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I abstain on voting.

((You can vote against it, if you wish.

EDIT: One thing I forgot -- this war between Bulgaria and Athens will probably go on forever (not UK vs. Paraguay forever, but close) unless we directly intervene. I'd have to doublecheck war score to see if it's something the AI would eventually get right or not.

As stated, I'll have war info aplenty tomorrow.))
 
((You can vote against it, if you wish.

EDIT: One thing I forgot -- this war between Bulgaria and Athens will probably go on forever (not UK vs. Paraguay forever, but close) unless we directly intervene. I'd have to doublecheck war score to see if it's something the AI would eventually get right or not.

As stated, I'll have war info aplenty tomorrow.))

((Haha, I remember that war. Does Athens have a navy that could potentially threaten us or a way for their troops to get to us? If they don't, we can probably ignore them until Britain is dealt with.))
 
((You can vote against it, if you wish.

EDIT: One thing I forgot -- this war between Bulgaria and Athens will probably go on forever (not UK vs. Paraguay forever, but close) unless we directly intervene. I'd have to doublecheck war score to see if it's something the AI would eventually get right or not.

As stated, I'll have war info aplenty tomorrow.))

((What about koyunlu? Is that close to being resolved? I will not change my vote, I do not want to go against my party leader directly...))
 
((What about koyunlu? Is that close to being resolved? I will not change my vote, I do not want to go against my party leader directly...))

((Koyunlu ended.

Do you folks want me to give you an update that does not include the war? We're 7 days short of the original update period. We could have an "emergency session" of the Reichstag and do reforms/new proposals/amendments before the war starts. Then, the next update would be one year + seven days. Treat this as a meta-vote, one person, one vote.))
 
(( Update now. ))
 
((Non-war update. Those seven extra days mean we'll probably be convening on Christmas, so the British must pay even more for ruining that. :p))
 
((I'll let the vote run for another day; tomorrow night I'll be able to update.))
 
((What time is it? NON-WAR UPDATE TIME OF COURSE))
 
((I vote Non-war Update. I have no idea why. It just seems to be what all the cool kids are doing these days.))
 
((pffft. In Belgium, characters can live well into their 100's))
 
((Non-war update, I guess.))
 
((pffft. In Belgium, characters can live well into their 100's))

((Another Imperialist back from the dead! This calls for a celebration. *throws confetti* :p))
 
((All right, we'll call it. I'll update properly in a few hours. :)

There's also still the vote on our war goals against the Brits, so make sure you vote if you're Assembly and haven't voted already. I've only got four Assemblymen voting as of now: PTSnoop, Andre Massena, DutchGuy, and Michaelangelo.))
 
An emergency session of the Reichstag: 24 December 1871

The mood in the Reichstag chamber was mostly grim. A few pro-war politicians actively cheered; one tried to lead the Assemblymen and Stadtholders in a round of "Deutschland über Alles," although surprisingly few felt like singing. Only Otto von Altmark belted out every single note with glee (if not always on key). For Chancellor Konrad von Schwaben, the prospect of war with Great Britain spelled the end of a very promising first fifteen months in office. [1] His coalition of liberals, socialists, and conservatives produced immediate dividends, as the world became more peaceful. The Byzantine Empire won their war with Athens (leaving Bulgaria to fight Athens alone with German military aid) and, more important to Germany, Qara Koyunlu sued for peace.

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Although Minister of Finance Frederick Carile did not approve, the Chancellor's popular base demanded and got an immediate, unilateral, slashing of tax rates. The only way to continue to fund the German army and navy (as per the Constitution) was to slash the administrative and educational budgets to 70% and impose a 10% tariff on all foreign goods imported into Germany. The average German did not care; they were simply happy that their tax rates had been cut.

