History of Germany (Cromwell the Great)

"Passants, cette terre est libre / Vorübergehende, dieses Land ist frei. (From billboard posted in a Liberty Pole along the Rhine and in Mainz. Later the official motto of Hanover-Westphalia)" "Niemand ist mehr Sklave, als der sich für frei hält, ohne es zu sein. (Die Wahlverwandtschaften, Johannes Goethe)" "Wir handeln, wie wir müssen. So lasst uns das Notwendige, mit Würde, mit festem Schritte tun. (Wallensteins Tod II,2 / Wallenstein, Friedrich Schiller)" Germany during and after the Revolutionary Wars changed its political makeup in the establishment and merge of new states. The first consequence of the revolutionary wars was the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. in its place a more effective, but with fewer members, Confederation of the Rhine, was created. It also marked the surge of new regional powers outside this alliance such as Prussia, Austria and Saxony.

The Revolutionary Wars in Germany
The main stages of the Revolution Wars in Germany are:
 * Campaign for the Defense of the Republic and the occupation of the Rhine and Dutch Republic and Flanders.
 * The Despotism of freedom (Despotismus der Freiheit) that consists in the reorganization of occupied Germany by French Commissioners ands local German revolutionaries. Also marks the start of Terror in Germany. The Rhenanian and Mainz republics are established as the first Modellstaat later followed by the the process of Reformstaaten in the rest of the German states.
 * The Campaign against the Second Coalition that with the battle of Magdeburg establishing the de facto limit of French occupation, to the West of the Elba river. Peace of Paris that leads to the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine.
 * The Northern Campaign against the United Kingdom Kingdom of Denmark, Sweden and Norway establishing the short lived Scandinavian Republic and successor states. British Navy and Marines fight along the North Sea, the Baltic and Jutland defeating French and German revolutionary armies and navy.
 * The Third Coalition (Russia, Prussia-Brandenburg and Britain) open the Elbe front against France and allied German States.
 * The Southern campaign against Austria ends in the Battle of Innsbruck were the French Armies of Italy and Germany defeat the Austrian-Prussian Army, leading to the armistice of Salzburg. However this displacement of the French Army of Italy would open an offensive by the British Army in Italy and along the Dutch and Flemish lands.
 * The Agreement of Stockholm prevents a major escalation into a full war between the United Kingdom and Prussia-Brandenburg over the former territories of the Swedish pomerania and the duchies of Mecklenburg. The disputed territories become the Republic of Pomerania created along the line of a Modellstaat under diplomatic pressure of Britain.

After the Peace of Vienna
The long lasting effects of intervention of French revolutionary armies was the spread of French revolutionary ideas and ethos, commercial links with France and the Reformstaaten, a model for a democratic German state. However this was restrictred to the future members of the Confederation of the Rhine.

To the East it started the dominance of Prussia, and to a lesser degree that of Saxony. Prussia also began its expansion towards the lands of the former Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania. Bavaria followed its own path. The multinational Austrian Empire had its own issues with the realms of the Habsburgs.

Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine (German: Rheinbund; French: officially États confédérés du Rhin ("Confederated States of the Rhine"), but in practice Confédération du Rhin) became the major regional alliance of Germany.

The Rheinbundakte signed between France and the members that broke away from the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), stated its purpose for a new alliance (i.e. Confederation). The Rheinbundakte, that became the statute and also elevated some states to the rank of kingdom, grand duchy and principalities , sketched out the basic institutions (Protector, Presidency, Chancellorship and Diet), its seat in Frankfurt, territorial arrangements, obligations and duties, financial and military contributions of its members and the prohibition to make alliances with non members. It also proclaimed the right of full sovereignty and internal autonomy of the member states. The HRE would be officially declared dissolved the month later by the last Emperor and now sovereign of the Austrian Empire.

Bavaria signed it and agreed with most of the statute and application of it, thought it postponed its membership for the future. One point it did not agreed was on the vagueness of the powers and nomination of the Protector of the Confederation.

