How far did the political system successfully overcome the key divisions facing Germany in 1871?

Trying to reconcile unity and division:

• 1815 - Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation; 36 sovereign states that were loosely connected
• Ideas of German nationalism were growing
• However, regional identity and the ruling families of the differing areas remained very strong
• Germany was divided along religious lines
• Nationalist writers of the early 19th century focused upon language as the key definer of national unity
• However, Prussia and Austria incorporated large populations that did not speak German or consider themselves ethnically German
• German unification was driven by Prussia under its military and political dominance; it was not a shared process
• Willhelm was crowned Kaiser of Germany, symbolising Prussia's power over the newly created state
• Whilst 1871 created a united German nation, it was the beginning of the process to create a united German people
• Religion:
  • One-third of the new German state was Catholic - viewed themselves as a discriminated minority within the Protestant-dominated Germany
• Junkers, southern Germans, non-Prussians and peasants viewed the newly created nation with distrust
• The constitution constructed by Bismarck aimed to:
  • enshrine Prussian power
  • overcome the key divisions
• Dynastic rivalry:
  • The potential for this was overcome by allowing the 22 different royal rulers to maintain substantial power under the Prussian King
  • The constitution proclaimed that all German sovereigns were equal
  • As the Emperor controlled the civil service and military this was not really true
  • The Emperor took precedence over the separate states through his ability to proclaim imperial law, which superseded state powers
• The Reichstag:
  • Constitution established an elected parliamentary body, the Reichstag
  • Its role in politics is questionable
  • Served as a key aspect of unification
  • Universal suffrage for all over 25 meant the Reichstag elections were the only aspect of the political process that Germans from across the country could engage in equally
• The creation of:
  • a single currency
  • sole measurements and weights
  • a national legal system
  • a national civil service
  • a German military
  • the linking of Germany's railway system
• all helped to establish a greater sense of a unified nation
• 1892 - creation of the German flag; national symbols helped to create unity
• King Wilhelm I played a key role in the emotional respect of creating a unifying figure in the Kaiser and the German Empire he represented
• The Military
  • The army was made up of the Prussian, Bavarian, Saxony and Wurttemberg armies
  • Each army owed allegiance to the king of that particular state
  • In a time…