How the German Empire came to be #ottovonbismarck #bismarck #germanempire #history #planking

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]For a long time in history, Germany was split into multiple small territories with each having an individual leader and individual interests.

[00:00:10]Since everyone wanted to keep their power, unification was difficult.

[00:00:15]However, one man, Otto von Bismarck, managed to achieve it through clever political maneuvering that included three conflicts known in history as the wars of unification. The first was the Danish War of 1864. Bismarck allied with the Austrians to take back the German-speaking areas of Schleswig and Holstein. Together, they swiftly beated the Danish and reclaimed the territories. Because they couldn't really agree on how to manage the new conquered areas, a war broke out between the Prussians and the Austrians.

[00:00:55]In 1866, the Austrians were crushed in just 7 weeks. And this minimized the influence Austria had over the other German states. To convince the remaining independent German states to join the Prussian Union, Bismarck needed an external threat.

[00:01:15]Through a cleverly edited diplomatic message, Bismarck managed to insult the French. In response, the French declared war.

[00:01:24]Now, the remaining independent German states feared a French invasion and they did not hesitate to join the Prussians for protection. The combined German forces quickly humiliated France.

[00:01:38]Bismarck announced the creation of the now unified German Empire in 1871.

[00:01:47]He was the one who combined all the independent states into one new European superpower.

[00:02:00]>> Mhm.