France, Germany, & Italy in the Late 19 th Century

1. France, Germany, & Italy in the Late 19th Century

2. France

3. Napoleon III • Became emperor after the Revolution of 1848 • Started out as a tyrant, but slowly eased restrictions on the legislature and reduced censorship and eventually issued a new democratic constitution • Expanded industrialization, built railroads, created jobs; domestic policies were generally successful

4. Napoleon III’s Foreign Disasters • Tried to bring Mexico into the French Empire, but Mexicans resisted and the United States protested European interference in the Americas • Helped Italian nationalists defeat Austria, only to see Italy become a rival of France • Lost war against Prussia in 1870, and was captured in battle, ending his reign

5. The Third Republic • In 1871, the French National Assembly accepted a peace treaty with Germany • France surrendered two provinces + cash to Germany • The peace treaty was very unpopular with many French, leading to a brief civil war in France

6. The Third Republic • New French government had a two-house legislature and was headed by a premier • Separated church and state • Catholic Church ceased being the official church of France • State-run schools were created to replace Catholic schools • Passed laws to protect workers • set wages and hours • increased worker safety • Unfortunately, political, racial, and sexual scandals plagued the Republic in its early decades, damaging the government’s credibility

7. Germany

8. To Unite or Not? • Remember, “Germany” was still broken into dozens of small states +Prussia and Austria in the early 1800s • In 1848, the delegates at the Frankfurt Assembly offered the throne of a united Germany to the King of Prussia, but he rejected their authority to make such an offer

9. Otto von Bismarck • In 1862, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Chancellor of Prussia by King Wilhelm • Bismarck immediately began developing a plan to unite Germany under Prussian leadership

10. Bismarck’s Plan • Strengthened the military to fight three wars: • Built an alliance between Prussia and Austria in 1864 and went to war with Denmark, seizing two German states • In 1866, attacked Austria and seized more German territory • In 1870, went to war with France and won easily

11. The Second Reich • After the victory over France in 1871, the many German princes persuaded King Wilhelm I to take the title “Kaiser” (or emperor) of Germany • This began the “Second Reich” (The old Holy Roman Empire was the First Reich and Germany under Adolph Hitler would be the Third Reich)

12. German Government • Constitution established a two-house legislature: • The Bundesrat (upper house) was appointed by the princes • The Reichstag (lower house) was elected by male voters • The Bundesrat could veto the decisions of the Reichstag

13. Germany’s Strengths • Plenty of iron and coal resources • Lots of industry, large corporations • Many miles of railroads • Second largest merchant fleet in Europe • Many universities = an educated workforce, many scientists

14. The Iron Chancellor • Otto von Bismarck, now Chancellor of Germany, came to be known as “The Iron Chancellor” for his uncompromising desire to remove any obstacles to a truly united German state • To completely unify Germany, however, meant destroying any competing loyalties

15. Kulturkampf • Bismarck targeted Catholics, whom he felt were more loyal to the Pope than to Germany • had laws passed which would allow the state to appoint priests and to sanction marriages • when these moves backfired and increased loyalty to the Church, Bismarck backed down

16. Anti-Socialism • Bismarck also campaigned against Socialist groups • feared that the working class would revolt against the state • banned Socialist groups, shut down Socialist newspapers • when these moves failed, he resorted to passing laws that helped improve working conditions to win over the working class • created health insurance • created disability pay • created retirement pensions

17. Bismarck’s Fall • In 1888, Wilhelm I’s grandson Wilhelm II became Kaiser • Wilhelm took a much more aggressive interest in ruling Germany and in 1890 he fired the aging and conservative Bismarck • Wilhelm began a massive military buildup, with an eye on building a global German empire, thereby upsetting the fragile European balance of power

18. Italy

19. Obstacles to Italian Unity • Italy had not been united since the fall of the Roman Empire • In mid-1800s, parts of Italy were ruled by Austria & France, other parts were independent states, and the pope had direct control of part of central Italy

20. Reasons to Unite • Geographically distinct peninsula • Common language • Shared history of Roman Empire • 99% Catholic • Made good economic sense (ease of trade)

21. The Struggle for Italy • The King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel, sought to unite Italy under his authority • By 1859, Sardinia had defeated Austria and seized most of northern Italy • He then allied himself with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a rebel leader in southern Italy who quickly conquered the entire southern half of the peninsula • In 1861, Victor Emmanuel was named King of Italy, (although some regions would remain independent until 1870)

22. The Red Cross • Created after the war between Sardinia and Austria left many innocent civilian casualties • Originally organized to help the victims of war, today provides aid to the victims of all kinds of disasters • Today made up of Red Cross (Christian), Red Crescent (Muslim), and Red Diamond (Non-denominational)

23. Italy’s Challenges • Italy had been divided for so long, that most people maintained regional loyalties over any national loyalty • Northern Italy was wealthy, more urban; southern Italy was poor and rural • The pope wasn’t happy that he no longer directly controlled much of Italy and urged Catholics not to cooperate with new government • Political unrest due to socialist and anarchist groups