Nationalism - Process Step 4

The Creation of Modern Germany
BISMARCK UNIFIES GERMANY
In 1860 there was no Germany. There were many German states. Some of the states were Saxony, Bavaria and Hanover. The largest and the most powerful German state was Prussia.  In 1861 William I became king of Prussia. He made Otto von Bismarck his Prime Minister. Both men wanted Prussia to unite all of the German states into one great German nation. Bismarck believed that the way to solve Prussia's problems was with BLOOD AND IRON! Bismarck had  Prussia fight three wars. First, Prussia fought Denmark. Then they fought Austria. After each VICTORY Prussia gained more land and became more powerful.  The war that finally united Germany was fought against France. The Franco-Prussian War was fought between 1870 and 1871. Prussia won. The defeat has never been FORGOTTEN by the French As a result of the war, Alsace and Lorraine were given to Germany. These PROVINCES  were rich in coal and iron. The French, were also very angry because most of the people who lived in Alsace and Lorraine were French. Frenchmen promised to get Alsace and Lorraine back from Prussia. The French also had to pay REPARATIONS to Prussia: To make things even worse, the Prussian Army took over Paris until the money was paid.     When the Franco-Prussian War ended, William I was made Kaiser (Emperor) of the German Empire. A new and a powerful nation was created in the center of Europe. Germany remained united until after World War II. In 1945 it was divided into East Germany and West Germany. In 1990, East and West Germany united into one Germany again.