Issue 2 Germany
An assessment of the degree of growth of
nationalism in Germany, up to 1850
OVERVIEW Issues1-3
GERMANY- SEPARATE
NAPOLEON- 400 STATES- 39 (CONFEDERATION OF
THE RHINE)
 NAPOLEON GONE- BUND
 AUSTRIA- ANTRI NATIONALIST
 PRUSSIA- POWERFUL FREDRICK WILHELM(FR)
 1848 REVOLUTION- DESIRE FOR CHANGE. RESULT
FRANKFURT PARLIAMENT, FR TO LEAD- DISPUTES.
CRUMBLE. OLD PRINCES RETURN TO POWER.
 ERFURT UNION- FR TRIES TO HEAD UP A UNITED
GERMANY. AUSTRIA SAYS NO, FR BACKS DOWN AT THE
TREATY OF OLMUTZ.


THINGS WE COVER
Opponents of nationalism (Austria,
State Leaders, other countries)
 Supporters of nationalism (educated
middle class, Liberals)
 Attitudes of peasants (didn’t care!)
 The Frankfurt Parliament (Showed
possible unity) , divisions (didn’t
succeed)

Factor- Supporters of
nationalism
Factor- Supporters of
nationalism
This should be a recap of Issue 1 content.
 You should speak about the different
things pushing Germany towards unity.
 On the following slide is a summary of
this.
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW AND
UNDERSTAND IT!

Evidence of unity
1840 French threats
to Rhineland –
people grouped
together to protect
Prussia
Revolution of 1848 and
showed many wanted
change and a united
Germany.
Political
Nationalism
Growing amongst
the educated
classes: through
Romantic
Movement
evidence is
Wartburg and
Hambach.
Growing Nationalism
1789 - 1848
Cultural
Nationalism
Economic
Nationalism
The Rail
network broke
social and
territorial
boundaries
and helped
trade
Zollverein. Economic
unity under Prussian
control
The Zollverein
The Zollverein was important because:
◦ Prussia’s control of the Zollverein put them at the heart of the
German states.
◦ The rail network was developed putting Prussia again at the
centre.
 This rail system would later be used for Prussian controlled wars in
Bismarck’s wars of unity.
◦ Prussia became increasingly stronger economically
◦ Austria was not in the Zollverein – becoming isolated
◦ It set the example of working together economically and a
precedent for working together politically in a Prussian
controlled united Germany.
◦ BUT WAS IT REALLY AN EXAMPLE OF NAITONALISM????
CARR states did not join it because of nationalism but “ simply
and solely to escape the economic difficulties which beset
them” (Carr)
By 1850 the German states had made some advances towards
unity.
Culturally the states realised their similarities. The Romantic
Movement promoted the idea of a Great Germany
Politically the states shared their fear of the French and their
hatred of Napoleon due to the Wars of Occupation
Economically some of the states promoted nationalism and the idea
of a united through the Zollverein. The member states traded as
one country and realised they could be more successful if they
acted and traded as one.
BUT
Despite these factors, it would not be until 1871 that Germany was
finally unified.
Negatives of supporters of
nationalism
These factors didn’t apply to all e.g
Cultural not applied to working class.
 Some had been involved in 1848 Rev not
for a United Germany but because they
were poor

SHOWED some evidence of nationalism
but some of this could be attributed to
other things/ was weak in doing so.
FACTOR- opponents of
nationalism.
FACTOR- opponents of nationalism.
Despite this Germany was not Unified.
This shows that those against Nationalism
were strong. We now need to find out
who was against Nationalism and WHY!
 The following slide outlines what we are
going to study. Some of it should be
familiar, copy it down and ensure you
know all of it by the end of this issue.

