History Lecture: German Unification, Bismarckian Policy, and the Rise of New Imperialism

Course Administration and Introductory Concepts

• Class Attendance and Recognition: The session began with acknowledging students present: Blake, Isaiah, Grace, Elle, Aiden, Jackson, Maya, David, Thiago, Sebastian, Melanie, Harper, Maya, Makaya, Ava, Delaney, and Ariana.
• Administrative Announcement and April Fools' Joke:     * The instructor facetiously announced that for the remainder of the semester, there would be an essay test every Wednesday.     * This was revealed to be an April Fools' joke.     * The revised schedule was clarified: while there are no Wednesdays left for such tests, the general rhythm of major assessments was briefly touched upon.
• Assignment Logistics:     * Students who submitted assignments as photos encountered grading delays due to software issues.     * Recommendations for submission: Students should either bring physical copies to class or type their work and upload it to ensure grades are updated promptly.
• Identifying Historical Documents and the Nature of Fiction:     * The instructor noted that many students missed the "identify the document" section of their work.     * The Importance of Dating: It is critical to establish a date range for a document to understand its context.     * Fiction vs. History:         * The purpose of fiction is often "escape" and entertainment.         * The Odyssey Example: In Greek history, the Odyssey was performed for entertainment; details within it may be exaggerated for theatrical effect.         * Clues for Realism: Real historical documents include specific dates, real people, and real places, which provide insight into the society of that time.         * Historical Fiction: This genre uses accurate historical backgrounds but incorporates fabricated dialogue for entertainment.         * Specific Detail Analysis: A text describing a character's breakfast habits or counting steps to a gentleman's club suggests a level of detail (and potential "OCD" character traits) more common in historical fiction than in standard historical accounts.         * Authorship Example: A text being discussed, which many might assume is English or German due to its tone, was actually written by the French author Jules Verne.

The Path to German Unification

• Context of Unification: The year $1871$ marked the unification of two major regions that had been fragmented for centuries:     * Italy: Had not been unified since the fall of the Roman Empire.     * Germany: Had been broken up since the fall of the empire of Charlemagne.
• The Pre-Unification Landscape:     * The area that became Germany was previously organized as the Holy Roman Empire, later divided into $38$ separate nations at the Congress of Vienna.     * Members of the Confederation: Include Bavaria, Schleswig, Holstein, Hanover, Alsace, Lorraine, Westphalia, Saxony, and Prussia.     * Superpower Dynamics: Prussia was the only state in the German region large enough to be considered a superpower. Other neighboring superpowers included Russia, France, and Britain. The Austrian Empire was the other major German-speaking power competing for influence.
• Obstacles to Unification:     * Foreign Rule: Regions like Schleswig and Holstein were under Danish rule; Alsace and Lorraine were under French control.     * The Religious Divide:         * Tracing back to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, the German states were split.         * North: Primarily Protestant (specifically Lutheran).         * South: Primarily Catholic.         * Modern Parallel: The instructor compared this to the divide between Northern Ireland (Protestant) and the Republic of Ireland (Catholic), which remains a hurdle for complete unification.

Strategies and Diplomacy of Otto von Bismarck

• Key Figures:     * William I: The King of Prussia.     * Otto von Bismarck: The Prime Minister of Prussia and the lead architect of German unification.     * Political Ideology: Both were staunch conservatives who believed in Divine Right Monarchy and were opposed to economic liberalism and capitalism, though they utilized nationalism as a tool for their goals.
• The Three Pillars of Unification Strategy: Bismarck used diplomacy, economics, and military action.
• The Economic Foundation (Zollverein):     * Bismarck established the Zollverein, a free trade zone.     * The Tariff Metaphor: If a merchant shipped goods from Mecklenburg to Alsace, they would traditionally pay tariffs at every border (e.g., crossing into Hanover, Westphalia, etc.). In the instructor's example, a merchant might pay taxes $5$ times for a single trip.     * The Zollverein eliminated these internal tariffs, encouraging northern states to see themselves as an economic unit.
• Military and Diplomatic Prowess:     * The "Sibling" Metaphor: Bismarck acted like a younger sibling who pokes an older sibling until they get punched. When the "parents" (other superpowers) walk in, only the one who threw the punch (the aggressor) gets in trouble.     * National Pride as a Casus Belli: In the $1800s$, impulsiveness regarding national honor was high. If a foreign leader "slapped" a representative (likened to slapping Marco Rubio today), it could trigger a war due to "impugned national pride."     * Strategic Wars: Bismarck initiated three controlled wars, ensuring other superpowers would not intervene through prior treaties:         1. The Danish War ($1864$): An alliance with Austria to take Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. Prussia took Schleswig; Austria took Holstein.         2. The Austro-Prussian War ($1866$): Also known as the Seven Weeks War. Bismarck provoked Austria over the administration of the newly won territories. Prussia's victory excluded Austria from German affairs and led to the formation of the Northern German League.         3. The Franco-Prussian War ($1870$ - $1871$):             * Bismarck manipulated a press release (the Ems Dispatch) to make it appear that King William I had insulted the French leader.             * France, driven by public demand, declared war.             * The Catholic Strategy: By getting Catholic France to attack, Bismarck forced the southern Catholic German states to unite with the northern Protestant states in a common defense, fueling Pan-German nationalism.             * Outcome: The main French army was defeated in $4$ months, though the Paris Commune resisted for nearly a year and a half. Germany was unified in $1871$.

