Part 3: The Spring of Nations
After the war with Denmark, Prussia, while trying to maintain its dominant position in Germany, had to deal with increasing internal problems. Indeed, ever since the battle of Waterloo in 1815, there was a developing rift developing in Prussia between the conservative Junkers and the growing Liberal movements. Indeed, while the Liberals in Germany wanted a united, federal Germany under a democratic constitution, the conservatives, sought to maintain Germany as a patchwork of independent, monarchical states, with Prussia and Austria competing for influence. With the liberal movement (and unrest) growing every day, the King’s government starting suffering increasing pressures from them. Robert Blum, a prominent leader of the Liberal movement in Germany, travelled to Berlin in 1844 in order to support the Liberal cause. For the next 3 years, Blum would write a series of liberal poems, articles and books, denouncing the monarchy and the Prussian system of government, arguing that any leader, even a king, had to be accountable to the people and their wishes. While most of his writings were censored, some of his articles managed to slip by censors, and inflame German public opinion. The tensions in Prussia were palpable and were being felt at every level of society. On March 4th 1846, two drunken soldiers from the 1st (Emperor Alexander) Guards Grenadiers started fighting in a Berlin brothel, killing a prostitute and injuring another. When the case was heard before a military court, the soldiers were given token sentences. This infuriated the public, and rioters took to the streets en masse. Violence erupted as the protesters clashed with police. Finally, the reserve was sent to contain the riots. After attempts to calm the crowd met with failure, the officer in charge, Heinrich Eichhorn, was forced to order his troops to open fire into the crowd. On that day, 4 people lost their lives and 9 more were wounded. While the army’s heavy handed response did successfully quell the riots, resentment toward the King and his government continued to grow. For the next 2 years, unrest boiled under the surface, waiting to erupt again. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, liberal unrest had been growing quickly in the country. When William II refused to grant the country a constitution in 1848, the Dutch took to the streets. The flames of revolution quickly spread throughout the country. With the Royal Palace surrounded and most of the country no longer under his control (most of the army having defected to the rebels), William II was forced to abdicate. The rebels placed his reluctant brother on the throne and forced him to sign a new constitution severely limiting the monarchy’s power. While William III would try throughout his reign to restore the powers of the Monarchy, he would remain very much a figurehead more than an actual ruler. The Dutch rebellion inspired the Liberals in Prussia to revolt once again against the Monarchy, starting a wave of rebellions all across Europe in what would be known as the Spring of Nations (or Springtime of Peoples). In Prussia, the resentment for the monarchy ensured massive support for the Liberals in Prussia. Armed uprisings took place in Königsberg, Cologne, Berlin, Breslau, Munster, Danzig and Stettin. Barricades were erected, the police stations and barracks surrounded and the “enemies of the people” were “arrested”. Under the threat of revolution, the King sent in the army.
The rain beat down hard on the crowded street. The rebels held City Hall, taking cover behind barricades, waiting for the signal. Werner gazed across to the soldiers advancing towards them. The army had broken through, and the rebels were forced to retreat. Shots fired in the night. Some soldiers fell. The officers yelled orders and they fired back. The Prussian soldiers were more accurate, better trained; their shots often hit their marks, they reloaded quickly. The rebels were inexperienced at best, the sounds of battle distracting them, even scaring some. They reloaded clumsily, their shots often missing their targets. The Prussian soldiers charged forward, overwhelming the first barricade. While the rebels fired onto them, inflicting some casualties, the soldiers pressed forward, charging with their bayonets. Werner fired two shots before the Prussian troops reached the barricade, killing one soldier. As the troops climbed over the barricade, Werner struck the one in front of him with his own bayonet, sticking it into his chest. When he tried to remove the blade however it remained stuck in the soldier’s ribs. While trying to remove his bayonet from the soldier’s corpse, Werner felt a shot of pain in his chest. He looked down at his chest and saw the blood. His vision blurred and he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw was the soldiers jumping over the barricade, poised to retake city hall by force...
By September 1848, the Liberals had been mostly crushed. However, the people were still restless. Robert Blum and most of the Liberal leaders were arrested and imprisonned. However, this only put fuel on the fires of Revolution. Finally, after many more revolts, the army was unable to contain the uprising. Therefore, determined to restore order, the King was forced to grant the Kingdom a constitution, creating two chambers: the Herrenhaus (House of Lords) and the Landtag (House of Commons). While the Landtag could technically elect it’s representatives and pass state laws, they had to be approved by members of the Herrenhaus, who’s members were all appointed by the King. As such, the real power remained in the hands of the landed Junkers and with the Monarchy. On November 6th 1848, Otto von Bismarck was appointed to the Herrenhaus. While not a popular choice among the nobles, Bismarck would have a great influence over Prussia’s future...
