Growth Of German Nationalism Flashcards
Introduction
Before 1815, there were over 400 unorganised and unconnected German states. These pieces of land differed greatly in size and power – from the industrial Kingdom of Prussia to the relatively tiny Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The individual states were ruled by princes and nobles, but the majority of the people who lived there were peasants. They farmed the land but ultimately, the upper class held the centralised wealth of the states.
Overall, the most important factor in the growthc of German nationalism was not cultural factors, it was economic factors.
Other factors to be considered are the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, the role of Liberals and military weaknesses.
Economic Factors: KU
In the 18th and 19th century, Germany experienced a surge of industrialisation - this saw jobs that were previously done by one skilled tradesman be compartmentalised into many small, unskilled tasks with much of the work being completed by machinery.
The coal and iron industries in Germany developed significantly with the German states producing 72 million tonnes of coal every year by 1850. With the new wealth came the development of rail both through and between the German states. Rail was crucial for the development of the newly industrialised goods. This influenced Prussia to create the Zollverein, a customs union, to easily transport goods without having to pay tarrifs.
Economic Factors: A
Many Germans grasped that unification was essential for Germany to compete with other countries such as the U.S and England. They realised they would benefit greatly from Germanys prosperity on the world stage and therefore supported German nationalism.
Economic Factors: A+
However, many smaller states were weary of joining the Zollverein as they didn’t want to lose all their power to the powerful Prussia. Some states even created their own customs union but they eventually failed. Therefore, many Germans didn’t experience the benefits of integration of the German states.
Economic Factors: Ev
In evaluation, it has clearly been argued that economic factors were the most important factor in the growth of German nationalism. Rail was crucial for the transportation of the newly industrialised goods but also the transportation of Germans to neighbouring towns and cities. By 1850, over 3000 miles of railway was built throughout the German states. This meant that they were no longer isolated in their respective states - they were able communicate and realise the common language and heritage that laid the foundation for German nationalism. This wasn’t possible before the formation of railways as there were very limited ways for people to communicate with people from different states before railways. Therefore, many Germans weren’t aware of their commonality.
Cultural Factors: KU
The romantic movement saw the resurgence of traditional German folklore, figures of the time – such as Johann Gotfied Herder – stressed the bones of a society was its folklore and tradition. They believed it was important to preserve these stories, songs, and myths, for example, Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel.
Another cornerstone of the romantic movement was the indulgent celebration of classical music from composers such as Beethoven. The music was primarily enjoyed by the upper class, but some made references that transcended the class divides of German society; in Beethoven’s pastoral symphony he referenced the German peasants during harvest season.
Cultural Factors: A
Cultural factors were important in the growth of German nationalism as it helped to realise people from different states realise their similarities were much greater than their differences. This meant that people felt more united under the umbrella of German culture and so wanted their country to represent this by being united.
Cultural Factors: A+
However, some aspects of the romantic movement were not accessible for the majority of Germans. Peasants wouldn’t have afforded to go to theatres to listen to Germany’s composers. Therefore, they didn’t feel any pride for the artists of Germany, not fostering a sense of German identity.
Cultural Factors: Ev
In evaluation, it has clearly been argued that cultural factors were important but economic factors were more important in the growth of German nationalism 1815 – 1850. Economic factors were more important because the growth of factory work gave rise to urbanisation; people moving from the country to the city. This meant that people were living in much closer proximity which allowed the promotion of nationalistic ideas to spread much faster than when Germans were relatively isolated from each other.
However, cultural factors were also important as the common language between all Germans of all states allowed these nationalistic ideas and folklore stories to be spread amongst Germans without being translated and potentially losing their meaning. The understanding of these stories in the German language was crucial to the formation of a German identity – it provided what was needed to distinguish Germans from other Europeans.
Ultimately, cultural factors were less important as even though many poorer Germans supported German nationalism, they were often far too focused on their work to concern themselves with nationalist movements. Therefore, their belief in the movement didn’t directly translate to actions growing German nationalism.
French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars: KU
After the French Revolution German thinkers, such as Kant, were fascinated by the enlightenment ideals of revolution. It rejected monarchy and placed great importance on individuality, liberty, and democracy – this was acute opposition of the systems in place in European countries like Germany. The revolution encouraged a questioning of the status quo.
The Napoleanic wars brought the German stares closer to unification by greatly reducing the number of German states from over 400 to 38, Napolean also made it that the remaining states were governed under the same systems. The French Revolution and Napoleanic wars brought the Germans closer to unification by the vast reorganisation of the German states. Many argued the decentralised power in the individual states allowed Napolean to easily conquer them.
French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars: A
This grew German nationalism as people thought that Germany would be more powerful as one and therefore supported German nationalism.
French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars: A+
However, the ideas of the mobilisation of the German peasants, like the French, scared many upper class, Germans. They feared they too would be banished or worse at the hands of a united Germany.
Role of Liberals: KU
The burschenscaften was a collection of student associations that emerged in the late 19th century. The members spanned all across the German states. They aimed to organise a national identity among the states. They often held meetings to raise awareness and share ideas of German nationalism. When members graduated, they went onto jobs in highly influential spheres like politics and law where they continued to spread their ideas of a United Germany.
The Hambacherfest saw thousands of people unifying in a shared national identity. Hambacher castle signified German resistance to foreign interference.
Role of Liberals: A
The role of liberals was important in the growth of German nationalism as the Burschenscaften raised awareness and shared ideas of German nationalism in middle and upper-class circles that were capable of making changes towards German nationalism. This meant that it was possible for practical changes that would bring the German states closer to unification to happen – encouraging nationalism as people felt the benefits of it.
Role of Liberals: A+
However, the more liberal upper-class members were vastly outnumbered by the traditional, conservative upper-class members. Furthermore, the activities of Burschenscaften were greatly restricted in many German states by the conservative leaders. Therefore, the full effects of the group were not felt for many Germans.
