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unmerged(81979)

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Aug 10, 2007
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Das Vereinigte Königreich von Mitteleuropa
UKCEFlag.png

The United Kingdom of Central Europe

Das Vereinigte Königreich von Mitteleuropa is the story of the new United Kingdom of Central Europe that came into being after the closure of World War Two. A restored Habsburg Monarch in Otto I takes the throne of the loose commonwealth of states that make up the Kingdom. Come watch the UKCE try and stay alive amid NATO and Communist pressure pulling it both ways. Will the UKCE go the way of the original Habsburg Empire? Find out!
 
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Chapter One, May 10, 1945, is here
Chapter Two is here
Chapter Three is here
Chapter Four is here
Chapter Five is here
Chapter Six is here


Each Chapter successively covers about a month of time
 
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Well, AARland, after a busy summer and long AARing absence, I give you my latest and probably last AAR. I will start updating it soon. Hope you like :)
 
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Hurrah! One of the top WritAARs on the forum returns! :)

I'm sad to hear you say that this will be your last AAR but it sure looks like it will be a glorius end.
 
Hurrah! One of the top WritAARs on the forum returns! :)

I'm sad to hear you say that this will be your last AAR but it sure looks like it will be a glorius end.

Why thank you, Tommy! Glad to have you on board for the final hurrah :)
 
This sounds interesting. Are you using some sort of mod, I presume?

Welllll.... no. I got the idea from history annnd when a set of circumstances in a game I was playing reminded me of this, so it's not necessarily an 'after action report' as per definition, but it's very much inspired from a game and maybe someone more talented than I can make a mod haha :) Thanks for the interest! :)

Wait your last :(!!!

Alas I shall be there!

Yes, I am afraid so. And glad to have you along :)
 
Das Vereinigte Königreich von Mitteleuropa

May 10, 1945


The United Kingdom of Central Europe was born of the greatest modern tragedy- World War II. As the final German troops were being destroyed in Prague, a youthful reliquary of ancient sovereignty and power stood on the tarmac of the Paris-Le Bourget Airport. Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, the 32-year-old claimant to the throne of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire had been in exile from Europe due to the deluge of Nazism several years before. However, he was now returning to the ancestral home to which he belonged.

OttovonHabsburg.jpg

Otto I von Habsburg-Lothringen

However, this was no ordinary homecoming. Otto was returning to the land of his ancestors to rule once more, a political fantasy turned reality by the harsh conflict of war. During the war, talks between Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin led to an agreement being wrought for the future government of Central Europe. Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the Northern Yugoslav nations of Slovenia and Croatia would join forces as the United Kingdom of Central Europe. At the head of this new ‘Confederatory’ Kingdom would be Otto I von Habsburg-Lothringen.

How the restitution of Habsburg monarchy came about is a long and complicated political process that reflects the pressures of the era. The need for stable and strong government in Central Europe suddenly outweighed the rights of individual nations, and both Churchill and Roosevelt recognized that. Through protracted negotiations in London during late 1944, leaders of the Austrian, Slavic and Hungarian communities in exile came to an agreement for the government of the regions following the end of the war. However, the last roadblock, Stalin, was the toughest. At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Roosevelt and Churchill came in armed for the battle to get the UKCE recognized. They were well aware that Stalin wanted these nations to be firmly under his influence. However, in a bold-faced move of paleo-Imperialism, Churchill and Roosevelt secured Central Europe. In exchange for recognition of the UKCE, Stalin was given free command to essentially have Persia and the rich oilfields there.

Without hesitation, Stalin invaded Persia and annexed it as an ASSR* in April 1945, receiving the Shah’s surrendering documents only 10 days before that of Germany’s. Thus secured, Otto and his mother the new Dowager Queen Zita of the UKCE boarded a plane from London to Paris where they would be received by the new Prime Ministers of the UKCE Commonwealth. In structure, the UKCE was a bit like the UK’s Commonwealth. The head of state, in this case Emperor Otto I, was Emperor and King of Austria while also being (Apostolic) King of Hungary and King of Czechoslovakia, Croatia and Slovenia. Each country had a Prime Minister, elected its own parliament and controlled all affairs except for foreign relations, international and inter-UKCE trade, currency, military defense and immigration/naturalization. In addition to the national parliaments, a ‘supra-national’ parliament would elect members of each of the nations to meet in Vienna and discuss national issues and pass national law. The UKCE parliament would be bicameral with a lower Assembly elected by the people and an 25 member upper Senate appointed by Otto at the recommendation of his Prime Ministers. The structure of this agreement was finally signed on May 2, 1945 and it was to go into effect on June 1, 1945. Though Austria held a special place in the confederation of five countries, it was not held superior to any other country within the system. This revolutionarily equal step was viewed with slight distrust by Otto, but it was his duty to rule and any opportunity to exercise that rule was welcomed forthrightly in his eyes.

