1871 - Unification of Germany

Marsch 'Preußens Gloria' Holy Roman Empire -- Emperor known as:  Emperor of all the Germanies -- higher nobility referred to as:     -- 'Princes of Germany'     -- 'Princes of the Germanies'   EAST FRANCIA -- lands, formerly known as EAST FRANCIA -- governed as kingdoms since before rise of CHARLEMANGE (800 AD) -- Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation -- 500 independent states -- cultural, educational, linguistic & religious minor variances gradually develop -- Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation -- effectively dissolved on abdication of:  Emperor Francis II (1806) -- during WAR OF THE THIRD COALITION -- result:  legal, administrative & political disruption -- bond:  historic, linguistic, cultural, legal -- plus shared experience of French Revolution Wars & Napoleonic Wars -- 'European liberalism' intellectual basis:  unification challenging dynastic/absolutist models 1871 - Unification of Germany -- politically & administratively integrated nation state -- on:  18 January 1871 -- at Versailles Palace, France -- in Hall of Mirrors -- princes of German states -- proclaim Wilhem I of Prussia German Emperor -- following French capitulation in Franco-Prussian War North German Confederation (NGC) (led by Kingdom of Prussia) -- chancellor Otto von Bismarck -- drawing southern German states into alliance with NGC a bonus -- Bismark may have exploited circumstances as they unfolded -- or he provoked, to encourage German unification -- General Staff - head:  Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke vs. Second French Republic -- Napoleon III -- French press and parliament demanded a war -- generals of Napoleon III assured France would win -- PM  Émile Ollivier -- political disunity in France (war solution) -- July 1870, French parliament voted to declare war on Kingdom of Prussia Franco-Prussian War (1870) -- July 1870 - May 1871 -- July 1870, French parliament voted to declare war on Kingdom of Prussia German Military Advantage -- German coalition faster at mobilising its troops -- German numbers superior -- Germans had better training & leadership -- Germans made more effective use of modern tech (esp. rail-roads & artillery) -- series of French defeats -- culminated in:      -- Siege of Metz      -- Battle of Sedan -- Germans decisively defeat Second Empire French -- Napoleon III captured at Sedan -- French Govt of National Defence declared:  Third Republic -- war continued anor 5 mths -- German victory over new French armies in northern France -- Paris falls 1871 -- revolutionary uprising ('Paris Commune') seizes power (2 mths) -- suppressed by regular French army in concert with Germans May 1871 -- German states proclaim union as:  GERMAN EMPIRE -- Treaty of Frankfurt - 10 May 1871 -- gives Germany most of ALSACE & some parts LORRIANE -- becomes imperial German territory of:  Alsace-Lorriane -- Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen European balance of power (in existence since Congress of Vienna 1815) upset re: 1.  German conquest of France 2.  unification of Germany --  Otto von Bismarck large influence on international affairs for next 2 decades Among World War I factors relating back to Franco-Prussian War: -- French determined to regain Alsace-Lorraine -- French fear of another Franco-German war -- British apprehension re balance of power Other: -- Germans viewed French as the traditional destabiliser of Europe -- weakening of France required to prevent further breaches of peace -- Bismark had reportedly altered telegram sent by William I (Ems Dispatch) -- & released it to public -- at issue at time was throne of Spain -- Prussian prince put forward -- France anticipates encirclement by alliance b/w Prussia & Spain -- French diplomatic pressure on Prussia -- Prussia withdraws candidacy of Prussian Prince -- allegedly altered telegraph -- sounded as if Prussian king had insulted French envoy -- French public opinion inflamed -- French politicians vote for war -- French looking for excuse for war:  diplomatic defeat in 1866 -- cocky French thought they'd beat the Prussians -- plus French had growing domestic problems -- French historians dispute this ... but they would   -- Ems Telegram -- "This text produced the effect of a red flag on the Gallic bull" -- Bismarck -- French foreign minister declares he felt he received a 'slap' -- PM Emile Ollivier the war hawk -- early incarnation of CIA must have been there was well:     -- 15,000 to 20,000 bearing flags & banners     -- march Paris streets, demanding war -- French declare war -- southern German states immediately side with Prussia French Military Disadvantage French low on peacetime regulars & conscripts -- there had been the following French military actions:     -- Crimean War     -- Algeria     -- Franco-Austrian War (in Italy)     -- Franco-Mexican War        *intended reforms re universal conscription (rather than ballot)     + shorter service periods     = intended to swell French numbers     -- but Franco-Prussian War broke out befor reforms implemented entirely -- Prussian Army was composed not of regulars but conscripts -- Prussia + North & South German allies = 1 million soldiers in time of war *wow, this is exciting ... Feels almost like I'm there, 'Mademoiselle la France' ... I double dare you ;)   Germans Military -- move in small groups / harder to target (verses line/column advancement) -- emphasis on encirclement tactics -- emphasis on artillery whenever possible -- German numbers advantage made encirclement tactic easier -- ageing Dryese needle gun (25-year old design), Germans -- BUT, Germans had:   Krupp 6-pounder (3 kg) steel breech-loading cannons -- equals longer range & higher rate of fire than French cannons / faulty time fuses -- Prussian army unique in Europe for being only to have 'General Staff' -- peacetime purpose was to prepare overall war strategy -- wartime purpose:  direct operational movement, logistics & communications -- officers hand-picked from Prussian War Academy (Kriegsakademie) -- Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke, head of General Staff -- adopted new tech, esp. railroad & telegraph -- result:  large forces mobilised in coordinated & speedy fashion *Wow, I'm impressed ... now I know why the Prussians were considered militarists -- Prussians sound exactly what you want in a military force -- as exciting as this is, i need a bit of a break for the time being more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War NOTE:  Italians cannot be trusted in war 1.  Changed sides WWI 2.  Garibaldi pro Germans in Franco-Prussian War       goes from "war to the death to Bonaparte"       to "rescue the French Republic by very means"     Garibaldi commands Italian volunteer army France      *these volunteer Italian forces had fought during:         -- successful unification of Italy         -- in South America     -- after French surrender in Paris to Germans, army disbanded     -- Garibaldi elected to serve in National Assembly of Dijon     -- but he was shouted down & resigned his seat / returned to Italy     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_the_Vosges WWII occupation of Paris must have been of cultural, national, historical significance to the German command, military, historians etc. - goes all the way back to Napoleon & unification etc.    Timeline Leading up to German Unification 1804:      -- Napoleon Bonaparte self-crowns:  emperor of France     -- Napoleon Bonaparte begins conquests of Germanic states     -- Francis 1 of Austria, declares new Austrian Empire in response 1806:      -- Napoleon groups Germanic states into CONFEDERATION OF THE RHINE, French client-state     -- dissolution of Austrian-led HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE 1815:     -- defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte     -- Congress of Vienna:  reinstates Germanic states into GERMAN CONFEDERATION     -- under leadership of:  Austrian Empire 1819     -- Carlsbad Decrees:     -- suppress pan-Germanic activities to avoid creation of German state     -- Kingdom of Prussia institutes:  customs union with Confederation states 1834:     -- Prussian-led customs union:        evolves to Zollverein (incl. all Confed. except Austrian Empire)     -- Zollverein = German Customs Union - tariffs & economic policies management     -- Zollverein (customs union) reduces competition between Germanic states     -- Austria highly protected industry + Prince von Metternich opposed to inclusion     -- Luxembourg, although not state of German Reich, remains in Zollverein to 1919     -- Zollverein was solution to 1,800 customs barriers          in German-speaking HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE     -- cemented economic ties re Prussian & Hohenzollern territories     -- Hohenzollern family = ruling family of Prussia     -- Zollverein:  UPHELD protectionist tariff system with foreign trade partners         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zollverein 1848:     -- revolts over German Confederation     -- force King Frederick William IV of Prussia       to grant constitution to Confederation     -- Frankfurt parliament (est. 1848) attempts to proclaim united Germany     -- refused by William IV       -- question of uniting Germany under:            1.  Kleindeutch - small German          = exclusion of Austria from German unificaiton                2.  