Unification of Italy & Germany Ideologies of Change: Europe 1815 1914
Creation of Italy and Germany Revolutions reverberated throughout Western Europe: Failures did not diminish impact: To what extent was urban middle class and some working/peasant class ready to rally to a Strong National State even an essentially Conservatist one? [paraphrasing Text 728]
Meaning of Nationalism Significance: Nationalist = Strong Nationalism being associated by peoples of all classes to idea of strong state 1850s 1860s: Great political question : how will this play out? [text 728] Implies both: how will states exploit this growing popular impression and how will people respond?
Italy Congress of Vienna: 1814 15 ITALY: A Geographical Expression (Metternich) North: rich, industrializing provinces under Austria s control West Piedmont + Island of Sardinia: Kingdom Tuscany/Central: huge region, included former Mediterranten commercial capital, Florence
Italy Papal States (central): autonomous South: Kingdom of two Sicilies (one island, one mainland) Various talk of Unification with no focus over early 19 th century
Italy 1848: new political impetus Giuseppe Mazzini: demanding democracy, led uprising immediately crushed by Austria Response Pope Fled Rome King of Sardinia: allowed for some reforms under duress
Italy Sardinia vs the North : Sardinia led by Aristocrat Count Cavour Sympathzised with conservative middle class interests: hope to use them to expandsardinia s influence Strategic political thinker: exploited rivalry between Austria (occupier of north) and France Provoked short lived war which did not accomplish his goals: resigned from political position
Count Camille Benso Cavour (1810-1861) First Prime Minister Italy March June 1861
Italy Strategy Provoked War/Austrian Occupation in North: Incited Central Regions, especially urban centres, to rebel First wide spread protest Leaders demanded unification with Sardinia Successful: ironically, Cavour s initial goals achieved through actions popular protest Central Italy returned to power
Italy Leaving The Sicilies : Island and Mainland regions under the a Bourbon family remained outside the fray Cavour and Austria were concerned with the north and central regions: the Sicilies were largely overlookeed
Italy Giuseppe Garibaldi [Text p.730] Described as a Romantic, a Radical, a Revolutionary Poor sailor s son, he naturally moved into the military Engaged in several successful battles against Austria Catapulted to positon of political visibilty
Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) [Photo 1861]
Italy Envisaged a united Kingdom of Sicily: Appealed to peasantry: generated rebellion Successful in taking Palermo, moving to mainland Goal: Papal States and Rome
Italy Count Cavour: Said to have supported Garibaldi: but goals very different Sent his own forces to Papal States: occupied all but Rome itself intercepted Garibaldi: allowed him victory in Naples but denied him autonomy for Sicily
Italy Parliamentary Monarchy : Same form government as seen elsewhere: King Sardinia now King of Italy (except for Rome and Venice) neither Radical, as Garibaldi hoped, nor truly Democratic [Text] Small minority males could vote: propertied elite Most of middle class as disenfranchised as workers
Italy Watch animated map : Unification of Italy 1829 1871 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/file:italianunification.gif]
Italy Most Significant: regional economies North: industrializing (Milan, Turin), growing prosperous middle/business class South: agrarian, stagnant increasingly poor economy Created significant social and cultural differences: North looking to industrialized Europe, especially France more than to southern regions of new unified country
Germany German Confederation 1848: Austria Prussia: engaged in balancing act curbing the power of the other Shared same range of conservative, liberal ideas Critical catalyst: economy more than ideology
Germany Economy: Industry flourishing across northern regions 1853: Customs Union facilitating movement raw materials, manufactured goods All states but Austria had joined: Austria not as well situated for industrial growth
Germany Germany without Austria was becoming an Economic Reality [Text] before it became a political one Growing industrial economy: equally growing middle class Sharing business, laissez faire values liberalism Increasingly in contrast to Austria s traditional conservatism
Germany Political Situation: 1848 Prussian monarchy: King Wilhelm I Responded to revolutions, rebellions with reforms permitting limited middle class voice By late 1850s, controlled parliament
Germany King was political strategist: Saw success of Italy vis à vis Austria: why not take advantage of moment to launch war? Problem: war was in interests of traditional, conservative elites not new business oriented middle class Parliament rejected militaristic budgets
Germany Count Otto von Bismark: 1862 King appointed Bismark head of New Ministry Used this power to overlook Parliament Famous speech: great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches and resolutions [the tools of democracy and parliament] but by Blood and Iron Return to traditional military power/politics
Count Otto von Bismark 1815 1890 First Chancellor of Unified Germany 1871-1890
Germany Political Stand off: 1862 1866 Elections continued to put liberal majorities into Parliament Bismark continued to ignore Parliament: how? Played to lower assembly : representatives elected by universal male vote interests different from middle class
Bismark s Nightmare: Visited by Death Who is saying Thank You [by Honore Daumier, Aug. 1870]
Germany Bismark followed mandate: war 1866: attacked Austria Prussia s industrialized economy: permitted investing in modernized, reorganized army Austria s army traditional: no match for Prussian strength Defeated quickly: forced out of German Confederation
Germany North German Confederation Bismark dissolved remaining confederation, formed new North German grouping Included most northern states of Austrian empire Led by Prussia
Germany Role of Nationalism: Political strategy: Bismark had alienated powerful middle class by ignoring wishes of parliament Went back and asked for retro active support for budget that had supported war Parliament could not reject success!
