7.5 Unification of Italy and Germany

Italy: Unification through Piedmont-Sardinia

Camillo di Cavour, prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, used diplomacy and war to unify northern Italy, allying with France against Austria (1859) to gain Lombardy. Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirts conquered Sicily and Naples in the south (1860), then ceded these gains to Piedmont's King Victor Emmanuel II, who became king of a unified Italy in 1861. Venetia (1866) and Rome (1870) were added later.

Germany: Unification through Prussian power

Otto von Bismarck, Prussia's chancellor, pursued realpolitik — pragmatic power politics over ideology — to unify Germany under Prussian leadership. He engineered three wars: against Denmark (1864), Austria (Austro-Prussian War, 1866, expelling Austria from German affairs), and France (Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71). Victory over France sparked German nationalism, leading to the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles in 1871, with Prussian King Wilhelm I as Kaiser.

Common themes and consequences

Both unifications relied on nationalism, strong leadership, and military/diplomatic maneuvering rather than popular liberal revolutions. They shifted Europe's balance of power, creating two new strong states and diminishing Austrian and French influence. This new German Empire, in particular, became an industrial and military powerhouse, reshaping European alliances and setting the stage for future conflicts.

Key terms

Camillo di Cavour

Prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia who used diplomacy and alliance with France to unify northern Italy.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Nationalist leader whose Red Shirts conquered Sicily and Naples, later ceding them to Piedmont-Sardinia.

Otto von Bismarck

Prussian chancellor who used realpolitik and three wars to unify Germany under Prussian leadership.

Realpolitik

Pragmatic politics based on practical power considerations rather than ideology or morals.

Franco-Prussian War (1870-71)

War against France that sparked German nationalism and led to the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871.

Try an AP-style question

The Austro-Prussian War (1866) resulted in…

1. Austria's exclusion from German affairs
2. a united Austria-Germany
3. French control of the Rhine
4. Austria's control of Prussia