A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS AND Q&A SESSION (05:14 PM)

ITALIAN UNIFICATION (05:20 PM)

• Question- Italian Unification was a reality whereas German Unification was a sheer Romance. Comment. [* German Unification was forced upon. Italian despite being divided always felt one. ] 
• Italy was the centre of European civilization and the Renaissance. It was geographically divided between the kingdoms of Sardinia, Austria, Pope, and the Bourbans of France. Even though geographically divided, Italians always felt that they were one. 
• This was why it is said: "Italian unification was always a reality, whereas German Unification is a sheer romance". 
• Factors for Italian Unification
• 1) French Revolution 
• 2) Napolean 
• 3) Vienna conference, 1815. In the conference, Austria got back her territories in the Northern Part of Italy under the principles of Restoration, and Compensation. Italy was again divided into 4 zones. 
• Carbonaries was the organization of coal mine workers. It was the organization where the unity of Italians was founded for the first time. 
• A great cultural movement called "Rissergimento" started under the leadership of Joseph Mazzini. He was called the Soul of Italian Nationalism. 
• The movement's main purpose was to bring back the cultural glory of Italy. He also founded a secret society called the "Young Italy". 
• 1830 and 1848- French Revolution also inspired Italian Unification. In 1848, the people of Rome demanded a liberal constitution. However, Conservative Austria interfered and prevented Rome from introducing Liberal reforms. 
• The people of Sardinia requested their king, Charles Albert, to liberate Italy from Austria. However, Albert was defeated. His son Victor Emmanuel became king of Sardinia. Count Cavour, a highly experienced diplomat became his prime minister. 
• Italians realize that they must take the help of one foreign power or the other to defeat Austria. 

STAGES OF UNIFICATION (06:13 PM)

• The unification of Italy was realized in 5 stages. 
• In the First stage, PM Cavour won the support of France and signed a secret treaty with Napolean III of France called the "Treaty of Plumbiers". PM Cavour provoked Austria to declare war (Increase of custom duty and asking the people to revolt against the Austrian governors)
• With the support of France, Sardinia could defeat Austria. However, Sardinia could not liberate the entire Northern Part of Italy as Napolean III of France joined hands with Austria. [* Napolean III signed a secret treaty with Austria Treaty of Campo Formio, In which Austria has to liberate Lombardy and not the northern Territories]
• In the First stage of Unification, Sardinia could only occupy Lombardi 
• 
• In the second stage of Unification, Cavour encouraged people's movement against Austria, Tuscany, Parma, and Modena. With the support of England, he conducted Plebiscites and got them merged with Sardinia. 
• The third stage of Unification started in the southern part of Italy at Sicilies (Nice and Savoy). People's movement started under the leadership of Joseph Garibaldi. He converted them into Republics
• Garibaldi tried to liberate Rome by Attacking it (with his army called 'Red Shirts.'). However, the French army was deployed in Rome in the Protection of the Pope, as there was a possibility of French interference. King Victor Emmanuel marched against Garibaldi and prevented him from entering into Rome. 
• [* ''They prevented me unification from the North, I will do it from the South- Cavour'']
• Garibaldi surrendered his two republics (Nice and Savoy). 
• The fourth and Fifth stages of Unification were closely connected with German Unification. In the second stage of German Unification, Bismarck of Germany promised Sardinia, the Venetia. If Sardinia supports Germany and goes to war with Austria. In the war that started Austria was defeated by Bismarck.
• In the Prague Treaty, of 1866, Austria surrendered Venetia to Sardinia. [* In 1866, Bismarck defeated the Austrians in the 'Battle of Sadowa' and forced them to sign the 'Prague Treaty]
• In the Fifth stage of Unification, Rome was liberated. In 1870, Bismarck went to war with France. When France withdrew its army, Victor Emmanuel occupied Rome.
• Thus in 1870, Italian unification was completed. 

