minionofmidas
Lewis Trondheim
Atlas Institution
Posts: 58,206
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« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2009, 01:20:51 PM » |
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Ah.
Alsace-Lorraine never voted as a block. It's just that for a long time, the issues were rarely fought at the ballot box, and even when they were, the victor joined the Alsace-Lorrain Nationalist Reichstag party anyways. The big faultlines are political Catholic vs not one (with these people split between those who were nonetheless Catholics, and the Prot minority in many parts of the region), and "protester" vs autonomist. "Protesters" still protested the annexation. Autonomists were ready to accept the annexation, on condition that Alsace-Lorraine at least got an equal status to the other states of Germany, or preferably some additional autonomy. And - here it gets difficult - whenever there was a relevant candidate who wasn't an Alsace-Lorrain nat, he would still agree with that position in substance though not in style of presentation. The Autonomists finally got what they wanted shortly before WW I, and the Reichstag Party completely fractured, with Social Democrats, Center and Liberals all holding Reichstag seats from the area. Two of Alsace-Lorraine's last Reichtstag Deputies actually went on to fight for France (one of whom was killed in action)... and they weren't Nats (one Center, one SPD).
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