Age of Real Politik (1848-1871) [Incomplete!]

Age of Real Politik (1848-1871)
I. Failed Revolutions of 1848 
a. Germany – Frankfurt parliament that failed to get the support of Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia, because he believed in the divine right of Kings (Humiliation of Olmutz)
i. He had proposed his own plan for unity, Austria says it will agree, but only if Prussia will submit to the German Bund (which is dominated by the Austrians)
b. Italy also failed at unification (because they are divided)
c. Kossuth – Hungarians are within sight of Vienna, but the Austrians are able to get their act together in time 
d. France – they overthrow the citizen King Louis Phillip – established to second republic , Lamartine becomes leader, but they get their act together  Louis Napoleon (conservative)  
e. Conservatives are in Power everywhere in continental Europe 
f. Real Politik  pragmatic politics, you get what you want by doing what it takes to get it done, practicality 
i. Nationalism – unify Germany/Italy… Machiavelli – you do what you need to do to get the political power you want. In order to do this, you have to be Machiavellian 
ii. By the end of the period they will be well on their way to achieving German and Italian unification, as Hungarian autonomy within the Austrian Empire, and French Liberals getting power in France  
II. Crimean War (1853-1856) – up until this point we had had peace, the great powers had kept the peace, now we have war.
a. The immediate cause of the Crimean war was because of a problem in Palestine 
i. There was a dispute in Palestine because it was controlled by the Ottoman Empire (Muslim) and the Christians wanted to be able to Jerusalem 
1. The Ottoman Empire agrees to enclaves to protect Catholics in the Holy Land, but there are already enclaves controlled by the Greek Orthodox, who are favored by the Russian Orthodox  East vs. West
2. When the Turks cut this deal, the Orthodox are unhappy, Ottoman areas on the Danube are occupied in retaliation, Turks declare war on the Russians 
3. Russia expected the alliance when the Turks declared War on them, because they had pledged to maintain peace, instead, Britain and France declare war on Russia in 1854
4. Real Politik – you can’t have the main trade route, Danube, blocked. Ideally, you would support your fellow Christians, but politically, they backed the Muslims

ii. Four Points set by the Alliance:
1. Give provinces back
2. International navigation of the Danube (which goes all the way to the black sea)
3. Russia had to renounce its special role as protector of orthodox people in the Ottoman Empire 
4. 
iii. Piedmont joined in 1855, Austria threatened to get into the war itself
iv. 1855 – Russia: there was a little coup, Nicholas II dies, Alexander II, the next tsar, isn’t interested in the old war, so it ends in 1856
b. It was called the Crimean war because most of the fighting took place in Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea,
c. There were mainly British and French troupes fighting the Russians, 50,000 of them (Sebastopol – sea port)
d. Florence Nightingale comes to the forefront – modernizes the medical procedures, cut the death toll considerably, most of the deaths were from disease and infections
e. Peace treaty signed in Paris 
i. Russia gives up maritime control of the Danube
ii. It renounces its claims to Moldavia and Wallachia (Romania)
iii. Russia renounces its role as protector of orthodox people in the Ottoman Empire
iv. Give the provinces back to the Ottoman Empire
v. They had to recognize the independence and integrity of the Ottoman Empire 
vi. They give up maritime dominance of the Black Sea
f. Russia will see that it is behind and try to modernize, but fail miserably 
III. France 2nd Republic (1848-1852)
a. Unicameral Legislature 
b. Strong executive power
c. Universal male suffrage 
d. Popularly elected president – Louis Napoleon, Conservative, rejected socialism and radicalism, support by the church ,the army, property owner, business people, because he spent a lot of his life outside of France, he didn’t have a lot of political alliances that people could attack his for, they also liked him for his name  
i. He had to make concessions to the Conservatives because he needed supporters – Falloux Laws – returned education to the church
ii. Supported policies that supported the army 
