The Eagle and the Dove

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Chapter 1 – Rise of the Yugoslav Union​

After the assassination of King Alexander I in 1934, the tensions between Serbs, Croats, and Slovens could not have been any higher. The fragile Yugoslav government couldn't handle the tension, and in early 1935, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, and Montenegro broke away from Yugoslavia, in that order. Bosnia and Croatia got into direct conflict with Yugoslavia, while Slovenia stayed neutral.

In March, Kosovo and the Yugoslav part of Macedonia broke away from Yugoslavia. The people rallied behind a young leader named Vladimir Brikarjik, leader of a long-underground political party known as the Union party.

The dove and sickle, representing peace through Socialism

Many rallied behind his beliefs of democratic socialism, a different type of socialism, which he called Social Capitalism, in which corporations and big businesses were seen as the biggest threats to economic equality. The Unionists declared war on Yugoslavia, and soon enough, the Unionist flag was raised over Belgrade, and the former territories were partitioned between Croatia and the Yugoslav Union.

Flag of the Yugoslav Union

After the Unionist victory, violence erupted in Bulgaria. Unionist partisans rose up in Vraca and Varna, and after much fighting, the Unionists took over the capital city of Sofia. On April 3rd, Bulgaria was proclaimed the Socialist Union of Bulgaria.

Flag of the Socialist Union of Bulgaria

Major issues erupted – the revolutionaries were mostly poor, un-educated farmers, and many others un-prepared for governing a country. They asked for support from the Yugoslav Union, and on May 4th, 1935, Bulgaria became the third, and largest, state in the Yugoslav Union. The nation gained access to the Black Sea, as well as vital industrial capacity.

On July 12th, 1935, a right-wing coup brought Croatia under a regime similar to that of the German Nazi party. Their goal became uniting the former Yugoslav lands under their rule, and on July 20th, Croatia declared war on Slovenia, the Yugoslav Union, and Bosnia. Croatia received aid from Hungary and Italy, while the Yugoslav Union received troops and supplies from the Soviet Union and Greece – in turn, Slovenia received support from the Yugoslav Union, since Brikarjik was ethnically Slovenian.

Soviet and Greek troops in the streets of Belgrade

Croatia quickly annexed Bosnia, but Slovenia stood strong against their forces. Zagreb fell to the Slovenian troops, but Croatia refused to give up. Fighting went on until January 2nd, 1936, when the Croatian leadership, then relocated to Banja Luka, surrendered. Croatia was integrated into the Yugoslav Union, as well as Bosnia.

The final event that forged the Yugoslav Union came on February 14th, 1936, when Slovenia joined the Yugoslav Union as a special autonomous state, despite the fact that all the Yugoslav states had some fair level of autonomy.

Europe at the end of the Yugoslav Civil War

 

[unmerged(79392)]

Looks very interesting, good luck.

 

[likk9922]

Interesting start!

 

[camo]

Interesting, Good luck!

 

[Jushu]

How did you mod that map??? Used photoshop or something?

 

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How did you mod that map??? Used photoshop or something?

No I used this: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337129

Next update should possibly atleast be by tonight.

 

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Chapter 2 – The Belgrade Conference​

Shortly after the addition of Slovenia into the Union, the capital was moved to Belgrade. Vladimir Brikarjik was elected by Congress as the first President of the Yugoslav Union, with Josip Broz Tito, a leader of the revolution, as Vice President. Brikarjik promised that elections would be held in February of 1937, a promise that made many very happy.

In early March, Congress passed the “Reconstruction Bill,” which allocated spending to rebuilding infrastructure in the war-ravaged regions, taking away funding from the military. Brikarjik signed the bill, despite his fears, which he expressed in a letter he wrote to Congress:

Our country is surrounded by fascist states, Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Austria. They threaten our people, and those of the Balkans. I agree that our nation should be one of workers and industry, rather than a nation of machine guns and bunkers, but if we want to survive as a nation, we must work together with our neighbors for the greater good.

Other issues took the attention of the Congress, and Brikarjik, for the time being. The constitution was very limited, and un-fitting to the current peaceful situation. Issues not covered in the constitution included a bill of rights, an official language, and the role of the states. Brikarjik personally got involved with the creation of a new constitution, and on March 12th, a new constitution was signed, and by the end of March, the states ratified it.

The constitution dictated that the states, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Bosnia, would receive certain levels of self-governing in a mildly de-centralized government. Each state had a governor, and could engage in trade with eachother – each state also had two representatives in congress, as well as the right to have a state militia.

There would be no official language in the Yugoslav Union, nor was there a state religion – officially the government was atheist, despite many Christians and Orthodox followers. Each president would be elected by popular vote every four years, and the bill of rights was modeled after that of the United States. The bill of rights promised freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and many other “basic human rights.” Also, women were given equality – they got the right to vote, to own property, and any other rights that a man would have in the United States.

