Germany

Key Question 3.1 - What were the causes of the Revolutions in 1848-49?

The impact of Metternich's System on the States of Germany

Prince Klemens von Metternich and Austria

• The most significant individual at the Congress of Vienna and the Austrian foreign minister

• Metternich designed a system to maintain the rule of absolute monarchies in the Austrian empire and other European states

• Ultra Conservative

• Against liberalism

• Aware that the Austrian empire was fragile due to its mass diversity

• Metternich's system

Beginnings of German nationalism

• impact of Napoleon's invasion - Ideas of the enlightenment from the French Revolution began to spread across the German States

• concept of Volksgeist (spirit of the people)

• defeat of Napoleon at Battle of Leipzig 1813-battle against France - a symbol of German identity and unity

• Sept 1814-Congress of European nations met in Vienna

  • States represented:

    • Austria

    • Prussia

    • Britain

    • Russia

    • France (no decision-making powers)

  • aimed to restore stability after French Revolution and wars

  • influence of Metternich (Austrian foreign minister)

  • concerned about effect of nationalism on Habsburg Empire

  • wanted to restore absolute monarchies

  • adopted censorship and repressive measures against radicals

The German Confederation

• Germany reorganised into 39 states under Austrian control

• Diet met in Frankfurt (ambassadors from each state) - limited powers

  • The diet controlled the foreign policies of the member states, but the individual rulers continue to manage their own internal affairs and the confederation never develop a strong identity of its own

• system designed to maintain Austria's power over German states

Prussia

• largest German state

• authoritarian monarch (King Friedrich Wilhelm III), aided by Junkers (nobles)

• gained territory in 1815 settlement

The influence of liberal ideas and the emergence of a middle class

• Educated middle class consisted of:

  • business people

  • professionals - e.g. lawyers

• Middle class opposed power remaining in the hands of Junkers

• Middle class wanted:

  • constitutional monarchies

  • free speech, free press, fair trials

  • free trade - removal of tariffs

• Lower classes tended to be radicals, wanting democratic republics

Growth of nationalist ideas

• Most Germans felt regional rather than national loyalty

• Support for German national unity came from:

  • literate, professional people

  • student associations (Burschenschaften)

• Religious differences within German states (regionalism)

  • southern and western states mainly Catholic - e.g. Bavaria, Westphalia

  • northern states mainly Protestant - e.g. Prussia

  • > REMEMBER-THE FURTHER AWAY FROM ITALY YOU ARE - THE LESS CATHOLIC YOU ARE

Conservative reaction to nationalism and liberalism: August 1819- Carlsbad decrees.

• university teaching programmes monitored; liberal teachers removed from posts;

• student organisations dissolved

• censorship of newspapers

• investigating committee established in Mainz to root out liberal and nationalist ideas

Impact of 1830 revolution in Paris

• establishment of a parliamentary monarchy under King Louis Philippe

• four German states (Saxony, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Brunswick) forced to grant constitutions and freedom of press

• May 1832-nationalists organised the Hambach Festival in Bavaria

• establishment of Young Germany - wanted united and liberal Germany

Metternich encouraged repressive measures:

• Six Articles, June 1832

  • Limiting the rights of elected assemblies in states which had constitutions and declared the supremacy of federal law over the laws of individual states

• Ten Articles, July 1832

  • In political meetings and festivals.

  • Also making it illegal to wear the colors of student associations on scarves and neckties

The impact of the Zollverein

• Customs barriers existed between German states

• Prussians wanted to remove trade barriers to create a larger market and reduce prices

Zollverein

• formed by Prussia by 1834

• customs union of German states

• Austria did not join

• helped Prussia become dominant economic German state, but other member states retained political independence

Disagreements over frontiers of a German state

• 'Large Germany' - would include, and be dominated by, Austria - Grosseutschlad

• 'Small Germany' - would exclude Austria and be dominated by Prussia - Kleindeutschland

Social and economic problems in the 1840s

• Poor harvests 1846 and 1847 led to rising prices

• Rising population

• Recession in textile industry = reduction in wages of urban workers

Outbreak of revolution in Germany

• middle-class liberals wanted political reform

• Baden granted free press, trial by jury and other reforms

• Oct 1846-liberal politicians demanded further reform including a German national parliament

• impact of revolution in France

• reforms granted in some states (e.g. Saxony, Nassau)

March 1848:

• Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicated (because of a personal affair) showing liberal reforms were spreading and removing kings from their throne

• representatives of six states at Heidelberg - summoning of a Vorparlament (pre-parliament) in Frankfurt

Revolution in Prussia

• create a national constituent assembly or parliament whose role would be to draw up a constitution for a united Germany

• King Friedrich Wilhelm IV called a United Diet to gain support for railway construction that would benefit Junkers

  • met April 1847-demanded a constitution before supporting the project - dissolved by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV

• Friedrich Wilhelm IV - Romantic, unstable, led liberals on, highly Conservative

• March 1848-disturbances in Berlin

  • workers protesting about pay and conditions

  • middle class wanting to protect their rights

Summary Diagram 3.1

• Developments in art and culture

• Social and economic problems

• Causes of 1848-1849 Revolution

• Impact of Metternich system

• Zollverein and economic unity

• Ideas of liberalism/nationalism

• Emergence of a middle class

• Check for understanding by using the Key Content to answer the Key Question

• Note your progress on your R.A.G. chart

• Revisit past lessons

Key Question 3.2 - What were the consequences of the 1848-49 Revolutions?

