Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/774

Oct. 30, was based entirely on the right of conquest, the question of the lawful succession in the duchies and the claims of the federal diet being ignored. When Prussia after the conclusion of peace called upon Hanover and Saxony to withdraw their troops from Holstein, Saxony showed some intention to resist by force. A collision was averted by a resolution of the federal diet, which in accordance with the demand of Austria and Prussia declared the execution to be ended. The disagreement between Austria and Prussia now began to widen. Austria desired to have the administration of the duchies transferred to Prince Frederick of Augustenburg; Bismarck entered into negotiations concerning the annexation of the duchies to Prussia. The federal diet took an unavailing interest in the cause of Prince Frederick, and finally confined itself to a protest against the illegal solution of the Schleswig-Holstein question, while the crown jurists of Prussia undertook to prove that Christian IX. of Denmark was the lawful duke of Schleswig-Holstein, which therefore, in virtue of the peace of Vienna, belonged to Austria and Prussia. A better understanding between Austria and Prussia appeared to be established when the latter power, in April, 1865, concluded a commercial treaty with the Zollverein. On Aug. 14 the Gastein convention gave Austria the exclusive occupation of Holstein, to Prussia that of Schleswig, and annexed Lauenburg to Prussia. The resolution of another general assembly of deputies of all the German states, which was held at Frankfort in October, and which demanded the convocation of the diet of Schleswig-Holstein, was entirely disregarded by the two great powers. Soon a new difficulty sprang up between Austria and Prussia. The permission given by the Austrian governor of Holstein, Gen. von Gablenz, to hold an anti-Prussian meeting at Altona, Jan. 23, 1866, led to a very angry exchange of diplomatic notes. Austria warned the other states against the ambitious schemes of Prussia in a circular note of March 16, and began to arm. As the states of the second rank did not conceal their entire sympathy with Austria, Prussia in April strengthened her position by an alliance with Italy, and also began to arm. At the same time Prussia made a bid for the sympathy of the masses of the people in the smaller states by moving in the federal diet, on April 9, the convocation of a general national assembly, to be elected by direct and universal suffrage. An understanding arrived at between Prussia and Austria to begin the disarmament on April 25 and 26 failed, as Austria refused to withdraw her army from the Italian frontiers. A peace congress, proposed by England, France, and Russia, likewise failed, because Austria demanded the exclusion of all negotiations concerning the extension of the territory of either disputant. On June 1 Austria transferred the decision of the Schleswig-Holstein question to the federal diet. This was regarded by Prussia as a termination of the Gastein convention; her troops were at once marched into Holstein, and the Austrian governor of Holstein was invited to reënter into the joint occupation of Schleswig. Austria denounced this act as a violation of the federal constitution, and on June 14 the federal diet, by a majority of 9 against 6, adopted the view of Austria and ordered the mobilization of the entire federal army, except the troops of Prussia. The states voting for this resolution were Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Würtemberg, Hesse-Cassel, Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau, and the small states forming the 16th class. The representative of Prussia at once declared that the majority of the federal diet had exceeded its authority, and that Prussia, regarded the confederation as dissolved. On the following day, the governments of Hanover, Saxony, and Hesse-Cassel were requested by Prussia to take back their vote of the preceding day, to disarm, and to enter into a new confederation with Prussia, which in that case would guarantee their sovereignty; in case of refusal, the immediate opening of hostilities was announced. The three governments on the same day refused this demand, and on June 16 their territory was occupied by Prussian troops. The brilliant campaign of the Prussians (see Prussia) against the Austrians, who had been joined by the Saxon troops, in Bohemia and Moravia (June 23 to July 22), and against the other federal troops in Thuringia and in the region of the Main (June 27 to the beginning of August), completed the dissolution of the confederation and secured the reconstruction of Germany on an entirely new basis. The preliminary peace of Nikolsburg, July 26, which was confirmed by the definitive peace of Prague, Aug. 23, excluded Austria from Germany, and provided for the establishment of a new confederation of the states N. of the Main. The states S. of the Main, Bavaria, Würtemberg, Baden, and Hesse-Darmstadt, were left at liberty to establish a South German confederation. Schleswig-Holstein, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Nassau, and Frankfort were incorporated with Prussia. Even before the conclusion of the definitive peace Prussia had entered into offensive and defensive alliances with Würtemberg (Aug. 13), Baden (Aug. 17), and Bavaria (Aug. 22). On Aug. 24 the last representatives of the old German confederation, who from Frankfort had removed to Augsburg, declared the work of the federal diet to be at an end. The North German confederation (Norddeutscher Bund) was established by treaties between Prussia and the smaller states during the period from Aug. 18 to Oct. 21. On Dec. 15 an assembly of plenipotentiaries met in Berlin to draft the constitution of the confederation, which was then submitted to the constituent North German Reichstag, which met in Berlin on Feb. 24, 1867, and on April 16 adopted by 230 against 53