Evidence of lack obstacles to unity
Carlsbad Decrees
1819
Newspaper
censored, student
societies banned,
inspectors into
universities,
professors sacked
Austria and
Metternich –
violently anti
nationalist stance,
Austrian empire felt
threatened by unity
Political
Erfurt Union &Olmutz
show that Nationalism was
still weak as they didn’t
gain support from all
states and it ultimately
failed.
The Bund /
Confederation
Six Acts,
1832
Reinforced
the Carlsbad
Decrees,
gave more
powers to
individual
states to
crush
nationalism
1848 Revolution shows just how
weak nationalism was. It failed due
to the weakness of Nationalism &
Divisons within Nationalists.
Obstacles to Unity
1815-50
Lack of
Cultural
Cultural
Nationalism was
limited to educated
classes
Article 2 of the
Confederation
stated that it’s aim
was to keep the
states separate
The 39
leaders were
against unity
Anti-nationalist Austria at
the helm of the bund
ensured unity was
repressed
OPPONENTS TO NATIONALISM
METTERNICH- Austrian Chancellor.
Read the information about the Carlsbad Decrees and
Six Acts on the next slide and p. 10-11 (Gold) (share)
Make detailed notes from it to summarise how
nationalism was suppressed and curbed
The Carlsbad Decrees 1819



Fired with their belief in Nationalism and Liberalism, many students
demanded change.
Fearing change Metternich passed the Carlsbad decrees which
banned student societies and censored newspapers.
However Cultural Nationalism continued amongst the educated
classes to an extent:
◦ Literature by the Brothers Grimm, amongst others, highlighted
shared German myths and legends.
◦ Beethoven’s music joined all the German states.
◦ Folk music was shared across all the states.
◦ History, traditions, music, poetry (all inspired by the idea
◦ of a great Germany) were shared despite the decrees.
◦ BUT, the decrees kept these ideas from successfully
developing further and drove nationalism underground
The Obstacles to Unity
Read p102-105 (BLUE (Gold) p.23-29
(And hand out of p. 6 of gold book)
Summarise the obstacles facing the
nationalists in uniting Germany. The
things that hindered progress to unity
This could be an essay topic
These notes are important so have to make
sense to you!
OBSTACLES- Ensure you have
notes on
The Bund as a barrier
 Religion
 Gross/Klein Deutschland
 Leaders of the 39 states
 Great Powers
 Fear of Prussia


P.89-80

It looked like naionalism was growing but
notreally
FACTOR The Frankfurt
Parliament , divisions
1848 Revolutions
1848 revolutions

Look back on your notes on the 1848
revolution.

or BLUE) Read p93, Attitude of the Peasants, up to p95, The Forces of
Change (Gold) Read p. 21-p.24 The Forces of Change

