German Nationalism Flashcards
Intro background facts
Germany only came into existence in 1871 when the German states United to create the German empire. Germany was dominated by two larger states with Prussia in the northern part and Austria in the southern part of Germany. The German states had little in common other that language but by 1850 there were clear signs of German nationhood emerging
Intro factors and LOA
- Influence of France
- Cultural nationalism
- Social and economic nationalism
Argue cultural nationalism
Influence of France knowledge 1
In 1806, Prussia declared a war with France but was easily defeated in 1807 and so Prussia was invaded and forced to sign a peace treaty with France. Austria was also beaten in battle and forced to sign a peace the year before.
Influence of France analysis 1
The states had to work together and become one country in order to strengthen their country so that the French could be wiped out of Germany
Influence of France knowledge 2
Napoleon introduced code Napoleon, which made trading between states easier. It also allowed freedoms of the press and freedom of worship, which meant that public buildings, such as coffee houses, could become places of discussion on topics like nationalism.
Influence of France analysis 2
People were able to publicly express their opinions and agree on things about their country, which created a united front for German citizens.
Influence of France Counter argument
After Napoleon’s defeat, most states immediately removed the freedoms he introduced such as freedom of speech.
Influence of France counter argument analysis
All the changes and progress made by Napoleon to introduce nationalism were removed, which resulted in only a handful of people having nationalistic views.
Cultural nationalism knowledge 1
In Germany, French was the language used in politics and diplomacy until the first German dictionaries were created, which introduced and developed German into a written language. This led to the language becoming more well used because it was seen as unpatriotic to use French due to the French invasion of Germany.
Cultural nationalism analysis 1
It created a group of people who had something in common which was separate from the rest of the world. This further developed the country and nation of Germany as they had something to be seen as German.
Cultural nationalism knowledge 2
The romantic period was a time when Germans celebrated being German by identifying German characteristics in written works. During this time, people started referring to Germany as a whole, and newspapers began openly discussing nationalism.
Cultural nationalism analysis 2
It meant that people had seen and perceived Germany as one country, and people could agree on political topics and feel united due to their similar views.
Cultural nationalism counter argument
Only 30% of Germans were literate which meant it was mostly the middle class who supported German nationalism to gain political power for themselves. Along with this many German states passed laws on censorship to try and limit the discussion of German nationalism.
Cultural nationalism counter argument analysis
70% of Germans were illiterate which meant they could not learn about nationalism or express their views on it. This was because speaking about it was illegal and they could not read or write so the idea of nationalism was not as supported as it should have been.
Social and economic nationalism knowledge 1
Hundreds of thousands of peasants left the countryside to live and work in the cities, however they had to deal with problems such as poor pay and living conditions. The middle class benefitted from this as they owned the factories that hired the peasants and they dominated the educated professions. However, even with their wealth they had no political power.
Social and economic nationalism analysis 1
The Germans were united against the same problems such as poor pay but it also expanded the cities which gave the country more power as a whole.
Social and economic nationalism knowledge 2
In the 1820s, another idea came around to improve and develop the country. The zollverein was a trading organisation set up by the Northern states. This was led by Prussia, but two rival organisations were created to prevent Prussia from becoming too powerful. However, both organisations failed.
Social and economic nationalism analysis 2
Most states were united on one decision and could work together to defeat the rival organisations, and it showed the Germans the economic benefits of closer with the closer union with the German states.
Social and economic nationalism counter argument
Western German states felt closer to France and southern states wanted to keep their relationship with Austria so they did not want to join the Zollverein. This was because they thought that Prussia was using the Zollverein as a way of dominating German states.
Social and economic nationalism counter argument analysis
The German states were against each other and could not trust the other states making them feel less like other Germans from the opposing states.
Conclusion Justification
The German language was developed into a written language which created a group of people who had something in common which was associated with their country.
The romantic period which was when Germand celebrated being German in written work. This meant that people would perceive Germany as one country and people could feel united due to being seen as the same.
Conclusion rejection Influence of France
All of the progress and freedoms introduced by Napoleon, such as freedom of speech, were removed after Napoleon’s defeat, which resulted in only a handful of Germans having a nationalistic view or daring to speak about it.
Conclusion rejection social and economic nationalism
The German states were against each other, and many were afraid of Prussia or had loyalties to other countries, which meant that German citizens couldn’t trust or relate to Germans from other states.
