The German “Frontier” in the East and Its Origins in the Liberal Revolution of 1848

The aspirations of the German National Assembly in Frankfurt in 1848 to place a German-led Central Europe among the “World Powers” of the future, met the immediate and fierce resistance of Central Europe's non-German nationalist movements. As a consequence, German nationalist elites developed a vision of the eastern borders that was not only akin to but also inspired by the American “frontier.” In particular, nationalists employed similar legitimizing strategies by claiming a German civilizing mission towards the east. This paper explains the ensuing conflict between Germans and non-Germans in East Central Europe against the backdrop of great power competition, colonial experience and the eventual failure of German empire building. It is the purpose of this paper to determine the place of the “frontier” in the German political discourses of the 19th century, and to discuss both the role of Habsburg Austria and the contribution of Austrian Germans to an expansionist program usually associated with Prussia.