Why Italian and German Unification Succeeded but Slavic One Did Not

 

Nice video about why Italian and German unifications have succeeded but Slavic ones did not. He started well but then went into mysterious Slavic soul that is different from Western One.

I can explain it simpler. Germany and Italy were united by an arguably best and most developed of states of their cultural sphere. 

Savoy-Sardinia-Peidmont had the most advanced and develop economy and technology of all Italian states. Other Italian states, even large like Two Sicilies clearly lagged behind in these things. They were also the only one who were ruled by native dynasty and not cadets of either Habsburgs or Bourbons. Thus, joining Savoyards meant sharing these advances. On the other hand, Savoyards were willing to share their wealth and development with the rest of Italy in exchange for unification. It was an exchange where each side gets something out of it, thus both sides were at least satisfied with it. 

Nowadays it's the north that complains about this deal rather than south. People who united Italy feel they do not want to share their wealth with the rest anymore.

In Germany Prussia was clearly the pre-eminent military power. It was also the most industrialised of all German states. Other states could see it as both protector and benefactor who could actually offer them something in exchange of their sovereignty. Prussia first won traders with Zollverein that abolish customs controls between German states. Then ordinary locals. Finally, leaders of the German states had to be placated with complex federal arrangements that will keep their privileges and crowns on their heads, just take some of their powers away. Crowns were later removed, and territories reorganised but that only came later.

Fundamentally in both Germany and Italy the most developed, advanced and powerful state was willing to share these things with poorer and weaker states in exchange for unification. Small guys actually benefited from these unions.

In the Slavic states it was the other way around. Both Russia and Serbia maybe the most numerous population wise, but also the poorest and most backward of all the states they tried to unite under their lead.

That meant that only the leaders benefited from the union. More developed western states such as Poland, Ukraine, Croatia and Slovenia not only did not get anything, but wealth they managed to create was taken away by their unifiers to be distributed elsewhere. Neither Russia nor Serbia could actually give their fellow Slavs anything, standards of living in both of these states were far below their neighbors. 

Despite not being able to offer anything, both Russia and Serbia took plenty from its wealthier neighbors. It made more develop Slavs feel they are just being plundered by their dirt-poor neighbors. Needless to say, other states did not want to be net donors to the union who not only gets nothing in return but does not even get a say over anything. The more develop western Slav state was, the more it loathed control by their greedy useless deadbeat eastern neighbor.

To make matters worse both Russia and Serbia were autocracies due to their past in Golden Horde and Ottoman Empire. These countries governed in top-down manner by means of intimidation of population, copied from their former oppressors. A mode of government average Westerner will consider tyranny and oppression as it is closer to a military occupation administration than a native government. In contrast Western Slavs had European style responsible governance with elected consuls, debates, discussions and so on. Being deprived of this responsible government by their autocratic neighbors did not bode well with these people.

Needless to say, this one-sided union where only unifier benefits and everyone else only loses was not in the interest of the smaller states. Everyone, but dominant ethnicity saw it as downright oppression, tyranny and shameless plunder. Needless to say, that they shook off their oppressors at the first opportunity and never looked back.

That does not mean that Slavs cannot be unified. Recently European Union attracted many Slavic nations. Just like with Prussia and Savoyards, EU can actually offer Slavs something in exchange for the unification. That something is European responsible government and higher standards of living. That is not something either Russia or Serbia has. That is why pan-Slavism is dead and European Federalism is the future.