Chapter 10: Nationalism Triumphs In Europe

Section 1: Building a German Empire

I. Taking Initial Steps Toward Unity

German speaking people lived in a number of small nations throughout Europe.

A. Napoleon Raids German Lands

1. in the mid 1800’s Napoleon invaded German lands and seized control of lands along the Rhine River.

2. Some welcomed him as he brought enlightened, modern programs and policies.

3. Others wanted a united German government to rule German lands..and eventually defeated Napolean.

4. German Confederation was created…a weak alliance headed up by Austria. Many different German speaking nations all loosely united together.

B. Economic Changes Promote Unity

1. Zollverein –

2. Prussian King was offered the throne of a unified German nation, but he refused an offer from “peasants”.

II. Bismark Unites Germany

Otto Von Bismark – Came from noble family in Prussia. Was loyal servant of Prussia. Became Prime Minister of Prime Minister and then eventually became chancellor

Chancellor (highest official of a monarch) of Prussia.

Was very interested in military force being used to make things happen as opposed to political maneuvering.

A. Master of Realpoliltik

1. Realpolitik – Realistic politics based on the needs of the state.

a. Making decisions based ONLY on what your nation wants/needs.

b. power was more important than principle.

2. Bismark was not a German Nationalist…he was loyal the Prussian ruling family…the Hohenzollerns.

a. he hoped that by uniting Germany that he would bring more power and wealth to the Hohenzollerns.

B. Strengthening the Army

1. “blood and iron” is the way to get things done…2. wanted to build a massive military to make what

he wanted to happen…to happen.3. Parliament refused to give him the $$ to do it…

so he used $$ from other “programs” to build his armies.

4. pushed Prussia into 3 wars that increased Prussian power & prestige..pushing for new unity among German nations.

C. Prussia declares War with Denmark and Austria

1. Bismark aligned Prussia with Austria to attack Denmark’s southern provinces…and divided up the lands.

2. Turned around and declared war on Austria and seized control of Austria & several other German states.

3. Created a new confederation of nations…with Prussia ruling…but allowed Austria to remain independent to squash any hard feelings or need for revenge by Austrians.

D. France Declares War on Prussia

1. Bismark provoked war with France by getting people amped up about Napolean’s conquest of German lands 80 yrs earlier.

2. faked a telegraph to the news that insulted the French ruler (Napolean III) who then declared war…which is what Bismark wanted all along.

3. France was crushed by a unified German force and forced to accept terms of Bismark.

III. Birth of the German Empire

A. William I was convinced to take on the title of Kaiser (King) of Germany.

B. Second Reich was born as a unified Germany.

1. reich or empire was considered by German’s to be the second coming of the Holy Roman Empire.

C. Constitution written created a 2 house legislature

1. Bundesrat – Upper house..appointed by rulers of the various German states…basically noblemen.

2. Reichstag – Lower house..elected by universal male suffrage.

3. Budesrat was powerful and could veto any action of Reichstag.

4. real power remained in the hands of the chancellor and Kaiser (Bismark & William I)

French domination of Europe had ended…Germany was the new kid on the block.

Section 2: Germany Strengthens

I. Germany Becomes and Industrial Giant

By the late 1800’s German chemical and electrical industries were setting worldwide standards.

German shipping was 2nd only to England.

1. Making Economic Progress

1. ample iron & coal resources2. disciplined and educated workforce3. productive and efficient society that had a

sense of responsibility and deference to authority.

4. HUGE supply of workers5. Railroads, Steel, and Optics became the big

industries within Germany.

2. Promoting Scientific and Economic Development

1. 1st to see the value of applied science in developing new products.

a. Synthetic dyes2. Trained scientists and researchers became prized

employees.3. German government strongly supported it’s

economic growth.

II. The Iron Chancellor

Goals: Keep France weak and isolated Build strong relations with Austria and Russia Erase opposition to the imperial state Catholic Church and Socialist party were targets

1. Campaign Against the Church

1. Catholics 1/3 of German population2. believed loyalty to Pop before nation3. kulturkumpf – “battle for civilization”.

Attempts by Bismarck to reign in the Catholic Church.

a. make Catholics place loyalty to nation over Pope

b. state regulated Catholic education, appointment of Priests, expelled Jesuits from Prussia etc..

