Germany before World War I: From Napoleon to the signs of World War I

By Egon Harings

The end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. In Europe, Napoleon rules and decides on nations. In many battles he defeats the armies of European states. Only in his Russian campaign he suffers a great defeat, which continues in the Battle of Leipzig. But only at Waterloo he is finally defeated. For Europe, a new era begins. It is the era of the German fraternities. It follows the German revolution and the first German National Assembly in the Frankfurt St. Paul's Church. Prussia and Austria become the ruling powers in Central Europe. After the Franco-Prussian War, the political landscape in Europe is set to change again. The second German Reich is born. Wilhelm I, the Prussian king, becomes German emperor. Germany becomes a world power with colonies in Africa and the Pacific Ocean.

This book also reports on German classical music, romanticism and the Biedermeier period. It is the time of famous German composers, writers and painters, but also the time of German inventions that change the world.

Many drawings by the author complete this great work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: tredition
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9783746987361

Egon Harings

Egon Harings wurde in Düsseldorf geboren. Nach Schulbesuchen in der ehemals französischen und britischen Besatzungszone machte er eine Ausbildung als Industriekaufmann. Später studierte er Betriebswirtschaft und war in der Stahlindustrie beschäftigt. Heute ist er Rentner und lebt mit seiner Frau in der Nähe von Düsseldorf. Mit dem Schreiben von Büchern begann er um 2010. Veröffentlicht wurden bereits Werke von ihm in Großbritannien und in den Vereinigten Staaten. In Deutschland erfolgte im Jahre 2013 die erste Veröffentlichung in deutscher Sprache.

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Prologue

Napoleon prevailed in Europe and decided on nations. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation left the stage of history. The German Emperor Franz II became the first emperor of Austria and called himself Franz I of Austria. At Waterloo Napoleon fought his last battle and the Congress of Vienna redefined the borders of Europe. The years 1815 and 1871 marked as start and end points important events of German History. 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna, was the beginning of a new era of 33 years, which is called The Time of the Reaction or The Time of Restoration or The Age of Metternich, because the almighty Chancellor Prince Metternich drew not only the fate of the Habsburg monarchy, but also influenced the policy of the German Confederation that loose constitutional structure, which had taken the place of the Holy Roman Empire.

The period of Metternich was abruptly terminated by the Revolution of 1848/49. At the beginning of this revolution, in the German states the revolutionary forces won the political predominance. This ultimately led to decisive struggle between Austria and Prussia for supremacy in Germany. With the war of 1866 and the Peace of Nikolsburg Austria finally left the German loose confederation. Thus Austria’s involvement in the German History ended, although the indirect connection continued to exist through Bismarck’s policy of alliances and the weapons community in the First World War. In 1870, the Franco-German War began and in January 1871, the new German Empire was founded. Here Otto von Bismarck played a dominant role.

The history of the First German Reich (Empire) lasted from 919 to 1806. Then, in 1871, the history of the Second Reich" began, which ended with Hitler’s seizure of power.

In the first two decades of the Second Reich Otto von Bismarck led the domestic and foreign policy of the Empire. He was the determining Chancellor. Then, in 1890, it followed a generational and leadership change. Bismarck was dismissed and Emperor Wilhelm II influenced the development of Germany definitively. It was the Wilhelmine Period, which ended in 1918.

During the Bismarck era it was established a colonial empire in Africa and in the South Seas (Pacific). In this book, much is reported. Especially about South West Africa, the reader can learn much. 1889 – 1894 Major Kurt von François was governor of German South West. During his time as governor many German farms were established there. In those days the local population consisted of Ovambo people, Okavango, Damara, Hottentots, Bushmen and Herero.

The Herero appeared at the end of the 18th century in South West. They killed, expelled and enslaved the natives, also they took in possession their pastures and hunting areas. They were the lords of the land. Then, the Hottentots appeared under the leadership of Jonker Afrikaner. The Hottentots possessed firearms from the Cape. Now, a sixty-year’s war of extermination between Herero and Hottentots began. Only with the German seizure of the country South West in 1883 the killing ended. Then there was peace for some years. But in 1904 the Herero rose against the Germans. The war lasted two years and was taken from both sides with the utmost bitterness. After the decisive battle at the Waterberg the defeated people fled with wives and children and all the rest of the cattle into the waterless Kalahari, where almost half of the approximately sixty thousand Herero perished of hunger and thirst. – By this book the reader becomes acquainted with the landscapes in South West, which he certainly never heard. Who knows the Caprivi Strip, this narrow strip of land of South West, where took place the disaster of the proud Herero people? Hardly anyone knows today that this strip of land was named after the former German chancellor Leo Graf von Caprivi.

