The Germanic Revolutions of 1848-1849 by Robert Gold

March 13th, 1848

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:16:13 UTC

On March 13, 1848, a group of college students banded together and started a large demonstration in Vienna, protesting for universal male suffrage and a revised constitution. The situation then escalated, and Prince von Metternich of Austria sent his armies to quell the protest. The soldiers ended up opening fire and killing several of the kids. This caused the working class to join in and start an armed insurrection. The whole thing proved to be a disaster, and Emperor Ferdinand was forced to dismiss Metternich, who would soon flee to Britain.

The Frankfurt National Assembly

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:16:48 UTC

In response to the events that took place in Viena, a group of liberal politicians formed a National Assembly aimed at creating a unified Germany under a more liberal constitution. This group also aimed to challenge the authority of the German Confederation. However, the group often struggled to gain political leverage and had many internal disagreements, leading to a lack of productivity within the assembly

The Government Complies

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After the demonstrations in March, many German states feared that the revolution might escalate like it did in France a few years ago. To prevent this, several governments decided to give the people what they wanted and had their constitutions temporarily include things like freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as instating popular liberal diplomats. Additionally, the German Confederation dissolved itself. However, once the revolution died down, most of these governments ended up repealing everything, and the German Confederation would be reestablished

Demonstrations Continue

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:18:49 UTC

More protests ensued in German states like Austria, Baden, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, and Poland, with all of these states fighting revolutions of their own. The revolutionaries continued to make statements across Europe

Reclaiming of Power

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:19:26 UTC

While the National Assembly looked to prepare a new constitution and assemble an army, the governments of the Germanic states had finally had enough and looked to reclaim their authority over the Revolution. In late 1848, governments were no longer afraid to use military force again to quell the insurrections.

The National Assembly's Conclusion

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:19:46 UTC

The major flaw of the national assembly was that, even though they all were united under their beliefs, they each had differing opinions on how those goals should be acquired. As a result, they failed to meet these goals, and lost favor in the public eye, as well as political power amongst the nation-states. It didn't take until early 1849 before they had finally reached a conclusion. They decided that they wanted a constitutional monarchy and that all citizens should have equal rights.

The German Confederation

2139082_1 — 2024-12-05 21:22:17 UTC

After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the 17 German states came together to form a Federal Convention during the Congress of Vienna in 1815. They aimed to be a governing body of all Germanic states and diplomats. They also instated a constitutional federal government.

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Frankfurt Parliament

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Ackett, Robert E. “Frankfurt Parliament.” Gale in Context: World History, 2006, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3446900318/WHIC?u=lsc&sid=bookmark-WHIC&xid=8fe44567.

German Revolution of 1848

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 21:04:14 UTC

Flynn, John. “German Revolution of 1848.” Ohio.edu, 9 Sept. 2004, sites.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/germrev.htm.

The Federal Convention

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 21:10:55 UTC

Wikipedia Contributors. “Federal Convention (German Confederation).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Convention_(German_Confederation).

Revolutions of 1848

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 21:32:54 UTC

Wikipedia Contributors. “Revolutions of 1848.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 July 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848.

The People get Angry

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 22:04:21 UTC

Ever since it's inception, people have been critical of the German Confederation. The constitution was missing many things that German liberals wanted, including rights like freedom of speech, the right to arms, and universal suffrage. On top of this, in 1836, the Federal Convention established censorship laws which were aimed at silencing liberal voices

The Economy is Weakened

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 22:05:22 UTC

During the mid 1840's, a largescale potato failure swept through Europe, devastating many of the German states like Austria. This period was known as the hungry forties, and severely affected Europe's lower class, causing civil unrest.

The People are Inspired

2139082_1 — 2024-12-10 22:13:37 UTC

In 1848, a massive widespread revolutionary wave fell over Europe's bourgeoisie, with revolutions starting in over 50 Europeon countries. Countries like Italy and France were fighting for the same things that the German people were frustrated with, and so revolutionary ideas amongst German liberals began to stew.

2139082_1 — 2024-12-12 21:54:13 UTC

The Revolution Fails

2139082_1 — 2024-12-16 09:40:24 UTC

After the national assembly had drafted their new reformed constitution for a constitutional monarchy to be run by Fredrick William IV, he ultimately declined the offer. This destroyed any remaining hope for the revolution, with many moderates admitting defeat. The extreme leftists would still go on, but by the end of 1849, they too were quelled, and the revolutionary vision had died. Having failed to amass any sort of army or political power, the Frankfurt National Assembly dissolved in May of 1849

The Unification of Germany

2139082_1 — 2024-12-16 10:24:04 UTC

Despite the ultimate failure of the revolution, it had a massive impact on German identity and nationalism. These ideas would lay the groundwork for the eventual unification of the German states in the late 1860's and early 1870's. They would instate a constitution that was built off of what the national assembly had created. The unification of Germany is also considered to be the first major event leading up to World War 1

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Aftermath

2139082_1 — 2024-12-16 11:43:57 UTC

After the events of the revolution, most German states returned to business as usual. Most governments were relatively unaffected by the revolution, and anything that was influenced was reverted to normal. However, there was a new found urge for nationalism amongst the populous. Also, the German federation would be reestablished in 1850

Economic Prosperity

2139082_1 — 2024-12-16 11:45:55 UTC

1850's Germany was a time of great wealth. Germany became greatly industrialized and profited heavily from it. Additionally, they opened up their trade, including trading with the United States and other countries for their gold.