The Greatest Germany: The Formation of the Pan-Germanic Union, 1836-1936

[The B]

A little off-topic, but I asked on /r/vexillology for a flag of German Switzerland (ie. a united state of the German cantons). Here are two from user Hellerick which I thought were very nice. I personally preferred the first one:

A Swiss Eisenkreuz.

 

[The B]

Here is a map of Switzerland as it stands, by the way. Red is the state of Deutschschweiz. Green is the Italian autonomous area of Ticino. Blue is the French autonomous state that I have no idea what to call yet.

Obviously this situation is unsustainable with language overlaps, one can only hope a progressive government will sort things out.

 

[Attalus]

Here is a map of Switzerland as it stands, by the way. Red is the state of Deutschschweiz. Green is the Italian autonomous area of Ticino. Blue is the French autonomous state that I have no idea what to call yet.

Obviously this situation is unsustainable with language overlaps, one can only hope a progressive government will sort things out.

"Les Cinq-Cantons" ? I don't much about Switzerland but since there are 5 cantons you can call it like that.
What have you planned ? Reunion with France seems impossible when you think of the past but well there may be hope that the situation is resolved peacefully in the European Union

And BTW I prefer the first flag

 

[blitzthedragon]

The French-speaking region of Switzerland is know locally as Romandie.

 

[The B]

"Les Cinq-Cantons" ? I don't much about Switzerland but since there are 5 cantons you can call it like that.
What have you planned ? Reunion with France seems impossible when you think of the past but well there may be hope that the situation is resolved peacefully in the European Union

And BTW I prefer the first flag

Reunion with France is strictly prohibited, although it would be very hypocritical to not allow them to join France if they want to now.

I prefer the first flag too. I quite like it.

The French-speaking region of Switzerland is know locally as Romandie.

Ah, thank you.

 

[Sommern]

If the French Swiss vote to join France, the what is stopping Brittany or Occitania from holding their own referendum? Democracy can be a slippery slope to chaos in your situation, just like the dissolution of the USSR.

 

[The B]

If the French Swiss vote to join France, the what is stopping Brittany or Occitania from holding their own referendum? Democracy can be a slippery slope to chaos in your situation, just like the dissolution of the USSR.

The plebiscite in Romania was taken as a result of a vote in the European Assembly. So it all depends on how countries vote - they may start to think about independence movements in their own territory.

 

[The B]

Here is the flag of the Rhodanic Republic, a puppet state of Napoleon made from the French speaking parts of Switzerland. It might suit Romandie.

And here is the flag of Ticino, the Italian part.

This isn't strictly relevant to any updates, I just thought it would be good to flesh out Switzerland a bit better. Thank you everyone.

 

[Attalus]

Here is the flag of the Rhodanic Republic, a puppet state of Napoleon made from the French speaking parts of Switzerland. It might suit Romandie.

And here is the flag of Ticino, the Italian part.

This isn't strictly relevant to any updates, I just thought it would be good to flesh out Switzerland a bit better. Thank you everyone.

Such a thing did exist ? Wow Revolutionnary Times are always surprising
I must say that the flag with the stars of the middle divided in two seems weird but then if it existed, you could use it

 

[DensleyBlair]

I must say that the flag with the stars of the middle divided in two seems weird but then if it existed, you could use it

I believe it's the flag of Valais. I actually own one, having brought one back from a skiing trip to Verbier about ten years ago I've always liked it.

 

[blitzthedragon]

Hmm, those stars seem a bit gaudy. Perhaps just have the red and white? Besides, covering a flag in red stars when your stated mission is to stop communism seems like a bit of a double standard.

 

[99KingHigh]

I believe it's the flag of Valais. I actually own one, having brought one back from a skiing trip to Verbier about ten years ago I've always liked it.

I'll give you twenty dollars and an Argentinian elderly lady for the flag.

