Abstract
The period of German unification coincided with the high-water mark of economic liberalism in Europe. The pacemaker in this was Britain which had emerged from the Napoleonic wars as indisputably the greatest economic and political power in the world. Rapid economic growth — above all in the manufacture of textile and metal goods — had created important economic ties between Britain and Europe. Britain was dependent upon Europe for the supply of many raw materials and foodstuffs while Europe was a major market for British semi-finished and consumer manufactures. (This simplifies; Britain, for example, was a major exporter of coal to many coastal areas of northern Europe and imported many articles of manufacture from Europe.) The logic of this relationship eventually pushed Britain towards a policy of free trade, symbolised and most powerfully promoted with the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and the Navigation Acts in 1849 [11: ch. 1].
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
General European histories
E. Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution (New York, 1962); The Age of Capital (London, 1975); and The Age of Empire (London, 1987). In my view this trilogy remains the finest introduction to the history of Europe between 1789 and 1914.
A. Millward & K. Saul, The Economic Development of Continental Europe 1780–1870 (London, 1973). An authoritative introduction to the economic history of Europe in this period.
P. W. Schroeder, The Transformation of European Politics 1763–1848 (Oxford, 1994). A major new publication which takes the ideological factor in foreign policy seriously and is sceptical of ‘balance of power’ approaches, unlike the volume in the series written 40 years earlier, namely [13].
A. J. P. Taylor, The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848–1918 ( Oxford, 1954 ). The major general study of the diplomacy of the period, although now rather dated.
M. Mann, The Sources of Social Power. Vol. II The Rise of Classes and Nation-states, 1760–1914 (Cambridge, 1993). A general work of historical sociology which seeks to show how ideological, economic, military and political forms of power combine together to shape society and state in Europe and the USA over the ‘long nineteenth century’. Has some very fine chapters on the German aspect. Amongst other things it is critical of the ‘realist’ approach of [15].
P. Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 (London, 1988). A general work which relates changes in power status to ‘underlying’ shifts in the economic balance of power.
General histories of Germany
J. Sheehan, German History 1770–1866 (Oxford, 1989). A superb general history which seeks to keep open non-Prussian perspectives on German history in this period. This is the first book to which students should turn for any aspect of the subject up to the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 and its immediate aftermath.
G. Craig, Germany 1866–1945 (Oxford, 1978). Published in the same series as [16] this remains the major textbook for the period. Especially strong on political and military history.
T. Hamerow, The Social Foundations of German Unification 1858–1871: Vol. 1 Ideas and Institutions (New Jersey, 1969); Vol. 2 Struggles and Accomplishments ( New Jersey, 1972 ). These two studies are packed with information and take a thematic approach to the subject; generally Prussia, liberalism and modernity are seen to be in league with one another in bringing about national unification.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1996 John Breuilly
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Breuilly, J. (1996). Conditions. In: The Formation of the First German Nation-State, 1800–1871. Studies in European History. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11719-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11719-2_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-52718-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-11719-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)