Studied by 0 people
Wilhelm IV
________ supported the nationalist movement and declared that Prussia would be merged in Germany.
Otto von Bismarck
________: a previously conservative member of the Prussian United Diet who became the Minister- President in 1862.
He was faithful to monarchy, but was prepared to push policies against the kings wishes.
Otto von Manteuffel
________ (Prussia Prime Minister 1850- 58): conservative who aimed to strengthen bonds b /t the monarchy and ppl.
He also sought to discourage poorer members of society from supporting liberal ideas by allowing social reforms
German Confederation
________ (Bund): 39 states under the control of the Austrian empire (decided by Metternichs system)
Hanover
________ joined Zollverein in 1851, so Prussia controlled the trade to N. Sea ports.
Austrian artillery
________: large # of guns with rifled barrels (higher quality than Prussians)
Reichstag
________ had no control over military spending (90 % of annual budget)
Prussia
France initiated war with ________ in July 1870.
Venetia
________ was granted to Italy.
1863
In ________, Bismarck helped Tsar Alexander II in repressing a revolt in Poland, which improved Prussian relationship with Russia.
Madrid
July 1870: a document announcing Leopolds acceptance arrived in ________ when the Spanish parliament wasnt in session- wasnt supposed to happen.
Volksgeist
________: each nation had its own individual identity based around a shared heritage and language.
Hambach Festival
May 1832: ________ in Bavaria- liberal + nationalist ideas were discussed; Young Germany established which called for a united Germany.
Zollparlament
________ (1868- 70): elected body to represent the country in terms of trade.
Italy
April 1866: Secret treaty that committed ________ to follow Prussia in going to war w /Austria for 3 months- ________ joined to gain Venetia.
1815
German Confederation
Austria, Prussia, and Russia defeated French troops
Battle of Leipzig (1813)
Congress of Vienna
________: discussed problems caused by wars & establish new boundaries.
Aimed to restore stability & was politically conservative
The Congress of Vienna included…
Austria, Prussia, Britain, Russia, and France
Prince Metternich
Austria’s foreign minister who played a key role in the alliance b/t Prussia, Austria, and Russia
Metternich System aimed to
maintain the rule of absolute monarchy in the Austrian Empire
The Metternich System opposed nationalism and
would even station troops away from parts of the empire from which they came
The Metternich System also relied on repressive methods like:
press censorship + a network of secret agents who spied on political radicals
The Diet was…
a conference of ambassadors that controlled foreign policies of the member states
It was always chaired by an Austrian rep, so Austria could veto constitutional changes
The Confederation never developed a strong identity of its own because
there was no civil service or attempt to develop it economically
Prussia was ruled by King Friedrich Wilhelm III who
governed with the support of the conservative land-owners (Junkers)
Population over 10 mil
The middle class consisted of…
business people and professionals who supported liberalism
The emergence of a middle class…
resulted in the growth of newspaper press - allowed awareness of public affairs to increase and the promotion of cultural activities
While middle class individuals didn’t want fully democratic systems, they wanted…
representative assemblies and a constitutional monarchy
The middle class also wanted guarantees of freedom as well as
free speech & fair trials
Many middle-class individuals also wanted economic freedom, like
laissez-faire economics & removal of tariffs
In the early 19th century there was…
limited support for national unity, since many felt loyalty to their region
Why was there limited support for national unity in the early 19th century?
