Liberalism and Nationalism in Germany, 1815-71
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
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
