How to gain friends without NF?

[Nussor]

I'm really struggling with this even when using NF. As Germany, for example, I was unable to get Spain into my faction. The AI seems to have no problem in pulling Turkey and Spain into the Axis on the other hand. What am I doing wrong?

Also, staging coups and realigning governments does absolutely nothing to help me. In fact, I noticed a -50 penalty for being in a civil war for the Third Guangxi Clique in my current game, although they have no chance without me. This kind of gamey abuse makes me furious.

 

[GSP Jr]

I have staged democratic coups in both Italy and Japan and they both stayed in the Axis, so I wander what the coups do for you also. Why would a democratic Japan stay in the Axis and more puzzling, why did Germany not kick them out of the Axis?

 

[mabus81]

I'm really struggling with this even when using NF. As Germany, for example, I was unable to get Spain into my faction. The AI seems to have no problem in pulling Turkey and Spain into the Axis on the other hand. What am I doing wrong?

Also, staging coups and realigning governments does absolutely nothing to help me. In fact, I noticed a -50 penalty for being in a civil war for the Third Guangxi Clique in my current game, although they have no chance without me. This kind of gamey abuse makes me furious.

I never had the impression that there is some problem getting people into axis (played Germany several times and denied requests from various nations each time). I guess you need your potential ally to have the same ideology as you and probably relations shouldnt be bad. That usually should do the trick.

 

[Nussor]

I have staged democratic coups in both Italy and Japan and they both stayed in the Axis, so I wander what the coups do for you also. Why would a democratic Japan stay in the Axis and more puzzling, why did Germany not kick them out of the Axis?

Good questions, although I think such (again gamey) things shouldn't even be possible (in a historical playthrough) with greater powers in the first place.