Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / Otto von Bismarck and the Three Wars of German Unification
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the forces pushing for German unification — the Zollverein, the revolutions of 1848, the Frankfurt Parliament. But today I want to focus on the actual wars that finally forged a unified Germany under Prussian leadership. Between 1864 and 1871, Prussia fought three short, decisive wars that completely redrew the map of Europe. Luna: Right, the three wars under Bismarck. Let me guess — the first one was against Denmark? Lucas: Exactly — the Second Schleswig War in 1864. The background is the Schleswig-Holstein question, which had been a thorny issue for decades. The duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were ruled by the Danish king but had mixed German and Danish populations, and Holstein was part of the German Confederation. In 1863, Denmark adopted a new constitution that tried to integrate Schleswig more tightly, which outraged German nationalists. Luna: So Bismarck used that as a pretext? Lucas: He did, but cunningly. He allied with Austria — Prussia's rival — to issue an ultimatum to Denmark, and when Denmark refused, they went to war together. The war was short: Prussian forces, under the brilliant military strategist Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, used superior artillery and tactics. The key battle was at Dybbøl in April 1864, where Prussian forces stormed Danish trenches. Denmark surrendered by October, and under the Treaty of Vienna, Denmark ceded Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg, to be administered jointly by Prussia and Austria. Luna: But that joint administration was a powder keg, wasn't it? Lucas: Absolutely. Bismarck deliberately set up a situation where Prussia and Austria would constantly squabble over the duchies. He wanted a war with Austria to push them out of German affairs. He also secured neutrality from France and Russia through diplomacy — he met with Napoleon III at Biarritz and promised vague compensations, and he supported Russia during the Polish uprising of 1863 to win their goodwill. Luna: So he isolated Austria diplomatically before the war even started. Lucas: Exactly. Then in 1866, Prussia provoked Austria by proposing a reform of the German Confederation that would exclude Austria. Austria responded by mobilizing, and Prussia declared war. The Austro-Prussian War, also called the Seven Weeks' War, was a stunning display of Prussian military efficiency. Moltke had modernized the army, using railways to rapidly deploy troops and the Dreyse needle gun, a breech-loading rifle that gave Prussian soldiers a huge rate of fire advantage over Austrian muzzle-loaders. Luna: The needle gun — I've heard about that. It was a game-changer. Lucas: It really was. The decisive battle was at Königgrätz, or Sadowa, on July 3, 1866. It's one of the biggest battles of the 19th century. The Prussian armies converged on the Austrian forces under Ludwig von Benedek. Despite initial Austrian successes, the Prussians won decisively. The war ended quickly, and the Peace of Prague dissolved the German Confederation. Austria was excluded from German affairs, and Prussia annexed several northern German states that had sided with Austria, like Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, and the Free City of Frankfurt. Luna: So now Prussia dominates northern Germany. But what about the southern states — Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden? Lucas: They remained independent but signed secret defensive alliances with Prussia, fearing France. And that brings us to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Bismarck needed a war with France to galvanize the southern German states into joining a unified Germany. The pretext came in 1870 when the Spanish throne was offered to a relative of Prussian King Wilhelm I, the Hohenzollern Prince Leopold. France strongly objected, and the Prussian king, who was at the spa town of Bad Ems, politely declined. But Bismarck edited the so-called Ems Telegram to make it sound like a snub, and released it to the press. Luna: I remember that from our episode on the Ems Telegram. It was a deliberate provocation. Lucas: Exactly. France declared war on July 19, 1870. The southern German states, honoring their alliances, joined Prussia. The Prussian army, again under Moltke, was better prepared. They mobilized rapidly and invaded France. The war was a series of German victories — at Spicheren, Wörth, and most famously at Sedan on September 1, where Napoleon III himself was captured along with his army. That effectively ended the French Empire. Luna: And that led to the proclamation of the German Empire, right? Lucas: Yes, on January 18, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles — a deliberate humiliation for France. King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor, or Kaiser. The new German Empire included all the German states except Austria and a few others. The war continued for a few more months, with Paris under siege, but France finally surrendered in May 1871. The Treaty of Frankfurt forced France to cede Alsace and Lorraine, pay a huge indemnity of 5 billion francs, and accept German occupation until the indemnity was paid. Luna: So in just seven years, Bismarck used three wars to unify Germany under Prussian leadership. That's incredible. Lucas: It really is a masterclass in Realpolitik. Bismarck's goal was always Kleindeutschland — a unified Germany without Austria, dominated by Prussia. And he achieved it through a combination of military might, diplomatic cunning, and opportunism. The consequences were enormous: a powerful new nation in the heart of Europe, the humiliation of France, and the seeds of future conflict. Luna: And it set the stage for World War I, which we'll definitely have to cover. Lucas: Absolutely. But that's a story for another episode. For now, let's sit with the fact that three short wars reshaped the entire continent.