"Minister of Titles and Nobility"? Only in Habsburg Austria.
No matter what I write, I must include the shiny shiny precious things like titles and honours
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No matter what I write, I must include the shiny shiny precious things like titles and honours
Das Vereinigte Königreich von Mitteleuropa
Chapter Six
As the furor surrounding the resettlement of the 350,000 ethnic Germans in southern Austria slowed to a dull roar, the United Kingdom of Central Europe saw a few peaceful weeks before another crisis erupted. The Soviet Army was slowly being evacuated from the UKCE. Very slowly. Emperor Otto had suspicions that they were lingering to spread propaganda among the weary populations of his newly minted Empire. As some of the Soviet divisions crossed into far-eastern Czechoslovakia, near the hotly-contested Carpathian Ruthenia region, Otto’s worst fears came to fruition.
At three o’clock in the morning, Emperor Otto was awoken by an apologetic butler holding a telephone. Answering impatiently, Otto quickly arose in bed when he heard his cousin the Archduke Karl Albrecht say, “Eastern Czechoslovakia is in rebellion. They are carrying the red flag and have already proclaimed a Soviet.” Indeed, despite the shaky communications only now just being repaired in that part of Czechoslovakia, word had finally reached Vienna about the revolt that had broken out a day before. Otto jumped out of bed and started giving instructions to Archduke Karl as the butler magically held the telephone and dressed his Emperor simultaneously.
As dawn broke a few hours later, the two-months-old military of the UKCE along with volunteers boarded armed trains rushing towards the rebellion. Against the wishes of nearly every advisor, Otto went along with them, “Not to interfere, but to observe.” Otto didn’t have much to observe as over the next 36 hours the revolt was crushed.
While the revolt itself was not large to begin with, as it had only about 1,600 actively known combatants, its occurrence proved the dangerousness of the Soviets and their army. Among the carnage of their temporary capitol, Michalovce, nearly every dead rebel had Soviet rubles or some form of communist propaganda. The Soviets could easily deny the money, as the new UKCE Crown had yet to reach omnipotence and acceptance in the Empire, the propaganda was harder to deny. Especially when the foolish Soviets had the small words at the bottom of their pamphelets, “Property of the Army of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
Prime Minister Beneš of Czechoslovakia was absolutely furious. He felt personally betrayed by Stalin, whom he had had cordial relations with for some years. Forunately, Beneš calmed down enough to make a very controlled statement. Without knowledge of the Supranational government or Emperor Otto, naturally. Beneš called the Soviet Union, “A behemoth to whom we are grateful for our liberation, but not grateful enough to throw ourselves into subservience of a state alien to our goals. Slavic brothers we may be, but Slavic servants we are not.” The entirety of Beneš' address was broadcast around the world and many thought it a reasonable plea for peace and democracy and an end to ideological conflicts, not by caving in to others, but by quietly standing for your own.
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, was featured on the September 24th, 1945 cover of Time Magazine for his speech after the Michalovce Uprising.
Shortly after Beneš spoke, a demand from the pleasantly surprised (at Beneš, not the Soviets!) UKCE Supranational government, signed by Emperor Otto, was sent to Stalin deminding the removal of all Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia and the rest of the UKCE. Grudgingly, Stalin relented after diplomatic pressure was applied by the United Kingdom, fast becoming the UKCE’s best European ally.
After the ‘Michalovce Uprising,’ as it was known, was put down, Emperor Otto turned his attention to more peaceful pursuits. Reconstruction on St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna was begun officially when Emperor Otto handed an engraved chisel and hammer to a randomly chosen worker on the construction site. This potent symbolic act also served as a metaphor, reassuring the citizens of the UKCE that they hadn’t simply invited back Habsburgian absolutism. This Empire was to be a partnership, where the Habsburgs and other nobles were willing and happy to give the common people the tools they need. Not only tools to rebuild after the most devastating war in human history, but also the tools to a successful and prosperous state.
