Key Figures and Ideas
Identify the diplomat who shut down revolutionary vibes and backed monarchies.
Klemens von Metternich
Identify the assembly that tried to unify Germany but… yeah, it flopped
Frankfurt Parliament
Identify the winner of the Austro-Prussian War.
Prussia
Identify dominant values in the new empire.
Authoritarian/militaristic
Identify Bismarck’s main goal (what was he really trying to do?).
Unify Germany under Prussia
Explain the speech where Bismarck basically said “talk is cheap.”
Blood and Iron Speech
Explain why the Erfurt Union collapsed.
Humiliation of Olmutz
Explain Prussia’s advantages.
Railroads, weapons, tactics
Explain treatment of Austria vs France
Austria lenient, France harsh
Explain why Bismarck didn’t go too hard on Austria after winning.
He wanted Austria as a future ally
Identify the student group that was early on the German unity hype train.
Burschenschaften
Explain what Austria taking over Holstein said about Prussia at the time.
It showed Prussian weakness
Explain how Austria was treated after defeat
Leniently
Explain what the Ems Telegram was and why it caused drama
Edited message to provoke France into war
Explain why Bismarck basically baited France into war.
To unite German states against a common enemy
Explain why Bismarck pushed military funding.
To show strength was needed for unity
Explain why southern German states weren’t ready to join (they weren’t convinced).
They feared Prussian dominance / wanted independence
Identify the cause of the Spanish crisis
Throne dispute
Explain why Prussia was able to beat France
Superior organization, technology, strategy
Identify the strategy Bismarck was known for (playing smart, not idealistic).
Realpolitik
Evaluate whether Bismarck planned unification.
Debated: long-term plan vs opportunistic
Evaluate why early attempts at unity kept failing.
They lacked strong leadership and military backing
Explain why the Siege of Paris was such a big deal
Forced surrender
Evaluate how German unification shook up Europe
It disrupted the balance of power
Evaluate how Bismarck mixed diplomacy + war to get results.
He manipulated events and conflicts to achieve unification