ABSTRACT
In the decisions arrived at in 1815 regarding the future constitution of Germany there was nothing that savoured of novelty. The bitter sense of disappointment which this consecration aroused in the hearts of the most fervent of German patriots is very understandable, and yet it must be admitted that they had only themselves to blame for their disillusionment. The essence of the matter was that since the criterion of effective influence in international relationships is always military power, the German nation as a whole could take no part in the direction of European affairs. In fact, an English statesman expressed this fact with brutal frankness, when he told a Prussian diplomat that the Germans were an “emasculated nation.” It might have been thought that if the Confederation itself was lacking in influence, that of the two Great Powers among its membershipAustria and Prussia—would be some compensation.
