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The Greatest Germany: The Formation of the Pan-Germanic Union, 1836-1936

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DensleyBlair said:
Unless they physically detach themselves from the rUK as part of the post-referendum settlement, then Scottish people will always be British, seeing as Scotland is very much on Great Britain. What they won't be is citizens of the United Kingdom. ;)

(But I digress. We seem to have meandered off topic again.)
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Never mind the scots detaching themselves, the UK needs to remain an island nation! I propose, in the event of a yes vote, we dig a several miles wide trench along the border and flood it- thus separating the separatists and maintaining naval security.

And if the mainstream parties won't accept this, I will endeavour to create my own in order to see my goals accomplished.
 
niallmcfc said:
Never mind the scots detaching themselves, the UK needs to remain an island nation! I propose, in the event of a yes vote, we dig a several miles wide trench along the border and flood it- thus separating the separatists and maintaining naval security.

And if the mainstream parties won't accept this, I will endeavour to create my own in order to see my goals accomplished.
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Well you'd need to remove the Channel tunnel as well ( easier task since you just have to flood it ) :p
 
Attalus said:
Well you'd need to remove the Channel tunnel as well ( easier task since you just have to flood it ) :p
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I think we'd be better served by just putting a checkpoint in it, flooding could be a last resort. And while we're fixing the tunnel, we should make it out of transparent materials instead. My chief disappointment the last time I used it was how unremarkable and boring it was.

This is shaping up to be a solid manifesto. Look out, UKIP!
 
XXXXII - Feeding the French
1912 - 1916

The people of Germania could be forgiven for believing, in the next few years after the French revolution, that the situation between America and their allies was dying down. Newspapers relegated news from the States to many pages back, and the focus of those who paid attention to the world switched to other matters.

In particular, several international issues worried many in Europe. The rise of Transcaucasia continued, with the nation invading the north-western part of Persia - the area was not predominantly Persian in ethnic makeup. Most of the people living there were in fact Azerbaijani (hence the name of the region; Persian Azerbaijan) or Kurdish. In the eyes of the Transcaucasian government, this land was rightfully theirs, an integral part of the nation, and worth spilling blood over.

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This French map shows the ethnic divisions in the Caucasus and Persia

Whilst representatives within the Reichstag remained apathetic towards the growing threat of war between the two countries, several other European nations strongly condemned Transcaucasia's agitation of Persia and, as war was eventually declared, threatened intervention. Britain in particular, who had a strong interest in the region, came very close to sending troops to assist the Persians. Eventually intervention was averted, by a very narrow margin, and a decision was made to wait and see. As it would turn out, despite brutal fighting on the border between the two nations, the upstart Transcaucasia would force Persia into an unwanted peace.

Another, rather sorrowful diversion was the collapse of the Portuguese Empire. Despite the exile of the King, Portugal technically remained a monarchy. But it was in turmoil, with a near civil-war breaking out at home. Countries such as Japan, China, Britain and Germania took advantage of this to seize Portugal's colonies - most of which were in disarray. A large part of Angola declared independence under a communist regime, which gave ample justification to the other nations as to why intervention was necessary. No one tried to help the Portuguese mainland.

More close to home, France's problems continued. In perpetual economic troubles, France was dragging down the rest of the European continent and creating endless woes for Germania. France was clearly unable to pay her reparations, her citizens were angry, her currency was out of control and her industry was still in ruins. Previous governments had been unwilling to step in to help France, with the military intervention only to prevent the spread of communism.

That had to change, and with the 1912 election, Ernst Bassermann - leader of the National Liberals - promised to negotiate with the French if he was elected. This was a risky move - many voters still disliked the French and believed that they deserved every punishment they got. But Bassermann's rather sensible point was that if Germania continued to extract money and industry from France, another revolution would simply occur, with more soldiers killed trying to crush it.

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Bassermann in 1912.

