The Break Out of the Revolution in Germany in 1848
There were a numerous external and internal factors behind the 1848
revolutions in Germany. Externally, changes in the international
climate and political upheaval in Austria provided German nationalists
with an avenue of opportunity to cease power. Internally, the growth
of German nationalism and liberalism coupled with the acute financial
and food crisis of 1847 created an atmosphere fit for revolutionary
activity.
Between 1815 and 1847, the Great powers reduced the importance of
nationalism and liberalism in order to maintain the ideals set about
at the Treaty of Vienna of peace, order and stability within the
balance of power. The Great powers installed Austria as the
‘reactionary henchman’ of Europe. Austria could no exercise its right
to eradicate revolutionary activity and it was aided by its ideal
geo-political position. However in February 1848 a successful
revolution in France triggered off violent disorder elsewhere in
Europe. These revolutions in France were previous thought to have
triggered a series of ‘copy cat’ revolutions over Europe, however
historians now believe hey were the result of the conditions of many
of the European countries were very similar. This most prominent of
the revolutions saw Austrian Emperor Metternich toppled and forced to
flee Vienna, causing a temporary power vacuum. This allowed German
nationalist to seize control as no longer could German leaders rely on
Austrian muscle to uphold their regimes. In essence the changes in the
international climate and the chaos within the Austrian empire played
an important role in the outbreak of revolu...
... middle of paper ...
...
nutshell, the food and financial distress in the major cities, which
continued over the winter of 1847-48 ‘ helped foment revolution,
encouraging subversive propaganda, undermining the credit of states,
and unifying the discontented creating a temporary alliance between
the middle and working classes which heralded in the revolutionary
year of 1848.
In conclusion it is clear from the evidence, that there were a number
of external and internal factors behind the 1848 revolutions in
Germany. Externally, changes in the international climate and
political upheaval in Austria provided German nationalists with an
avenue of opportunity to cease power. Internally, the growth of German
nationalism and liberalism coupled with the acute financial and food
crisis of 1847 created an atmosphere fit for revolutionary activity.
...s for more liberal reforms, helping the conservatives. This also helped show how paranoid the government was of potential rebellion against them and how pragmatic they were. Then throughout 1848, there was a multitude of rebellions and when the dust settled it seemed as if the Austrian government was going to lose it was able to get back up and fight back with the help of the Russians and get back control for the conservatives. By the end of 1851 Austria was able to remain a strong conservative dual monarchy, a concession made to appease the Magyars, but their king still had to report to the Austrian king. Throughout 1815-1851 there were many demands for more liberal reforms and strong opponents of conservatism, but by the end on 1851 Austria, Prussia, and France were still some of the few nations where conservatism was able to achieve its goals and stay in power.
The German Weimar Republic was an attempt to make Germany a more democratic state. While this was a very good idea in theory, the Weimar Republic was ineffective due to the instability that came with it. Several factors contributed to the instability of Germany’s Weimar Republic, such as the new political ideals brought forward and the government’s hunger for war. To begin, one of the factors that contributed to the instability of the Weimar republic was the presence of new political ideals. Marie Juchacz unintentionally highlighted that reason in her speech to the National Assembly.
The period after World War One was very politically unstable. Many different kinds of governments, such as fascism and communism, were coming up all over Europe. One country that especially faced this political fluctuation was Germany. After the war, Germany was forced into a democracy known as the Weimar Republic, but this government soon collapsed and Hitler’s fascism took over. There were various factors that contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic, but three major ones were the lack of popular support for the government, the lack of efficiency and internal organization, and the competition of other, more conservative parties such as the Nazis.
When Otto von Bismarck was recalled from Paris to become Minister-President of Prussia in 1862, German nationalism was already more than 40 years old. First apparent in the opposition to Napoleon´s occupation of the German states, national feeling grew into a movement after 1815. This feeling was encouraged by a growth of interest in German literature and music and by increased economic cooperation between the north German states. By 1848 it was strong enough to make the creation of a united Germany one of the main demands of the revolutionaries. Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian patriot who inherited the traditions of love of king, army and country from his family.
