Accessibility statement

Prussia & the Unification of Germany, 1815-1918 - HIS00080H

« Back to module search

  • Department: History
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Jasper Heinzen
  • Credit value: 40 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23

Module summary

‘If Prussia’s power is ever broken, Germany will probably not escape Poland’s fate’, the paramount diplomat of his age, Otto von Bismarck, once warned. Without Prussia, the political unification of Germany would not have occurred in the first place. In only fifty years this dynamic warrior state rose to a position of power from which the Hohenzollerns settled by force the age-old question of who should rule the German nation. During the so-called Wars of Unification (1863-71), Austria was pushed out of Germany, Berlin became the premier capital in the Kaiserreich, ethnic minorities found themselves exposed to a new militant nationalism, and Catholics had to come to terms with Protestant hegemony.

This module explores how the process of unification transformed both Prussia and German society at large in the nineteenth century. We will examine what it took for a multi-ethnic monarchy to become the leader of a parliamentary nation-state by looking at cultural, political, and social catalysts of change. In so doing, the Special Subject draws on historians’ interpretations but also various primary sources such as newspapers, memoirs, and official correspondence to elucidate a key debate in history, namely whether Prussian raison d’état subverted the course of German nation-building and, if so, to what extent the politics of nationalism laid the foundations for the evils of Nazism.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23 to Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

  • To introduce students to in depth study of a specific historical topic using primary and secondary material;
  • To enable students to explore the topic through discussion and writing; and
  • To enable students to evaluate and analyse primary sources.

Module learning outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will:

  • Grasp key themes, issues and debates relevant to the topic being studied;
  • Have acquired knowledge and understanding about that topic;
  • Be able to comment on and analyse original sources;
  • Be able to relate the primary and secondary material to one another; and
  • Have acquired skills and confidence in close reading and discussion of texts and debates.

Module content

Teaching Programme:

Students will attend a 1-hour briefing in week 1 of the autumn term. Students prepare for and participate in fifteen three-hour seminars. These take place in weeks 2-5 and 7-9 of the autumn term and weeks 2-5 and 7-10 of the spring term. Both the autumn and spring terms include a reading week for final year students and so there will be no teaching in week 6. There will also be a two hour revision session in the summer term. One-to-one meetings will also be held to discuss the assessed essay.

Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:

Autumn Term

  1. Prussian raison d’état

  2. The relationship between Prussian and German nationalism

  3. Centre and periphery in the Prussian state

  4. The dominant role of Protestantism

  5. Relations with the Catholic church

  6. The (non-)integration of Jews

  7. The experiences of ethnic minorities (Poles, Danes, Masurians, and others)

Spring Term

  1. Prussian militarism

  2. The public sphere between freedom of expression and censorship

  3. The economic unification of Germany

  4. Mass culture

  5. Modernity and globalisation

  6. German nationalism and European international relations

  7. Invented traditions in the making of German nationhood

  8. (Dis-)continuities in modern German history 1815-1933

Indicative assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
4,000 word essay		 N/A 50
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled)
Open Exam - Prussia and the Unification of Germany		 8 hours 50

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

For formative assessment, students will be given the opportunity to do two practice gobbets and then are required to write a 2,000-word procedural essay relating to the themes and issues of the module in either the autumn or spring term.

For summative assessment, students complete a 4,000-word essay which utilises an analysis of primary source materials to explore a theme or topic relating to the module, due in week 5 of the summer term.

They then take a 24-hour online examination for summative assessment in the summer term assessment period comprising: one essay question relating to themes and issues, but showing an awareness of the pertinent sources that underpin these AND one ‘gobbet’ question (where students attempt two gobbets from a slate of eight).

The essay and exam are weighted equally at 50% each.

Indicative reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
4,000 word essay		 N/A 50
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled)
Open Exam - Prussia and the Unification of Germany		 8 hours 50

Module feedback

Following their formative assessment task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.

Work will be returned to students in their discussion groups and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their procedural work with their tutor (or module convenor) during student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.

For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 20 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.

Indicative reading

For term time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:

Clark, Christopher. Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947. Cambridge/Mass: Belknap, 2006.

Dwyer, Philip G. (ed.). Modern Prussian History, 1830-1947. Harlow: Longman, 2001.

Dwyer, Philip G. (ed.). The Rise of Prussia , 1700-1830. Harlow: Longman, 2000.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.