 

[The B]

Hmm, those stars seem a bit gaudy. Perhaps just have the red and white? Besides, covering a flag in red stars when your stated mission is to stop communism seems like a bit of a double standard.

Here you go, communist free.

I do think removing the stars, however, would differentiate it from the flag of Valais.

 

[blitzthedragon]

That looks much better. ^.=.^

 

[Attalus]

Here you go, communist free.

I do think removing the stars, however, would differentiate it from the flag of Valais.

I support this flag
The stars were ... weird, I can't describe why but it didn't look that good

 

[GulMacet]

I've been to the Valais once. Their cow fights are awe-inspiring!

 

[metalinvader665]

Since we're talking about the Swiss territories, is Italian Switzerland just Ticino or should it also include the Italian-speaking areas of Graubünden?

 

[A Landy]

I wonder if having some freedom (while being a puppet) would suffice Romandie and Ticho (one would have to edit those two in)

 

[Scrapknight]

Finally caught up on everything. This is an amazing piece of work - perhaps most obviously so in the way you've made it as plausible as it has been. Looking forward to see how much further Germania can go.

 

[The B]

XXXXVIII - Crashing and Burning
1926-1928

Michelsen certainly abused his power during his reign as President, but it is hard to ascertain to what extent he was behind the brutality of the regime and the refusal to establish a democracy.

During the Oslo uprising, Michelsen had ordered troops to calm down rioters and not to use deadly force. This was ignored; those troops who did not defect (which at this time was a fairly large number) fired on protesters anyway. It is unclear just how much power Michelsen had over his government, and there is evidence from people within the government at the time indicating he was, in fact, a puppet and that by the time of the violence in Oslo he had been fighting against his government.

After Norway was expelled from the European League, Michelsen vanished from public view. About a month later, Vilhelm Næss was announced new leader of Norway and promised that expulsion would not affect the government's "commitment to the Norwegian people." Michelsen would be found in Wallonia, where he was granted asylum, but he only gave hints about his experience as President and largely retired from public life.

It was in the midst of this ongoing drama that Chancellor Stauning met with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald to attempt to mend the broken links between the two nations. Britain, upon being presented with a choice of siding with Germania or America, had attacked America - meaning that Britain, for the sake of trade and security, needed to side with Germania.

Upon the issues discussed at the meeting in Berlin was the presence of Germanian troops in Canada. It was decided that these troops should remain and, in the wake of the verbal war between Europe and America, should be reinforced. In exchange for this, Britain promised to recognise Germania's control of the Faeroe Islands so long as no military or naval bases were constructed there - a point of contention previously since the islands were relatively close to Scotland.

The Faeroes (circled) in relation to Scotland.

But a sticking point was found with Germanian designs on Norway and Sweden. Germania saw the two countries as core territories of a pan-Germanic union. Britain was very reluctant to recognise these claims not least because it would give Germania domination of the German Sea.^[1] However, the High Seas Fleet was still weak in comparison to the Royal Navy and it was generally thought that the British Navy could overpower its Germanian counterpart with some ease if war were to break out. If the High Seas fleet were to be defeated, Britain would then be able to blockade Germania; potentially enough to break the nation. Germania knew this well.

Ultimately Germania hinted that if Britain were to stand against Germania in Scandinavia, they would invade anyway. Britain was not willing to risk a war with their only western ally and so ultimately had no choice but to accept this, begrudgingly.

As the situation in China continued to deteriorate, the US took advantage of the situation to ally with the Anhui clique, securing their only ally in Asia. Fearing that this would threaten their situation in the various ports of China, Britain looked for their own ally in the region. The obvious choice was Japan. Japan was a nation that had only recently ridden itself of the feudal Shogunate system and, having done so, had massively expanded their industry and influence. They had exploited the chaos in China and the weakness of Russia to seize Manchuria and exercise increasing influence over Korea. They had also slowly expanded onto numerous islands in the Pacific (the results of the 1924 plebiscite on Southern Sakhalin also going their way). By 1927, Japan was one of the most powerful countries in the world and a worthwhile ally: it was clear only they could stop a rogue Chinese state reconquering the ports. They allied with Britain in 1927.

