The
Congress of Vienna - 1815
 Following the defeat of
Napoleon Bonaparte, the major
European powers of the day met in Vienna, Austria to establish
a plan of peace and discuss the realignment of territorial
borders. The European powers present at the
Congress of Vienna included Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and
England. Headed by Austria's
Prince Metternich,
the Congress of Vienna attempted to stem the tide of
nationalism
sweeping across Europe. Metternich believed nationalism
created disorder because it fostered violent
revolution. The Congress of Vienna sought to restore
absolutist ruling families to the thrones of Europe and
maintain a balance of power. A balance of power
means that one nation should not be allowed to dominate and
threaten other nations. The Congress of Vienna was
successful in suppressing nationalistic movements from 1815 to
1848, a period also known as the Metternich Age,
however, nationalism would eventually return to the
Europe. Nationalistic movements in Italy and Germany
would result in unified, sovereign
nation-states.
The Unification
of Italy
The political structure of the Italian peninsula prior to 1861
was that of a fragmented group of small kingdoms and
principalities. There was no political cohesion while
internal fighting and rivalries were hampering any progress.
However, the people of the Italian peninsula, shared language,
culture and a historical background. Some
Italian leaders began calling for nationalism with the goal of
bringing Italy together into a sovereign nation-state with
autonomous rule.
The most famous of Italian nationalistic leaders were
Count Camilo Cavour,
Guiseppe Garibaldi, and
Guiseppe Mazzini. Mazzini was instrumental in
being the "soul" of Italian nationalism. He also established
the secret society known as
Young Italy, an organization devoted to a
united Italy. Garibaldi was considered to be the "sword" of
Italian nationalism. His band of
Red Shirts conquered forces opposed to
unification and forced southern Italy into a cohesive
political unit. Cavour (shown here) was the "brain" in his
role as a skilled diplomat. Cavour successfully received aid
from France in a war against the Austrians and eventually put
Victor Emmanuel II on the throne of a
completely united Italian nation-state in 1861.
Cavour
the Brain
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Garibaldi
the Sword
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Mazzini
the Soul
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The Unification of
Germany
Germany, during the Metternich Age, was also fragmented. For
many of the same reasons, there was a nationalistic movement
calling for the unification of Germany. Many felt that
to be considered a legitimate nation with political power on
the international scene, Germany would have to have autonomous
sovereignty. Of all the German states,
Prussia was
the most powerful, dominating the other, smaller states.
Prussia was ruled by
Kaiser Wilhelm, however, the person with the
most power was Prime Minister
Otto von Bismarck, shown here. It was Bismarck
who strengthened German unity and power by calling on the
nationalistic tendencies of the German people. Bismarck was
able to unite Germany through his policy of Realpolitik,
or realistic politics, which is a
Machiavellian "end justifies the means"
approach to strengthening and uniting Germany. Bismarck was a
strong proponent of "Blood and Iron". Blood
represented the sacrifices the German people would have to
make in achieving the goal of unification. A culture of
militarism, or the glorification of the
military, was created by the crafty Bismarck. This played out
in a series of wars against the Austrians and the French.
Iron represented the need to
industrialize. Bismarck saw that in order to
be a world power, Germany would have to catch up with much of
the rest of Europe in the areas of technology and
factory production. In 1871, Bismarck succeeded
in placing Wilhelm on the throne of a unified Germany. German
power achieved through nationalism would foster a period of
imperialization and would set the stage for the outbreak of
World War I.
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