Question

Which power dominated the nation-building process in Germany? [1 mark]

Explain how Germany was unified. [3 marks]

CBSE | Class 10 | History

Answer 1

Its power of prussia
power dominated the nation building process in Germany.

How did Germany become unified?

In 1815, the 39 German states in central Europe formed a loose association to coordinate the economies of the different German-speaking lands and replaced the Holy Roman Empire with the German Confederation.

On 18th January, 1871, after the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, the various princes of the German states united and proclaimed Wilhelm of Prussia as emperor of the German Empire with Bismarck as the Chancellor.

This united the various German speaking states into one single empire which began an era of rapid industrialization and an unprecedented Arms Race.

In 1914 a diplomatic crisis, between the major powers of Europe, led to the the First World War. The war resulted in the end of the German Empire - although a united German state had been achieved, and the formation of the Weimar Republic.

For 14 years after the end of WWI, the Weimar republic faced a lot of problems like hyperinflation, contentious relations with the victors of WWI and political extremists. But they successfully reformed the nation and did not respect the Treaty of Versailles by not meeting the disarmament requirements and not completely paying the war reparations.

Following the Great Depression of 1929, there was a huge surge in unemployment between 1930 and 1933 and led to the formation of the Nazi government in 1933 with Adolf Hitler as the Chancellor.

Then followed the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, which led to the defeat of Nazi Germany and occupation of German lands by the Allied forces. Differences between the Russian and the Western forces divided the nation into East and West Germany and in 1961 tensions escalated at the peak of the Cold War and the Berlin Wall was built.

During the period immediately after the WW2, on 23rd May, 1949 the constitution of Germany came into effect in West Germany.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, the two German sides unified to become the reunited nation of Germany on 3rd October 1990.

Answer 2

Hi friend,

Your answer:

The Prussian power had dominated the period of the nation building process of Germany.

The unification of Germany-

Otto von Bismarck, chief minister of Prussia, was the chief architect of the process of unifying Germany. He wanted to achieve his aim of unifying Germany by merging it with Prussia. He took help from the Prussian bureaucracy and army. He took the help of bureaucracy as Bismarck held the belief that only Princes could unify Germany, not common people. 

Thereafter, three wars were fought over the period of seven years with Austria, Denmark and France respectively. At last, Prussia emerged victorious and this completed the process of unification of Germany. On 18th January, 1871, the king of Prussia - William I , was proclaimed as the German Emperor in the Royal Palace of Versailles.

Hope it helps!