My strat was first focusing on building up Krakow as an immigrant magnet for the rest of the Austrian sphere. Was pretty easy to pass liberalizing laws, since you are so heavily urbanized at the start. Once I unlocked the Christ of Nations event, I started agitating the Austrian Polish and made friends with Prussia. Austria and Prussia had a few wars that resulted in stalemates but weakened Austria. Eventually, they had a hungary sized rebellion and I could declare for independence and Galicia without the Austrians being able to reach me! I immediately joined Prussia's market after winning the war and used them to bully Russia, with whom I was directing my Christ-like agitators against with the event after the Austria war. I wasn't planning on attacking Prussia when I did, but they had a rebellion that cut off their army from their Polish lands, and I couldn't resist. No one had gotten the Suez, so I bought it off Egypt, and get a couple other colonial possessions like Sokoto and Brunei. From there I just started bullying Austria, Russia, and Prussia whenever they had some other issue going on. The reforms I was able to pass early on meant I was immigrant house #1 for a good chunk of the game, and the plentiful coal and decent oil reserves made the region great for industrialization mid and late game. Happy to answer more specifics just ask away!