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So there we go, Part 3. Part 4 will take sometime to make, because not only do I have lots of schoolwork this week, I lost most of my saves, so I have to restart almost from the start ! Therefore, don't expect another update before next Sunday at the earliest. I am not, however, giving up on this, so keep the motivating comments up and the next update will be there that much faster
After the war with Denmark, Prussia, while trying to maintain its dominant position in Germany, had to deal with increasing internal problems. Indeed, ever since the battle of Waterloo in 1815, there was a developing rift developing in Prussia between the conservative Junkers and the growing Liberal movements. Indeed, while the Liberals in Germany wanted a united, federal Germany under a democratic constitution, the conservatives, sought to maintain Germany as a patchwork of independent, monarchical states, with Prussia and Austria competing for influence. With the liberal movement (and unrest) growing every day, the King’s government starting suffering increasing pressures from them. Robert Blum, a prominent leader of the Liberal movement in Germany, travelled to Berlin in 1844 in order to support the Liberal cause. For the next 3 years, Blum would write a series of liberal poems, articles and books, denouncing the monarchy and the Prussian system of government, arguing that any leader, even a king, had to be accountable to the people and their wishes. While most of his writings were censored, some of his articles managed to slip by censors, and inflame German public opinion. The tensions in Prussia were palpable and were being felt at every level of society. On March 4th 1846, two drunken soldiers from the 1st (Emperor Alexander) Guards Grenadiers started fighting in a Berlin brothel, killing a prostitute and injuring another. When the case was heard before a military court, the soldiers were given token sentences. This infuriated the public, and rioters took to the streets en masse. Violence erupted as the protesters clashed with police. Finally, the reserve was sent to contain the riots. After attempts to calm the crowd met with failure, the officer in charge, Heinrich Eichhorn, was forced to order his troops to open fire into the crowd. On that day, 4 people lost their lives and 9 more were wounded. While the army’s heavy handed response did successfully quell the riots, resentment toward the King and his government continued to grow. For the next 2 years, unrest boiled under the surface, waiting to erupt again. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, liberal unrest had been growing quickly in the country. When William II refused to grant the country a constitution in 1848, the Dutch took to the streets. The flames of revolution quickly spread throughout the country. With the Royal Palace surrounded and most of the country no longer under his control (most of the army having defected to the rebels), William II was forced to abdicate. The rebels placed his reluctant brother on the throne and forced him to sign a new constitution severely limiting the monarchy’s power. While William III would try throughout his reign to restore the powers of the Monarchy, he would remain very much a figurehead more than an actual ruler. The Dutch rebellion inspired the Liberals in Prussia to revolt once again against the Monarchy, starting a wave of rebellions all across Europe in what would be known as the Spring of Nations (or Springtime of Peoples). In Prussia, the resentment for the monarchy ensured massive support for the Liberals in Prussia. Armed uprisings took place in Königsberg, Cologne, Berlin, Breslau, Munster, Danzig and Stettin. Barricades were erected, the police stations and barracks surrounded and the “enemies of the people” were “arrested”. Under the threat of revolution, the King sent in the army.
The rain beat down hard on the crowded street. The rebels held City Hall, taking cover behind barricades, waiting for the signal. Werner gazed across to the soldiers advancing towards them. The army had broken through, and the rebels were forced to retreat. Shots fired in the night. Some soldiers fell. The officers yelled orders and they fired back. The Prussian soldiers were more accurate, better trained; their shots often hit their marks, they reloaded quickly. The rebels were inexperienced at best, the sounds of battle distracting them, even scaring some. They reloaded clumsily, their shots often missing their targets. The Prussian soldiers charged forward, overwhelming the first barricade. While the rebels fired onto them, inflicting some casualties, the soldiers pressed forward, charging with their bayonets. Werner fired two shots before the Prussian troops reached the barricade, killing one soldier. As the troops climbed over the barricade, Werner struck the one in front of him with his own bayonet, sticking it into his chest. When he tried to remove the blade however it remained stuck in the soldier’s ribs. While trying to remove his bayonet from the soldier’s corpse, Werner felt a shot of pain in his chest. He looked down at his chest and saw the blood. His vision blurred and he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw was the soldiers jumping over the barricade, poised to retake city hall by force...
By September 1848, the Liberals had been mostly crushed. However, the people were still restless. Robert Blum and most of the Liberal leaders were arrested and imprisonned. However, this only put fuel on the fires of Revolution. Finally, after many more revolts, the army was unable to contain the uprising. Therefore, determined to restore order, the King was forced to grant the Kingdom a constitution, creating two chambers: the Herrenhaus (House of Lords) and the Landtag (House of Commons). While the Landtag could technically elect it’s representatives and pass state laws, they had to be approved by members of the Herrenhaus, who’s members were all appointed by the King. As such, the real power remained in the hands of the landed Junkers and with the Monarchy. On November 6th 1848, Otto von Bismarck was appointed to the Herrenhaus. While not a popular choice among the nobles, Bismarck would have a great influence over Prussia’s future...
So there we go, Part 3. Part 4 will take sometime to make, because not only do I have lots of schoolwork this week, I lost most of my saves, so I have to restart almost from the start ! Therefore, don't expect another update before next Sunday at the earliest. I am not, however, giving up on this, so keep the motivating comments up and the next update will be there that much faster
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