Social studies – history The Making of Germany and Italy 4.1 and 4.2

Done by – Mrinali Grade –X

After 1848 – the nationalism moved away to the democracy and revolution.

The sentiments of the nationalist were mobilized by conservatives- for promoting state power and achieving political domination over Europe. This could be observed when Germany and Italy came to be unified as nation states.

The feelings of nationalist came from the middle class Germans- tried to unite the German confederation into a nation-state which would b governed by the elected parliament.

However, repressed by the combined forces of the monarchy andthe military, supported by the large landowners (called Junkers) of Prussia.

4.1 Germany – Can the Army be the Architect of a Nation?

Prussia took on the leadership of the movement fornational unification.

Its chief minister, Otto vonBismarck, was the architect of this process carriedout with the help of the Prussian army andbureaucracy. Three wars over seven years – withAustria, Denmark and France – ended in Prussianvictory and completed the process of unification.In January 1871, the Prussian king, William I,was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremonyheld at Versailles.

On 18 January 1871- an assembly comprising the princes of theGerman states, representatives of the army,important Prussian ministers including the chief minister Otto von Bismarck gathered in theunheated Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versaillesto proclaim the new German Empire headedby Kaiser William I of Prussia.

The nation-building process in Germany showed the dominance of Prussian power. This placed a strong emphasison modernizing the currency, banking, legal,and judicial systems in Germany. Prussianmeasures and practices often became a model forthe rest of Germany.

4.2 Italy Unified

During the middle of thenineteenth century, Italy was divided into seven states, of which only one, Sardinia-Piedmont, was ruled by an Italian princely house.

The north was under Austrian Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by the Pope,and the southern regions were under the dominationof the Bourbon kings of Spain.

Even the Italian language had not acquired one common form and still had many regional and local variations.

During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini planned to put together a programme to unite Italy.

He had also formed a secret society called Young Italy to spread his goals and views. The failure of the revolutionary uprisings both in 1831 and 1848 meant the King Victor Emmanuel II to unify the Italian states throughwar. ( ruler of Sardinia-Piedmont) in this region a unifiedItaly offered them the possibility of economic development andpolitical dominance.

Chief Minister Cavour who led the movement was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat.he spokeFrench much better than he did Italian.The diplomatic alliance with France helped Sardinia-Piedmontsucceeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859. Apart from regulartroops, a large number of armed volunteers under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi joined the fray.In 1860- marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilians and succeeded in winning the support of the local peasants in order to drive out the Spanish rulers

In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of unitedItaly.

However, much of the Italian population, among whom rates of illiteracy were very high, remained blissfully unaware of liberal nationalist ideology.

The peasant masses who had supported Garibaldi in southern Italy had never heard of Italia, and believed that ‘La Talia’was Victor Emmanuel’s wife!

THANK YOU!