iii. After he was elected, he cut many poor people from the voting roles (no more universal suffrage)
iv. Destroyed what was left of the democratic and socialist movement by exiling and jailing its leaders
v. Opposed labor unions 
vi. One would have expected the conservatives to support him – he wanted them to pay off his debt, they wouldn’t even give him his salary  he starts plotting a coup to become emperor and he does – created the second empire  
1. It is sometimes called a liberal empire because he was merely a president with complete power, he restores universal male suffrage, has an election where 92% of the voters vote him as president for 10 years, then he has another vote in 1853 where 97% vote him hereditary emperor for life 
vii. He will rule directly and authoritarian until 1859, they will still have elections, but with only specially elected voters 
1. Aristocracy of businessmen 
viii. Has a change of heart in 1859 and begins to build a liberal empire – wants to make France more liberal in the traditional sense, give the people more power
e. Napoleons reforms
i. Economic Reforms  
1. Infrastructure (railroads, canals, bridges, deconstructs and rebuilds Paris, sewers)
2. Moves towards free trade (French exports will double 1853-1864)
3. Signs a liberal trade agreement with UK 
4. Creates a national bank for industrial financing (Credit Mobilier) – invest all over the world, finance all over the world 
ii. Political reforms
1. Universal suffrage, strengthens the legislature
2. Ease censorship and grants amnesty to prisoners
3. Allows criticism of his government
4. Control over secondary education to the state
5. Support credit unions
6. Allows workers unions to strike
7. Regulation of pawn shops which used to rip off the poor 
iii. His foreign policy issues will destroy him 
1. Sent French troops to Italy to rescue the pope, he sent them in 1849, they stay until 1870 
2. Pisses a lot of people off by getting involved in the Crimean War (domestic opposition)
3. Engages in colonialism (Algeria, Indo-China (until the 1950’s) and Mexico)
4. The thing that crushes him is the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)the Prussians kick French ass…he is captured, etc.
IV. Italian Unification – now have Italy instead of a bunch of states
a. Yet another revolution, this time using real politik to consolidate this nationalistic movement
b. King Victor Emmanuel – of Sardinia – Piedmont, centered around the port of Genoa 
i. Count Cavour is his Prime Minister, he does things in his name (1852-1861)
1. Also the editor of a newspaper Il Risorgimento  Sardinia should be the new foundation of the Italian republic, at the centre of Italian Unification 
2. He builds piedmont Sardinia into a liberal, powerful state
3. He models the new constitution on the French constitution 
4. Reforms the judicial system
f. Passes a couple of laws that piss off the public
i. The law on convents and the Siccardi Law  both designed to reduce the power of the catholic church
ii. The pope issues the syllabus of errors
5. He works on Italy in sections
f. Started with the north-central areas. He joins France and Britain against Russia, if Austria and Sardinia go to war, they will help Sardinia 
g. Plombieres – the promise that Napoleon III makes in this regard
i. This helps make a new Kingdom centered around Piedmont 
h. It will give France Nice and the Savoy which are in modern day France in exchange for their help 
ii. Austria will declare war on Sardinia in 1859 and got territories, incl. Lombardi, later will annex Parma, Modena, and Tuscany, but they won’t get Venice 
c. Garibaldi – and his army will try to unify the southern states
i. They land on Sicily and use it as a base
ii. Creates the Kingdom of Two Sicily’s and eventually takes control of Naples 
iii. He was supported by King Emmanuel, allowed hid southern territories to be absorbed by Sardinia Piedmont 
iv. February 1861 – Emmanuel declares himself King of Italy (except the papal states and Venice)
1. He has Parliament etc. 
d. Austro-Prussian War (1866) – if Prussia will pressure Venice into joining the Kingdom of Italy, then Italy will open up a southern front on Austria to help the Prussians 
i. They Get Venice
ii. 1871 – they will capture and incorporate Rome 
e. Italy is now unified as a political unit, but not culturally 
i. Industrializing , progressive north and a stagnant, agrarian south 
Why did Italian Unification work this time…?