Otto himself is rather interesting story. Born in November 1912 at Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax, Otto’s early years saw the eruption of World War I and the ascension of his father to the throne in 1916. Crown Prince until 1918, Otto and his family were then ejected from Austria as part of the Socialist and Republican reprisals against the Habsburgs. Otto and his family lived in exile in Switzerland and Portugal for years thereafter. His father Karl died in 1922 leaving the then-nine-year-old as pretender to the throne. Otto was a bright boy who seemed like he would make a good King had the dynasty still been in power. At his mother’s urging Otto attended the Catholic University of Leuven where he graduated from in 1935 with a degree in Social and Political Sciences. With the coming of the Nazis to power in Germany and expectations of union with Austria imminent, Otto did everything he could to oppose the absorption of his former homeland into the Nazi machine. When this eventually did occur in 1938, Otto spent the remaining interwar years trying to rally opposition in Paris. When the Nazis finally took that jewel of a city, Otto fled to Washington D.C. where he found a ready ear in President Roosevelt to hear of Otto’s plans for the reunion of Central Europe. Assigned a State Department Aide, Otto outlined the plan which saw its negotiated fruition in 1944-5. Admittedly, Otto was disappointed that much of his planned power was stripped away, though to rule was a blessing in itself.

As Otto and his mother Zita boarded the airplane that would take them to Vienna, his five Prime Ministers greeted them. The Austrian Prime Minister was Karl Renner, a wizened but wise politician and Socialist who resented having the Habsburgs back in Austria. The Hungarian Prime Minister was Ferenc Nagy, a young Agrarian Populist who resented the creeping Communist influences of Stalinism and who found the Habsburg return a comforting bulwark against that very influence. The Czechoslovak Prime Minister was the famous symbol of Czech national unity and able diplomat Edvard Benes who was decidedly the most Pro-Soviet among the group, though the return of the Habsburgs did not ruffle him as much as many expected. The Slovenian Prime Minister was Izidor Cankar, the moderate Conservative Art Critic who worked his way through the Slovene political turmoil of the 20th century to become a prominent politician at the end of the war and ardent Habsburg supporter. Finally, the Prime Minister of Croatia was the quiet Centrist Vladko Maček whose opinions always seemed to change depending on the political climate.
These five gentlemen and their new King-Emperor, whose political leanings besides overt Austro-nationalism were largely unknown, would be the leading bulwark in the developing battle against Communism that would slowly turn into the cold war. The trials and tribulations of the United Kingdom of Central Europe would not easily be passed through and their aftermath would hold great consequence for the future of modern Europe.
*Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
 
Nice setup.

I wonder whether the UKCE will be a NATO supporter in the coming Cold War or whether it shall form a third block. A three-way Cold War would be most interesting. :cool:
 
Nice setup.

I wonder whether the UKCE will be a NATO supporter in the coming Cold War or whether it shall form a third block. A three-way Cold War would be most interesting. :cool:

Thanks! And yes, the UKCE are in a very powerful pivot position in European Affairs... muahaha :D
 
Nice and interesting setup, if a little farfetched.:p Good luck!
 
Nice and interesting setup, if a little farfetched.:p Good luck!

Thanks! Yeah, I know it's far fetched because having oil is more important than Central Europe, but hey, it's AARland, anything is possible :D

PS Update sometime this weekend
 
Das Vereinigte Königreich von Mitteleuropa

Chapter Two

On the plane ride from Le-Bourget to Vienna’s International Airport in Schwechat, the Prime Ministers discussed the things that needed to be done in the early days of the new UKCE. However, demonstrating that he would not be a relic, King Otto joined in their discussions of the new multi-state Kingdom. The first thing to be done was a nod to the de jure. Otto was to be crowned King-Emperor in Vienna on June 1, coinciding with the official day of independence. The Archbishop of Vienna, the known Nazi sympathizer Theodor Innitzer, would not be presiding over the coronation. Instead, Josef Beran, the Archbishop of Prague would perform the coronation in St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague. Though Otto would have preferred to host the coronation in Vienna, the damaged St. Stephens’ Cathedral needed much repair before it could be considered usable again.

