HIST2086Bismarck: The Iron Chancellor

First Steps to German Unification:

From Wartburg Festival to Zollverein, and Frankfurt Parliament, 1817-49

Lecture 621 September 2010

Burschenschaft

• Policy of restoration by German Confederation

= ‘ Metternich system’

→ Biedermeier period: Liberal ideas rejected by nobility, officials, bourgeoisie

↓• Establishment of German Burschenschaft, 1815

= Student associations: Imperial colours of black, red, gold + ‘honour, freedom, fatherland

Wartburg Festival, 1817

• Public burning of German Confederation constitution at Wartburg Castle by Burschenschaft

• Alleged murdering of poet Kotzebue by student→ Karlsbad Decrees:

• Prohibition of Burschenschaft• Persecution of ‘demagogues’• Control of press + universities

= Suppression of national movement by police-state methods

Economic Agreements

• 1819 Commercial and Crafts Union (Handels- und Gewerbeverein) by national economist

Friedrich List

• 1828 Customs Union: Prussia + Hesse-Darmstadt ≠ Central German Customs Union of 7

German states

• = Strong interest of Prussia to overcome disadvantage of scattered territory by trade agreements

Zollverein (Customs Union), 1834Prussia + most German states but not Austria

• Net Value of Production in Gulden, 1840s

Economic Sector Customs Union Austria

Agriculture 46,3 27,6

Small business 15,2 3,6

Industry 8,1 4,0

Total production 70,0 35,0

Customs Union: Myth + Reality

= An immediate step to German unification? But:

• No ‘national’ intention but predominantly economic reasons

• Earlier resistance due to structural difficulties, not to Austrian negative influence

= A ‘side confederation’ to German Confederation dominated by Prussia (but not by Austria as GC)

= Strong integrating influence on CU members who gave up substantial parts of sovereignty

= A kind of substitute for lacking national unity

March Revolution 1848

• Consequence of French uprising against king + proclamation of French republic

→ Germany: demonstrations, calls for freedom of assembly + of press, trial by jury

• Radical stream: ‘Democratic Republic’• Moderate stream: ‘National Assembly’

• = Both aimed for national unification

Constituent National Assembly, 1848-9‘Frankfurt Parliament’

• 223 members of legal profession• 106 professors• 46 industrialists• 4 craftsmen• No peasants

• Pre-form of political parties: Conservative Right Liberal Centre (Right Centre + Left Centre) Democratic Left

The National Problem

Decisive split of Frankfurt Parliament into:

• ‘Great Germans’:

1) Favoured federation incl. all Austria under Habsburg dynasty

2) Favoured unitary-democratic republic incl. only German-Austria

• ‘Small Germans’:

Favoured nation state under Hohenzollern dynasty excl. Austria

Downfall of National Assembly

• Imperial constitution drafted, March 1849

• Rejection of imperial crown by Prussian King Frederick William IV, April 1849

• Dissolution of National Assembly by troops, June 1849

= Failure due to dual front against:• Democratic-social revolutionary forces• Conservative German states