The Establishment Of The Confederation Of Rhine And The French Construction Of Natural Frontier During The First Republic

Extending the eastern border toward the line of the Rhine was a political goal pursued by successive French governments.The resulting "natural frontier theory" is the legal basis for this expansion appeal.Both the First Republic and the subsequent Napoleonic government firmly inherited this strategy.Thanks to the brilliant achievements of Napoleon,the construction of the natural frontier was pushed to the climax.After defeating the Anti-French Alliance three times,France not only completely controlled the left bank of the Rhine,but also dominated the compensation arrangements of German monarchs who lost territory on the left bank,and took this as an opportunity to further intervene in German affairs,which expand its influence on the right bank and launch the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine.The authority of the Holy Roman Empire was completely destroyed in this process.Among those micro and medium princes who has lost the protection of the Empire,the call for the formation of a "third Germany" to replace the old order was widespread.Combined with Napoleon's Charlemagnic ambitions,it promote the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine.The Confederation's establishment and the collapse of the old Reich did not make Prussia and Austria give up the struggle for leadership in Germany.Indeed,they were actively in seeking new models to compete with the Confederation.As Napoleon's conquest enterprise flourished,the expanding Confederation gradually became a tool for solving geopolitical problems of Germany.Napoleon attempted to establish his legitimate rule over Germany and exc luded Prussia and Austria from German affairs,by strengthening the authority of the Confederation government.The Confederation's head Karl von Dalberg,who was bent on rebuilding the German Community,also made an attempt to strengthen the cohesion of Confederation.It can be seen that the existence of the Confederation actually signified a possible way to German unification.The establishment of the Confederation of the Rhine opened the way to the unification of Germany.Many imperial princes were deposed in order to compensate for land loss on the left bank and prepare for the establishment of the Confederation.These actions greatly simplified the political landscape of Germany as well as strengthened the political and economic links between regions.Under the impact of French revolutionary ideas,Confederation member states carried out reform activities successively,which accelerated the modernization process in Germany and washed the old feudal obstacles to unification away.The establishment of the Confederation and the collapse of the old Reich also inspired the German nationalism,strengthened the national identity of German,and laid the foundation for unification on popular will.Taking the Confederation of the Rhein as a clue,and re-interpreting the historical issue of German unification in combination with French German policies in different periods,we will find that the issue of unification has never been just Germany's internal affairs.The relationship between France and Germany has great significance for the process of German unification.Therefore,to build a long-term and stable unified German,the divergence between France and Germany must be resolved properly.