German Unification: What were the causes of the Revolutions in Germany in 1848-1849? Flashcards
Prussia before 1815
-dvided into 214 states
-prussia was only state with power from roman empire
-part of the roman empire until 1806
Prussia before 1815 : Confederation of the Rhine
-napoleon’s impact
-Bavaria, saxony Baden and 14 other states
-different laws in each state
-under direct french control
Prussia before 1815: Prussia 1806-1813
-army was re-organised
-government was rebuit
-new system of education introduced
Prussia before 1815: The War Liberation - 1813
Prussia allied with Russia agains France
Austria defeats France - Battle of Leipzig
Allies invade France - forced Napoleon to abdicate
= fueled naitonalism
Congress of Vienna: Austrian Gains vs Prussian Gains
Austrian Gains:
-Secured Lombardy and Venetia
-Austrian rulers restored in Parma Moderna and Tuscany
Prussian Gains:
-Part of Saxony Rhineland and other territiories gained
-Rhineland Brought issues:
Protestants versus Catholics
Metternich’s influence at Vienna
-Austria’s political influece greater than Prussia
-Metternich aimed to maintain traditional Austrian authority over German States
-his negotiation ensured Germany remained loose confederation of States under Austrian control
The German Confederation and Bundestag
-39 states
-aim: maintaing security, integrity and independence of individual states
Diet(Bundestag)
- only executive body
- ineffective- representatives more worried about their own states rather than working together for the Confederation
Weaknesses of the German Confederation
-had very little control over the states:
could only prevent them from making dangerous foreign alliances or conclude peace agreements in the case of war
-jealousies and rivalries between states - meant nothing was done to unify the Confederation
-it was seen like a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire- had no place in the age of emergent nation-states
Reform and Repression: German Constitutions
Article on the Federal Act : each state should sooner or later give his subjts a constituion
- some ignored it, north states agreed to meet , south and centre complied
-some states had power to make laws and control taxation and small amount of people could vote for assemblies represantives
Reform and Repression: Developments In Austria and Prussia
Austria
-old provincial Diets revived - still odminated by local aristocracy
-remained inefficient police state, aristocracy retained privileges
-bankrupt and chaotically administered - in need of reform
Reform and Repression: Monarchical Rule
-most German rulers clung to their absolute power
-however bureocracies gained strength and better organised
->active in economics law and education
-> ensured best education in Germany
Reform and Repression: Influence of Metternich
-believed maintenance of international peace was linke with prevention of revolution in individual states
-had to defend against forced of destructi -liberalism and nationalism
-believed they could lead to an ned of the Austriam empire
Reform and Repression: German Liberalism and Nationalism
liberals - well educated middle class
WANTED:
-parliamentary rule
-freedom of speech
-freedom of press
-freedom of worship
-freedom to form political associations and hold political meetings
-a united Germany
Nationalism - wanted strong united German states
-rose from resentment of French influence-> nationalism decreased at end of French rule
Reform and Repression: Student Movements
-young middle - upper class german jined student societies
-campaigned for united germany and aboliton of absolutist governments
-500 students: Converted Wartburg Festival into a demonstration against princes
Carlbad Decrees -1819
-result of students assasinating monarchist playright Kotzebue
- provided inspectors for universities
- network of secret agents
- police opened mail, searched homes and spied
- disbanded student societies
- censored press
- the commision investigated revolutionary movements
=leaders and professors imprisoned
Congress of Troppau -1820
-formed Holy Alliance : Russia, Prussia and Austria
- agrred to act jointly with force to restore any government that would be overthrown by violent action
-they ‘would never recognise the rights of a people to restrict the powers of their king’ -> directly against what nationalists and liberals wanted
Six Articles -1830 -3
-limited rights of diets in constitutional states
-reinforced authorty of rulers
-allowed confederation laws to dominate over individual state law -> limiting individual states ability to pass liberal ideas
Ten Articles - 1832-1
-July 5th 1832
-prohibited unorganised poltical orgainsations, meetings, appeals and festivals
Repression in the 1820’s -correspondance
-special office to open copy and reseal foreign correspondance -> gave Metternich huge amounts of information
LIMITATIONS TO REPRESSION
-severity of press censorship and repression DEPENDED FROM STATE TO STATE
Liberal Reform in the 1830’s
-demanded a constitution or a liberalisation of existing constitution :
EVENTS:
-Brunswick: Duke driven out, and successor force to grant more liberal constitution