Little desire for a central gov’t that could impose taxes, interfere w/civil liberties, and draft ppl
Burschenschaften
supported national unity
While the Bund had common language and culture there wasn’t any…
religious unity
Austria = catholic
Prussia = Protestant
The murder of August von Kotzebue resulted in…
the Carlsbad Decrees in 1819
According the Carlsbad Decrees, universities had an…
‘extraordinary commissioner who supervised the teaching program, liberal professors were removed, and unauthorised student organisations were dissolved
The Carlsbad Decrees also…
censored newspaper press & had a central investigating commission to root out organisations promoting liberal and nationalist ideas
The Six Articles of June 1832
limited the rights of elected assemblies in states w/constitution & declared supremacy of federal law
Ten Articles (passed a month after the six articles) had..
banned political meetings, festivals, and made it illegal to wear the colors of student associations in scarves & ties
Gottingen Seven
promoted a sense of German culture
Demands for political change failed to achieve anything because
princes of each state ensured they maintained their power
Limited powers of elected assemblies by: restricting voting to wealthy property owners, indirect voting - restricted free expression of public opinion
1840
Friedrich Willhelm IV becomes king → complex and unstable
Wilhelm IV had..
relaxed censorship, gave greater powers to provincial Diets, but rejected demands for a single parliament for Prussian territories
Germany’s geographical situation
meant it could trade easily with both east and west
70% of pop. worked in agriculture, while
manufacturing only prevalent in certain areas (e.g. Rhineland)
There was heavy manufacturing in the 1840s with
the development of railways, which encouraged coal and iron industries
Customs barriers
slowed down trade across Germany b/t states + prevented economic growth
Prussia promoted change by
abolishing its 67 internal customs & charged tariffs on imports
The Zollverein formed in 1834 and was..
customs union b/t German states with a combined population of 26 million
What were the policies from the Zollverein early on…
Income from tariffs was equally divided b/t states in proportion to their population
Linked by the rapidly growing rail network
Adopted a common currency and system of weights and measures
Austria didn’t join the Zollverein, which allowed…
Prussia to gain a dominant economic position
Gross = large Germany
dominated by Austria
Klein = small Germany
dominated by Prussia
1848 was the…
year of revolutions
Metternich was exiled in…
March 1848
Revolutions in 1848 were…
short-lived and authoritarian regimes were reestablished
Problems in countryside included
poor living standards, high rent, & 2 years of bad harvests (1846-47) - made worse by increasing population
Problems in urban areas
rising food prices and a recession of the textile industry→ lower wages
Middle class individuals wanted to improve their position and…
wanted political reforms → Duke Leopold granted a free press, trial by jury, etc in Baden
Oct. 1847
liberal politicians wanted a German national parliament & to unite Germany
Uprisings were uncoordinated but resulted in liberal reform like…
King of Saxony appointed liberal ministers + new constitution
Bill of rights in states like Nassau
Vorparlament (March 1848)
six states created this constituent assembly to create a constitution for a united Germany
Wilhelm IV called for a United Diet (Apr. 1847) to
allow for railroads to be expanded into agricultural fields, but assemble against crop failure + rising food prices
Demanded a constitution before considering this → Wilhelm denied and dissolved Diet
First demonstrations broke out in Berlin
craftsmen & workers protested about pay and conditions
Middle class followed by demanding protection of their rights
Army ultimately lost control of the situation → beginning of revolution
Many princes made concessions (e.g. constitutions), but retained control of armed forces, so…
they were able to reassert their authority
In 1848, Liberals wanted
moderate constitutional reform
In 1848, Working-class wanted..
improve living and working conditions
New constitution (Feb 1850)
established a two-chamber parliament but the king had essential powers
Wilhelm IV could change the constitution
Voting system for Landtag had three-tier system that was
based on taxes by different classes
Wealthy had an advantage and 1/3 of voters chose 85% of Landtag members
Upper house was appointed by king
Frankfurt Parliament (May 1848 - June 1849):
national parliament where each state had its own voting system
The Frankfurt Parliament consisted of..