Bassermann drew noticeable support from those near the border with France, especially Alsace-Lorraine where he suggested the idea of a devolved government for the region to help it remove its shackles of being an "imperial territory." In Flanders, fear of a successful revolution in Wallonia - or even the annexation of Wallonia to France - meant that many people there began to support Bassermann's plan. And, being a liberal, Bassermann drew important support from non-German regions such as Denmark and the Baltics. Despite what looked like a tough election, Bassermann won comfortably and, much to the annoyance of the Kaiser, was installed as Chancellor.

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The city of Straßburg, despite a relatively peaceful atmosphere, remained in constant fear of the French.

Within a few weeks, a meeting had been organised between representatives from the French and Germanian governments, to be held in the neutral ground of Namur, Wallonia.

Despite initial stubbornness from both sides, within a week Bassermann returned to Berlin with good news (at least to some). France's initial sum to pay was put down by a third, from £6,000,000 to £4,000,000 (of which a significant amount had been paid), with a further review to take place after the next installment. Several restrictions were lifted from the French armed forces and, most notably, arms would be provided to the soldiers for the purpose of "keeping the peace." Finally, humanitarian aid would be provided to any French civilians in extremely dire circumstances.

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A French family stand by their destroyed house, 1907. By 1912 France had one of the highest homeless populations in Europe.

But this would come with a cost. The Dunkirk area remained under occupation and a Germanian garrison remained in Paris. France was also forced to accept the current border with Lorraine and the loss of Alsace-Lorraine (Occitania and Brittany were a step too far). This was deeply humiliating to France, but they were in no position to refuse. The Treaty of Namur was signed by France, Germania, Hungary and Britain and signalled a major change in foreign policy for Bassermann. Whilst reception in Germania was mixed, it made a great difference to the dishevelled French nation despite the territorial humiliation.

Bassermann was seen as a Chancellor who "would surely excel," but his capabilities to govern were limited in several aspects. Most notably, his knowledge of military affairs was lacking, and he preferred to defer any responsibilities on the matter to his subordinates. This led to, in 1914, a deal with the British being signed by a group of rather over-enthusiastic Germanian politicians, where Germanian troops would be allowed to train in Canada in exchange for various rights of passage.

But this was something of a façade; whilst the British did indeed want the rights of passage they had been guaranteed, they saw a chance to exploit their continental allies to see how useful they would be in a potential war with the US.

To Britain this was risky, but the Empire found itself in a problematic state. Essentially, there were three Great Powers who stood above the rest: Britain, Germania and the USA. Britain was uncomfortable with the size of both other nations. Several decades earlier, the assertion would have probably come from the government to stand with Britain's English-speaking cousins in America and dismantle the continental threat to the balance of power. After all, it was predicted by many that Britain and the US would have to get on, as their trading links became increasingly entangled.

With the "signing away of Europe" (the Anglo-German agreement) and the surprising failure of anti-German factions in Parliament to provoke an intervention in Europe, Britain had in turn moved away from America and towards (the nation now called) Germania. Despite dominating the European continent, Germania remained cordial with Britain (arguably this was primarily a result of chance), by going against the Napoleonic doctrine of antagonising Britain and instead realising that to achieve a true Pan-Germanic state, Großbritannien must be appeased. By the turn of the century Britain had reached a point where Germania had overtaken the US in terms of how useful they were to trade. Germania's navy (and thus threat of invasion) remained vastly inferior to Britain's. And, to top it off, Britain still wanted her Oregon back. Wilhelm remained enthusiastic to work with the British and Germania still remained at odds with the US and the Monroe Doctrine. It therefore transported a large number of troops in order to train in the cold climate of Canada, and the deal was done.

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Kaiser Wilhelm and Winston Churchill overlook military exercises in Canada.

