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((I'll go ahead and play this evening -- that will give you folks a few hour to comment on the plan, should you so choose.

I also hope the UAI, Imperialists, and New Society are near a decision on party leaders.))
 
((I believe our party leader and chancellor candidate is Dr. Dominik Fellman. As for the plan, I didn't mean to put in the thoughts thing. That was a message to somebody else. Since I don't believe anybody can override me, feel free to run the battle if you want. ^_^))
 
((The New Society has said jack nothing on party leadership. I've posed them to talk about it, but if I get nothing, I'm assuming control.))
 
Election of 1849: The rush to the center


Michael von Hohenzollern found himself grimacing every time his cousin Albrecht spoke at family dinners. The Hohenzollern estates were increasingly crowded, as in addition in to Samuel’s children, Michael, Fritz, and Sara, there was also Albrecht and his children, Wilhelm and the twins, Maria and Frederika. Otto von Bismarck was a frequent guest, as were other luminaries in the New Society. Yet it was the Imperialist party that seemed to dominate dinner conversation.

As Michael took a bite of his steak, he glanced over at Fritz, who raised his glass of wine. Fritz had become almost obscenely wealthy with his latest patent, a new process for purifying steel. This process enabled rails to become stronger and lighter at the same time, and most importantly cheaper. A second rail boom exploded throughout Germany, as all of the main trunk lines were upgraded or upgrading by the election’s conclusion. [1]

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However, not everybody was pleased at the new technologies or the railroads. The decision to place the Italian railway under the direction of a German caused an outburst of Italian nationalism in Bologna, a conflagration that later spread to Siena.

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At this particular family dinner, Chancellor Alex von Bern and his Deputy Chancellor, DDr. Gotha, sat in the places of honor to the left and right of Albrecht. DDr. Gotha’s call for African colonies surprised nobody, but the Chancellor’s firm support of DDr. Gotha did attract some notice. Bern’s speech at a meeting of the Conclave swayed a few independent Stadtholders towards the New Society, with the approval of Otto von Bismarck, who was rapidly proving to be a dynamic orator in his own right.

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Michael, privately, hated the pompous windbag Gotha, even as he was nominally Michael’s superior at the Foreign Ministry. Gotha’s desire to acquire colonies in Africa distracted German citizens from issues much closer to home. Grenada and Athens both saw coups d’état overthrow their governments; Grenada to the Jacobins, while Athens turned its eyes to Russia and the Empire there.

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Even more alarming to Michael was the defeat of Pomerania by Poland, which took a sizable chunk of Pomerania’s eastern territory.

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However, all of these issues paled in comparison to the Hungarian Crisis. It began quite simply; a group of Magyar rebels sparked an uprising in Crete. Once they took control of the capital, they petitioned to have Crete annexed by Hungary, its natural ethnic overlord. Hungary delightedly accepted.

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However, this sparked a reaction in neighboring Transylvania. Transylvania had often coveted Hungarian territory and sought to become a Great Power herself. Using the Treaty of Friendship signed with Germany, the Transylvanians asked for German assistance in punishing Hungary for her “unilateral and unfair annexation of sovereign territory.” War fever spread through Germany with alacrity, particularly when DDr. Gotha spoke of subjugating Hungary to German rule. Only the Alliance and the occasional member of the UAI opposed the declaration of war. German troops were on the march within a month.

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As Germans grabbed rifles again, led by General Steeb, it was the new leader of the Alliance, Carlo Brunelli, that took front and center in German domestic affairs. He spoke out against the brutality of prisons in Milan: Gotha sneered while Albrecht von Hohenzollern more than once insinuated that the foreign born Brunelli was a traitor to the Republic.

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A tragedy at an Erfurt mine convinced Brunelli to recommend a collection for the families; that even worried some of his own party members, who privately wondered if the government ought to be interfering in people’s lives so openly.