The collaboration between different powers in Italy who were unified under a common cause left little room for protest. This time the unification attempts weren’t lead by uncontrolled, revolutionaries but intelligent, unified powers with a common cause. Also, luck was on their side with some good deals and alliances with Prussia. REAL POLTIK – practical manipulation by leaders rather than waiting around for something to happen in France 
V. German Unification
a. Hohenzollerns – why hadn’t German unified by this time
i. Humiliation of Olmutz – Austria insisted that they would be able to still control their German States
ii. Frederick III refused to take the crown
iii. Gross deutsch plan is Dead
iv. Zoll Verein pissed the Austrians off 
b. Germans seek to unite under the klein deutsch plan – reunification without Austria (Real Politik)
c. Otto von Bismarck (1810-1898) – from the upper class (Junkers) 
i. Came up with the Gap Theory – having trouble reforming the Army 
1. He insists there is a gap in the constitution because it doesn’t say what to do it there is a stalemate like this
2. It is up to the King to decide what to do with the gap
3. He convinced the King to ignore the liberal in parliament and just get done what needed to be done and fill the gap
f. This pissed people off
ii. There continue to be problems between the King and Bismarck and the Parliament and they won’t approve the budget. However, they still continue to collect taxes and spend money 
iii. Bismarck just does the reforms to improve the military
iv. The voters keep sending back liberal majorities and he keeps ignoring them (1862-66)
v. He reforms the military because he wants to use it…
1. Vs. Denmark (weak team) … little war with Denmark in 1863
f. The Austrians help them to get Schleswig and Holstein. They are supposed to be jointly administered by Austria and Prussia… Yeah right…
2. Austro-Prussian War (1866) … Seven Weeks War, sometimes called the German Civil War…they wanted to defeat the Austrian troupes to get control of the unified Germany 
f. Bismarck negotiated with France, Russia, Italy 
g. Prussia has better technology (better rail roads  they can move their troupes more quickly and in greater masses, they also had better guns (breach loading rifles))
h. This war was a bit of a pretext for Bismarck
i. He gives Austria generous peace terms, but Prussia can them gain control over the rest of Germany speaking Europe 
vi. He forms the North German Confederation – the government model for Germany even today - did not include all of the German states (Baden, Bavaria, Württemberg, Saxony)
vii. Government – parliament (Reichstag) two houses of equal power, upper house Bundesrat (appointed representatives from each state)Bundestag (representatives elected by universal male suffrage)
viii. This gives Bismarck more power because he can circumvent the liberals and go straight to the working class because now everyone gets to vote and the middle class will be less represented 
ix. Franco-Prussia (1870-71) – Em’s Dispatch (kicking out the diplomat)
1. Wanted to war to unite the people because he wanted to annex the Alsace Lorraine region 
2. They kicked ass
d. Spain is getting a new King and there is some dispute over who that should be
i. Bismarck uses this as an excuse the kick out a French diplomat
ii. By boasting about it he can provoke France 
iii. The feeling of unity allows him to get the other states to be part of unity and he has a totally unifies Germany 
iv. The Prussian army totally kicks ass (WWI wasn’t the first time Paris fell to the Germans) – they capture Napoleon III
v. Treaty of Frankfurt – the final peace treaty. Bismarck wants a piece of France (Alsace Lorraine, which he gets in 1871)
vi. Germany is now able to declare itself an empire (Kaiser Wilhelm) and it is now the German Empire and Bismarck is now the Empyreal Chancellor 
vii. One other little thing…. By this time the Bundesrat and bundestag have very little power because they are now more of a military dictatorship … he listens to Bismarck, the advisor who made him Kaiser 
VI. Austro-Hungarian Empire 
a. After getting their butts kicked by the Prussians the Austrians had to get their act together
i. Bohemians (Czechs)and the Hungarian (Magyars) – they want some autonomy
ii. Austria is weak so it has to make a compromise – Ausgleich, now it the Austro-Hungarian empire instead of only the Austrian Empire  they split the Empire (1867)
b. How do you manage this division?
i. The most divisive issue was the language in which children should be taught 
ii. Tensions between liberals and conservatives
iii. It lags behind in terms of suffrage (they won’t get it until 1901)
iv. Anti-Semitism (10% Jewish by 1910) Freud 
c. Magyars get their nobility and aristocracy restored and use this power to subjugate peasants and minorities they piss of the Croats and the Romanians 
d. The empire starts splitting apart, the Hapsburgs don’t have enough control 
e. Watershed year: 1871