1830: Revolution in the Western Provinces of Prussia

When recently reading about the history of Cologne, I was reminded how unpopular Prussian rule was in their new possessions along the Rhine and, to a lesser degree, Westphalia.
Basically there were two influential and dissatisfied groups:
a) The catholics did not like the fact that the monarch was protestant and his bureaucracy was mostly as well. Lutheran officers and/or officials marrying local catholic women and deiciding to raise the childern als Lutherans were a big problem.
b) Liberals did not like that compared to French times local democracy and self-government was severely reduced and there was way too much micro-managing done by people sent from Berlin. Prussia being one of the most strictest German powers when it came to censorship of the press and persecution of dissent certainly did not help.

So, basically the PoD is: When revolutions start in France and proto-Belgium, the also start in the western provinces of Prussia.
AFAIK, the biggest Prussian garrisons in that area were in Wesel, Koblenz, Cologne, Jülich and Minden.

On one hand, without foreign help the revolution will be crushed, if not by Prussia alone then with Austrian and other German help.
If France tries to help the revolutionariesin order to gain a client state along the Rhine, the GC treaties will force Austria and the other german states to fight France anyway.
And Russia is certainly chummy with Prussia and Austria in that time.

On the other hand, Russia has its hand full with the Polish uprising. A more widespread Polish uprising might even affect Prussia (and Austria) enough to give the Rhenish a fighting chance ...
 
If France tries to help the revolutionariesin order to gain a client state along the Rhine, the GC treaties will force Austria and the other german states to fight France anyway.

Would German liberals really want a French army of "liberation" only 15 years after Waterloo?
 
Would German liberals really want a French army of "liberation" only 15 years after Waterloo?

From what i have read abouit local history, the regressive Prussian rule was extremely unpopular long the Rhine. Stuff like municipal self-government etc. was strongly missed and nearly a whole generation of Rhenish notables had learned to feel as citizens of the French Republic.

But I admit, the youngest generation of political active men were rather German nationalists.
 
Would German liberals really want a French army of "liberation" only 15 years after Waterloo?

Every liberal in Germany understood, 10 years after Karlsbad, that the "liberation wars" had only been fought to restore the power of the German princes and even the most francophobe nationalists identified the Napoleonic laws as liberal.
 
My first thought is 'poor Belgium'.

The Belgian revolution was nicely contained and turned into 'business as usual' by installing a British princeling as king.

But if we have two rebellions next to eachother, whoever crushes one might just go on to crush the other. And if the French start supporting either, both will be caught in the crossfire.


And no matter who wins, the resulting bigger conflict is likely to cause lots of mayhem in Belgium (and I expect the Westphalian-Belgian revolution to lose).
 
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