Pictured: Germany, 1848
This week research was partially mired by the snow storms. I found a book on the ‘48ers( German revolutionaries who fled to the United States following the failure of their revolution and the return of the King of Prussia) in the library that I have not found online but the snow and typical horrible Philadelphia streets have prevented me from getting to the library this week. But it was still my most productive research week as I finally hammered out exactly the perimeters of my research. I will be focusing on Germany from 1848-1871, the period between the failed revolutions of 1848 to the unification of Germany under the conservative Kingdom of Prussia. While I am partially dismayed that I will not be discussing Napoleon III or Risorgimento, I am excited that I have a more lean research project that will definitely prove more wieldy while still rich in research and opportunities for discussion.
My current hypothesis is: The transformation of nationalism into a conservative force is a result of 3 developments. First, liberal revolutionaries fled Germany following the failure of the 1848 revolutions to places that already had liberal constitutions such as the United States. Marxism rejected nationalism and became the dominant philosophy of the far left, and practical conservatives such as Otto Von Bismarck recognized the utility of nationalism for their own conservative Realpolitik agenda.
You did good work this week, despite the snow!