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How unification of German took place in 19th century? |
| Answer» After 1848, nationalism in Europe moved away from its association\xa0with democracy and revolution. Nationalist sentiments were often\xa0mobilised by conservatives for promoting state power and achieving\xa0political domination over Europe.\xa0This can be observed in the process by which Germany and Italy came\xa0to be unified as nation-states. As you have seen, nationalist feelings were\xa0widespread among middle-class Germans, who in 1848 tried to unite\xa0the different regions of the German confederation into a nation-state\xa0governed by an elected parliament. This liberal initiative to nation-building\xa0was, however, repressed by the combined forces of the monarchy and\xa0the military, supported by the large landowners (called Junkers) of Prussia.\xa0From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for\xa0national unification. Its chief minister, Otto von\xa0Bismarck, was the architect of this process carried\xa0out with the help of the Prussian army and\xa0bureaucracy. Three wars over seven years – with\xa0Austria, Denmark and France – ended in Prussian\xa0victory and completed the process of unification.\xa0In January 1871, the Prussian king, William I,\xa0was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremony\xa0held at Versailles.On the bitterly cold morning of 18 January 1871,\xa0an assembly comprising the princes of the\xa0German states, representatives of the army,\xa0important Prussian ministers including the chief\xa0minister Otto von Bismarck gathered in the\xa0unheated Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles to proclaim the new German Empire headed\xa0by Kaiser William I of Prussia.\xa0The nation-building process in Germany had\xa0demonstrated the dominance of Prussian state\xa0power. The new state placed a strong emphasis\xa0on modernising the currency, banking, legal\xa0and judicial systems in Germany. Prussian\xa0measures and practices often became a model for\xa0the rest of Germany. | |