Großdeutsch (Grossdeutsch) - Greater German         = inclusion of Austria 1861- 1862:     -- King Wilhelm I becomes King of Prussia     -- appoints OTTO VON BISMARCK, PM & Foreign Minister (1862)     -- Bismark favours:  'blood & iron' to create unified Germany 1864:     -- Danish-Prussian War, opposed to Danish Schleswig into K.Denmark     -- Austrian Empire deliberately drawn into war     -- Austro-Prussian victory     -- Schleswig (northern part)         -- governed by Prussia     -- Holstein (southern part)         -- governed by Austria     -- per TREATY OF VIENNA (1864) 1866:  Bismark accuses Austrian Empire causing troubles re Schleswig (Prussian)     -- Prussian troops take control of Austrian held Holstein     -- Austria declares war on Prussia:         -- Austro-Prussian War (Seven Weeks' War)         -- Austrian defeat     -- TREATY OF PRAGUE (1866)     -- formerly dissolves German Confederation     -- Prussia creates NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION     -- incls. all Germanic states except PRO-FRENCH southern kingdoms:         -- BAVARIA         -- BADEN         -- WURTHEMBERG 1870:     -- Napoleon III demands Rhineland territories          for neutrality re Austro-Prussian War   -- Spanish Succession Question (1868)   -- Elms Telegram (1870)     -- also at issue     -- France DECLARES WAR on Prussia   1871:  Franco-Prussian War     -- Prussians capture Paris capital (of Second French Empire)     -- TREATY OF FRANKFURTH (1871)     -- incorporates German (likely Catholic) pro-French states:         -- BAVARIA         -- BADEN         -- WURTHEMBERG     -- into NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION     -- new united Germany -- GERMAN REICH proclaimed     -- King Wilhelm I proclaimed leader by Bismarck        -- with German troops in Paris, Napoleon III dissolves Second French Empire     -- French create new republic:  Third French Republic     -- under Adolphe Thiers (Greek & Franco-Levantine heritage + Corsican)     -- Adolphe Thiers     -- various posts     -- premier + minister of foreign affairs (1836 - 1840)     -- support of pasha Muhammad Ali almost leads to war         French - British conflicting Middle East policy     -- forced to resign due to King's intent to avert war     -- various entries [skip]     -- August 1871 he became president of the republic     -- lobbying for France under conservative republic     -- first task to restore public order     -- in concert with Germans, ruthlessly used troops to defeat     -- rebellion - 'Commune' (March-May 1871)     -- destroying French socialist & workers' movements, setting back many years     -- resigned due to lack of support from monarchists     -- skilled in finance / paid off indemnity due to Germans ahead of time     -- his military law of 1872 failed to establish adequate professional army     -- 5 years conscription:  depleted labour force        -- effected return of Napoleon Bonaparte body to France from St. Helena in 1840    British hell camps - struggle for the freedom of the Boerevolk         St. Helena     -- volcanic island south Atlantic ocean, tiny:  16km x 8km     -- discovered by Portuguese 1502     -- British Overseas Territory     -- notable exile prisoners:         -- Napoleon Bonaparte         -- Dinuzulo kaCetshwayo (leading Zulu army against British rule)         -- over 5,000 Boers (Second Boer War)         -- aka  Second Anglo-Boer War / South African War (1899 - 1902)         -- British colonial might against:              Transvaal Republic 'Zuid-Afrikaansche Republic' (ZAR) (Dutch)         -- British hold large prisoners of war & families in concentration camps         -- British effect scorched earth policy:  Boer lands, stock, farms destroyed         -- farms belonging to Boers (Dutch descendants), plundered & burned         -- animals belonging to Boers killed before helpless women & children         -- intent:  deprivation of food & demoralisation         -- women & children left homeless in open field - in bitter winter (nights ?)         -- Boers continued to fight         -- British herded women & children into open cattle trucks & drove them to open concentration camps         -- British lied and claimed 'voluntary camps'         -- erected camps in most unsuitable locations:  swamp lands         -- by 1900 (Oct):  58,883 Boers in concentration camps Transvaal            & 45,306 Free State         -- tattered tends, no protection against elements, designed to kill as many women & children as possible         -- halving of rations / children death / purposeful murder              as cold-blooded British state policy         -- intended to ensure surrender of Boers British unable to defeat on battlefield         -- poison, copper, ground glass, fishhooks, razors in rations         -- lack of sanitary conditions:  epidemic / disease (eg 13 toilets to 3,500 / or 1 toilet for 170 elsewhere)                       -- British responsible for:  27,000 deaths of Boer women & children         -- so British oligarchy could claim mineral riches                   http://www.whale.to/b/british6.html             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena               -- 1815 British select St Helena as site of detention for Napoleon Bonaparte     -- exiled 1815     -- Napoleon Bonaparte died 1821    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany

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COMMENT

Be militarily prepared & don't declare war unless you are.  

