ROLE OF KING WILLIAM I IN THE UNIFICATION OF GERMANY STATES

Transcription

1 History S5 AOlution ROLE OF KING WILLIAM I IN THE UNIFICATION OF GERMANY STATES Lesson 40 Developed by (Maxon J. Kasumba) Subtopic ROLE OF KING WILLIAM I IN THE UNIFICATION OF GERMANY STATES Overview/general summary 50 minutes Students working in groups King William I of Germany Wilhelm I, His full name was Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig (March 22, 1797 march 9, 1888), Germany emperor (Kaiser), ruled January 18, and king of Prussia, ruled Specific Objectives Explain the role played by King William I in German unification Lesson Objectives Learners should be able to explain the significant role of King William I in the unification of Germany states Early Life and Military Career As a second son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, Wilhelm had no expectations to ascend to the throne. As a second son he received only little education. He served in the army from 1814 onward, and fought against Napoleon. It was reported that he was a brave soldier. After 1815, he was engaged in diplomatic missions and he became an excellent diplomat. In 1848 he was assigned to crush a revolt aimed at his elder brother King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. His standing with his brother was probably a good one. In 1857, Friedrich Wilhelm IV suffered from a stroke and became mentally disabled for the rest of his life. In January 1858 Wilhelm became Prince Regent (replacement) for his brother. This man, in liaison with Bismarck played a significant as well as a historical role in the unification and formation of the Germany state. Linked to other lessons This lesson is linked to: THE UNIFICATION OF ITALY Evaluation At the end of the lesson learners shall be able to: Explain the significant role of King William I in the unification of Germany states

2 Terminology Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig Kaiser This was King William I who was the king of Prussia during the unification of Germany. This was a title for the kings of Germany. Step1 Introduction Duration: 10 minutes The teacher introduces the lesson by asking the learners to comment about the role of Bismarck in the unification of Germany. This is intended to draw the attention of the learners to what they learnt previously before the teacher introduces a new lesson. After the recap of the previous lesson, the teacher introduces the new lesson (The Role of King William I in the Germany unification) as briefly described in the overview. The teacher goes ahead and put the learners in different learning groups, after which, the learners exchange ideas about their previous research work (Explain the role played by King William I in the unification of Germany states), which the learners proceed to present afterwards. How to achieve this learning Let the learners get in groups of 10. Let each group discuss the role of King William I in the Germany unification. This shall be based on their previous research work. Thereafter, each group identifies a learner to make a brief presentation of their discussion. How to conduct the lesson Step 2 Activity 1: The role of King William i in the Germany unification Duration: 20 minutes Resources needed : Chalk, duster, notes, photocopies of King William I, note-books and pens Class organization : Groups of 10 - Group presentation and discussion (from students) Instruction to the learners: Let the learners explain the role of King William I in the unification of Germany Method of Evaluation: Evaluate the learners basing on the factual role that King William I played in the unification of Germany. For correct answers, refer to the points mentioned below in the notes. NOTE: During this period of time, the learners may also ask any related questions to the teacher Step 3 Activity 2:

3 Teacher gives notes to learners Duration: 20 minutes Resources needed: notes about the role of King William I in the unification of Germany Class organization: normal class session Instruction to the learners: the learners should take notes as given by the teacher ROLE OF KING FREDERICK WILLAM I IN THE UNIFICATION OF THE GERMANY STATES King Frederick William I The then King of Prussia during Germany unification 3Fq%3DPHOTO%2BOF%2BKING%2BWILLIAM%2BI%2BOF%2BGERMANY%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=PHOTO+OF+KING+WILLIAM+I+OF+GERMANY&usg= bog6loyr1oc2qwadpkojgkprb0w=&sa=x&ei=vviftde9jornhaeivfysbq&ved=0cdaq9qewba King and Kaiser On January 2, 1861, Friedrich Wilhelm died and Wilhelm ascended the throne as Wilhelm I of Prussia. He inherited a conflict between King and the liberal parliament. He was considered a politically neutral person as he intervened less in politics than his brother. He nevertheless found a conservative solution for the conflict: he appointed Otto von Bismarck to the office of Prime Minister. According to the Prussian constitution, the Prime Minister was solely responsible to the king, not to parliament. Bismarck liked to see his work relationship with Wilhelm as that of a vassal to his feudal superior. Nonetheless it was Bismarck who effectively directed the politics, interior as well as foreign; on several occasions he gained Wilhelm s assent by threatening to resign. In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian war, Wilhelm was proclaimed German Emperor on January 18, 1871 in Versailles, in the palace of Louis XIV. By this ceremony, the North Germany Confederation ( ) was transformed into the Germany Empire ("Deutsches Reich", ). This Empire was a federal state; the emperor was head of state and president (primus inter pares) of the federated monarchs (the kings of Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Saxony, the grand dukes of Baden and Hasses, and so on, not to forget the senates of the free cities of Hamburg and Bremen). Wilhelm accepted the title "German Emperor" gruntingly; he would have preferred "Emperor of Germany", which however was unacceptable to the federated monarchs.

4 In his memoirs, Bismarck describes Wilhelm as an old-fashioned, courteous, infallibly polite gentleman and a genuine Prussian officer, whose good common sense was occasionally undermined by "female influences". His role in the unification of Germany cannot be underestimated. It might be true to assert that Bismarck played a significant role but Bismarck worked closely with William I. on several occasions, Bismarck s policies were strongly backed by William I. his role can therefore be outlined as seen below. As a trained and temperament soldier, William appointed two keen military minds who were both violently anti-liberal, to the key positions of the Prussian army. That is to say, Roon was appointed as minister of war and Moltke as Chief of the General Staff. These two men were significant in changing the course of events in the Germany army which was used in unification battles. William I also proposed to increase on the army budget in the Prussian parliament. Although the liberals in the parliament went ahead and rejected both the budget expenditure and the expansion of the Prussian army, later, with the help of Bismarck it was imposed and this became paramount in the creation of a professional and motivated army which was used during unification wars. He should also be credited for his political foresight when he appointed Bismarck as minister president. This was a key position Bismarck used in the unification struggles. William I also followed Bismarck s advice to crush the liberal opposition to the army reforms. William I did this all carried on in spite of the rejection from the Prussian liberal. He went on and collected existing taxes which were used to create a formidable Prussian force. William I also removed many liberals in official position in addition to silencing the press. This was also very important in the subsequent years. The Prussian liberals were against the use of force in the unification struggle and preferred peaceful negotiations. This was to totally contradict with Bismarck s policy of blood and iron the use of war and conquest. Conclusion In summary of this lesson make sure that the learners should be able to: Explain the role of King William I in the Germany unification Additional activity: Discuss the similarities between Germany and the Italian unifications. Homework Method of evaluation: Question/Answers QUESTION: 1. Examine King William I s contribution in the unification struggle of Germany states. ANSWER: A learner is supposed to simply show the role that was played by King William in the Unification of Germany states. This can be summarized as below.

5 As a trained and temperament soldier, William appointed two keen military minds who were both violently anti-liberal, to the key positions of the Prussian army. William I also proposed to increase on the army budget in the Prussian parliament. He should also be credited for his political foresight when he appointed Bismarck as minister president. This was a key position Bismarck used in the unification struggles William I also followed Bismarck s advice to crush the liberal opposition to the army reforms. William I also removed many liberals in official position in addition to silencing the press. References 1. Denis, Richards ( ) An Illustrated History of Modern Europe, PP H.L, Peacock ( ) A history of modern Europe, seventh edition PP Stuart,T, Miller Modern European history second edition PP