At the beginning of the 19th century Germany was called SacredRoman Empire of the German nation, which included more than 300 states. Among them, Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, Prussia, Württemberg and others had the greatest influence. These states submitted to the emperor and the Diet only formally, with almost complete independence.
The unification of Germany in the 19th century was carried out underimpact of many factors. For example, from an economic point of view, it became necessary to create a single economic space. Various monetary currencies, numerous customs barriers hindered the development of trade. In addition, to repel external threats, the state had to be cohesive, strong and powerful, and not fragmented. It needed a single centralized authority. That is why the unification of Germany was only a matter of time.
As a result of the war with Napoleon, the Holy RomanThe empire of the German nation ceased to exist. In the territories of western Germany from 1806 to 1813, the Rhine Union was formed, which included 16 states that pledged to participate in hostilities on the side of France. On these lands, Napoleon abolished serfdom and in 1804 introduced the Civil Code. However, after the defeat of Napoleon, the union collapsed.
В 1815 году на Венском конгрессе под гегемонией Austria merged 4 free cities and 34 states in the German Union. They maintained their independence, but the dominant role was given to Austria, which presided as the largest state in the ruling body - the Allied Diet.
In 1834, the Customs Union was formed,which included Prussia, Bavaria and another 16 states. It was led by Prussia, who also sought to unite Germany. This was facilitated by the increasing industrial power with each passing year.
For the unification of Germany under his ownfought two large states - Austria and Prussia. The first was a Catholic and multinational country. Therefore, she was acutely faced with a national question. Moreover, it was economically backward.
The unification of Germany was carried out militarily.In 1866, O. Bismarck, who was at the head of the Prussian troops, concluded a secret agreement with Italy against Austria. In June of the same year, he provoked the war, taking Holstein. At the suggestion of Austria, the Union Sejm decided to mobilize troops against Prussia. As a result, Prussian and Italian troops attacked Austria and its allies. The latter were broken. On August 24, 1866, a peace treaty was signed with Prussia in Prague, according to which Austria renounced its claims to hegemony in the states of Germany.
After the victory of Prussia over Austria, the first wasthe only unifier. To connect the northern German lands, Prussia defeated Denmark, and southern and western - defeated France. As a result of the unification of states, the capital of the German Empire became Berlin, the political center of Prussia. By form of government, it became a constitutional monarchy. The emperor (Kaiser) was the king of Prussia. Legislative power was exercised by parliament. It consisted of two chambers: the Bundesrat (Union Council) and the Reichstag (Imperial Assembly).
The unification of Germany in 1871 was enshrined inConstitution, which was adopted on April 16 by the Constituent Reichstag. The state was a federation built on a territorial basis and consisting of three groups. The first included 22 monarchies: 4 kingdoms, 7 principalities and 11 grand principalities. The second consisted of free cities with a republican structure. And the third included the imperial lands - Alsace and Lorraine.
The unification of Germany led to its considerable strengthening: it became a great European power, which had a great influence on the subsequent history.
