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

A Heart of Darkness AAR Using New Nations Mod
The Holy Roman Empire is long gone, but on the streets of Europe there is a new idea: Pan-Germanicism. The idea that all Germanic people should be united into a single state. This state will dwarf not just France; but Russia and maybe even the mighty British Empire. It will provide a new utopia for the people of Germania, for thousands of years to come.

But Germany is just a multitude of small states. Many enemies stand in the way of unification, and each will need to be defeated for a Pan-Germanic Empire to even stand a chance. The most likely country to even attempt such a feat is Prussia; and it is here where we start our story.

Welcome to my new AAR. It's my first-ish. I have added an event that gives me cores on other "Germanic" provinces after the formation of Germany. This ties in with the story and makes the game more fluid. If I wanted world conquest, I'd add cores on everything! I even add infamy myself because gaining a core region adds none.

I also must add that Pan-Germanicism, a theme of this AAR, is an idea toyed with by the Nazis. I am of course not a Nazi!


OAQ (Occasionally asked questions)

There are broken tags (
etc.) in your AAR




These are the result of the recent changes in the forum. Hopefully, these will be eventually fixed. For the time being,
means there should have been a horizontal line there, and [SP] means that should have been superscript.

The colours here look out of place

Again, this is the result of forum changes and hopefully will be fixed soon.

There are loads of chapters and I don't have time to read all of them
Really, you should. Each chapter is quite important but if you really can't read all of them, I don't mind if you ask me or just skim them. Often reading the last paragraph will give you an idea.

The images are saying you're out of bandwidth
Please contact me (via PM) and I'll sort it out.

You've made a mistake here.
Again, feel free to drop me a message.


Contents

Aims & Introduction


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I - A New Dawn
II - Prussia Ascendant
III - The Bavarian Crisis
IV - Hungarian Freedom
V - Progress, Unity and Anarchy
VI - The Franco-Prussian War
VII - Crisis in the East
VIII - The Last King of Austria
IX - Three Cheers for Germany!

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X - Analysis of Germany (1858)
XI - Friedrich's Legacy
XII - The Bear and the Cockerel
XIII - Too Little Too Late (Part 1)
XIV - Too Little Too Late (Part 2)
XV - The State of the Baltics
XVI - The Belgian Civil War
XVII - The Forty Minute War and the Baltic Blockade
XVIII - Die Germanische Herbst (The Germanic Autumn)
XIX - United at Last

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XX - Five Minutes from War
XXI - Chaos, Consolidation and the Cantons
XXII - Nic O Nas, Bez Nas? (Nothing About Us, Without Us?)
XXIII - The Burning Ashes of Ketimbang
XXIV - "A Golden Era"

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XXV - Analysis of Germania (1900)
XXVI - The Shots Heard Around the World
XXVII - Gott Mit Uns... Hoffentlich
XXVIII - Out of the Reverie
XXIX - Not the Time, Nor the Place
XXX - Paris or Nothing
XXXI - Slowly but Surely: Pushing Back the Russians
XXXII - A Terrible Year
XXXIII - The Spring Offensive
XXXIV - Vae Victis

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XXXV - Lessons in Megalomania
XXXVI - Taming the Orient
XXXVII - The "United States of Britain" and the Terrible Irony of New England Separatism
XXXVIII - Afternoon at the Reichstag
XXXIX - The Rise of Fascism
XXXX - Wilhelm's Wars
XXXXI - A French Revolution
XXXXII - Feeding the French
XXXXIII - "Something Wrong With Your Bloody Ships"

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XXXXIV - The Backlash
XXXXV - Keine Einheit Ohne Gleichheit!
XXXXVI - A Most Unlikely Party
XXXXVII - Peace in Europe?
XXXXVIII - Crashing and Burning
XLIX - The Unspeakable War




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L - Operation Pastorius
LI - Brave Little Burlington
LII - Attack on Switzerland
LIII - In Hannibal's Footsteps
LIV - A New World Alliance


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LV - The Wheels Coming Off
LVI - Vienna's Last Stand
LVII - A Nation's Winter
LVII - Mare Nostrum?


