The Frankfurt Assembly wrote a constitution designed to end several principalities in Germany. In 1848, German cities were upset by revolts of people consisting of the middle class, the poor and the students. These three subjects stormed the palace and demanded for a reform. Heinrich von Gagern who was a liberal was elected the president of Germany. The parliament was given the role of debating plans beginning with the most important matters to unify Germany. German states went to war with Denmark over two states which were Schleswig and Holstein. In August 1848 the war was ended by Prussia through their leader Frederick William IV. Emperor Ferdinand turned to conservative advisors to complete the formation of the German constitution. In 1849, the Frankfurt Assembly adopted a constitution for the German parliamentary government. All the principalities in Germany were required to use the same customs and currency. The new constitutions stated that Austria was an addition to the state Germany. Frederick William of Prussia was voted in on March 28 but he refused the offer given to him by the liberal opponents. Prussia rejected the constitution after Frederick William rejected to be the emperor of Germany. The Frankfurt Assembly came to an end because it could not survive after the two rejections. The ministry of Heinrich von Gagern was broken after the various governments were dispersed to their respective states. After the dispersions Frankfurt Assembly was broken and the plan to unify Germany was not carried out (Noble 633).
Major Points of Contention between the Major Factions
The established aristocracy in Germany undermined the plans of the Frankfurt Assembly to unify the smaller Germany and the larger Germany. The delegates were blamed because they were not willing to Unify Germany due to a political victory instead of voting in the national constitution for the benefit of the state. The middle class people feared that they would be absorbed into the lower class which led them to protect the existing power structure. By the time the Frankfurt Assembly was ready to unify Germany, the momentum of the people was gone and they rejected the constitution. The failure of the Assembly had already been sealed before a decision to crown the voted emperor was done. This is the reason why the Prussian king ridiculed the parliament and refused to take the crown that was offered to him. Hopes and unity of the German people remained unfulfilled as the congress did not put their wishes into consideration. Individual states were suppressed so that they could only operate in two powers which were Prussia and Austria (Noble 638).
Reasons why the Frankfurt Assembly chose the smaller Germany
The statesmen of Austria, Russia and Great Britain met with the delegates and representatives of the various German principalities and kingdoms. Their plan was to determine the new territorial and political structure of Germany. Five major powers, these are France, Prussia, Austria, Russia and England relied on a dynastic structural system. The military approved the populist movements bringing them into a holy alliance. The holy alliance system promised mutual support while maintaining the small dynastic structure. The liberal German liberals ensured that the unification of German did not happen making the Frankfurt Assembly chose the smaller Germany. Various solutions were proposed such as granting civil rights to the people and renewal of the old empire. A closer federation was formed so that citizens could participate in the political process. The new established political order gave citizens the freedom to participate in political decision making processes. This ensured that the selected five great powers were at peace and a more liberal constitution would be put in place (Scheck 236). Individuals formed a national association whose work was to push for reforms and unify German. The political unity influenced the elevation of the German past so that it could return to the old German Empire.
The overall significance of the Assembly's failure to come to a swift conclusion for the future development of Germany
The overall significance of the Assembly's failure to come to a swift conclusion for the future development of Germany was that the political life in Germany was revolutionized by the events that occurred in France. Bourbon King Charles V ended the French liberal forces which sent an alarm throughout Europe. The revolutionary forces drove the Russian troops from the United Kingdom and formed an independent liberal constitution. Freedom by political action groups had common goals across a wide area. The patriotic revolution featured opposition supporters to form a unified Germany. The demonstration of these supporters expressed their liberal sentiments which expanded new measures of the German Confederation. A close surveillance of the revolutionaries varied greatly before a petition was signed. A consequence of this crisis was that the liberal and national movements became intertwined. The Frankfurt assembly was certain that the new Germany would be established successfully after the revolution had fizzled out. The Roman Empire never recovered from the effect of the war. The German states still featured with the productivity of Great Britain and France. The economic, political and social reforms that were established in Prussia brought the need for Germany to reinvent itself so that it could bring productive changes in the future.
Suppression of the various liberal-democratic movements after the wars of liberation against Napoleon (1815) as precursors of the failed 1848 revolution
In 1812 to 1813, the French troops which were operating under Napoleon were forced to concede defeat from Russia. The Prussian patriots who were the opponents of Napoleon it was time to declare war against the French invader. The Prussian king Fredrick William III encouraged his people to rise up and fight for freedom from the French invaders. Prussia organized a military in the hope that Germany would be unified to create a national identity in the Prussian monarchy. Many people such as students, military officers and civil servants saw the unification of German as the first step to create unity in Germany. The war of the congress of Vienna and the war of liberation gave an opportunity to the German states to participate in the political debate. Napoleon was defeated in the year 1813. The French emperor gave a new European order which promised the citizens stability and peace. The final defeat of Napoleon marked the end of intoxication in Germany as the young people became more sensible. Europe dynasty was restored giving priority to the interests of the German youth. Monarchical leaders formed an ancient regime which was the traditional self-government of the aristocracy (Wawro 155).
Work cited
Noble, Thomas F. X. Western civilization: beyond boundaries. 5th Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008. Print.
Scheck, Raffael. Germany, 1871-1945: a concise history. Oxford: Berg Editorial Offices, 2008.
Print.
Wawro, Geoffrey. The Franco-Prussian War: the German conquest of France in 1870-1871.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print.
