Unification in the United States and Germany

7/28/2019 Unification in the United States and Germany

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UNIFICATIONINTHE UNITED

STATESAND GERMANYEmily Benjamin and Allie Girouard


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In the mid-nineteenth century, nationalism efforts were at work all over the world.

Two nations that were impacted greatly by this spread of nationalism were the United States

and Germany. Prior to the wars that would make them true nations, the United States and

Germany were both in states of disarray, with no feeling of central patriotism. Though the

United States had been an independent Union since 1787, they were far from being a

centralized nation. The northern and southern sections of the United States had very different

cultures and lifestyles. Southern nationalism was felt through slavery, the south was a rural,

agricultural area, and wanted to stay that way. Slavery had become a deep-rooted dispute in

the country, and the Souths reliance on slavery caused them to feel no ties to the slavery-free

north, whose source of nationalism was the expanding industrial economy. Germany was also,

like the United States, made of separate parts before the nationalism movements. However,

they were separate and independent German states.

In both countries, leaders emerged that would play important roles during the

nationalist movement. In the United States, this was Abraham Lincoln. In Germany, it was Otto

Von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia. These two political figures were different, Bismarck

would never have written something like the Gettysburg Address, and Lincoln would not haveruled with policies as violent as Bismarcks. Nevertheless, their leadership is strikingly similar.

Lincolns actions regarding the firing at Fort Sumter, when he pressured the Confederates into

firing the first shots of the war compares to Bismarcks Ems dispatch. In Bismarcks famous

Ems Dispatch, he edited an account of events to create bad relations with France and entice

the French into declaring war.

Overview Summary


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During battle, Lincoln and Bismarcks fighting strategies were very similar. They

both used iron as well as blood shed to build a new nation and neglected to adhere to

constitutional limits. For example, Lincoln often disregarded or manipulated the constitutions

laws, and Bismarck put the Prussian parliament out of power. Both Lincoln and Bismarck

were dedicated to their countries, and hoped to create new unified nations while trying tostart a new era of nationality. Bismarck showed his beliefs in a new history for nationalism

during his proclamation of the new German Empire in which he explained the achievement

of German unity and the new beginning for German nationality.

The United States and Germany also reached a unified nation in the same way,

through war amongst themselves. The American Civil War was of a much greater magnitude

than the seven week Austro-Prussian War, but both wars ended with the creation of a new

nation. The Unions victory in the American Civil War reunited the United States into a

strong, singular unit. Prussias defeat of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-

Prussian War unified many of the German states into the North German Confederation.

The Unification of the United States and of Germany both turned the nations onto

major world powers. The United States came out of its civil war as the strongest military

force in the world, and this worried other nations. Germany caused even more anxiety, for it

was a European power and could cause more damage to them than the United States couldfrom across the ocean. With so many Germans gathered in a single state with a highly

trained and efficient army, Europe was right to be alarmed.


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Before unification in the United States, the North and the South were separated by their

views on slavery. In this picture, the slave states and free states are clearly depicted. The

American Civil War that erupted in 1861 helped to solidify the United States as a nation

and decrease tensions between the North and South.


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After the French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War, Austria was the most dominant

force in central Europe under the Congress of Vienna . The negotiators at Vienna failed to

realize Prussia's strength within the 13 separate German states. Over time, Austria and

Prussia became the two dominant forces in Germany. Shortly after, Prussia challengedAustria to war for leadership within the separate German states.


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Bismarck was the Prime minister of

Germany, and he was a ruthless leader.

He used both blood and iron to build a

unified Germany. Additionally, Bismarck

strategically edited a report on the

Prussian king's reaction to the French

government. Bismarck's famous "EmsDispatch" convinced France to fight

against Germany. Bismarck used this in

order to bring the southern German

states together into a unified Germany.

Bismarck's political strategies were

important to the unification of Germany.


