German Revolution

German Revolution

Causes of the Revolution
Between 1815 and 1848, population growth and urbanization developed in every European country. So 1848 in the German states brought the shifting nature of society to modernisation. It showed the problems of the transition period. Since the mass migration from the country to the towns resulted in a rapidly growing town proletariat, who had given up their home and familiar ties, without at first succeeding in creating new systems and new forms of association .
The German revolutions of March 1848 can be seen to have been sparked by the news of the successful revolution in Paris which led to the overturn of King Louis Phillip. They started in the south-west (Baden) and spread to Berlin and Vienna. Success in one state generated confidence in another and so on. 1848 helped establish the nationalist forces that came to dominate Europe as common liberal ideas.
The Revolution of 1848 was the act of bourgeois liberals. In Germany the bourgeoisie sought to defend the privileges they had acquired under the French Revolution. Also there were two main political aspects to the German revolutions. On the one hand, political freedom and constitutional reform within individual states and on the other the cause of national unity. Initially 1848 saw the dual action of liberals and democrats in the German states. The Gebildeten who played a significant role in leading the liberal cause was made up of men from various backgrounds. So this means that there was a difference within those involved in commerce. There were the small businessmen e.g. innkeepers and the important financiers. On a wider scale there was the economic, social and cultural gap between the Gebildeten and those engaged in commerce. The communal bond between the liberals was formed from their attachment to the existing order and their desire to benefit from a promising but uncertain future. The revolution of 1848 meant that they now had an opportunity to shape the political system of the...