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LVIII - Furchtlos und Treu
LIX - The Seat of Empire



Last post by me: 2/01/16
To be updated as the story progresses.


-This AAR has been approved for basic interactivity by moderator Mr. Capiatlist-

 
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Aims

Aims of this play-through:



    • A united and stable Germany, including Austria [Completed]
    • A hegemony on the ex-Austrian nations in central Europe (Mitteleuropa) and perhaps annexation of these areas [Partly Completed]
    • Annexation of Switzerland, Luxembourg, Jutland, Flanders and the Netherlands [Completed]
    • To be the dominant power in continental Europe [Completed]
    • To have buffer states against Russia and France [Completed]
    • At least friendly relations with or possible annexation of Scandinavia [Partly Completed]
Introduction

Our story starts in 1836. Friedrich Wilhelm III is on the throne and, unlike in our timeline he is much more interested in German unification. The German Confederation has been formed, however the King only considers this a temporary solution. Prussia, although slowly overtaking Austria as the dominant German power, knows that to fully unite Germany war is required. Meanwhile, in the city streets across Europe, people are much more interested in the ideas of Pan-Germanism and Germanicism. Crackpot books on this, that and the other are flying around but largely ignored. It will take one, timed correctly with a surge of sentiment - like that of the Communist Manifesto - to change history.
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Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia
 
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Smart, sphereing denmark can also help against russia, to have complete control over the baltic. And by austria if you make them drop out of great power status you could just activate the three hurrahs and they immediately become apart of germany (not sure if you knew this or not, p.s. i also saw that ural state your trying to do. looks great!)(p.p.s I don't know how to post pictures but the german unifactaion I was talking about is here on this url http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Germanism)
 
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Smart, sphereing denmark can also help against russia, to have complete control over the baltic. And by austria if you make them drop out of great power status you could just activate the three hurrahs and they immediately become apart of germany (not sure if you knew this or not, p.s. i also saw that ural state your trying to do. looks great!)(p.p.s I don't know how to post pictures but the german unifactaion I was talking about is here on this url http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Germanism)
Thanks, I probably shouldn't reveal how it turns out but I plan to unite all the red areas on that map, apart from England.
 
I - A New Dawn
1836-1840

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The last few years of Friedrich Wilhelm III's reign were largely uneventful. Prussia did not participate in any wars, like the Dutch Restoration of Order to the Belgian Provinces. This war started in January 1836 and finished eleven months later, after the United Kingdom intervened and negotiated a white peace. A docile period of slow industrialisation had begun, as factories were built around the country, particularly in Berlin, Silesia and the Rheinland. Luddites looked on in alarm as canals and new roads were built. This led to, in 1839, the Child Labour Act to be passed.

Behind closed doors, however, relations with Austria were falling through the floor. Prussia, wanting to expand her influence over the southern German states, started intervening in their affairs. Austria responded with such fury that it demanded their diplomats to be banned for a year - something Prussia did not take kindly to.
Relations with France were collapsing too, as the Rhine crisis was sparked by the French prime minister Adolphe Thiers, who claimed that the natural border of France was along the Rhine. Prussia was finding itself increasingly isolated amongst its neighbours, and this is perhaps one of the reasons why the country found itself becoming more and more militaristic and inclined towards the ideas of pan-Germanism. The Mozart festival in December 1838 is an example of how an innocent gathering came to be a political demonstration for unification.

On January 12th, 1840, Friedrich Wilhelm died, almost 70 years old. His son, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, took the throne. He was a supporter of the Pan-Germanist movement to a degree, like his father, but also promised better political freedoms for the country. In the couple of years to come, his true colours would be shown.
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Friedrich Wilhelm IV
 
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I will certainly liberate them from the Russians - or attempt to - however whether or not I directly annex them will depend on the situation. I may liberate them and annex them at a later date.
 
II - Prussia Ascendant
1840-1843
This chapter has some errors which will be fixed.

