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As has been said, this is escalating. Next time Gerhardt's men will have semi-automatics (if they've any sense) and I predict the next Red ambush will be with full machine guns or possibly even explosives.
Actually escalation probably plays to the state's strengths, they have the only tanks so it's going to end in their favour if things get worse.
Actually escalation probably plays to the state's strengths, they have the only tanks so it's going to end in their favour if things get worse.
I must say, I fear for Germany if that semi-Nazi Ludendorff gets into power- remember, this is a man that supported the Beer Hall Putsch, got elected into the Reichstag as a member of the National Socialist Freedom Party, and was that party's presidential candidate in 1925. Of course, then he began to dislike Hitler, and left politics, but it has not yet been six years, so the association would still be remembered (and he didn't disassociate himself from the Nazi views, but from the Nazi party and Hitler in particular).
Plenty of damage can be done in less than a year, and the AAR haven't reached 1931 yet.
Of course, my other point would be that Schleicher would be likely to find pause over aiding Ludendorff into raising to power, given that Ludendorff's shown radicalism rhymes badly with Schliecher's inclinations towards conservative participatory authoritarianism, and his previous actions means he isn't getting any support from the democratic parties. Still hard to run a government on DNVP and NSDAP support alone, at this time.
Raaritsgozilla: I like Gerhardt's character quite a lot, actually. I have many ideas of what I can do with him over the next few years.
Kurt_Steiner: Is it even possible to be bored when there's a Red Revolution going on in your country?
Tommy4ever: Yes, you'll see that trend continue as more countries become Red and support other countries revolutions, and the remaining democratic and right-wing countries support the opposing forces.
General_Hoth: I believe you are the only one, actually
El Pip: True. And they're already pushing the Reds out of the cities. But, as history shows time and again, a good insurgency can ruin the forces of the best militaries. The only question is, will the Communists have enough sense, and recruits?
MarshalThorpe: They may have had much more than that
LordInsane: Very true, but as of now Germany is in a non-democratic "state of emergency", so votes don't matter. And it remains to be seen whether Ludendorff will want to get involved with this mess, or whether he'll even be asked to govern. Germany might go an entirely different route...
trekaddict & LordInsane: 1937 is a LONG time away. And LordInsane, you're very right about the difference between the right-wing Ludendorff and the more pragmatic von Schleicher, but you have to remember something else. von Schleicher is an early 20th century military man, and respect for a figure like Hindenburg or Ludendorff is deeply ingrained into him. If he has a weakness at all, it would probably be this.
Anyway, time for another update. This one, political.
Kurt_Steiner: Is it even possible to be bored when there's a Red Revolution going on in your country?
Tommy4ever: Yes, you'll see that trend continue as more countries become Red and support other countries revolutions, and the remaining democratic and right-wing countries support the opposing forces.
General_Hoth: I believe you are the only one, actually
El Pip: True. And they're already pushing the Reds out of the cities. But, as history shows time and again, a good insurgency can ruin the forces of the best militaries. The only question is, will the Communists have enough sense, and recruits?
MarshalThorpe: They may have had much more than that
LordInsane: Very true, but as of now Germany is in a non-democratic "state of emergency", so votes don't matter. And it remains to be seen whether Ludendorff will want to get involved with this mess, or whether he'll even be asked to govern. Germany might go an entirely different route...
trekaddict & LordInsane: 1937 is a LONG time away. And LordInsane, you're very right about the difference between the right-wing Ludendorff and the more pragmatic von Schleicher, but you have to remember something else. von Schleicher is an early 20th century military man, and respect for a figure like Hindenburg or Ludendorff is deeply ingrained into him. If he has a weakness at all, it would probably be this.
Anyway, time for another update. This one, political.
**********
December 6, 1930
Berlin
Gerhardt scanned the crowd inside the huge hall as Otto Braun, a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party, spoke.
“We have received a letter from President Hindenburg,” he said, holding up a piece of paper. “The President plans on forming an advisory council for the purpose of creating a stronger, more centralized government to quickly enact laws to battle the Communists and deal with the economy. He is willing to form a multi-party council, but the leaders of all parties wishing to be on the council will have to swear an oath of loyalty to Germany and put ideology aside. The National Socialists and German National Workers’ Party have already sworn the oath and are gathering candidates for cabinet posts. I feel that in these tough times, our point of view needs to be heard in government, even if we must sacrifice in order to make ourselves heard. I endorse our participation in government.”
There was an eruption of boos from the left-wing delegates as he finished. One young man named Otto Grotewohl stood up and yelled, “We’re surrendering our Socialist ideology then! We’d be nothing but a centrist workers’ party if we followed your advice! Better to retain one’s ideology and resist than collaborate with the right!”
