1.     Frankfurt Parliament (1848-49) was convened at Frankfurt on May 18, 1848 as a result of the liberal revolution that swept the German states early in 1848.

2.     The parliament was called by a preliminary assembly of German liberals in March 1848 and its members were elected by the direct manhood suffrage. They represented the entire political spectrum and included the foremost German figures of that time.

3.     Its purpose was to plan the unification of Germany.

4.     The conflict among the traditionally separate German states, notably Austria and Prussia made progress difficult.

5.     In March 1849 the parliament adopted a federal constitution of German states, excluding Austria, with a parliamentary government and a hereditary emperor. Frederick William IV of Prussia was chosen emperor but he refused to accept the crown from a popularly elected assembly and the entire scheme failed.

6.     Most of the representatives withdrew and the remainder were dispersed. The parliament, therefore, accomplished nothing as troops were called and the assembly was forced to disband.