BADEN
HERITAGE
BADEN,
History
of
|
|
In the 14th century, the
Zähringer family, who had been margraves of Baden since 1112, owned
counties in Breisgau and in the Ortenau, the stronghold of Baden; Baden
(Baden; Baden was formerly called simply
"Baden"), plus Backnang and Besigheim. In the 13th century,
they had acquired Pforzheim, Durlach, Ettlingen and Alt;Eberstein.
Further territorial additions and strict administration turned Baden
into a considerable state by the 15th century. The division of 1535
brought about the emergence of two smaller states, Baden; Baden, of
the Catholic line, and Baden;Durlach, of the Evangelical line.
Karl Friedrich (1738/46;1811) reunited Baden in 1771 and
inaugurated countless reforms in accordance with the principles of Enlightened
Despotism. In league with France, he achieved expansion of
Baden from 3600 square kilometers with about 175,000 inhabitants in 1803
to 15,000 square kilometers and almost a million inhabitants in 1810.
|
|
The new Grand duchy of
Baden (after 1806) received a new government and administrative
organization and in 1810, land reform after the French model. The
constitution of 1818 and elective legislature were models for early
German constitutionalism. The lower chamber was virtually a school for
the Liberal; Nationalist movement. In April and September of 1848
it came to rebellion under the leadership of the Left (F. Hecker, G.
Struve) and in May of 1849, with the installation of a republican
regime, it came to revolution, which Prussian troops had to put down.
After the period of reaction, the "New Era", 1860;66,
brought an attempt to form a liberal, parliamentary regime (Ministers
Lamey, Roggenbach). In 1866 Baden turned back to constitutional ways
(Ministers Mathey, Jolly), under Friedrich I (1856;1907) and
Friedrich II (1907;18), who reigned with the benefit of
Nationalist and Liberal support.
|
|
In 1870;1, Baden
actively participated in the founding of the new German Empire. The
cultural struggle, which lasted until the First World War, reached its
peak in the years 1864;76. The great bloc (1905;17) of
Liberals, Democrats and revisionist Socialists rose against the Zentrum
(Center, the strongest party after 1905).
The constitution of 1919
resulted in annual election of a member of the regional parliament to
the state presidency, at the head of the regime (of Baden). Until 1929
the presidency was held by the Zentrum (strongest party), the Socialists
and the Democrats. 1939
brought World War II. In 1940 an administrative union between Baden and
Alsace, which had been similarly governed since 1933, was formed. In
1945, the north half of
Baden came under American jurisdiction, the south under French
occupation. In the autumn of 1945 followed, based on American
arrangements, the formation of Württemberg; Baden. The south
constituted itself as Baden. As a result of the referendum of December
6, 1951, Baden was absorbed into the new state of Baden;Württemberg
on April 25, 1952.
Thanks to Rick Heli and
James Blain.
Sources:
WorldWideWeb: http://www.genealogy.com/gene/reg/BAD-WUE/hist.html
#Gesch-B
|
|
Karlsruhe
|
or Carlsruhe, an
industrial and commercial city, 37 miles northeast of Stuttgart in the
broad fertile valley of the Rhine River. Margrave Karl Wilhelm built a
hunting castle on the site in 1715; in 1752-1785 Karl Friedrich replaced
this with a large fan-shaped castle.
Karlsruhe grew from this center and became a large city with
broad streets, well-kept parks and considerable industry.
It was heavily bombed in world War II and only one out of five
buildings was undamaged.
|
|
|
This is the church of our
STEPPE ancestors in Busenbach, Karsruhe, Baden, Germany.
|
|
Baden 1848 Revolution. Although
our STEPPE family came to the US before this Revolution, it is clear events leading up to the Revolution quite possibly
were instrumental in bringing our family to America. |
|
For
instance, on April 3, 1833, a group of students and young citizens tried
to storm the Hauptwache and Konstablerwache (police headquarters) in
Franfurt to liberate political prisoners..
after that they planned to arrest the delegates to the Bundestag
and form a revolutionary government.
The attempt failed, as authorities had been forewarned and the
expected support from the citizenry failed to materialize.
Again, ruling aristocrats reacted with tightening restrictions
agreed upon at the Wiener Ministerkonferenz of 1834.
An alphabet list - the "black list" was drawn up, which
contained the names of all the persons who had been investigated and/or
sentenced for revolutionary activities.
Our family left in 1843. |
|
The first war came
against Denmark in 1864 and, with the aid of Austria, tiny Demark was
easily crushed. Bismarck
crafted the treaty in such
a way that it created a series quarrel with Austria, which led to the
Austro;Prussian War in 1866, a war which saw a number of
the lesser Germany states fighting on Austria's side. Bismarck then orchestrated causus belli with France, got France's Napoleon III (the great
Napoleon's nephew) to declare the
war. Prussia again
won, and Bismarck arranged
for the German Empire (essentially
today's Germany minus Alsace and
Lorraine, which they took from France, and substantial Eastern European
territories) and proclaimed it in the Palace of Versailles
in 1871. The Second
Empire lasted until the end of World War I, after which the troubled
Weimar Republic ran the few years between the end of World War I and the
ascension of Adolph Hitler (all quite legal) in 1933. |
|
|