Still, the two revolutions, that of the Sixteenth Century and that of 1848-50, are, in spite of all analogies, materially different from each other.The revolution of 1848 bespeaks, if not the progress of Germany, the progress of Europe.
Who profited by the revolution of 1525? The princes.Who profited by the revolution of 1848? The big princes, Austria and Prussia.Behind the princes of 1525 there stood the lower middle-class of the cities, held chained by means of taxation.Behind the big provinces of 1850, there stood the modern big bourgeoisie, quickly subjugating them by means of the State debt.Behind the big bourgeoisie stand the proletarians.
The revolution of 1525 was a local German affair.The English, French, Bohemians and Hungarians had already gone through their peasant wars when the Germans began theirs.If Germany was decentralised, Europe was so to a much greater extent.The revolution of 1848 was not a local German affair, it was one phase of a great European movement.The moving forces throughout the period of its duration were not confined to the narrow limits of one individual country, not even to the limits of one-quarter of the globe.In fact, the countries which were the arena of the revolution were least active in producing it.They were more or less unconscious raw materials without will of their own.They were moulded in the course of movement in which the entire world participated, a movement which under existing social conditions may appear to us as an alien power, but which, in the end, is nothing but our own.This is why the revolution of 1848-50could not end in the way that the revolution of 1525 ended.
THE END
The Twelve Articles of the PeasantsTHE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS T he fundamental and correct chief articles of all the peasants and of those subject to ecclesiastical lords, relating to these matters in which they feel themselves aggrieved.
M cccc, quadratum, Ix et duplicatum V cum transit, christiana secta peribit.
Peace to the Christian Reader and the Grace of God through Christ.
There are many evil writings put forth of late which take occasion, on account of the assembling of the peasants, to cast scorn upon the gospel, saying: Is this the fruit of the new teaching, that no one should obey but all should everywhere rise in revolt and rush together to reform or perhaps destroy altogether the authorities, both ecclesiastic and lay?
The articles below shall answer these godless and criminal fault-finders, and serve in the first place to remove the reproach from the word of God, and in the second place to give a Christian excuse for the disobedience or even the revolt of the entire Peasantry.In the first place the Gospel is not the cause of revolt and disorder, since it is the message of Christ, the promised Messiah, the Word of Life, teaching only love, peace, patience and concord.Thus, all who believe in Christ should learn to be loving, peaceful, long-suffering and harmonious.This is the foundation of all the articles of the peasants (as Will be seen) who accept the Gospel and live according to it.How then can the evil reports declare the Gospel to be a cause of revolt and disobedience? That the authors of the evil reports and the enemies of the Gospel oppose themselves to these demands is due, not to the Gospel, but to the Devil, the worst enemy of the Gospel, who causes this opposition by raising doubts in the minds of his followers, and thus the word of God, which teaches love, peace and concord, is overcome.
In the second place, it is clear that the peasants demand that this Gospel be taught them as a guide in life and they ought not to be called disobedient or disorderly.Whether God grant the peasants (earnestly wishing to live according to His word) their requests or no, who shall find fault with the will of the Most High? Who shall meddle in His judgments or oppose his majesty? Did be not hear the children of Israel when they called upon Him and saved them out of the hands of Pharaoh? Can He not save His own to-day? Yes, He will save them and that speedily.Therefore, Christian reader, read the following articles with care and then judge.Here follow the articles:
The First Article.-- First, it is our humble petition and desire, as also our will and resolution, that in the future we should have power and authority so that each community should choose and appoint a pastor, and that we should have the right to depose him should he conduct himself improperly.The pastor thus chosen should teach us the Gospel pure and simple, without any addition, doctrine or ordinance of man.For to teach us continually the true faith will lead us to pray God that through His grace this faith may increase within us and become part of us.For if His grace work not within us we remain flesh and blood, which availeth nothing; since the Scripture clearly teaches that only through true faith can we come to God.Only through His mercy can we become holy.Hence such a guide and pastor is necessary and in this fashion grounded upon the Scriptures.
The Second Article.-- According as the just tithe is established by the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New, we are ready and willing to pay the fair tithe of grain.The word of God plainly provided that in giving according to right to God and distributing to His people the services of a pastor are required.We will that, for the future, our church provost, whomsoever the community may appoint, shall gather and receive this tithe.
