esse - N ass au . ▁Pr uss ia ▁secured ▁its ▁supre m acy ▁by ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁the ▁great ▁for tr ess ▁at ▁Kob len z ▁from ▁ 1 8 1 7 ▁on wards . ▁ ▁After ▁ 1 8 3 0 , ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁changes ▁introduced ▁by ▁French ▁r ul ers ▁were ▁abol ished ▁in ▁the ▁Rh ine ▁Province ▁and ▁the ▁old ▁corpor ate ▁state ▁( n ob ility , ▁cities , ▁far mers ) ▁was ▁re built . ▁The ▁nobles ▁res umed ▁the ▁political ▁power ; ▁the ▁educated ▁middle ▁class ▁had ▁almost ▁no ▁political ▁influence ▁outside ▁of ▁towns . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁Aust ro - Pr uss ian ▁War ▁of ▁ 1 8 6 6 , ▁Pr uss ia ▁an nex ed ▁the ▁N ass au ▁areas ▁on ▁right ▁bank . ▁ ▁Ste am ships ▁were ▁introduced ▁on ▁the ▁Rh ine ▁from ▁about ▁ 1 8 3 0 . ▁ ▁Railway ▁lines ▁were ▁constructed ▁from ▁ 1 8 5 7 . ▁ ▁Ne ither ▁innov ation ▁led ▁to ▁industrial ization ▁in ▁the ▁narrow ▁Rh ine ▁valley . ▁ ▁As ▁late ▁as ▁ 1 9 0 0 , ▁vit icult ure ▁domin ated ▁the ▁economic ▁structure ▁of ▁the ▁Middle ▁Rh ine , ▁with ▁its ▁small ▁cities ▁and ▁agricult ure . ▁▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁First ▁World ▁War ▁in ▁November ▁ 1 9 1 8 , ▁the ▁left ▁bank ▁of ▁the ▁Rh ine ▁and ▁ 5 0   km ▁wide ▁strip ▁on ▁the ▁right