The Lagvanec Lecture

Cyril M. Lagvanec, PhD, the curator of the American-Italian Research Library located on the second floor of the East Bank Regional Library, will give a presentation titled "The Wars of German Unification, 1864-71,” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

Einigung was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federal features based on the concept of “Lesser Germany.” - (one without Habsburgs’ multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). It commenced on August 18, 1866 with adoption of the North German Confederation Treaty establishing the North German, initially a military alliance dominated by Prussia, which was deepened through adoption of the North German Constitution.

The unification process concluded when most of south German states joined the North German Confederation with the ceremonial proclamation of the German Empire (the German Reich) having 25 member states and led by the Kingdom of Prussia of Hohenzollerns January 18, 1871. This later event was celebrated as the customary date of the German Empire’s foundation,

Cyril Lagvanec earned his undergraduate degree in history from Baylor University, his master’s degree in British and European History from Tulane University, and his doctoral degree in American History from Texas A&M University. Through his long career, Dr. Lagvanec has taught at Jesuit High School, Tulane, Loyola, Delgado, Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, East Carolina University, and Texas A&M.