23)
Nation States: 1850-1871 (The Age of Realism)
Crimean War: 1853-56
Causes: Russia wants to occupy the Ottoman Empire; OE declares war after RUS entered
and tried to intervene in the protection of Christian shrines in Palestine; GB/FR declare war
on RUS (to protect the balance of power and defend their interests in the E Med)
Austria & Prussia stay neutral; high death toll; poorly fought; first professional nurses (F
Nightingale)
Treaty of Paris (1856): RUS had to surrender territory & protection rights in the OE,
recognized the neutrality of Black Sea; Concert of Europe was dissolved (Aus & Rus
became enemies)
Italian Unification
Unification movement strengthened under leadership of Count Cavour (PM of Piedmont)
who advocated constitutional monarchy; sought the help of Nap III to fight against Austria
(proved not very helpful) but nationalism grew stronger; eventually Northern Italy would
be unified by Piedmont
In the South, Garibaldi led the Red Shirt Army & marched up the peninsula; they wanted to
invade the Papal States (being protected by FR) but Cavour convinced them not to;
Garibaldi accepts the leadership of Victor Immanuel II, and the Kingdom of Piedmont ruled
all of Italy (except Papal States)
When FR left the Papal States, they were annexed into Italy and the capital became Rome
German Unification
Unity came through membership in the Zollverein (trade union that facilitated trade b/t
the GR states) and Bismarck was tasked with quieting calls for liberal reform
Bismarck used realpolitik (the politics of reality) in which decisions are made on everyday
reality (versus ethics/morality); he was an extremely crafty politican that allowed his
enemies to win at times if he thought it best for the good of the state; launched an
aggressive foreign policy campaign in order to distract domestic liberals; believed that GR
would be unified through iron and blood
Unification came through THREE wars and resulted in the creation of the North German
Confederation and the emergence of William I as emperor of Germany and espoused
militarism combined with authoritarian rule. Nationalism won out over liberalism!
o War with Denmark (1864): held many GR-speaking nationalities in
Schleswig/Hollstein and refused to turn them over completely to Denmark; Prussia
won
o Austro-Prussian War (1866): Austria still area of contention as some wanted it
included in unified GR; others, including Bismarck, did not; Austrian defeat ousts
them from unification
o Franco-Prussian War (1870): Bismarck knows France stood in way of GR unification
so tricked Nap III to declare war on GR (Ems Telegram) that way GR appears to just
be defending itself; Prussian army blasted the French; Paris and Nap III were
captured; France paid indemnity and relinquished Alsace and Lorraine (2 valued
territories) to Germany
Austrian Reforms
Rise of an urban proletariat put pressure on authoritarian rule of the Hapsburgs; military
defeat in Italy and Prussia also increased calls for reform.
Response was the creation of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary (Compromise of 1867
or Augsleich) and prompted Czechs and other nationalities to be granted autocratic rule
Russian Reforms
Defeat in Crimean War showed that Russia was continuing to lag behind the Western
powers.
Tsar Alexander II (Great Liberator) abolished serfdom in 1861, created local govt
assemblies, Zemstovs, which were allowed limited self-government.
Violence against Russian officials grew and culminated in the assassination of Alex II by
The Peoples Will; his son and successor, Alexander III reverted to repressive policies as a
result