German unity Flashcards
What didn’t exist in 1815?
nation of Germany
What did Prince Metternich of Austria oppose?
opposed and feared demands for unity of 38 German states, believing it would lead to overthrow of European monarchies and political instability.
What was the German states dominated and held together by?
Dominated by Austria and loosely held together by the ‘German Confederation’.
What did Metternich use?
used power of Austria and cooperation of other German states to suppress development of liberal and nationalist movements.
When and what happened at the Carlsbad Decrees?
it was a series of repressive measures against German revolutionary movements.
- imposed rigid censorship on newspapers
- control ideas taught in university and schools
- investigated committee on any suspected revolutionary activity
1819
What did Metternich keep on doing?
repressing any political revolutions or meeting/associations = nationalism and liberalism
How many years did maintain power for?
another decade, but after 1840, his power was in decline
What did the 2nd powerful German state do?
The second powerful German state, Prussia, took economic lead by establishing system of free trade called the Zollverein
When was the Zollverein set up and what was the effect for German unification?
in 1834, Prussia set up Zollverein, an economic union of 18 German states to remove tariff barriers that limited trade between states.
- became proof of benefits in unification
- encouraged blooming nationalism and liberalism
What happened in 1848?
Revolutions broke out across Europe, starting in France ( Paris, Vienna and Berlin).
Led to Frankfurt Assembly where future of Germany debate
What happened when the revolutions hit Austrian capital, Vienna?
Metternich’s power lost and exiled.
Why did the revolutions fail?
Revolutions failed and liberalism weakened.
nationalists, liberals and social reformers not unified in opposition to conservative rule.
What happened with the rivalry between the 2 nation states?
Prussia and Austria not resolved as political unity unattainable with independent rulers controlling separate German kingdoms.
