AH Challenge: A liberal republican unification of Germany?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Parliament

That's a good start. It was an attempt at a liberal unification of Germany. The problem was 1) They still wanted a constitutional monarchy and 2) Most of the leadership of Prussia was too conservative. You'd need a much more liberal Prussia. I don't think the '48 Rebellions would've been enough to really succeed at doing more than applying some pressure, and Frederick Wilhelm IV would never have allowed a republic (and before you think of killing off Freddy... his successor was a conservative, too :p). But, in any case, it's a good place to start your research.
 

Susano

Banned
Yeah, 1848 is of course the standard route, and the best bet. Of course, for it to succeed youd really have to line absolutely everything up in favour of the revolutionaries... its possible, but its not very probable.
 
Yeah, 1848 is of course the standard route, and the best bet. Of course, for it to succeed youd really have to line absolutely everything up in favour of the revolutionaries... its possible, but its not very probable.

I've sometimes suspected that Westphalia under the Jolly King would be fertile ground for Republicanism. Look at where in Italy the Red Shirts flourished, compared to the moderate nationalists who saw an Italian federation under the Savoyards.
 
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