The logistics of this were complicated and difficult. Supplying several thousand troops in peacetime was difficult enough; it was soon established that to supply a reasonably sized army at war would require the rerouteing of many ships. This was assuming, of course, that the Merchant Navy was able to slip past the Americans. It also relied on the Canadian Pacific Railway's ability to transport troops and goods.

Training exercises began in earnest; the secrecy of the operation meant that it would take several months for the Americans to realise that there were foreign troops in Canada. American archives also seem to indicate that they also vastly underestimated the number of troops gathering close to the border.

But it would take an event in 1915 that would reveal the Canadian exercises for all to see.

17 December 1915

Fighting on Canadian Border

Five American troops were killed yesterday by Germanian soldiers in what will undoubtedly prove to be a major international incident. The skirmish, near the town of Edmunston, New Brunswick, also claimed the lives of two British and two Germanian soldiers.

American President George R. Lunn has accused the two allied nations of attempting to provoke America, but has also claimed the fighting could be seen as an act of war if it is proven that the troops were in American territory. German Chancellor Ernst Bassermann has reportedly cancelled his holiday in Crimea and is journeying back to Berlin to deal with the situation. ​

No conclusive information was ever found on the exact details but it was found that the American soldiers had observed the foreign troops firing blank rounds and assumed that they were genuinely fighting. It took nine deaths before the fighting was stopped.

The government did not want a repeat of the Portugal incident, but their efforts to quell the American fury were in vain. President Lunn had had enough of the border dispute; it was clear that the British were preparing for an invasion. The tensions had reached critical mass. Germania would be dragged into the war whether they liked it or not.

 
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Aliasing said:
Thanks (and we're getting off topic)

Any chance you could show a demographic map when you get around to posting next?

(Also to get back on off topic, I think it'll be like the Quebec vote for independence in 1995)
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Oops, sorry, I will include one soon! They haven't changed all that much though.

Attalus said:
A bit late to join the party but I come anyways.
I must say that I really appreciate your AAR and how the story is coming slowly but surely to its end ( but with no downfall of the Reich, I mean it would need a serious intern problem with a Great war going to destroy this country )
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More like slowly grinding to a halt! Thank you.

niallmcfc said:
I think we'd be better served by just putting a checkpoint in it, flooding could be a last resort. And while we're fixing the tunnel, we should make it out of transparent materials instead. My chief disappointment the last time I used it was how unremarkable and boring it was.

This is shaping up to be a solid manifesto. Look out, UKIP!
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Is this the sort of people reading my AAR!? :D

CptCSA said:
Hope to see this continue it was a very thought out aar.
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Sorry for the delay, I was visiting the Raj...
 
It lives yay
 
CptCSA said:
I want to see lots of land grabbing by Germania in this war
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I think we have enough blobbing around the World (Patagonia anyone ?) for the moment :p
Break the USA for sure, but don't annex their territory :D
 
Glad to see an excellent update! I hope this coming war includes nukes, or at least Germania taking part of Long Island for the purpose of "ensuring stability in the region". ;)
 
Attalus said:
I think we have enough blobbing around the World (Patagonia anyone ?) for the moment :p
Break the USA for sure, but don't annex their territory :D
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My aim of having territory on every continent (minus Antarctica) is complete, although I'm sure the American Germans will want "liberating."

Thanks everyone.
 
Is that picture of Kaiser Wilhelm and Churchill real and if so, what were the reasons behind their meeting?

Britannia and Germania-a match surely made in heaven! I'm surprised you managed to pull that off; all for the better when trying to break the US! :p
 
GreatUberGeek said:
Is that picture of Kaiser Wilhelm and Churchill real and if so, what were the reasons behind their meeting?
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Churchill was attending a military display in 1909. You can read about it here. :)

Great to see another update, as others have already expressed countless times. The coming war will certainly give the Kaiser something to be happy about, especially if he's even half as restless as in real life. You're quite right: the German(ians) just seemed constantly geared for war! :D
 
It lives.:) Good update as usual. And those pesky Brits need some spanking.
 
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