The confederation called the "German Confederation" lasted a little over 50 years. It was an attempt to maintain a compromise between numerous German states.
Prerequisites for Creation
Throughout most of its history, Germany has been divided into many principalities, duchies and kingdoms. This was due to the historical features of the development of these territories. The Holy Roman Empire was created in the 10th century. It united all the German lands, but the various states within it enjoyed autonomy.
Over time, the power of the emperor weakened, and at the beginning of the 19th century, the Napoleonic wars broke out in Europe, which finally showed the inefficiency of the old system. Franz II abdicated in 1806 and became the Austrian ruler. In addition, he owned vast territories in Central Europe: Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia, etc.
To the north of Austria there were a huge number of small states, as well as the kingdom of Prussia, which became the main rival of Austria. After Napoleon was defeated, monarchs from all over the continent met in Vienna in 1814 to discuss the future world order. The German question was one of the key ones, because the Holy Roman Empire de facto no longer existed.
Decision of the Congress of Vienna
By decision of the Vienna Congress on June 8, 1815, the German Confederation was created. It was a confederation - an association of independent states. They all shared a common German identity. The Austrian diplomat Clemens Metternich played a major role in the creation of the confederation.
Borders
The boundaries of the German Union included 39 members. All of them were formally equal, despite the fact that the titles of the rulers differed markedly. The German Union included the Austrian Empire, the kingdoms - Bavaria, Württemberg, Hanover, Prussia, Saxony, as well as many principalities. It also had city republics (Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck and Frankfurt), which throughout the Middle Ages and modern times enjoyed the privileges granted by the Kaiser.
The largest countries - Prussia and Austria, also owned lands that were not de jure part of the German Union. These were the provinces where other peoples lived (Hungarians, Poles, etc.). In addition, the creation of the German Confederation stipulated the special status of German territories located in other states. For example, the British crown also owned the Kingdom of Hanover. The ruling dynasty in London inherited it from relatives.
Political Features
Also, a representative body of the German Union was created - the Federal Assembly. It was attended by representatives of all members of the confederation. Since the assemblymet in Frankfurt, this city was considered the formal capital of the association. The number of representatives of one state depended on its size. Thus, Austria had the largest number of delegates in the assembly. At the same time, the representative body rarely met in full force, and current issues could be resolved by a small number of votes.
The creation of the German Confederation was necessary primarily for small states that wanted to maintain the status quo that existed before Napoleon's invasion. The pan-European war shuffled the borders within Germany. Napoleon created puppet states that did not last long. Now the small principalities and free cities, left without the protection of the supreme authority in the person of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, tried to protect themselves from aggressive neighbors.
The German Confederation of 1815 was distinguished by a great variety of political forms. Some of his states continued to live under autocracy, others had representative bodies, and only a few had their own constitution, limiting the power of the monarch.
Revolutions of 1848
During the existence of the German Union, the industrial revolution and economic recovery began on the territory of all its states. As a result, the position of the proletariat worsened, which was one of the causes of the 1848 revolution. Popular uprisings against the authorities at the same time took place in many other countries, including France. In Austria the revolution was alsonational character - the Hungarians demanded independence. They were defeated only after the troops of the Russian monarch Nicholas I arrived to the rescue of the emperor.
In other German states, the revolution of 1848 led to liberalization. Some countries adopted a constitution.
Austro-Prussian War and dissolution
Over the years, the difference in economic development between the various members of the union only increased. The most powerful countries were Prussia and Austria. It was between them that a dispute broke out - around whom Germany would be united. The German people increasingly wanted to unite into one state, as was the case in all European countries.
The German Union could not contain these contradictions, and in 1866 the Austro-Prussian war broke out. Vienna and Berlin decided to settle their dispute with guns. In addition, Italy took the side of Prussia, which wanted to get Venice, which belonged to Austria, and complete its own unification. The small German states were divided and stood on opposite sides of the barricades.
Prussia won this war thanks to its economic superiority over its rival. The greatest contribution to success was made by the legendary Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who for many years pursued a policy of strengthening his country. The victory of Prussia led to the fact that the German Confederation ceased to be relevant. It dissolved itself on August 23, 1866, a month after the end of the war.
Instead of him, Prussia created the North German Confederation, and in 1871 the Germanempire. It included all German lands, including those reclaimed after the war with France. Austria, however, was left out of these events and became a dual monarchy - Austria-Hungary. Both empires were destroyed after World War I.
