German Unification

  • Napoleon made important territorial changes in German-speaking lands

    Napoleon annexed lands along the Rhine River for france, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and organized a number of German states into aRhine Confederation.
  • As people fought to free their lands from French rule, they began to demand a unified German state.

    As people fought to free their lands from French rule, they began to demand a unified German state.
  • Prussia created an economic union called the Zollverein

    This dismantled tariff barriers between many German states.
  • People in the Frankfurt assembly again demanded German political unity

    They offered the throne to Federick William IV of Prussia, but was rejected.
  • King William I made Otto von Bismarck chancellor

    Withing ten years, Bismarck united German states under Prussin rule
  • Bismarck formed an alliance with Austria

    They took Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark and divideed up the spoils.
  • Austro-Prussian War

    Bismarck mad an excuse to attack Austria, which led to the Austro-Prussina War. This lasted seven weeks and and ended with Prussia winning. Prussia annexed several other north German states.
  • franco-Prussian War

    The superior Prissian force with troops from other German states attacked the poorly supplied French soldiers and Napolen III surrendered.