Although a French creation after the Treaty of Paris it was seen as a valuable instrument to keep the balance of Europe by Britannia and France. The foreign relations of the Confederation centre on a strong military, political and historical link to France, and an alliance of interest with Britannia.

Each of the member states of the Confederation have their own governments. Whilst the government of the Confederation is in control of the main roads and canals, post and telegraphs, and foreign trade and defence. Its State members use the Rheinmark as a common unit of account. However, the most widely used currency is the Rhenian thaler (RT).

Its members states are, with their votes in the Diet of the Confederation:
 * 1) Flag of Rhineland (TNE).png Rhenanian Republic (Rhenania) 2 votes
 * 2) Flag Hannover (TNE).png Free State of Hanover-Westphalia 2 votes
 * 3) Flag of Württemberg.svg Kingdom of Württemberg 2 votes
 * 4) Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen mit Wappen.svg Kingdom of Hesse 2 votes
 * 5) Flag of the Grandduchy of Wurzburg.svg Grand Duchy of Würzburg 2 votes
 * 6) Flag of Baden.svg Grand Duchy of Baden 2 votes
 * 7) Flagge Herzogtum Braunschweig.svg Duchy of Brunswick 1 vote
 * 8) Flag of Hohenzollern (The Kalmar Union).svg.png Principality of Hohenzollern 1 vote
 * 9) Flag of Liechtenstein (1719-1852).svg Principality of Liechtenstein 1 vote
 * 10) Flag of Lippe (1815-1880).svg Principality of Lippe-Detmold 1 vote
 * 11) Schaumburg-Lippe.png Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe 1 vote
 * 12) Flag of Waldeck before 1830.svg Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont 1 vote
 * 13) Flag of Frankfurt am Main.svg Free City of Frankfurt 1 vote

Former member states
 * Banner of the Electorate of Mainz.svg Republic of Mainz 2 votes (voted for its union to Rhenania)
 * Flag of Ukraine.svg Principality of Isenburg 1 vote (mediatized to Hesse)
 * Flag of the Principality of Leyen (1806-1813).png Principality of Leyen 1 vote (sold to Baden)
 * Flag of Hohenzollern (The Kalmar Union).svg.png Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechigen 1 vote (mediatized to P. of Hohenzollern)
 * Flag of Hohenzollern (The Kalmar Union).svg.png Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1 vote (mediatized to P. of Hohenzollern)

Observer state adhering to Rheinbundakte:
 * Flag of Bavaria (striped).svg Kingdom of Bavaria

Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria (Königreich Bayern) succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805. The crown is being held by the House of Wittelsbach.

Bavaria is a constitutional monarchy that has implemented the majority of the norms of Modellstaat, making it more precisely a Reformstaaten, by its own political process and without French guidance and supervision.

Bavaria is an observer of Confederation of the Rhine. The Kingdom has been know to follow an independent foreign policy, having been one of the few German states to establish diplomatic relations with the Italian Republic. The Kingdom mints and issues its own currency, the Bavarian gulden. The kingdom is mainly and agricultural based economy with its main industrial center being located in Munich and Augsburg.

The Bavarian Army provides the Wittelsbach dynasty with sufficient scope of action, in the context of effective alliance politics. The establishment of a standing army was taken a sign of nation-statehood and an important tool of foreign policy after the Revolutionary War.

Hanover-Westphalia
The Free State of Hanover-Westphalia (Freistaat Hannover-Westfalen), the last established German republic, was the result of the union of lands of Hanover and Westphalia under the aegis of Rhenania and France. Its creation was the result of a policy to establish a potential rival against Prussia-Brandenburg.

Hanover-Westphalia is a democratic unitary representative republic (i.e. Modellstaat). Its State organs are: a) the Consulate a three member elected executive assisted by a council of ministers b) an elected State Diet (Landstag (Nationalversammlung) and c) High Court of Justice. The administrative division of Hanover-Westphalia is département, distrikte and kantone.