Never underestimate British ruling class' ruthlessness and the greed.

Don't rely on Italy in war:  Italy switches sides.

Germany, Hohenzollern Dynasty - German Mediatisation | French Westphalia | Napoleonic Code 1804

Ref / Info SOURCE as marked Hohenzollern dynasty of princes, electors, kings & emperors of:  Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia German Empire & Romania family originated in town of Hechingen in Swabia 11th Century -- took their name from Hohenzollern Castle -- first ancestor mentioned 1061 -- two branches:     -- Catholic Swabian ruled:         - Hohenzollern-Hechingen to 1849         - Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen to 1849         - Romania - 1866 to 1947             -- Protestant Franconian (Brandenburg-Prussian branch) became:         - Margrave of Brandenburg 1415         - Duke of Prussia in 1525                 Brandenburg-Prussia = rule by personal union after 1618         of Margraviate of Brandenburg & Duchy of Prussia                 1701 - Kingdom of Prussia created, leading to unification of Germany         1871 - German Empire created,                     with Hohenzollerns as hereditary German Emperors                    & kings of Prussia         1918 - defeat Germany in WWI     -- German Revolution followed     -- Hohenzollerns overthrown     -- Weimar Republic established, bringing end to German monarchy *Weimar Republic described elsewhere as Anglo-American puppet [wikipedia] German Mediatisation Deutsche Mediatisierung ie.  annexation of lesser states to greater state while letting ruler of lesser state retain title & partial authority fm. Old French, fm. late Latin:  immediatus / fm mediare (to be in the middle) [TFD] major territorial restructuring - 1802 - 1814 in Germany & surrounding region { Holy Roman Empire until 1806 } means:  mass mediatisation & secularisation of large number of Imperial Estates:  ecclesiastical principalities, free imperial cities, secular principalities & other minor self-ruling entitles whose independent status was removed & who were absorbed into remaining states strict meaning mediatisation =  subsumption of an immediate (German: unmittelbar) state into another state = rulers dispossessed but left with private estates & number of privileges & feudal rights historians use 'mediatisation' for entire restructuring process -- whether mediatised states survived in some form or lost all individuality MASS MEDIATISATION & SECULARIZATION OF GERMAN STATES -- came under relentless military and diplomatic pressure from revolutionary France and Napoleon -- most extensive redistribution of property and territories in German history prior to 1945 -- highpoints:     - secularization/annexation of:             - ecclesiastical territories 1802–03         - free imperial cities 1802–03             - mediatisation of secular principalities & counties 1806 Holy Roman Empire final law passed by Imperial Diet:  25 Feb. 1803 -- major redistribution of territorial sovereignty within the Empire to compensate German princes -- re annexation of West of Rhine possessions by France in wars of French Revolution -- pursuant to:  Treaty of Lunéville of 1801 -- treaty referred only to hereditary princes, none for ecclesiastical, Free Imperial Cities or for Imperial Knights who had been dispossessed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_mediatization Kingdom of Westphalia 1807-1813 {French Vassal} -- vassal state of First French Empire -- ruled by Napoleon brother:  Jerome Bonaparte -- name misnomer -- Kingdom passed Germany's first laws granting Jews equal rights -- provided model of reform in other German states -- Kingdom was bankrupt by 1812 -- overrun by Allies  1815 -- territories mostly Prussian ruled thereafter -- most reforms remained in place In Germany Napoleon imposed: -- first written modern constitution in Germany -- French-style central administration -- agricultural reform -- liberation of serfs -- equal rights -- right to jury trial -- Napoleon demanded heavy taxes and payments, despite poverty -- conscripted soldiers -- metric system of weights & measures intro'd -- Napoleonic code enacted 1804 / French civil code -- code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, -- & specified govt jobs should go to most qualified -- abolished guilds & paved way for capitalism [wikipedia] Napoleonic Code 1804 Napoleonic Code 1804 -- French civil code -- rules governing relations re private