Uniting Germany

• Zollverein – economic union formed to enhance trade between the German states

• King Wilhelm I appointed Count Otto von Bismarck as the chancellor of Prussia

King Wilhelm I

Count Otto von Bismarck

• Bismarck worked to unify Germany through wars with and against Austria

• Leopold (from the Hohenzollern family) was asked to be king of Spain, but France felt threatened by this.

• French demanded that the Prussian king make a promise that no member of the Hohenzollern family would ever rule Spain.

Leopold von Hohenzollern

• Prussian king refused and sent report to Bismarck.

• Bismarck changed the wording on the report and published it.

• War was declared!• The German states sided with Prussia against

France.• German unification had been accomplished

Uniting Italy

• Giuseppe Mazzini formed a group called Young Italy to work to unify Italy

• Count Camillo de Cavour was the prime minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia

• Sent troops to support Britain and France in wars against Russia

• Really just symbolic, but used this later for leverage

• Giuseppi Garibaldi formed an army known as the “Red Shirts” and conquered the island of Sicily.

Giuseppi Garibaldi

• Cavour convinced Garibaldi to turn his conquered territory over to Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia

• They formed the kingdom of Italy and named Victor Emmanuel II as the first king.