Austria Prussia & Germany 1806 1871

Prussia and Austria were the two most powerful German states in the nineteenth century, and on their relationship depended the political fate of Germany as a whole. This book considers the changing nature of that relationship from 1806, when Austria and Prussia had been excluded from any influence in the rest of Germany by the power of Napoleon, to 1866 when Prussia defeated Austria in war and took control in north and central Germany, and then went on in 1870-71, having defeated France; to bring the remaining German states under her domination.

Setting that relationship within its German and European contexts, the book:

• provides a narrative of Austro-Prussian relations
•  plots the shifts between cooperation and competition
• considers the final phase of conflict which culminated in war
•  analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the two states relative to each other

Written in an accessible and engaging style, the book also contains a strong selection of documents, chronology, maps, glossary, a 'Who's Who' guide to key figures and a guide to further reading to provide students with an invaluable introduction to this key period in European history. John Breuilly is Professor of Modern History at the University of Birmingham.    

""Austria, Prussia and the Making of Modern Germany, 1806-1871" considers Germany's relations with interior and exterior states during the first half of the nineteenth century. And since Prussia and Austria were the two most important German states the fate of Germany was dependent upon their relationship. This new text considers the changing nature of that relationship from 1806, when Austria and Prussia had been excluded from any influence in the rest of Germany by the power of Napoleon, to 1866 when Prussia defeated Austria in war and then went on in 1870. This latest book in the Seminar Studies in History series bridges the gap between textbook and specialist survey. The text consists of a brief Introduction/Background to the subject, a substantial and authoritative section of "Analysis, " an assessment focusing on the main themes and issues, and concludes with a section of documents a detailed bibliography. Those interested in German history.

In this important new survey of the Austro-Prussian relationship and its impact on Germany, John Breuilly considers Germany's relations with interior and exterior states during the first half of the nineteenth century. Focusing on the rise of nationalism and the causes of political ascendancy, Breuilly follows the struggle over German lands, between France on the one hand and Austria and Prussia on the other. Once Austria and Prussia had managed to wrest supremacy in Germany away from France and reorganised the German lands in 1814-15, the two cooperated for more than three decades in joint control of Germany under Austrian leadership. The second half of the book traces the collapse of this cooperative relationship and its dramatic conclusion in the 1866 war of supremacy, when Prussia decisively defeated Austria. Was Prussia's victory inevitable, or was it an accident? Breuilly weighs up the evidence in masterly fashion and shows how the different approaches reflect above all shifts of interest within historical study.

John Breuilly is Professor of History at the University of Birmingham.

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

1. The Setting

PART TWO: THE NARRATIVE

2. From Defeat to Triumph, 1806-15

3. Cooperative Domination, 1815-48

4. Austria and Prussia Lose Control, 1848-49

5. Counter-Revolution, Cooperation and Conflict, 1849-59

6. From Cooperation to War,1858-66

7. The Definitive Exclusion of Austria from Germany, 1867-71

PART THREE: ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT

8. Comparing Austria with Prussia

9. Conclusion

PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS

Glossary

Who's Who

Bibliography

Index