1.8 Denmark after 1864, Thrown Back on its own Devices
The humiliation of once-powerful Denmark that had been meted out by Napoleon was now complete. An immediate result was that the Danes were forced to fall back on themselves, with greatly reduced frontiers. Under the influence of the king, political power came to reside with the old group of land owners, meaning a return to old, outdated political ideas. Denmark did not perish because the loss of the duchies was mainly a personal and not an economic trauma for the Danes. Back in 1814 the loss of Norway had led to hyperinflation and national bankruptcy. In 1864 Denmark was able to get back on its feet fairly quickly. The fact that the country no longer played an international role meant that what was left of Denmark subsequently belonged to the Danish so that all developments took place at a national level.