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Well schoolwork demands that the update be delayed, but have no fear, it is coming ! 
Well schoolwork demands that the update be delayed, but have no fear, it is coming !
We are waiting patiently. Plus I completely understand, I'm in the same boat with my AAR.
Good luck with your work, hope it all goes well.
Part 8 - La Belle Époque
As the dust settled following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the subsequent reshuffling of the worldwide power structure greatly weakened defunct powers like the Russian Empire, which led to considerable unrest resulting in a number of clashes within the Empire between various nationalist groups (such as the Ukrainians and the Fins) and the Russian Army from 1887 to 1896. These internal conflicts would have destructive effects on the Russian Empire, leading to its near collapse in 1891. In Southern Europe, further tensions between Austria and Italy erupted in war over the Tyrol region and Austria’s treatment of the Italian minority in the Meanwhile, monarchist movements in France grew with increasing speed within both the army and the population. By 1889, tensions between the people (supported by the army) and the government had reached a boiling point, leading to several violent confrontations between the police and protesters. Finally, in March 1890, the French army staged a coup, arresting the membe of Orléans of the Senate and the National Assembly. The army then declared the Ancien Régime restored under Robert, the Duke of Chartres and a successful officer in the French Army who served on the Spanish Front in the Great War. A respected war hero, Robert (who took the regnal name Jean III, in order to distance himself from the past kings of France) was the perfect candidate for the throne, being beloved and respected in both the army and among the populace and was crowned King of France.
The French Restoration is often seen as the starting point of what would later be known as “La Belle Époque” across Europe. Indeed, France’s resurgence on the world scene along with Britain and Germany’s economic growth fostered a period of great prosperity and scientific discovery. In Germany, this period was characterised with the reign of Frederick III (in surprisingly good health for a 59 year old) who inherited his father’s throne following his death in 1887. Under his reign and with Bismarck at the helm of the Empire’s foreign policy, the Empire forged solid alliances with most of the Balkan nations including Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, who all feared a resurgent Russia. Furthermore, following the French Restoration, many of the Great Powers feared what a soldier, with the backing of both the army and the people, could do at the helm of a resurgent France. Therefore, with the diplomatic support of Great Britain, Bismarck was able convince the Great Powers to support the German Empire’s bid to relieve the French of their ownership of the Congo in 1892. Faced with almost universal opposition by the Great Powers (with the notable exceptions of Italy and Russia) and unable to spare enough troops to defend the Congo (since most of the army was in metropolitan France pacifying the remaining dissenters of the regime), France was forced to allow German troops to occupy the territory. This diplomatic victory confirmed the military and diplomatic dominance of the Anglo-German alliance. However, it also convinced both Italy and Russia of the necessity of seeking an alliance with France, still the only power capable of opposing both the German and British Empires, forming the Triple Alliance.
Nevertheless, it was the Empire’s golden age. Under the leadership of Frederick III, Germany’s political structure was greatly improved, being both streamlined and liberalised, allowing more people into the political system. However, the conservatives in the government still opposed a full constitutional monarchy like in Great Britain, so reforms were slow. Nevertheless, in 1902, full universal suffrage was introduced along with many other wide-reaching liberal reforms. Furthermore, Bismarck instituted wide ranging social reforms granting workers many benefits unheard of in most of Europe such as a very generous healthcare system as well as instituting a welfare program, a pension program and even limiting the working day to 10 hours (after a lot of pressuring by the Kaiser, since Bismarck had always been opposed to limiting the working day). The period was also known for its great advances in technology. The Zeppelin, a type of rigid airship pioneered by Count von Zeppelin, rose to prominence during the 1890s and early 1900s, with the founding of the world’s first airline, the DELAG, in 1900. The first ever commercial flight took place on August 7th 1901 and flew 50 people from Berlin to London. Furthermore, the invention of cars in the 1890s revolutionized transportation, and by the early 1900s, the automobile was an increasingly common sight. In 1901, Bismarck died, at age 85. He was replaced as Chancellor by Leon von Caprivi. Meanwhile, the German Empire continued its colonial expansion in Africa. Following the acquisition of the Congo in 1892 and the installation of a puppet king in 1893, German colonists continued settling and exploring the lands south of Egypt. In 1894, following attacks on German settlers, Germany invaded Ethiopia. Within weeks, the Ethiopian King was forced to surrender. However, he was allowed to keep his throne and continue to administer his kingdom. He was however, merely a puppet ruler much like the one in Congo. Furthermore, he was allowed no standing army. The security of the realm was left entirely to the German Army, which still occupied the territory. In 1896, the Kaiser funded an expedition to Brunei. Under the pretence of protecting the people of Brunei from Dutch imperialism, the German Army occupied the nation as well as the region of Johore (with the permission of the British, who were disinterested in holding more land in Indonesia).
A map of the German Colonial Empire in 1900
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Sorry for the long wait... but y'know, life etc.
As the dust settled following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the subsequent reshuffling of the worldwide power structure greatly weakened defunct powers like the Russian Empire, which led to considerable unrest resulting in a number of clashes within the Empire between various nationalist groups (such as the Ukrainians and the Fins) and the Russian Army from 1887 to 1896. These internal conflicts would have destructive effects on the Russian Empire, leading to its near collapse in 1891. In Southern Europe, further tensions between Austria and Italy erupted in war over the Tyrol region and Austria’s treatment of the Italian minority in the Meanwhile, monarchist movements in France grew with increasing speed within both the army and the population. By 1889, tensions between the people (supported by the army) and the government had reached a boiling point, leading to several violent confrontations between the police and protesters. Finally, in March 1890, the French army staged a coup, arresting the membe of Orléans of the Senate and the National Assembly. The army then declared the Ancien Régime restored under Robert, the Duke of Chartres and a successful officer in the French Army who served on the Spanish Front in the Great War. A respected war hero, Robert (who took the regnal name Jean III, in order to distance himself from the past kings of France) was the perfect candidate for the throne, being beloved and respected in both the army and among the populace and was crowned King of France.
