Editing Unification of Germany (section)

== Rise of German nationalism under Napoleon ==

Under the [[French period|hegemony of the First French Empire]] (1804–1814), popular German nationalism thrived in the reorganized German states. Due in part to German-speaking peoples' shared experience, albeit under French rule, various justifications emerged to identify "Germany" as a potential future single state. For the German philosopher [[Johann Gottlieb Fichte]],

{{blockquote|
The first, original, and truly natural boundaries of states are beyond doubt their internal boundaries. Those who speak the same language are joined to each other by a multitude of invisible bonds by nature herself, long before any human art begins; they understand each other and have the power of continuing to make themselves understood more and more clearly; they belong together and are by nature one and an inseparable whole.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fichte |first=Johann Gottlieb |author-link=Johann Gottlieb Fichte |year=1808 |title=Address to the German Nation |url=http://www.historyman.co.uk/unification/Fichte.html |access-date=2009-06-06 |website=www.historyman.co.uk}}</ref>}}

[[File:Battle Of The Nations-Monument.jpg|thumb|alt=monument commemorating the battle, tall square block, soldier on top, images of soldiers around the monument|The [[Monument to the Battle of the Nations|Battle of the Nations monument]], erected for the centennial in 1913, honors the efforts of the German people in the victory over Napoleon.]]

A common language may have been seen to serve as the basis of a nation, but as contemporary historians of 19th-century Germany noted, it took more than linguistic similarity to unify these several hundred polities.{{Sfn|Sheehan|1989|p=434}} The experience of German-speaking Central Europe during the years of French hegemony contributed to a sense of common cause to expel the French invaders and reassert control over their own lands. [[War of the Fourth Coalition|Napoleon's campaigns in Poland]] (1806–07) resulting in his decision to re-establish a form of Polish statehood (the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]) at the cost of Prussian-conquered Polish territories, as well as his campaigns on [[Peninsular War|the Iberian Peninsula]], in western Germany, and his disastrous [[French invasion of Russia|invasion of Russia]] in 1812, disillusioned many Germans, princes and peasants alike. Napoleon's [[Continental System]] nearly ruined the Central European economy. The invasion of Russia included nearly 125,000 troops from German lands, and the destruction of that army encouraged many Germans, both high- and low-born, to envision a Central Europe free of Napoleon's influence.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Jakob |last=Walter |editor-first=Marc |editor-last=Raeff |title=The diary of a Napoleonic foot soldier |publisher=Windrush Press |date=1996 |isbn=0-9000-7537-6 |oclc=59977347 |ol=20208714M}}{{page needed|date=May 2025}}</ref> The creation of student militias such as the [[Lützow Free Corps]] exemplified this tendency.{{Sfn|Sheehan|1989|pp=384–387}}

The debacle in Russia loosened the French grip on German princes. In 1813, Napoleon mounted a campaign in the German states to bring them back into the French orbit; the subsequent [[War of the Sixth Coalition|War of Liberation]] culminated in the great [[Battle of Leipzig]], also known as the [[Battle of Nations]]. In October 1813, more than 500,000 combatants engaged in ferocious fighting over three days, making it the largest European land battle of the 19th century. The engagement resulted in a decisive victory for the [[Sixth Coalition|Coalition]] of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Saxony, and Sweden. As a result, the [[Confederation of the Rhine]] collapsed and the [[French period]] came to an end. Success encouraged the Coalition forces to pursue Napoleon across the Rhine; his army and his government collapsed, and the victorious Coalition incarcerated Napoleon on [[Elba]]. During the brief Napoleonic restoration known as the [[Hundred Days|100 Days]] of 1815, forces of the [[Seventh Coalition]], including an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] and a [[Prussia|Prussian]] army under the command of [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher|Gebhard von Blücher]], were victorious at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] (18 June 1815).{{Efn|Although the Prussian army had gained its reputation in the [[Seven Years' War]], its humiliating defeat at [[Jena]] and [[Auerstadt]] crushed the pride many Prussians felt in their soldiers. During their Russian exile, several officers, including [[Carl von Clausewitz]], contemplated reorganization and new training methods.{{Sfn|Sheehan|1989|p=323}}}} The critical role played by Blücher's troops, especially after having to retreat from the field at [[Battle of Ligny|Ligny]] on the 17th, helped to turn the tide of combat against the French. The Prussian cavalry pursued the defeated French on the evening of the 18th of June, sealing the allied victory. From the German perspective, the actions of Blücher's troops at Waterloo, and the combined efforts at Leipzig, offered a rallying point of pride and enthusiasm.{{Sfn|Sheehan|1989|pp=322–323}} This interpretation became a key building block of the [[Borussian myth|''Borussian'' myth]] expounded by the pro-Prussian nationalist historians later in the 19th century.<ref>{{Harvnb|Blackbourn|Eley|1984|loc=Part 1}}; {{Harvnb|Nipperdey|1996|loc=Chapter 1}}.{{page needed|date=May 2025}}</ref>