A funny short story enriches this book yet. It is the story of Schinderhannes. In Germany, hardly anyone knows Schinderhannes, whose real name was Johann Bückler. He was born on 15 May 1783 in Miehlen, a little town in Taunus, a mountainous region near Frankfurt, and was executed on November 21, 1803 in Mainz. As leader of a gang he committed highway robbery and extortion acts on the Rhine and in the mountains of Taunus. He sold security cards, which assured the safe conduct to the purchaser. It is said he has also committed his crimes in the mountains of Hunsrück, which is why you often encounter his name there. Schinderhannes was arrested several times, but he escaped again and again. In 1802 he was arrested again. In a long show trial, he was now sentenced to death. The people in the mountains of Taunus and Hunsrück admire him today as a noble robber. He was Robbin Hood of their mountains.

There was a time when there were no humans living in today’s Germany. This time is well over 2 million years back. The country was a paradise for animals that we do not know today.

The end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation

We write the year 1796

France had a new military star, it is Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on 15 August 1769 in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He was the son of a Corsican notary. In 1784 he got cadet at the military school of Paris, in 1785 second lieutenant of the artillery. In 1793 he distinguished himself during the siege of Toulon (town in France) and became General of Brigade. In 1795 he put down the royal rebellion in Paris and became then General of Division. Now, this year (1796), French troops invaded South Germany and were defeated by Austrian troops close to Amberg and Würzburg (today towns in northern Bavaria). After the defeats the French troops withdrew and crossed the Rhine towards France again; it happened during Napoleon’s stay in Italy, where he had got the supreme command of the French troops there.

We write the year 1797

Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrian army by Lodi in Upper Italy and invaded Carinthia from there. Now Austria was put under military pressure and had to make a prompt peace, the Peace of Leoben. Even this year the Peace of Campo Fòrmio followed: Austria had to give up Lombardy and Venice, France got these countries; Austria also lost the Austrian Lower Lands (later Belgium), but got for it Dalmatia (today a part of Croatia). Upper Italy (Lombardy/Venice) now became the Cisalpine Republic. The German emperor Franz II also had to accept that all occupied German territories on the left side of the Rhine are French Départements (provinces) now.

In Prussia the king, Friedrich Wilhelm II, fell ill, so he went on a journey of recovery to Bad Pyrmont (today a town in North Rhine-Westphalia). But in autumn his state of illness worsened and then, on 16 November, he died suddenly. He was a popular sovereign, but died abandoned by all his kin. Friedrich Wilhelm II was buried in the cathedral of Berlin. His successor became his eldest son, Friedrich Wilhelm III, who was married to Friederike of Hessen-Darmstadt.

We write the year 1798

French troops occupied the Church State. In Rome the "Tiberian Republic" was now proclaimed and Pope Pius VI was taken as prisoner to France, where he died 1799. Also Switzerland was occupied by French troops, there was proclaimed the Republic Helvetia. Also this year Napoleon Bonaparte started as supreme command of the French army for Egypt to defeat England there. Whilst Napoleon was far away from Europe, the English prime minister William Pitt the Youngest succeeded in convincing Austria and Prussia of an alliance against France; whilst that happened the English admiral Nelson defeated the French navy by Abu Qir. England controlled the Mediterranean Sea again, what seemed to be endangered for a time by the French occupation of the island of Malta.

We write the year 1799

As long as Napoleon wasn’t in Europe, the troops of the coalition (Austria and Russia --Prussia was absent from the coalition) had considerable military successes against France this year: France lost the northern part of Italy and the southern part of Germany again. But soon everything was to change again. In October, Napoleon came back to France, but without his troops, and brought down the board of ruling consuls by a coup d'état in the beginning of November; then he made First Consul for ten years of himself, i.e. de facto, he was autocrat over the New French Empire.

We write the year 1800

Napoleon defeated the Austrian army by Marengo in Upper Italy. Austria had once more tried to win back the northern part of Italy, but suffered another defeat now. It was a great victory of the French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte.

This year the Catholic Church got a new pope; it was Cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti; his name now: Pope Pius VII

We write the year 1801

The last French troops left Egypt. They had no chance to stand furthermore against the strong English presence there.

