UPSC History Preparation: Unification of Germany

The Unification of Germany is crucial in World History as it brought about major changes in the history of the European continent which was considered the centre of the world back then. Initially, Germany was made up of 300 individual principalities and city-states which functioned in an independent manner. It was in the 17^th century that the major powers of Austria and Prussia in Germany began to expand and acquire more territories. The Holy Roman Empire which ruled the German lands was defeated by Napolean. Later, the German Confederation was created after the defeat of Napolean in 1815 and it was dominated by Prussia and Austria. 

 

The creation of the German Confederation was a response to the growing sense of nationalism in Germany. It was France’s conquest which intensified German nationalism in the 19^th century. The Chancellor of Prussia, Otto Von Bismarck played an imperative role in the Unification process of Germany. His intention was to unite all the German states under Prussia with the assistance of foreign allies and thus focused on developing a strong military. Another important determinant concerning the Unification of Germany was the Seven Weeks War where Prussia defeated Austria owing its military superiority and diplomacy. For more key points on the Unification of Germany, watch the video below.

In the video titled “Relive the past: World History 6.1 Unification of Germany IAS Preparation”, Dr. Roman Saini gives a detailed analysis of one of most important events in World History: The Unification of Germany. Dr. Roman deals the following topics:  Background situation of Europe, newly industrialised nations and International Relations, exploitation by neighbouring nations, german states were on lines polity, but united on concept of German race and language. Role of Napolean in German unification, role of personalities, 4 phases of German unification 1. German diet, 2. Zollverine, 3. 2nd Frankfurt Parliament, 4. Bismarck.

   

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UPSC Preparation: Introduction to Geography

The field of science which involves the study of the landforms, the inhabitants, the features and the processes of the Earth is known as Geography. Eratosthenes was the first person to use the word “Geography” during 276 – 197 BC. This subject has been considered as a “world discipline” and seeks to bridge both physical and human sciences. In modern times, the discipline of Geography could be classified into two: 1) Physical Geography and 2) Human Geography.

 

The branch of natural science which covers the phenomena in the environment such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere is known as physical geography. Whereas human geography solely deals with people, their different cultures, the world and the relationship they share with each other. 

India could be divided into five physiographic regions which are as follows: 1) The Northern Mountains 2) Indo Gangetic Plains 3)The Peninsular Plateaus 3) The Islands and 5) The Coastal Plains. India’s geography is known for a number of important facts. The country of India spreads over an area of 3, 287, 263 sq. km. which makes it the seventh largest country in terms of total covering area,  India legally shares a 106 km border with Afghanistan in northwestern Kashmir and Nicobar is closer to Kuala Lampur (about 977 km) than to any point on mainland India.

In the video titled “Geography: Introduction 1.1 - Unacademy UPSC Videos by Roman Saini”, various important topics from the Geography portion of the Civil Services Examination have been covered in detail from the perspective of both the Preliminary Examination and the Mains Examination. This tutorial gives a broad overview of the Importance of Geography, Weightage of Geography and Environment in Prelims, Geography: Definition, Traditional vs Modern Geography, Core areas of Geography: Physical, World and Indian, Useful resources, Geography Syllabus in Prelims and Mains (GS-I, GS-III), GC Leong: Part 1 and Part 2, How to prepare Geography for Civil Services Exam and the major topics to be covered.

For more such articles and videos subscribe to the Unacademy YouTube channel and follow Dr. Roman Saini on Facebook.