GERMAN UNIFICATION (06:33 PM)

• ''German unification was sheer romance, whereas Italian unification was always a reality.''
• Germany from the beginning never had the feeling that they were one.
• If Italy was mere geographical expression then Germany was mere linguistic divided into as many as 333 states each under one head called Elector.
• They were never for a united Germany.
• The 3 archenemies of German unification were:
• Austria, which occupied the Southern part of Germany.
• France, which had its influence felt in the Western part of Germany.
• Denmark, which occupied two German states- Holstein, and Schleswig.
• Factors for German Unification 
• 1) French Revolution and its idea inspiring the Germans.
• 2) Napolean was responsible for German unification in both a positive and negative manner.
• Positives:
• By defeating Austria he ended her control over the Southern part of Germany.
• He once and for all ended the concept Holy Roman Empire for which Austria acted as the guardian.
• He brought the 333 German states into a confederacy of 16 states-Rhine Confederacy.
• He introduced his liberal reforms and 'Code De Napolean' into Germany and made Germans taste liberalism and constitutionalism.
• Negatives:
• He looted the German resources and used them for his construction activities in France.
• Undermining the German nationalist spirit he declared himself a protector of Germany.
• 3) The Vienna Conference of 1815 under the principles of legitimacy, restoration, compensation, and balance of power allowed Austria and France to establish their direct control over Germany.
• However, the conference gave the kingdom of Prussia to take the lead for German Unification under the leadership of the Hohenzollern Dynasty.
• 4) The 1830 and 1848 French Revolutions also had their effect on German Nationalism.
• 5) Two specific events that shaped the German Nationalist spirit were:
• a) Commercial Union called 'Zollverein' was founded in 1818 in Prussia. Prussia became a common economic zone without any tariff duties on its internal trade.
• This attracted the Northern German states to join the Zollverein as they had common trade and commercial interests.
• b) German nationalism became aggressive and assertive with the universities like Jena as its main centre.
• Austrian PM or Chancellor Metternich to curb German nationalism passed Carlsberg Decrees in 1819.
• It prohibited nationalist activities in the universities.
• The Elector of Guttenberg openly refused to follow the decree.
• German Romanticism started with thinkers like Goethe, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche.
• German unification was realized under the able leadership of Bismarck, the PM of Prussia.
• For him, all great things in history happen not because of majority discussions and decisions but because of the policy of blood and iron.
• THREE STAGES OF UNIFICATION
• War with Denmark was the first stage, where, Bismarck defeated Denmark and occupied the provinces of Holstein and Schleswig.
• [* Isolation of Denmark- Bismarck offered the most favoured nation to England, It promised some territories to France, It promised to suppress a revolt against Russia, and To Austria, he promised one of the territories. Thus he isolated Denmark]
• While going to war with Denmark he prepared grounds for war with Austria promising Austria either of the two.
• The war ended with the Treaty of Vienna in 1864.
• Bismarck gave Austria, Holstein which was completely German making Austria difficult to administer.
• The second stage of unification was the war with Austria called the Austro-Prussian War (1856).
• Bismarck isolated Austria from France, England, and Russia. 
• [* ''Isolating the enemy was the keynote of Bismarck's foreign policy.'']
• He defeated Austria in the Battle of Sedowa (1866) called the 7 Weeks War. The war ended with the Treaty of Prague.
• Austria surrendered the Southern part of Germany to Prussia and Venetia to Italy.
• In the third stage, Bismarck prepared for war with France. [* For him, '' A war with France lay in the logic of History". ]
• It was because France occupied Alsace, and Lorraine which were very rich in iron ores.
• Bismarck isolated France by convincing England that Napolean III of France had secret intentions of occupying Belgium which was under the protection of England.
• He turned extremely friendly with Austria and won over Russia by helping Russia in suppressing the Polish Revolution.
• Bismarck defeated France in the Battle of Sedan (1870).[* ''Europe lost a mistress and gained a monster.''] 
• With the war, a very powerful, united Germany appeared on the borders of France threatening to disturb peace in Europe.
• War ended with Frankfurt Treaty (1870).
• It also ended Italian unification.
• Bismarck declared Emperor William I of Prussia, Emperor of Germany in the Versailles palace, in Paris, which the French never forgot.

