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An evaluation of the reasons for the growth
of nationalism in Germany, 1815-1850
Issues Covered;



Political nationalism - The German Confederation, French
Revolution/Napoleonic wars (military weakness of individual states),
student societies, 1848 revolution
Cultural nationalism – language, literature, music and customs
Economic nationalism – Zollverein, industrialisation, urbanisation
and railway development
Note:
Before 1806 Germany was divided into over 200 separate independent
states (J. Kerr) grouped loosely together as the Holy Roman Empire
(HRE). This had existed for hundreds of years.
The French wars (1792-1815) saw much of Europe and Germany dominated
for a generation by the French Emperor Napoleon. In 1806 he decided to
replace the HRE with a new 38 (J. Kerr) member grouping in Germany
called the ‘Confederation of the Rhine’.
In 1815 Napoleon was defeated and the victors (Britain, Russia, Austria
and Prussia) reorganised Germany again. They gave network of states a
new name, ‘The German Confederation’ (The Bund). They also returned to
power many of the old rulers Napoleon had replaced with his own people.
Task
 In pairs try to create written definitions of the following terms;
o Nationalism
o Liberalism
o Revolution
o Constitution
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The French Revolution 1789
(Political Nationalism Background pre 1815)
 The French revolution encouraged the rise of ‘liberalism’ (i.e.
governments that are representative of the people.)
 The people of France called for liberty and equality as they
demanded the expulsion of their autocratic leader, the King of
France. This acted as an inspiration to those across the German
states who wished to also see the expulsion of their autocratic
state leaders. In their place they desired a more liberal, and
representative, government.

See handouts:
o The Origins of Liberalism and Nationalism
o German Unification Timeline
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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Napoleon’s Defeat 1815 and Military Weaknesses
(Political Nationalism Background)
 European nations developed and maintained large armies as a result
of the Napoleonic wars. National consciousness was aroused
throughout Europe as people struggled to free themselves from
French domination. The German states realised their weaknesses
as individual states and their tremendous strength when working as
one unit to combat a common enemy.
 In 1840 similar fears swept through the German states that
France was about to invade. This led to widespread patriotic
protests which would not have taken place a generation earlier
when support for nationalism was much weaker. The invasion never
took place but a permanent reminder of the affair is the patriotic
song ‘The Watch on the Rhine’.
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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The German Confederation (Bund) 1815
Political Nationalism
Note:
Following the defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, the German
Confederation was created. It stated:
Rule Two: ‘The independence of individual states should be maintained.’
Rule Three: ‘Austria shall preside in the Diet (Parliament) of the
Confederation.’ (This was because Austria was traditionally the most
powerful state. The Austrian Chancellor, Metternich, was therefore also
the President of the Bund. Austria was against unification as it
threatened her royal dynasty and Empire.)
The above suggests that the Bund did not represent a move towards
German unity. However, its birth contradicted its aims as people were
unhappy that their nationalist desires had been denied. They were
especially angry because their individual rulers had previously encouraged
nationalism in order to fight off French invaders led by Napoleon.