4. In the end, the plan backfired as Catholics rallied behind the church and gained a # of seats in the Reichstag.

2. Campaign Against the Socialists

1. Social Democratic Party – Called for parliamentary democracy and laws to improve conditions for the working class.

2. fearful that they would undermine the workers loyalty to the Kaiser.

3. after an assassination attempt against the Kaiser, laws were passed to dissolve socialist groups, shut down their meetings, and ban their newspapers.

4. Bismark made social reforms to prevent revolution.

a. Health and accident insuranceb. Old age insurance

5. Workers realized they could get changes without revolution.

III. Kaiser Wilhelm II

1. William II – succeeded his grandfather as Kaiser (King) of Germany.

2. supremely confident of his abilities…he asked Bismark to resign…”There is only 1 ruler of the reich..and I am he”.

3. resisted democratic reform, BUT he did embrace some social reforms.

4. cheap electricity and transportation5. excellent public school system6. dumped huge amounts of $$ into the military to create

the most powerful war machine in the world.

Section 3: Unifying Italy

I. Obstacles to Italian Unity

Like many other nations, Italians dreamed of a unified Italy like it had once been under the Roman Empire

Italy was a nation of separate people that all spoke the same language, but were different culturally.

Ventians, Neopolitans, Tuscans etc.. no loyalty to a unified ruler.

Italians began to unite to drive foreign forces out of their lands.

A. Mazzini Establishes a Young Italy

1. ‘Young Italy” – Founded by Guiseppe Mazzini this was a secret society founded on the premise of creating a unified Italy.

2. Mazzini spent much of his time, plotting, planning, and dreaming of a unified Italy.

3. French forces eventually stepped in to stop Mazzini and his movement.

B. Nationalism Takes Root1. Mazzini had planted the seeds for

revolution.

2. A unified Italy made sense to many…common language and history.

3. It made practice economic sense as well as reminded Italians of their once great empires of the past…and being the political and cultural center of the world.

II. The Struggle for Italy

King Victor Emmanuel II was the constitutional monarch – King whose power is limited by a constitution.

He hoped to unify Italian power with his own

A. Cavour Becomes Prime Minister’

1. Count Camillo Cavour – Chancellor for King Emmanuel

2. His primary goal was to end Austrian rule of Italian lands.

3. modernized the economy, built railroads, supported free trade etc..

B. Intrigue with France

1. Joined France and England in Crimean War Vs Russia.

2. Was given a voice at the peace conference = respect

3. France promised support France if in a war with Austria.

4. Cavour managed to provoke war with Austria in Sardinia. Other Italian states followed suit and fought off the Austrian rulers. Italy was becoming stronger.

C. Garibaldi’s “Red Shirts”

1. Guiseppi Garibaldi – Longtime Italian nationalist and longtime friend of Mazzini.

a. Wanted a strong Italian nation

2. Recruited 1,000 “volunteers” who wore red shirts to signify their allegiance to a unified Italy.

3. With the support of Cavour the red shirts overtook Sicily and Naples and united them under one leadership.

D. Unity at Last

1. Cavour was fearful of Garibaldi becoming too powerful so he convinced King Emmanuel to send troops….who then sided with Garibaldi…and conquered more land…that he, loyally, turned over to the King.

2. Rome and Venetia were the only other Italian states to be outside the Kings control.

3. Treaty with Bismark and Prussia provided control over those lands and for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire…Italy had been united.

III. Challenges Facing a New Nation

A. Divisions

1. Regional differences between the north and south.

a. North was business, industry, with higher education and standard of living

b. South was rural farmers with less education who struggled to make a decent life.

2. Italian government fought with the Catholic Church over control of the papal states (Vatican City).

a. Italians gave the Church control over Vatican City

b. Popes felt like prisoners and urged Italians to resist the government of Itay.

