Moves Toward German Unity

The Congress of Vienna created the German Confederation, consisting of 39 sovereign states. The Federal Diet of the Confederation met at Frankfurt under the permanent presidency of Austria, whose chancellor was Prince von Metternich. The Zollverein, a German customs union, was brought under Prussian control.

Among the German people the desire for national unity and constitutional government was strong. When the Revolution of 1848 broke out in France, it swept rapidly into the Germanies. German princes were forced to grant their subjects political freedom. A parliament was called at Frankfurt to prepare a constitution for the new German nation. The king of Prussia was offered the German crown, which he rejected as an offer “from the gutter.” The revolution collapsed, and the German princes reestablished their sovereignty. Many liberals were driven from the country. The German Confederation was revived.