Inspiring the support of nobility and people. Uniting a fragmented empire

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject History of Germany - 1848, Empire, Imperialism, grade: 9,4, VU University Amsterdam , language: English, abstract: In 1871, the German empire was proclaimed in Versailles. This marked the beginning of Germany's rise as an imperial power and eventually led to its militarization and the rise of fascism. It was not the first time that there was some form of a German state, but it was the first time the territory was actually consolidated under direct rule and a uniform culture. Accordingly, this was the first time the states that considered themselves German had to seriously adapt to a ruler. How did this work in Saxony?

Previous attempts to unite the German states, specifically the Holy Roman Empire and the Frankfurt Parliament of 1848, failed at the consolidation of their power over the different states. For a long time, the German states were connected through some common culture and language but were always fragmented in their political structure. The measures enacted by the first emperor and his chancellor successfully challenged this fragmentation by appealing to both the nobility and the ordinary people, the repercussions of which can still be felt even today, both on an international scale and locally. Especially Saxony is an interesting state to investigate during this time, as it was once one of the most powerful German speaking states in the middle ages, had a complicated relationship with Prussia, and is even now the centre stage for a lot of current political debates in Germany.