1863: A year of peace
Hugo Unger's first year as Chancellor had, by any conceivable measure, gone very well indeed.
New naval bases began construction in Genoa and Middelburg, while capitalists throughout the country poured money into new railroads and new factories. Even domestic matters were quiet; the strict but fair policies of Minister of the Interior Maximillian von Vandenburg and the new Commander of the Gendarmerie eliminated the most dangerous separatist movements in Germany. However, some social movements continued to grow. [1]
All the same, one of the strongest elements of the HUN and Chancellor Unger was his treatment of minorities. Even a bloody incident in Champagne was quickly forgiven as more and more non-Germans started to fill into German schools willingly.
While the world was certainly not quiet, as Poland tried to crush Tver, knowing that by international law Germany could not intervene. Although the leadership of Tver seemed to be inexperienced, they were exuberant, and they had the numbers.
International affairs began to shift farther south, as Egypt was welcomed among the Great Powers. Egypt wasted little time in trading upon the religious dimensions of their local relationships, effortlessly convincing the Algerian government to renounce all agreements with Germany.
In Europe itself, Germany remained dominant. So dominant, in fact, that simply garrisoning Plymouth and stationing some Men 'o War there caused Britain to lose its nerve and disavow the Jamaican Republic.
Among the high society of Germany, 1863 was a bittersweet year. In the spring, two of the country's most powerful families drew closer together, as the Chancellor's son Konrad Unger married the oldest of Albrecht von Hohenzollern's children (by a matter of minutes), Maria von Hohenzollern. Maria was given away by her guardian, Fritz von Hohenzollern, in a very touching ceremony. All of the surviving Hohenzollerns attended with pride: Michael, the patriarch of the family; Maria's twin sister Frederika; Albrecht's youngest child, Ferdinand, who at age 13 would soon be sent off to school; and Michael's son and heir to the family's estates and the title of Stadtholder, Konrad Friedrich. Mere months later, however, Germany experienced one of the coldest Decembers on record. A flu epidemic knifed through the capital and the rest of the Republic, claiming the lives of people great and small. Five Assemblymen lost their lives: Heinrich Wolff, Alexander Johann Linge, Christian Dumont, Domenico Bonaro and Wilhelm Braun. Retired Assemblyman DDr. Wolfram Siegfried Gotha fell ill and perished as well. Even more tragically, 16 year old Frederika von Hohenzollern was also killed; she'd always been sicklier than her older sister.
But life went on. Rumblings of a new Liberal party, led by Konrad von Schwaben, started to echo around the country. A charismatic young speaker, calling himself "The Liberator", also declared for the new party. As the mood of the country's politics shifted to the left, this party could try to claim politicians who weren't happy with the existing parties. And there were always the Socialists, lurking.
[1] There's also a large "Voter Rights Movement" (that is, in favor of Secret Ballots) that's got 300k members. I'm not sure why it isn't in the screenshot.
I will now accept any and all amendments, reform proposals, or other business that concerns both houses for the next 48 hours. Do not vote until the ballot is formally announced and voting called for.
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