Austria and the German Empire had to give in to the military pressure of France and to make the Peace of Lunéville, by which the result of the Peace of Campo Fòrmio was pinned down. The Rhine was finally the frontier between Germany and France; thus many German states lost territories on the left side of the Rhine; they claimed a compensation for it. But who should outline a concept for the compensation? Austria and Prussia didn’t want to take over this; they couldn’t it too – both states were on no friendly terms to each other. So only France remained, which possessed as victorious power also the necessary pawn of territories on the right side of the Rhine, - and Russia, which had taken on with pleasure a certain part of patronage over the states concerned. Thus the decisive part in this business was assigned to foreign powers: especially the French diplomacy, of which brilliant and also unscrupulous head, Foreign Minister – Secretary – Talleyrand (1754 – 1838), seized the first opportunity, but not the last for him, to pocket gigantic slush funds. He acted according to the clear plan: the German Empire must never be a threat for France again, as it was already under the French chancellors Richelieu (1585 – 1642) and Mazarin (1602 – 1661). At the side of the great German states Prussia and Austria should be another group of states within the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, but these states were too weak alone, therefore they ought to be bound to France and depend on French protection. The states Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hessen-Darmstadt, Hessen-Kassel, Mainz, Nassau, Hannover and Oldenburg formed the core of this third grouping of the Russian-French concept. As indemnification all ecclesiastical principalities, with except Mainz, were provided. Also the most Imperial Towns and small counties should belong to this indemnification.

We write the year 1802

In November, the Russian-French concept of reorganization of the German Empire was accepted by the German Imperial Committee. Many of the larger German states had appetite for new territories to expand the own country, what considerably facilitated the intention of Russia and France.

In France Napoleon Bonaparte let appoint himself as Consul for Life and finished the second Coalition War against his country by the peace with England (Peace of Amiens).

We write the year 1803

Also the German Imperial Diet and the German emperor, Franz II, accepted the Russian-French concept of a reorganization of the German Empire in the spring, what went down in history as Reichsdeputationshauptschluß. This so-called Reichsdeputationshauptschluß said:

1) The Imperial Constitution, as it existed since the Goldene Bulle of 1356 and the Westphalian Peace of 1648, lost its legal force. The Kurkollegium (Assembly of Electors) had a Protestant majority now, because the Kurs (Kur = right to elect the German king/emperor; Kurfürstentum = Electorate) of the clerical principalities (Ecclesiastical Electorates) Trier and Cologne (= Köln or Cölln, but from now Cologne because it bore as French City a French name now) were cancelled and these countries existed no longer. From both countries turned away the most Protestant states, like Baden, Württemberg, Hessen-Kassel (which was secularized this year) and Salzburg (which was also secularized this year and became principality under the reign of Ferdinand of Tuscany)

2) The blessing of this year spread very irregularly and had by no means the character of a compensation; especially the Greats like Prussia and Bavaria, but also some others, could turn the reorganization to a profit, because they pocketed for the lost territories three or four times as much as compensation; the most territories, which they pocketed, were well-cultured territories, rich church territories, so got Bavaria the rich Hochstifte (High Bishoprics) Würzburg and Bamberg.

3) This year (1803) meant a bitter loss of cultural substance. The takeover of the church property by the principalities and the Imperial Towns, the so-called secularization, was often conducted premature, more, under chaotic and unfortunately not seldom barbaric circumstances; so many arrogant, narrow-minded (considering the enlightenment) amongst ministers and government officials could now cool his little courage to the mediaeval church and to show that he had read Voltaire (Voltaire was philosopher at the court of Friedrich II the Great), but that he didn’t have understood him too. Valuable works of art and historic fabric of buildings were ruined, were often torn apart as ensemble and dumped all over the world, many precious objects vanished as rubbish or architectural parts found their purpose while repairing the potholes in the miserable streets respectively. It was a cultural disgrace of the first order!

4) But the secularization and the Reichsdeputationshauptschluß caused two positive successions, without intending that by France and Russia:

a) The number of the small and medium-sized states of Germany was considerably lessened; the remainder of the German states had larger territories now; they were more efficient and viable – an aspect that was not to be sneezed at on the threshold of the industrial epoch and condition of a later German unification.

b) The secularization was a painful operation for the Catholic Church, but necessary for the entry into the 19th century, which released it from worldly power, noble-feudal privileges and way of thinking.

We write the year 1804

The expansion of France made unstoppable progresses in the meantime; so the country Hannover was occupied by France and North Italy became a French province. The largest part of Middle Europe was French, a reason to make an empire from such a large state, therefore Napoleon had himself crowned (first) Emperor of France on 2 December in the Cathedral Notre-Dame in Paris. The German emperor Franz II answered to the coronation of Napoleon by his own appointment to the post of first Roman-Austrian Emperor. Now he was Emperor Franz II of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation but also Emperor Franz I of the Roman-Austrian Empire.

