Episode #71, "The Crown from the Gutter", ended with the defeat of the German Revolutions of 1848. But what happened to all those idealistic young rebels and radicals after their revolutions were crushed and they had to skip town? A lot of them got on a boat…and made their way to the United States of America. History remembers them as the Forty-Eighters.

But soon the Forty-Eighters ended up in ANOTHER great struggle for liberty, this time to break the chains of slavery. Because over 200,000 German-Americans, led by the revolutionary exiles of 1848, fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War. Ten years after they had fought for freedom in Germany and lost, the Forty-Eighters, both men and women, fought for freedom in America. And this time, they won.

Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-wars-of-german-unification-source-list

Before the 19th Century, there was no such thing as Germany. Not yet. The German people were scattered across dozens of separate countries, dominated by Austria and Prussia. But an idea was loose in Europe - that a people should rule themselves, that a nation should be free - and that idea was about to catch fire.

In Part 1 of the Wars of German Unification series, our big "context" episode, we trace the origins of German nationalism, the epic rivalry of Austria and Prussia, the influence of the French Revolution and Napoleon on German history, and the rising tide of revolution that led to the European Spring.

Because to understand the Wars of German Unification, the battles and the iron and the blood, we have to start with the first attempt to unify Germany, the one that failed.

We have to start with the road not taken.

We have to start with 1848.

Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-wars-of-german-unification-source-list

Music:

Haydn String Quartet In C Major Emperor Hob Iii 77 Op 76 No 3 Movement 2, by Lynnepublishing via Pond5.com

https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/92945102-haydn-string-quartet-c-major-emperor-hob-iii-77-op-76-no-3-m

"Phoenix Uprising" by Allwaves via Pond5.com

https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/302066823-phoenix-rising-cinematic-trailer-theme-rebellion-sacrifice-i

Chasing Daylight by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Voice of Earth by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Juggernaut by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A brief introduction to the upcoming Wars of German Unification series, debuting September 21. Don't know your Kaisers from your Pfizers or your Prussias from your Ushers? Find the answers here!

Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-wars-of-german-unification-source-list

Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/maps-germany-part-1

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Email me: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com