Customs Parliament

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In the meeting room of the German Customs Parliament
(graphic by EJ Arnold)

The customs parliament was a public body in the German customs system, which consisted of 85 specially elected members of the southern German states of the German Confederation and the Reichstag members of the North German Confederation . Parliament met between 1868 and 1870 and was part of an attempt at reform by the German Customs Union in the 1860s .

history

Between the war of 1866 and the founding of the empire in 1870/1871, the conversion of the Zollverein into a political institution was an option to bind the southern German states more closely to the new Prussian- dominated North German Confederation and thus possibly to come closer to unity in the longer term . The intention was to create a kind of customs federal state. In the Federal Customs Council, representing the states, there should only be a right of veto for Prussia. In addition, a customs parliament should be created as a new institution. Otto von Bismarck's proposal stipulated that the southern German states should elect 85 members according to free, general and equal suffrage, who would then join the 297 members of the Reichstag of the North German Confederation . The basis for the number of mandates was the provisions of the old Frankfurt Federal Assembly . The southern German states were rather hostile to the plan, but had to give in to some concessions to Bavaria after Prussia's threat to terminate the Zollverein entirely . Parliament should act as a counterweight to the particularism of the German states and, according to the Prussian government, the elections to parliament should become a means of pressure for a nation state. These goals were included in the resolution of the Zollverein Conference of June 1867 and came into force on January 1, 1868.

Palais Hardenberg in Berlin (seat of the Prussian House of Representatives and the Customs Parliament)

On this basis, the election for the 85 southern German members of the customs parliament took place in February 1868 . However, the elections did not bring the victory of the national-liberal movement, as hoped, but of anti-Prussian particularists. In Bavaria there were 27 elected representatives, only twelve were in favor of a small German solution under Prussian leadership, and there were another nine with a somewhat unclear position. In Württemberg all the seats went to the particularists. In Baden , however, six particularists faced eight small Germans, and in Hesse there was no particularist among the six MPs.

Nevertheless, Bismarck's plan to put pressure on the governments failed. In fact, the opposing forces within parliament were strengthened because the southern German particularists joined forces with the northern German federalists ( Welfen supporters ) and Catholics. Ludwig Windthorst, a Catholic from the former Kingdom of Hanover , became a leading spokesperson for this group . Together with the Conservatives, the federalists, Catholics and particularists had a majority in the customs parliament. The hope of getting closer to a nation-state through the customs parliament had thus failed. Nevertheless, in a certain way, parliament was already an anticipation of the Reichstag of the empire . It met in three session periods between 1868 and 1870 and above all promoted economic unity. The venue was the Hardenberg Palace in Leipziger Strasse, which at that time was also the seat of the House of Representatives of the Prussian state parliament .

composition

Map of the Customs Parliament elections 1868.svg

Political Direction Political party Seats
conservative Conservative Party (KP) 66
Free Conservative Association (FKV) 36
Non-attached Conservatives 7th
liberal National Liberal Party (NLP) 97
Center parliamentary group ( Old Liberals ) 1) 17th
Free Association (FV) 15th
German Progressive Party (DFP) 43
non-attached liberals 9
Federalists Bavarian Patriot Party and Greater German Conservatives 28
Federal Constitutional Association (BKV) 21st
non-attached large Germans from Württemberg 8th
Catholics Clerical 5
Workers parties Saxon People's Party (SVP) 3
General German Workers' Association (ADAV) 2
Lassallescher General German Workers' Association (LADAV) 1
Minorities Poland 11
Danes 1
Others 12
total 382

1) Not to be confused with the center faction in the Reichstag of the German Empire

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In: Illustrirte Zeitung , 1868
  2. ^ H. Becker: Sketches from the Customs Parliament . In: The Gazebo . Issue 20, 1868, pp. 309 (woodcut for illustration).
  3. ↑ Hirth's Parliamentary Almanac for 1868 . 7th edition, May 6, 1868. Franz Duncker publisher, Berlin 1868 ( reichstagsprotlog.de )
  4. ↑ Hirth's Parliamentary Almanac for 1869 . 8th edition, April 15, 1869. Verlag von Franz Duncker, Berlin 1869 ( reichstagsprotlog.de )
  5. ^ Database of German members of parliament . Basis: Parliamentary almanacs / Reichstag handbooks 1867–1938 ( reichstag-abteilungendatenbank.de )
  6. ↑ BIORAB Kaiserreich - Online ( Memento of the original dated November 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / zhsf.gesis.org
  7. ↑ for the Bavarian representatives: History of the Bavarian Parliament since 1819 - persons by name . House of Bavarian History
  8. ↑ In the sources given, there are sometimes different information on party affiliations, so this compilation is not the only possible one.