How would Prussia develop with a larger Polish population?

What if Prussia managed to regain the polish territories in the Congress of Vienna , let's say that it gains less of Saxony, it does not gain Lusatia and retains Warsaw and the other Polish territories lost to Duchy of Warsaw.
How would the Prussian State develop with a large polish population?
 
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How would the Prussian State develop with a large polish population?

A few decades later, Prussia wouldn't be (as) capable of appealing to the kleindeutschland faction (if it's around, of course) among those favoring German unification. Saddled with a large Polish population, one that would demand rights and privileges commensurate with their share of the nation, Prussia wouldn't be able to simply displace Austria in terms of German leadership.

Further, the Poles were able to demand (and for a while maintain) a "Congress Kingdom" autonomous within Russia OTL. Prussia is much less capable ITTL of resisting Polish demands, and in any case would be fearful of Russian (or perhaps Austrian) "intervention" in Prussian Poland ostiensibly to prevent disorder from spilling over the borders.

It's an interesting question of what this shiny new Polished Prussia* would demand from Austria were war to break out between them. Would Galicia or parts thereof be more attractive ITTL?

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*I know, I know. I deserve to be pun-ished.
 
What if Prussia manged to regain the polish territories in the Congress of Vienna , let's say that it gains less of Saxony, it does not gain Lusatia from Prussia and retains Warsaw and the other Polish territories lost to Duchy of Warsaw.
How would the Prussian State develop with a large polish population?
Wait, who exactly gets Lusatia?

Hm, one wonders- in OTL autonomous entities of sorts were created out of Poland- the Congress Kingdom in Russian influence, the Grand Duchy of Posen in Prussian influence, though the only autonomous area in the Austrian influence was the city-state of Krakow. In this case it seems like the Prussian entity may end up with the title "Kingdom of Poland", perhaps?
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Wait, who exactly gets Lusatia?

Hm, one wonders- in OTL autonomous entities of sorts were created out of Poland- the Congress Kingdom in Russian influence, the Grand Duchy of Posen in Prussian influence, though the only autonomous area in the Austrian influence was the city-state of Krakow. In this case it seems like the Prussian entity may end up with the title "Kingdom of Poland", perhaps?

Unlikely it's already a Kingdom, but the effect is interesting, I think the Prussian is more likely to try create some kind of patriotism-based inclusive Prussian Nationalism*, rather than the "blood"-based more exclusive German nationalism, which will give them some problems with the growing German national movement. If Prussia doesn't own its westen possision, we will likely see a unification without Prussia or Austria.

*But still based on the German language like French nationalism was based on the French language
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Unlikely it's already a Kingdom, but the effect is interesting, I think the Prussian is more likely to try create some kind of patriotism-based inclusive Prussian Nationalism*, rather than the "blood"-based more exclusive German nationalism, which will give them some problems with the growing German national movement. If Prussia doesn't own its westen possision, we will likely see a unification without Prussia or Austria.

*But still based on the German language like French nationalism was based on the French language

Perhaps they'd develop some jind of genuine dialect that would differ them from "normal" and "lesser" Germans.
 
Perhaps they'd develop some jind of genuine dialect that would differ them from "normal" and "lesser" Germans.

They wouldn't need to, they already had it. Just have the Prussian intelligentsia avoid the regularisation of the late 18th/early 19th century and you could have a distinctly Prussian form of German emerge. Not massively different, but just enough to make it clear.

I suspect, though, that the big distinction would be a more pronounced bilingualism. An educated Prussian would speak German and Polish (along with French) as a matter of course. Especially if there is a genuine double monarchy with the king of Prussia also being king of Poland. And in the absence of a linguistic and religious bond, that state would have to turn to nationalism as its glue by default, which may herald good things for Poland's jews, too.

Can you imagine an upstanding Rhinelander or Bavarian ranting about the mongrelised, half-Polish, Jew-loving Prussians :D
 
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