The Free State is mainly and agricultural based economy with its main industrial center being located in Hannover. It has a customs and traffic of cargo agreements with the city states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck that function for all purposes as the ports of Hanover-Westphalia. The city states complement their industrial output the supply for foodstuffs from Hanover-Westphalia.

Hanover-Westphalia as a large conscript army to ward off threats from Prussia-Brandenburg.

Rhenania
The Rhenanian Republic (Rhenanische Republik) was proclaimed in 1797 on the Left Bank of the Rhine under French occupation. It gained territories of the Grand Duchies of Berg and Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchy of Nassau (Usingen and Weilburg) and the former french department of Lippe.

Rhenania is a democratic unitary representative republic (i.e. Modellstaat). Its State organs are: a) the State Directory (Staats Direktorium, five members), elected by a joint session of the National Assembly for a five year term. The position of President rotates among the five directors on a yearly basis. b) The Minister of State and ministers of the State Council (Staatsrat) attends meetings of the State Directory, and execute its policy and activities. All members are named at pleasure of the State Directory, c) National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) An elected legislative assembly. Its deputies have an five year mandate and are elected by electoral assemblies (district and cantons) and d) High Court of Justice. The administrative division of Rhenania is département, distrikte and kantone. There is a Regierungspräsidium (department government) and is headed by a Regierungspräsident (district president). Its currency, the Rhenian thaler (RT) is also widely used across the Confederation of the Rhine.

Rhenania is the main industrial zone of Germany. Although the Industrial Revolution came very late to Rhenania, due in part to uncertainty during the Revolutionary Wars its coal and iron deposits and investments led rapidly to the establishment of a large heavy industry. Mineral zones and industrial center were favourable connected by railroads and canals.

League of Thuringian States
The League of Thuringian States (Bündnis der Thüringer Staaten), is a confederation of the Thuringian States. It is also a customs and trade association (Zoll- und Handelsverein der Thüringischen Staaten). The highly fragmented Thuringian Kleinstaaterei before the Peace of Vienna rarely agreed with one another. However their vicinity with the powerful and centralized states of Saxony and Prussia-Brandenburg and not be caught in territorial exchanges, moved them to establish a loose alliance and customs unions.

The Thuringian States jointly finance the universities of Jena and Erfurt. Its main administrative seat is at Erfurt were the First Minister-President (Erster Ministerpräsident) has also his offices. The First Minister-President is elected by an assembly of plenipotentiaries of the member states. They also established the High Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) of Jena responsible for all the Thuringian states and a means to standardized civil and penal laws and procedures. In line with Industrialization a joint stock railway company monopoly (Thüringische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) was established and given the capacity to plan, built and charge for the service of cargo and passengers. Like many of the central German states the region a significant number of fostered cottage industries, crafts, and a more independent and self-reliant spirit less closely linked to the government.

The government of Its member states ranges from Absolute, Enlightenment and Constitutional rulers. Its member states are: the duchies of Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Hildburghausen, Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Weimar, and the principalities of Reuss-Ebersdorf, Reuss-Greiz, Reuss-Lobenstein, Reuss-Schleiz, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Erfurt.

Prussia (Brandenburg-Prussia)
The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen) is a German kingdom constituted by the union of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (Berlin) and the Kingdom of Prussia (Königsberg). The kings of Prussia are from the House of Hohenzollern. The Kingdom of Prussia is an absolute monarchy.

Prussia became the major power east of the River Elbe after the Revolutionary WEa. Its elevation to regional power and successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organised and effective army (Royal Prussian Army / Königlich Preußische Armee). After the Revolutionary Wars. Prussia started a program of modernizing its army with steam powered vehicles, like the French ones. It also created its first steam powered and armoured navy. until then not an effective force against the ones of the British or United Kingdom.

The landed nobility in Prussia (Junkers) own great estates that were maintained and worked by peasants with few rights. They ae an important factor in Prussian military, political and diplomatic leadership. Being the bulwark of the ruling House of Hohenzollern, the Junkers controlled the Prussian Army, leading in political influence and social status, and owning immense estates, especially in the provinces of Brandenburg (Pomerania, Silesia, West Prussia, East Prussia and Posen).

