German culture before 1870 saw significant political changes. Prussia established a customs union called the Zollverein in the 1830s that excluded Austria and unified most German states economically. Otto von Bismarck was appointed minister-president of Prussia in 1862 and pursued German unification through "blood and iron" rather than democratic means. Prussia fought successful wars against Denmark, Austria, and France between 1864-1871, culminating in the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 under King Wilhelm I of Prussia.

1. German Culture Before 1870 Group Zwei Ryan, Matt, Nicole

3. 1806-End of Holy Roman Empire (Napoleon establishes the Confederation of the Rhine) –Fourth war of coalition sets Prussia, Russia and Britain against France, and French victories over Prussia

4. 1807-Peace of Tilsit between France and Russia ends war

5. 1812-Napoleon invades Russia. Retreat begins October

6. 1813-Prussia declares war on France in March; Austria declares war on France in August

7. 1815-Napoleon defeated at Waterloo –German Confederation established

8. 1833-Zollverein (customs union) agreed; comes into operation 1834

9. 1840-Frederick William IV becomes King of Prussia

10. 1848-Outbreak of revolution in German lands

11. 1850- March: Frederick William IV summons a German Parliament to Erfurt.July-peace agreed between Prussia and Denmark.

12. 1853-Zollverein renewed for further 12 years

13. 1859-War of France and Piedmont against Austria

14. 1864-War of Austria and Prussia against Denmark

15. 1870-1 War of Prussia and other German states against France

16. 1871-German Second empire proclaimed 1871Frederick William IV www.modernhistory.org.uk

17. “During the 1820s, significant progress was made in reducing customs duties among German states. At Prussia instigation, the Zollverein (Customs Union) began to form, and by the mid 1830s it included all the most important German states except Austria. Prussia saw to it that its chief rival within Germany was excluded from the union. Vienna, for its part, did not realize at this early point the political and economic significance of intra-German trade.” (http://www.mongabay.com, Germany-Economic and Political Trades: 1815-66)

18. “In 1862 King Wilhelm I of Prussia (r.1858-88) chose Bismarck to serve as his minister president. Descended from the Junker, Prussia’s aristocratic landowning class, Bismarck hated parliamentary democracy and championed the dominance of the monarchy and aristocracy…Bismarck contended that conservatives would have to come to terms with other social groups if they were to continue to direct Prussian affairs. The king had to summoned Bismarck to direct Prussia’s government in the face of the Prussian parliament’s refusal to pass a budget because it disagreed with army reforms desired by the king and his military advisers…Bismarck was a skilled tactician and ruthless enough to govern it without parliament’s consent from 1862-1866.” (http://www.mongabay.com, Germany-Imperial Germany) King Wilhelm I Bismarck

19. German Early History “The Germanic tribes, which probably originated from a mixture of peoples along the Baltic Sea coast, inhabited the northern part of the European continent by about 500 B.C. By 100 B.C. they had advanced into the central and southern areas of present-day Germany…There were three major tribal groups: the eastern Germanic peoples, the northern Germanic peoples and the western Germanic peoples. The Rhine provided a temporary boundary between Germanic and Roman territory after the defeat of the Suevian tribe by Julius Caesar about 70 B.C.” (http://www.mongabay.com, Germany Early History)

20. Das Ende