Nicholas Johnston DAILY GERMAN meatings take place in Published June 1849 Paper number 190456 the Paulskirche at am Main

Frankfurt , did it work?

HOW IT GOT STARTED It’s existence was both part of and the result of the “march revolution” in the . It was soon the first freely elected parliament for all of Germany. The first sessions were held from May 18, 1848 until May 31, 1849. The sessions were held in the Paulskirche at Frankfurt am Main.

PAULSKIRCHE This constitution proclaimed a based on the ideas of a parloamental democracy. It was made to fulfill the main demands of the liberal and nationalist movements of the Vormårz which provided the people with a foundation of basic rights which both opposed Metternichs system of restoration. WHAT AFFECT HAS IT HAD ON THE POEPLE?! PAGE2

FRANKFURT PARLIAMENT’S BASIC RIGHTS Some of the freedoms the Vormårz offered included freedom of movement, equal treatment for all , the abolishment of class based privileges and medieval burdens, freedom of religion, Freedom of conscience, the abolishment of , freedom of research and education, freedom of assembly, basic rights in regard to police activity and judicial proceedings, the inviolability of the home, Freedom of the press, independence of judges, freedom of trade and freedom of establishment.

WHEN/WHY DID THE PARLIAMENT FAIL? by June 1849 the Frankfurt Parliament had failed, its power no longer recognised. Despite some achievements the parliament was unable to fully establish neither its authority nor its constitution. The failure of the Frankfurt parliament was precipitated by a number of factors, from its inability to make quick, vital decisions to the division between its members. The responsibility of founding a national constitution was left to an unrepresentative portion of society that made up the Frankfurt Parliament. Eighty percent of its members had university degrees and the rest was comprised of a few land owners, four craftsmen and one peasant .Of the 596 members, the vast majority were middle-class which meant that overall the parliament was moderately liberal in politics. However, the minority of extremist members of the Parliament, as well as the differing aims of its liberal and radical affiliates, proved fatal for the Frankfurt Parliament. Differences could not easily be resolved between these groups and so a majority decision was seldom reached. All these components contributed to the failure of the parliament and the unsuccessfull and shaped the world we lived in today.

NICHOLAS JOHNSTON