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Brunelli even recommended allowing Karl Marx’s return to Germany. Interior Minister Altmark, although a member of the UAI, flatly refused to allow such a dangerous radical into the country unless he openly denounced the Jacobin movements which still enflamed Europe. Albrecht von Hohenzollern, in turn, called for Marx to be hunted down and put down “like the revolutionary dog he was.” Brunelli, in a rage, stormed out of the Conclave that day.

Even the New Society detested the increasingly radical Alliance. Bismarck, one of the few Protestants in the entire Assembly, jeeringly harangued the “Papist-Anarchist” in one of his many speeches, to the discomfort of some of his neighbors. That caused some of the left leaning members of the UAI, particularly former Chancellor Picard and Stadtholder von Dwyfor, to openly declare their support for Brunelli.

The resulting atmosphere was one of the most chaotic elections in the history of the Republic.
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Things only grew more divisive as Otto von Bismarck flatly refused to hear of any redistribution of needed war goods to help the Potato Blight in Tirol.

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If not for the patriotism that spread throughout Germany with the declaration of war, it was entirely possible that the New Society could have seen significant losses. Yet the New Society very carefully convinced the German left that they were restraining the Imperialists – some of whom even spoke of outright annexation of Hungary – while simultaneously reassuring the right that some version of the red, white, and black would fly over Bansk Bystrica. The Alliance was quickly shoved to the side.

Brunelli acted. He and some other European radicals invited Karl Marx to speak at their inaugural meeting in Ottawa, Canada. The “Radicalist International” hoped to seek greater political and social freedom for all citizens of the world. The result was a completely unexpected outpouring of support in the Conclave for the Alliance, which for the first time in the history of the Republic earned more than a single vote in the Conclave.

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The association with Marx did more to mobilize the conservative base of the New Society than any dozen speeches by Bismarck could have. Members of both the UAI and Imperialists ran to the center, figuratively speaking.

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The New Society, it seemed, was in the driver’s seat once again. Would Chancellor von Bern run again, the first German Chancellor to seek reelection? Would the upstart Bismarck ride his financial policies to a victory himself? Or would the Imperialists swallow their pride and look to the UAI to counterbalance the popularity of the New Society?

[1] All the main railroad lines set by Idhrendur have been invested in; they are finished or will be finished sometime in the next year.

A few bonus screens! Factories:

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Finances:

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And finally, the GPs of the world:

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I will treat Brothersid, Andre Massena, Gen. Marshall, and Sakura_f as party leaders for present; you have 24 hours to announce a different arrangement. Else, you may begin working out coalition agreements. As a reminder, the UAI and New Society get two ministries each, and the Interior Minister cannot be a member of the Chancellor’s party.

Once the coalition agreement is made, we will then move on to Constitutional amendments or other proposals, as appropriate.
 
((Some Georgian and I are both in agreement that Bismarck should lead the New Society, so, I believe that I'm the party leader.))
 
For too long the people have toiled under unjust conditions. Imperialists and rightists have oppressed the common man with their vicious wars and their old doctrines. It is time for a change! We shall usher in a new age of freedom- freedom for workers, freedom of the economy, freedom from hunger, freedom from war, and freedom from fear. We shall be guided by God's hand who desire these freedoms when he created us. God did not create the hierarchies that currently oppress us- man did.


I call for the abolition of unjust prison conditions. I call for greater political rights for all citizens of the Republic. I call for the end of oppression against Italians by the German majority. I call for safer working conditions for all. I call for a free and open economy which will allow all these things. Finally, I call for a union of Canada with a Republic under the banner of anarcho-liberalism.

-Carlo Brunelli in a speech at Milan
 
((i never understood how these interactive AAR's work LOL, but anyway nice update. but god 77 pages in and your only in 1849. it must take a lot of patience to do 1 of these AAR's))
 
I call for the heads of the Italian Carlo Massena and his followers including Karl Marx(he does not even deserves being called a German) who seek to destroy the Empire and merge us with CANADA for Gods sake.
FÜR DEUTSCHLAND, DAS VATERLAND UND DAS REICH!