See handout: The German Confederation, 1815
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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Overview: Political Nationalism
Note:
 In the years initially following 1815, support for political
nationalism in Germany was very small- it was limited to small
groups of radical students from a middle class background known
as the Burschenshaften. They were often encouraged by their
lecturers who made speeches reflecting their motto, ‘Honour,
Freedom, Fatherland’.
 Repressive laws were issued by the Austrian Chancellor Metternich
in 1819 called the Carlsbad Decrees which banned student
societies and censored newspapers. The following year the power
of the Diet was increased so that soldiers could be ordered to stop
the spread of new ideas in any of the German states. Nonetheless
the growth of nationalism continued with the emergence of the
student societies of the 1830s which were far more radical in their
outlook.
 The growth of nationalism culminated in the revolutions of 1848.
For the first time an all-German Parliament (The Frankfurt
Parliament) met to create a united Germany. It consisted mainly of
Liberals and Nationalists. Despite its eventual defeat the following
year by the forces of Austria and Prussia, the setting up of this
Parliament was a clear sign that support for unification was
growing.
 For more detailed notes on the 1848 revolution see Appendix A.
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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Cultural nationalism
Language, literature, music and customs
Note:
Even before 1815 a new-found interest in German history and culture was
developing amongst the educated and artistic elite. Cultural nationalism
was a reawakening of interest in the country’s heritage and as such it
helped to stimulate the desire for unification. It made people proud of
Germany’s history and of the achievements of her famous rulers, writers,
men of religion, artists, musicians etc.
 See handout: Origins and impact of Cultural Nationalism in Germany
Textbook Work
1. Was language an important factor in the growth of German
Nationalism? If so, why? Pgs 82-83
2. In your own words explain Johann Fichte’s interpretation of the
importance of language as a unifying factor. P83
3. Where were nationalist feelings first expressed following 1815?
P.85
4. Give detailed examples of German literature that encouraged the
growth of nationalism. P85
5. Assess the impact of nationalism on the ordinary German. This
should be a very detailed answer. Pgs 85-86
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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Economic Nationalism
Zollverein, industrialisation, urbanisation, railways
Note: In 1815 Prussia was given more land in the centre and west of
Germany as a reward for fighting Napoleon. The result was that Prussia
became the biggest ‘German’ state and in hindsight it is possible to see
the beginning of the rivalry between Austria and Prussia.
1. Explain how Germany’s economic standing in the early 1800s
increased nationalism in the German states. Pgs 83-84
2. How important was population growth, urbanisation and
industrialisation as a cause of the growth of nationalism? Pgs 86-87
3. What section of society were most in favour of economic
nationalism? P87
4. What was the Zollverein? P88
5. Why was the exclusion of Austria from the Zollverein significant
to German nationalists? (Think back to what you have already
learned)
6. Explain in detail the link between the development of the railway in
the German states and German nationalism. P88-89
7. Explain how Prussia, as the creator of the Zollverein, inadvertently
contributed to economic nationalism? P88-89
Analysis Box: Summarise how the above factors led to a growth of nationalism?
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Historiography
Matthews categorised the growth of Nationalism in terms of the
following factors:



Economic Nationalism
Cultural Nationalism
Political Nationalism
Economic Nationalism
William Carr, “Certainly Prussia was not thinking in terms of political
unification when it founded the Customs Union.”
William Carr has called the Zollverein, “The mighty lever of German
Unification.”
William Carr, “Railways were of great political significance. They helped
to break down provincial barriers, brought town and country nearer
together and underlined the need for national unification.”
Andrina Stiles, “The Zollverein was a force for unity in the 1840s and
therefore a focal point for nationalist sentiments.”
David Thomson, “No social and political order could have remained
unaffected by so immense an increase in humanity.”
Andrina Stiles, “The Zollverein was a force for unity in the 1840s and
therefore a focal point for national sentiments.”
The Austrian decision not to participate in the Zollverein initially left her
isolated. Metternich stated, “Austria is on the point of seeing herself to
a certain extent excluded from the rest of Germany...and treated as a
foreign country.”
Cultural Nationalism
Ian Mitchell, “Those who speak the same language are joined to each
other by a multitude of invisible bonds.”
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Andrina Stiles, “Even in 1815 there were tens of thousands of people,
especially among the young, the educated, and the middle and upper
classes, who felt passionately that Germans deserved to have a
fatherland in the same way that the English and the French already had.”
Fichte described ‘Germany’ as the Fatherland where all people spoke the
same language and sang the same songs.’
Fichte, “Whenever, a separate language is found there is also a separate
nation which has the right to manage its affairs independently and rule
itself.”
Golo Mann wrote that most Germans ‘seldom looked up from the plough’.
He doubted the influence of artists that most Germans knew nothing
about.
Matthews calls ‘common language’ the “hallmark of a nation state.”
Political Nationalism
AJP Taylor, “Frankfurt suffered from too much experience rather than
too little; too much calculation, too much foresight, too many elaborate
combinations, too much statesmanship.”
Thinking Task
Look at the historiography for each of the factors
(economic, cultural and political). What do you notice?
Homework Task
 See Appendix B
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Statistics

The German population increased by 50% between 1815 and 1855,
while the Prussian population grew by 70%

Roads were built rapidly after 1815 to link Berlin to the new
Prussian territories in the west. By 1850 over 5,000 km of railway
track were laid and the beginning of a network were established.

