Examine the 'Nation State Building' process in Germany after 1848. (5)
Answers
Explanation:
The Frankfurt Parliament, which was convented in 1848, was the first major step taken towards the unification of German states. But this liberal initiative of nation building was repressed by the combined forces of the Monarchy and big landlords of Prussia. From then Prussia took the Initiative to unify Germany.
Otto Von Bismarck, the Chief Minister of Prussia, carried out the process of unification with the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy. Bismarck was convinced that the unification of Germany could be only achieved by the princes, not by the people. He wanted to achieve his aim by merging Prussia into Germany. In 1867, Bismarck became the chancellor of the North confederation.
Bismarck’s main objective was to unify Germany and was accomplished by three wars which were fought in a brief period of seven years. These wars were ended with the victory of Prussia which helped in completing the process of German unification on 18th January, 1871, in the Royal Palace of Versalles, the king of Prussia was crowned as the German Emperor. It symbolized the birth of a united Germany.
Answer:
1. The nationalist sentiments among the middle-class Germans forced them to unite different regions of the German Confederation into a nation-state (governed by an elected parliament) in 1848.
2. This initiative of nation-building was however repressed by the combined forces of monarchy and the military, supported by large landowners of Prussia.
3. Following these repressive measures, Prussia took on the task of national unification. Otto Von Bismarck was the chief architect of this process, along with the Prussian army and the bureaucracy.
4. Three wars fought over seven years - with Denmark, France and Austria ended in Prussian victory and thus completing the unification process. In January 1871, the Prussian King, William I, was thereafter proclaimed the German emperor in a ceremony held at Versailles.
5. The new state in Germany further went on to initiate a strong emphasis on modernising currency, banking, legal and judicial systems.