Factors That Led to the German Unification

The history of Germany is one of deep and influential occasions that throughout time have shaped the way that Germany is viewed as a nation. But none stand out more vast and influential than that of the Unification of Germany. The official formal signing of Germany into a politically and administratively nation state did not happen until 1871 in Versailles in the famous house of mirrors. This momentous occasion was not an overnight project, Instead a long string of castrated events that proved to be glorious in the end. From the early stages such as the Napoleonic wars that collapsed the Holy Roman Empire and then shaped the confederation of the Rhine, to the exulting Franco-Prussian war that left France defeated and dominated after the momentous victory of Germany against the French in 1870. All these events helped shape the unification of Germany into one sovereign state and into one of the high and dictating powers of the world at the time.
A crucial and fundamental event that led to the stepping blocks of the future rise of nationalism within the hearts of future Germans alike was that of the Confederation of the Rhine and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte I. In 1806 after countless wars involving Napoleon against Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon and the French empire were able to succeed their reign and put forth a new order and rule of power throughout Germany and form separate states which was to be put forth in the document for the confederation of the Rhine. This was an effective motivator in the eventual push for the creation of the nationalistic Germany because it was able to do what no other possible factor could do, Collapse and deform the high power of the Holy Roman Empire. It was from this that Napoleon introduced a new set of nationalistic identity within the newly founded larger states and with the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 by the British. This sense grew stronger within them.
The next lifting movement to begin the corner stone of the uprise of German unification was the role of the Congress of Vienna on many of the newly formed larger German states as part of the Napoleon era of reign. After many dominant years of destructing wars and overpowering, the once great Napoleon Bonaparte I was eventually defeated by a joint effort by the British and the rest of the European wars. As part of this dethroning, the powers all decide to hold a congress meeting in Vienna to decide the fate of all of what was left of Europe. This congress led to what would be called the confederation of Germany. This was a composite makeup of the remaining 200 German states into a smaller and denser 39 states in order to replenish the vacant acting power of the Holy Roman Empire. This act wasn’t seen as a major and effective manoeuvre that helped the future unification, in fact to many it was seen as a barrier against moving forward as one nation. But it was a starting point as it was able to break up a lot of the smaller states and able to develop a much thorough system of order within these states as well. However not all were able to see eye to eye about this new improved change as growing tensions between Prussia and Austria grew over time.
Debatably the most crucial and fundamental motivator and key to the whole idea and completion of the German Unification was that of the works of Otto Von Bismarck. Otto Von Bismarck was the minster for Prussia and was a very conservative man who had an open and realistic view towards his ideas of politics. His methods were actually called realpolitik which meant a realistic point of view judged by what the state really needs. He also had a "blood and iron" policy, meaning down to earth and straight edged. This meant for Prussia a leader who was able to put the needs and goals of the states before anything else in order to achieve what was right. The first step that Otto von Bismarck took in order to create a unified Germany was the seven weeks war often referred to as the Austro-Prussian war. This blatant attempt by Bismarck was a strong technique as were all his techniques to try and push out the involvement of Austria in the German confederation so that Prussia may become the head state of the German Confederation so that Otto Von Bismarck’s later involvement in the German Unification may become easier and more succinct. It began in 1866 and within a short time Bismarck had successfully accomplished the once failed attempt in 1850 which was conquering and defeating the Austrian forces in battle and created the first North German Confederation. Because of this the large population of Prussia became more politically involved and nationalistically involved when it came to the possibility to a new form of government and a new unified Germany. This excited them and fuelled there passion.
The final piece and chapter to the whirlwind saga of the inflamed German confederation conceding into what is now a unified Germany is the involvement of Otto Von Bismarck into the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. This proved to be a crucial and decisive moment as it would end all debates about the questioning of a nationalistic unified Germany and finally take the plunge into one of the most dominate powers at the time. At the time Bismarck had already proved how capable he was as a leader and a doer from previous wars such as the Austro-Prussian war. He had created the Northern German Confederation but in order to complete and finalize his master plan he needed to convince the South German states (Bavaria, Wurttemberg, etc.) to join. At the time the majority of the Southern states were still mainly catholic and were still not fully convinced on staying independent from protestant Northern Germany. This was a hurdle for Bismarck but his next move proved to be an essential factor in closing the decision once and for all. At the time the Emperor of Germany was Kaiser Wilhelm and in a controversial move Bismarck had intercepted one of Kaiser’s EMS dispatches to Napoleon III to provoke and aggravate the French into declaring war on Prussia in 1870. Prussian troops quickly overwhelmed France and Napoleon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan. The Franco-Prussian war proved to be an easy victory for the Prussians within months. From this decisive victory, the southern states of Germany had been persuaded into finally agreeing to become a joint and united nation, Proving Bismarck’s confidence in the tampering of the telegram and proving to be one of the most influential factors in finally unifying Germany as a nation.
In conclusion, the decisive factors that delivered the final unification of Germany were all major in their own sense. The confederation of the Rhine and the Congress of Vienna were able to boost momentum about a nationalistic Germany within many as well as creating much larger and denser states. Whereas Bismarck’s involvement in wars such as the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian war, was able to put Germany in a spot where it was able to make a decision on becoming a unified country. These proved to be pivotal and vital factors in the Unification of Germany.