After that issue was settled, Brikarjik started to push for some way for the Balkan states to resolve their differences. On May 7th, 1936, the countries of Greece, Romania, and Albania were invited to the “Belgrade Conference.” Each Yugoslav state was allowed to have a delegate at the conference, and Brikarjik attended as well. Turkey was offered an invitation, but refused, and Hungary's request for a seat was refused.

Yugoslav newspapers saw it as a great event, since each state was allowed to freely interact with foreign nations. The first subject at the Belgrade Conference was territorial disputes. Kosovo and Skopje had a large population of ethnic Albanians, and Bulgaria had demands on the Romanian province of Constanta. A referendum was held in the state of Macedonia, and the people voted for Kosovo and Skopje being annexed by Albania, while Stip went to Greece. The public reaction was relatively positive. In Constanta, a referendum voted in favor of annexation by Bulgaria, and the province went to the Yugoslav state.

Europe after the referendums in Constanta and Macedonia

The next subject concerned the subject of Fascism and it's threat to the Balkans. Romania banned the Iron Guard party, while the other nations attending the Conference publicly denounced Fascism. This tore apart relations with Hungary, Italy, and Austria, but Brikarjik didn't want relations with the three anyways.

Many other subjects were covered at the Belgrade Conference, but the last was Brikarjik's goal, an alliance called the Belgrade Pact. The Yugoslav Union, Romania, Greece, and Albania signed the agreement, which stated that the four nations would defend eachother in war, and share recourses to some extent. Brikarjik was very happy after the conference was over. The Balkans would be at peace for a long while, despite a world event that would shake Europe to some extent.

 

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Chapter 3 - The Spanish Civil War​

On July 17th, 1936, war broke out in Spain. The world watched as war broke out between Nationalist radicals and the Republican forces. As the war unfolded, Nazi Germany and Italy, along with Portugal, funded the rebels, while the Soviet Union and Mexico aided the Republicans. The Yugoslav Union initially stayed neutral, but Brikarjik wanted to send aid to the Republicans.

He convinced Congress to vote in favor of sending troops and supplies. On September 3rd, troop transports carried a division of the elite Yugoslav Guard to the Balearic Islands, defeating the Nationalists easily. The Yugoslav troops were then sent to Barcelona, where they met with Republican forces, and advanced towards the front line. In November, Nationalist troops made a heavy assault on Madrid, but with the help of Yugoslav troops, along with the International Brigades, the assault failed.

By 1937 the Nationalist pocket in Seville had been eliminated, and the Nationalists were gradually being pushed back into Northern Spain. The Nationalists took over Barcelona, and by March of 1937, a stalemate began. After months of fighting, both sides were demoralized – On April 12th, 1937, the Nationalists and Republicans signed an armistice, and borders were drawn between the two nations.

The Spanish Mainland after the armistice

Brikarjik was happy that atleast half of Spain was under a democratic government, and he was happy that a large portion of the Yugoslav Guard came back home safe. Relations between “North” and “South” Spain were very low, of course. The border between the two countries was covered in electric fences and mines in a matter of months. The Spanish State, as the Nationalist North came to be called, formed an alliance with Germany, while the Spanish Republic joined the Belgrade Pact officially on July 16th, 1937. This drove German and Yugoslav relations to an all-time low, and the Yugoslav Congress voted to not recognize the Nazi government as sovereign over Germany. Similarly, Germany refused to recognize the Unionist government.

Due to the war, the Yugoslav Union delayed the elections, causing some fear in the press of a dictatorship on the rise. Fears were crushed in August, when the first popular elections were held. Vladimir Brikarjik was on the ballot for re-election, and the other leading candidate was Krsto Žganec of the Communist Party. Many others ran for president, but Brikarjik and Žganec were the two major candidates.

Brikarjik won election by a large margin of 73% of the popular vote, while only 20% voted for Žganec, mostly out of fear of authoritarian communism. Brikarjik would lead the nation into a war which would shape the history of Europe, a war that would be called the Second Great War.

Europe by the end of 1937

 

[likk9922]

Wow, that was an unexpected twist!

 

[unmerged(84988)]

Wow, that was an unexpected twist!

You mean Brikarjik getting re-elected or Spain becoming like Korea in our timeline?

By the way I was originally trying to make thhis more involved with gameplay but it got really hard because triggers don't seem to work for me.

Oh I get what you mean, you mean the "Second Great War" thing? I re-named it because it will be between the Belgrade Pact and Fascist Europe basically. It'll be a tough war though.

Is anyone else keeping an eye on this thread?!

 

[unmerged(61606)]

woohoo it's back!

 

[unmerged(84988)]

woohoo it's back!

Yeah I noticed I had some fans of "Pan-Slavic Dream." Just to note, I stopped it because of the damn buggy "Tattered Flag" event and everything. If you have ideas please PM me.

The storyline I'm working on in my head extends perhaps into the 60s, 70s, 80s, or maybe even 90s. Sort of like that textbook germany AAR who's name I forgot.

