Read me again, Steve, I've clearly stated it was another English blunder to draw a border through the Duchy of Luxembourg, and hence creating the independent Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Belgian province of Luxembourg, separating families for several decades. It wasn't a lethal border unlike some of today's borders around the world. It was however a stupid pain each time we wanted to cross the border. You can't imagine how glad I am those systematic and archdumb border controls have come to an end. What about smuggling ? If I wanted to smuggle anything, there's enough paths in the forests or in the fields to keep an army of smugglers busy for decades, if it was any use...
You wrote :
"In terms if 1839 Britain was a very important power at the time and had a say in what happened but I very much doubt it was them dictating to all the powers. Don't know the details but at the time people on the ground rarely had a say on the matter anyway. Possibly the German speaking population of what became the Grand Duchy wanted to associate more with the German confederation than the people across the new border."
Then you should inform yourself more before writing. The English (and I insist on stating that it were the English, not the Welsh, not the Scots) who drew the border. And no the people had no say, and that's no reason for their descendents not to be happy.
No, your argument about "German speking population" is worthless. The people in Luxembourg would strongly ressent being put in the same group as the Germans. They were not, they never were and when the Gauleiter in Luxembourg wanted to force the young Luxembourgers to fight with the nazi, there was a national strike, blast furnaces were stopped, causing major harm, and drafting was cancelled.
No, never claim again the Luxembourgers are German.
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@stevep59
Read me again, Steve, I've clearly stated it was another English blunder to draw a border through the Duchy of Luxembourg, and hence creating the independent Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Belgian province of Luxembourg, separating families for several decades. It wasn't a lethal border unlike some of today's borders around the world. It was however a stupid pain each time we wanted to cross the border. You can't imagine how glad I am those systematic and archdumb border controls have come to an end. What about smuggling ? If I wanted to smuggle anything, there's enough paths in the forests or in the fields to keep an army of smugglers busy for decades, if it was any use...
You wrote :
"In terms if 1839 Britain was a very important power at the time and had a say in what happened but I very much doubt it was them dictating to all the powers. Don't know the details but at the time people on the ground rarely had a say on the matter anyway. Possibly the German speaking population of what became the Grand Duchy wanted to associate more with the German confederation than the people across the new border."
Then you should inform yourself more before writing. The English (and I insist on stating that it were the English, not the Welsh, not the Scots) who drew the border. And no the people had no say, and that's no reason for their descendents not to be happy.
No, your argument about "German speking population" is worthless. The people in Luxembourg would strongly ressent being put in the same group as the Germans. They were not, they never were and when the Gauleiter in Luxembourg wanted to force the young Luxembourgers to fight with the nazi, there was a national strike, blast furnaces were stopped, causing major harm, and drafting was cancelled.
No, never claim again the Luxembourgers are German.