Failure of the German Revolutions

THE FAILURE OF THE GERMAN REVOLUTIONS

KEY QUESTION: Why did the revolutions fail?

• By mid-1849 failure was clear. • The wave of disorder that had swept through

Germany in the spring and summer of 1849 had been put down. In Prussia the liberals were defeated, police powers increased & the role of local government reduced.

RESTORATION OF THE OLD ORDER… • By 1850 it seemed as if the events of the

previous two years had never been; nothing had changed in most of the states.

• The hopes of the revolutionaries had died. By 1849 the forces of reaction were once again in the ascendent.

• The three dynastic empires of Austria, Prussia and Russia continued to dominate central and eastern Europe.

This German cartoon, entitled ‘Panorama of Europe’, appeared in August 1849. Explain the significance of the large figure with a broom

in the centre of the cartoon.

WHY?European

failure

Revolutionary divisions

Rural apathy

Strength of parochialism

Failure of Frankfurt Parliament

Conservative strength

The 1848-49 revolutions were a severe setback for liberalism, but not a total failure.

• At least the remnants of feudalism had been swept away.

• Parliamentary government of a sort had been introduced to Prussia.

• After 1848 virtually all the monarchical regimes in Germany accepted the need to modernise.

• Conservatives also accepted the need to show an interest in the social problems of the lower classes if they were to ensure mass support for their policies and/or regimes.

• Moreover, the revolutions had helped to stir national consciousness across Germany.