The source under debate consists of a section from a letter written by František Palacký in response to an invitation by the Vorparlament (pre parliament) to discuss the national constitution of assembly. The letter itself had been written on the 11th of April 1848, in the midst of the European revolutions. The debate surrounding Palacký’s response was mainly concerned with the formation of nation states. Specifically, whether or not Austria should or would form a political alliance with Germany. Would Germany remain small with a Prussian leadership or become larger by the unification with Austria. In fact the purpose of the initial invitation was to gain the support the Czechs in order to build a superior nation state. During this period the Austrian Empire saw a variety of diverse ethnicities, some of which held a dominating majority, such as Germany. The Czechs at this time were also a predominant ethnic group and had been encouraged to hold a sense of pride in relation to their language and literature almost as a means of separating them from Germans, a reminder of sorts of their heritage and refusal of ‘German manners and regimen’. Considering that the Czechs did not feel united or well in corporate with the Germans, Palacký’s refusal to join the constitution is not unexpected. In fact Palacký highlights toward the beginning of the letter that he was not ‘a German- at least I do not feel myself to be one’ and therefore should not be included with the proceedings, his lack of German heritage made him irrelevant to the situation. Palacký does, however, include reasons as to why Austria and Germany should merge together as well as suggesting how they should go about doing so. He states that it makes sense for Germany to ... ... middle of paper ... ...tuation in 1848 and to the Czechs. While it may not have held much importance in relation to the potentiality of the Austro-German unification, it became the one of the most key political statements that that led to the development of national Czech politics. Works Cited Encyclopaedia Britannica, Frankfurt National Assembly, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/217271/Frankfurt-National-Assembly F. Palacky to the Committee of Fifty, Frankfurt – on – Main, 11th April 1848 The age of sage, Germany and the Revolution of 1848, http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/history/1848/german_revolution.html Books Open Edition, Letter to Frankfurt, 11th April 1848, http://books.openedition.org/ceup/2345 Discourse of Collective Identity in central and Southeast Europe (1770-1945), ed. by Balázs Trencsényi and Michal Kopeček (Hungary: Central European University Press, 2007)
Even prior to the Austro-Prussian War, there were divisions between the two states. Though they were allies for many years due to the German population that existed in both, they began to both grasp for power within the German states. One example of this power struggle occurred in the Zollverein, an economic association that Prussia led. Prussia did not want Austria to be part of this economic group and thus “blocked Austrian entry into the Zollverein.” In 1849-1850 the states were even on the brink of war. Prussia attempted to create a German union, with itself at the forefront, but Austria “called the Prussian bluff by adopting a belligerent posture.” As a result, Prussia lost what power it had accumulated in the maneuver when it signed the Olmutz Convention, which “re-established the old German Confederation.” Two wars were also influential on the conflict between Austria and Prussia. In the Cri...
Czechoslovakia previously owned Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia wasn't invited to this agreement) so they were furious and protested about the loss of their owned country. They felt secluded by both Britain and France (who they had been alliances with). Nevertheless, this agreement had been viewed as an accomplishment rather than a negative action. People were pleased because it was an outstanding example of having peace through negotiation rather than a war.
Wolfsgrüber, Cölestin. “The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 18 December 2011
3E. Peshine Smith, A Manual of Political Economy, Henry Carey Baird, Philadelphia, 1872, p. 16.
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary led to the July Crisis. A crisis in which, Austria sent an Ultimatum to Serbia, with requirement to be followed. Serbia accepted most but not all of Austria’s demands. Serbia’s decline of the Ultimatum led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on the Serbs. Another key event in the July Crisis was Austria-Hungary sending a “blank cheque” to Germany. This cheque meant to ask if Germany would help Austria-Hungary if they went to war. Germany agreed to the “blank cheque”. As Austria-Hungary went to war against Serbia; Serbia had alliances with France, Russia, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire to join the war on their side. Germany knowing that Russia was mobilizing its army, Kaiser Wilhelm II, sent a letter to Russia’s leader. Tsar Nicholas II ignored the letter and kept on mobilizing its army. Therefore, Germany put forth the Schlieffen plan, written in 1904 by Alfred von Schlieffen. This plan’s principle was getting German troops through Belgium and then the troops into France....
According to Document 4,In 1938 Britain, France, and Italy met with Hitler to discuss his demand for the Sudetenland. Hitler got what he wanted from this meeting, because of appeasement. Europe was happy with this because it avoided war. This did not benefit the Czechs at all though. For some reason, Chamberlain favored Appeasement.
