The obstacles in the way of German unification.
The obstacles in the way of German unification.
In 1648, Germany was divided into about two hundred small parts through the Treaty of Westphalia. Then during Napoleon's time, he divided the multi-ethnic Germany into 39 provinces. But at this time, the unity of Germany was not possible due to the dominance of Austria, Metternich's conservative policy, etc. The main obstacles in the way of establishing German unity were as follows.
1. Vienna Conference:-
In the Vienna Conference, Germany was divided into the previous 39 provinces determined by Napoleon. But since the independence of each German state remained, it was not possible to establish the overall unity of Germany. Although the independence of the 39 German provinces remained, Austria continued to dominate each province. In addition, the authority of the Bund was maintained over the German provinces. Therefore, it can be said that the Vienna Conference was indirectly the main obstacle to the establishment of German unity.
2. The dominance of Austria: -
Metternich considered a united Germany dangerous for Austria and the whole of Europe. Since the dominance of Austria was established in the whole of Europe after the Vienna Conference, Metternich's repressive policies were another obstacle to the establishment of German unity. The idea of a united Germany was an infamous object for Metternich.
3. Lack of political progress: -
Since the independence of the many divided German states was maintained, each German province considered itself independent. Also, at that time, the Germans were more busy with the economy, agriculture, industry, trade, etc., instead of establishing political unity. Politicians and German leaders were more enthusiastic in criticizing the Vienna Conference instead of establishing German unity.
4. Ideological differences: -
The ideological conflict among the nationalist leaders of Germany was a major obstacle to the establishment of German unity. Some wanted to build a German empire under the Stein Habsburg monarchy; some wanted to establish German unity under Prussia. Some were in favor of establishing a democratic German state. Karl Marx said about such ideological differences of the German leaders - Thus German unity was in itself a question big with disunion and discord. .
5. Provincialism and separatism: -
Although there was no linguistic and ethnic difference between the German states, regionalism and provincialism were strongly maintained among them. Especially the strong regionalism of the provinces like Bavaria, Saxony, etc. resisted the dream of German unity. They were more enthusiastic about their own independence than a unified German state.
6. Religious differences: -
Protestant doctrine was prevalent in the northern part of the entire German states and Catholic doctrine was prevalent in the southern part. The conflict between these two ideologies was strong. Therefore, religious differences cannot be denied as an obstacle to the unification of Germany.
7. Foreign influence: -
Although Austria and Prussia were included in the German Confederation, since many other ethnic groups existed in both provinces besides Germans, Austria and Prussia refused to be part of a German nation-state. In addition, the non-German dominance was strong in the Federal Diet. In addition, Denmark continued to dominate the Holstein province within the German Confederation. All these foreign issues stood as obstacles in the way of German unification.
8. Weaknesses of the Diet: -
Due to mutual jealousy and rivalry among the various provinces of Germany, it was not possible for the Diet to work in unity. Due to this intense competition, the Diet could not reach a comprehensive decision. As a result, Metternich took advantage of this weakness of the Diet and established his dominance over the entire German state.
9. Failure of liberal movements: -
Although some liberal and progressive movements started in Germany, they were not enough to establish the unity of Germany. Philosophers such as Goethe and Schiller stimulated German nationalism. In addition, the ideological influence of the French Revolution especially encouraged German nationalists. But there were also mutual conflicts among the nationalists. Some wanted to establish democratic ideals under the monarchy; while others spoke for the unity of the whole of Germany.
10. Carlsbad Decree: -
Metternich was determined to prevent the spread of all kinds of progressive and liberal ideas arising from the French Revolution in Germany. Because Metternich knew very well that if national unity was established in Germany, Austria's dominance would be destroyed. Therefore, Metternich introduced many reactionary policies - one of which was the Carlsbad Decree. Through this directive, liberal ideas were stifled in all educational institutions. Freedom of the press was also taken away.
11. Failure of the Frankfurt Parliament:-
The Frankfurt Parliament was formed in 1848 with the aim of unifying Germany with 586 German representatives. The following year, according to the decision of the Frankfurt Parliament, the Prussian King Frederick William IV was offered the power to rule Germany. But Frederick William refused. In fact, the Frankfurt Parliament did not reflect the will of the people. Because there were no representatives of the peasants, workers, etc. classes in it and there were disagreements between the representatives of different states.
Therefore, both internal and external obstacles strongly resisted the idea of a unified German state. As a result, pan-Germanism was disrupted. However, after the February Revolution, the situation changed and Bismarck rose to power in Germany. Under Bismarck's leadership, Germany was unified through only three wars (the war against Denmark, the war against Austria and the war against France).
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