1849 · Berlin
by [German Revolution of 1848
Berlin, 1849. Nine broadsides, various sizes. Folded. Some wrinkling and chipping. One broadside split along central fold. Light tanning and foxing. About very good. This group of German political broadsides addresses aspects of the 1848 Revolution in Prussia. Along with citizens of several European countries, German citizens in a number of states rose up in the spring of 1848 to demand more democratic government and a unified Germany. In Prussia, protestors confronted the King, Frederick William IV, demanding parliamentary elections and a free press. Several days later a prolonged street battle between demonstrators and the Prussian army left over two hundred dead, and the King agreed to the formation of a Constitutional Assembly. By the end of the year, however, the body was unable to agree upon a functioning constitution, and Frederick William was able to regain almost all of his authority by the middle of 1849.
The vast majority of broadsides present in this group express the revolutionary perspective. They put forth ideas for the prospective new constitution, impugn the monarch and the ruling classes, and issue calls to arms to the Prussian people to protect their country and their brothers and fellow citizens. One broadside prints a satire of army officers among the revolutionary forces; another publishes Frederick William's rejection of the imperial crown offered to him by the failing National Assembly in May 1849, of which only three copies are recorded in OCLC.
Fascinating and ephemeral propaganda from a period of great upheaval in Central Europe. (Inventory #: WRCAM52577)
The vast majority of broadsides present in this group express the revolutionary perspective. They put forth ideas for the prospective new constitution, impugn the monarch and the ruling classes, and issue calls to arms to the Prussian people to protect their country and their brothers and fellow citizens. One broadside prints a satire of army officers among the revolutionary forces; another publishes Frederick William's rejection of the imperial crown offered to him by the failing National Assembly in May 1849, of which only three copies are recorded in OCLC.
Fascinating and ephemeral propaganda from a period of great upheaval in Central Europe. (Inventory #: WRCAM52577)