Quote:
|
Originally Posted by E. Cartman
Keep in mind that Germany itself was a creation of Von Bismark in the late 1800's. Prior to that, it was a collection of independent states with a common language and culture (with some differences, religion being one as Austria is majority Catholic, Germany majority Protestant), but not government although at various periods such as the Holy Roman Empire the states did have one degree or another of political ties. Still, there has long been a friction between the two poles of German culture: Austria and Prussia. It has never been in the Austrian interest to see the Prussian pole excessively powerful.
|
I do keep that in mind.
When von Bismarck (lower case v is the rule in German
) unified Germany, there were questions on which countries would join. The Catholic Bavaria became one of the largest parts of the new empire, but it was not self-evident that it would join at all. There could have been a "Middle-Germany" of Bavaria, Baden, Wuerrtemberg, and at least parts of Saxony, or Bavaria could have decided to stay sovereign.
It was not self-evident, either, that the American, British, and French occupation zones after WWII would form one single state. I believe some Bavarians wanted to form a state of their own. The French wanted Saarland to be a sovereign state, though the Saarlanders did not.