After the almost total decay of nationality and the restoration oftranquillity, people began in some individual isolated circles tointroduce order, improvement, and progress.Nowhere was witnessedmore zeal in cherishing education, manners, religion, art, andscience; nowhere was absolute power exercised with greatermoderation or with more advantage to general enlightenment, order,and morality, to the reform of abuses and the advancement of thecommon welfare.
The foundation for the revival of German nationality wasundoubtedly laid by the Governments them selves, by theirconscientious devotion of the proceeds of the secularised Churchlands to the uses of education and instruction, of art and science,of morality and objects of public utility.By these measures lightmade its way into the State administration and the administrationof justice, into education and literature, into agriculture,industry, and commerce, and above all amongst the masses.ThusGermany developed herself in a totally different way from all othernations.Elsewhere high mental culture rather grew out of theevolution of the material powers of production, whilst in Germanythe growth of material powers of production was the outcome chieflyof an antecedent intellectual development.Hence at the present daythe whole culture of the Germans is theoretical.Hence also thosemany unpractical and odd traits in the German character which othernations notice in us.
For the moment the Germans are in the position of an individualwho, having been formerly deprived of the use of his limbs, firstlearned theoretically the arts of standing and walking, of eatingand drinking, of laughing and weeping, and then only proceeded toput them in practice.Hence comes the German predilection forphilosophic systems and cosmopolitan dreams.The intellect, whichwas not allowed to stir in the affairs of this world, strove toexercise itself in the realms of speculation.Hence, too, we findthat nowhere has the doctrine of Adam Smith and of his disciplesobtained a larger following than in Germany; nowhere else havepeople more thoroughly believed in the cosmopolitan magnanimity ofMessrs Canning and Huskisson.
For the first progress in manufactures Germany is indebted tothe revocation of the Edict of Nantes and to the numerous refugeeswho by that insane measure were driven to emigrate to almost everypart of Germany, and established everywhere manufactures of wool,silk, jewellery, hats, glass, china, gloves, and industries ofevery kind.
The first Government measures for the promotion of manufacturesin Germany were introduced by Austria and Prussia; in Austria underCharles VI and Maria Theresa, but even more under Joseph II.
Austria had formerly suffered enormously from the banishment of theProtestants, her most industrious citizens; nor can it be exactlyaffirmed that she distinguished herself in the immediate sequel bypromoting enlightenment and mental culture.Afterwards, inconsequence of a protective tariff, improved sheep farming, betterroads, and other encouragements, industry made considerable strideseven under Maria Theresa.
More energetically still was this work pushed forward underJoseph II and with immensely greater success.At first, indeed, theresults could not be called important, because the Emperor,according to his wont, was too precipitate in these as in all hisother schemes of reform, and Austria, in relation to other states,still occupied too backward a position.Here as elsewhere it becameevident that one might get 'too much of a good thing' at once, andthat protective duties, in order to work beneficially and not as adisturbing element upon an existing state of things, must not bemade too high at the commencement.But the longer that systemcontinued, the more clearly was its wisdom demonstrated.To thattariff Austria is indebted for her present prosperous industriesand the flourishing condition of her agriculture.