German Nationalism Timeline

The Watburg festival publicly established the Deutsche Burschenschaften as effective propagandists for the nationalism movement. They organised in Protestant German nationalities, and by 1817, around 10% of German students belonged to them [numerically insignificant?]
For the first time, the issue was not freedom from foreign tyrants, but from the many native tyrants. Moreover, this resulted in german nationalism merging with liberalism for the first time.

These provided for preventative censorship, prohibition of the Burschenschaften, as well as of the association Gymnastics Movement, and the firing of professors deemed ‘revolutionary.’
This meant they could no longer resume propagandic activities, and even wearing traditional German costume and smoking in public (both sings of resistance against police oppression) were threatened with draconian punishments. Whole herds of enthusiasts for German unity were herded into prisons.
For a decade, there was no organised (political) nationalist movement in Germany.
Repeal of the Carlsbad Decrees by the Federal Convention during the March Revolution

political leaders emerge, more demographics and people (25-30k), more concise/clear aims for the nationalist movement

a pressure group with sole aim of promoting German unification. Supported Kleindeutschland. 25,000 people were involved at its peak.

20,000 gymnasts appeared

started with the abolishment of the Catholic bureau in the Prussian ministry of education and public worship.
- IN 1885, 30,000 Poles and Jews were expelled because they lacked German citizenship
- May Law of 1874 allowed for the expatriation of reluctant clergy. May Law of 1873 expelled all Jesuits.
BUT Catholics became united in their persecution and resisted through the Centre Party, which gained 27.9% of the votes cast in the 1874 federal elections, making them the second most powerful party.

The May Laws are passed, as drafted by Falk. They weaken the churches influence on education, make marriage a civil procedure, and give the state, specifically Prussia, control over school inspections and the appointment and training of priests.

Parliament accepts censorship, effectively revoking the press law, marks a move away from liberalism.
The legislation was passed after two failed attempts to assassinate Kaiser Wilhelm I and was meant to curb the growing strength of the Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Law allows the use of emergency powers for up to one year, banned socialist meetings or collections, and heavily censored or prohibited socialist publications.

• Campaigned for the establishment of German colonies.
• Membership had reached 9,000 by 1884.

state socialism to curb the appeal of the SDP- sickness insurance introduced

with the aim of enlarging Germany, to include Austria (Grossdeutschland) and also colonies.

Farmers form the Agrarian League as response to the lowering of agricultural tariffs on imported goods (grain). Formed to combat the free-trade policies (initiated in 1892) of Chancellor Leo, Graf (count) von Caprivi, the league worked for farmers’ subsidies, import tariffs, and minimum prices.

Prussia declares war on France, and Frederik Wilhelm II appeals to ‘my people’ and ‘Prussians and Germans.’
Prussian army numbers 280,000 (mostly from military service.)

French defeated, Napoleon exiled to Elba

Holstein would be administered by Austria but Schleswig would be governed by Prussia. They were both under clear sovereignty though to prevent annexation to Prussia.

In June, Austria broke the Gastein Treaty, Prussia responded by occupying Holstein, Bismarck presented a fuller version of his proposal to reform the Federal Constitution, Austria called on members of the Confederation to mobilise their armies, Prussia declared the end of the German Confederation and her troops advanced.
Within 7 weeks, the Austrian army was defeated at Koniggratz. [200,000 Prussian troops vs 180,000 Austrians] Bismarck (in tears) presented the King with an ultimatum- either war should end or he would resign. Finally, a peace settlement was agreed at Prague in August. No Austrian land was annexed by Prussia.

Napoleon declared war on 15 July 1870. Bismarck was in a strong position: Austria wouldn’t ally with France after being let down in 1866, and didn’t have support from Italy either.
In September, after a series of swift victories, Moltke surrounded the French forces at Sedan. The French lost 2x as many men as Germany and Napoleon II was captured, but fighting still continued till the fall of Paris in January 1871.

defensive alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary, which was created by treaty on 7 October 1879 as part of Bismarck's system of alliances to prevent or limit war. The two powers promised each other support in case of attack by Russia. Also, each state promised benevolent neutrality to the other if one of them was attacked by another European power

secret agreement between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. . The treaty provided that Germany and Austria-Hungary were to assist Italy if it were attacked by France without Italian provocation; Italy would assist Germany if Germany were attacked by France. In the event of a war between Austria-Hungary and Russia, Italy promised to remain neutral.

The treaty provided that each party would remain neutral if the other became involved in a war with a third great power, though this would not apply if Germany attacked France or if Russia attacked Austria.

In the event of war, France wanted support against Germany; and Russia, against Austria-Hungary. The two powers slowly came closer together, upsetting the system of alliances that had been established by Otto von Bismarck to protect Germany against such a potential “two-front” threat.

Five separate laws passed by the German Empire, in 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912. These acts, championed by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his Secretary of State for the Navy, Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, committed Germany to building up a navy capable of competing with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

The Treaty of Frankfurt, signed in May, was harsh for France. The French territories of Alsace-Lorraine were annexed to Germany and an indemnity of 5 billion francs which had to be paid over 4 years. This settlement ensured a lasting rivalry and hatred between the two countries. For the next 38 years, the French swore to seek revenge on Germany and regain the land France lost in 1871.

led to Austrian dominance over the newly formed German Confederation and up to 1848, Austria was successful in keeping the German people divided.

revolutionary crowds gather in Berlin where a startled king verbally accepted demands for elections, a constitution, freedom of the press and the unification of Prussia with other German states.

large demonstrations in Vienna caused Prince von Metternich, architect of the post-Napoleonic European order, to resign and join the former French king in English exile.

