The Frankfurt Assembly

On March 1, 1848, at the initiative of the bourgeois liberals of Baden and Württemberg, a meeting of liberal representatives from the various states was held in Heidelberg.

Fifty-one people attended. Most represented the states of South Germany, including four Prussians and just one Austrian.

The assembly passed the Declaration to the German People and decided to form a seven-member committee to prepare for the German Pre-Parliament. (The forerunner of the Frankfurt Assembly.)

There was no doubt that, as far as Austria was concerned, this assembly had claimed to represent it without permission.

Whatever others thought, Franz would not recognize the assembly as legitimate. He had been too busy dealing with domestic problems to spare time for such matters, but now that the internal crisis was under control, it was time to intervene in the affairs of Germany.

Unlike in history, Austria's bourgeoisie had suffered a crushing blow. Those who remained were trembling on the sidelines, afraid the government might casually wipe them out. Who would dare make trouble at a time like this?

The Frankfurt Assembly was about to convene, but Austria had not chosen its representatives. Instead, a group of wanted fugitives was preparing to attend.

Franz had no idea what the capitalists were thinking. From the very beginning, this was doomed to fail. Without recognition from the governments of the various states, how could it possibly be legitimate?

"Chancellor, what do you think of the capitalists' latest stunt?" Franz asked.

"Your Highness, I think we can simply ignore it. This assembly is illegal to begin with. We need only refuse to recognize it," Chancellor Felix said calmly.

Austria still had formidable resources at its disposal. Among the various German states, it was currently the most powerful.

Franz frowned. He was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. The Austrian Government had taken the same approach in history, with dire consequences: the assembly passed a proposal for a Lesser German Empire, excluding Austria.

In Franz's view, the Kingdom of Prussia was also pulling the strings behind this meeting. Otherwise, Austria would not have been excluded from the very outset.

"Chancellor, is that really what you think? If we do nothing, I suspect the assembly's conclusion will be to establish a Lesser German Empire that excludes Austria.

"Whether or not this assembly is legal, its influence among the people is undeniable. Perhaps Austria has yet to feel it clearly.

"But its influence is already spreading in other regions. Once the people accept this idea, it will lay the foundation for Prussia to unite those territories in the future," Foreign Minister Metternich said, frowning.

He was called the Coachman of Europe for good reason. Though he did not believe Germany could be unified, Metternich, who sought to preserve the balance of power in Europe, opposed anyone trying to unite it.

The Kingdom of Prussia was already powerful. If they were given more opportunities, annexing North Germany would no longer be a problem.

That posed a major threat to Austria. In history, Metternich had already left the political stage by this point, stripped of his voice and powerless to stop any of it.

Now, however, he was still serving as Austria's foreign minister. He naturally had to act, and disrupting the Frankfurt Assembly was the first step.

That was also why Franz had brought him into the cabinet. Few people in the world could match his skill in diplomacy, even though the Vienna System he had built had already collapsed.

"Mr. Metternich, please don't make alarmist claims here. What are these capitalists, anyway? Can they really represent the people?

"None of the state governments will recognize their legitimacy. This so-called German parliament won't have any authority beyond Frankfurt!" Felix shot back.

"Don't forget the capitalists' influence among the people. With their newspapers, they can shape public opinion across entire regions. As far as I know, the Prussian Government has had secret contacts with them.

"Once they reach an agreement, the capitalists will support the Kingdom of Prussia in uniting Lesser Germany. Then war between us and the Kingdom of Prussia will be inevitable!" Metternich roared.

Watching the two men argue until their faces were red, on the verge of coming to blows, Franz hurriedly barked, "Both of you, shut up! I called you here to discuss state affairs, not to listen to you quarrel!"

On the surface, Franz was furious. In truth, he was delighted. No monarch wanted his subordinates to stand united, especially when Franz was not yet emperor.

As heir apparent serving as regent, if he let the cabinet unite, he would soon be reduced to a figurehead. To maintain a balance of power, he could not let cabinet members close ranks.

One was a former chancellor who had governed Austria for more than twenty years; the other was a forceful incumbent. With two such strong personalities at odds over policy, conflict was inevitable.

"Enough. To be safe, whether or not this is a Prussian plot, we must sabotage the assembly—or at least suppress its influence as much as possible.

"Let's hear your suggestions. Our time is precious. Wasting even a minute is a crime!"

Franz had sided with Metternich. Later generations had exaggerated the importance of the Frankfurt Assembly after the Lesser German Empire was established.

Only those who had lived through it could say exactly how much it had mattered. Franz did not want to find out. Better to sabotage it outright.

In any case, because of the Zollverein, Austria had little influence among Germany's capitalists, far less than the Kingdom of Prussia. It was simply impossible to use this assembly to secure an agreement in Austria's favor.

"How about we send someone to propose establishing a North-South German Empire? If we promise the states of South Germany that we won't interfere in their internal affairs, we have a good chance of success," Karl, the finance minister, ventured.

"It won't work. We might have a slight chance of persuading the states of South Germany, but a proposal like that would never pass at an assembly of bourgeois representatives!

"Besides, persuading them would cost us too much, and in the end it would still amount to nothing more than unification in name," Metternich said, shaking his head.

Franz was tempted. If they formed a South German Federal Empire, the Prussians would have no part in it. Because of their religious differences, North and South Germany were divided by a clear chasm.

Even if their unity were only nominal, with everyone still going their own way in practice, Austria could use economic means to infiltrate them and gradually influence their politics.

Unfortunately, the time was not right yet. At the very least, Austria had to resolve its internal conflicts first. Otherwise, it would have no confidence to speak from a position of strength.