"In The Thirty Years After 1815 There Were Some Factors Which Were Favourable To German Nationalism And The Unification Of Germany, But Far More Which Were Unfavourable" ---Discuss
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"In The Thirty Years After 1815 There Were Some Factors Which Were Favourable To German Nationalism And The Unification Of Germany, But Far More Which Were Unfavourable" ---Discuss
History Essay 1
"In the thirty years after 1815 there were some factors which were favourable to German Nationalism and the unification of Germany, but far more which were unfavourable" ---DISCUSS
To determine the accuracy of this statement we must study and compare the number and importance of reasons favourable to German Nationalism and unification (The belief that a people with a shared language, culture and history should have the right to rule themselves) with those reasons which were clearly unfavourable.
During and after the Napoleonic wars Germans quickly became aware of the cultural similarities between the states in the confederation . Their shared language and the development of the arts in the 18th century meant that Germans could read their own literature like the popular Grimm brothers' books of German folktales. They could also learn about their own heroic history by reading this way. The unique music of famous composers like Bach, Mozart and Beethoven also encouraged nationalist ideas.
Some Germans argued for the unification of Germany because it was clear after Napoleon's easy domination of the German states that individually they were weak against invasion. It was felt that a unified Germany would ensure this would not happen again. When Napoleon ruled over the German states they were united with a common enemy and as A.J.P Taylor said, "French intervention in Germany stirred into patriotism the natural resentment against the interference of foreigners" , and the part they played in driving the French out drew the Germans even closer together. Finally, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, the number of states in the Bund were considerably reduced which would make it even easier to unify and also let Germans from different states discover their common identity.
There were also political reasons that encouraged German Nationalism and unification. For...
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