Black, Red and Gold! These are the colors we have to wave! Unity, justice and freedom, that is what we demand! It is time to end up all the old pigtails and the royal paternalism! Citizens now want to have a say! And we finally want to get away from this hopeless small state system that only restricts us! A united German nation, that's what it should be! Whether in Berlin, Vienna, Dresden or Hanover, the princes everywhere now have to give in because the people are showing their true strength. Now it´s our turn! Come on!

As everywhere in Germany, enthusiasm for the revolution of 1848 was great in Varel. The events in the other German states and, from April of that year, also the parliamentary process that was set in motion with the National Assembly in Frankfurt were watched with keen attention. Nevertheless, the specific goals that individual population groups associated with the revolution were quite different. A textile and iron industry had emerged in Varel due to its port connection, which led to the emergence of a workforce that demanded a concrete improvement in their living conditions. On the other side were the entrepreneurs who often found themselves caught between the administration of the local counts and the higher-level administration in Oldenburg. There were also the farmers who, on the one hand, had to struggle with the bad harvests of the last few years, but also wanted to finally get rid of the court taxes that they still owed to Count Bentinck as their feudal lord. And there was the urban bourgeoisie who wanted effective local self-government. What they all had in common was the desire for a parliamentary constitution, both in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and in a newly emerging German nation. On March 6, 1848, representatives of the Varel parish committee received an audience with the Grand Duke of Oldenburg. They expressed to him their desire for a constitution and the request that he support the formation of an all-German parliament. The Grand Duke still reacted, politely but reservedly. But the people of Varel were by no means the only ones to submit petitions to the government, so the Grand Duke thought better of it and announced on March 11th that he would have a liberal constitution drawn up and organize elections for a state parliament with legislative powers. As a result of the Grand Duke's giving in, the March Revolution in Oldenburg took a mild course without bitterness and barricade fighting. And when the Prussian and Austrian military put an end to the revolution the following year, the constitution in the Grand Duchy remained largely in force. This meant that there were still no democratic conditions in Oldenburg, especially since three-class voting rights would apply in the future. And by no means were all the grievances remedied, but there was still some progress. The traditional regulations regarding Count Bentinck were also abolished in 1854. After years of inheritance disputes within the count's family, everyone involved saw that it would probably be better to let the Grand Duke of Oldenburg pay them off and share the proceeds in return for giving up all ruling rights. Finally this paved the way for local self-government regulations.