Bismarck wanted to unite all German speaking states into one nation state. By 1870, all the German states which fought against Prussia were coerced and […]

In 1866 the conflict between Prussia and Austria erupted over the control of Schleswig and Holstein, the German speaking territories that were occupied by the […]

Schleswig and Holstein were primarily populated by Germans and had been under the rule of the Danish King for centuries. In 1863, Denmark formed a […]

Bismarck’s ultimate goal was to unite the German states into a strong German Empire with Prussia as its core. On September 30, 1862 Bismarck made […]

In 1862, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Prime minister of Prussia. Bismarck was a ruthless politician and a believer in “Realpolitik” who pursued aggressive policies […]

Events of February 1848 in France had brought about the abdication of the monarch and a republic based on universal male suffrage had been proclaimed. […]

Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the nation: art and poetry, stories and music helped express and shape nationalist feelings. Romanticism: […]

Before 1818, each district in Prussia had its own customs and there were as many as 67 tariff areas in Prussia alone. These areas stood […]

In 1815, representatives of the European powers such as Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria who had collectively defeated Napoleon, met at Vienna to draw up […]

BASIC BACKGROUND Since the 9th century, German states were bound together in a loose political Unity known as Holy Roman Empire. Germany was divided into […]