The War to End All Wars
“This is not a peace. This is merely an armistice till the next war”- Marshal Poch of France
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the combatants of the Great War on July 4, 1936. The treaty ended the most devastating war of history to that point. Millions had died, cities and landscape had been destroyed, and governments that had lasted a millennium had fallen. The combination of new technologies, such as poison gas, airplanes, tanks, improved artillery, and machine guns, combined with the ability for nation states to mobilize millions, had resulted in the slaughter on an unprecedented scale.
Every nation that participated had been scarred by the war in some way, some more than others. Chief among these of course were Greece and Spain. The kingdom of Greece, which had existed since the twelfth century and was independent since the fifteenth, had been demolished and divided by the victorious powers. After the complete destruction of the army in the first African campaign by the North, the Greek people overthrew the king, who had fled to Spain and later the Incan Empire with his family. But the provisional government did not last long, as Roman soldiers marched into Tunis and the Greek government was dissolved. Holdouts still existed in South Africa, Madagascar, and small pockets in Anatolia, but they were either quickly destroyed or safely ignored by the Northern Alliance. When the war ended, some of the Southern powers raised complaints about the partition of Greece, but they fell on deaf ears. Even if the Northern Alliance did decide to resurrect Greece, the Greek state had been
effectively destroyed by the war, as they lost millions, the government was destroyed, and they had lost complete control of the non-Greek populations in the interior of Africa.
The proud Spanish empire was also brought low by the war, though the Spanish state managed to survive. Spain lost more casualties than any other combatant. The once mighty Spanish army was completely destroyed, left with only a few militia divisions to defend the homeland during the final Northern push through the Pyrenees. The war caused food shortages and the collapse of the once prosperous economy, which led to growing resentment throughout the ‘20s and ‘30s which culminated in the overthrow of the sultan by the wazir-ar-Harb. The Spanish Sultanate, which had existed for almost nine centuries, had briefly ceased to exist. However, the sultanate was reinstituted with greater authority in a counter-coup by another member of the ruling dynasty. Spain once had one of the most stable and innovative governments, comprised of a carefully selected bureaucracy that managed the government, military, and economy. But the war shattered the system and left the Spanish state in ruins. Furthermore, Spain was forced to cede the rest of southern France as well as all of North Africa, territories Spain had held since the 1300s.
But it was not only the vanquished that were heavily affected. The victorious powers, especially Rome, Norge, and France, also suffered greatly. Rome had suffered about a million casualties and the complete desolation of its army during “Mad Dog” Pagonis’ African offensive. Though the offensive was mostly successful and led to the capture of much of Africa and the destruction of Greece, the Roman people did not think the effort was worth the lives lost. As the casualties continued to mount, liberals, communists, and socialists teamed together in a long-awaited alliance and launched a counter-coup to seize the government. Pagonis desperately looked to the conservatives for help, but they would not lift a finger. With the loss of control of the Venetian garrison and the army either too depleted or angry with the general, he was forced to flee. Unfortunately for him, he was recognized wearing a false mustache in the streets of Venice by a local butcher during his attempt to leave. A mob of Venetians seized him, beat him senseless, and hanged him by a fishhook in the middle of the Piazza de Canal. This action did not quell unrest in the Roman Republic, however. As the war dragged on resentment grew toward the Spanish Muslims who continued to live in western Italy and Provence. The new government, in the name of government, gathered the Spanish Muslim population, seized their property, and placed them in internment camps. Similar actions were undertaken against the native African populations in Greece after a series of guerilla attacks. The camps were disbanded at the end of the war, but the scars would remain.
The Roman internment camps were mostly based on the French model. France had suffered centuries of war against Spain and had seen its territory continually occupied by Spanish armies since the Middle Ages. The French people were in no mood for reconciliation with the native Spanish who lived in southern France. Though these areas were under Spanish control for hundreds of years, the French people treated the Spanish living in the nation as a potential threat and viewed them with hostility. As the western front continued to be mired in stalemate and the Spanish government would not surrender, angry mobs took out their frustration on Spanish families living near the border. Thousands were killed during the Dark Months of 1932 and many homes and mosques were looted and burned. In the name of protecting its Spanish Muslim minority, the French government forced the Spanish into labor camps. Their property was seized and cheaply sold to French “settlers” who received a stipend for their efforts to “Gaullify” southern France. The conditions in the labor camps were abysmal, and one in six people in the camps did not make it out alive. Like the Roman camps, they were disbanded at the end of the war. But the freed Spanish population found that they had no homes to return to, and most fled in a mass exodus to Spain, a country that could not afford to
support an influx of foreigners.
In Norge, the ancient MacRaghnall government was overthrown by communists, who were eventually replaced in a counter-coup. Violent demonstrations and intermittent rebellions occurred throughout Russia, Britain, and India. A mysterious man named Rupert von Hentzau took control of the Bavarian government in a coup. Even the government of peaceful Malaya was overthrown by communists. No country escaped the Great War unharmed. The participants vowed to never let another war of that magnitude happen again. “Never again” was the slogan heard throughout Europe and Asia’s major cities in the summer of 1936. Little did they know how soon those words would become out of date.
-History of the Great War by Giovanni Reegan, 1966.