The the extended iron ore and black coal deposits of the Silesian Coal Basin, allowed a considerable industrialization and urbanization.

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Pomerania
The Republic of Pomerania (Republik Pommern) is a state that occupies the region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea that were the former lands of the Swedish Pomerania and part of Mecklenburg. The Agreement of Stockholm besides creating the new republic it also modeled its institutions as Reformstaaten on the insistence of British diplomacy.

As a Reformstaaten, but not a member of the Confederation of the Rhine, it is a democratic unitary representative republic. Its creation was part of the final settlement between the United Kingdom of Scandinavia and Prussia that established a neutral state in the Baltic that would guarantee an access to sea for Prussia. It took over the lands of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and part of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Britain later secured an agreement to use its ports for its Navy along a clause that excluded its use by the Navies Russia and Prussia-Brandenburg.

Traditionally former lands of Mecklenburg has always been one of the poorer German areas. The reasons for this may be varied, but one factor stands out: agriculturally the land is poor and can not produce at the same level as other parts of Germany. Most of economy is centered on the Baltic either in the fisheries, shipyards or sea shipping.

Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony (Königreich Sachsen), after Prussia, is the second largest state east of the Elbe river. Previously it had risen its status from an electorate to an independent kingdom with the support of France, then the dominant power in Central Europe, during the Revolutionary Wars. Thought after the Peace of Vienna, and the lobby of Prussia and Austria, it was not allowed to became a member of the Confederation of the Rhine.

After the Revolutionary Wars Saxony experienced a huge industrial boom. The country was the first real industrial region in Central Europe. Fortunate to have coal fields near its main urban centers, Leipzig, Chemnitz and Dresden, it could easily industrialize thereby have autonomy over its more powerful neighbour to the north (Prussia) and south (Austria). This helped Saxony rise to a leading industrial and commercial state in Central Europe, thanks to its sales successes and the economic dominance of Saxon industry and the rapid establishment of a powerful long-distance railway network.

The Royal Saxon Army (Königlich Sächsische Armee), other than Prussian, was one of the firsts to implement military reforms of French usage. Instead of advertising in Germany for recruitment it establish a nationwide recruiting circuit with commissions. Soldiers were enlisted for fixed period of service of eight to ten years.

Glossary
Kleinstaaterei (small-state-ery) is a pejorative German word, mainly used to denote the territorial fragmentation in Germany and neighboring regions during the Holy Roman Empire (especially after the end of the Thirty Years' War). It refers to the large number of virtually sovereign small and medium-sized secular and ecclesiastical principalities and Free Imperial cities, some of which were little larger than a single town or the grounds of the monastery of an Imperial abbey. Estimates of the total number of German states at any given time during the 18th century vary, ranging from 294 to 348[2] or more. Furthermore, many German states were composed of two or more non-contiguous parts, often politically united through a marriage. Most states had at least one or two enclaves or exclaves, and some considerably more. A major reduction of their number came by the Mediatisierung, forced annexations during the Revolutionary Wars and several treaties at the time of the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine. Modellstaat (Model state)is an state that under direct guidance and supervision of the French as adopted the policies of a Reformstaaten. Mediatisierung (Mediatization) was the major territorial restructuring that took place in Germany and the surrounding region (the Holy Roman Empire and Confederation of the Rhine) by means of the mass mediatization and secularization of a large number of Imperial Estates: ecclesiastical principalities, free imperial cities, secular principalities and other minor self-ruling entities that lost their independent status and were absorbed into the remaining states. Reformstaaten (reformed state) refers to State that as a republican constitution, elected legislative and executive, independent judiciary, civil code, common citizenship, charter of liberties and freedoms and universal suffrage or similar, completely abolished feudalism, emancipation of Jews, at least a public primary school system, economic liberalism and is secular or as an official reformed church.