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the Seven Weeks ' War , occupying
the summer of 1866.
The Seven Weeks' War is a con–
flict between opposing groups of
German states, one led by Austria
and the other by Prussia.
lt
culmi–
nates at the battle of Sadowa
(Koniggratz)- an overwhelming
Prussian victory.
Austria is now excluded from
participation in German affai rs.
Bismarck declares null and void the
Constitution of the German Con–
federation of 18 15.
New Confederatlon
In the wake of the Prussian victory
over Austria, the North German
Confed eration
(Norddeutscher
Bund)
is formed under Prussian
hegemony in 1867. Tt is a union of
the German states north of the
Main River.
Berl ín becomes the capital of
this new Confederation. Bismarck
writes a const itution making t he
Prussian king the hereditary ru1er
and the Prussian prime minister its
chancellor.
The four large southern German
states of Baden, Bavaria, Saxony and
Württemberg remain independent
and are permitted to form a separate
confederation. They enter into a mil–
itary alliance with Prussia.
Aus tria's defeat in the Seven
Weeks' War leads Austrian Em–
peror Franz Josef and his govern–
ment to establish a dual monarchy
embracing the Empire of Austria
and the Kingdom of Hungary.
Jt
is
officially known as the Austro–
Hungarian Mon a rchy
(Oester–
reichisch-Ungarische Monarchie) .
The two halves of the monarchy are
independent of each other. The
bond of union is t he common
dynasty and a c lose politica l
alliance. The crown is hereditary in
the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty.
Franco-Prussian War
Bismarck's ultimate goal- that of
uni t ing
al/ Germany
under Prus–
sian leadership--has sti ll not been
achieved. His next move will be to
bring the south German states into
fi nal union with the Prussian-led
North German Confederation. He
will accomplish this by provoking a
war with France.
After making sure that Russia
will remain neutral in any Franco-
Aprll 1984
German conflict, Bismarck uses the
candidacy of a Hohenzollern prince
to the throne of Spain to goad
France into war.
Napoleon 111 of France declares
war on Prussia on J uly 19, 1870-
just as the Iron Chancellor had
hoped. The ambitions of the two
roen have come to a clash. Thus
begins the Franco-Prussian War .
As Bismarck had anticipated, the
south German states side with Prus–
sia against France. Fighting side by
side against the armies of Napoleon
liT,
Germans of the north and south
develop a sense of camaraderie and
oneness-another step toward the
unification of all Germany.
The German offensive is planned
brilliantly by General Helmuth von
Moltke. On September
1,
1870,
Prussia defeats France at the battle
of Sedan. Napo1eon 111 surrenders
himself to the Prussians. Paris itself
is captured on January 28, 1871.
The German victory marks the
end of French hegemony in conti–
nental Europe. The war is con–
cluded by the peace of Frankfurt
on May 10,1871.
Second Reich
The Franco-Prussian War brings
about a strong feeling among Ger–
man states for a closer union. The
south German s t ates decide to
unite with the North German Con–
federation.
On J anuary 18, 1871, King Wil–
liam 1 of Prussia is proclaimed Ger–
man Emperor
(Deutscher Kaiser)
in
the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles near
París. North and South Germany
are united into a single
Reich,
or
Empire. Bismarck has succeeded in
consolidating Germany under the
Prussian Hohenzollerns!
Bismarck assumes the office of
Reich Chancellor and is made a
prince.
T his new German Empire is
called the
Second
Reich. (The
First Reich had been inaugurated
in A.D . 962 with the crowning of
Otto the Great as Holy Roman
Emperor by Pope John XII.) This
Second Reich, born in 1871 , will
live 47 years (unt il 191 8).
Germany has become the domi–
nant force in European affai rs!
Prisoner Popes
With the French defeat in the
Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon
JII's t roops in Rome return home.
For years they had maintained the
temporal power of the Papacy over
that city. Now Rome is virtually
defense1ess.
On September 20, 1870, the
forces of Víctor Emmanuel
11
enter
Rome. The "Eterna) C ity" is taken
by Ita1ian troops in the name of the
Kingdom of I taly. In Oc tober,
Romans vote overwhe1mingly to
become part of the Italian king–
dom. Rome officially becomes the
capital of a united ltaly on July 2,
1871 .
After 1,500 years, Rome is again
the capital of l taly!
But what of the Papacy?
The Pope, Pius
IX (
1846-
1878), has been stripped of tem–
poral power by troops of the
Kingdom of ltaly. He excommu–
nicates the invaders, declares him–
self a prisoner in the Vatican a nd
refuses to recognize the new king–
dom. His s uccesso rs, too, will
become voluntary prisoners in
their own palace. It will be six
decades before a reconciliation is
effected.
Though weak in the temporal
sphere, the P apacy is asserting its
strength in the spiritual realm.
Pope Pius had convoked the first
Vatican Council in 1869. The next
year it declared Papal Infallibility
as a fo rmal article of Catholic
belief. This dogma holds that when
a Pope speaks offici ally
(ex cathe–
dra)
to the universal Church on a
doctrine of faith or morals, he can–
not err.
This dogma had long been held
in sorne forro, but in view of objec–
tions being made against it, the
bishops in the Vat ican Council
thought it expedient to make clear
the stand of the Church.
Not all , however, are willing to
submit to this newly defined and
reasserted Papal authori ty.
Struggle for Power
The German Reich is ruled by a
Protestant
dynasty, the Hohenzol–
lerns.
Bismarck seeks to strengthen the
unity of the Reich by limiting the
power of the Catholic Church wi th–
in Germany. He accuses Catholic
elements within the Reich of politi–
caJ separatism, and labels them a
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