Bismarck:

(1815- 1898) conservative Prussian statesman, dominated German & European affairs from the 1860s to 1890, Chancellor of the German Empire between 1871- 1890.  Mastermind of German unification.

 

Wars of Freedom:

(aka the War of the Sixth Coalition or War of Liberation)  1813-1814;  following disastrous French invasion of Russia (1812) Austria, Sweden, Prussia & several other German states joined Russia, UK, Portugal & Spanish rebels (the latter 4 already at war with France).  This coalition defeated France and drove Napoleon into exile on Elba.  

 

language of music:

Spengler uses a musical metaphor to suggest incidents are malleable though they will always reach the same Destiny; the theme, the meaning of the epoch would be the same even if the facts (incident) differ slightly; in other words incidental events do not determine Destiny

 

Leipzig:

(aka Battle of the Nations )16-19 October 1813, at Leipzig, Saxony; coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria & Sweden, led by Tsar Alexander I of Russia  decisively defeated the French army of Napoleon; culmination of the 1813 German campaign and involved 600,000 soldiers and 2,200 artillery pieces, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.  Soundly defeated for the first time, Napoleon returned to France while the Coalition invaded in early 1814;. Napoleon was forced to abdicate & exiled to Elba May 1814.

 

group of wars 1864-1866-1870: * see Endnote 33

the 3 episodes leading to German unification & the German Empire of 1871.

 

1864:

(aka Second Schleswig War) February-October 1864; fought for control of Holstein & Lauenburg; precipitated when the Danish king died without an heir acceptable to the German Confederation, and when Denmark passed the November Constitution, integrating Schleswig into the Danish kingdom, thereby violating the London Protocol.  Other reasons for war were ethnic tensions (Danes versus Germans) in Schleswig.  Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig; Denmark was out-matched, pitted against Prussia & the Austrian Empire. Ends with the Treaty of Vienna; Denmark ceded Schleswig, Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria.

 

1866:

(aka The Austro-Prussian War or Unification War) June-July 1866; war fought between the German Confederation under Austria, versus Prussia with its German allies; resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states & a shift in power in Germany away from Austria towards Prussian hegemony; it gave impetus to the unification of northern German excluding Austria.

 

1870:

(aka Franco-Prussian War) July 1870- May 1871; conflict between 2nd French Empire of Napoleon III and the North German Confederation led by Prussia; sparked by Prussian ambitions to extend German unification & French fears of the shift in the balance of power; in July 1870, the France declared war on Prussia; the German coalition mobilised quickly & invaded NE France.; they had superior numbers, were better trained & led and made effective use of railroads & artillery.  The conflict culminated in the Siege of Metz (August-October 1870) and the Battle of Sedan (September 1870); Napoleon III was captured, his armies defeated.  In Paris a Government of National Defence declared the 3rd Republic & continued the war until January 1871, when under siege Paris fell.  The German states proclaimed the German Empire under Wilhelm I, uniting Germany as a nation-state.  The Treaty of Frankfurt (May 1871) gave Germany Alsace- Lorraine.

 

modulations:

Spengler uses a musical metaphor; commonly the act of changing from one key (tonic, or tonal center) to another; may also be accompanied by a change in key signature; serves to articulate the structure of many pieces, as well as add interest.

 

physiognomic abundance:

fullness of the Faustian character or countenance, the large features of the Faustian Culture, needing large events, dramatic events & characters

 

physiognomic style:

the distinctive & particular characteristics, mode of action or manners of a Culture, such as its particular sense of Time & feeling for history.

 

contrapuntally strong accents:

musical metaphor; counterpoint generally involves musical lines with strongly independent identities, often used to designate a voice or even an entire composition; contrapuntal voices are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and contour; if they are strongly accented it would infer their opposition is loud, dramatic or violent

 

1848:

(aka German revolutions of 1848–49) part of the revolutions sweeping many European countries in 1848, a series of loosely coordinated protests & rebellions in the states of the German Confederation& Austrian Empire. They stressed pan-Germanism & popular discontent with the traditional, autocratic political structure of the Confederation.  Middle-class elements were committed to liberal principles, the workers sought radical improvements in working & living conditions.  When these 2 classes split, the aristocracy defeated it, forcing liberal leaders into exile, many emigrated to the USA.

 

coda:

musical metaphor; the end piece of a music composition, the finishing off, the tail of the composition

 

da capo e poi la coda:

Italian -from the beginning and then the tail

 

self-actualizing:

to realize the fulfilment of it potential, realize the potential of the Cultural Soul in extended space