“You speak like a Red!” thundered Braun. “It is men like yourself who give the Nazis cannon fodder to label us as ‘Reds in disguise’. I shall not see this party go the way of radicalism! We must remain a part of this government. If we take your advice and go down the road to nowhere, where will the workers be then? Can we help them by barricading streets like the Reds do, so they can’t get to their jobs? No! Can we help them by starting fights that burn down the factories where they work? No! But we can help them by proposing legislation to assist workers. It wouldn’t be as hard as you think. The era of small government liberalism in Germany has died; not one party expressly supports it, save for the Centre, which has lost most of its support. Trust me, friends, we can be of much more use to the German people assisting the government.”
Gerhardt nodded in approval. He liked this Braun fellow. He seemed to be much more of a realist than many of the more radical Socialists. A bit of realism would do Germany good; he hoped this man would not only convince the party to join the government, but would also end up as a government leader.
The time had come for the measure to be put to vote. Gerhardt was struck by the civility inside the Party convention, despite the massive disagreements among the delegates. There was none of the shoe-throwing of the Communists, or the physical bullying of the Nazis. The Social Democrats, along with the Centre and the DNVP, represented the three last bastions of civility within German politics. If they were disunited and squabbling among themselves, Gerhardt thought, they would surely be overshadowed by the Reds and Nazis. Perhaps the delegates were thinking the same thing, for the proposition to join the government passed by 157 votes to 114.
Grotewohl and his allies made it clear that they could not support the government, though they respected the democratic vote. However, their morals dictated that they could not aid the party when it was going so much against their beliefs. They would certainly not support the Reds, but they would remain inactive. “I must now take my leave,” said Grotewohl. “The party has spoken, and I respect its decision.”
Gerhardt, just like the delegates, knew just how profound an impact that vote had become. In a few minutes, the Party had taken a huge leap to the center, to the point where it could legitimize itself in the eyes of the government leaders. While such a shift threatened a loss of supporters on the one end, it opened up a huge group of new ones, particularly those of the failing Centre Party. It was a bold decision, and time would tell if it would work.
Interesting this gerhardt character is making me inquisitive about what will happen to the once proud country of Germany. I personally would like to see a Benelux Allied to Germany
Is the SDP now more like the Labour Party in Britain of the same period?
When will there be more street fights?
When will there be more street fights?
I would say that the party would split. The lefts won't want a bar of a center party, and will rush off and start their own...
No?
No?
Kurt_Steiner said:
Tommy4ever said:
Raaritsgozilla said:
For now, the left-wing delegates have left the main party. They have yet to start their own, but it seems that that is inevitable, especially with the Communists being suppressed. The left has no representation, but remember, even if they do start a party, it will not be accepted into the government. It will be essentially a street-level lobby group.
And yes, the Social Democrats are looking much more like the British Labour Party with these steps. Perhaps even more moderate, since Labour is probably the more doveish of the two.
MarshalThorpe said:
Currently, the countries of Benelux haven't fallen to the Reds, so it is a possibility ideology-wise. Germany probably won't want go touch that issue for a while, though, since any form of alliance with Belgium would most likely push France over the edge into war, which at the moment Germany isn't prepared for. But expect some unusual diplomatic events in the future.
Tommy4ever said:When will there be more street fights?
The next update, actually, which I'm writing right now
Interesting, most interesting. I do wonder how the party will fare post-split, if they lose more to the left than they gain from the centre they could end up out muscled by the larger parties on the council.
El Pip said:
Well, already, they aren't the largest group in the Council. The Council which has been settled on is one of 10 DNVP, 9 Social Democrats, 5 National Socialists, and 3 Centre. This is approximately the breakdown of the old Reichstag government, excluding the Commies. Shows you how much Germany leans to the Right without the Communist representatives.
KaiserMuffin said:
You shall get your streetfights shortly, my friend
Well, already, they aren't the largest group in the Council. The Council which has been settled on is one of 10 DNVP, 9 Social Democrats, 5 National Socialists, and 3 Centre. This is approximately the breakdown of the old Reichstag government, excluding the Commies. Shows you how much Germany leans to the Right without the Communist representatives.
You shall get your streetfights shortly, my friend
Bring in the anarchists. You seriously need some anarchists
Bring in the anarchists. You seriously need some anarchists
The anarchists can go to France or Spain. They'd be more appreciated there
It's seems hypocritical to be an anarchist and be part of a Government. Benelux alliance time
**********
December 6, 1930
Berlin
Gerhardt took a swig of beer and took out his cigarettes. Putting one into his mouth, he passed the box around the table to his men.
“A job well done with the convention, men. The delegates are on their way home, and we completed our guard assignment without anyone getting killed. I’m proud of every one of you guys.” He raised his glass. “To Germany!” The entire bar, which had been invaded by the Reichsbanner, responded in kind and drank. Gerhardt lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, sighing contentedly as he exhaled.
Throughout the bar, his men were drinking, laughing, and talking happily. Things seemed to be changing, he thought to himself. Maybe this is finally the beginning of our recovery. God, do we deserve it after all this.
