1. EUROPE: THE ROLE OF BISMARCK 1871-1890 Lecture 2 Stephen Evans

2. Who was Bismarck? Born in 1815 into a wealthy land-owning family. 1862: Chief Minister of Prussia. Mirabeau Prussia was 'not so much a state with an army as an army with a state'. Secured the UNIFICATION OF GERMANY 1871: Imperial Chancellor of the German Empire. 3. What was the position of the German Empire in 1871? The greatest military power. Major industrial power. Other nations expected Germany to follow an aggressive foreign policy. Bismarck aimed to reassure leaders of Europe that he was a man of peace. Rule: authoritarian, militaristic. Kaiser: chose the Chancellor. 4. What was the position of the German Empire in 1871? The unification had led to rapid industrial expansion. There was a growing pressure for overseas colonies. WHY ARE COLONIES IMPORTANT ? New markets to sell products to Raw materials Prestige To compensate for wounded national pride France 5. Relations with France France was a key enemy ever since the 1871 Franco-Prussian War. France lost Alsace-Lorraine and had to pay Germany equivalent of 200 million in reparations. 6. Bismarck did not fear France alone, but feared an alliance of another major power with France would leave Germany vulnerable to attack. Fear of a war on two fronts. AIM: To deprive France of allies. Austria-Hungary and Russia would be logical allies, but they opposed one another and this made the situation complex for Bismarck. 7. Rivalry in the Balkans Russia: wanted influence in the Balkans to have access to the Mediterranean. They wanted the Turkish Empire to break up. Austria-Hungary: wanted the Turkish Empire to remain strong. They feared NATIONALISM would spread into Austria-Hungary and cause the break up of Austria-Hungary. BISMARCK: WISHED TO MAINTAIN RELATIONS WITH BOTH EMPIRES. WHAT DID HE DO? 8. Dreikaiserbund Three emperors. Franz Joseph (Austria- Hungary, Tsar Alex II of Russia and William I of Germany. General agreement of solidarity against social revolution. Agreement of conservative powers. 9. Dreikaiserbund What is the meaning of this cartoon? 10. The Balkans Crisis 1875-1878 Serbians revolted against Turkish rule. Russia moved to help Serbia and this led to war between Russia and Turkey in 1877. Austria-Hungary and Britain demanded a Congress of Powers and this led to the CONGRESS OF BERLIN in 1878. The fate of Turkey was a matter of concern to all powers. Russian domination was checked without war. Some states gained independence from Turkey. 11. THE CONGRESS OF BERLIN 1878 12. Europe after the Congress of Berlin 13. Bismarck and Austria-Hungary Bismarck backed up Austria-Hungary over Russia (why?) and this ended the Dreikaiserbund. In 1879 the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary was formed. (support one another in the event of an attack from Russia). Why? Bismarck wanted to avoid Austria-Hungary forming an alliance with Britain and France. I wanted to dig a ditch between her and the Western Powers. 14. Renewal of Dreikaiserbund 1881 Bismarck hoped to rebuild relations with Russia. June 1881 the League of the Three Emperors was renewed. If one of the three powers was at war with a fourth power then the other two would stay neutral. Enabled Austria-Hungary to expand into Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia to infleunce Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. The treaty meant Russia would not join France against Germany. 15. Why? Dreikaiserbund 1881 It bound Austria-Hungary and Russia in an agreement. Bismarck would now not have to choose which of the two nations to support. Try to be one of three, so long as the world is governed by an unstable equilibrium of five great powers 16. The Triple Alliance Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Negotiations began in 1881 and the agreement finalised in 1882. Italy were a mutual enemy of France, although not a great power. 17. Bismarck runs into problems Bismarck's alliances began to contradict one another. 1883 Austria-Hungary and Germany promise to defend Romania if ever attacked BUT this clashes with agreement with Russia. The Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance assumes a war with Russia, yet the League of Three Emperors is based on Austria- Hungary and Russia co-operation! 18. The Balkans (again!) 1885 Bulgaria did not want to be under Russian influence. They wanted to form an alliance with Eastern Rumelia. Britain and Austria-Hungary support Bulgaria. Russia kidnap the Bulgarian prince! He is forced to abdicate. Bismarck is now forced to choose sides. He backs up Austria-Hungary and the League of Three Emperors ends (again!). 19. Mediterranean Agreements 1887 Italy, Britain and Austria-Hungary. Mutual support against a fourth power. The agreement was altered and the focus was against Russia. Bismarck: relief that the burden of opposing Russia was now a shared concern. 20. The Reinsurance Treaty 1887 Bismarck still wished to win back Russian support (why?) This Treaty had to be worded to fit around all of his other agreements. This was a secret treaty. Neutrality if either country was attacked by a third power. BUT.....this agreement did not hold if Germany attacked France or Russia attacked Austria-Hungary. (How does this cause problems with the Dual Alliance?). In 1888 published the terms of the Dual Alliance (why?) 21. Bismarck's Europe by 1890 Russia had not formed an agreement with France. Period of peace. In 1888 Kaiser William II became ruler of Germany. Bismarck resigned in 1890 due to clashes with the new Kaiser. Bismarck was credited with keeping peace in Europe for two decades. 22. Summary Bismarcks successful domestic policies allow Germany the stability to pursue a robust foreign policy. He prefers diplomacy to war but not afraid to wage war when necessary Denmark, Austria and France - blood and iron speech. Creates fear but also the respect of the other Great Powers. He gives Germans in the newly unified Germany a sense of pride, identity and raises their expectations re their destiny in Europe and in the world. 23. Summary He helped create a country that was modern and powerful but ruled by people with the mind-set of the 19th Century. Prussia and the military hold too much power. The Reichstag (German parliament) weak despite universal suffrage for all German men. It could not control the Chancellor or the army. When the tensions between the Great Powers escalate in the early 20th Century Germany and Europe lack a skilled statesman like Bismarck . 24. Summary The Iron Chancellor embodied and manifested the greatness of Germany. His image hung in every schoolroom and over many a hearth. Germany had to have a genius-statesman as its ruler but this was impossible he was one of a kind yet has consequences in seeking this in Wilhelm II and later Adolf Hitler. The First World War destroyed much of Bismarcks Germany and defeat ended the monarchies in all the many German states. 25. The Legacy 26. BISMARCK QUOTES http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvTeokFH8mA