The French Restoration is often seen as the starting point of what would later be known as “La Belle Époque” across Europe. Indeed, France’s resurgence on the world scene along with Britain and Germany’s economic growth fostered a period of great prosperity and scientific discovery. In Germany, this period was characterised with the reign of Frederick III (in surprisingly good health for a 59 year old) who inherited his father’s throne following his death in 1887. Under his reign and with Bismarck at the helm of the Empire’s foreign policy, the Empire forged solid alliances with most of the Balkan nations including Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, who all feared a resurgent Russia. Furthermore, following the French Restoration, many of the Great Powers feared what a soldier, with the backing of both the army and the people, could do at the helm of a resurgent France. Therefore, with the diplomatic support of Great Britain, Bismarck was able convince the Great Powers to support the German Empire’s bid to relieve the French of their ownership of the Congo in 1892. Faced with almost universal opposition by the Great Powers (with the notable exceptions of Italy and Russia) and unable to spare enough troops to defend the Congo (since most of the army was in metropolitan France pacifying the remaining dissenters of the regime), France was forced to allow German troops to occupy the territory. This diplomatic victory confirmed the military and diplomatic dominance of the Anglo-German alliance. However, it also convinced both Italy and Russia of the necessity of seeking an alliance with France, still the only power capable of opposing both the German and British Empires, forming the Triple Alliance.
Nevertheless, it was the Empire’s golden age. Under the leadership of Frederick III, Germany’s political structure was greatly improved, being both streamlined and liberalised, allowing more people into the political system. However, the conservatives in the government still opposed a full constitutional monarchy like in Great Britain, so reforms were slow. Nevertheless, in 1902, full universal suffrage was introduced along with many other wide-reaching liberal reforms. Furthermore, Bismarck instituted wide ranging social reforms granting workers many benefits unheard of in most of Europe such as a very generous healthcare system as well as instituting a welfare program, a pension program and even limiting the working day to 10 hours (after a lot of pressuring by the Kaiser, since Bismarck had always been opposed to limiting the working day). The period was also known for its great advances in technology. The Zeppelin, a type of rigid airship pioneered by Count von Zeppelin, rose to prominence during the 1890s and early 1900s, with the founding of the world’s first airline, the DELAG, in 1900. The first ever commercial flight took place on August 7th 1901 and flew 50 people from Berlin to London. Furthermore, the invention of cars in the 1890s revolutionized transportation, and by the early 1900s, the automobile was an increasingly common sight. In 1901, Bismarck died, at age 85. He was replaced as Chancellor by Leon von Caprivi. Meanwhile, the German Empire continued its colonial expansion in Africa. Following the acquisition of the Congo in 1892 and the installation of a puppet king in 1893, German colonists continued settling and exploring the lands south of Egypt. In 1894, following attacks on German settlers, Germany invaded Ethiopia. Within weeks, the Ethiopian King was forced to surrender. However, he was allowed to keep his throne and continue to administer his kingdom. He was however, merely a puppet ruler much like the one in Congo. Furthermore, he was allowed no standing army. The security of the realm was left entirely to the German Army, which still occupied the territory. In 1896, the Kaiser funded an expedition to Brunei. Under the pretence of protecting the people of Brunei from Dutch imperialism, the German Army occupied the nation as well as the region of Johore (with the permission of the British, who were disinterested in holding more land in Indonesia).
A map of the German Colonial Empire in 1900
Sorry for the long wait... but y'know, life etc.
How 'frei' is this Egypt?
Just free enough to have it's own pretend parliament !
In all seriousness, it's a colony under military occupation, so you do the math
There will be more German Imperialism to be had in the near future
lol it's okay. I have, however, no intention of letting this AAR die, since I have a lot of ideas for the world following the end date well into the 50s. So we still have a lot of stuff between now and then
lol it's okay. I have, however, no intention of letting this AAR die, since I have a lot of ideas for the world following the end date well into the 50s. So we still have a lot of stuff between now and then
The '50s?
Quite a radical world we'll be seeing...
So, about the update. I'm really busy, and my internet is acting up, but it should be ready by the end of this week/start of next week
So, about the update. I'm really busy, and my internet is acting up, but it should be ready by the end of this week/start of next week
No sweat man. I happen to be taking finals this week, so I happen to know exactly what busy is
. Looking forward to that update! 
This is brilliant and has inspired me to do my own Prussia AAR. My Prussia turned out entirely different, though was similarly eventful.
Back to this though and it is amazing, definitely gonna keep reading.
Back to this though and it is amazing, definitely gonna keep reading.
Well, update writing is lagging behind as I've hit a few snags and fits of writer's block.
However, I've decided to release a few teasers so you don't get too bored. First off, there's the update's header as displayed on the front page. Furthermore, here are two flags that might wet your appetites a little bit:
-and-
I think they're rather obvious but still: a cookie for the first one who gets them both right
However, I've decided to release a few teasers so you don't get too bored. First off, there's the update's header as displayed on the front page. Furthermore, here are two flags that might wet your appetites a little bit:
-and-
I think they're rather obvious but still: a cookie for the first one who gets them both right
Not entirely sure about the first one...fascist France, maybe?
I definitely recognize the bottom one though: communist USA (or USSA (United Socialist States of America))
I definitely recognize the bottom one though: communist USA (or USSA (United Socialist States of America))
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