374 



GERMANY. 



GERMANY. I. THE GERMAN CONFEDERA- 

 TION. The confederation of German states, 

 which was organized in 1815, was destroyed 

 by the German-Italian war in 1866. (See 

 GERMAN-ITALIAN WAR.) At the beginning of 

 the year 1866, the confederation consisted of 

 one empire (Austria), five kingdoms (Prussia, 

 Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Wurtemberg), one. 

 electorate (Hesse-Cassel), fourteen grand-duchies 

 and duchies, eight principalities, one landgravate 

 (Hesse-Homburg), and four free cities (Frank- 

 fort, Hamburg, Bremen, and Lubeck). By the 

 death of the childless Landgrave of Hesse- 

 Homberg and the annexation of Hesse-Hom- 

 berg to Hesse-Darmstadt on March 24, 1866, 

 this number was reduced to thirty-three. The 

 area of the German Confederation amounted 

 to 243,099 square miles, and the population to 

 46,059,329. The Federal army consisted of 

 531,281 infantry, 92,300 cavalry, 59,485 artil- 

 lery, and 12,979 pioneers. 



At a special sitting of the Federal Diet, on 

 April 9th, the Prussian representative made 

 the following proposition for the constitutional 

 reform of the Confederation: "1. That an as- 

 sembly should be convened composed of mem- 

 bers directly elected throughout Germany by 

 universal suffrage, to meet upon a day to be 

 appointed, in order to receive proposals to be 

 laid before the German Governments for a re- 

 form of the Federal Constitution. 2. That ne- 

 gotiations should in the mean time take place 

 between the various governments to settle the 

 above proposals." A motion brought forward 

 by the Austrian representative, as President of 

 the Diet, demanding the immediate communi- 

 cation to the Federal Governments of the 

 Prussian motion, was agreed to. The Prussian 

 representative advocated the earliest possible 

 appointment of a committee for the examina- 

 tion of the proposal made by his government. 

 On April 21, the proposal of Prussia, for a re- 

 form of the Federal Constitution was referred 

 by a majority of fourteen to a special corn-mi ttee 

 of nine members. The committee was elected 

 on April 26th, and consisted of the representa- 

 tives of Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Han- 

 over, Wurtemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, 

 Electoral Hesse, Mecklenburg, and the repre- 

 sentatives of the houses of Saxe. The commit- 

 tee organized itself on May 9th, when the rep- 

 resentative of Prussia gave a more explicit state- 

 ment as to the intentions of his government. 

 The reforms desired by Prussia were as follows: 

 1. Introduction of a national representation into 

 the organism of the Confederation. 2. Within 

 the sphere of this legislature should fall, in ac- 

 cordance with article 64, of the Treaty of Vien- 

 na, provisions of common utility, such as coins, 

 civil laws, patents, etc. 3. To these subjects 

 should be added a regulation of the intercourse 

 between the members of the Confederation. 

 4. Development of article 18, of the Federal 

 pact, concerning freedom of intermigration, a 

 general German homestead law, etc. 5. Com- 

 mon legislation on duties and commerce. 6. 



Organization of a common protection of Ger- 

 man commerce; appointment of consuls rep- 

 resenting the whole of Germany. 7. Foun- 

 dation of a German navy. 8. Revision of 

 the Military Constitution o.f the Confeder- 

 ation. 



On the 20th of May, the Congress of Ger- 

 man Deputies (members of German legislatures) 

 held a meeting at Frankfort, at which two 

 hundred members were present. M. Sigismund 

 Miiller, of Frankfort, presided. The Congress 

 adopted, on the recommendation of its commit- 

 tee, a resolution condemning a war, declaring 

 guilty of grave crimes toward the nation those 

 who might cause one, and threatening with the 

 national execration those who might attempt to 

 dispose of any portion of German territory to 

 foreigners. The resolution adds, that if war 

 be inevitable every qffort should be made to 

 localize it as closely as possible. All the states 

 not actually engaged in the dispute, especially 

 those of Southwestern Germany, ought not 

 unnecessarily to take part in the contest ; their 

 dbty is to retain their forces intact, so that, if 

 occasion should arise, they may be in a posi- 

 tion to maintain the territorial integrity of 

 Germany. The chambers of the various states 

 should demand guaranties in this sense before 

 voting credits for military purposes. The reso- 

 lution concluded thus: "A solution of the 

 Federal constitutional question can alone pre- 

 vent the recurrence of so dangerous a state of 

 affairs. The chambers and the German nation 

 generally ought, therefore, to require a speedy 

 convocation of a German parliament, on the 

 basis of the electoral law of 1849. 



With regard to the war threatening to 

 break ont between Austria and Prussia, the 

 majority of the Diet ranged itself on the side 

 of Austria, the representative of Prussia, on 

 June 1st, declared that if the Federal Diet 

 should show itself unable to prevent violations 

 of the federal peace like that now threatened 

 by Austria and Saxony, Prussia would have to 

 draw the inference that the actual condition of 

 the Confederation was inadequate for the fulfil- 

 ment of its task, and it would base its further 

 steps upon this condition. On the same day 

 the Diet accepted an invitation to take part in 

 a peace conference to be held in Paris, and 

 unanimously elected the Bavarian minister, 

 Von der Pfordten, its delegate. 



When the Federal Diet, on June 14th, 

 adopted the Austrian proposition for a mobili- 

 zation of the Federal army, the Prussian 

 representative declared that Prussia consider- 

 ed the Federal pact as dissolved. He then 

 submitted proposals for the constitution of a 

 new "bund," announced that Prussia seceded 

 from the present confederation, and immediate- 

 ly withdrew from the assembly. The Austrian 

 Minister-President addressed the Diet in a 

 speech in which he referred to article 1, of the 

 Federal pact, and article 5, of the final act of 

 Vienna, and insisted upon the indissolubility of 

 the Federal pact. He protested against the 