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Some Germans watched with interest as a crisis burst onto the stage over Belarus, but with British support, Poland was able to retain her lands despite Ethiopian funding for Belarus. Closer to home, the Minister of the Interior, Karl Adimari, and Commander of the Corps Gendarmerie, Michael von Hohenzollern, worked to crush a protest of aristocrats in Lons and forced Wallonian signs in Verdun to be repainted in German, which delighted the German administrators and the local sign industry but nobody else. Nonetheless, no bloodshed resulted in either situation.

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As 1871 began, newspaper everywhere extolled the virtues of Germany's Chancellor. "Finally, some liberal sense! It's about time those stuffy old conservatives were booted out of power," read an editorial in a popular Berlin newspaper. [2] Vox Imperatoris still cursed the day that Michael von Hohenzollern was ever stripped of office, but their circulation dwindled. It was, all things considered, a good time to be a liberal politician (unless you were part of the UAI). German military advisors in Nis, the capital of Bulgaria, regularly shared good news about Bulgaria's progress against Athens, delighting members of the New Society, even as Hals Gutfreund, the Minister of War, threatened apoplectic seizures if he did not get the naval funding he wanted.

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The first crack in the happy facade was a scandal within the Socialist party. A Gendarmerie investigation showed that Heinrich Phillip Furstenburg had tried to create a Socialist trade union in his city, despite such unions being illegal. [3] Party leader Heinrich von Gogh disavowed any knowledge of Furstenberg's illegal activity, saying in a speech that "we must try to change the laws from within, not take unilateral action. Furstenburg is far too radical!" His attempt at damage control was not entirely successful and support for the SP plummeted throughout the country.

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The Gendarmerie continued to be worked hard as an explosion at a Ljubljana factory prompted a thorough investigation of the causes. Although some individuals in the higher echelons of the Corps tried to blame the sabotage on the SP, a disgruntled worker was ultimately arrested and imprisoned for his crimes.

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Seeking to regain Germany's favor, the NLPD turned to a previously unforeseen source of support: women. NLPD officials proudly marched alongside women as they argued for the right to own property and even vote. Although the movement remained tiny, it expanded every day.

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Of all parties, the DDA began to try to occupy the vacuum left by the disgraced Socialists. Christian Peymann, the young firebrand of the DDA, gave an impassioned speech about how laissez-faire economics would end the need for tariffs and push the German economy forward into the 20th century. [3] To his surprise, he got a lot of sympathetic applause.

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Another issue that had a lot of popular support was the Organic Work movement in Stralsund. Although largely funded by the Ministry of the Interior, many of the Poles living in Stralsund pitied their cousins to the east for their poor economic programs and tyrannical government. Poles wanted to embrace Germanness and serve as a shining example of what could be.

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A scientific expedition to the source of the Nile was fully funded by entrepreneur Fritz von Hohenzollern, the younger brother of Michael. Accompanying Fritz was Konrad Friedrich, the 15 year old son of Michael, and a science enthusiast.

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As 1871 drew to a close, Germany's foreign reputation plummeted. Some Germans blamed it on an active program promoting imperialism and the German national culture. Others were concerned about the long and expensive war between Bulgaria and Athens; many in the international community criticized Germany for funding a war that should have ended months earlier. German officers pointed out that Bulgaria was winning and that not a single drop of German blood had been spilled. The monetary payments going into Bulgaria were for hospitals and schools, not guns and ammunition. Sadly, nobody accepted that explanation. [4]

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Regardless of the cause, Germany started losing friends, one by one. Brittany was the first country to dissolve their military alliance with Germany, followed by Norway. Even Ak Koyunlu, recently a beneficiary of German financial assistance, decided that abandoning Germany was more prudent than allowing their toxic reputation to spread to them. Ethiopia followed suit in September. Japan also renounced German friendship in October. While several nations remained German friends, the exact nature of that friendship was proven when the British Empire declared war on Germany.