I think I need to work on my detail in the posts. I can use names from the minister file and everything.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

... or Spain becoming like Korea in our timeline?

That's, for sure, an unexpected twist... methinks I'm going to suscribe this threads......

 

[Deus]

Niice graphics mate. Hope to see where will you take this.

 

[Scorpi]

Great, will be following it.

 

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Yeah I noticed I had some fans of "Pan-Slavic Dream." Just to note, I stopped it because of the damn buggy "Tattered Flag" event and everything. If you have ideas please PM me.

The storyline I'm working on in my head extends perhaps into the 60s, 70s, 80s, or maybe even 90s. Sort of like that textbook germany AAR who's name I forgot.

I think I need to work on my detail in the posts. I can use names from the minister file and everything.

The Prisoner of Silence? is that the one?

but it's a very ambitious goal, and I would love to read something that detailed. go for it!

 

[likk9922]

You mean Brikarjik getting re-elected or Spain becoming like Korea in our timeline?

By the way I was originally trying to make thhis more involved with gameplay but it got really hard because triggers don't seem to work for me.

Oh I get what you mean, you mean the "Second Great War" thing? I re-named it because it will be between the Belgrade Pact and Fascist Europe basically. It'll be a tough war though.

Is anyone else keeping an eye on this thread?!

I was talking about Spain.

 

[Marchalk_Zjukov]

Great another Yugoslav AAR!

So you have Tito as a general and tech team now? BTW I realy don't think that the macedonians in Skopje would like to join King Zog :rofl:

 

[unmerged(84988)]

Great another Yugoslav AAR!

So you have Tito as a general and tech team now? BTW I realy don't think that the macedonians in Skopje would like to join King Zog :rofl:

Nobody would, lol. It seems like everybody jokingly agrees that Albania stinks, but since Albania has claims on Skopje I thought they'd have a lot of Albanians, plus it's more just about appeasing them and whatnot, plus, Brikarjik wants to help Zog.

 

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Chapter 4 – The Second Great War​

On March 14th, 1938, Germany annexed Austria. Europe was shocked and scared, and a general mood rose up that Hitler needed to die. The Yugoslav Union carried the highest sentiment – the people were afraid, now that they had a border with Nazi Germany.

On May 3rd, Hitler was exiting his plane on a visit to Switzerland, when suddenly, the sound of gunfire filled the air. Hitler was shot twice, once in the arm, and once in the chest, killing him. Europe was awash with a mix of fear and joy at Hitler's death – newspapers in the Yugoslav Union, not knowing about who the assasin was, printed in large letters “Hitler is Dead!”

In Berlin, it was unknown who the assasin was, but the nation still heavily mourned the death of their beloved leader. Joseph Goebbels was made the new Führer, and immediately he blamed the Yugoslav Union. On June 5th, 1938, Germany declared war on the Yugoslav Union, and the other Belgrade Pact nations. Border defenses in Slovenia were already set up, and initial assaults by the Germans were pushed back.

The incredibly un-photogenic Joseph Goebbels

Yugoslav troops, with the support of Romanian, Albanian, and Greek troops, pushed into Austria, taking almost all of the country. A stalemate ensued for the rest of the year, with no major changes in the front line.

Front by 1938

Romania was given military access by Czechoslovakia, and in the first days of 1939, Romanian tanks crossed over the border. They quickly linked up with the Yugoslav troops in Bavaria, but then in February Germany launched a blitzkreig into Czechoslovakia, driving the Romanians into Austria and Slovakia.

Front by February of 1939

The situation in Spain was similar – war broke out again between the North and South. The South was more prepared for war, and by 1939, the Republican forces took the Nationalist capital of Burgos. Portugal declared war on the Spanish Republic, who by then were in an alliance with the North. Portugal and the Spanish State fell completely by 1940, and they were annexed by Republican spain. In April of 1940, the Spanish Republic became the Iberian Republic, a union between Spain and Portugal.

Fighting on either front was rough, the death toll by 1941 had to be a few million atleast. By 1941 Bavaria, Austria, and Czechoslovakia were in the hands of the Belgrade Pact. Germany had been bombed beyond recognition, but yet the nation kept fighting.

Yugoslav troops advancing through Waldenburg

Troops on both sides were demoralized. German troops surrendered left and right, demoralized out of their Nazi zealotry – on November 22nd, 1941, Germany formally surrendered to the Belgrade Pact. The war was over finally. The Nazi party was forced out of power, and many of them went into exile in Italy and Switzerland.

1942 spelled the end of Fascism in Southern Europe. Unionist revolutions occurred in Italy and Hungary, just in time for the elections in the Yugoslav Union, which proved to be a clear victory for the Union Party – the second president of the Yugoslav Union was Sarajevo Brikarjik, Vladimir Brikarjik's sister.

The man who assasinated Hitler was never identified, but due to eyewitness reports and other things, it is believed to be Milan Pavelic, the third president of the Yugoslav Union.

Antebellum Europe