I read your responce to a Previous Message in the Post of the Hannover -L
Nachrichtensammlung, Band 76, Eintrag 17 Message: 4
I have to take acception with your comment about the political takeover of
the Hannovarian Kindom by Prussia in 1866.
My Grandfather Friedrich Wilhelm Albert Asche, & 11/6/1869; + 4/8/1958 told
me on a number of occasions prior to oue emmigration to Australia in 1954
that his father Christian Ludwig Wilhelm Asche * 1/3/1842; + 18/2/1929 was a
Pioneer 1st class in the Hannovarian Army Pioneer Corps ICC 35 and took part
in the battle of Langensalza (27 July 1866). Also two of his Unkles also
served in the Hannovarian Army, Conrad Asche, * 17/11/1838 + 8/11/1914
Served in the Crownprince Dragooner Regiment and Friedrich Asche, *
20/12/1833 + 24/6/1909 was a Sargent Major in the Train. Both participated
at the Battle of Langensalza and left the Hannovarian Army afterwards as
they refused to serve in the Prussian Military. All four where very much
against the Prussian take over of the Hannovarian Kindom and my Grandfather
was a member of the Welfen Bund all of his life, The Welfen Bund is a
society which sought and seeks to further the claims of the Duke of Hannover
even to this day.
Therefore from first hand information I would suport Mrs Jane Ellen Swan's
claim that Hanovarian population did not support the annexation of Hannover
by Prussia.
The significant effect of this annexation was the later unification of
Germany which most Germans would and did support. It was just that most
Hanovarians would have prefered a unification of Germany under a
Non-Prussian leadership. The Modern version of the Hanvorian Kindom is the
State of Nidersachsen (Lower Saxony) and most of its inhabitants are
pragmatist in that they know what can be and will be. Jet there is a very
strong interest by the population of Lower Saxony in the history of the
Ruling House of Hannover and the land they live in.
Holger,
this is exactly the kind of logic which I argued against. You can't
take the emotions of a family or two and spread them over a whole
people. Almost all Hanovarian troops stayed to serve under the
Prussians - especially those with military asperations of advancement.
Just because your family had reservations doesn't make those into a
generalized fact.
There was a great romantic feeling of unification and German
nationalism which enabled the unification of the German people as one
nation. It just so happened that the Prussians were the most powerful
part of this drive to make it happen. Of course there were detractors,
aren't there always?
Well, Germans would have unification, but not in the way of
prussification
what happens since 1871. Perhaps one may explain that in this way to
Americans:
imagine, there would have existed one state of the Union which, already
prior to the Civil War,
may have overwhelmed others of the Union, and then, after Civil War,
this state would have slander
by annexation some states of the confederation.
In 1849/50 the prussian refused first to take the former dukedoms of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and
Hohenzollern-Hechingen, situated in the deep south west of Germany,
included by the states of Wurttemberg
and Baden, because they would not get it by military power but by a
peaceful contract.
The meaning of the population of the Hohenzollern dukedoms about this
annexation by the Prussians may be
well explained by the following anecdote:
After the Prussians took the power, they commanded the roman catholic
priests and pastors had to preach about
this and one of them did it in this way, he said: Believers in Christ,
today I have to preach to you about there
is a great joy, we be became under prussian power, and for the second
time I would like say to you that we didn't
deserve this better for our sins sake.
Well, since the end of WWII the Hohenzollern Territories have been
annexated by the Wurttembergians, and it's
clear for me: we have sinned more to deserve this hard punishment.
Heinz E. Hennige
"W. Fred Rump" <mailto:fredrump@gmail.com> schrieb:
Take a look at your own politics where you live. It is highly unlikely that
everyone wants one candidate for office. If it is anything like the U.S. it
would be close to a 50/50 split in the vote. Perhaps when people are
unhappy it could be closer to 60/40. There will always be people who will
not like what the majority thinks.
I am sure that it is safe to assume that there were people on both sides of
the issue, those that were happy with the takeover and those that weren't.
What the percentages were I would not venture to guess.