KEY FIGURES
| Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), Prince Bismarck-Schonhausen, was a Prussian statesman who united the German states into one empire. He declared that the great problems of his time must be settled by "blood and iron" instead of by speeches and resolutions. |
| Napoleon III (1808-1873) ruled as emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. His public works programs transformed Paris, but failures in foreign policy Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia, wanted to unite Prussia and all the other German states into one country. Napoleon feared that a unified Germany would weaken France's power in Europe, and he hoped to keep Germany divided. Tensions between France and Prussia grew until they exploded in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. France, however, was not prepared for war. The Germans easily defeated the French, seized territory in eastern France, and created the German Empire. Napoleon surrendered to the Germans at Sedan, France, on Sept. 2, 1870, with 80,000 troops. Two days later, supporters of a new French republic overthrew Napoleon's empire. became his undoing |
| Seven Weeks' War, also called the Austro-Prussian War, took place between June and August of 1866. Austria and most of the German states fought against Prussia and Italy. Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia, used the Seven Weeks' War as part of his campaign to force Austria out of the German Confederation. He also used the war to make Prussia the dominant power in Germany. |
| Prussia was a powerful Germanic nation in north central Europe for hundreds of years. In the 1860's and early 1870's, Prussia unified the many independent German states, creating the German Empire in 1871. The Prussian king became emperor. Prussia was the largest and most powerful state in the newly unified Germany |
| Metternich, (1773-1859), served as Austrian minister of foreign affairs from 1809 to 1848. He was the leading European statesman during most of that period, often called the Age of Metternich. Metternich was a political conservative who used his power both to protect the Austrian Empire and to support monarchs elsewhere against popular unrest. He was given the additional title of chancellor in 1821 |
| King William I- had definite ideas about the Prussian army because of his military training. Planned to double the size of the Prussian army, and institute three years of compulsory military service for all young men. Appointed Count Otto von Bismark. |
| Franco-Prussian War- began in 1870 as a result of a despute between France and Prussia, a German state. All the other German states joined Prussia, and the conflict became one between France and Germany. The Franco-Prussian war abolished the Northern German Confederation and created a new German empire. Ite helped set the stage for World War I by increasing French and German hostility. |