The National Movements:

Germany

Section 10. 50

Questions to Consider• Of what significance was the Napoleonic age for

the development of nationalism? What different form did nationalist feelings take?

• Describe the change in German national-mindedness that set in about 1780. How did the ideas emerging in Germany differ from the ideas characteristics of the Enlightenment?

• Discuss the development of nationalist political thought in Napoleonic Germany. In what sense was it “democratic”? What manifestations of German nationalist activities appeared?

• Describe the principal aims of the army reformers in Prussia and the political philosophy and reforms of Baron Stein.

Terms to Know

• Herder• Romanticism• Volksgeist• “Father” Jahn• Germany in Its Deep

Humiliation• Fichte• Addresses to the

German Nation

• Closed Commercial State

• Gneisenau• Baron Stein• Tugendbund

The Resistance to Napoleon: Nationalism• Reasons for resentment

– Army plundering, requisitions– New states required to pay

tribute of men and money– policies dictated by French

representatives– Continental System benefits

French manufacturers– Feel they are being used by

France as tools against England

– People tired of war, rumors of war, conscription, taxes, loss of lives and local liberties

– Began to see Napoleon as megalomaniac

Confederation of the Rhine 1806-1813

Result was a rise in nationalistic feeling• Nationalism developed as a reaction against

internationalism and empire• Internationalism=French culture, Empire

=Napoleon’s autocracy• A mixture of conservative and liberal interests

– insisted on value of their own customs, folkways: conservative

– self-determination, participation in government: liberal

• Nationalistic movements took various shapes• England: powerful unifying force for all classes

against ‘Boney’– Even thou England is experiencing dislocation,

misery or Industrial Revolution

Spain: divisive forceTook form of absolute resistance to FrenchLiberal bourgeoisConservative: clergy and BourbonsDrew greatest strength from counterrevolutionary, restoration of clergy, Bourbons

Italy: begins a conception of unity under Napoleon

Liked Napoleon and had less nationalismLiked efficiency of EnlightenmentNap consolidated peninsula into 3 parts

Movement of Thought in Napoleonic Germany

• Most monumental national movement

• Rebelled against Napoleon and French civilization

– against armies , against the French flavor of the Enlightenment

• German ideas fell in with the romantic movement that was a growing reaction to the dry abstraction of the Enlightenment (classical)

Germany did not exist as a place Germany only existed as a cultureAfter Westphalia, German were least nationally minded of all, had cosmopolitan outlookNot conscious of GermanyBorders, areas of language seemed indefinable (faded into Poland or Alsace)During the Enlightenment the culture of Germany was muted as Europe identified with French cultureUpper classes & Frederick the Great embraced French culture (language, dress, …)

Herder’s Cultural Nationalism• Nationalism set in 1780• Ideas on the Philosophy of the

History of Mankind (1784)• Protestant pastor, theologian, critical

of French• true culture rises from native and

common roots (Volk)• rejected the superficiality of

cosmopolitan upper classes (French)• said it made people superficial,

shallow• a culture needs to express its

Volksgeist (spirit of the people)

Herder

Common people is where national character existedOpposite of Voltaire and the PhilosophesVolt said all people to progress toward same civilizationHerder said each person should develop their own way and avoid distortions by outside influencedidn’t think that German culture was better but differentModern History Sourcebook: Johann Gottfried von Herder: Materials for the Philosophy of the History of Mankind, 1784 (Ideas on the Philosophy of the History of Mankind, 1784)

Romanticism• emphasized genius or intuition

over reason

• feeling over thinking

• stressed differences of mankind over similarities

• rejected the rigid rules of classical literature

• regionalism over universalism

• local law over natural law

• good laws reflected local conditions

German nationalism ferments (1800)• Germans began to feel humiliation at

paternalism of government• rejection of squabbling princes

(disgraced themselves)• rejection of “Frenchified” upper classes• G. embraced the prospect of nationhood• But the task of defining what German

meant was difficult• Father Jahn:

– organized a youth movement– political gymnastics– did calisthenics for the Fatherland,

made fun of aristocrats in French costumes, suspicion of foreigners (Jews, internationalists); i.e., things that might corrupt the purity of the German Volk

Father Jahn

• Germany in its Deep Humiliation (unknown author)– Anti French pamphlet – called on Germans to resist France by force

of arms– called the French army "cannibals" and

"drunks" and personally vilified Napoleon and the King of Bavaria

– Johann Philipp Palm the publisher was executed

• Given mock trial and shot within 24 hours• Tugendbund

– League of Virtue and Manliness• members developed their own German

moral character to pass on

German nationalism ferments (1800)

Fichte and the German National Spirit• J. G. Fichte: a moral, and metaphysical

philosopher, professor at U of Jena• had supported the Rev at first (until French

armies came)• Thought it would emancipate the human

spirit• Even accepted the Terror (Rousseau idea

of “forcing men to be free”)• Closed Commercial state (1800) outlined a

totalitarian system in which the state planned and operated whole economy in isolationist fashion, thus protecting national character

After Napoleon’s invasion Fichte became nationalistic. He wrote Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Address To The German Nation, 1807, in which he said there was an ineradicable German spirit, primordial, to be kept pure at all costs, within each German’s inner moral universe. In short,German spirit is better than others!!!

Reforms in Prussia• Prussia leads the political revolt

against French• Had been humiliated by Nap in 1806

at Jena-Auerstadt• Lost territory, French occupation

(even in Berlin)• But to German nationalist, Prussia

was least compromised by collaboration with French

• Remains of Prussia serve as a beacon for German patriots who streamed there

• East Elbian Prussia had been least German land became center for movement

• Leaders of the rebuilding of Prussia tended to come from outside and were not Prussian

Prussia before Jena/ Auerstadt (1805)

Prussia after its defeat by Napoleon

Military reform• Prussian state’s character is shaped by

the army• But army soldiers had no hope of

promotion, felt no patriotism• need to inspire nationalistic prideBaron Stein:• was imperial knight in HRE and could see

8 different domains from his bridge near castle (Germany was stateless)

• loved Fichte, Kant• fostered the concepts of duty, service,

character, and responsibility

Baron Stein:believed in equality of duty than of rightsoutcome would lead to self-determination and sense of community membership that was lacking under Frederick the Greatgave burghers extensive freedom in cities to governInterchangeable property, self government in the citiesabolition of serfdomgave peasants right to move, migrate, marry, learn trade without Junker permission, freedom of movementstill bound to the lord if they stayed on the manorStrength of the Junkers increases, but condition of the serfs is eased