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Lincoln was the president of the United States from 1861 until 1865. He helped lead the North

in the American Civil War. Lincoln, as well as Bismarck, used iron and bloodshed to build a

unified nation and neglected to adhere to constitutional limits. At the firing of

Fort Sumter, Lincoln pressured the Confederated forces into firing first. Lincoln hoped

that he could build a unified nation through the Civil War and thus a new era of nationalism.

Lincoln's efforts to unify the United States are strikingly similar to Bismarck's efforts to unite theseparate German states.


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The Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War was not only the turning point of the

war, but also accounted for the most deaths in an American battle. The Battle of Gettysburg

clearly displays the Civil War as the deadliest war in American history. On

a bigger scale, the Battle of Gettysburg is depicted as a more gruesome and deadly war than

the Seven Weeks War in Germany. Even though the Civil War was deadlier, both wars endedwith the formation of new nations.


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Two wars played roles in creating a unified Germany, the Austro-Prussian war in 1866 andthe Franco-Prussian war in 1871. Victories in these two wars gained territory and power for

Prussia and created a sense of nationalism amongst German states who fought together.

This led to Bismark to accomplish his goal and unify many German states under a single

leader, Prussia. This oil painting from 1869 depicts the Battle of Kniggrtz, one of the

deciding battles of the Austro-Prussian war.


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After the Union victory in the Civil War, the United States became a true, undivided nation. The

main division in the country prior to the war was the issue of slavery. The abolishment of slavery

through the passage of the thirteenth amendment was controversial, but it ended the debate

over slavery and unified the country. Lincoln helped push for

this amendment to be passed and signed it into law. The picture on the left is of the thirteenth

amendment, and the picture on the right is a drawing of the celebration in the House of

Representatives after it was passed in 1865.


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Like Lincoln, Bismark was successful in creating a new and unified country. This oil painting

from 1885 shows the proclamation of the German Empire at the Palace of Versailles on

January 18, 1871. Bismark is in white. The southern German states officially became part of

the German Empire when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in February 1871.


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The United States came out of the Civil War as the strongest military force in the world, arousing

the worry of other nations. The United States had always been viewed as a rebellious and

worrisome country, but even more so after they proved they had strength and unity. The United

States was itself very aware of this power, and began to exert it towards the end of the century.

They became a major imperialistic power, as shown this 1900 campaign poster. After the nation

strengthened itself, it set off to strengthen the world and to spread American values.


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The unification of Germany was, like the strengthening of the United States, not something thatpleased the other nations of the world. The military power of Prussia had always been large, but

was even more so now that it had the power of other German states under its command.

However, as a European power, Germany caused far more apprehension to the major

European nations than the United States did from across the ocean. The picture above shows

how right the countries were to worry, for Germany soon rose to be a major military force and

had very major roles in both World Wars. The picture above shows Adolf Hitler addressing the

German Reichstag on his intent to revoke Germany's peace agreement with Poland.


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Adolph Hitler delivers a speech, Photograph. 28 April 1939. Gale World History in Context. Accessed on16 June 2013.

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ImagesDetailsPage/ImagesDetailsWindow?total=8&query=&prodId=WHIC

&windowstate=normal&mode=view&limiter=&displayGroupName=Images&currPage=1&sortBy=relevance

%2Cdescending&action=e&catId=GALE%7C00000000MXF3&view=docDisplay&documentId=GALE%7C

PC3447087485

"Bismarck's political strategies." Photograph. Gale World History in Context. Accessed on 17 June 2013.

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ImagesDetailsPage/ImagesDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Images&t

otal=&currPage=1&query=&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=GALE|AAA000206856&view=docDispl

ay&documentId=GALE|PC3411787014&mode=view

Bleibtreu, George. Battle ofKniggrtz, Painting. 1892. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed on 15 June

2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schlacht-bei-koeniggraetz-von-georg-bleibtreu.jpg

Pictography

Degler, Carl N. One Among Many: the United States and National Unification in

America Compared: American History in International Perspective,1994.

The Austro-Prussian War (1866). ICRC Resource Center.http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jnvv.htm (Accessed 15 June 2013)

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Unification in the United States and Germany

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