Nationalism and State Building

Unifying Nations 1850- 1870

Building Unified Nation States

Post 1850 world- strongest political force was nationalism

Italy, Germany and Austrian Empire

United States (in an alternative way)

Irish Famine

Actions of states in this time coincided with a new transformation of thought- evolution, social darwinism and imperialism

Building Unified Nation States

The lessons of 1848? Idealists and revolutionaries are not enough for change

“To defeat cannons and soldiers, you need cannons and soldiers”

Very Machiavellian time period- the revolutionaries who enact the nation building in this time period did from established political positions and used practical policies, gambles, compromises, manipulations and whatever else they needed

Two Major players- Count Camillo di Cavour (Piedmont) and Otto Von Bismarck (Prussia)

Italian Unification

Cavour- noble family in PIedmont-Sardinia

1848 started the newspaper Il Risorgimento (The Resurgence)

1852 PM to King Victor Emmanuel II

Cavour’s Leadership

Goals: (1) modernize Piedmont’s economics to provide strength and respect- (2) Create a situation for Piedmont to be the driving force of Italian Unification

(3) Create a constitutional monarchy over all of Italy

Cavour’s Leadership

Lowered Tariffs, built railroads and made a balanced budget, increased army size and skill

Used any chance to involve his army in international affairs- to create respect

Focussed Piedmont attention on Austria

The Crimean War

1854 war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Crimea (peninsula currently under control of Russia but technically part of the Ukraine)

International opinion was on the side of the Ottomans- France, Britain allied

Cavour brought Piedmont into the war on the side of the allies- gain friendship and a seat at the Congress that will inevitably come at the end of the war (smart)

The Crimean War

“the principal condition for the improvement of Italy’s fate, is to lift up her reputation once more...to prove that Italy’s sons can fight

valiantly on the battlefields where glory is to be one”

Historiographical debate- did Cavour really think the Crimean War would propel Piedmont to the forefront of European powers?

Piedmont ExpandsParis Peace Conference 1856- Piedmont’s reputation

1858- Cavour meets with Napoleon III- let’s provoke war with Austria- it worked

1860- inspired by Piedmont many Italians began requesting to join with Piedmont (willingly)

1860 All of Northern Italy was united under Piedmont’s banner

Papal States and Kingdom of Naples- still outside of any kind of Italian control

GaribaldiGiuseppe Garibaldi- exiled Italian nationalist

May 1860, with 1000 civilian warriors (in red shirts!) sailed for Sicily to conquer the Kingdom of Naples (Cavour condemned it)

Garibaldi was very successful- and Cavour became worried- what if he attacks Rome? What will Austria and France do?

Cavour sends troops to the Papal states to “protect them”, when in fact he occupied them

King Victor Emmanuelle II met Garibaldi at the border of Rome and in complete surprise, Garibaldi gave southern Italy to him.

Unification of Italy

All of Italy (minus Rome and Venice)- under the red, White and Green flag of Piedmont as a constitutional monarchy

Italy will eventually annex Rome and Venice in the 1870- 1890’s.

Germany...or is it Prussia?

The closest to a ‘leader’ in German nationalism would be the students….but in terms of state leadership, it was Prussia

1848 had failed in almost all respects. In Berlin (Prussia), liberals gained a constitution

King Wilhelm I

Germany...or is it Prussia?

1862 Wilhelm hires Otto Von Bismarck as 1st Minister- “the mad junker”

Conservative, even a bit reactionary, but didn't see a problem with change as long as it came from above

Prussian Patriot- he saw Germany as an extension of Prussian institutions

Germany or Prussia?Prussia had a two tier legislature and in 1862 the executive was having trouble getting the lower house to approve some tax revenue

Bismarck, as 1st Minister issued a statement pointing out some loop-hole rules about what taxes can be directed by the executive- and basically did what he wanted

1862- “The great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches or by majority decision- that was the mistake of 1848 and 1849- but by blood and iron”

This quote is out of context but does show an idea of what Prussian formality was

Realpolitik

Remember Machiavelli- Bismarck used realpolitik

Preparation for things not yet determined but skillfully manipulated to occur

Alliances, military reforms, sabre-rattling, making friends with France and Austria but mobilizing the army at the same time

He never wanted to go to war but made sure if war came, Prussia as the strongest

BismarckAustro-Prussian War 1866

in 1864 Prussia and Austria co-controlled parts of Denmark on Bismarck’s creation (while creating a massive army)

1866 Provoked a disagreement with Austria which made the Austrians declare war.

Prussia won in 7 weeks- stopped at invading Austria- this helped unite Northern Germans who did not wish to unite with Austria

North German Confederation