1901: The people slumber, but the economy is comatose
An opinion poll of adult Germans who planned to vote in the upcoming 1903 election showed that Chancellor Franz Meningen had an approval rating of more than 75%. Under Meningen's leadership, social programs expanded and Germany stayed out of foreign affairs. One German went so far as to call Meningen a "quiet genius," insisting that the Bundespartei would easily become the first party to achieve more than 50% of the Assembly in the 20th century. Few pundits would agree to that claim, but nonetheless, for the average German, life was good.
Even more importantly, Foreign Minister Hubert Schaumburg was willing to negotiate with foreign powers, even old enemies like Poland. New legislation established a wider presence for all parties in the Crisis Committees, and the results showed a more measured response than ever before. In an era where France had already expanded considerably, taking Castilian lands, the French government nonetheless had no choice but to accede to German demands in the crisis with Poland.
Behind this sunny external picture of the Republic of Germany was an unpleasant truth: the German economy was hemorrhaging money. Minister of Finance Albrecht von Württemburg's policies to keep taxes low had worked when French reparations filled German coffers; now that Germany was forced to rely on her own output again, the government had steadily eaten substantial chunks of the treasury to keep the government afloat. All told, Germany lost some £600,000 over the course of 1901, about 25% of the treasury. The Bundespartei often countered with claims that it was the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of War that had increased the budget of the military, resulting in a short term shortfall. Most economists did not buy that argument, pointing to the high bill Germans paid for their officials.
The complexities of international finance were lost on most Germans. Prominent citizens of München, led by President Eva von Vandenburg, KPD Assemblyman Klaus Siekert, and DLP Assemblyman Frederick Thiessen, argued for a beautification campaign that would expand the intellectual footprint of what some newspapers called "Germany's second city." Youthful Germans supported the idea of government improvement of Schwabing. One young student, dressed all in black, claimed that "The only true freedom Germans had was intellectual freedom. The right to choose social isolation was the most important right a man could exercise." Few Germans saw a downside to this proposal, but a handful of Imperialists suggested that the Schwabing area could become a hotbed of revolution. In reality, while some Germans wanted still more social programs, it was difficult to say that revolution was going to happen any time soon.
As the Presidential elections of 1902 began, the economy was the biggest issue among German elites, some of whom questioned German obsession with Law and Order. Prominent businessmen called for a plutocracy, a government where big business had a say in the operation of the government, and promised untold riches if the government consented. It was sure to be a hot topic among the Reichstag, as they settled into their seats for the 1902 session.
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Our first priority is the election of a new President. As a reminder, only citizens over the age of 40 may run. Eva von Vandenburg is welcome to run again, should she choose to do so. After that, members of the Reichstag may suggest new legislation; the issues of the Schwabing Circles and the German Business League have already been added to the ballot, but other proposals may be considered.
Eligible individuals have 48 hours to announce their candidacy, after which we will conduct the vote for President of Germany.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court