Create a storyboard about the 1848 revolutions to show what
happened.
The 1848 Revolution
Why did political nationalism fail to unite Germany in 1848/49?
Revolutions relatively ineffective – no sweeping changes made
◦ Monarchs not overthrown
◦ Armies remained loyal to monarchs – especially in Prussia
◦ Reforms granted by monarchs were easily reversed.
◦ FW IV refused the crown of united Germany.
◦ KleinD decision disgruntled Austria
◦ Frankfurt Assembly took too long to make decisions about issues they
disagreed on.
◦ Lack of clarity, purpose and strong leadership among nationalists and
liberals
◦ Lack of power from below to unify.
1848 revolution failed, Frankfurt
Parliament failed and Efurt Union
failed.
The Erfurt
Union 1849
The Treaty of
Olmutz 1850
The Erfurt Union 1849 - 1850
 Also
known as the League of the Three
Kings.
 Started by Frederick William IV of Prussia
along with the kings of Saxony and
Hanover.
 27 states eventually joined and it became
the Erfurt Union.
 It was an attempt by the rulers to have a
form of unification on their terms.
 It had a limited constitution and
parliament, though not a very liberal one.
 NOT a unified state - more of an alternative
to the Bund.
Austrian Recovery
 By
1850, revolution had subsided in the
Austrian Empire.
 The Austrians had a new Chancellor –
Schwartzenberg.
 This meant that Austria was once again in
a position to intervene in German affairs.
 The Russians made clear that they would
support Austria in any war to end the
Erfurt Union threat.
The Treaty of Olmutz 1850
 Also
known as the ‘Humiliation of Olmutz’
by the Prussians.
 At a meeting at Olmutz in 1850 the Bund
was re-convened as it had been before 1848
and Prussia was forced to dissolve the
Erfurt Union.
 This
marked a swing in the balance of
power back towards Austria, as the Bund
was fully reinstated with Austria back in its
dominant role as President and actively
working against unification.
 Prussia was not yet ready to challenge
Austria militarily or in terms of leadership
and create a Kleindeutschland – that would
not come until the 1860s.
Remember this factor can be
argued both ways:
It shows a serious growth in Nationalism
BUT
It still wasn’t enough.
Situation by 1850
Treaty of Olmutz Nov 1850 – agreement
that the Bund should be reinstated with
Austria as leader
BUT
Frederick William (King of Prussia) still
keen on idea of a united Germany – under
Prussia’s control
SUMMARY
Checklist- By 1850, Germany was still not unified
Forces Repressing Unity
Forces for Unity
• The Confederation /
Bund
• The 39 leaders
• Austria + Metternich
• Carlsbad Decrees 1819
• Six Acts 1832
• Religious Divisions –
North + South
• Other European powers
• No consensus on
defining Germany – Klein
v Gross
Common language,
traditions + customs
 The growth of liberal
and national feeling
among the m/c
 Romantic Movement
 The Zollverein
 The development of
railways
 Military necessity –
shared fear of the
French

. How much had nationalism grown by
1850?
1. Intro – start date – 1815, end of Napoleonic war/creation of Deutscher Bund, end date – 1850, still
no united German state, but nationalism had grown to the extent that had been one serious attempt
to unite the German states in 1848 (Frankfurt)
2. Examples of how far nationalism had grown before 1840s - (2 BRIEF paragraphs)
Cultural – Wartburg/Hambach.
Were these real nationalists? Would they ever unite the German states? Mention Carlsbad/Six Acts
‘nipped this in the bud’
3. Economic – Zollverein.
Was this just an economic union? Was it a force for political unity?
4. Extent of nationalism by 1840s. (2 paragraphs)
1848 Revolutions –
how economic problems created nationalism amongst peasants and working classes (Berlin demands
for constitution and united Germany). Frankfurt Parliament and reasons for failure of revolutions
Had nationalism really grown enough to unite the German states? Or was nationalism in
the 1840s simply a short-lived reaction to wider economic problems?
5. Erfurt Union/Olmutz
Attempt by ruling classes to have unification on their own terms and its failure with the
humiliation of Olmutz.
Was this really nationalism or a knee-jerk reaction by rulers to protect their own interests?
6. CONCLUSION
Nationalism grew but ultimately failed to unite the German states by 1850. How much
more likely was unification by 1850? How many serious attempts had been made to unify the German
states? How much closer were the German states economically and culturally?
1.
2.
3.
Intro – set
scene/background,
wording question, what
factors, historical debate.
Cultural Nationalism –
common factors of
language, heritage,
traditions, Romantic
Movement,
Burschenshaften,
Universities, MC
Economic Nationalism
– Zollverein > Railways >
Coal + Iron stats
4.
5.
6.
7.
Political forces Confederation
> Metternich > 39 state leaders
> other European powers
Repressive Measures –
Carlsbad Decrees > Six Acts >
Limited appeal of
nationalism/liberalism> middle
class movement
Lack of unity – divisions
between Northern Prots and
Southern Catholics, nationalists
themselves divided in aims
Conclusion – answer Q in one
sentence > go through factors
and use argument to answer
question > re-answer question in
one sentence
‘By 1850 the German nationalists had made
significant progress in their aims’. How valid is
this view?
Issue 2
This essay requires you to weigh up the
progress that had been made by the
nationalists (towards unity)
V’s
The evidence that suggests the nationalists
had not made much progress (towards
unity)
1
Progress Made Culturally
Cultural nationalism spreading among the middle
classes
 Romantic Movement : work of poets, musicians,
writers all inspired by idea of a great Germany
 Language united people – 25 million
 Common traditions and heritage

