The 1848 Revolutions in German-Speaking Europe

Description

In 1848 the continent of Europe was rocked by revolutions: only Great Britain and Russia remained relatively immune to the upheaval. Most spectacularly, the Revolutions swept across the German-speaking lands of central Europe, with the newly-released forces of nationalism and mass popular protest smashing the reactionary Metternich regimes which had held sway since the defeat of Napoleon. The Metternich system was dead: nationalism and national self-determination asserted themselves as the dominant dynamic forces of continental Europe in the later nineteenth century. This impressive history examines the political and social implications of the 1848 Revolutions for the future destiny and shape of Europe as a whole, and explores the wider forces at play in the German lands of nineteenth-century Europe. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Approaches to the German revolutions of 1848/9 Structure of the book Author's acknowledgements and editorial policy 1 German society in transition (1789-1815) The impact of the French Revolution of 1789 Intellectual responses to the French Revolution of 1789 The struggle for supremacy between Austria and Prussia Events in Switzerland and other non-imperial German-speaking territories The emergence of a 'Third Germany' Constitutional and socio-economic reforms Reforms in Prussia and Austria The wars of liberation and the restoration of the old order 2 The 'Holy Alliance' and Vormärz: the demise of the German ancien régime and the preface to the revolutions The German Confederation, a battle-ground for forces of reaction and modernization The period of reaction (1815-30) From reaction to protest: the role of the intelligentsia Religious strife The nationality issue and the formation of political groups Political literature during the Vormärz Social and economic conditions within the Confederation The Swiss civil war 3 The March and April revolutions in the 'Third Germany' The impact of the French February Revolution Observations on the social strata in the 'Third Germany' The rural population Artisans and industrial workers The 1848 uprising in Baden and its impact on other German regions The role of established protest groups Government responses and the establishment of the Pre-Parliament 4 The revolutions in Vienna and Berlin The revolution in Vienna: Social and economic conditions Vienna's March revolution From the May revolution to the September crisis The 'October revolution' and reactionary victory The revolution in Berlin Social and economic conditions in Berlin The 'March revolution' A period of consolidation? A second revolutionary phase? Political clubs and associations The final phase A comparison of the revolutions in Vienna and Berlin 5 The move towards parliamentary democracy Introduction Extra-parliamentary political activities and their interaction with the National Assembly The establishment of the Frankfurt National Assembly The constitutional committees Frankfurt - Vienna - Berlin: three contenders for the nation's capital 6 The Frankfurt National Assembly and international reverberations The establishment of parliamentary business The emergence of political factions within the Assembly The establishment of a central government The drawing up of Basic Rights Schieswig-Hoistein and the issue of a German nation state Conflicting nationality issues An assessment of the National Assembly 7 The revolution in crisis The rejection of the imperial crown by Frederick William IV The campaign for the Imperial Constitution Revolutionary patterns in the summer of 1849 The political leadership and their agenda The foreign involvement The role of the military The revolutionaries' last stand in Baden 8 Forces of reaction, the counter-revolution and the decline of political life Introduction Reactionary policies in Austria and Prussia, a comparison Austrian-Prussian rivalry The position of the 'Third Germany' The bureaucratization of public life The emergence of Realpolitik The 'failure' of liberalism 9 The receptions of the 1848/9 revolutions in the German-speaking countries The first hundred years The revolutions of 1848/9 within the ideological concepts of the GDR Research in the Federal Republic A brief survey of Anglo-American research The reception of the 150th anniversary of the German revolutions Select bibliography General index Index of names