Estates of Schleswig-Holstein proclaimed their independence of Denmark on 24 March 1848 and appealed to the Federal Parliament and National Assembly for help. BUT the National Assembly had no powers and had to borrow Prussian troops. Massive pressure from European powers then forced Prussia to withdraw its troops and to make peace with Denmark, despite protests from the Frankfurt Parliament.

met at Mainz on 18th May 1848, to draw up a Liberal constitution for the whole of Germany and to elect a national government.
- only 1 peasant and only 4 from the artisan classes.
- produced the so-called Frankfurt Constitution which proclaimed a German Empire based on the principles of parliamentary democracy. This constitution fulfilled the main demands of the liberal and nationalist movements of the Vormärz and provided a foundation of basic rights, both of which stood in opposition to Metternich's system of Restoration. The parliament also proposed a constitutional monarchy headed by a hereditary emperor (Kaiser.) BUT The Prussian king Frederick William IV refused to accept the office of emperor when it was offered to him.
With neither an army nor broad popular support, the Frankfurt Assembly was dissolved on May 31, 1849.

He was seen as a strongman by the King who could force through his reforms. Bismarck in his opening speech in the Landtag speaks of ‘blood and iron’ as the replacement for majoritarian, democratic rule.
- Bismarck ignores Parliament and places direct taxation to fund reform, whilst also an ::increasing army conscription from two to three years, introducing new battle tactics:: and purchasing new weapons such as the needle gun.
- There was initially great resistance from the liberal nationalists who saw Bismarck’s actions as a direct attack on the rights of Prussia’s Parliament.

Bismarck proposed the INDEMNITY BILL which passed by a vote of 230 : 75 in the Prussian House of Representatives.
Article 1 stated that the government is now allowed to ‘undertake administrative acts’ without a legally approved budget. Article 2 specified that the limit was 154 million Thaler spent by the government on administration.
“The Indemnity bill retroactively approved Bismarck’s illegal/unconstitutional spending between ’62 and ’66“

the Progressive party splits in two, and the National Liberal party is formed -who support Bismarck- BECAUSE they stood to gain financially ALSO he got them a constitution for a united Germany. The National Liberals became the largest party in the Riechtag, and an ambitious legislative party

The Confederation was responsible for defence, foreign policy and economic matters such as customs and banking. The individual states kept their own rulers, their own parliaments and their own laws. Local taxation could be raised to pay for government services including education.

This then became the basis for the Constitution of the German Empire of 1871. Prussia would dominate the Confederation, but it still reassured the northern (and indirectly, southern) states that their independence would not be destroyed and was seen as a vehicle for the unification of the German states

Bismarck received a telegram from the King outlining his meeting with the French Ambassador to Prussia. This became known as the Ens telegram, after the town of Bad Ems, where the meeting took place. Bismarck then edited words out to give the impression of a firm ‘snub’ of the French by Wilhelm AND ensured that press in Berlin and other places got hold of it in order to provoke French nationalists.

formed to represent interests of workers LINK to industrialisation

Reichstag elections cause the collapse of Bismarck’s block. (National Liberals 42 seats, Centre 106, Conservatives 73, SPD 35). He can not create another soon enough to resist the pressure coming from William II for his resignation.
General von Caprivi is appointed as the new German Chancellor. He names his economic policy of forming agreements with the rest of Europe and lowering tariffs the ‘New Course’.

The Daily Telegraph Affair was the uproar that followed the 28 October 1908 publication in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph of comments by German Kaiser Wilhelm II intended to improve German-British relations. It was a major diplomatic blunder that worsened relations and badly hurt the Kaiser's reputation; after that he played a much smaller role in deciding foreign policy.

Caprivi resigns

Bernhard von Bülow: main guy for Weltpolitik (foreign policy) an indication of William II committing to foreign expansion.

Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg: gets Germany involved in the First World War

In 1834, the Prussian, central and south German customs unions all combined to form the German Customs Union (Deutsches Zollverein.) This united economic region acted as a magnet
- By 1842, 28 of the 39 German federal states belonged to it, which unified their currencies and created a single system of weights and measures.

the opening of the first German railway line on 7 December 1835, and by 1840, 469 kilometres of railway had been laid, spread out between the industrial regions and the capital cities.
The railroad network doubled in size between 1850 and 1860.

The Deutsches Bank was established, and with it the Deutschmark. The Deutschmark’s value rested on the value of the Thaler, which it replaced. Economic unity, but Prussia on top.

Before unification in 1871, Germany had 31 central banks – the Notenbanken (note banks). Each of the independent states issued their own money. In 1870, a law was passed that forbade the formation of further central banks. In 1874, a draft banking law was introduced in the Reichstag (the German parliament). After several changes and compromises, the law was passed in 1875. Despite the creation of the Reichsbank, however, four of the Notenbanken – Baden, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg – continued to exist until 1914.

(imposed tariffs on industrial and agricultural imports into Imperial Germany )
This policy -as it reduced the cost of living- appealed to the left wing, and the first treaty with Austria under this policy marked the first time the Socialists voted for a government measure.

Cartellisation of Germany industry evident.
By this date, Krupps and Thyssen monopolise 80% of steel output that feeds arms industry and by 1910, 10 Ruhr collieries produce 60% of all German coal.