He looked over to the bar itself, where Fedor was perched on a bar stool and flirting with the server, a cute blonde girl. Gerhardt chuckled to himself. Fedor had noticed her as soon as the group had walked into the bar. Another group had begun singing, but as they were all singing in different keys and couldn’t remember the words to their songs, they were pelted with napkins and pretzels until they stopped. “If you don’t knock that off, I’ll start a revolution and send a shoe in your direction!” someone shouted to an uproar of laughter.
At long last, after a night of celebration, the time came for the bar to close. As the Reichsbanner men prepared to leave, Gerhardt had to drag Fedor away from the server girl. Apparently impressed by him, she gave him a kiss goodnight on the cheek. He turned beet red and Gerhardt had to support him to keep him from collapsing. Guess he hasn’t had many girlfriends, Gerhardt thought as he groaned to support Fedor’s 6 foot 4 inch frame.
"Alright guys, let’s get going, the bar’s closing. Oh, wonderful. Look who’s waiting for us.”
Outside the bar were no less than two dozen SA men, carrying clubs and rocks. As the men of the Reichsbanner emerged and faced them, Gerhardt was the first to speak.
“What the hell do you all want? Can’t we have a night off from you people? I swear, every day, it’s you or the Reds.”
The leader of the SA group ignored his questions. “What were you doing in that bar? It’s a disgrace to this whole city!”
“Like hell it is!” boomed Fedor, completely drunk. “I love that place. The beer is cold, the schnapps is strong, and the server is absolutely beautiful. What do you have against it?”
“The owner is Polish! No good German should support that place. If you support them, you’re supporting a conspiracy to—“
The Nazi’s monologue was cut off by an enormous belch of Fedor’s. He looked bemusedly at the SA leader, who must have been an entire foot shorter than he was.
“Listen, what do you guys have against a good time? What, is that armband cutting off your circulation? Or maybe your stupid French-style cap is too tight?”
“French cap?” The Nazi’s face twitched with anger.
“Come to mention it, your brown, Frenchy uniforms make more sense now. You know what they say about the French, right? About how the British officers used to wear red so their men couldn’t see when they’d been shot, and how the French officers started wearing brown pants so their troops couldn’t see when they’d—“
The end of his joke was drowned out by the riotous laughter of the Reichsbanner. Even Gerhardt, usually the voice of leadership and reason in the group, was doubled over.
“So, is that your reasons for the brown?” continued Fedor. “I guess your friend Hitler’s smarter than I thought!”
Finally, the SA had had enough. They charged, with the leader going right for Fedor with his club.
“What are you going to do, hit me in the ankles with that?” bellowed Fedor as he punched the short man in the face. As he collapsed, Fedor took his club and began hitting anything he saw. As Gerhardt felt the club whoosh by his face, he decided to give Fedor’s drunken club-fighting skills some more space.
The SA, though armed with clubs and rocks, were shocked to find themselves being beaten by a bunch of drunk Reichsbanner men. They picked the wrong group of us to fight, thought Gerhardt as he broke a Schnapps bottle over the head of an exceedingly fat Nazi. Looking for someone else to fight, he watched as two of his men picked up the unconscious SA commander and, stuffing him into a garbage can, rolled it down the street. The men of the Reichsbanner laughed and cheered, pushing the SA back the whole time. Gerhardt found a club someone had dropped and picked it up. Standing back up, he took a punch right to the face.
Staggering backwards, he squinted to bring his vision back into focus, just in time to see one of his men tackle the Nazi who had just hit him. Gerhardt sprinted to help one of his men who had been surrounded by three SA; some quick club-work, and the situation was taken care of. Gerhardt looked quickly around to check on his men; it was nearly impossible to keep watch during a street fight, but as an officer, he had to do his best. His second-in-command, Fedor, certainly wasn’t capable of doing that at the moment, anyway. Still wildly drunk, he was bashing on the garbage can containing the SA commander with his club, yelling “Hear that?! That’s what justice sounds like!”
The SA knew they had been beaten, and began to run back down the street. Three of them picked up the garbage can containing their leader and sprinted away with it. As they ran, the Reichsbanner cheered.
“That’s right, this is our bar! Come back and get some more any time you want!” Fedor bellowed and hurled his club down the street after the fleeing SA.
Shaking his head but smiling broadly, Gerhardt walked over to his friend and patted him on the back. “Nice work there, Fedor. And you get an extra reward. Your friend from the bar was watching us this whole time!” He pointed to the server girl, who was standing in the doorway of the bar. She smiled as she noticed the two of them looking at her.
“I’m going to go talk to her again! How do I look?” His hat was on sideways, one of his sleeves had been almost entirely torn off, and he was swaying on his feet from all the alcohol.
“You look great.”
Despite the fact that one of his eyes was swelling shut, Gerhardt still smiled. Never a dull moment, he thought to himself. Ever.
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