All male and most members were middle-class professionals (e.g. 200 members were lawyers, only 1 was a peasant)
Mostly liberals who wanted a strong central government
In Dec. 1848, the Frankfurt Parliament..
approved 50 fundamental citizens’ rights - like equality before the law and freedom of the press
Frankfurt Parliament agreed on constitution in March 1849
emperor that governed with the support of two houses of the parliament (one elected & the other w/princes of the Confederation)
Wilhelm IV was offered the crown of this FP empire, but
didn’t accept because he refused to recognize the legal authority of the FP
FP members lacked political experience & struggled to resolve differences b/t those with differing views
unable to enforce decisions it made
March 1848
dispute of Schleswig-Holstein, where the population of these territories attempted to integrate into Denmark
The FP authorised the Prussian army to fight Denmark, but they signed a truce at Malmo in Aug 1848
Proved the dependence of FP on traditional rulers and had no independent power
Wilhelm IV put forward a unionizing plan in 1849-50 with…
a strong central gov’t, assembly elected on a limited franchise, and Prussian control of the army - Austria was excluded (Erfurt Union)
Austria revived the Diet after the Erfurt Union since, Prince Felix wanted to uphold the monarchy & put forward a Grossdeutschland solution where the larger states in the Bund would govern together →
many states like Hanover left the Erfurt Union
Nov 1850
Prussia abandon the Erfurt Union at the humiliation of Olmutz - it gave up its claim to the leadership and Austria triumphed, since the unequal partnership was restored
May 1851
agreement to return to the old framework of the German Confed
Weakness of liberal nationalism
princes were able to re-establish their power, revolutions were unorganised and lacked proper resources, and the division over aims b/t liberal, radicals, and the working class threatened their chances of success
While, the Erfurt Union had failed - Prussia had advantages:
It was in N. Germany → opportunity to dominate its neighbors, but Austria had to govern a southern empire (Austria army needed to control nationalist movements in Hungary + Italy)
Crimean War (1854-56): Austria didn’t back Russia in this war, yet Russia support Austria during the Erfurt Union - so this weakened the alliance & Prussia was unaffected
Prussia was the mos economically advanced state because…
Its rail network increased by 46%
Output of coal nearly increased by 4x from 1850-65
Successful banking system
Iron and steel industries provided the mats for weapons and rail network
Middle-class members increased, so they took a new approach
Nationalverein
Nationalverein placed its hopes in Prussia & its founding docs called for national elections and a strong national authority, but it
only had 25k members
Hanover joined Zollverein in 1851
so Prussia controlled the trade to N. Sea ports
Zollverein → Europe’s 4th largest economy
Manteuffel’s social reforms:
Low-interest loans for peasants to buy landholdings
Financial aid to peasants willing to move to less populated parts of the country
Improved working conditions & pay of factory workers
Wilhelm I ascended the throne in 1861
and focused on strengthening the army
Encouraged by Franco-Austrian War (1859) which revealed weaknesses of the Prussian army
Wilhelm I aimed to reform the military by:
Increasing the military budget
Doubling the size of the regular army by increasing the annual # for military to 63k
Extending soldiers’ terms to 3 years, followed by 5 years in the reserve
Reducing Landwehr’s importance by merging it w/army
Liberals were alarmed by a strong army that they thought
could suppress them and raise taxes
Sept. 1862
progressives clashed w/the king over the budget
He wanted funds for the military, but the constitution required taxes be agreed by the Landtag
Bismarck was invited by Roon:
the minister of war, who believed he could overcome the budget crisis
Bismarck said his first task was to reorganise the army then…
he’d declare war w/Austria & break up the German Confederation and unify them under Prussian leadership
Bismarck also aimed to maintain the Prussian monarchy & conservative social structure
he only believed in German nationalism to advance Prussian power
Bismarck was faithful to monarchy
but was prepared to push policies against the king’s wishes
Bismarck resolved the army reform crisis by
Collecting taxes w/o parliamentary agreement
Bismarck also made a speech to parliament on becoming M-P
to show he had some common ground with liberals (like German unity)
But, he undertook repressive measures - since he was prepared to govern by force
Bismarck and liberals in Landtag had…
opposing views
Progressives in Landtag
resented Bismarck’s willingness to disregard parliamentary convention, use of the press to manipulate public opinion, and his contempt for their political values
Note 
Flashcard (26)