The creation of the German Confederation in 1815 was largely in
reaction to the growing sense of German nationalism, which had not
existed in Europe prior to the 19th century. While strains of
nationalism certainly existed before the turn of the century, it was
France's conquest of the German lands in the first decade of the 19th
century that first fully aroused German nationalists into proposing a
unified, German state. Indeed, J.G. Fichte's Addresses to the German Nation, given in Berlin in 1808, called on Germans to unite under their common language and traditions.
Perhaps
no other statesman was in such a fine position to make this dream a
reality as the Chancellor of Prussia during the mid-19th century, Otto von Bismarck.
Bismarck was a fervent German nationalist who wanted a German nation,
but specifically one dominated by his Prussia. As a result, once
appointed, Chancellor Bismarck set out to strengthen and improve the
Prussian army and gain international allies that would help Prussia on
its way to unifying Germany.
