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The German Empire was proclaimed at the Palace of Versailles, with the Prussian king, William I, as Kaiser of Germany, 18th January, 1871. German unification was a long process that can be attributed to factors such as the Crimean War and the Wars of Unification, the ideas of nationalism and liberalism, Prussia's economic strength, and the role of Otto von Bismarck.
The Crimean War (1854-6), as Bruce Walker says, "gave Bismarck his first important opportunity" to unify Germany, and it would have certainly been more difficult to achieve had the Crimean War not occurred. This conflict realigned the great powers of Europe and, with Russia's withdrawal from European diplomacy, Prussia had become dominant. As Bismarck commented in 186 "It all began with the Crimean War". By the end of the Crimean War, Prussia was intent on initiating territorial changes that Austria was powerless to resist. The Crimean War and consequent Russian defeat meant the withdrawal of Russia into a period of diplomatic isolation and their connection with Austria was cut. Deprived of Russian help, Austria was vulnerable to Prussian ambitions in Germany. The territorial changes began not long after with the first War of Unification. In 1864 Prussia allied itself with Austria to go to war against Denmark over control of the provinces of Schleswig-Holstein. The conflict was brief and was won easily by the allied forces. It was not very significant in terms of steps towards unification, rather, it was a tactic to draw Austria into a later dispute against Prussia over control of these provinces. This occurred in 1866.
The authors of Key Features of Modern History state that "The war between Prussia and Austria was intended to unite northern Germany behind Prussia". Bismarck wanted to unify Germany, but without Austria. The second War of Unification removed Austria from German affairs, and united a number of the northern German states, known as the North German Confederation. The Austrians were defeated at Sadowa. This is not surprising, because not only did Austria have no allies, but Italy fought on the Prussian side, forcing Austria to divide its forces. Austria had to accept defeat under the terms of the Treaty of Prague.
The final War of Unification was the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1. August 1, 1870, one of the main French armies had been contained at Metz, and on September 1st, the other was forced to surrender at Sedan. These victories were significant for Prussia because it meant that a republic was able to be proclaimed in France. This happened only three days later. The second major result of this conflict was, of course, the proclaiming of the German Empire at Versailles in 1871. The Crimean War and the Wars of Unification were essential in creating a unified German state as they allowed the Germans to overcome all opposing countries that stood in their way towards finally unifying their country.
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The concepts of liberalism and nationalism helped to unite Germany, especially through the Revolutions of 1848. Nationalism, especially, was highly influential and Bruce Dennett and Stephen Dixon have said that "German unification had more to do with nationalism than any other single idea", as nationalism created a sense of German unity among its citizens that inspired action from people of all classes. Although the Congress of Vienna in 1815 delayed the process for a while, the Revolutions of 1848, undoubtedly inspired by the principles of liberalism and nationalism, brought the idea of unification to the front of German policy, as creating a unified German state under a Prussian king was at the core of the antagonism.
German unification would probably have occurred much later than it did had the Prussian economy not been as strong as it was. It was a huge asset to the Prussians in the struggle for hegemony in Germany, especially after the rapid expansion they enjoyed in the 180s that resulted in coal production rising from . to 1. million tonnes from 1846-1860, the construction of a new railway system that increased military mobility, and the building up of the manufacturing base in the Rhineland, with coal, and the Saar, with steel, helping to produce weapons in large numbers for the Prussian military force. J.M. Keynes stresses the economic base for Germany unity when he says, "The German Empire was created more by coal and steel than by blood and iron". The strong Prussian economy helped the country and its military in achieving German unification.
Historians Bruce Dennett and Stephen Dixon are quoted as saying Otto von Bismarck was "the architect of unification and used the power of the Prussian state and war to achieve his goals". Bismarck's main objective, when he was made Prime Minister in 186, was that Prussia replace Austria as the supreme power in the German confederation. He, therefore, guided the unification of the separate German states into a single country, with his own state of Prussia as the most dominant. Bismarck was also responsible for Germany's rise as the most powerful economic and military force on the continent of Europe. Bismarck was also the one who warned the Prussian Landtag in the Army Bill debate of 186 that Prussian predominance in Germany must be based on military security "Germany looks not to Prussia's liberalism but to her power... The questions of the day will not be decided by speeches and majority decisions... but by iron and blood" The military preparedness of Prussia could not have been achieved without the war reforms like the Army Bill of 186, that were orchestrated by Bismarck. Germany needed someone with the political will to use Prussia's resources to its advantage, as well as the skill to exploit the new balance of power in Europe that occurred as a result of the Crimean War. These were provided by Bismarck, and, as the authors of Problems and Issues in Modern History remarked, Bismarck's "planning and skill made... [this] possible". The role of Bismarck was instrumental in unifying the German states under Prussian leadership. Historian G.A. Craig supports this claim when he says "the unification of Germany would probably have taken place without Bismarck, but surely not at the same time or in quite the same way".
The Crimean War and the Wars of Unification, nationalism and liberalism, Prussia's economic strength and the role of Bismarck were pivotal in achieving German unification. Had even one of these factors been weaker than they were, unification would certainly have not occurred when it did.
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