Kleinstaaterei
History of Germany |
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The word Kleinstaaterei (German:
Territorial fragmentation was compounded by the fact that, due to the haphazard territorial formation of many states or the partition of dynastic states through inheritance, a very large number of Holy Roman Empire states were constituted of non-contiguous parts, which resulted in countless
An example of the territorial fragmentation is the story of how a young
History
The powerful and autonomous German
The
The political fragmentation of the Empire was the single most salient characteristic of German history throughout the
early modern period; it underlay and conditioned development in all areas of public life.[10]
While in other European kingdoms such as France, coherent
In 1495 emperor Maximilian I attempted to reform the empire. An Imperial supreme court (Reichskammergericht) was established, imperial taxes were levied, and the power of the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) was increased. The reforms, however, were frustrated by the continued territorial fragmentation of the Empire.[13] The Protestant Reformation represented a major threat to imperial integrity. Emperor Charles V stated in 1546: "if we failed to intervene now, all the Estates of Germany would be in danger of breaking with the faith". With the 1548 Augsburg Interim he attempted to reconcile the religious schism in Germany, but instead only prompted new Protestant defiance.[14]
In the 17th century the Kingdom of Prussia emerged as the second dominant power, which also incorporated substantial non-German territories and lands beyond the borders of the empire, while excluding major parts of Germany proper.[5][15]
Apart from these two states, the Holy Roman Empire consisted of hundreds of small, German-speaking
After French Emperor
The rise of nationalism across Europe brought movements striving for "nation-states", each governing an entire (ethno-cultural) people. German nationalists began to insist on a unified Germany. The call for a unified nation-state was one of the central demands of the Revolutions of 1848, but the ruling dynasties of the smaller German states and of multinational Austria and Prussia managed to resist nationalist efforts at unification. A notable figure opposed to national unification was German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writing: "Frankfurt, Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck are large and brilliant, and their impact on the prosperity of Germany is incalculable. Yet, would they remain what they are if they were to lose their independence and be incorporated as provincial cities into one great German Empire? I have reason to doubt this."[17]
Only after
The decentralised nature of Kleinstaaterei made it difficult for the German economy to live up to its potential. Varying systems of weights and measures, different currencies and numerous tariffs impeded trade and investment, although the creation of the German Customs Union had begun to lift these barriers.[19] The startling rapidity of Germany's economic growth after unification under Bismarck provided further evidence that the Kleinstaaterei had been economically repressive. The system did contribute to cultural diversity within Germany, and the numerous rival courts—though usually politically insignificant—often gained some renown through patronage.
Modern German usage
Today, the term Kleinstaaterei is sometimes used in the German media and elsewhere in a figurative sense to describe the German political system of federalism in a critical way, especially referring to its seeming inefficiency to decide on reforms in political fields that are the responsibility of the Länder (states of Germany) and thus are under the auspices of sixteen different administrations. As of 2010, Kleinstaaterei is most often invoked in matters of educational policy, such as the difficulties caused by the different school systems for children of families that move from one state to another.
See also
- Balkanisation
- List of Imperial Diet participants (1792)
- List of states in the Holy Roman Empire
- Petty kingdom
- Federalism in Germany
Notes
References
- ^ J. Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire (1493–1806), Oxford University Press, 2011, vol. 2, p. 653 (Glossary).
- ^ The Times, Atlas of European History, Harper Collins, 1994, p. 127
- ^ E. D. Brose, German History 1789–1871. From the Holy Roman Empire to the Bismarckian Reich, Berghahn Books, 1997, p. 4.
- ^ "Lambert von Spoleto". Deutsche Biographie. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7881-8179-5.
- ^ "The Imperial Nobility of Germany". Holy Roman Empire Association. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ Holland, Arthur William (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 342. . In
- ^ "Warum gibt es die Schweiz? – 2.1.1. Das Heilige Römische Reich". Unterrichstools Schweiz. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Nicholas, David (1997). The Growth of the Medieval City: From Late Antiquity to the Early Fourteenth Century. Longman. pp. 69–72, 133–142, 202–220, 244–45, 300–307.
- ^ John Gagliardo, Germany Under the Old Regime, 1600–1790, Longman, 1991, p. viii.
- ISBN 978-1-4008-8996-9.
- ISBN 978-0-521-36441-6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-873101-6.
- ^ Nexon, Daniel H. "The Struggle for Power in Early Modern Europe" (PDF). Princeton University Press. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-520-04090-8.
- ^ Denzel, Markus A. "State and Finance in the Holy Roman Empire from c.1650 to c.1800" (PDF). University of Helsinki. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Hans-Hermann Hoppe (1 February 2012). "The Politics of Johann Wolfgang Goethe". Mises Institute. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ISBN 9789633860175. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Tilly, Richard (1967). "Germany: 1815–1870". In Cameron, Rondo (ed.). Banking in the Early Stages of Industrialization: A Study in Comparative Economic History. Oxford University Press. pp. 151–182.