Chapter Six
As the furor surrounding the resettlement of the 350,000 ethnic Germans in southern Austria slowed to a dull roar, the United Kingdom of Central Europe saw a few peaceful weeks before another crisis erupted. The Soviet Army was slowly being evacuated from the UKCE. Very slowly. Emperor Otto had suspicions that they were lingering to spread propaganda among the weary populations of his newly minted Empire. As some of the Soviet divisions crossed into far-eastern Czechoslovakia, near the hotly-contested Carpathian Ruthenia region, Otto’s worst fears came to fruition.
At three o’clock in the morning, Emperor Otto was awoken by an apologetic butler holding a telephone. Answering impatiently, Otto quickly arose in bed when he heard his cousin the Archduke Karl Albrecht say, “Eastern Czechoslovakia is in rebellion. They are carrying the red flag and have already proclaimed a Soviet.” Indeed, despite the shaky communications only now just being repaired in that part of Czechoslovakia, word had finally reached Vienna about the revolt that had broken out a day before. Otto jumped out of bed and started giving instructions to Archduke Karl as the butler magically held the telephone and dressed his Emperor simultaneously.
As dawn broke a few hours later, the two-months-old military of the UKCE along with volunteers boarded armed trains rushing towards the rebellion. Against the wishes of nearly every advisor, Otto went along with them, “Not to interfere, but to observe.” Otto didn’t have much to observe as over the next 36 hours the revolt was crushed.
While the revolt itself was not large to begin with, as it had only about 1,600 actively known combatants, its occurrence proved the dangerousness of the Soviets and their army. Among the carnage of their temporary capitol, Michalovce, nearly every dead rebel had Soviet rubles or some form of communist propaganda. The Soviets could easily deny the money, as the new UKCE Crown had yet to reach omnipotence and acceptance in the Empire, the propaganda was harder to deny. Especially when the foolish Soviets had the small words at the bottom of their pamphelets, “Property of the Army of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
Prime Minister Beneš of Czechoslovakia was absolutely furious. He felt personally betrayed by Stalin, whom he had had cordial relations with for some years. Forunately, Beneš calmed down enough to make a very controlled statement. Without knowledge of the Supranational government or Emperor Otto, naturally. Beneš called the Soviet Union, “A behemoth to whom we are grateful for our liberation, but not grateful enough to throw ourselves into subservience of a state alien to our goals. Slavic brothers we may be, but Slavic servants we are not.” The entirety of Beneš' address was broadcast around the world and many thought it a reasonable plea for peace and democracy and an end to ideological conflicts, not by caving in to others, but by quietly standing for your own.
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, was featured on the September 24th, 1945 cover of Time Magazine for his speech after the Michalovce Uprising.
Shortly after Beneš spoke, a demand from the pleasantly surprised (at Beneš, not the Soviets!) UKCE Supranational government, signed by Emperor Otto, was sent to Stalin deminding the removal of all Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia and the rest of the UKCE. Grudgingly, Stalin relented after diplomatic pressure was applied by the United Kingdom, fast becoming the UKCE’s best European ally.
After the ‘Michalovce Uprising,’ as it was known, was put down, Emperor Otto turned his attention to more peaceful pursuits. Reconstruction on St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna was begun officially when Emperor Otto handed an engraved chisel and hammer to a randomly chosen worker on the construction site. This potent symbolic act also served as a metaphor, reassuring the citizens of the UKCE that they hadn’t simply invited back Habsburgian absolutism. This Empire was to be a partnership, where the Habsburgs and other nobles were willing and happy to give the common people the tools they need. Not only tools to rebuild after the most devastating war in human history, but also the tools to a successful and prosperous state.
Blasted Soviets! Good that cooler heads prevailed, I doubt you would have had much power to resist the Red Army?
Indeed, the Empire is not yet half a year old and even though the military forces are not invisible or weak by any means, they are certainly not the Soviet army.
You are going to have to guard a long section of the Iron Curtain once the Cold War really kicks off.
Yeah it's going to be a real joy -_- haha. And don't worry folks this isn't dead-again- I just haven't had time recently. I will though