Germany Benefits: War had been success New constitution brought promise of new economic growth Middle Class saw interests coincide with rise of strong government : liberalism found middle ground with conservatism
Germany 1870: war with France Much historical discussion about Bismark s editing a telegram to force provoke war Reality: France concerned about rise of Prussia, new Confederation sought opportunity to limit power Bad Timing: after victory against Austria, nationalist sentiments ruled Prussian parliament all classes behind Bismark
Germany Franco Prussian War: Same industrial power that divided Prussia from Austria had also pushed it ahead of France Efforts continued to develop economy, urbanize etc but France, military no competition for Prussia Quick victory: humiliating Paris: held out for several months, starved into submission
Germany Expansion of confederation : Bismark s military success brought many of southern (former) German Confederation states into new political union Defeat of France literally marked Birth of Germany [Text speaks of German Empire raises confusion with creation of overseas empire from 1880s]
North German Confederation (red). Southern German states joined 1870 to form the German Empire (orange). Alsace Lorraine annexed 1871 (tan).
Germany Reflections: Seeing growing role Nationalism in holding together fragile political/ideological coalitions Divergent, often contradictory interests could only be overcome in short term Political use nationalism gave longevity to coalitions
Germany Rhetoric and Ritual : Important aspects of Nationalism (last day) But what pushed full support for Bismark and militarism was longer term vision of economic gain Not everyone supported [cartoons of Honore Daumier] but minority in 1860s, 1870s Same alliances would also support building of overseas empire 1880s 1890s
Germany Bismark and a Unified Germany : Continued to play off two levels of representative government: Middle Class Parliament vs popular lower chamber ( Reichstag ) Wary of rise socialism : Germany home Marx, Engels (1848 Communist Manifesto ) Had become basis for German Social Democratic Party
Germany 1878: party outlawed Could control party but not its politics: socialist values continued to have followers Bismark: appeased workers with progressive programmes [as Britain had done earlier in century] Went much further: national health programme, old age pensions ironic most far reaching socialist policies came from militaristic, conservative government
Germany 1890: King Kaiser Wilhelm II took throne Conscious of Bismark s personal power: saw it as competition to his own Dismissed him but essentially followed same political strategies: kept influence socialism at by continuing to support poor, workers Limited political reforms kept moderate middle class on side until WWI
Italy & Germany How did these developments shape European Politics in the decades before WWI? [Text p.743] Two Significant Issues: Emergence of Modern Politics Rise of Anti Semitism
Rise Modern Politics From 1848 1870: Era saw overall change in political behaviour Elites, aristocracies: to keep power several different groups either had to be appeased individually or brought together Middle Class aware of power it could exercise in process
Rise Modern Politics France example of what happened when neither policy successfully followed Successful unification Italy, Germany: underscored importance of dealing with emergent class differences Showed that ideological differences could be overcome liberals could co exist/support conservatives if nationalism used effectively
Rise Modern Politics Nationalism in late 19 th Century Politics: Directed inward : rise of Anti Semitism in Western and Eastern Europe (Russia) [see Lecture, Sept. 11 ] Directed outward : rise of Colonial Empires in non West [see sections Imperialism 1800 1914 Ottoman Empire, Africa, Asia, South Asia]