What was germany between 1806 and 1871?

Question: What was germany between 1806 and 1871!?

Erste Reich - 800 until 1806, then what was it until the zweite Reich in 1871!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

In 1806 Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and created the Confederation of the Rhine, an association of German states excluding Austria and Prussia, and made the Emperor of the French (himself) the Confederation's Protector!. As part of this, he also consolidated the thousands of tiny states that had made up the Holy Roman Empire into just a few dozen!. Since this technically left the Holy Roman Emperor without a title, the collection of states he ruled directly were turned into the Empire of Austria!.

After Napoleon fell in 1814, the European powers assembled at the Congress of Vienna to craft a new order designed to maintain peace in Europe!. As part of this, the German states (including Prussia and the German-speaking parts of Austria) were organised into a loose association called the German Confederation, with its capital at Frankfurt!.

Over the ensuing decades, particularly after the Revolutions of 1848, many Germans began to want a single, unified German state, but there was debate over whether such a state should be led by Austria (the Greater German, or Grossedeutsche, solution), or if it should exclude Austria and be led instead by Prussia (the Small German, or Kleindeutsche, solution)!. Prussia settled the question by defeating Austria in the Seven Weeks War of 1867, following which the German Confederation was dissolved and replaced with the North German Confederation, led by Prussia, excluding Austria, and including only the Protestant German states (the southern states, like Bavaria and Saxony, were Catholic)!.

In 1870 the Prussian Prime Minister, Bismarck, was able to engineer a war between France on the one side and Prussia, the North German Confederation and the southern Catholic states (except Austria) on the other!. After the Germans defeated France, the King of Prussia was crowned German Emperor, creating the modern, united German state for the first time!.

Terms like "First Reich" and "Second Reich" didn't start to be used until the 1920s, when, after defeat in World War I, German historians wanted to highlight Germany's martial past and highlight their desire for a "Third Reich" to restore German greatness!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

A loose confederation of 39 states the most significant of which were Austro-Hungary and Prussia until those two fought in 1866 and the North German Confederation was born an alliance of 22 states until the southern German states joined in 1871!.
The architect was Otto von Bismarck, the driving force and dominant member was Prussia!.Www@QuestionHome@Com