1864: Denmark Offers to Join Germany

I could see this event creating a lot of animosities for the Danish Royalty among the common people, seeing as Christian IX didn't even try to hide that retaining his German duchies was more important than the independence of his own Kingdom. Having Denmark being absorbed by the German federation would effectively kill off the fledgeling Danish democracy(instituted in 1848), and have it become part of the much bigger political game in Central Europe.
So I could see the population of Denmark become divided into monarchist and republican factions, as the dethroning of King would be the inevitable result of establishing a democratic Danish republic.
Any form of rebellion and overthrow of government through violent means would be doomed to fail in the time up until WW1, when the Prussian military could be called upon to defeat anyone objecting the treason of Christian IX, but maybe we would see underground movements and militias form, political movements with a militant wing(Sinn Fein like).
I think in this alternate scenario a lot of parallels could be made to Northern Ireland, with the seperationists and unionists clashing(many would still be loyal to the King and the German population of the duchies would also want to stay part of Germany).
So baring any major butterflies, and assuming WW1 happens as in OTL, I think anti-German and anti-royal sentiment would be at a highpoint right after the war(postwar fatigue), perhaps sparking a more radical pendant to the Easter Crisis of 1920 creating an independent Danish state and booting the royalty.
Or maybe this could come about during the Versailles negotiations somehow.
I don't see why the local Danish democratic government has to change in such a situation. IIRC some of the other German states had voting systems significantly more liberal than Prussia's weighted three tier system and the country functioned fine. Denmark's population is too small an addition to upset the apple cart. Prussia will still overwhelmingly dominate.

WW1 would certainly be butterflied away by a change of such magnitude.
 
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Susano

Banned
It just doesnt work. Bismarcks aim was to destroy the German Confederation, since it was institutionally Austrian-dominated, and replace it with something Prussian-dominated. That he did IOTL. Denmark joining the GC would be too much a reputation boost to the GC. Probably the offer was sent to Prussia since itw as Prussia which had actualyl the troops on the ground, but it was really doubly the wrong country to send it to - purely formally it would have to be Austria, since they had the permanent GC presidency, and secondly because they would have been more open about it.

The whole proposal is full of disadvantages for Bismarck. Not only the boost the GC would get, with Denmark inside the GC there is also the possibility that the final confrontation with Austria Bismarck was planning would get outside intervention, something which Bismarck surely did not want. So, yes, no real chance...

Also its strange how people here make the immidate transistion from GC to NGC to Kaiserreich, even though there was a violent, military break between GC and NGC... the modern German state was born out of the NGC, not the GC, so Denmark joining the GC wouldnt even necessarily mean a German Denmark! Most likely when the German War comes it wont be pressed into the NGC afterwards, too much risk for diplopmatic concerns, and instead when the GC is abolished then simply becomes fully independent again, and excluded from the further German unification process.
 
It just doesnt work. Bismarcks aim was to destroy the German Confederation, since it was institutionally Austrian-dominated, and replace it with something Prussian-dominated. That he did IOTL. Denmark joining the GC would be too much a reputation boost to the GC. Probably the offer was sent to Prussia since itw as Prussia which had actualyl the troops on the ground, but it was really doubly the wrong country to send it to - purely formally it would have to be Austria, since they had the permanent GC presidency, and secondly because they would have been more open about it.

Is there any chance that Austria would have reacted better to such an offer, if it had been made to them and not Prussia? As you say, it favors Vienna much more than Berlin.

Enforcing such a peace on Danes might be a bit uncomfortable for their King...
 

Susano

Banned
Is there any chance that Austria would have reacted better to such an offer, if it had been made to them and not Prussia? As you say, it favors Vienna much more than Berlin.
It wasnt Viennas to decide alone, either. Prussia would not have accepted it, and hence there would have been no chance to get it through the Confederation. Hm. If we have the German War of OTL 1866 happen over that question immidatly after the Danish-German War, and for some handwaved reasons Austria wins, then, maybe... but even then Austria might rather favour an independent Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein as new GC member, instead of having to work with yet another kingdom inside the GC (even if a small one)...
 
Could we not see Denmark go to the Congress of Princes, thus increasing pressure on William of Prussia who might decide to go even though BIsmarck didn't want him to (in OTL William wanted to go, but Bismarck said no...with added pressure he might disobey Bismarck.) This could change a lot with German unification as Bismarck might not get full control. Wow, the butterflies could be HUGE!
 
It just doesnt work. Bismarcks aim was to destroy the German Confederation, since it was institutionally Austrian-dominated, and replace it with something Prussian-dominated. That he did IOTL. Denmark joining the GC would be too much a reputation boost to the GC. Probably the offer was sent to Prussia since itw as Prussia which had actualyl the troops on the ground, but it was really doubly the wrong country to send it to - purely formally it would have to be Austria, since they had the permanent GC presidency, and secondly because they would have been more open about it.

The whole proposal is full of disadvantages for Bismarck. Not only the boost the GC would get, with Denmark inside the GC there is also the possibility that the final confrontation with Austria Bismarck was planning would get outside intervention, something which Bismarck surely did not want. So, yes, no real chance...

Also its strange how people here make the immidate transistion from GC to NGC to Kaiserreich, even though there was a violent, military break between GC and NGC... the modern German state was born out of the NGC, not the GC, so Denmark joining the GC wouldnt even necessarily mean a German Denmark! Most likely when the German War comes it wont be pressed into the NGC afterwards, too much risk for diplopmatic concerns, and instead when the GC is abolished then simply becomes fully independent again, and excluded from the further German unification process.

While it's true that the GC was Austrian dominated, if Denmark entered the GC through the auspices of the Prussian crown, with Prussian troops occupying half the country than it's hard to see it as anything other than a de facto Prussian puppet. In fact would this not be seen as a challenge to Austrian authority within the GC and perhaps precipitate an earlier Austro-Prussian war?
 
Bam! Großdeutschland wank!

Gross Deutchland 1870.png
 
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