Frankfurt Parliament

The Frankfurt Parliament is the name of the German National Assembly founded during the Revolutions of 1848 that tried to unite Germany in a democratic way. Meeting in the city of Frankfurt am Main, the assembly was attended by 831 deputies.

Conclusion

The Frankfurt Parliament was the first attempt to create a unified Germany. It was given the room to operate but the parliament was weak as it had no legal power (which was in the hands of the German Confederation). Furthermore the public's strong support of the monarchy prevented a permanent backing of the revolutionary forces. The rich people sided with the political leadership and the aristocracy. The cleft between the interests of the rich people, and those of the lower classes was too wide to be bridged by a compromise agreement. The revolutionaries also lacked uniformity in terms of demands. The military and bureaucrat remained loyal to the leading classes while the assembly did not have its own military troops. Instead of representing the entire public, the parliament only reflected intellectuals. They needed so much time to finish the constitution that when they were ready the monarchy had fortified already. The revolutions on which the parliament was founded were crushed. The refusal of Friedrich Wilhelm IV to accept the crown of Germany gave Prussia and Austria an excuse to withdraw their deputies, thus crushing the last hazard of revolution. The great winners were obviously the conservatives.

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