The new King found himself taking charge at a time of mounting crisis. A new "Age of Liberalism" had dawned on Europe. People were gradually realising that no longer should they have to endure the oppression of their monarchies. Free speech and political representation were on the minds of many, and luckily Friedrich recognised this. That did not mean he would simply hand them out without a fight. The Prussian Herald gained attention in the Spring of 1840 as the first major paper to speak out, but was quickly censored. The government began to panic; as militancy began to rise in other countries surely it would begin, and perhaps already was, spilling into Prussia itself?

In January the process began of giving the vote to the rich and landed in society. This finally finished in April, and on the eleventh of that month the first elections began (they would end in October with the Conservatives gaining 100% of the vote).
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But this was not enough to appease the masses who had began a massive march began on Berlin, demanding unification of all German states. Allowing such a thing to continue would be a show of weakness and troops were quickly dispatched to disperse the protesters.

It was strangely lucky then, that by this time relations with Austria were at breaking point. Austria had banned all ambassadors from the South German states. It had escalated so far that Prussia had two options: accept Austrian dominance in the Confederation, or go to war.

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War was declared on May Day, 1841.
Prussia found itself fighting against an allied Austria and Ottoman Empire! This was going to be a surreal war.
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The war against Austria was frustratingly slow and hard. Against the smaller states, however, Prussian troops were steam-rolling the opposing troops.
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The Battle of Dresden was the first major engagement of the war and would mean that by August Saxony would give up and request peace.

The same too happened in Württemberg, Bavaria and Baden - quick and effective offensives to the capitals meant that each army found itself powerless to do anything. By December the South German states were out of the war.

The offensive slowed down after this. A flu pandemic swept the country and left many returning soldiers dead. With Vienna still not captured the tide of public opinion was beginning to turn. But in June, the Ottoman Empire bowed out of the war, the once proud Turkish armies shattered in unfamiliar terrain and forced to return home to fight in the Oriental Crisis. Austria was left with no significant allies and so it would be a one to one slog. Several times it looked as though Austria was gaining the upper hand, launching offensives into Prussian territory but every time these were repelled.

Technology was turning against the Austrians, too. The development of railways to the front meant that supplies could easily be transported, something that had previously been a problem in the Prussian army.
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But still the war was dragging on. So, after the new year a fresh offensive of Prussian and Danish troops made a joint march into Vienna, finally capturing the capital. Austrian attempts to liberate it failed and the government was forced to flee to Hungary.

On June 30th, Austria surrendered.
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This marked the end of Austrian supremacy amongst the German states and showed that Prussia was the new Great Power in Central Europe. It had been long and brutal but finally the war was over. Circumnavigating the war in Egypt - despite having large influence over the country - Prussia had achieved peace at least for the next few years.





 
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I like the premise here, and think this will be an interesting read - I'm also intrigued about the interactivity.

I'll be following.
 
Always interested in a well-written gameplay AAR.
 
Thank you for your comments dear readers. An update should be up by Friday. (I'm making it sound as though it's massive, it's not. So don't get your hopes up!)
I like the premise here, and think this will be an interesting read - I'm also intrigued about the interactivity.

I'll be following.
Thank you. The interactivity won't be anything too exciting, just a vote on a selection of flags and the name of the country to evolve from Germany.
Always interested in a well-written gameplay AAR.
Thanks, I will slip into narrative occasionally because it can get a bit boring during peacetime.
 
III - The Bavarian Crisis
1843-1848
Told using diaries, letters and other personal accounts from the Koblenz Archives

Austria was devastated. It had little prestige left. Any emerging industry had been halted by the long war. With civil unrest simmering in the empire, it became cold and withdrawn. Instead focus was placed on internal affairs, with little influence exercised over surrounding countries. It was no longer a Great Power in the eyes of most.
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In the wave of celebration of this victory, Hoffmann von Fallersleben published the soon to be famous Deutschlandlied on British occupied Helgoland.
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All was going well in Prussia.

February 10th, 1847
It was a cold, crisp day in Berlin. Snow had fallen earlier in the month and the last few patches were slowly melting away. The King was conversing with an apparent relative or someone from Hannover. He was supposed to know him, but in reality he was certain he had never seen the man before. What followed was an interesting discussion about Prussia's progress - her moves towards democracy by granting a vote to all wealthy who deserved it, the ties with the other German states that were becoming ever closer. And not forgetting her scientific progress - why, was it not the Prussian astronomer Johan Galle who had discovered Neptune, perhaps the most beautiful of all the planets? And her well judged handling of the Polish independence movement was to be praised too - if it wasn't for those French, the idea of it would be out of the window!

