-
the holy roman empire
This was the first German Empire who got the first idea of unification, by invading and unification the rhineland -
Frederick William III
Frederick William III was the king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840, in which he ruled during the difficult times of the Napoleonic Wars to the end of the Old German Empire. He was the king during the establishment of the Congress of Vienna in 1815. He's significant because he was King during the Prussian Reforms, in which he promised a liberal constitution, in which he broke that promise in 1813. -
Hardenberg
Hardenberg was a Prussian Statesman and Administrator who worked to preserve the integrity of the Prussian State during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardenberg was significant in that he helped with reforms from 1807-1812, and was famous for his financial, economic, and agricultural policies. -
Metternich
Metternich was an Austrian Statesman and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1809-1848, and was perhaps the most important diplomat of his era. Metternich was significant in that he established the repressive Karlsbad Decrees, was a major figure of the Congress of Vienna, and was a major figure in the development of diplomacy for Austria. -
German Confederation
AKA, the "Deutscher Bund", was established in place of the Holy Roman Empire. This confederation was made up of 38 states, 34 monarchies and 4 free cities. This confederation's boundaries were the same as the Holy Roman Empire, but did not correspond with the ethic/cultural populations of Germany. It's significant because it was not just a federal state itself, but rather a loose federation of states that had no common head of state, legal system, or common citizenship. -
Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815
The Congress of Vienna, which was established from 1814-1815, was a conference of ambassadors chaired by Metternich. The goal was to resize the main powers so they could balance each other off and remain at peace. The significance of this was that the Congress of Vienna was the new settlement of Europe that replaced the 1648 Peace of Westphalia and inaugurated a very different period in German history. -
Burschenschaften
A student group in which the first one formed in Jena, and was founded in 1815 and lasted until 1819. This group was a liberal group who brought the ideas of Nationalism, Liberalism, and wanted freedom of speech and unification of Germany. This group is significant because it's involvement with the murder of Kotzebue, it was a precursor to the repressive Karlsbad Decrees, in which was established by Metternich in 1819. -
Karlsbad Decrees
The Karlsbad Decrees were a series of resolutions issued by Metternich that disbanded the Burschenschaften, and implemented repressive reforms and censorships. This is significant because it they were politically repressive and enforced varying severity in German states, and it was aimed at repressing revolutionary activities, including at universities. -
Six Articles, June 1832
The Six Articles was the reviving of the Karlsbad decrees, following the Hambacher Festival in May of 1832. Revived by Metternich, the Six Articles added forbade popular political meetings and associations. This is significant because the Six Articles implemented more repressive measures. -
Zollverein, 1 January 1834
On January 1, 1834, the Zollverein was formed, which was influenced by the German Customers Union, which comprised of 18 states, and in which Austria remained outside of this. The significance of this was that the Zollverein formed the Kleindeutscherlesung, which is what Germany looks like today. The Zollverein was also the groundwork for the unification of Germany under Prussian Dominance. -
Francis II
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor before it's dissolution after the disastrous defeat by Napoleon. Francis II was also the founder of the Austrian Empire and then became Francis I, the first emperor of Austria. He's significant because he founded the Austrian Empire, was the first Austrian Emperor, and also played a major role in the Congress of Vienna to create a new European map. -
Ludwigsbahn, December 1835
The Ludwigsbahn was the first steam-hauled railway that opened in Germany in December of 1835. The significance of the Ludwigsbahn was that it was the first steam-hauled raiway built, it opened up traffic between Nuremberg and Furth, and was the start to building more railways in Germany. -
Friedrich List
List was the leading German-American economist in the 19th century who developed the National System and was also the forefather of the German historical school of Economics. List is significant because he is credited with influencing national socialism in Germany and devised policies to promote the development of Germany. -
Frederick William IV
A romanticist, was the king of Prussia from 1840-1861, whose conservative policies helped spark the revolution of 1848. After acceding to the throne, Frederick William IV promised a liberal constitution, but in October 1848, he crushed the opposition and dissolved the Frankfurt Assembly, then created a conservative constitution. He's significant because he had first acceded to the Liberal revolutionary demands, but then crushed them. -
Unification
This is when officially germany got unified -
Hegel
Hegel was an Idealist German Philosopher during the late 18th century, early 19th century. He believed that the people of Germany would eventually unite, called the German Collectivism, and that the government knows what's best for it's people. He's significant because he was thought to be the epitome of German Idealism Philosophy, and his ideas helped pave the way for German Unification.
