Discuss the various positions in the Frankfurt Assembly regarding the two main options for German unification (smaller Germany vs. larger Germany)..
What were the major points of contention between the major factions? Why did the Assembly finally choose the former over the latter? What is the overall significance of the Assembly’s failure to come to a swift conclusion for the future development of Germany? In answering the last question, you should also refer to the suppression of the various liberal-democratic movements after the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon (1815) as precursors of the failed 1848 Revolution.