Because Pope Pius VII had cooperated in the imperial coronation of Napoleon, he, returned to Rome - now Church State again - , could officially reside there.

We write the year 1805

This year, the third coalition against France was achieved. Above all the government in Westminster (London), which unswervingly held on to the traditional politics of balance encouraged to this coalition. It belonged to this new coalition against France: England, Russia, Austria and Sweden. Austria’s accession to this coalition was controversial in the own country, because influential circles around Archduke Karl, Habsburg’s best military man, and Count Stadion, who made reforms with joy, justly considered the financial situation of Austria to be too weak to fight (again) against France under Emperor Napoleon, who made for his military zenith. Added to this situation Prussia remained neutral again. Since 1795 Prussia was the great beneficiary of the world-political development: In the east of Europe and also in the west of Germany, in Westphalia and in the later industrial belt on the river Ruhr (Ruhr-Pot) it had could pocket big territorial gains, but that for the price of an extensive political isolation, which it almost predestined as next French sacrifice.

The Third War of Coalition rapidly came to an end: on 17 October, the Austrian army was totally defeated close to Ulm, its generals were in no way a match for Napoleon’s tactics and strategy! 25,000 Austrian soldiers were taken prisoners, also Vienna was occupied by French troops short time later, Emperor Napoleon I resided in Schloß Schönbrunn close to Vienna (today a municipal district of Vienna). Austria’s army had partially showed hopeless weakness; some high command posts were filled with officers who were already retired, old and senile. One of these military mummies was lieutenant general Prince Auersperg, who had to cover an important crossing over the river Danube (Donau) by Vienna. He gave too lax and sloppy instructions to his commanders there; also he took too little care of his job that on 13 November the French marshals Lannes and Murat could literally take the Austrian bridge guards by a cunning torrent of words. Thus the bridge, which controlled the area of deployment of the Russian troops under the command of Kutusov and the remainder of the Austrian army in Moravia, fell only by using the mouth!

On 2 December, the Allied armies under the command of Tsar Alexander and Emperor Franz I of Austria were prepared to meet the French army under the command of Napoleon I for a decisive battle by Austerlitz. The following battle went down in history as Dreikaiserschlacht (the battle of the three emperors). In spite of the superiority and the great bravery of the Russian infantry and the Austrian cavalry Napoleon achieved the greatest military success of his life.

On 12 December, Prussia made a treaty with France in fateful misjudgement of its situation and possibilities. Prussia got the English country Hannover and didn’t see that this was only a Poison Bait of Napoleon I and an action with farsightedness and deliberation, because Prussia was cut off from an English support now.

Prussia was of insufficient use of the quiet time between 1795 and 1805 for its domestic development; it is true that Friedrich Wilhelm III, who reigned since 1797, was a man of good intention and good will, he was prepared to consider the French revolution from a positive point of view, but he wasn’t in the position to put his vague knowledge into action consequently. In the army it looked like this: Since 1801 there worked the Prussian general Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (1755 – 1813) under the motto: Each inhabitant is cut out for a defender of his state. But Schornhorst couldn’t move a lot of innovation in strategy, tactics and training of officers against the encrusted hierarchy of generals. Prussia kept arrested in a lethargy, which was directed backwards, and that in spite of brilliant achievements in intellectual life – the classical period had reached its heyday, the romantic period was in the beginning – Prussia only had to present mediocrity at the head of the state, also a cause that it was caught in the political storm of the following year.

On 25 December, Austria left the alliance of the Third War of Coalition by the Peace of Preßburg/Bratislava (today capital of Slovakia) – Austria was finished, it lost Venice, Istria and Dalmatia, which got Italy, Tyrol and Vorarlberg became Bavarian provinces and the last Austrian territories on Lake Constance, which were the former family countries of the Habsburg dynasty, got Württemberg. But now Austria got the country Salzburg by way of compensation for this territorial loss.

This year Napoleon I had himself crowned king of (North-) Italy yet.

We write the year 1806

Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria proclaimed himself King of Bavaria, what happened by approval of Emperor Napoleon I. Now Bavaria was a kingdom of Napoleon’s mercy. The price, which Maximilian Joseph (now king Maximilian I of Bavaria) had to pay for this, was the annulment of the engagement of his daughter with Prince Karl of Baden. On 14 January, she already had to marry the stepson of Napoleon, the Vice-King of Italy, Eugène Beauharnais. But this marriage became happy contrary to all expectations. From now Bavarian soldiers fought on French side on all battlefields.