The rapid development of global economy with the opening of new markets worldwide gave way to the development of new means of production and also to the change of ideologies across the world. Alongside with that, the division between different groups or classes within societies became more apparent as some people got richer and other poorer. These two phenomena, the worldwide development of industries and consequent class struggles, have been analyzed by two major thinkers of their times, Karl Marx and Robert Reich. Their essays have been influential and are similar in sense that they analyze existing conditions of societies and give projections on future fates of people, or more specifically, fates of classes. In this paper, the main focus will be on the fate of the wealthiest people; these are the bourgeois for Marx and symbolic analysts for Reich. More specifically, it will be argued that the rich people will be in the worst position according to Marx and this position will cover two aspects: material aspect, which is how well the rich will eventually manage their properties, and the inherent antagonism of classes and its consequences for the wealthy.
build up a name for himself, as well as, to get to know people in high
The general public of Germany had never had any say in political matters; they allowed the Kaiser to make all the decisions regarding themselves and their once-prosperous country. The groups controlling Germany began to change during October and November 1918. More power began to fall into the hands of the people as they realised the blame for their involvement in the war was the Kaiser’s. People such as the armed soldiers, sailors and workers started protesting and going on strike. This was a far cry from before the war, when Germany was wealthy, proud and ambitious. So for a brief period, it seemed that a revolution would take place, with the people of Germany wanting a social and political revolution.
“On 2 August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Within an hour of his death Hitler announced that the offices of chancellor and president were to be combined and that he was the new head of state. Hitler’s adolescent dream of becoming Fuhrer of the German people had been realized” President Hindenburg’s death marked the official end of the Weimar Republic, a democratic ‘experiment’ that had lasted since 1918. The causes of the dissolution of the Republic are wide ranging and numerous, as was explained in the articles of both Richard Bessel, and John McKenzie. The two author’s agree on the sequence of events which led to the dissolution of the Republic, however, they disagree on what exactly caused the transition from Weimar to the Third Reich. The author’s disagreement stem from a differing view of the fundamental cause, political structure versus political leadership.
Austria was one of the strongest empires in Europe in early 19th century and most of the small European states had rulers from Hapsburg dynasty so Austria had a lot of influence. Letting Nationalistic feelings to rise anywhere in Europe meant that soon those feelings would rise up in Austria
They were the ones who carried out the war, they were cut down to size
The widespread uprising of the revolutions after the publication of the Communist Manifesto are know as the Revolutions of 1848. They started in France and mainly spread to Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire, but were documented in other empires as well, but on a lesser degree.[4] Although the Communist Manifesto is not said to be the driving force behind these revolutions it can definitely be noted as a factor. The revolution in France happened because the working class desired universal suffrage. King Louis Philippe was overthrown and the Second Republic of France was established. The revolution in Germany, partially inspired by the French revolution that preceded it, unified the country with the national parliament.
In the years leading up the the Revolutions of 1848 other major social changes associated with the Industrial Revolution were occurring, dramatic shifts in demographics reduced the quality of living for a majority of the working class people. Horrifying living and working conditions led workers to demand rights and when they were denied led them to seek new political structures. The Revolutions of 1848 failed because of the differing interests of the revolutionary groups, such as nationalists, socialists, and constitutionalists, and the existence of large, powerful conservative states, like Prussia and Austria, who were willing to preserve the order not only in their own nations but in other nations as well.
“It has often been said…that in 1848…European history reached its turning point and failed to turn”4. There are a variety of reasons that can be given for the failure of the Revolutions, these include the divisions amongst revolutionaries, the continuing social and economic problems of the countries involved, the difficulty in replacing the old regimes and the problem of the new inexperienced electorates. There does not appear to be one clear, defining reason which led to the old regimes regaining power after the 1848 Revolutions. All the factors seem to be equally important and to some extent, connected.
The Congress of Vienna in 1814-15 created the so-called German Confederation under Austrian and Prussian hegemony, but this unit disappointed the dreams of nationalists. The rivalry of Austria and Prussia paralyzed it in a way comparable to the effects of Soviet-American dualism on the United Nations during the Cold War. Almost everywhere, the old rulers repressed the nationalist movement after 1815. The German princes realized that nationalism required ...
Prior to unification in 1871 the territory that would become Germany was comprised of thirty-nine independent states and city states joined together in a loose German Confederation. The most powerful among these states was Prussia, both geographically the largest state and that with the largest population. The influential politicians and policies that came out of Prussia were instrumental in the gradual formation of a united Germany. Beginning with the rise of Napoleon, the nineteenth century was a time of incredible change which dramatically altered the political balance of Europe. In order to understand the factors that culminated in official German unification on January 18 1871, it is necessary to examine the preceding decades. No single factor can be credited for the unification of the German states. Rather, the combined forces of social change, economic strength within a unified customs union, the moral justifications provided by nationalism, Bismarck’s careful manipulation of internal politics and the advantages gained through military action resulted in the unification of Germany.