Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-12
mi. Ad
Chaos
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Vienna forced Prince Metternich TO flee 70
England and the emperor was Obliged TO
summon a Diet to be elected by universal
suffrage.
In Prussia tho revolution was even more
violent. on March IS and for several sue
ceeding days, there were sharp contests
between the soldiers and the people in Ber-
lin. on March II the king. who was per-
sonslly popular. promised to grant the con-
stituton which. less than a year before,
he had sworn never to concedo The next
day the people gathered before the royal
palace to demand that the troops be sent
out Of Berlin. Suddenly two shots we're
fired. Nobody knew from whence they
came, but they were the signal for a fierce
struggle between the troops and the people,
which continued far into the night, and in
which more than 200 lives were lost Next
day the king issued orders for the election
OF q Parliament -.,
In the meantime the other German states,
exclusive of Austria and Prussia, assem-
bled provisional Parliament at Frankfort,
which decided that national assembly
should be elected by the German people.
The confederate Diet thoroughly fright
ened, recognized the authority of this
provisional Parliament The National AS
sembly met in Frankfort in May and
elected the Archduke John OF Austria as
the head OF new provisional central gov
eminent. The Diet thereupon ceased to
exist. -Four days later the Prusslan Par
lament met In Berlin, but could do moth
ing but quarrel. II finally broke up and
new Parliament was summoned to meet
in February 1919, to consider constitu-
ton published by the king in December,
IS4S
The Austrian Diet met In Vienna In July,
1S4S but IL also was powerless because of
its lack Of homogenity. The Hungarians
demanded complete independence and under
the leadership of Kossuth began revolu-
ton, The revolutionists captured Vienna
and 1t was retaken by the imperlalIsts only
after several bloody, encounters. In the
midst OF this storm the emperor, Ferdi-
nand, on December /, 1s4s, abdicated In
favor of his nephew, Francis Joseph. who
still reigns.
The Frankfort Assembly was considering
new union. Austria proper was desired
as a member of the new German state, but
the Austrians were unwilling to come in
unless they brought with them Hungary
and the other non-German parts OF the
Austrian empire. A powerful party then
was formed with the purpose OF excluding
Austria altogether from Germany, A ma
jorlty decided that a president should be
appointed In whose family the honor should
De hereditary, under the title OF the en-
peror OF the Germans. This position and
ute was offered to Frederick William OF
RUSSIA but he declined it because he said
ne could not accept the title unless II was
oIfered with the consent OF the German
princes The offer coming from the rem
resentatives of the German people was NOT
acceptable.
In the next year the organised Hungarian
revolution occupied all the attention OF
Austria and the king OF Prussia seized
the opportunity to form confederation ~
German states under Prussian leadership.
without Austria. In May, lS49 an alliance
was concluded between Prussia, Hanover
and Saxony, called the German union
austria beginning to recover from the
hungarian revolution, jointed with
bavaria and WuTttemberg in a call for a
reasSemoly Of the Diet at Frankfort, while
lhe prince OF the northern states met in
Berlin This threatened war between tho
north and south, and the chaotic condl-
lions were not improved. The quarrel be-
tween Prussia and Austria went so far
that the Customs union appeared TO be
falling to pieces, but in 1853 a treaty OF
commerce between Prussia and Austria
saved the zollvereln.
In 1873 the second Prussian Parliament
met, and after quarrelinE with the gov.
eminent for nearly year. mutual con.
cesstons were made. constitution was
adopted, and on February g. 1850, the King
OF Prussia took an oath to support and
maintain the new constitution. Since that
day the HohenzolIern Kingdom has been.
nominally at leastr-a constitutional mon
archy. i=een-'& i1~ fF
German affairs seemed to be In q hopeless
tangle In the few years immediately follow.
Ing the adoption of the Prussfan consti.
tuition. But the jeaiousies of the rival
states; the enmity of Catholics and
Protestants; the aristocratic fear Of the
growing force OF democracy; and ali the
other agents of dlsunion were gradually
losing strength. The sentimental desires for
the unity OF the German race; the
economic demand for commercial union.
and. above ALL the power OF Prussian or
ganization, made union inevitable.
By FRHDERIo J. HAsKxN.
Tomorrow-The German Advances. Xxx
Formation Of the Empire.