Title: Europe (1815-1848): Germany and Prussia in 1848 | SparkNotes
Headings: Europe (1815-1848)
Europe (1815-1848)
History
Germany and Prussia in 1848
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Prussia
Germany
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Content: The Austrian Empire
Germany and Prussia in 1848
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Germany and Prussia in 1848
Summary Germany and Prussia in 1848
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Summary
Prussia
In Prussia, the old king, Frederick William III, had always been opposed to giving the Prussian people a constitution. Frederick William IV, who was generally as weak and unskilled as his father, similarly feared giving the people a constitution. However, the success of Prussia in the last few decades had been almost entirely due to the skilled group of bureaucrats and administrators serving the government, and all of these administrators were pushing hard for a constitutional monarchy. In March 1848, rioting began in Berlin, as the 1848 revolution fever crossed from Austria into Prussia. Frederick William IV quickly mobilized the disciplined Prussian army to suppress the revolution. However, he surprised everyone by taking a liberal stance and allowing an election to take place to elect a Prussian assembly. The elected radical revolutionaries wanted to unite Prussia with all of Germany to create a force that could challenge Russia. The Assembly also desired to grant the Polish minorities living in eastern Prussia a right of self-government. Deciding that the experiment in democratic government had gone on long enough, Frederick William IV changed his mind and dissolved the Prussian Assembly. Germany
The 1848 revolutions inspired a similar nationalist movement in Germany proper.