Historical Inquiries Group Essay

By the 1870s, Europe was forever changed by the organization of Italy and Germany as new nation-states. Through this formation, Europe was shaken by the alteration in the balance of forefinger. In Germanys case, its unification was created through the leaseership of Prussia, attempting to make a strong ethnic nation that could flog Austria. Italys unification was made possible by the initial intentions of Sardinia. Europe witnessed how drastically the balance of power was shifted during World War I, when Germany and Italy proved they had both grown into powerful nation-states.The creation of the nation-states of Italy and Germany was a key gunpoint in the history of Europe that changed that balance of power in Europe. There are several factors that lead to the unification of Germany. For example, the introduction of new disciplineistic ideas during the Enlightenment, caused for such events like the Carlsbad Decrees, which were German youth movements that spread national and libe ralistic ideologies.These movements, however, were not too successful and eventually suppressed underground. The greatest factor that leads to the unification of Germany was nearly likely through Prussia under the control of Otto von Bismarck, who led Prussia to become the unifying power. The Danish-Prussian struggle in 1864 was the frontmost step for Prussia, in which Prussia gained Schleswig, and Austria, which had an alliance with Prussia at the time, gained Holstein.Due to Holstein geographical isolation from Austria, it created tensions between Prussia and Austria, and lead to the Austro-Prussian war. The results of the war ended up with Austria being defeated, and Prussia gaining Holstein. The Franco-Prussian war in 1870 lead to the Treaty of Frankfurt, allowing Prussia to gain Alsace and Lorraine from France the loss of Alsace and Lorraine posterior becomes a reasons for tensions between France and Germany.