Until the end of the 18th century, Deutschland was still divided into more than three hundred different political entities. Between 1801 and 1806, Napoleon defeated Austria and Prussia, completely changing the political, social and economic environment of Germany. The tragic defeat on the battlefield heightened German national sentiments, and newspapers and pamphlets called for the formation of a united German front against France. In 1813, in order to expel Napoleon from Germany, the German states mobilized 290,000 people to fight in Leipzig. This battle was called the "Battle of the Nations." The Napoleonic Wars condensed Germans. In 1814, "What is the German Fatherland?" written by the poet Ernst Moritz Arndt. "Performed at Berlin , the song sang: "The German motherland should be a European region that includes all people who speak German ." The song then spread like wildfire. But in the end, the liberals failed to create a unified Germany. They relied on the "iron and blood" of Prussia to accomplish all this. The German Empire established thus emerged as a powerful power in Central Europe. But with the flames of World War I , the German Empire eventually perished in "iron and blood". This history contains many elements such as nation, war, diplomacy, rise, etc., and it is still fascinating to this day.
Historian Katja Hoyer was born in the Democratic Republic of Germany and holds German and British citizenship. He is a member of the Royal Historical Society and his research direction is modern German history. His "Iron and Blood: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire, 1871-1918" can be regarded as a brief history of the German Empire. In more than 200 pages, it briefly tells the history of the "Second Reich".
Bismarck, a Junker nobleman who was born in 1815, single-handedly created the German Empire. This empire was born in the flames of the Franco-Prussian War. It was not the result of democratic unification, but was forged with iron and blood. Therefore, it is inevitable that the empire has a series of contradictions both internally and externally. To this end, Bismarck designed a system to balance the conflicts between internal and external forces in order to maintain a fragile balance. He not only had to balance Prussia and other states The relationship between the two countries must also reconcile democratic politics and dynastic rule, not to mention that under the partition pattern for hundreds of years, Germany has a lot of differences in culture, customs, religious beliefs, historical memory, etc., and it will take time to develop a German identity. day. Bismarck practiced real politics and used flexible means to sometimes win over and sometimes suppress various domestic forces. For example, he first cooperated with the National Liberal Party, and then switched to cooperating with the conservatives to establish a majority party alliance. Under his leadership, starting in 1871, Germany experienced a stage known as the "founding prosperity", and its economy achieved rapid development. Riding on the east wind of the second industrial revolution, Germany emerged as a modern economic power. In order to appease the workers, Bismarck also created the most advanced welfare system at the time.
At the same time, Bismarck knew well that Germany was in the heart of Europe and faced the danger of being encircled by surrounding countries. To this end, he worked hard to establish a complex network of alliances and diplomatic guarantees with superb means, especially through diplomacy. Means to win over Russia to isolate France and reduce the threat.
After William II came to the throne in 1888, due to the lack of leadership charisma and political skill, German politics quickly fell into a crisis for more than ten years. Although there was no obvious turmoil, the various factions of the Imperial Parliament fell into an anxious confrontation. In terms of foreign policy, the so-called "world policy" of competing for colonies and the Anglo-German naval arms race resulted in diplomatic isolation. The poor performance in a series of incidents caused the public to lack trust in Wilhelm II, which made the latter's confidence collapse and he did not care about political affairs. Amid internal and external difficulties, Germany fell into a sleepwalking state without a leader.
In this way, Germany entered the First World War in 1914, and eventually dragged this once prosperous and powerful country into collapse. In 1918, Wilhelm II announced his abdication, and the German Empire became history. But Bismarck's legacy survived, especially in the dark postwar years, when memories of the German Empire became increasingly romanticized.In any case, the empire established in 1871 gave the Germans a motherland. Since then, the territory of Germany has been generally determined according to the "Little Germany" plan established by Bismarck to exclude Austria. Even if Germany was divided for a long time after World War II, it was still finally realized. unified.
Due to its short length, this book is concise, but it basically outlines the development of the Second German Empire, depicts its political and military conditions and social and cultural atmosphere, allowing us to understand this complex and contradictory new country, and is suitable as a guide to understand Germany. A primer on empire.
