A small group of mainly French and Scottish philosophers challenged the assumption of European society. They as questions such as “what good does it do?” and how useful is it?” they challenged the belief of absolutism – the idea that a monarch should have total and absolute power within a state. The French revolution was the most dramatic result of the enlightenment.
The enlightenment helped create the intellectual climate which spawned both nationalism and liberalism. This was part of Europe intellectually growing up, in 1815 kings and queens ruled, a hundred years later it was the parliament who had the power and final say. By people realising that the monarchy should not rule it made them feel important enough to be individuals and have the right to argue their beliefs
Cultural nationalism was the feeling that “Germans” were capable of great art and demonstrated a unique identity. The Grimm brothers expanded this by gathering folk tales from all over German states. Their work was copied and held in high esteem by others. There was no doubt that there was indeed a German cultural identity. The work of Bach, Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven proved that German culture was more than capable of producing brilliant music of the highest calibre. Johann von Goethe was acclaimed as the “modern Shakespeare.” This was significant as it was the first great literature and poetry written in German. He was no nationalist but he did free Germany from French literacy models. By 1830 there was no doubt that Germany was capable of producing great art and German became increasingly proud of that fact.
This feeling of pride towards Germany as a nation was part of the romantism movement. People had an attitude and state of mind that focused on the individual, creative and emotional. The Romantic Movement played a significant role in intellectual life, influencing the country s nationalist fever. A German nation had already been identified in cultural terms; now a political shape was need to really unite Germany.
Philosophers now debated that a state either belonged to the people and that they should have power and opinion within it, or the monarch should at least consider the people ruling within a constitution which guaranteed so called “human rights.” Voltaire a philosopher in the 18th centaury argued that the monarch should act in the interest of the people, Monte Quell extended this idea by arguing the case for a constitutional monarchy – that limits should be set upon a monarch’s power. However probably the most significant idea was by Jean-Jacques Rousseau who argued that there was a “social contact” between the government and the people, and the people were morally correct to overthrow it if the government breached this contract. The people were the sovereign force not the monarchy. This encouraged liberalism, the desire to create a “free” state for the individual where rights were protected by the force of law.
These feelings and ideas encouraged a new line of independence and thought by the people.
Some historians argue that vital changes in the 19th century Europe were not brought by ideas but social and economic developments. The population of Europe (which in previous years had been static) increased by nearly four times in the 200 years after
1750. One historian David Thomson claimed:
“No social and political order could have remained unaffected by so immense an increase of humanity”
This population explosion was accompanied by the growth of industry and by the accelerating movement of people from the country to the towns to take up employment in factories and warehouses. The German historian Golo Mann wrote:
“Automatic social progress which, day by day, year by year, transforms small towns and cities and craftsmen into employers and employed.”
The population in Germany rose from about 25 million in 1816 to over 34 million in
1845. In 1815 only 10% of Germans lived in towns, there were no big factories only small workshops staffed by skilled craftsmen. In the 1840s some towns were growing rapidly – for example Berlin grew by 100,000 in the 1840s, large cotton mills and
Iron-engineering works began to appear. All German states in 1815 had their own tariffs and quotas to make money or protect the livelihood of their own citizens, goods transported across Germany were liable to custom duties every time they crossed into another state, but this stifled trade and industry in the process.
In 1846 there was 2000km of railways in German states mostly in Prussia.
By 1848 this had grown to 5,000km and was over 18,000km by 1870. The consequences were immense. Provincial barriers were broken down meaning
Germany was drawing together edging towards unification. The coming of the railways underlined the need for political unification. Railways encouraged the growth of heavy industry and engineering which brought the German states in serious completion with Britain. Many now argued for political union in order to protect
German industry. The development of the telegraph and the press was interwoven with that of railways. People were drawn together by common, shared events and aroused by affairs of state. Nationalism and liberalism were nurtured and sustained by the growing political awareness of the German people. In 1818 Prussia decided to abolish their own custom barriers within her territories, first only smaller states joined the Prussian custom union. Then in 1834 it became the “Zollverien” when Bavaria and Wurttemberg joined in. By 1836 it included 25 out of 39 states, all of which had to accept Prussian control and laws. The aim of this was to build up their trade and wealth, however there were other reasons. It became apparent that Prussia wished to isolate Austria; she saw it as “a mighty lever of German unification.” The finance minister stated in the 1830s that: “unification of these states in a customs and trading union leads to establishment of a united political system” William Carr said “the customs union was an object lesson for the sovereignty in the common interest, an action with out precedent in the history of the confederation. This was a first step towards political union” By the 1840s there had been a vast reduction in the number of different systems of customs, weights, and measures and law. Nevertheless German businessmen still felt that they could not compete on equal terms with Britain until Germany was united. The business reasons for unification were published by Frederic
List, he said: “…must first of all strengthen its own individual power” this led to a feeling that Germany must unite to create opportunities for Germanys economy.
After the fall of Meternich in 1848 there were a series of demonstration in Germany, in particular Berlin. Eventually troops were called to disperse them however inevitably many were killed. One account of this was “the whole street swam in blood.” To keep the public happy king Frederick William 4th put himself at the head of the revolution and announced he was in favour of liberty and a united nation. In March 1948 the Frankfurt parliament was formed, however the weakness of this soon became apparent the parliament offered kind Frederick William the crown he declined saying:
“Every German nobleman is a hundred times too good to accept such a diadem moulded out of the dirt and dregs of revolution, disloyalty and treason”
Frederick Williams’s rejection of the crown effectively ended the parliament. Nevertheless it had not been in vain, it was a step forward which could not be undone completely, Frankfurt parliament stated the issue, the solution. The only way was forward.
The king proposed a “voluntary union of states under Prussian leadership.” Elections were held following which a parliament met at Erfurt, however the king withdrew is support. In November 1850 Prussian and Austrian officials met at Olmutz and agreed that the bund should be re-established. Revolution in Germany had positive as well as negative aspects, it marked the entry of German people into the political life of the nation, and wider circles of the population began to take an interest in politics. The revolution had also helped to clarify political attitudes and encourages the formation of political associations.
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