Documents - Politics I: Forging an Empire

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1.	Bismarck’s Diplomatic and Military Gamble through British Eyes (February-August 1866) In early 1866, the situation between the two European powers Austria and Prussia was very tense. Bismarck made no bones about Prussia’s unwillingness to defer to Austria any longer. To court public....
2.	"Bismarck is now the Most Popular Man in Prussia": Wilhelm von Kügelgen after the Battle of Königgrätz (July 5, 1866) The Battle of Königgrätz on July 3, 1866, was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War of....
3.	The Public Mood in Bavaria and Other Federal States through British Eyes (December 3, 1866) After Prussia’s victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the future lay open. Annexations in the north and the forced incorporation of the Kingdom of Saxony into the North German Confederation....
4.	Bismarck Remembers the Evening the Ems Dispatch was Edited (July 13, 1870) In June 1870, the throne of Spain was offered to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1835-1905), a relative of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. Leopold accepted the candidacy, which was ultimately....
5.	Original and Edited Versions of the Ems Dispatch (July 13, 1870) In June 1870, the throne of Spain was offered to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1835-1905), a relative of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. Leopold accepted the candidacy, which was ultimately....
6.	Reenactment of the Battle of Sedan on September 1, 1870 (Sound Recording, 1890) The Battle of Sedan (September 1-2, 1870) was the decisive battle in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. It contributed to the fall of Emperor Napoleon III of France (1808-1873) a few days later....
7.	The Struggle for Civilian or Military Control of the War against France (December 1870) In the course of the Franco-German War (1870-1871), Otto von Bismarck insisted that grand strategy....
8.	Negotiating Kaiserdom: Letter from Bismarck to King Ludwig II of Bavaria (November 27, 1870) The German Empire was formally founded as a union of federal states whose special interests and sensibilities had to be respected. This applied particularly to Bavaria, the second largest German....
9.	Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Describes a Prussian State Council Meeting (January 17, 1871) Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1831-1888) was the son of Prussian King and German Kaiser Wilhelm I. He was the father of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He ruled Prussia and Germany for only 99 days, from March....
10.	Final Discussions before the Proclamation of the German Empire (January 17-18, 1871) Although the dynastic foundations of Imperial Germany had already been agreed upon by early January 1871, the entire project almost foundered at the eleventh hour on the resistance of the designated....
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