A plot soon began to form in Prussia’s highest ranks…Įpisode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Gustaf Wappers (1834) This tradition fostered a culture of debate and criticism, which was deeply rooted in Prussia and went back to philosophers such as Immanuel Kant. While the reactionary movement might have silenced the reformers in public, many liberals still held secret meetings to discuss their opinions on the matters of state.
Following the Decrees, notable reformers such as von Humboldt and von Beyme were sacked as ministers and replaced by more conservative figures. The Decrees imposed reactionary restrictions, including banning nationalist fraternities ('Burschenschaften'), removing liberal university professors and expanding the censorship of the press. When the Russian envoy, August von Kotzebue, was killed by a radical student, the governments of the German Confederation responded with the Carlsbad Decrees. In Prussia itself, the reform movements came to a halt in 1819. This included countering any liberal movements that sought to undermine the authority of the absolute monarchy. In the aftermath of Napoleon’s defeat, King Frederick William III formed the Holy Alliance with the Emperor of Austria and the Tsar of Russia to ensure peace and stability on the European continent.