By 1836 the Zollverein included 25 of the 39 states and had a free
trade area which included 25 million people.
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Past Paper Questions
2001: Assess the importance of economic factors in the growth of
nationalism in Germany during the period 1815-1850.
2004: Why did nationalism grow in Germany between 1815 and 1850?
2009: How important were economic factors in the growth of national
feeling in Germany during the period 1815-1850?
2011: How important were cultural factors in the growth of national
feeling in Germany between 1815 and 1850?
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Appendix A: 1848 Revolutions
The 1848 revolutions can be seen as the pinnacle moment in the growth of
nationalism, particularly political nationalism, which led to the revolutions.
After the fall of Metternich in 1848 there were a series of
demonstrations in Berlin (capital of Prussia). King Fredrick William of
Prussia hated the violence and feared the demonstrators. He gave into
their demands and granted a constitution, agreed to an elected assembly,
and promised to unite Prussia in Germany.
“Today I have taken the old German colours. Prussia henceforth merges
into Germany.”
It seemed at this point, that Prussia was in poll position for taking the
lead as the leader of a united Germany. In many German states the old
rulers had fallen from power. The German Confederation had crumbled
along with Metternich falling from power in Austria. Austria at this point
was also distracted by revolutions going on within her own Empire.
574 delegates met in Frankfurt to agree on the mechanism for election
to a national Constituent Assembly. The Frankfurt parliament would be
tasked with drawing up the rules of government – or constitution – for a
united Germany.
Why did the Frankfurt Parliament fail?
There were two key reasons showing why the revolution of
1848 failed:
1. Internal problems – arguments in the Frankfurt Parliament
2. External problems – enemies of the Frankfurt parliament
INTERNAL PROBLEMS
●
NO STRONG LEADER
In Spring of 1848 Frederick William seemed keen but by March
1849 he had refused the crown of 'Germany' (a crown of shame)
●
SOCIAL CLASSES HAD DIFFEREING AIMS
■ Middle class happy to get rid of old system but not when
riots attacked their property.
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■
■
●
Working classes wanted the revolution to help their living
and working conditions. They didn't think those changes
would be likely in a parliament controlled by the middle class
who were often also their employers!
Over 80% of the delegates at the parliament had university
qualifications and their interest lay with unification rather
than social reform.
ARGUMENT – THE NEW GERMANY
Big Germany – Grossdeutschland (including Austria)
Small Germany – Kleindeutschland (excluding Austria)
Some argued that if Austria were allowed in then the Austrian
Empire would mean that there would be many 'foreigners' allowed
in – not just Austrians but other nationalities too.
EXTERNAL PROBLEMS
●
RECOVERY OF PRINCES
 By 1849 old rulers of the German states had
recovered their political power.
 They still had armies unlike the Frankfurt parliament
who had no real political power and no army to protect
it.
●
RECOVERY OF AUSTRIA
 Frederick William had organised the 'Erfurt Union' which was
an assembly of German princes under Prussian control. However,
by 1850, when Austria had recovered, the German Princes who
had felt 'bullied' now joined Austria.
 In 1850 Austria persuaded most of the old rulers to renew the
German Confederation. New Chancellor of Austria,
Schwarzenberg, stated,”We shall not let ourselves be thrown
out of Germany.”
 Hesse-Cassel(one of the states in the Erfurt Union) asked for
help to put down a small revolution:
■ Austria sent troops (claimed right to do this because of
restored German Confederation)
■ Prussia sent troops (claimed right to do this because it was
leader of the Erfurt Union)
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At the last minute Prussia backed down and a meeting was
arranged at Olmutz.
'Humiliation of Olmutz'
■ Prussia had to agree to cancellation of Erfurt Union
■ Prussia had to promise never again to challenge Austria's
power
■ Old German Confederation reinstated
■

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Appendix B: Advanced Historiography
Read the extract from Matthews and answer the following questions.
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1. Matthews calls ‘common language’ the “hallmark of a nation state”.
Why do you think ‘common language’ was so important to the growth
of nationalism?
2. Look at the extract from Matthews’ work. What one factor does
he highlight as perhaps more significant than any other?
3. What areas of history did German academics highlight as important
in generating a sense of national pride?
4. What other cultural factors instilled a sense of national pride in
the ‘German’ people.
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Paired Exercise
Which factors would you consider as more important in contributing to
the growth of nationalist feeling in the German states, 1815-50?
In the boxes below you should note your conclusions. Make sure you
explain the reason for your decision.
1st
2nd
3rd
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