Victorious powers discussing the Treaty of Versailles, 1936
“This is not a peace. This is merely an armistice till the next war”- Marshal Poch of France
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the combatants of the Great War on July 4, 1936. The treaty ended the most devastating war of history to that point. Millions had died, cities and landscape had been destroyed, and governments that had lasted a millennium had fallen. The combination of new technologies, such as poison gas, airplanes, tanks, improved artillery, and machine guns, combined with the ability for nation states to mobilize millions, had resulted in the slaughter on an unprecedented scale.
Every nation that participated had been scarred by the war in some way, some more than others. Chief among these of course were Greece and Spain. The kingdom of Greece, which had existed since the twelfth century and was independent since the fifteenth, had been demolished and divided by the victorious powers. After the complete destruction of the army in the first African campaign by the North, the Greek people overthrew the king, who had fled to Spain and later the Incan Empire with his family. But the provisional government did not last long, as Roman soldiers marched into Tunis and the Greek government was dissolved. Holdouts still existed in South Africa, Madagascar, and small pockets in Anatolia, but they were either quickly destroyed or safely ignored by the Northern Alliance. When the war ended, some of the Southern powers raised complaints about the partition of Greece, but they fell on deaf ears. Even if the Northern Alliance did decide to resurrect Greece, the Greek state had been
effectively destroyed by the war, as they lost millions, the government was destroyed, and they had lost complete control of the non-Greek populations in the interior of Africa.
The proud Spanish empire was also brought low by the war, though the Spanish state managed to survive. Spain lost more casualties than any other combatant. The once mighty Spanish army was completely destroyed, left with only a few militia divisions to defend the homeland during the final Northern push through the Pyrenees. The war caused food shortages and the collapse of the once prosperous economy, which led to growing resentment throughout the ‘20s and ‘30s which culminated in the overthrow of the sultan by the wazir-ar-Harb. The Spanish Sultanate, which had existed for almost nine centuries, had briefly ceased to exist. However, the sultanate was reinstituted with greater authority in a counter-coup by another member of the ruling dynasty. Spain once had one of the most stable and innovative governments, comprised of a carefully selected bureaucracy that managed the government, military, and economy. But the war shattered the system and left the Spanish state in ruins. Furthermore, Spain was forced to cede the rest of southern France as well as all of North Africa, territories Spain had held since the 1300s.
But it was not only the vanquished that were heavily affected. The victorious powers, especially Rome, Norge, and France, also suffered greatly. Rome had suffered about a million casualties and the complete desolation of its army during “Mad Dog” Pagonis’ African offensive. Though the offensive was mostly successful and led to the capture of much of Africa and the destruction of Greece, the Roman people did not think the effort was worth the lives lost. As the casualties continued to mount, liberals, communists, and socialists teamed together in a long-awaited alliance and launched a counter-coup to seize the government. Pagonis desperately looked to the conservatives for help, but they would not lift a finger. With the loss of control of the Venetian garrison and the army either too depleted or angry with the general, he was forced to flee. Unfortunately for him, he was recognized wearing a false mustache in the streets of Venice by a local butcher during his attempt to leave. A mob of Venetians seized him, beat him senseless, and hanged him by a fishhook in the middle of the Piazza de Canal. This action did not quell unrest in the Roman Republic, however. As the war dragged on resentment grew toward the Spanish Muslims who continued to live in western Italy and Provence. The new government, in the name of government, gathered the Spanish Muslim population, seized their property, and placed them in internment camps. Similar actions were undertaken against the native African populations in Greece after a series of guerilla attacks. The camps were disbanded at the end of the war, but the scars would remain.
The Roman internment camps were mostly based on the French model. France had suffered centuries of war against Spain and had seen its territory continually occupied by Spanish armies since the Middle Ages. The French people were in no mood for reconciliation with the native Spanish who lived in southern France. Though these areas were under Spanish control for hundreds of years, the French people treated the Spanish living in the nation as a potential threat and viewed them with hostility. As the western front continued to be mired in stalemate and the Spanish government would not surrender, angry mobs took out their frustration on Spanish families living near the border. Thousands were killed during the Dark Months of 1932 and many homes and mosques were looted and burned. In the name of protecting its Spanish Muslim minority, the French government forced the Spanish into labor camps. Their property was seized and cheaply sold to French “settlers” who received a stipend for their efforts to “Gaullify” southern France. The conditions in the labor camps were abysmal, and one in six people in the camps did not make it out alive. Like the Roman camps, they were disbanded at the end of the war. But the freed Spanish population found that they had no homes to return to, and most fled in a mass exodus to Spain, a country that could not afford to
support an influx of foreigners.
In Norge, the ancient MacRaghnall government was overthrown by communists, who were eventually replaced in a counter-coup. Violent demonstrations and intermittent rebellions occurred throughout Russia, Britain, and India. A mysterious man named Rupert von Hentzau took control of the Bavarian government in a coup. Even the government of peaceful Malaya was overthrown by communists. No country escaped the Great War unharmed. The participants vowed to never let another war of that magnitude happen again. “Never again” was the slogan heard throughout Europe and Asia’s major cities in the summer of 1936. Little did they know how soon those words would become out of date.
-History of the Great War by Giovanni Reegan, 1966.
Victorious powers discussing the Treaty of Versailles, 1936
. i kind of hope spain is able to recover and go on a rampage across Europe 