"So you see, err... nephew-"
"Cousin"
"So you see, my dear cousin, that things are progressing well here. Our moves towards a new German nation are being received well."
"And do you believe there will be need for another war?"
"It is my belief that a nation should do what is right during any situation, not what is easiest. But I can firmly say that, as long as other states help us in our plans then we can peacefu-"

There was a crash and the door opened. A man dressed in winter clothes burst in, looking out of breath.

"Can you not see we are having a private conversation in here!?" the King shouted.
"I must apologise greatly your highness, but the Bavarian ambassador has just arrived back. He says he must see you immediately."
"Fine. This better be bloody important. Send him in."

A few moments passed before a man stumbled in, dressed in torn clothes. He looked tired, as if he had been travelling for a long time, and he had cuts on his face.

"Your highness. It's the Bavarians. They've gone mad!"
"What? Speak man, speak!"
"Yesterday morning some armed fellows marched into the embassy and informed me I had one hour to get out! I wouldn't normally stand for this nonsense, but they had guns and looked deadly serious."
"What!? Didn't they send in the police to deal with these thugs?"
"It gets worse. When I was finished they threw me out of the back door. Lucky it was the back door, there was an angry mob at the front, some with guns! And the police were doing nothing! I fled here, naturally, and the last I heard was that government troops had intervened on the side of the mob!"

The King showed little expression. Then he spoke.

"I will give the Bavarian government an ultimatum. They restore order to the embassy or we send in our troops."

At this moment the cousin suddenly looked up and spoke.

"With the greatest respect, the Austrians are allied with the Bavarians. Surely we cannot afford another war with them?"
"I think you'll find, my... cousin, that the Austrians are more isolationist then it appears. Perhaps when they decline to help the Bavarians, it will give the Southern states an indicator that we are really the leader here."

The two men were dismissed, and the King set off for parliament.


The Bavarian government ignored the ultimatum. Prussia was once again at war.

As predicted, the Austrian government refused to help Bavaria and she was left with no allies. With only a small army, resistance was limited. Munich was captured and the government begged for peace, but this offer was turned down. Instead, Prussia set about occupying the entire of Bavaria and dividing it up between allies.
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By September of the next year, the Bavarian government agreed to give up some of its powers to Prussia and cut the military down to size. But militancy from this year-long occupation was less than anticipated. Orders to the occupying troops were to assist the local populace and restore order. Whereas before the police had been quite brutal in keeping the peace, the Prussian troops, despite numerous conflicts in the north of the country, helped a lot. In some towns there were even reports of bored troops helping the populace take in the harvest.

This was, of course, a well-crafted plan from the King. He knew that the war would take a long time because of the numerous militias that would spring up, and these had to be gone for complete peace. If at least some of the population could be shown examples of Prussian "hospitality," then perhaps they would be more inclined to consider a union.

In the months to follow, Bavarian infrastructure was invested in by Prussian capitalists, giving the country technology that had never even been thought of before. A grand Berlin to Munich train line was planned. These might be the people who want our independence gone, thought many Bavarians, but maybe, just maybe, we can join with our German brothers in peace if they are in charge.

In Württemberg they certainly seemed to think so. An uprising in February 1848 meant that a new pro-German government was installed, with support from Prussia. Democracy was handed out in the Prussian style.
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Then, in early May, something extraordinary happened.
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Hungary, unable to reach a with compromise the Austrian rulers, declared independence. Every loyal Austrian man was mobilised to neutralise the rebellion.

Prussia had a choice: would it help the Hungarians? Or would it be forced to sit back and watch the chance of wrenching apart another part of the Austrian Empire disappear?

 
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The B said:
Thank you. The interactivity won't be anything too exciting, just a vote on a selection of flags and the name of the country to evolve from Germany.

No problem. And, to my mind, that sounds exciting :)

Another very enjoyable update - well-written and easy to read.