Initial responses of the German States to the 1848-49 Revolutions

• Most states made short-term concessions

• State rulers then reasserted their authority

• Prussia helped restore order in other states (e.g. Baden, Saxony)

Weaknesses of the revolutions

• divisions of revolutionary movement:

  • liberals wanted moderate constitutional reform

  • radicals wanted major political changes

  • middle-class and working-class aims differed

• recovery of Austrian monarchy - Austria and Prussia helped restore monarchies in other German states

Friedrich Wilhelm IV in Prussia

• initially allowed election of an assembly, then dissolved it

• established a new constitution -two-chamber parliament but king to retain main power and political power of Junkers protected

The Frankfurt Parliament

• representatives sent from each state

• members were mainly well-off professionals

• wanted a strong central government

• Provisional Central Power established under Austrian prince Johann

The collapse of the Frankfurt Parliament

• Disagreements about territorial extent of a new Germany (Large or Small Germany)

• March 1849-new constitution agreed:

  • emperor - offered to Friedrich Wilhelm IV - rejected

  • two houses of parliament - one elected, one consisting of state princes

Reasons for failure of Frankfurt Parliament:

• differences between liberals, radicals and conservatives

• members lacked political experience

• lacked means of enforcing its decisions - e.g. had no army

• delay in deciding on a constitution

• reassertion of princely authority

The Schleswig-Holstein crisis

• The German confederation couldn't enforce territory laws on other states without the help from the Prussian army

• Denmark wanted to incorporate the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein into their territory, but the territories and the German confederation opposed this

• having no army on their own they relied on the Prussian military to help them

• The Prussian army was underneath the authority of the king however the Frankfurt parliament authorized the Prussian army to fight Denmark over the issue

• Prussia withdrew its forces without consulting parliament, demonstrating the dependence of the parliament on the cooperation of traditional rulers

• the parliament showed it had a moral authority but no actual independent power to impose its will

Reassertion of Austrian power: the perceived 'humiliation of Olmütz'

• Friedrich Wilhelm IV's plan (1849-50) for unity of northern and central Germany under Prussian control - Erfurt Union

• Saxony and Hanover agreed

• other states feared Prussian domination

• Collapse of the Erfurt Union

• Austria put forward a rival scheme (Large Germany)

• Hanover, Baden and Saxony abandoned the Erfurt Union

• Prussia too weak to resist Austria and gave up its claim to leadership of the German states

• Smaller states rejected Austria's proposals - return to framework of German Confederation

• Prussia appeared to have been defeated by Austria, but

  • Prussia's geographical location gave it the opportunity to dominate other German states

  • Austria needed to control its large empire and lost support of Russia (due to Crimean War)

Economic developments after 1849: the growth of industrialisation and the Zollverein

• Prussia's economic growth

  • expansion of coal, iron, steel, railways etc.

  • 1862-Franco-Prussian trade treaty

  • middle class looked to Prussia to lead a united Germany

• 1859-Nationalverein - called for nationwide elections and strong national authority

• Austria hit by economic downturn of 1850s and expense of maintaining Empire

The Zollverein in the 1850s

• Austria did not join

• Prussia had thus gained economic domination of Germany

Otto von Manteuffel's reforms

• wanted to promote economic and social development without making concessions to radicals who wanted political reform

• social reforms to improve conditions of peasants and factory workers

Summary Diagram 3.2

• The following table:

  • Long-Term

  • Short-Term

  • Monarchical states

  • Failure of Frankfurt Parliament

  • Need to compromise/modernize

  • Feudalism removed

  • Economic developments and

  • Parliamentary Government in Prussia

  • Prussian recovery

  • Revolutions crushed

  • Austrian economic and financial

  • Overthrow of Metternich

  • problems

  • Capitulation of Olmutz, 1850

  • Austro-Prussian rivalry

• Check for understanding by using the Key Content to answer the Key Question

• Note your progress on your R.A.G. chart

• Revisit past lessons

Key Question 3.3 - What were Bismarck's intentions for Prussia and Germany from 1862 to 1866?

Reasons for Bismarck's appointment as Minister President: his attitudes towards Liberalism and Nationalism

• Wilhelm I wanted to reform Prussian army -

  • would require tax increases

  • middle-class liberals opposed this

• Bismarck appointed Minister President with aim of financing army reforms without causing any loss of royal powers

• Debate over whether Bismarck always planned to unify Germany or whether he was simply concerned about Prussian power

Blood and Iron Speech

• "Prussia must be built up and preserve her strength for the advantageous moment which had already