-Saxony and Hesse - Cassel -> more liberal constitutions obtained
- Bavaria, Baden and Wurttemberg - liberal parties gained parliamentary seats: greater freedom of press and allowed criticism of government
-Hanover granted constitution in 1832
Growth of German nationalism in 1830’s - Hambach , Young Germany , rising
30 000 people at Hambach festival met, listened to nationalist orators and some planned revolution, waived german flags and toasted that power should lie with the people
= Six articles
1833 - students attacked Bundestag
Young Germany - movement dedicated to establishing a united Germany
The Prussian Customs Union
workers wanted high protective tarrifs
-Tariff reform Law replaced internal custom duties with tariff at prussian fronteer
did not want high tariffs as they would result in tariff war and smuggling
IMPACTS:
more states joined
finance ministers believed by removing duties HE WAS REMOVING POLITICAL DISUNITY
The Zollverein
1834 - 18 initial states part of it -25 in 2 years
-abolished internal customs barriers
-unified currency and systems of weights between states
-organised by zollverein congress
SMALL DIFFICULTY
-all states had veto right -> hard to reach decisions
The Zollverein : Austrian Isolation
-austria was protectionist -did not want to reduce their import duties
Railway development
1835-6 km ———> 1846 -1100km
IMPACT:
-cheaper to ransport goods
-encourafed economic activity by creating demand for raw materials
-contributed to breakdown of local and regional barriers
-tremendous demand for iron and steal and encourafed coal production -the Ruhr area
Growth of Nationalism 1840-1848: 1840 Crisis
possible that France would invade -> generated much nationalistic feeling in the face of a threat from the ‘old enemy’
Growth of Nationalism 1840-1848: Schleswig and Holstein
Schleswig -half german speaking half danish speaking -NOT MEMBER OF CONFEDERATION
Holstein - mostly German Speaking ->one of the confederation’ s member’s states
Danish King wanted to annex the duchies
Bavarian austrian and Prussian leaders spoke against it -> did not happen
NATIONALIST FEELING GRew
Growth of Liberalism: South Western States
Baden got relaxation of press censorship and redorms of the police and judicial system
and more changes of policies and liveralisation in Bavaria and Hesse Darmstadt
Growth of Liberalism: Developments in Prussia
Frederick William IV
INITIALLY
-released many political prisoners
-relaxed censorship
-1842 arranged for Prussian provincial diets to elect represemmtatives to meet as advisory body temporarily
LATER - attacked from left and right and Junkers
-reimposed press censorhsip and later dissolved diet
Growth of Liberalism: German Newspapers
-politcal debate grew
-public opinion grew
-more books published
-newspapers and political journal flourished - die Deutsche Zeitung
Growth of Liberalism: The Hippenhelm meeting -1847
DEMANDED
-elected national assembly
-liberation of the press
-open judicial proceedings with juries
-end of feudal restrictions
-creation of natioonal guward
-tax reform
Causes of the 1848 revolution (6)
-Economic and Social Issues
-The Metternich System
-Emergence of middle class
-Nationalism
-Liberalism
-Zollverein
Causes of the 1848 revolution: Economic and Social Issues
-resentment against system grew
-population grew ->pressure on agriculture
-> industrialisation -> more jobs but worse working conditions
->proces increased -> inflation -> famine and horrible ling conditions
-> improvement in technology - especially textiles- > hgiher unemployment
-working conditions - long working hours, exploitation of women and children,decrease in wages
-poor harvests in corn and potato blight - famine ->unrest
IMPACT:
INCREASED UNREST AND DISCONTENT AMOGNST WORKERS AND PEASANTS - NATIONALISTS AND LIBERALS USED THER ANGER FOR REVOLUTIN -> finally masses united enough -> finally large numbers
Causes of the 1848 revolution :
-The Metternich System
-DROVE RADICAL THOUGHT UNDERGROUND - DID NOT DESTROY IT
-DEVELOPMENT OF ART AND CULTURE - INCREASE NATIONAISM AND GERMAN IDENTITY -Grimmm brothers and …..
-memories of napoleon rule raomed stron -remebered strong unified germany
-austria became associated with repression and hostility
Causes of the 1848 Revolution:
-Emergence of middle class
-proffessions expamded
-growth of business activity -> need for bankers insurers farm managers etc
-cultural related jobs gre -theatre literature etc
IMPACT:
-growing frustration at lack of opportunity -resented control of nobility over freedom of speech
-spread liberal ideas -receptive about politcical social economic change
-not enough jobs for educated middle class
Causes of the 1848 Revolution:
-Nationalism
-unified unhappy groups - workers and peasants -> achieved big enough force for rev
Causes of the 1848 Revolution:
-Liberalism
-many liberalist gains -> proved middle class is capablew of causing change and system is not impssible to break
Causes of the 1848 Revolution
-Zollverein
IMPACT
-AUSTRIA EXCLUDED - PRUSSIA DOMINATED ECONOMICALLY - ADVANCED ITS LEADING POSITION
-FREER TRADE - GREATER PROSPERITY -> INDUSTRIES TRADE AND RAIL NETWORK GREW -> ENCOURAGED URBAN AND MIDDLE CLASS GROWTH