citizens  -- (as opposed to public laws) -- exception:  commercial acts (governed by commercial law) -- purpose:  to set up general rules -- borrowed legal style from Roman Law -- incorporated MOST PARTS of Roman Law Prior to Napoleonic Code: -- South of France = Roman Law -- Northern France = customary law (feudal Frankish & Germanic institutions) -- customary law differed town to town -- Marriage & family = Canon Law (Roman Catholic Church) -- 1500s & 1600s efforts to codify local customary laws, little success -- 1500s kings codified (wrote up) individual customary laws in France -- strengthened power of customary laws to withstand Roman Laws -- saved France from Roman law adoption which occurred in Germany -- *does not make sense (to me):  Napoleonic Code is largely Roman Law, combined with French Revolution 'Enlightenment' ideology   -- as French kings consolidated power, unitary private law for all of France felt necessary -- in France (& in England) powerful, well-organised group of practising lawyers allied with King -- lawyers sought centralisation of justice in royal courts -- prior to Revolution, all major customary laws codified (differences could be seen) -- Voltaire:   change horses; change laws   -- France change via: revolutionary action war propaganda law -- law = means to overthrow of old society & building of a new society -- French Revolution sought to adjust both technical+ sociological content of the law -- primarily interested in legal problems having political & ideological involvements -- French Revolution made ideological changes   -- NEXT:  Napoleon and the codes concentrated on the technical concept of law -- pre French Revolution, vested interests blocked codification (b/c privileges) -- recording customary law in France brought legal certainty, but could not eliminate differences -- French revolution made codification necessary & possible -- powerful groups (manors & guilds) were destroyed -- secular power of Church had been suppressed -- provinces transformed into subdivision of new national state -- ideology:  for 'purely rational law' free from prejudices -- moral justification was conformity to 'dictates of reason' -- justification NOT in ANCIENT CUSTOM or MONARCHICAL PATERNALISM -- founded on 'Enlightenment' -- bourgeoisie brought down the old order -- bourgeoisie introduced the laws purportedly based on reason -- Code as a whole was highly influenced by the theory of natural law -- theory of natural law:  autonomous principles of nature independent of religion -- human beings can devise legal system for orderly, reasonable & moral life -- "it is none other than natural reason and that governs all mankind" -- loosely written to give judicial decisions room (adaptation to changing circumstances) -- original Code Civil was the law-book of the third estate -- ideal man of the bourgeoisie Civil Code was not:     - the little man     - the artisan or daily labourer -- ideal man of bourgeoisie Civil Code was:     - the man of property     - man of judgement     - man of reason     - knowledgeable re affairs & familiar with law -- existence of bourgeoisie depended on freedom, esp. economic & property (land) freedom -- therefore, the bourgeoisie Civil Code 'freedom contract' aspect dominates Civil Code French Revolution altered the traditional social order Absolute monarchy interlocking powers of king, nobility, clergy, judiciary old territorial division of the country into provinces feudal regime of land the court system Human beings inherited status, bondage of servitude & marriage influence of parental power was immense Post French Revolution: Man was considered to be also autonomous, equal, selfish, responsible and with inalienable right at birth. intermediary status groups of the old regime no longer mediators  - man had to deal with the state itself directly The State state seen as entity bound via laws to free its citizens from the traditional authority of feudal, church, family, guild, and status groups, and to equip all its citizens with equal rights Napoleon code of law in 1804 combined the revolutionary ideology with Roman Law -- revolutionary ideology:  individual liberty & equality before law -- regulated much of private law matters eg. property, will, contracts, liability & obligations -- incorporated MOST PARTS of Roman Law -- a model for civil law systems -- remains living law in large parts of the world 1804 Napoleonic Code - First Introduced to Areas Under French