Upon arrival in Vienna, Otto received a cheering reception from 25,000 people who crowded the runway and flew the new flag of the Empire which consisted of the old Austro-Hungarian standard with the addition of the Croat and Slovene coat-of-arms and the Czechoslovak standard. Otto strode, Mother and ministers in tow, to a podium with dozens of microphones and gave his opening address to his new subjects. In his address, Otto proclaimed faith in the new manifestation of the Habsburg Empire and asserted that the UKCE will be a partner to the Allied powers, both Soviet and Western, in the re-development of a prosperous Europe.

ottoks.gif

King Otto I shortly before his coronation on June 1, 1945.


His reception and speech were well received in the World Press and it only took a few days before the Times of London and New York were placing Otto among the most influential people in a post-war Europe. During his first few weeks in Austria, Otto began preparing for the Coronation in Prague. Once the day arrived, the Cathedral of St. Vitus was packed with people of national and international importance. King George VI of Britain and his young daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, King Christian X of Denmark, King Leopold III of Belgium, Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden, Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein and Crown Prince Olav of Norway made up the royal contingent, in addition to nearly all currently living members of the Habsburg family.

The ceremony itself was spectacular in its splendor. Despite having a short timeframe to plan and execute such a vast event, the new Royal Service managed to craft a ceremony that not only impressed those in attendance, but took a great leap forward in providing a unifying force for Central European peoples. When the actual moment of coronation came, the crown was placed on the royal head inscribed with the names of all the constituent nations. At this moment, the UKCE was independent and sovereign all at once.

However, Otto did not rest for long and in his first official decree on June 3, 1945, Otto declared the parliaments of the nations from before the war to be officially and finally dissolved with new elections to be held on Tuesday, July 3rd, 1945 and elections for the National Parliament to be held the same day. In each nation, political parties campaigned for representation in the unicameral national parliaments, to be chosen by proportion, and the lower house of the national parliament, to be chosen by proportion per region. The elections were hard-fought and saw much mud-slinging during the campaigns. The communists, with secret Soviet funding, tried to promote dissent in the new Kingdom but were kept under close watch by His Majesty’s Secret Police.
In international news, an official invitation came from America for representatives from the UKCE to join the work going on in California to organize a new United Nations. Otto, though distrustful of the venture due to the failure of the League of Nations, decided that to be left out would only hurt the UKCE in the future. So, Otto sent his younger brother Archduke Felix v. Habsburg as the head of the delegation, the Austrian diplomat Leopold Figl and former Czechoslovak Prime Minister Rudolf Beran to California to represent the UKCE in the creation of the UN.

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Archduke Felix shortly after arriving in the United States on June 27, 1945.


In the meantime, King Otto mulled over who he would choose as members of the National Senate. He wanted people who were going to be loyal to him and the interests of the crown while also promoting of the national interest. The Senate had no real powers but to veto legislation given to them by the lower house, and since the power of Royal Assent was only applicable to each constituent nation when it came to the passing of laws, Otto wanted to have veto power in the national parliament. Already Otto determined that it would be impossible to provide assent to all five nation’s laws, so Otto announced that in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia and Croatia he would appoint Royal Governors to act as executive of the countries in his stead. However, who the governors would be he would be keeping secret until after the elections which happened to be only two days away.
 
I desperately want to see a map of this new Europe. :)

Is the UKCE going to trying an exert influence on a global or primarily European scale?
 
In-game what?

Umm sorry don't quite know what you're referencing here haha :p

I desperately want to see a map of this new Europe. :)

Is the UKCE going to trying an exert influence on a global or primarily European scale?

I will prepare one post-haste! :D And, to your second question, Otto is of the frame of mind where he wants to consolidate his domestic power as much as he can first and focus on international affairs second. However, this being the start of the cold war, one may expect foreign affairs to come to him. Chiefly Europe, yes, but don't rule out the wider world yet haha :)