How strong was Prussia's position in Germany after 1848

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  • Created by: becky.65
  • Created on: 22-05-17 16:18

Prussian economic success:

  • Industrial production, railway building and foreign trade more than doubled
  • Good eduction system
  • Plentiful supply coal, iron and chemicals
  • Railway developments
  • Railways encouraged iron and steel industries
  • Krupp's factory employed thousands of people and produced weapons
  • The government subsidised railway building
  • BUT:
    • didn't always follow consistent plan
    • private investment may have been better for money, banking and textiles

Political situation:

  • 1848 constitution - mixture of liberal and conservative - King retained power
  • Liberalism grew in strength
  • Middle classes joined national liberal associations and subscribed to liberal journals
  • Liberals formed a coherent and influential force across Germany
  • Right-wing liberals did not want full democracy but wanted to end influence of aristocracy and army
  • Left-wing liberals wanted universal suffrage
  • Manteuffel governed without parliament
  • He imposed strict censorship but believed in governing in the interests of the people - reformed the countryside and the towns:
    • Countryside reforms:
      • end of feudalism 
      • low-interest loans were avaliable so peasants…

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