ANALYSIS OF THE UNIFICATION MOVEMENT AND THE AFTERMATH (07:09 PM) 

• Similarities Between German Unification and Italian Unification 
• Factors were more or less the same for both:
• French Revolution, Napolean War, Vienna Conference 1815, 1838 & 1848 revolutions, and romanticism.
• In both the unification movement, Monarchy took the lead and got the support of the Prime Ministers. 
• In Italian Unification, the Sardinian King initiated and PM Cavour supported. In Germany, Emperor William was supported by Bismarck.  
• For both movements, the common enemies were Austria and France
• Dissimilarities Between German Unification and Italian Unification
• From the beginning Italian unification was a reality, whereas German Unification was sheer romance. [* German Unification was forced upon and Italian unification was a reality] 
• In the relative strength also differ, Sardinia was a weak kingdom whereas Prussia was relatively stronger. 
• In Italy, PM Couvour was very much supported by the monarchy and patriarchs whereas Bismarck had not enjoyed any support except from emperor William I.
• In the means that followed Sardinia wanted foreign help whereas Prussia never wanted any help from any country. Rather Bismarck followed a policy of isolating the enemy and neutralizing the other European powers.
• In the spirit also they differ. Cavour was first an Italian then only Sardinian. Whereas Bismarck was first a Prussian, and then only a German.
• Italianisation of Italy was the policy of Cavour whereas Bismark's policy was the Prussianisation of Germany.
• Cavour was a democrat, who conducted plebiscites, whereas Bismarck was an autocrat who believed in the policy of blood and iron.
• Cavour had little problem compared to Bismarck. Cavour got the support of the Nationalists like Garibaldi, Victor Emmanuel, etc whereas Bismarck only got the support of the emperor.  
• Cavour was more an Italian than a Sardinian and Bismarck was more a Prussian than a German. 
• Question- One thing Bismarck determined to prevent was the Unification of Germany. Comment.  
• Cavour was first an Italian than a Sardinian and Bismarck was first a Prussian than a German. 
• [* Bismarck Was never for German unification. Comment- Bismarck did Prussianization of Germany and he founded Prussian Germany, Imperialism of Prussia, and not the other way around i.e. Germanization of Prussia or Germanized Prussia. ]
• [* German unification under the Prussian leadership i.e. Bismarck. If any other state is ready for unification then Bismarck would not have allowed it. ]
• [** Analogy in the Indian context- Chamber of Princes was headed by Nawab of Bhopal. Sardar Patel wanted to unify India under the leadership of the Government of India and he was not ready to unify India under the leadership of the Nawab of Bhopal]
• Bismarck was an Authoritarian, and Autocrat, and had no respect for democracy whereas Cavour was in favour of democracy. 

In what way Bismarck's German unification caused World War I?

• Germany's Unification and Italian unification movements ended European disorder. A geographical map of Europe was clearly drawn, which ended disorder. 
• Disorder also ended as the two archenemies in Europe's politics i.e. Austria and France got defeated. 
• Quarantining France was the Keynote of Bismarck's Foreign policy. 
• a) He kept the capital city Paris under his control for one year. 
• b) France was made to Surrender Alsace and Lorraine (Iron rich areas)
• c) France paid 5 lakhs Francs as compensation. 
• d) Bismarck declared William I of Germany as emperor of Germany in the hall of Paris. 
• e) In 1873 Bismarck founded the Emperor's League comprising Austria, Russia, and Germany
• f) Differences started within the Emperor's League, between Austria and Russia on the matters of "Balkan politics"/ Near East border of Europe. Russia shared the longest boundary with the Ottoman Empire and wanted to control the Near East region. Austria also wanted to control this region. 
• Bismarck of Germany supported Austria against Russia. 
• Russia withdrew from the Triple Emperor's league. Bismarck asked Italy to join the group. But Italy refused to join the Triple Emperors League. 
• Bismarck supported France against Italy in Tunisia and forced Italy to join the Triple emperors league which later became the "Triple Alliance" 
• In 1884, Bismarck resigned, which became a greater relief for France. 
• In 1894, France and Russia created the "Dual Entente"
• In 1902, England and Japan entered into an alliance. 
• In 1907, England joined Dual Entente and it became the "Triple Entente"- France, Russia, And England. 

The topic for the next class:- World War I.