Post-Unification Germany: Domestic and Foreign Policy

• The Second Reich: The name given to this unified German Empire.
• Foreign Policy Challenges:     * Unification broke the "Balance of Power." Germany was now one massive superpower in Central Europe instead of $38$ small states.     * Border Issues: Germany now shared direct borders with superpowers like France, Austria, and Russia. The system preferred "buffer zones" (small states between giants) to prevent minor border disputes from escalating into total wars.     * Alliances: Bismarck created a mutual defense treaty with Austria. In response, France allied with Russia, creating a system of "deterrence" that would eventually lead to the domino effect of World War I.
• Domestic Policies (Consolidating the Nation):     * Germanization: Forcing a national identity through language. Only German was taught in schools; languages like Polish, Yiddish, French, or Italian were suppressed within the borders.     * Kulturkampf (The Cultural Struggle):         * Bismarck's attempt to weaken the Catholic Church.         * Failure: The policy backfired, as Catholic membership and fervor increased. Bismarck eventually abandoned it.         * Legacy: This led to the formation of the Catholic Center Party, which evolved into the Christian Democratic Party after World War II—still a dominant political party in Germany today.     * Social Welfare:         * Bismarck implemented the world's first national Social Security-style programs, including pensions and unemployment insurance.         * Motivation: It was a tactical move to prevent socialism. By providing for retirees (who previously feared "poor houses"), he ensured the loyalty of the elderly population to the state.

The New Imperialism ($1870$ - $1914$)

• A Second Wave: After a decline in colonization in the $1700s$, the late $1800s$ saw a massive explosion of European expansion, primarily targeting Africa.
• The Scramble for Africa:     * In $1870$, Africa was mostly free of European presence. By $1910$, only two nations remained independent:         1. Ethiopia: Maintained its own ruling dynasty.         2. Liberia: Established by the American Anti-Slavery Society as a place to send freed African Americans. Its capital, Monrovia, is named after President James Monroe. It remained under U.S. protection until $1972$.
• Geographic Perception: Often, maps make Europe look larger and Africa smaller, but Africa is vast enough to contain the territories of the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined.
• Comparison: $1500s$ vs. $1800s$ Colonialism:     1. Economic Drivers:         * $1500s$: Mercantilism (spices, gold, tobacco, sugar).         * $1800s$: Industrial Capitalism. Factories needed mass amounts of raw materials.         * Examples: Copper ($Congo$), Diamonds (needed for industrial tipped blades/drills because it is the hardest substance in nature), Tin (used then as we use aluminum today), Natural Rubber, and eventually Oil for internal combustion engines.     2. Religious Goals:         * $1500s$: Direct conversion to Catholicism.         * $1800s$: The "Civilizing Mission." Spreading Christianity was tied to spreading European culture (names, clothing, and monogamy versus traditional polygamy).     3. Technology:         * $1500s$: Europeans had primitive muskets. Native American arrows were often more accurate and faster to fire. Disease (smallpox) was the primary reason for European success.         * $1800s$: The Industrial Revolution provided a decisive advantage. Europeans had machine guns, steamships (capable of sailing upriver), and railroads. Gunboat Diplomacy involved shelling coastal cities to force government concessions.     4. Ideology (Social Darwinism):         * Derived from Charles Darwin's "survival of the fittest," but applied to humans.         * Europeans viewed themselves as the most "fit" race, followed by Asians, then Africans and Native Americans.         * This pseudoscientific hierarchy dehumanized colonized peoples, justifying their treatment as "pack animals."

Questions & Discussion

• Student (David): Correctly identified the Soviet Union as a factor in the later unification of the European Union as a common enemy.
• Discussion on Currency: The class discussed the use of the Euro in the European Union (excluding Britain) as a sign of an economic union.
• Q: Why do nations value national pride so much?     * Instructor Response: Historically, insulting a representative of a nation was seen as an insult to the nation itself, requiring a military response to maintain standing.
• Q: Which African nations remained independent?     * Student suggestions included: Egypt (British), Congo (Belgian/French), Libya (French), Sudan (English), Somalia (Italian).     * Correction: The instructor clarified that ONLY Ethiopia and Liberia were independent by $1910$.
• Q: Why do we use diamonds in industry?     * Instructor Response: Because they are the hardest substance in nature, making them ideal for cutting and drilling tools.