Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/525

Rh while another party pleaded tl1at the assembly itself should ence. Towards tl1e end of 1848 Vienna was completely in 1848. exercise executive as well as legislative functions. At last, the hands of the revolutionary party, and it was retaken after a vast amount of tedious and useless discussion, it only after desperate fighting. A reactionary ministry, was agreed that the assembly should appoint an imperial headed by Prince Schwarzenberg, was then raised to power, vicar who should carry on the government by means of and in order that a strong policy might be the more a ministry selected by himself; and, by the decision vigorously pushed forward, the emperor Ferdinand resigned, of a large majority, tl1e archduke John of Austria. and was succeeded by his nephew, Francis Joseph. was chosen for the office. With as little delay as The prospects of reform were not much more favourable Reformin possible he formed an imperial cabinet, and there were in Prussia. The assembly summoned amid the revolution- Prussia. hopes that, as his appointment was generally approved both ary excitement of March met on the 22d May. Demands by the sovereigns and the people, 111ore rapid progress for a constitutional system were urged with great force, and would be made with the great and complicated work in they would probably have been granted but for the opposi- hand. Unfortunately, however, it was necessary to enter tion due to the violence of politicians out of doors. The upon the discussion of the fundamental laws, a subject aristocratic class saw ruh1 before it if the smallest conces- presenting many opportunities for the display of rhetoric and sion were made to popular wishes, and it soon recovered intellectual subtlety. It was soon obvious that beneath from the terror into which it had been plunged at the out- all varieties of individual opinion there were two bitterly break of the revolution. Extreme antagonism was excited hostile tendeneies—those of the republicans, and those of by such proposals as that the king should no longer be said the constitutionalists. These two parties attacked each to wear his crown “by grace of God 3" and the animosity other with constantly growing animosity, and in a few between the liberal and the conservative sections was weeks sensible men outside the assembly gave up all hope driven to the highest pitch when, in the midst of the of their dealing satisfactorily with the problem they had struggle between the populace and the Government in been appointed to solve. Vienna, it was proposed that Prussia should support the hles- In the midst of these disputes the. attention of the nation cause of freedom. The motion, although at ﬁrst rejected, I-_"H01'_was occupied by a question which had arisen before the was passed in a modiﬁed form. Before this, ministry after 31"‘ outbreak of the revolutionary 1novements,—the so—called ministry had been appointed, but none had been so decidedly “ Schleswig-Holstein question.” In 1846 Christian VIII. reactionary as to preclude the hope of a settlement. Now of Denmark had otﬁcially proclaimed that Schleswig and the king resolved to break finally with the liberals, and, the greater part of Holstein were inrlissolubly connected notwithstanding a solemn warning addressed to him by a with the Danish monarchy. This excited vehement opposi— deputation from the assembly, he called to oﬂice a cabinet tion among the Germans, on the ground that Holstein, about whose intentions there could be no misunderstanding. although subject to the king of Denmark, was a member On the pretext that fair deliberation was impossible in the of the German confederation, a11d that in virtue of ancient capital, the assembly was ordered to meet in Brandenburg, treaties it could not be severed from Schleswig. In 1848 troops were concentrated near Berlin, and a state of siege the German party in the duchies, headed by Prince was proclaimed. In vain the assembly protested and con- Frederick of Augustenburg, rose against the Danish tinued its sittings, going even so far as to forbid the pay- Government. Frederick VII., who had just succeeded me11t of taxes while it was subjected to illegal treatment. Christian VIII., put down the rebellion, but Prussia, acting It was forced in the end to submit, but the discussions in in the name of the confederation, despatched an army Brandenburg were no more successful than those in Berlin. against the Danes, and drove them fron1 Schleswig. The At last, on the 5th December, the king dissolved the Danes, who were supported by Russia, responded by assembly, granted a constitution about which it had not blockading the Baltic ports, which Germany, having no been consulted, and gave orders for the election of a repre- navy, was unable effectually to defend. By the mediation sentative chamber. of England an armistice w as concluded, and the Prussian About the time that the Prussian parliament was thus Frank- troops evacuated the northern districts of Schleswig. As created, and that the emperor Ferdinand resigned, the f0ft 35' the Danes soon afterwards took possession of Schleswig Frankfort assembly succeeded in formulating the funda- again, the Prussians once more drove them back, but on mental laws, which were duly proclaimed to be the funda- new co,,_ the 26th of August an armistice of seven months was mental laws of Germany as it was now to be constituted. stitution. agreed upon at Malmoe. The principal clauses of the constitution then began to be isputes The new Frankfort Government disapproved the con- discussed. By far the most diflicult question was the rela- the ditions of this armistice ; but, as it had empowered Prussia tion in which Austria should stand to the Germany of the Eng: to act for it, it was obliged to accept what had been done. future. There was a universal wish that the Austrian Gem,_-my mb1y_ The majority of the assembly, furious at an arrangement Germans should be included in the German state; on the and _ which was denounced as a national humiliation, decided other hand, it was felt that if all the variousnationalities of A“St"‘*"‘- that the armistice should not be sanctioned. The ministry Austria formed a united monarchy, and if this monarchy as resigned; but, a new combination being impossible, it was a whole were included in the confederation, it would replaced, and the assembly unwillingly agreed to accept necessarily overshadow Germany, and expose her to un- the armistice, on the understanding that the Government necessary external dangers. It was therefore resolved that, should lose no time in negotiating for peace on fair terms. although a German country might be under the same ruler A large minority, however, was intensely dissatisﬁed. It as non—German lands, it could 11ot be so joined to them as was composed of the republicans and other radical sections; to form with them a single 11ation. Had the assembly and when defeated, they appealed fro1n the assembly to adopted this resolution at once, instead of exhausting itself the people. The Government kept its place, but was by pedantic disquisitions on the abstract principles of juris- unable to prevent a rising which led to the murder of two prudence, it might have hoped to triumph ; but Austria unpopular representatives. There were also temporary was not likely to submit to so severe a blow at the very time republican agitations in Baden and Viirtemberg. when she was strong enough to appoint a reactionary h<_arev_o- While these events were in progress, it seemed not im- Government, and had nearly re-established her authority, not ‘t‘°D_1D possible that the Austrian empire would fall to pieces. only in Vienna, but in Bohemia and in Italy. Prince ‘mm’ Bohemia and the Italia11 states were in revolt, and the Schwarzenberg took the earliest opportunity to declare that Hungarians strove with passionate earnestness for independ- the empire could not assent to any weakening of its inﬂu- AGITATIONS IN 1848.] GERMANY 507