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Bellringer

How did Napoleon III use realpolitik to take power and keep power? In what ways did the Crimean War disrupt the balance of power?

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Unification of Italy and Germany

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Essential Question

What actions did Cavour and Bismarck take to bring about unification in Italy and Germany, respectively, and what role did war play in their efforts?

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The Unification of Italy

  • The breakdown of the Concert of Europe opened the door for Germany and Italy to unify
  • 1850- Austria was still the dominant force in Italy
  • Advocates looked to the kingdom of Piedmont as their best chance to unify under King Victor Emmanuel II
  • He named Count Camillo di Cavour his prime minister in 1852

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The Leadership of Cavour

  • Cavour was a liberal-minded nobleman
  • Pursued a policy of economic expansion
  • Money he earned with the growth of the Piedmontese economy, he poured into a large army
  • 1858- came to an agreement with Napoleon III of France to help them get rid of Austria
  • Despite initially winning, France withdrew giving Piedmont only Lombardy

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The Efforts of Garibaldi

  • In Southern Italy, a new leader came to the forefront- Giuseppe Garibaldi
  • Raised an army of Red Shirts- volunteers
  • Took Sicily and Naples
  • Continued to march to Rome where they met Cavour’s army
  • Garibaldi chose to yield to Cavour’s army instead of having a civil war
  • Unified under a central government ruled by King Victor Emmanuel II

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The Unification of Germany

  • German nationalists focused on Prussia and Austria as the only nations powerful enough to unify Germany
  • Prussia had formed the Zollverein- German customs union
  • 1848- Prussia had framed a constitution with a constitutional monarchy
  • Kaiser Wilhelm I wanted to double the army’s size
  • He appointed Otto von Bismarck as the new prime minister

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Otto von Bismarck

  • Born into the Junker class- aristocratic class Prussia
  • Often considered a realist, he only waged war when all diplomatic alternatives had been exhausted
  • Led three wars to obtain unification:
    • The Danish War (1864)
    • The Austro-Prussian War (1866)
    • The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns5FFmUgGLA