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Europe 1848
This is a map of Europe around 1848. Can you locate the listed countires below?
- Great Britain
- France
- Denmark
- Austria
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Russia
- Belgium
- Sweden
- Norway
Since you have already been tested on the map of Europe, it should be familiar to you in such a way that you can pick out various countries as you look at the blank map. Do you notice any particular countries missing from the list? Again, look closely at this map.
Specifically, you’re examining a map that shows a collection of German states
in the area we now know as Germany, but you don’t see a unified country outlined with single boundary lines.
Additionally, from the previous lesson, you also see Italy missing from the list. Take it a step further and consider what you do see - a collection of Italian states
, but no unified Italy.
German Unification
Next, analyze the following historical map that charts the unification of Germany. According to the legend on the left, which state seems to be the largest in 1866?
There’s a trend emerging: from this map, which German state does it appear will lead the Unification of Germany?
Late 19th Century Europe
Now that you’ve studied the map of the Unification of Germany, watch this short video clip called Late 19th Century Europe (1:43) to learn more about how the German state was unified. DES login information.
Note: This clip is part of a film called the Causes of World War I, and it includes a reenactment of the Bismarck and Hall of Mirrors painting you analyzed in Lesson 7.01. As you watch this short clip, ask yourself why the unification of Germany is linked to causes of World War I.
Bismarck and Hall of Mirrors
- Who is the man in the white uniform
stepping forward?
- Why is he dressed in white?
- Why is the man on the stage
looking directly at him?
- Do you recognize this room? Think back to Louis XIV. You’re looking once again at the Hall of Mirrors
in the Palace of Versailles.
- One final question: Why is the event that declared the newly unified German state taking place in a French palace?
Think about it...
How would you feel if a country that had just defeated your country in the most barbaric and inhumane way, causing the death of thousands, came and celebrated their victory over you and their establishment as a nation officially in your most treasured, symbolic palace? Keep this event in mind as you study the outcomes of both World War I and World War II in the actions of the French and German leadership.
Austro-Prussian War
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Franco-Prussian War
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