Control -- Belgium -- Luxembourg -- Germany (western) -- Italy (north-Western) -- Geneva -- Monaco 1804 Napoleonic Code - Introduced to Areas Later Conquered by French -- Italy -- Netherlands -- Hanseatic lands -- Germany (remainder western) -- Switzerland Hanseatic Lands Baltic / Northern European merchant gilds & market towns commercial & defensive confederation 13th to 17th centuries *own legal system & own armies / but not a city-state * nor were theys confederation of free states   / few enjoyed autonomy & liberty of free imperial cities Lübeck, Germany (port) = base merchants of Saxony & Westphalia, trading east & north Hanseatic free cities allegiance directly to Holy Roman Emperor (not local nobility) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League 1804 Napoleonic Code - still in use: -- Belgium -- Luxembourg -- Monaco French Civil Code spread: -- Europe - via military force / but retained after Waterloo defeat -- Africa - via French colonialism -- Asia - via French colonialism -- Latin America - on technical merits & opposition to Spanish & Portuguese colonial rule Napoleonic Code 1804 1.  Extinguishes:     - Primogeniture: inheritance preference to eldest son custom     - hereditary nobility     - class privileges 2.  Determines all male citizens are equal. 3.  Extinguishes ecclesiastical controls. 4.  Determines:     - freedom of person     - freedom of contract     - absolute private property rights Book 1 - law of persons - civil rights - protection of personality - domicile - guardianship - tutorship - parents/children relations - marriage - personal relations, spouses - dissolution of marriage (annulment or divorce) - women subordinated to fathers & husbands     - males controlled all family property & determined fate of chidren     - males favoured in divorce proceedings     - reforms only took place in late 1900s Book 2 - law of things / regulation of property rights     - ownership     - usufruct     - servitudes Book 3 - methods of acquiring rights     - succession     - donation     - marriage settlement     - obligations     - nominate contracts (specific types: sale, hiring, partnership, loan, deposit etc)     - legal & conventional mortgages     - limitations of actions     - prescriptions of rights        (uninterrupted possession of property --> acquisition of rights)     Obligations -- Napoleonic Code 1804 -- establishes traditional Roman Law categorities of:     - contract     - quasi-contract     - delict (wrongful act under criminal law, fm. Latin 'to offend')     - quasi-delict -- does not explicit spell out freedom of contract -- but freedom of contract is underlying principle in many provisions Napoleonic Code influence diminished with intro of: -- German Civil Code (1900) - adopted by Japan     / influenced Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Russia, & Scandinavian countries     -- Swiss Civil Code (1912) - adopted by Turkey Brasil, Mexico, Greece & Peru 20th Century = codes borrowed from German, French & Swiss traditions Napoleon in exile:  "What nothing will destroy, what will live forever, is my Civil Code." Napoleonic Code 1804  - source: 1.  wikipedia 2.  http://www.academia.edu/666717/Legal_History_II 3.  http://www.britannica.com/topic/Napoleonic-Code At:  Berlin City Palace Kaiser Wilhelm II Announced:  German entry into WWI (1914) East Germany blew up the palace to exorcise the evils of Prussian imperialism The man who would be kaiser A century after Kaiser Wilhelm led Germany to war, his great-great-grandson is attempting to revive his family’s fortunes http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/the-man-who-would-be-kaiser-1.1884029 ---------------------- ---------------------- Palace where Kaiser Wilhelm II declared the First World War is to be rebuilt, 100 years later  "In 1914, as in 2014, Germany was the economic success story of Europe. It was an emerging world power, its rise driven by astonishingly fast industrialisation that had seen it quadruple its foreign trade in just 30 years, and overtake Britain in steel production."  [COMMENT:  making Germany a target of British aggression - both WWI & WWI (to finish the job of destroying Britain's European rival)] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11008289/Palace-where-Kaiser-Wilhelm-II-declared-the-First-World-War-is-to-be-rebuilt-100-years-later.html ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT Just some of what I've enjoyed checking out.