B. Turmoil

1. two house legislature, but few Italian men had the right to vote…so the government was controlled by the wealthy and privileged.

2. Anarchists – People who want to abolish all forms of government.

a. turned to sabotage and violenceb. government granted more men the

right to vote.c. Passed laws to improve social

conditionsd. To distract people from their problems

at home King Emmanuel set out to win land in Africa.

C. Economic Progress

1. lacked important natural resources such as coal.

2. industries sprung up all over northern Italy.

3. population exploded causing Italy to have many of the same urbanization problems as other industrialized nations.

4. emigration – People began to leave their home villages for places such as the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

5. Progress was being made, but Italy was totally unprepared for the impending war.

Section 4: Nationalism Threatens Old Empires

I. The Hapsburg Empire Declines

The Hapsburg family was the oldest ruling family in Europe. Their homeland was in Austria, but they ruled over Bohemia,

Hungary, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and northern Italy. All the Austrian Kings came from the Hapsburg family.

A. Austria Faces Changes

1. Francis I and his foreign minister Mitternich upheld a conservative agenda…”Rule and Change Nothing”.

2. The word constitution was banned from even being spoken or written about.

3. Anything that could threaten a traditional way of life…such as modern industry..was banned.

4. By the mid 1800’s the Hapsburg rulers of the Austrian empire were facing the exact same problems with urbanization as other nations.

B. A Multinational Empire

1. 50 million people lived in their empire, but only roughly 10% spoke German,

2. The Hapsburgs ignored the demands of nationalistic leaders of those differing ethnicities.

3. As a result..there were constant revolts against Hapsburg rule in foreign lands.

C. Francis Joseph Grants Limited Reforms

1. Francis Joseph – Hapsburg King who inherited the throne at 18 yrs old.

a. granted limited reformsb. wrote a constitution that set up a

legislature.

c. The legislature was made up of German speakers…and did nothing to satisfy others within the empire.

II. Formation of the Dual Monarchy

Austria was crushed by Prussia in a war in 1866 The Hungarians renewed strong pressure for change in how

the empire was run.

Ferenc Deak – Hungarian nationalist who worked out a compromise between Hungary and Austria.

Dual Monarchy – New empire called Austria-Hungary.

A. The Austria-Hungary Government

1. Austria and Hungary were two separate states.2. Each had it’s own parliament and constitution.3. Francis ruled as King of Austria and Emperor of

Hungary.4. They shared many government offices, but were

independent f each other in all other areas.

B. Nationalist Unrest Increases

1. Other groups began to esxpress their dislike of their current situation under the control of the Austrians.

2. People began to call for nationalistic uprisings

3. Slavs began to unite and insist that only together could they fulfill their “great mission in the history of mankind”.

III. The Ottoman Empire Collapses

The Ottoman’s also ruled a multinational empire that spread from Asia through the middle east.

A. Balkan Nationalism Erupts

1. Balkans – Southeastern European area made up of countries such as Greece, Serbia, Turkey etc..

2. Serbia and Greece were independent nations, but many of their people still lived in lands controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

3. Many of these people staged their own revolts against the Ottoman’s setting up their own nations.

B. European Powers Divide up the Ottoman Empire

1. As the Ottoman Empire began crumbling…rival Empires began to divide up the land.

2. European Empires referred to the Ottoman Empire as the “sick man of Europe”.

C. War in the Balkans

1. The Balkan Peninsula became known as the “powder keg f Europe” due to all the fighting for control of this region that was going on.

2. Small revolts by ethnic groups

3. France, England and sometimes Russia seizing lands.

Section 5: Russia: Reform and Reaction

I. Conditions in Russia

largest and most populated nation in Europe large multi-national empire had immense natural resources, yet was economically

disadvantaged and behind modern western societies

A. Russia’s Social Structure

1. landowning nobles dominated society & rejected any changes that would result in a lessening of their power and prestige.

2. serfs – laborers who lived in poverty. Were bound to the land and to the masters who controlled their fate.

3. many knew that serfdom was inefficient..as it kept Russia as a backwards country.

