Relocation of the German Reich's capital

[Dr. No]

I liked this thread about how far Germany would've gone in land-grabbing if it turned into anything but Nazi. It got exactly one answer, but it was interesting: Conservative Protestant Prussians don't like even more Catholics in Germany that may outnumber them and erode their power. In essence, a non-fascist Germany after Anschluss wouldn't be too dissimilar of the FRG of OTL as the lack of eastern Germany also meant a lack of a lot of Protestants and a denominational balance between Catholics and Protestants. In essence, that's why the CDU/CSU could arise in the first place, whereas the former Centre Party was clearly the party of a Catholic periphery, said periphery became half of the core after the war and could rather easily absorb the other half that was Protestant.

This got me thing a step further: If Prussia and Austria become permanent members of a likewise permanent German democracy, wouldn't there be an impetus to relocate the German Reich capital to a more central place like Frankfurt am Main?

 

[Perkeo]

I liked this thread about how far Germany would've gone in land-grabbing if it turned into anything but Nazi. It got exactly one answer, but it was interesting: Conservative Protestant Prussians don't like even more Catholics in Germany that may outnumber them and erode their power. In essence, a non-fascist Germany after Anschluss wouldn't be too dissimilar of the FRG of OTL as the lack of eastern Germany also meant a lack of a lot of Protestants and a denominational balance between Catholics and Protestants. In essence, that's why the CDU/CSU could arise in the first place, whereas the former Centre Party was clearly the party of a Catholic periphery, said periphery became half of the core after the war and could rather easily absorb the other half that was Protestant.

I think that the centre party would turn into what the CDU is now: the fusion of political catholicism and conservative protestantism, with an overweight of the former.

This got me thing a step further: If Prussia and Austria become permanent members of a likewise permanent German democracy, wouldn't there be an impetus to relocate the German Reich capital to a more central place like Frankfurt am Main?

Maybe the term 'relocate' doesn't even apply. Frankfurt am Main WAS the capital of Germany (i.e. the seat of what little federal institutions the HRE and the Deutsche Bund had) as long as Austria was part of it.

So if the German capital will be either the capital of the winner of the Austria–Prussia rivalry (as IOTL) or Frankfurt am Main.

OTOH Berlin being the existing capital of Germany could lead to considerations of the cost of moving the capital or "never change a running system", as in IOTL's unification. It really depends on Austria's attitude towards being ruled from Berlin.

 

[Alcsentre Calanice]

If the 1848 revolution succeeds and a united German state including Austria and Prussis is formed, the capital will most likely be Frankfurt, where the parliament assembled.

If Austria unites Germany instead of Prussia, the capital will most likely be Vienna.

Prague would be quite central too in such a Greater Austria, so it would be a possible option too.

 

[Dr. No]

No 1848 here, please. I actually mean something like a surviving Weimar Republic achieving a likewise democratic Anschluss with little more than "German Austria" maybe with Sudetenland in the mix but that's it.

OTOH Berlin being the existing capital of Germany could lead to considerations of the cost of moving the capital or "never change a running system", as in IOTL's unification. It really depends on Austria's attitude towards being ruled from Berlin.

As I said, we talk about an ordinary Anschluss scenario wherein Austria turns into another state of Germany. Like Bavaria or Saxony.

 

[Sonichu]

No 1848 here, please. I actually mean something like a surviving Weimar Republic ...

In that case, the answer to your question "wouldn't there be an impetus to relocate the German Reich capital ...?" is no.

 

[machine3589]

No 1848 here, please. I actually mean something like a surviving Weimar Republic achieving a likewise democratic Anschluss with little more than "German Austria" maybe with Sudetenland in the mix but that's it.

As I said, we talk about an ordinary Anschluss scenario wherein Austria turns into another state of Germany. Like Bavaria or Saxony.

Then the capital stays in Berlin if Austria is simply annexed into Germany. You won`tt get any kind of accomodation re the national capital unless Austria has a say in the formation of Germany, not if it is simply annexed into an existing established Germany state.