German Unification 1815-71

why did romanticism and nationalism appear?

french troops came in with enlightenment ideas and tried to replace laws and judicial processes

what happened september 1814 in viena?

social and political conservatives wanted to restore the rule of the royal families, and reject liberalism and nationalism.

Prince Klemens von Metternich was at the head of this movement

explain the metternich system

1. it was a negative policy: used repressive methods (spies and stationing troops away from their home towns) to keep order

2. designed to keep the rule of absolute monarchy

3. against any type of change

explain the German Confederation

• june 1815

• a loose association of states with Austria as the leader

• boundaries of the old HRE (excluded some german-speakers and included some non-german speakers)

• representatives of each state met in Frankfurt for the Diet

• Diet was in charge of external policies

• Diet was biased in favour of Austria

Prussia in 1815

• largest german state, but still mostly rural

• ruled by authoritarian Friedrich Wilhelm III and supported by landowning conservatives

• won land in 1815 and population doubled to 10 million

• could become a threat to austria but they were both conservative

Liberalism for the middle class

• promoted by business people, uni students and professionals

• removal of guilds

• more newspaper, literacy, knowledge of public affairs and societies

• middle class had the money but not the power of the upper classes

• wanted a constitutional monarchy, not a republic

• freedom of speech and fair trials

• laissez-faire economics

• liberalism for middle class - working class was radical

Liberals believed that, if given freedom, people would work to improve their circumstances, and this would help society as a whole to make progress.

liberalism and nationalism

• first half of the 19th century went hand in hand

• same race, language, culture or history should be united

• burschenschaften - united germany

• common people - day to day struggles

• loyalty to region, not greater germany

• no religious unity

• no equal industrialisation

Carlsbad decrees

1. universities to have an ‘extraordinary commissioner’ to control the programme

2. press was censored

3. central inverstigation commission to stop liberal and nationalistic ideas

liberalism in the south

1830 Charles X was replaced by King Luis Philippe and a parliamentary monarchy

four other states we forced to grant constitutions and increase freedom of press

Hambach Festival

may 1832

• nationalist called for a united germany

• acquitted by an ordinary court but imprisoned by a special court

• SIx Articles of June 1832

  • limited rights of elected assemblies

  • supremacy of federal law over state law

• Ten Articles of July

  • banned political meetings and festivals

elected assemblies in the 1830s

• princes had the right to veto

• different values to different votes

• indirect voting

• restricted voting

economic development 1800-1850

• around 70% of people still relied on agriculture

• consumer goods grew

• railway development led to heavy manufacturing

• custom barriers and foreign products didn’t face duties so it slowed economic growth

• Prussia abolished internal customs in 1818 - formed a larger market and reduced the prices of goods

Zollverein

• January 1834

• customs union of 18 states

• combined population of 26 million people

• income was divided fairly based on the size of the states

• common currency and measurement system

• Austria didn’t join - Prussia became a leading power economically

• grossdeutschland vs kleindeutschland

June 1840

• Freidrich Wilhelm IV become king of Prussia

• complex and unstable character

• relaxed censorship

• gave more power to provincial Diets

• rejects single parliament for all Prussian territories

1848

• year of revolutions

• Feb. France → mar. Austria → Spain

• social and economic causes:

  • bad harvests 1846-47

  • rising food prices → economic downturn → lower wages

  • recession of textile industry

  • increased taxes

  • poor working conditions

outbreak of revolution in Germany

• middle class wanted higher social status

• wanted political change but keeping the monarchy

• Grand Duke Leopold, Baden - allowed free press and trial by jury

• demanded a german national parliament

• france encouraged liberal demands

• various princes had to accept some demands

• there was a meeting in Heidelberg march 1848 for a pre-parliament to create a constituent assembly for a german constitution

disagreements during 1848

• Prussia wanted to expand its railway system but needed money

• Junkers didn’t want to give them money

• Prussia called the Diet, but they also denied help

• workers faced competition in the factories

• the Diet demanded a constitution but the king said no and dissolved it

• metternich’s fall in viena caused disturbances in Berlin

• except in Prussia, most revolutions were peaceful

weaknesses of the revolutions

• division between revolutionary groups: working vs. middle-class

• recovery of the Austrian monarchy:

• princes offered concessions while they waited for military support from Austria and prussia

Freidrich Wilhelm IV

• he was inconsisten in his opinions and decisions

• allowed the election of an assembly to draw up a constitution for Germany

• changed his mind and dissolved it

• dec. 1848 - new political settlemeny

• feb. 1850

• two chamber parliament

• king would retain power, could change the constitution

• ministers would respond to the king

• system of the landtag favoured conservatives

• three tier suffrage based on taxes paid

• one third chose 85% of the parliament

• Herrenhaus was chosen by the king

Frankfurt parliament (professors parliament)

• may 1848 - june 1849

• all male, mostly well-off professionals

• liberal in politics with some radicals

• strong central government

• more power over the states than the Diet had

• June 1848 - provisional central power under liberal Austrian prince until a constitution was agreed on

• dec. parliament approved 50 fundamental rights

  • equality before the law

  • freedom of press

  • freedom from arrest without a warrant

collapse of the Frankfurt parliament

• disagreed on territorial bounds

• offered the crown to Freidrich Wilhelm IV but he rejected it

• Prussia was the only one that could stand up to austria

• took time to organise, lacked experience

• lacked means of enforcing decisions

• the delays allowed princes to recover and oppose the parliament

mar. 1850 Erfurt Union of German states

• unity under Prussian leadership

• strong central government, elected assembly

• excluded austria but still offered it a special position

• Three King’s Alliance - Saxony, Hanover and Prussia

Nov. 1850 Humiliation of Olmütz

• austria’s chief minister revived the Diet

• Hanover, Baden and Saxony abandoned the Union

• Hesse-Cassel had a problem between elector and parliament

  • parliament → prussia

  • elector → austria

  • prussia couldn’t stop austria’s troops

  • austria had russia’s support

• prussia left the Union

• asutria restored its leadership among the states

may 1851 german confederation framework was restored

Austria post-1849

• austria’s militray was busy with internal conflicts

• russia lacked austia’s support during the crimean war and relations broke down

• economic downturn 1850

• lacked direct access to trade

• relied on prestige and diplomatic means to dominate

Prussia post-1849

• it’s north-central position was advantageous

• the most economic advances in the next 10 years

• railway increased by 46% (state and private sector)

• iron and steel sectors were stimulated

• increase of coal output by 400%

• gov increased income by interests and the Zollverein so taxes went down

• population growth and banking system

• 1862 franco-prussian treaty allowed it to enter the western economy

• ready to compromise traditional authority

• resentment towards austria

Zollverein post-1850

• fourth largest economy in europe

• granted economic domination of germany

• austria tries to join but wants high protective tariffs

• reaches a deal in 1853 but never actually joined

• it didn’t allow political domination as it helped smaller states gain power and independence

Otto von Manteuffel’s reforms 1850-58

• conservative, wanted economic and social development without giving in to radicals

• blocked traditionalists

• supported private enterprises in coal and iron

• offered loans, better conditions after willing displacement and better working conditions to discourage liberal ideas

Wilhelm I

• jan 1861 he becomes king

• not a liberal but accepted the constitution

• focused on bettering the army

• wanted an increased military budget

• franco-austrian showed prussia’s military weakness

• plans alarmed liberals so they agreed to fund it only for a year

miltary reforms:

• 150000 soldiers

• 40000 young men underwent 2 years of training and spent 2 years in reserve - changed to 3 training yrs + 5 years in the reserve

• Landwehr - semi-civilian militia separate from the army - questionable effectivity and loyalty - solution -> merge with army

• 25% tax increase - but economy was booming

Otto von Bismark

• sept. 1862 he becomes Minister-President of Prussia

• methodical (disraeli conv)? or opptunistic (junker and conservative)

• stormy king-minister relations

• passed policies against the kinds wishes

• good at manipulating him ‘my way or the highway’

• ‘blood and iron’ speech; army crisis tax collection without parliamentary support

• ruthless politician

• unification of Germany