Origins and Impact of German Unification on Europe Research Paper by TheWholeDamnShow

The paper is a historical examination into the German national movement that began after the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The desire for unity among the German states, mainly between Prussia and Austria, would eventually be a main reason for World War I and World War II. This in the desire to see a Greater Germany exist as the competing power in Europe by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as an opposition to English, French and Russian domination of the continent. The paper is divided up into three main parts. The first section gives a history of the Napoleonic Wars and the growing concept of nationalism in the German states under Napoleon. It was this hope for unity that helped push the French back and convince the world that German unity was in the best interest as a buffer to further French aggression. The second part of the paper deals with the unification of the German states and the problems and progress that existed from the time of 1815-1870. The growing industrial movement is heavily discussed as being the backbone to the new German Confederation of states. The rivalry that existed between Austria and Prussia, which eventually splintered Austria from the Confederation, is also discussed and how the German nation became stronger due to a more powerful Prussian influence. A complete investigation into German culture, economics and military system of the 19th century is given in this section in a very detailed manner. Repeated sources from English observers and German politicians give an insight into how Germany began to grow as a European power during the middle 19th century. A huge part of this section deals with the German economy and their desire to match England in terms of economic dominance of Europe. The German economic system is examined, run by a harsh yet amazingly efficient centralized government that maximizes output and production from its workers. Finally, the last section deals with the establishment of the German Empire, and how nationalism completely took over Germany as the predominant unifying factor of the German people. The Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent territorial grabs by Otto Von Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm The First are discussed, right up until the outbreak of World War I where Germany has officially taken its place as the predominant military and economic power on the continent.