Austria was defeated and was forced to make peace in 1801.

France defeated Austria again in 1805. Some German states

allied themselves with Napoleon. In July 1806 Napoleon
created the Confederation of the Rhine, which was made up of
16 German states. The Holy Roman Empire officially ceased to
exist on 6 August 1806.
In September 1806 Prussia went to war with France. Napoleon
crushed the Prussians at Jena on 14 October 1806.
In 1812 the French were defeated in Russia. In 1813 Prussia
joined Russia in the war against the French. Austria also joined
and in October 1813 the combined armies defeated the French
at the battle of Leipzig.
After Napoleon's final defeat in 1815 the Congress of Vienna
met to decide the fate of Europe. A German confederation was
formed to replace the old Holy Roman Empire. It consisted of
38 states.
Prussia was the biggest winner from the peace. It gained the
Rhineland and Westphalia. The population of Prussia increased,
gained valuable mineral resources & became increasingly
important in German affairs. In 1834 the Prussians and other
German states formed a customs union called the Zollverein.
In 1830s Germany began to industrialize. Opening of the first
German railway in 1835 from Nuremberg and Furth. Prussia
industrialized it grew stronger while its rival, Austria remained
an agricultural country and grew weaker.
An Austrian minister named Metternich tried to prevent the
ideas of the French Revolution spreading in Germany. In 1819

there were student bodies in German universities called

Burschenshaften. On 23 March 1819 a member of one killed a
writer called August von Kotzebue. Metternich used this as an
excuse to introduce press censorship and strict supervision of
universities. His measures were called the Karlsbad decrees.
In 1818 Baden and Bavaria introduced liberal constitutions. So
did Wurttemberg in 1819 and Hessen-Darmstadt in 1820. 1830
a revolution in France triggered riots in parts of Germany and
some German rulers were forced to make exceptions.
In 1831 Brunswick, Hesse and Saxony all introduced new
constitutions. In Prussia and Austria all liberal movements were
repressed.
After 1845 there were a series of bad harvests. Also a
recession and high unemployment. Discontent erupted in
revolution in 1848.
In February 1848 another revolution in France triggered
demonstrations and unrest across Europe, including Germany.
At first the rulers were so alarmed they backed down and
made concessions. However they soon regained their nerve.
In Prussia on 18 March 1848 the king announced he was willing
to make reforms. Prussian troops fired at some demonstrators
in Berlin and in the ensuing fighting many people were killed.
Afraid of further unrest the king decided to appease the
demonstrators. On 19 March 1848 he ordered the troops to
leave Berlin. On 21 March 1848 he rode through Berlin dressed
in the revolutionary colours, red, gold and black.

Then in May 1848 an elected assembly representing all

Germany met in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt parliament discussed
German unity.
However the rulers soon regained their confidence and they
began to crack down on the revolutionaries. On 2 April 1849
the Frankfurt parliament offered the King of Prussia the crown
of Germany. However he rejected the offer. The Frankfurt
parliament gradually dispersed and its members went home.
Meanwhile, in 1849 European rulers began to use their armies
to put down rebellions. Soon the old order returned.
Then, in 1863 the Danish king tried to annex the duchies of
Schleswig and Holstein. Both Prussia and Austria fought a short
war against Denmark in 1864. As a result Prussia and Austria
were given joint administration of the two duchies.
Disagreements with Austria over the duchies gave Prussia a
pretext to start a war in 1866. It was over within a short period.
On 3 July 1866 Prussia won a great victory over the Austrians
at Koniggratz. Afterwards a peace treaty created North German
Federation dominated by Prussia. Austria was expelled from
German affairs.
Bismarck, the German chancellor, then quarrelled with France
over the issue of who was to succeed to the Spanish throne.
The French declared war on 19 July 1870. However the French
were utterly defeated at the battle of Sedan on 2 September
1870 and they made peace in February 1871.

Meanwhile the southern German states agreed to become part

of a new German Empire with the Prussian king as emperor.
William I was proclaimed emperor on 18 January 1871.
In the late 19th century Germany industrialised rapidly. By the
end of the century it rivalled Britain as an industrial power.
In 1879 Germany signed the Dual Alliance with AustriaHungary. The two powers agreed to come to each others aid in
the event of a war with Russia.
Bismarck the German chancellor also campaigned against
socialism. In the late 19th century it was a growing force in
Germany. Bismarck tried to take the wind out of Socialism's
sails by introducing welfare measures. In 1883 he introduced
sickness insurance. In 1884 he introduced accident insurance.
Then in 1889 he introduced old age pensions. However
socialism continued to grow in Germany and by 1914 the
Social Democratic Party was the largest party in the Reichstag.
Finally Bismarck resigned in 1890.
Bismarck always pursued friendly relations with Britain but
under his successors it was different. From 1898 under Admiral
Tirpitz Germany began expanding its navy. Britain, the largest
naval power, was alarmed. Furthermore Europe became
divided into two armed camps, with Germany and AustriaHungary one side and Britain, France and Russia on the other.
The spark that ignited war came on 28 June 1914 when the
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in
Sarajevo.

In August 1914 the Germany army overran Belgium and

marched on Paris.