On 1 January, Friedrich of Württemberg had proclaimed himself King of Württemberg too. On 27 April 1804, he had already got the rank of an elector by Napoleon. In 1805, he took place in the Third War of Coalition. Therefore he was again rewarded by Napoleon by the Peace of Preßburg, Napoleon approved of the elevation of Württemberg to the kingdom. Now Napoleon bound King Friedrich I still closer to himself. This happened by marrying his brother Jèrôme, who reigned over Westphalia as king 1807 – 1813, to Friedrich’s daughter Katharina.

The next step of French politics for Germany was the expansion of the Conception of Lunèville: On 16 July 16, South German states signed the treaty of Confederation du Rhin (Federation of Rhine) in Paris. By this treaty they officially left the German Empire. The focal point of this special federation, which clearly professed France as protective nation, were Bavaria and Württemberg; till 1811 36 German states belonged to the Confederation du Rhin. This federation was the Cordon sanitaire, the security zone of France towards east. The old Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was really not any longer existing, therefore Napoleon officially refused the diplomatic recognition of the German Empire on 1 August too. Now Emperor Napoleon I of France also demanded the abdication of Franz II (Franz I of Austria) as German emperor. Franz II had to give in to Napoleon’s demand and laid down the crown of Charles/Karl the Great on 6 August. That was the end of 1,000 years Imperial History, the end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation for ever.

Now Prussia’s fate was sealed: next to without partner – only with Russia existed a defensive alliance -, unpopular in Germany by its egotistic politics and isolated by the foundation of the Federation of Rhine, in spite of that indulged many of the Prussian military personnel in quite unfounded exaggerated opinion of themselves. At the end of September Prussia declared war on Napoleon I with quite illusive confidence of victory because of the French occupation of its territory Ansbach (today a part of Bavaria). Prussia’s generals, who never could assess the situation, made quite new and fatal experiences: on 8 October, Napoleon already started with the advance in the direction of Berlin from the French areas of deployment in Franconia. Napoleon I succeeded in outstripping or isolating the Prussian corps from each other by rapid movements and operations respectively. On 14 October, the Prussian armies were completely defeated close to Jena by Napoleon I and close to Auerstedt by Marshal Davoust. In the evening of this day Prussia disposed of no organized army – for a state, which devoted its life to the army, was that a situation of threat to its existence.

Napoleon had again showed his strength. A clear conception was carried out without delay. Nevertheless, there remained enough space for an improvisation and consideration of the momentary situation. Prussia had still artistically, but awkwardly manoeuvred around according to the way off the mathematical warfare of the period of rococo and calculated the victory at the armchair so that it was defeated on the battlefield by the incalculable reaction of the enemy. The French troops rapidly occupied Berlin, of which town commander had advised the inhabitants anything but that der König hat ein Bataille verloren. Ruhe ist nun die erste Bürgerpflicht (the king has lost a battle. Now quiet is the first civic duty).

The Prussian court fled in the meantime to Königsberg in East Prussia. Napoleon moved himself into Berlin on 27 October. From there he gave the orders for the Continental Embargo, which shut off the English trade from the European continent or ought to do it respectively, but also led French, Dutch and German sea towns into great economic distress. The missing import of „Colonial Articles" and industrial finished products from England gave on the other hand a strong impulsion to the industry, which came into being in France and Germany now, or – what there is said today – caused a push of innovations.

After all, in late autumn, Russia was at hand and met its engagement of alliance to the defeated Prussia. Russian troops marched towards East Prussia; a remainder of the defeated Prussian army under the leadership of General Scharnhorst followed the Russian army. One of the greatest battles during the reign of Napoleon was to take place in the following year.

This year, in Saxony a political about-face happened during the last weeks. Friedrich August III, who was elector of Saxony since 1763, fought on the side of Austria and Prussia against France till 1799 and also in the battle of Jena and Auerstedt the Saxon troops were on the side of Prussia, but what Friedrich August was more pressed than to decide to do that voluntarily. After that Friedrich August rapidly sought the rapprochement to Napoleon by pure survival instinct. On 11 December, Elector Friedrich August III appointed himself with approval of Napoleon King of Saxony. Tus Saxony was a kingdom too and Friedrich August I was the first king of his country. Now Saxony joined the Confederation du Rhin and was with it an ally of France.

It happened more this year: the Netherlands, which had been the Republic Batavia for several years, became kingdom and changed the name, it was the Kingdom of Holland