Braunschweig was a strongly Protestant region.
Austria was almost entirely Catholic.
Silesia Görlitz was mixed Protestant and catholic in the 18th & 19th c.
"In Berlin,... no Catholic churches were permitted, communicants attended mass in the Spanish consulate. (Generally)...intolerance began to wane after 1780."
Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogy Research by C&A Smith.
| 19th c. German Empire | German Empire 1910 | |
| Protestants | 45% | 62% |
| Catholic | 50% | 37% |
| Jewish | 1% | |
| Other | 5% |
According to Karl Marx, the middle and lower classes were divided into property owners (bourgeoisie) and non-property owners (proletariat). Because Germany (and the east European revolutions) did not overthrow their Monarchies, the middle class was now linked to the Monarchy in order to prosper as property owners. Pre-revolution ideas of freedom, labor and democracy were no longer placed on the bourgeoisie, but shifted on the underrepresented proletariat during the new era of industrialized labor, therefore creating a weaker revolutionary class.
Guilds were formed in the 11th c. and a student had to apprentice in several shops (often needing to travel to several cities) before passing a guild exam. Only upon passing this exam could an artisan be certified as a "master" and open a shop. Upon this certificate, it was easy for an artisan to migrate bringing with him his tools. Migration was therefore built into the artisan profession.
The Berlin Guild for artisans awarded Ferdinand his "Masters Goldsmith" certificate in 1859, when he was 31 years old. He may have found enough shops in a city such as mid 19th c. Berlin, without traveling to find enough qualifying apprenticehips during his 20's. However, since he was married in 1863, he may have met Amalie through an apprenticeship in Frankfurt an der Oder. Traveling may have also inspired within him the experience (and desire) necessary in his later travels to live in 2 foreign countries.