes Rome and makes it the capital city



II. German Unification
A. Pre-Unification
Ÿ Prussia and Austria are the two dominant powers
Ÿ Austria controls the Germanic confederation but due to economic expansion of Prussia in 1850’s, Prussia is seen as new light to the unification of German
i. Prussia
Ÿ Formed Zollverein, a German customs union, that limited tolls and on rivers/roads
Ÿ All but Austria joined the Zollverein
Ÿ Voting population was in three groups according to the payment of taxes
Ÿ This allowed the rising industrial middle class to control the lower class
Ÿ However, the king’s power was still too great and therefore a true parliament was not possible
Ÿ King William I wants to reform the Prussian military and institute many militarial reforms
Ÿ Middle class liberals reject the new reforms
Ÿ William I appoints Bismarck as prime minister
ii. Otto von Bismarck
Ÿ Born in to Junker class
Ÿ Diplomat to Germanic Confederation
Ÿ Practiced Realpolitik, the politics of reality
Ÿ Wanting to fix domestic politics, he submitted a bill that was rejected by the Liberals
Ÿ For the most part (1862-1866), Bismarck ignored the parliament and collected taxes to reorganize the army
B. The Process of Unification and War
Ÿ Bismarck always used the tactic of diplomatic isolation
i. The Danish War
Ÿ Schleswig and Holstein (Danish duchies) move into Denmark territory, outraging Germans since both duchies had large German territory
Ÿ Bismarck persuaded the Austrians to join in attacking Denmark on 02/01/1864
Ÿ Danes surrender the two duchies and Prussia/Austria split the territory
Ÿ Bismarck realizes that Austria must be excluded from German affairs
ii. The Austro-Prussian War
Ÿ Bismarck had Russia stay neutral
Ÿ Napoleon III is vaguely promised with some in the Rhineland by Bismarck
Ÿ The new Italian state is promised Venetia if Austria loses
Ÿ Bismarck stimulates war on Austria using the joint occupation of Schleswig-Holstein (06/14/1866)
Ÿ Austrian army is quickly defeated on July 3
Ÿ Results
1. Italy is given Venetia
2. Austria is excluded from foreign affairs
3. Prussia annexes Hanover, Frankfurt, and Hesse-Cassel
4. The German states north of the Main River were organized in to the North German Confederation
Ÿ After the war, the parliament approvingly passes a bill of indemnity
Ÿ Flexibility in creating the constitution for the North German Confederation
iii. Franco-Prussian War
Ÿ Even though Bismarck and William I had achieved major success, they still had a problem: France
Ÿ The throne of Spain was offered to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, distant cousin of William I
Ÿ Due to French objection, the Prussian king gave up his cousin’s candidacy
Ÿ France asks the king to make an apology causing Bismarck to alter the telegraph to make it look insulting to the French
Ÿ France declares war on Prussia 07/15/1870 and is defeated bitterly
Ÿ In 01/28/1871 a peace treaty stating that France must give up Alsace and Lorraine to the German state is signed
C. Final Unification
Ÿ South German states enter North German Confederation
Ÿ William I is proclaimed Kaiser of Second German Empire
Ÿ In reality, Germany had merged into Prussia, not Prussia into Germany
Ÿ With a good industry and military strength, Germany becomes one of the strongest powers on the European continent