2
Progress Hindered




Nationalism remained largely middle class
movement
WC had other priorities
Nationalist enthusiasm tended to be of a
‘romantic’
kind – no clear aims
Nationalists couldn’t agree on the issue of Klein
v’s Gross Deutsch
Paragraph 3
Progress made Politically




1840 French threats to Rhineland – ordinary Germans out
with Prussia roused to defend their neighbour
Thomson suggests ‘The French united the German states
in a common feeling of resentment against them’ – showed
that people felt common bond
1848 revolutions showed that people wanted change and
were prepared to demand it – had some success in getting
Metternich out and Frankfurt Parliament set up
Vormartz period suggests some ordinary workers taking
an interest in politics
Paragraph 4
Progress Hindered





The confederation acted against unity – all decision shad
to be unanimous – meant nothing got done. Bund merely a
‘talking shop’
The 39 leaders, and mostly Austria, acted against unity –
change was stifled
Political nationalism was non-existent between 1815 – 1850
– repressed by Carlsbad Decrees and Six Acts.
The failure of the 1848 revolutions showed that the
nationalists were divided - No agreement made by the
nationalists – Klein v’s Gross; no clear visions and aims
Growth of Burschenshaften were lacking in vision and
clear focus
Paragraph 5
Economic Progress
Most clear sign of progress
Economic nationalism – success of Zollverein,
bringing
states together.
 By 1850, many states trading and acting as one
country
 Carr – mighty lever of unity
 Railways development ended isolation of the
states
 Coal and iron development

Historiography
Every essay needs some historiography –
use of quotes which are explained and back
up the points you mention
Historiography
The Confederation and the Individual States
Mitchell - The Bund was more a means to perpetuate the division of Germany
(than to unite it)
Article 2 of the Act of Confederation - 'The aim of this confederation shall be
the maintenance of the external and internal security of Germany as well as
the independence of the individual German states‘
McKichan - The way in which the confederation worked was designed to make it
difficult for it to develop into a united Germany
Carr – He (Metternich) had no doubt that demands for freedom would inevitably
lead to the destruction of the Austrian Habsburg Empire
McKichan - The events of 1840 show that nationalism had some impact on people
throughout Germany
Thomson suggests ‘The French united the German states in a
common feeling of resentment against them’ – showed that people
felt common bond
Cultural Nationalism
Stiles - Even in 1815 there were tens of thousands of people ….. who
felt passionately that Germans deserved a Fatherland
McKichan - The Carlsbad Decrees certainly succeeded in keeping
Germany quiet for a considerable period of time
McKichan – To keep the dark forces of nationalism at bay, Metternich
relied on the prestige of Austria and the goodwill and co-operation of
the German princes
Fitche – Those who speak the same language are joined to each other
by a multitude of invisible bonds
McKichan – Most historians agree that these ideas were held by
relatively limited numbers of educated town dwellers
Economic Factors
Carr - 'It would be inappropriate to see the Zollverein as the
forerunner of German political unity'
Carr - The Zollverein was the mighty lever of German unification
Stiles - The Zollverein was a force for unity in the 1840s and
therefore a focal point for nationalist sentiments
Stiles - (as a result of being leader of the Zollverein) 'Prussia
came to be regarded by many as the natural leader of a united
Germany'
Carr - Railways were of great political significance. They helped
to break down provincial barriers …. And underlined the need
for national unification
BUT WAS IT REALLY AN EXAMPLE OF
NAITONALISM???? CARR states did not join it because
of nationalism but “ simply and solely to escape the
economic difficulties which beset them” (Carr)

USE ISSUE 2 EXAMPLE ESSAY!
“By 1850 political nationalism had made
little progress in Germany.” How valid is
this view?