Account for the growth of nationalism in Germany between 1815 and 1850
...t of German Nationalism. The Industrial Revolution swept through Europe in the late 1700’s having a profound effect. The German states, however, did not feel the effects until after Napoleon had been ejected in 1814. Only then did the industrialisation create the huge factory dominant cities. This in turn then caused urbanisation, bringing many people together to discuss, among other things, politics and what they thought should happen to the states. The revolution also helped create a new class of people, the middle class. This, it can be argued, is one very important reason of the growth of German Nationalism. They, more than any others, demanded change because they were creating wealth and industrial power for the states but yet had no say in how it was run. David Thomson agrees when he states “We can’t understand what happened in 19th-century Europe unless we remember the biggest change of all. This change was the industrial revolution”. Perhaps the most important Economic factor to come into play was the Prussian customs union, the Zollverein. It is often argued that the basis for this was formed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. After defeating Napoleon the triumphant allies decided to meet to discuss the future Europe. Top of the agenda for Prussia was the land that was to be gifted to certain nations after recapturing it from France. For their part in the defeat of the French, Prussia was given much of Saxony, parts of Westphalia and most importantly, the mineral rich Rhineland. Using the Rhineland as an industrial base, Prussia began to turn itself into major industrial power. However because of the number of states between Prussia and the Rhineland it was suffering huge trade tariffs on anything it moved between them. This gave the Prussians the idea of creating a customs union to reduce cost. First she began in 1818 by abolishing the customs barriers within her territories and reducing taxes on products to be sold in Prussia while increasing taxes on products going elsewhere. This steadily forced many small states around Prussia to join the Union and in 1834 the Zollverein was officially set up. By 1836 it included 25 of the 39 states. It is argued that this was the main reason for Prussia becoming such an economically, and later, politically powerful state. It can also be said it brought many states closer together as they were now sharing so much trade. This view is supported by William Carr when he calls the Zollverein “The mighty lever of German Unification”. Others, however, say that although it showed the states the advantage of economic unity this was not enough to create one nation. They point to examples of states like Hessen-Kassel and Hanover who, despite being in the Zollverein with Prussia, still side with Austria when war breaks out between them in 1866. This however, does not mean it was not a major part of the growth of German Nationalism nor that it did not diminish, to some extent, the power of Austria. It is sometimes stated that Austria’s decline began at the Congress of Vienna. Unlike Prussia it gained little from the talks and more crucially, it failed to realise what others had gained. It allowed Prussia, its main rival, to economically supreme. Austria stayed out of the Zollverein which gradually them economically weaker. This is argued to have played a major role later on when Prussia, fighting for a unified Germany, challenged Austria, who were very conservative and against change. Other factors such as Austrian dominance of the German Confederation, set up by Napoleon, caused resentment among other states, slowly isolated Austria. Certain decisions by the Austrian Chancellor, such as the ‘Carlsbad Decrees’ in 1819 banning student movements, also increased the general dislike of Austria. However, many argue that Austrian decline did not play a major part in the growth of nationalism juring the period of 1815-1850 because, as mentioned before, many still sided with her when she fought Prussia. Despite this, it did not stop her for being used as one of the main bases for the growth of cultural nationalism. Cultural nationalism is often referred to as the factor that made nationalism popular. First the Artists, writers and poets such as Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, Fichte and the Grimme brothers based their work on a mythical, heroic, German past. This slowly made people aware of their national identity and giving them something to be proud of. Some argue this did not have as much effect as the great thinkers of the 19th century, such as Ernst Andt and Freidrich Jahn, who openly promoted the idea of one nation based on a common culture and language. All this is generally only considered to have made an impression upon the people because the increase in the literary rate – 30% by 1830. Also the increase urbanisation and long distance is attributed to the spread of these new ideas. The middle classes were the general target audience this movement as they were educated and would hopefully provide money for this new cause. The success of such cultural campaigns is a much debated point. David Blackbourn clearly believes cultural factors were a crucial factor in the progression of nationalism when he states that “Nationalism was the product of the print and communication revolution”. K. Minogue clearly disagrees when he says “National enthusiasm was limited to the intellectual middle classes who were a tiny part of the population”. Although clearly ...