Age of Metternich and Unification
This period begins with the establishment of the German Confederation under Austrian influence and Chancellor Metternich's conservative system of suppressing liberal and nationalist movements. It encompasses the Vormärz era, marked by intellectual ferment, the Hambach Festival, and social unrest like the Silesian weavers' uprising. Key developments include economic integration via the Zollverein, the pivotal but failed Revolutions of 1848-49 and the Frankfurt Parliament, the intensification of the Austro-Prussian rivalry, and Otto von Bismarck's wars leading to unification: the Danish War (1864), the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). The era represents the transition from a loose confederation of independent German states dominated by Austria to a unified nation-state under Prussian leadership, fundamentally altering the political landscape of Central Europe and setting the stage for Germany's emergence as a major European power.
Timeline and Overview
This period begins with the establishment of the German Confederation under Austrian influence and Chancellor Metternich's conservative system of suppressing liberal and nationalist movements. It encompasses the Vormärz era, marked by intellectual ferment, the Hambach Festival, and social unrest like the Silesian weavers' uprising. Key developments include economic integration via the Zollverein, the pivotal but failed Revolutions of 1848-49 and the Frankfurt Parliament, the intensification of the Austro-Prussian rivalry, and Otto von Bismarck's wars leading to unification: the Danish War (1864), the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). The era represents the transition from a loose confederation of independent German states dominated by Austria to a unified nation-state under Prussian leadership, fundamentally altering the political landscape of Central Europe and setting the stage for Germany's emergence as a major European power.