Speak Lithuanian or Die! - A Kaiserreich AAR

[Karaiskandar]

Grrrrreat update as always.
Popeliucka is such an interesting character.

[Stormbringer]

I am looking forward to it!

[theoracle]

The General is sure vocal about his dissaprovals, are you sure it won't end up getting him into trouble? Most brilliant generals lost to politics

A good update, I like the fact they had to pull back and only got marginal profit from it. The way it ended was very realistic, Germany would never permit Lithuan expansion at this rate.

[MarshalThorpe]

Was the mosquito foreshadowing what is about to come to the great kingdom of lithuania?



Hopefully not.

[kovan09]

Hmm it would be nice to c some syndies win the election and lithunia joins the international

[Legolas]

It would be interesting to see a Mitteleuropa - Internationale war with Germany getting ravaged and only winning thanks to Lithuanian aid. Then Lithuania's political power would soar

[Asalto]

I missed some last updates, but now I came trough them. Very nice story, indeed. Those pictures realy make nice atmosphere.

[KaiserMuffin]

It would be interesting to see a Mitteleuropa - Internationale war with Germany getting ravaged and only winning thanks to Lithuanian aid. Then Lithuania's political power would soar

Dream on

[ColonelIronboot]

Vilnius, Commonwealth
August 1, 1941

King Mindaugas didn’t trust Antanas Smetona, the Minister of Home Affairs. Smetona was a cunning schemer, and always seemed to have an ace down his sleeve. However, he was a brilliant professional at his work, and Lithuania needed these.

- So those… Syndicalists are not going to take part in the next year’s elections, right?
- No, sir.
- And the United Left Front?
- No, sir. Just the usual four parties, and the minority representatives.
- Remind me again?

Smetona opened a file called “Political Parties of Lithuania”
- There we go, Your Majesty. At the current Seimas, that’s our Parliament, four political parties are represented:



The heads of LNU, Antanas Smetona and Eustachy Sapieha.

The most powerful one is our…I mean, Your Majesty’s most loyal party, the Lithuanian National Union. Juozas Tubelis, our Prime Minister, leads the party, but has recently announced his resignation. That means, in the new Seimas, the party will be led by, eh, me, also making, uh, me, the LNU candidate for the post of Prime Minister. As ever before, LNU supports close ties with Germany, state-controlled economy, and a mighty Commonwealth Army that would keep the country united and safe.

- Who’s your Pole? – asked King Mindaugas.
- My what?
- Pole. Remember my decree that every political party is to be headed by both a Lithuanian and a Pole?
- Ah, ah yes, of course, sir. The head of LNU in Poland is an old friend of mine, Eustachy Sapieha. He comes from a family of nobles and his faction vowed to protect the interests of Polish nobility and landowners in our glorious Commonwealth.



CDP leaders, Aleksandras Stulginskis and Karol Popiel.

The centre party, Christian Democratic Party of Lithuania, is currently headed by Aleksandras Stulginskis. Christian Democrats are oriented towards Entente rather than Mitteleuropa, and have always enjoyed a rather wide support base, taking second place at the last three elections. They never took part in the cabinet, obviously, because only a coward can support Entente. They also claim that we should take a turn towards free-market economy, and they advocate less cooperation with Germany. The new CDP is a merge of Lithuanian and Polish Christian parties, so they are going to receive a lot of support in Poland, but barely any in former Ukraine and Weissruthenien, as Orthodox Christians weren’t invited into the new, still exclusively Catholic Party. The Polish head of CDP is Karol Popiel.



The Agrarian Party leadership, Kazys Grinius and Stanisław Mikołajczyk.

There’s also Agrarian Party of Lithuania, who are advocating large-scale agricultural reforms. They reign freely in the country, openly confronting the landowners and promoting self-governed peasant groups where possible. In the cities, noone considers them sane, but APL gained a new base in Ukrainian farmer land. Their head is Kazys Grinius, a staunch anti-Russian, who had his daughter and wife killed in an attack by the Red troops during the Russian Civil War. That's why APL is also against any ties with Russia and Cossacks.



Social Democrats, Steponas Kairys and Tomasz Arciszewski.

The only leftist party allowed to participate in the Elections are Social Democrats of Lithuania, SDPL. The Social Democrats are much more clear-headed than the banned Syndicalists, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, but they have never been a real force. In their new manifest, they cut any ties with radical left and reach out to the industrial blue collars and the city middle-class, promoting large-scale school and social reforms. The Polish representative is Tomasz Arciszewski, a tough old Socialist and their leader is Steponas Kairys, a well-known, uh, anti-monarchist.


Mindaugas frowned.
- What nonsense. They didn’t include beheading me in their program, did they?
- Obviously they didn’t, Your Majesty, we wouldn’t allow them to participate in such case.
- Who was banned, once again?
- All the radical Left and Anarchists, and the Iron Wolf movement.
- Iron…Wolf?
- Yes, the Geležinis Vilkas. It is a movement headed by our former minister Augustinas Voldemaras. They promote Lithuanisation of all the country, especially former Weissruthenien, complete control of the country and also military draft for every able-bodied man.
- But we’ve just cancelled it!
- Indeed, in Lithuania, the first country in the world to have a fully volunteered army, promoting the opposite shouldn’t be allowed. So we banned them.
- Still, mister Smetona, why such a weird name?
- Oh, the name of the organization comes from the story of Gediminas' dream, popularized in Adam Mickiewicz's poem, “Pan Tadeusz”. Here's the page with reference, Your Majesty.

And of Gediminas, who on Ponary’s crest,
Warm in hunter's bearskin, lay down to rest.
Soothed by the songs of the wise Lizdejko,
Lulled by the rush of the sweet Vilejko,
He saw a wolf of iron in his dreams. – read King Mindaugas. - Symbolic….




Map of Lithuanian Commonwealth, August 1941

[ColonelIronboot]

And again thanks for all the comments!

Now, I'm going to make a blatant rip-off from a ton of previously posted AARs and organise votes for the Seimas, Parliament of Commonwealth here.
The winning party (or coalition) will form a new cabinet, but the choice of Prime Minister remains in the hands of the King, who isn't bound by the results of the elections. However, the outcome of the elections will still influence a lot of decisions made by the government in the future. This is your opportunity to steer Popeliucka, King Mindaugas III and the whole AAR in any direction you wish!



VOTE!

Voting to be over by Saturday 12th December, in the meanwhile I will update everyone with technology and diplomacy.

[The_Shepherd]

any way to move the capital? looks rather vulnerable...

[The_Shepherd]

also, I vote CDP.

[Davisx3m]

I vote Social Democrats!

[Tem_Probe]

Nice borders now, and great AAR. Lithuania now looks like a bird of prey headed for the Baltic on the maps

I'd vote Iron Wolf, but since they're banned, I'll go CDP. Make way for the free market!

[geek_knight]

I vote for the Social Democrats, labourers FTW!

[Kanil]

LNU, as it should be.

[Zauberfloete]

The LNU definitly!! Oh and btw great AAR really touches the general atmosphere of the Kaiserreich Universe.

[Thirdfain]

CDP, for sure.

[Stormbringer]

Edit: Changed my mind, CDP!

[Karaiskandar]

I vote LNU!