German Unification: 1871

The German Empire was proclaimed at the Palace of Versailles, with the Prussian king, William I, as Kaiser of Germany, 18th January, 1871. German unification was a long process that can be attributed to factors such as the Crimean War and the Wars of Unification, the ideas of nationalism and liberalism, Prussia’s economic strength, and the role of Otto von Bismarck.

The Crimean War (1854-6), as Bruce Walker says, “gave Bismarck his first important opportunity” to unify Germany, and it would have certainly been more difficult to achieve had the Crimean War not occurred. This conflict realigned the great powers of Europe and, with Russia’s withdrawal from European diplomacy, Prussia had become dominant. As Bismarck commented in 1862: “It all began with the Crimean War”. By the end of the Crimean War, Prussia was intent on initiating territorial changes that Austria was powerless to resist. The Crimean War and consequent Russian defeat meant the withdrawal of Russia into a ...