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The Unification of Italy and Germany

In this lesson, students will be able to identify the actions of the following individuals as well as define the term “Blood and Iron”:

Count CavorGiuseppe GaribaldiOtto Von Bismarck

“Blood and Iron”

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Nationalism isthe belief

that each ethnicgroup should have

its own nationalstate and

government. For centuries, Italyhad consisted ofsmaller states.Italians wanted

unification.

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In 1852, Count Cavourbecame the Prime

Minister of theKingdom of Piedmont

or Sardinia. WithFrench help, Cavour

drove theAustrians out of

Northern Italy aftera war in 1859.

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Cavour then annexed most of the otherstates of northern and central Italy.

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The nationalist leader, GiuseppeGaribaldi, overthrew the king of

Naples in the south. He then joined Naples to Cavour’s enlarged Piedmont.

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By 1860, Italy had become a unitedkingdom.

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Nationalunificationfailed toend the

cultural andeconomicdivisions

that separated

Italy’s north and south.

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Like Italy, Germany consisted of many smaller states. German liberals had

failed to unite their nation in therevolutions of 1848.

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Prussia was one of thelargest German

states. Its Prime Minister,Otto von Bismarck,

used skillful diplomacyand Prussian military

power to achieve German unification.

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Otto von Bismarckfollowed a policy

of “blood and iron”to achieve his goals.

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“The greatest questions of the daywill not be settled by speeches andmajority decisions but by iron and

blood.”

Otto von Bismarck

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Germany achieved unification in 1871.The Prussian king became the Kaiser

(emperor) of all Germany.

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Although there was a national assembly,it was controlled by conservative Prussian

landowners, not the working people.

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Questions for Reflection:

• Define nationalism.• Who was Count Cavour and what did he

do?• How did Giuseppe Garibaldi help Count

Cavour?• Why did Otto von Bismarck believe in a

policy of “blood and iron”?• Describe German unification.