What was Germany like in 1871?

Germany – The Unification of Germany, 1815-71

In this course, Dr Anna Ross (University of Oxford) explores the unification of Germany, starting with the proclamation of the German Empire on the 18th January 1871, and moving back in time to consider how the Germans had reached this point. As we move through the course, we think about concepts of the nation, nationalism and national identity, before focusing on the events that led the unification in 1871—including the 1848 Revolutions, the Crimean War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War. We finish by considering the astonishing impact of one man in the whole process: Otto von Bismarck.

What was Germany like in 1871?

In this lecture, we consider the diversity of the German people before 1871, and think about the origins of German national identity in the travel writings of people such as Theodor Fontane as well as in the landscapes of painters such as Caspar David Friedrich.