Growth In National Feeling In Germany example essay topic

What events, occurrences, and personalities contributed to the unification of Germany and national feeling between 1815 and 1830? Between 1825 and 1850 there was a growth in national feeling in Germany. In this essay I will discuss why nationalism was not an issue before 1815, in what ways Napoleon and the French Revolution affected nationalism, the setbacks Germany faces and the advances made. Germany had never existed as a nation in the centuries before 1815, Nationalism and Democracy was never been heard of and class was seen to be more important than nation. Despite sharing a common language and culture Germany was far from united. The spread of new idea was held back due to several reasons, most people felt the need to obey "the divine right of kings".

Powerful forces such as monarchs and emperors opposed to nationalism. The rulers of the German states were jealous of one another and were keen to preserve their own independence. To add to the problem most Europeans could not read or write hence the reason communication was poor. A broad mass of people were uneducated and uniformed and not interested in learning. However communications continued to be non -existent due to the fact that travel was expensive and dangerous and movement of people and ideas was not easy. There were many people who did not want to see a unified Germany such as Austria and France.

Two powerful countries that surrounded Germany and it were in their interests to keep her weak so that they could easily dominate her. The only way of doing this was to keep her disunited as they feared a powerful Germany and they tirelessly worked against unification. People back then were afraid of change and new ideas however in 1789 the French Revolution led to an increased interest in democracy and nationalism. The French Revolution began in 1789 and it started as a series of protests about bad government however it led to monarchy being overthrown and the king being executed. It had a large impact on Germany and it would never be the same. It showed oppressed people that they could rise up and change the established order of things.

Germany was made up of 360 states and Napoleon saw this reduced to 16. People saw this as a chance to gain freedom and unite people who are otherwise divided. Under the guide of Napoleon Bonaparte nationalistic feelings were encouraged and people were proud of their country. The leader of the French revolution who ended the "Ancien Regime" was Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1799 he was in charge of France and was to remain in power till 1814. During this time he virtually dominated the whole of mainland Europe except Britain.

Napoleon invaded the German states and removed old leaders, and he successfully unified the small German states in the Confederation of the Rhine. Germany was a myriad of 360 different states however he changed this drastically. Napoleon constantly spread nationalism in Germany however in 1815 he was defeated at Waterloo. But his legacy remained, 'people power' and nationalism had been established and people were determined to keep it that way. Napoleon had changed Germany forever. Although Germany was becoming united there were many setbacks, when the congress of Vienna in 1815 saw the "Ancient Regime" reinstated, which returned Germany back to her pre-Napoleon state, it confirmed Austria as the dominant power in Europe and for 30 years it was to successfully prevent the spread of nationalism.

The Congress of Vienna saw Prince Metternich of Austria to be the most influential man in Europe, as he controlled the new German Confederation, nationalism and liberalism was to be stepped down on by using the Carlsbad Decrees in 1819. Although German unification was being held back there were also many advances made towards a more unified Germany. Firstly there was the Romantic Movement. This saw a revival in German thought and culture. There were a variety of forms in which it came in such as music, literature, drama, folk tales and philosophy, not knowing these would lead to some of the most influential and well known personalities e.g. Beethoven and Bach.

The Romantic Movement encouraged people to challenge the Status Quo and not to be afraid of change; it increased knowledge of a victorious past with medieval tales of chivalry. Heroic tales and themes were stressed in music and literature, making people more aware. Everyone was effected even illiterate peasants. Although the Romantic Movement was not planned it appealed to everyone and their emotions and it was set to have a long term affect. Even the great Bismarck admitted he owed debt to the romantics. During the 1830's and 1840's developments occurred which even Metternich could not have predicted or controlled.

Improved roads, rail travel, daily newspapers and increase literacy rates improved communications. This was an advantage because news could easily be spread and the word of nationalism. However, one of the main aspects was the Zollverein. It was unquestionably the greatest single economic factor in Germany. It was a customs union among the German states which avoided the restrictions on trade, caused by the customs duties, imposed by each of the 39 German States. By 1836 it included 29 of the 39 states and had a free trade area which included 25 million people.

The Zollverein drew the German States closer together and stimulated their economic growth whilst establishing Prussia as the economic leader in Germany. Another advance was Frederick William IV of Prussia who was a reforming king at the time. In the 1840's he abolished the Carlsbad decrees which prevented Germany from uniting at an earlier date and by 1848 most German nationalists believed that it was now time. This specific moment in time saw massive demands for change all over Europe. Metternich fell from power declaring the way for further change. However, by 1850 the status quo and old ways were soon restored in Germany and yet again nationalism was no more.

But many people were not going to give up and would continue to fight for it. Bismarck was born in 1815 and grew up to be a national hero- a statesman. No matter how unpopular he became he carried through all plans and actions. Bismarck possessed an incredible drive and ruthless determination, this could be seen as a bad quality but it achieved the results wanted. Among transforming the Prussian army into a formidable force he also won the Kings confidence. These were just a few of Bismarck's accomplishments and qualities, but most of all he learned and taught everyone that unification would only be achieved in a battle not a debate after the failure of Frankfurt parliament in 1848 when all that they did was talk and talk.

Bismarck's famous motto shows exactly what he believed in: "Blood and Iron". There were many events, occurrences and personalities that contributed to the unification of Germany and national feeling between 1815 and 1830. Among these were the French Revolution, Napoleon, the Romantic Movement and Bismarck. Germany succeeded in what they wished to accomplish.