How Far Had Nationalism Grown by 1850?

Set the Scene:
Between 1815 and 1848 nationalism in Germany had began to grow and spread throughout the 39 states. This was due to new ideas of unity and liberty which had brought to light following events such as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. Citizens of the German states saw the French people's success in overthrowing their monarchy as an example of what can be achieved by cooperation.

Intro/Conclusion Factors:
Arguably the most important factor in... was Economic Progress which, through the creation of the Zollverein (excluding anti-nationalist Austria), highlighted to citizens that economic cooperation brought great benefits to all involved. The Zollverein also saw the expansion of the German Railway network, expelling isolation between states which allowed the spreading of ideas more freely and easily.

Secondly, and equally important - though less important than Economic Progress - was Cultural Progress and Political Progress. The Romantic Movement saw nationalist ideas spread through the German states through the work of famous poets, writers, and musicians and the German citiziens also shared common culture, traditions and history which inspired many to aim towards unity. Language was also a great unifying force as 25million citizens were culturally tied by the same language. Many citizens of the German states helped defend the Rhineland in 1840 showing they were united against the common enemy and the 1848 revolutions proved that people were beginning to demand change. Also, the Frankfurt Parliament was established in order to draw up a constitution for a unified Germany.

A factor of less importance to.... was Cultural Limitations. The majority of German citizens were in fact illiterate and thus unable to access the works of the Romantic movement and the movement was mainly for the middle class - the working class and peasants had other priorities.

Arguably the last significant factor in... was Political Limitations. The Bund succeeded in keeping political progress to a minimum and the leaders of the 39 states were selfish and wished to keep their own powers, thus opposing the Frankfurt Parliament. The Frankfurt Parliament failed and no agreement had been reached on whether or not a United Germany would be with or without Austria.

	Created by Julia falconer over 9 years ago

higher history Note on How Far had Nationalism grown by 1850? Essay Factors Intro/conclusion, created by Julia falconer on 15/04/2015.