4. landowners had little interest in economic development as they were happy with their situations.

B. Ruling with Absolute Power

1. Tsar or Czar – Russian King.

2. Ruled with absolute power, imposing their will on their subjects

3. some Czars did allow limited reforms, but nothing serious.

4. Once the Czar felt as if his grip on his subjects was weakening…these reforms were stripped away.

5. The age of enlightenment and reason…never quite reached the Russian lands or people…they were stuck far behind modern society.

II. Emancipation and Stirrings of Revolution

Russia was crushed in the Crimean War by England, France and the Ottoman Empire

Their deficiencies in modern technologies became obvious and glaring..it was time for much needed change.

Alexander II became Czar in 1855 during the war.

A. Freeing the Serfs

1. emancipation – freeing of the serfs.

2. freedome caused other issues..as the serfs were too poor to buy their own land..and there were few factories to find work.

3. peasants remained poor and unhappy

B. Introducing other Reforms

1. Zemstovs – Elected assemblies in local government.

a. Responsible for schools, roads, agriculture etc..

2. Trial by jury, mandatory military service length reduced, growth of industry encouraged.

C. Revolutionary Currents

1. Peasants wanted land..freedom was not enough.

2. Liberals wanted a constitution

3. Radicals demanded more radical changes

4. As a result of all these demands..the Czar began to move away from reform and head more towards repression.

5. Alexander II was killed by terrorists in 1881.

D. Crackdown

1. Alexander III responded to the assassination of his father by removing all reforms and going

back to the old repressive ways of previous Czars.

2. Exiled critics to Siberia

3. Gave the secret police increased power

4. restored strict censorship of the news.

5. insisted on 1 language (Russian), 1 Church (Russian Orthodox) – all others were persecuted.

E. Persecution and Pogroms

1. Persecution of Jews began after Russia expanded it’s empire into Polish territory.

2. Jews were forced to live in certain areas, limited in education and working in certain professions.

3. Pogroms – Violent mob attacks on Jewish people.

a. Gangs beat and killed Jewish people and looted their homes and businesses.

b. Similar to what would eventually happen in Nazi Germany (kristallnacht).

4. Many fled Russia and became refugees – people who flee their homeland to seek safety elsewhere.

III. The Drive to Industrialize

Russia finally began to industrialize under Alexander III and his son Nicholas II.

Building of railroads to connect to coal and iron mines. Secured foreign capital to fund new projects Trans-Siberian Railway was built linking European Russia

with the Pacific Ocean. Same problems: overcrowding, long hours in unsafe factories

for poor wages, horrid living conditions. Socialists began trying to recruit workers to revolt against the

Czar.

IV. Turning Point: Crisis and Revolution

The Czar called on the people to fight for faith, the Czar, and the Fatherland in war with Japan…they lost horribly.

A. Bloody Sunday

1. news of the military defeats set people off.

2. workers went on strike, protestors hit the streets making demands

3. a group of peaceful protestors marched to the Czars winter palace..where they were met by soldiers who mowed them all down.

4. Bloody Sunday – Jan 22, 1905. Hundreds of men and women were shot dead as they protested.

5. people’s trust and faith in the Czar was shattered on that day.

B. The Revolution of 1905

1. as a result of the massacre..discontent grew

2. strikes multiplied..and some workers took over local government.

3. Assassinations of officials were cheered in the streets.

4. Things had gotten so bad that Nicholas was forced to announce major reforms…out of fear if nothing else.

5. Promised freedom of fear, conscience, speech, assembly, and union.

6. Created the Duma – Elected national legislature.

C. Results of the Revolution

Moderates were won over…Czar had survived the scare Socialists were left alone on their fight. Duma was dissolved when it began to criticize the

government in it’s 1st meeting. Peter Stolypin – Appointed as new prime minister. Brought back repression to re-gain control over the country. Eventually the government decided that reform, not

repression was what was needed.

Dumas was brought back, but limited. Education improved, Zemstovs gained more power to make

decisions etc.. By 1914, Russia was still an autocracy…but one that was

ready for serious change.