Why did the ideal of liberal nationalism fail in 19th century Germany Essay Example

Why did the ideal of liberal nationalism fail in 19th century Germany? Paper Despite all these successes the liberal nationalist ideal failed. Ultimately this was due to the militaristic conservatives had no interest in it; they were concerned with Weltpolitik (expansion of the empire). However on the path from the liberal heyday of the 1840s to the outbreak of the Great War the liberal cause was struck numerous blows. In 1840 one can see the first sign of the militaristic tendencies of the Germans by the Watch on the Rhine. This defensive fear and hostility to the other would ultimately cause the downfall of the liberal nationalists. In 1848 seemingly their strongest year due to the revolutions around Germany there was still a downside; their unsuccessful attempt to permanently alter the system of government and implement the policies listed in the second paragraph they showed that they could not overcome the ruling order without added help (either from Prussia or from a foreign power). These revolutions showed that the liberals would never receive this help for the other European powers wanted Germany to remain a power vacuum because its attributes (population growth, industrialised economy and positioning) made the Germans a threat to the balance of power. We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the ideal of liberal nationalism fail in 19th century Germany? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the ideal of liberal nationalism fail in 19th century Germany? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the ideal of liberal nationalism fail in 19th century Germany? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer From this point on the liberal nationalists stood for an appealing idea but one which was ineffective, I believe that they realised this disturbing fact and from this point on sought to compromise and attempt to influence the system in whatever way possible. This point is backed up by the signing of the Indemnity Bill in 1866 which was seen as a submission to the autocracy and as the liberals selling their souls to Bismarck but with hindsight it was the only solution at the time. The liberal nationalists would have realised that if you cant beat them, join them (or the equivalent German phrase). By signing this bill they were able to influence parts of the constitution that Bismarck made in 1871; some say that this constitution stunted liberalism but in many ways it was better to have parts of their ideal recognised than none of it (which would have happened had they persisted with their 1848 style). However their thought that this compromise should bring parts of liberalism (now on its own because nationalism was recognised by the formation of the Reich) to the nation was wrong. Over the next thirty years liberal policies were thrown to the wind; 1873s economic depression meant the end of free trade, 1878 meant the end of Wilhelm and the accession of a new militaristic Kaiser who would throughout the 1890s grew to dominate the political scene. From 1878 onwards there was no one in power who owed anything to the liberals or could gain anything by allying with them which meant that liberal policies were forgotten. It, in the form of an opposition to the government was replaced by socialism. Liberal nationalism did not die in the 20th century; the creation of the Weimar Republic showed that however it had no place in Germanys long term future. The liberals condemned themselves to this pitiful fate by not uniting in 1848 and although they had little choice in 1866, the acceptance of Bismarcks regime meant that their demise was unavoidable. The liberals could not be blamed for not realising that German nationalism would become increasingly aggressive although they did (via their liberal economic policies) put Prussia in a position of sufficient prosperity to be able to dominate the nation and allow them to drive Germany into the Great War.