Marx, Karl. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. 1869. Nineteenth Century Europe: Liberalism and Its Critics. Eds. Jan Goldstein and John W. Boyer.
...ion of the Right of Man and the Citizen”, Republic of France, 26 August 1789
German history is seen as a ‘painful issue for thousands of Germans and other Europeans’ . However it has interested many historians over the years into inquiring how and why Hitler came to power and how much of this was to do with the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany. To fully ascertain to what extent these events have in common and what reasons led to the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazis, each have to be looked at individually. Also it seems beneficial, to be able to evaluate these in the relevant context, to look at the situation in Germany was in prior to 1920.
The first crucial step in the triggering of the Great War can be looked at with respect to the German vow to support the Austrian position on Serbia. According to historian John G. Stoessinger, news of the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie's death deeply shook Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had a genuine fondness of the Archduke. For this, "he [Kaiser Wilhelm II] took the fateful step of assuring Austria that she could count on Germany's `faithful support' even if the punitive action she was planning to take against Serbia would bring her into conflict with Russia. In other words, the Kaiser issued Austria-Hungary a blank check" (Stoessinger 3). This decision of the Kaiser, as Stoessinger argues, was guided by his morals and friendship toward the Archduke and "under any circumstances demonstrated an extraordinary confusion of personal ethics and political judgment," and thus, it is untrue, "as many historians have stated, that the Kaiser wanted war" (Stoessinger 4). Contrastingly, the German historian Fritz Fischer argues that official papers give proof that German lea...
The Treaty of St Germain, signed in 1919 between the Allies and Austria, aimed for the recognition of the split of the Austria-Hungarian Empire into the two separate republics Austria and Hungary. The Allies felt that Austria was, to a certain extent, responsible for the war. As such, Austria was made to take certain responsibility for war damage and was ordered to pay reparations in goods and services. The treaty also involved major reshuffling of Austrian territory such as the loss of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (contributing to the formation of Southern Slav kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamed Yugoslavia). Austria also lost the territories Galicia, South Tyrol, Istria amongst many others. This redistribution of territories led to Austria’s loss of almost all its industrially rich regions and about 15 million of its population. This huge debt to pay for war damage, accompanied by its inability to pay due to t...
Meanwhile, Fuhrer Hitler and the Nazi party were continuing their domination of Europe and threatening to invade Czechoslovakia, which many felt would most likely incite another World War. To prevent this, England, France, Italy and Germany entered into an agreement, which would allow Germany to seize control of Sudetenland and is today known as the ‘Munich Pact’. Sudetenland had a large German population and its borders were in strategically strong areas for the German military. For negotiations to be successful there are many components that one must be aware of such as personalities of all parties, end goals of each person and the history of the country. England led the process with an appeasement policy as an attempt to mollify Hitler and the Nazi party and prevent war, which this pact did not.
Kuzio, T. (2001). Historiography and National Identity among the Eastern Slavs: Towards a New Framework. National Identities, 3(2), 109-132
The growth of the European super powers during the 19th century consisted of the great powers vying for territorial attainments, developing their international influence, and ensuring positive domestic attitudes of their diplomatic actions. Attempting to cement their hegemony of international politics, the Prussian Empire sought to create an ethnically and politically unified German state to rebuff the prominence granted to Austria at the Congress of Vienna. Through the machinations of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and his determination to unite the German lands through “blood and iron”, Germany quickly rose to become the epicenter of European politics and forever changed the geopolitical landscape of Europe. In examining the unification of Germany and its implications for the international system, this paper will explore the prehistory of the unification, significant diplomatic successes and failures during the bolstering of Germany’s power, and the change in the power structure of Germany that ultimately changed the military landscape of the international system and became the precursor for World War I.
Also a strong influence on Austria is its previous 50 year involvement in the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867-1918. During this time, Austria already had a strong alliance with Germany, and Austria infrequently held power over the German states during this time period. During a treaty made by the emperor at the time, Austria was lumped with Hungary as one state, binding the countries together. The people of the Empire were not consulted for this act, nor were they generally happy with it. However, throughout the remaining years of the Empire, the countries exchanged influences throughout each others cultures. As the countries melted together, their political distinctions soon began to disappear and this area was often referred to simply as Austria by the end of the Empires existence (The Editors). This German and Hungarian influence can be found in most regions of Austria and its cuisine to this day...