Poles were portrayed as 'backward Slavs' by Prussian officials who wanted to spread German language and culture.[3] The land of Polish nobility was confiscated and given to German nobles.[1][3] Another colonization attempt aimed at Germanization was pursued by Prussia after 1832,[4] and while Poles constituted 73% of population in 1815, they were reduced to 60% in 1848, while the same time the German presence grew from 25% to 30%.[5]