Summary History: Liberalism and Nationalism in Germany 1851-71
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a fully summarised section of the german revolution. section 1.2 which highlights liberalism and nationalism and the causes of the German revolution.
The summary is easy to follow and highlights key points and dates
What were the causes of the revolution in 1848-49?
v The impact of Metternich’s System on the states of Germany
§ Before the Napoleonic Wars, the area that we know today as
Germany had been part of the medieval Holy Roman Empire
§ a collection of semi-independent states under the Austrian
emperor - ended in 1806 - Napoleon’s invasion.
§ He reorganised the west German states into a single
organisation, the Confederation of the Rhine.
§ The French armies brought with them the ideas of the 18th-
century Enlightenment, an intellectual movement which
stressed the power of reason
§ influential writer J.G. Herder, who popularised the concept of
Volksgeist (‘spirit of the people’), the idea that each nation had
its own individual identity, based around a shared heritage and
language.
§ After its defeat by Napoleon, Prussia, one of the most
important states, reorganised its government and army.
§ This enabled it to join with Austria and Russia to expel the
French forces.
§ The decisive Battle of Leipzig (1813), a major defeat for
Napoleon, helped to develop a sense of national pride.
v The post-war settlement
§ In September 1814, a congress of European nations met in
Vienna to discuss the problems caused by the wars, and to
establish new boundaries on the continent.
§ Austria, Prussia, Britain and Russia. France, whose monarchy
had been restored attended the congress but had no decision-
making powers.
§ The decisions made at this meeting changed the face of
Europe.
, § The European leaders faced a challenge from the related ideas
of liberalism and nationalism
§ These leaders were political and social conservatives.
§ They were determined to restore stability after the years of
upheaval
§ They wanted to recreate the rule of the old royal families who
had lost power.
§ The most significant individual at the Congress was the Austrian
foreign minister, Prince Klemens von Metternich.
§ The Austrian Empire comprised of present-day Austria and
Hungary, together with a range of other territories in central
and eastern Europe.
§ Austrians (who spoke German) and Hungarians, among the
many different ethnic groups under its rule were Czechs,
Slovaks, Croats, Poles and even some northern Italians.
§ The majority of the empire’s subjects were Roman Catholics,
loyal to the Pope.
§ The ‘Metternich System’ - maintain the rule of absolute
monarchy in the Austrian Empire, and the continuation of
similar political systems in other European states.
§ Metternich was deeply suspicious of change
§ He was aware that the empire was a fragile structure and that
nationalism threatened the rule of its royal family, the
Habsburgs.
§ He feared that if Germans, or members of other nationalities,
were allowed their independence, the empire might collapse.
§ He avoided stationing troops in the parts of the empire from
which they came, as he believed this would reduce the chances
of organised nationalist opposition developing.
§ He created a network of secret agents who spied on political
radicals and intercepted their correspondence.
§ The Metternich System kept the peace in Europe, but at a cost
of stoking up resentment from the peoples under its rule.
§ Price Klemens Von Metternich 1773 – 1859
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