15.1.1

A United Germany

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A United Germany

The German states were unified in 1871 after winning the Franco-Prussian War. Germany then became so powerful that it began to threaten other European states.

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Unified Germany

  • Before 1871, the country of Germany did not exist.
  • Instead, there was only a collection of separate and independent states.
  • They became a united 'empire' in 1871 by winning the Franco-Prussian war against France.
  • Germany now had greater strength to develop.
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Balance of power

  • This new country, Germany, was a threat to the balance of power in Europe.
  • The reasons for this included:
    • Germany had industrialised very quickly and was seeing fast economic growth.
    • Germany had an experienced and strong military because of the wars they fought before unification in 1871.
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Alliances

  • The German leaders wanted to consolidate Germany, not cause difficulties by challenging other nations.
  • They wanted to keep the balance of power stable in Europe so there would be no war.
  • To make sure that there was peace in Europe, they began a series of alliances with European powers.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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