National Unification, but at what cost?

I have just been listening to some of the lectures from The Teaching Company. If there was any a good reason for starting up a collection of lectures on history, philosophy and intellectual history, then this company would be the best reason.

The course I have been listening today, well yesterday due to the blog being posted so late at night is called “Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World”. The course is taught by Professor Robert Bucholz and throughout the course he keeps you interested from the word go. My favourite lecture from this course is lecture 41 “The Holocaust”.  The way he spends his time revealing in detail the nature of the holocaust is sheer brilliance in which he quotes “The epitome and calamity of evil”. Still that is a blog for another day.

I spent most of my time listening to lecture 29 which is called “Nationalism—1848–71”. Here we continue off on the bloody struggles for the unification of Italy and German Unification.  There were other countries rising up in nationalism, but on this lecture these were the two which is focused on.

Here we have Italy being fed up of being bossed around by Austria who have taken up some of the Italian lands. Italy does a deal with Napoleon the III (who ruled France at the time) in order to try and kick Austria out for good and work towards unification. This works under the leadership of Victor Emmanuel, but this is not the end of the story as the lecture continues.

Next we then look at the struggle for German unification. Here we see Prussia and Austria bid for who is the strongest to lead for the unification of Germany, but clearly Prussia has a strong industry, population, efficient government and a brilliant statesman who is this?

None other than Otto Von Bismarck

Explore in depth as the lecture explains in detail how Otto Von Bismark outwitted and outmanoeuvred his enemies time and time again in the name of German Unification, which led to Wilhelm the First becoming titled Emperor or Kaiser of Germany.

Learn how France deteriorated into a bickering government after a war which leaves France bitter, downtrodden and hungry for revenge.

Europe from 1871 would never be the same again as the balance of power pushed countries into fear and distrust. No longer could Britain spend its time in glorious Isolation, no longer could France look for lands to conquer and Germany becaming the growing threat to the balance of power.

There are so many big questions. I kept thinking about National unification, but at what cost? Could Europe adjust in time as power shifts from one country to another? Is war politics by other means? Did Otto Von Bismarck go too far?

Many of us could not care for what happened during 1848 – 1871, but for sure this was another step towards the Great war.  If you are interested, try and purchase this course and listen to the lecture.