Germany has been divided for centuries. Western Germany, a long-established tradition of democracy since the 1800’s, and Prussia, an ancient monarchy known for their military might. Western Germany has its beginnings as the Confederation of the Rhine, a puppet state of the French. Towards the end of the Rhine's existence, the Rhine Revolution striked. People were sick of their monarchs and wanted a German republic. This lead to the dethroning of monarchs and often regicide. Today, Western Germany is one of the largest democratic states in the world with a large and stable economy.