Germany 1789 ~ 1848 Flashcards
What was Germany in 1789?
* structure and economy
- divided into 314 states
- lacked clear natural frontiers
- impossible to define the extent of ethnic grounds
- religious hostility: Catholic in the south, Protestant in the north
Economically:
- feudal system in many states
- over 80% lived and worked on land
- peasants burdened by rent and tithes
- customs barriers and internal taxes
- varieties in currencies, weights, and measures
- guilds, prevented free competition
- aristocracy owned most land
How did French rule bring about German nationalism?
- French rule brought increased prices and heavy taxes
- German economy disrupted by Napoleon’s continental system
- Germans disliked the conscription
- 1808, Spanish and Portugese revolted against French rule, inspiring Germans
- emergence of German philosophers supporting national unity (Herder and Hegel)
- liberal Germans approved of many French reforms
What was the Congress of Vienna?
1814-15
- Great Powers and France met to try an undo the damage of the Napoleonic wars
- formed the German Confederation, reducing 314 states to 39
- although none of the rulers of separate states wanted a strong central German government, they did not want unification
- disappointed Germans who hoped for greater national unity
What was the Bundestag?
the Confederation’s only executive body
- permanent conference of representatives, sent by their governments instead of elected
- agreement of every state government was required before anything could be passed, little was achieved
- safeguarding their own interests instead of the Confederation as a whole
What is liberalism?
a political belief that takes protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics.
- typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others, but they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat to liberty
In Germany, liberals want…
- parliamentary rule
- freedom of speech, press, and worship
- freedom to form political associations and hold political meetings
- a united Germany
In Germany, liberals are…
- mostly well-educated
- upper middle class
- do not want to bring radical changes like in the French Revolution
- opposed to violence, advocating intellectual argument and peaceful persuasion
What is nationalism?
identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests
- people share something in common e.g. language, culture
- all German liberals were nationalists
Why was the spread of nationalism and liberalism such a threat to the Austrian Empire?
Austria is a multinational empire. Germans were also the dominant ethnic group within the empire.
What were the Carlsbad Decrees?
1819
- inspections of universities
- disbanded student societies
- dismissed radical university lecturers
- introduced press censorship
What was the Congress of Troppau?
1820
- a meeting with the Great Powers
- Russia, Austria, and Prussia to act jointly, forcibly if needed, to restore any overthrown government
- disappointing to liberals and nationalists in German states
Explain Metternich’s methods of repression and its effects in the 1820s?
- police state
- set up special office in Vienna which intercepted correspondence passing through Austria, which provided Metternich with reports
- spy network across EU
- kept Germany and most of Europe free of opposition throughout the 1820s
What were the liberal reforms of the 1830s?
- 1830, July Revolution in Paris caused a series of uprisings across EU
- some demanding a constitution, if there was already a constitution, it was demanded that it be made more liberal
Explain the growth of German nationalism in the 1830s
- early 1830s, increase in folk-festivals, with many in attendance, suggesting that the idea of a German nation was popular
- those attending the festivals waved black, red, and yellow German flags
- 1832, Metternich in panic, gets Prussian support and convinces Bundestag to pass the Six Articles
- 1833, armed students attack Bundestag headquarters, but they are arrested and imprisoned
- student associations become illegal as high treason
- 1834, Metternich meets with Confederation in Vienna, agreeing on intensified press censorship and new controls placed on universities
What do the Six Articles mean?
- increased Bundestag’s control over internal affairs of individual states, universities, and press
Explain the economic developments from 1815 ~ 1848
- Prussian trade union renamed Zollverein
- road, canal, and railway (1835) construction
What were the advantages to Zollverein?
- unified currencies and system of weight and measure in Zollverein states
- many Zollverein states began to regard Prussia as the natural leader of a united Germany
