Plausibility Check: France Keeps the Rhineland After the Napoleonic Wars?

CaliGuy

Banned
Would it have been plausible for France to keep the Rhineland after the Napoleonic Wars? For instance, if Napoleon decides to call it quits and seek peace sufficiently early?

If so, would the ethnic Germans in the Rhineland (as well as the ethnic Dutch people in our TL's Belgium and southern Netherlands) eventually become loyal, patriotic Frenchmen like the Alsatians became? Or would they become German (or Dutch) nationalists and thus create a perpetual headache for France?

Also, what would the other consequences of a French retention of the Rhineland be for France, Prussia, and other countries?
 
Would it have been plausible for France to keep the Rhineland after the Napoleonic Wars? For instance, if Napoleon decides to call it quits and seek peace sufficiently early?

If so, would the ethnic Germans in the Rhineland (as well as the ethnic Dutch people in our TL's Belgium and southern Netherlands) eventually become loyal, patriotic Frenchmen like the Alsatians became? Or would they become German (or Dutch) nationalists and thus create a perpetual headache for France?

Also, what would the other consequences of a French retention of the Rhineland be for France, Prussia, and other countries?

I don't think it is plausible but if they retain it:

I think it would be a bit of both If I remember correctly the French were quite good to win the elite of conquered territory on their side.
They could also use nationalistic Argument like reviving the empire of Charlemagne or the old Frankish realm maybe?
The majority of the conquered/annexed territory is catholic which help .
In term of consequence a stronger base for the industry faster industrialisation bigger population etc.
They would also be seen as more dangerous by other country.
 

Deleted member 97083

Whether or not separatist movements appear endogenously, it'll likely become a concern for the French state due to foreign intervention. Britain and Prussia will do whatever they can to incite German nationalism in the French Rhineland.
 
Metternich wanted to keep France on the Rhine as a deterrent against the Prussian-Russian alliance, but none one of the other members of the Coalition accepted the Austrian plan. If for some reason the French manage to keep the Rhineland you are bound to have another round of war, with Austria and France on one side and GB, Prussia and Russia on the other (basically what was about to happen in Vienna when Napoleon decided to come back for 100 days of continental air).
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Metternich wanted to keep France on the Rhine as a deterrent against the Prussian-Russian alliance, but none one of the other members of the Coalition accepted the Austrian plan. If for some reason the French manage to keep the Rhineland you are bound to have another round of war, with Austria and France on one side and GB, Prussia and Russia on the other (basically what was about to happen in Vienna when Napoleon decided to come back for 100 days of continental air).

If Napoleon had done even better against the Prussians and Russians in early 1814 than he did IOTL, the hand of the Austrians in the alliance would be greatly strengthened.
 
If Napoleon had done even better against the Prussians and Russians in early 1814 than he did IOTL, the hand of the Austrians in the alliance would be greatly strengthened.

The problem of that is that then Metternich may be able to achieve his goal of a peace deal before Napoleon abdicated (even during the early Vienna talks he tried to convince the rest to allow Napoleon to keep in power because he thought that that would work with his anti Prus-Rus plan) and that could permanently alienante Prussia into the Russian camp and even GB would side with them to avoid a French-Austrian dominance. This scenario has all that is needed for a war in the second half of the 1810's.
 
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