-Prince Albrecht von Hohenzollern in Nürnburg after he heard of Carlos treachery

Herr von Hohenzollern, please exercise caution in openly calling for people's heads. As full of frothing stupidity this Papist-Anarchist Brunelli is... we are a civilized democracy, and we must put up with it to a large extent. While I would love nothing more than to see Brunelli and Marx at the ends of firing squads, we must practice precaution in all forms as so not to rouse the anger of those who are Anarchists.

- Otto von Bismarck
 
I call for the heads of the Italian Carlo Massena and his followers including Karl Marx(he does not even deserves being called a German) who seek to destroy the Empire and merge us with CANADA for Gods sake.
FÜR DEUTSCHLAND, DAS VATERLAND UND DAS REICH!

-Prince Albrecht von Hohenzollern in Nürnburg after he heard of Carlos treachery

Interesting, I thought my proposal for Canada's acceptance into the Republic would be met with great joy from the right.
 
((I also hope the UAI, Imperialists, and New Society are near a decision on party leaders.))

((Of course the Imperialists love authority, which makes it difficult when they have a choice. :)

ETA: I'd be grateful if the Civil Service would remind us of any aspects of the game we seem to be missing out on. I know I seem to be a total lackwit when it comes to procedures, but... ))
 
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(( Provided Gen. Marshall will take it, he has enough votes for him to be our candidate. ))
 
I call for the heads of the Italian Carlo Massena and his followers including Karl Marx

Has anything really changed since Joachim Peymann was named a traitor for speaking his mind?

We in the Alliance stand for the free exchange of ideas, within reason. The Republic is too strong for any man's words to overturn it. Of course I am happy enough that Marx's words have led many Stadtholders to see our point of view, but in the past when they did not, we accepted that the Conclave was part of our great German system. With all due respect to his noble name, Albrecht von Hohenzollern might have the decency to accept it now.

There is more than one option for a coalition here. Let the New Society accept us as a counterbalance. We cannot hope to hold many ministerial posts; let Stadtholder Massena take a place in the government, and they can have a majority. They need only give the concessions to free trade that the economy of the Republic so desperately needs. Of course, I cannot speak for the Alliance at large, but it is up to me to present an alternative to the same faces and the same outmoded policies.
 
((I have 0 idea what is happening in the party, but I will lead the UAI if need be))
 
((I have 0 idea what is happening in the party, but I will lead the UAI if need be))

((EtzelHoveri indicated you'd agreed on Brothersid?

I'll flag Sakura_F and Gen. Marshall as party leaders and consider them confirmed, given the responses I've seen.))
 
((EtzelHoveri indicated you'd agreed on Brothersid?

I'll flag Sakura_F and Gen. Marshall as party leaders and consider them confirmed, given the responses I've seen.))

((Did I? K. I have not talked to anyone in the party since the first government. I'm fine with whatshisface though))
 
((Did I? K. I have not talked to anyone in the party since the first government. I'm fine with whatshisface though))

((You in the plural sense ("your party"), not you specifically. :) There's a UAI discussion group, which you're apparently a member of? Maybe you ought to work things out there.))
 
((You in the plural sense ("your party"), not you specifically. :) There's a UAI discussion group, which you're apparently a member of? Maybe you ought to work things out there.))

((Fun fact: the word 'you' used to be solely plural (like the French 'vous') with 'thou' being singular.))

While I am saddened to see a small drop in our number of percentage share of the vote, I trust the Alliance will still stand firmly as the supporters of the extension of all social liberties, as has been its traditional role.

G. A. Servatius van Kloetinge​
 
((Fun fact: the word 'you' used to be solely plural (like the French 'vous') with 'thou' being singular.))

((There's also an element of the formal/informal element that exists in most languages that aren't English. You would never call Queen Elizabeth II "thou", for example, even if she was the only one in the room.))