The Growth of Nationalist Feeling 1815 1850

1
The Growth of Nationalist Feeling 1815 -1850

• The Zollverein

2
Aims

• To Identify
• The key terms associated with the Zollverein.
• Prussias role in establishing the Zollverein.
• How the Zollverein encouraged a growth in
  nationalist feeling.

3
The Unification of Germany

• This is a map of the German Confederation, which
  was established in 1815 and survived until 1867.

4
Key Words

• Trade
• The buying and selling of goods and
• services.
• Imports
• Goods which are brought in from another
• country.
• Exports
• Goods which are sold to another country
• Customs Duties/Tariffs
• Taxes on goods entering a country

5
Economic Nationalism

• Industrialisation was gaining pace in Germany.
  Businessmen wanted to increase the markets
  available for their goods to maximise profits.
• Most existing trade was between the 39 states but
  developing this and the wealth and economies of
  the states was hampered by tariff barriers.
• In 1818 Prussia, the largest and most powerful
  German state, scrapped its trade tariffs between
  its own territories.
• A low rate of tax would be charged on goods which
  were being imported to be sold in Prussia.

6
Economic Nationalism

• A high rate would be charged on good passing
  through to other territories. As Prussia
  dominated northern Germany and controlled the
  great rivers of the Elbe and Rhine, this would be
  very inconvenient to the others states.
• First some of the smaller states joined the
  Prussian Customs Union.
• By 1836, 25 other German states had joined this
  economic alliance which became known as the
  Zollverein.

7
Economic Nationalism

• Prussia developed its road and rail networks to
  maximise trade opportunities. This economic
  co-operation was so successful it made people
  think of political union
• Prussian weights and measure were adopted by all
  the German states and Prussian officials
  administered the union.
• Austria refused to join the Zollverein. She
  tried but failed to set up a rival union.
• The historian William Carr called the Zollverein
  the mighty lever of German unification.

8
A Final Opinion

• Carr also points out that the German states had
• voluntarily restricted their sovereignty in the
  common interestThis was the first step towards a
  wider political union
• The Zollverein drew the states together and
  stimulated their economic growth while at the
  same time establishing Prussia as the economic
  leader of the German states. Was the next step
  political union?