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Of all of Germany's supposed friends, only Morea stood by Germany in her time of need. To make matters worse, just before Chancellor Schwaben called an emergency meeting of the Reichstag to consider Germany's next move, Poland and the Papal States announced that they would support the British in regaining Plymouth.

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The members of the Reichstag eagerly awaited a report from General Reinhard Detweiler, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

[1] Due to the early elections, we began in September 1870.
[2] Berlin is about 45% liberal in ideology. If you're curious, the most liberal province in Germany is Bielsko, at 55.7%.
[3] Despite being 55, Peymann is the "young firebrand" by about 7 years. The DDA is old.
[4] It was the war with Athens that ended the existing alliances. We had a "-200" to "current wars." Stupid jerks.

"Gentlemen of the Reichstag, Chief of Staff Friedrich von Hohenstaufen, Minister of War Hals Gutfreund, I present you to a report on our army and navy as of this morning. The Papal States entering the war makes no difference, but the entry of Poland opens up a second front that we must be concerned about. Here is the present state of our armed forces in Europe.

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There are also 39,000 troops in the capital, the "Lucky 13th" Army. They could more easily join in the action on the Eastern Front than the Western Front. Our fleet, presently stationed in Venice, is comprised of 19 commerce raiders and 15 transports, giving us the capacity to easily transport one army by sea anywhere in the world. Our military attache in Paris indicates that while the French do not like us very much, they might consider a military access arrangement if we were kind to them. It is, at present, unknown whether or not the British have the capability to land troops in Dunkirk ((via the strait added in HOD.))

There is an additional theater where we might see combat: Africa.

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Intelligence suggests that any British forces there are likely to be minimal, but the British present a much larger sealift capacity than we do. We do have one wildcard, the ability to strike directly at London using our Plymouth garrison.

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However, it is extremely unlikely that the British have not considered this, and there is every likelihood that they have most of their forces in the British Isles.

A quick analysis of our foes gives the following impression.

Papal States -- Irrelevant. They possess only 4 brigades and 7 ships. We could easily crush them using only the "Lucky 13th."
Poland -- A concern. They have 94 brigades and are, as yet, unmobilized. We are more militarily advanced than they are ((we have 12 army techs, they have 9)), but they need only fight on one front, not two. They can also speed reserves into position as they have less distance to travel. They have 40 ships, but these are considered to be crude, entirely wooden ships that our fleet should be able to handle.
Great Britain -- The British are the true threat. They have 197 brigades, which are equivalent to ours technologically. ((Both 12 army techs.)) Worse still for our purposes, they have 99 ships, although we do not expect that they have iron ships ((5 naval techs)). However, if they concentrate their entire fleet in one spot, they might overwhelm us with sheer numbers.

I hope you found this information useful. Please let me know if you have any questions."

--Deputy Chief of Staff Reinhard Detweiler


((LatinKaiser -- we desperately need Generals for pretty much the entire army, and I've got a whole pile of Generals to assign. Rather than give you a list of names, it's simpler if you give me what traits or abilities to focus on for each army, and prioritize them. The navy is in good hands (+2 to attack and defense). 8th Army (+2 defense, -2 attack), 4th army (+1 attack), 20th army (no bonuses to attack or defense; boosted morale, but lower speed), 19th army (+1 attack, +3 defense), 12th army (boost to speed and reliability, penalty to morale), 10th army (+2 to attack, boost to reliability and speed, penalty to morale) all have commanders. Nobody else does.

Sakura_F -- you may wish to propose something else in terms of your war goals, now that you know Poland and the Papacy are in the war. The AI pulled a dirty trick and didn't call anybody to war until after I reloaded the game to check on army stuff. Up to you. We are putting the war goal vote on hold to give him time to consider.

Everyone else -- feel free to propose constitutional amendments. We can do a political reform (the last remaining reform is the one for allowing all trade unions) but not social reforms with the nerf to the Socialists. As usual, no voting on amendments/political reforms until I officially say to do so.

That should cover everything!))