Anyway, it's time for the next chapter to see how the remainder of 1921 goes for the Weimar Republic....
Chapter 5 (Jul-Dec 1921)
As Germany entered July internal problems continued to as the political instability seemed endless. In Bavaria the Far-Right NSDAP, now known more commonly by the nickname 'Nazis' continued to grow in strength. By the end of the month the party had a new leader, a charismatic former Corporal named Adolf Hitler, this new leader's rousing speeches against the Weimar Government won him much support, especially in Bavaria.
Meanwhile the British were dealing with their own internal problems as the Irish War of Independence continued. The island of Ireland had been plagued with trouble since the failed Easter Rising of 1916 and the British authorities continued to struggle against the Irish Republican Army and their guerrilla tactics.
In the Middle East not long after the British granted self-rule to the Mandate of Iraq with Faisal I, a son of the Grand Sharif of Mecca, being crowned King of Iraq. Faisal had previously been King of the self-proclaimed Arab Kingdom of Syria which had attempted to break away from French rule but was promptly defeated.
Further south, the Kingdom of Nejd declared war on their neighbours the Emirate of Jabal Shammar as the first step of their quest to unify Arabia under the rule of the House of Saud.
Much closer to home there were some interesting developments south of the border as in Austria there was a successful Monarchist Coup against the weak Republican Government in Vienna...
...not long after the last Habsburg Emperor, Charles I, returned from exile at the Invitation of the new Austrian Government and on the 7th of September 1921 he was officially crowned 'King of Austria'. The Habsburg Monarchy was restored and in Germany this news was greeted with jubilation by Monarchists who became more determined than ever to seek the restoration of their own deposed monarch. It wouldn't be long before the new Austrian Government began providing limited covert aid to German Monarchists, surely someday the wartime Central Powers will be restored and they would gain their revenge on the arrogant Allies.
However, it remained to be seen how the Allies would respond to these developments but despite threats of war from the nations of the Little Entente it was soon clear that neither Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia were willing to start a war to prevent this restoration. As for the wartime Entente nations Britain & France introduced a series of sanctions against Austria but they too were unwilling to start a war. Meanwhile Italy, who were embittered towards their former Allies due to their failure to honour their wartime territorial agreements, was unwilling to sanction Austria and instead seeked to improve relations with their former ally-turned-enemy. The unwillingness of the Allies to take decisive action to reverse this Habsburg restoration showed that, for all their bluster, they didn't desire another full-scale war to keep their former enemies weak. This created an increased determination amongst the various extremist factions in Germany that seeked to dismantle the hated Versailles Treaty. In the long term this was excellent news for Germany and the Monarchist cause but in the short term would lead to increased Anti-Government activities against the leaders of the Weimar Republic who made no move to officially recognise the new Austrian Kingdom.
Later in September there was a major industrial incident as a massive explosion occurred at a ammunition plant in Oppau on the left bank of the Rhine. As a result of this explosion over 500 people were killed and over 2,000 injured. Meanwhile on the other side of Germany authorities in Silesia arrested Soviet agents who had been caught trying to supply arms to Communist activists in the region. It is obvious that Soviet Russia is trying to exploit the unstable situation in Silesia and use the region as a starting point for another Communist Revolution in Germany. Thankfully their attempt has failed for now but it is unlikely to be the last time they try to destabilise the Weimar Republic.
However, the Russian SFSR have their own problems at home as a disastrous famine occurred in Russia in Early October. Millions of people died as a result of this famine which mostly affected Tatarstan and the Volga Region. The severity of this famine was undoubtedly as a result of disastrous Communist policies and the Civil War. Thank God that the Communists failed to gain power in Germany after the Great War or this might have been this nation's fate too.
Not long after there were further developments south of the German border as Austria declared war on Hungary in order to restore the old Dual Monarchy. Once again the Allies took no action to prevent this. Meanwhile in Arabia the Kingdom of Nejd defeated and annexed Jabal Shammar to take one more step towards unifying Arabia. Surely it will only be a matter of time before war breaks out between Nejd and their western neighbours, the Kingdom of Hejaz.
In Eastern Europe, the Intermarium's expansionist intentions continued to grow as they demanded the submission of the Baltic Republics of Latvia & Estonia. This was part of the Intermarium's aim to control a large territory stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea...
...Not long after Latvia & Estonia, seeing that they had no foreign support and possibly concerned about another Soviet Invasion, both agreed to submit and join the Intermarium. In Germany they can only wonder when this continually expanding state will target Silesia, Pomerania or East Prussia, it may only be a matter of time.
To the south, by early November the Austrian Army reaches the gates of the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Surely now it is only a matter of time before Hungary is defeated and the Dual Monarchy restored.
Meanwhile, the nations of the wartime Allies attend a conference in Washington DC focused on disarmament and naval limitations as a way of preserving peace amongst nations. However, the allies weren't as unified as it seemed as there was increased suspicion towards Japan as the other allies feared their growing expansionism in the Far East.
While the Allies were talking about peace and disarmament in Washington, the war in Hungary continued. On the 14th of November the Austrian Army entered Budapest after a bitter week of fighting around the city...
...just four days after the Fall of Budapest the Hungarian Army, faced with the defection of many Pro-Monarchist officers, capitulated and soon the war was over. Not long after the Dual Monarchy was officially restored with Charles I being crowned King of Hungary. Just three years after its dissolution, the Austro-Hungarian Empire returned to the map of Europe.
Not long after, a new war started in Eastern Europe as Finland declared war on Soviet Russia in defence of the breakaway Republic of East Karelia. Since Finland was one of the few countries that could be considered friendly to Germany, it was hoped that the Finns could emulate the Polish success of the previous year and achieve a victory that would further weaken Soviet power in Eastern Europe.
After an uneventful December 1921 came to an end with the internal situation in Germany still chaotic. However, events outside of Germany are a great source of optimism for German Monarchists as the restoration of Austria-Hungary brings greater hope that one day in the very near future the Kaiserreich will be restored. Now Germany looks forward to see what 1922 will bring.