Emperor Shōwa (left) - Hirohito - who had recently taken over from Emperor Taishō (right) was instrumental in signing the alliance between the two nations.


Unbeknownst to any European country apart from Italy, Norway and Sweden, the US began to expand their armament production in late 1927, as Democrats began taking back control of the government from the Socialists. With militancy rising across the nation - especially in the South - it was thought that presenting the British as a threat that could strike at any time would help compel people to put down their placards and work for the common good of the nation. But simply saying this was not enough; there needed to be a myth of the belligerent British hordes on the border. They decided that to do this, they would provoke the British to react to seemingly innocuous actions.

In 1927, the US re-armament programme was made public. President William Z. Foster had exploited hurt public sentiment following the war and made massive increases to the military budget whilst perusing a policy of nationalisation and underhanded class warfare. Foster's approach marked a dramatic departure from the policies of his predecessor, Debs, who had been a much more light-handed socialist. Foster increasingly appealed to the nationalistic sentiments of the populace.

Foster faced challenges, however, from three fronts. The first was the South, namely the southern whites, who proved resistant to Foster's socialist rhetoric after his policy of 'liberating' the African-American populace in the region. As a result, the Democratic party, in order to win back power, had championed themselves as the voice of the South, and were biting at Foster's heels in elections. As well as this, they were eating in the Republican voter base as a united anti-socialist party, though their distinct brand of Southern nationalism did put a brake on this.

The second was the British themselves. Though vanquished from Oregon, the British put pressure on America and their allies, and were attempting to encircle the country through increasing their influence in the Caribbean, Central America and through strengthening their position in Canada. It was this that sparked a building up of American forces on the Oregon border in June 1927. Foster ignored reports that the British were building up forces too with help from European allies - he did not think that they would be able to supply a significant army. In reality, American intelligence had totally neglected the expansion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was hugely instrumental in supplying British forces. Meanwhile, what the British failed to realise was just how out of touch Foster and his government were becoming. Foster had spent time studying the British government and had come to the conclusion that, unless their economic or territorial standings were directly damaged by the Americans, it would be possible to push them quite far.

The third came from within Foster's own party. Foster had been moderated in his actions by the democratic socialist elements of his party, those who still believed in the words of Debs. It was this moderate faction that had prevented an overhaul of the democratic system and the exporting of revolutionary socialism over the borders. Throughout the past few years, the more extreme, fully communist factions had taken a hold over Foster, who had repeatedly come into conflict with the moderates.

Relations cooled again in February 1928. American troops invaded the Italian island of Corsica to dislodge a rebel government that had taken power there. The invasion was a remarkable success but for the European League this was too far. The Americans, as well as establishing military bases in Norway, were now looking to expand their reach to Corsica. In a vote taken in the Assembly, 25 of 28 members voted to condemn the invasion. Italy and Sweden voted against, and Russia abstained. This surprised the Americans and caused them to falter - they had predicted that the vote would split the Assembly significantly, further spreading tensions within the League, but this assumption was wrong.

Italy had expected the Americans to stay for several months in order to fully restore order, but Foster, embarrassed by the failure to divide the league and unwilling to allow further casualties, withdrew. This irritated the Italians.

Corsica had seen a number of rulers, including the British, French and Italians. Many Corsicans simply wanted independence.

Then in March, yet another crisis emerged. The Dow Jones began to fluctuate wildly - it began to slide, then recovered, then began to slide down again. People became worried and started to sell their stocks. On Monday 24^th, chaos erupted as panic grew exponentially. As the ticker tape machines fell behind and phone lines were clogged, crowds swarmed to the New York Stock Exchange instead to sell - the near-riot had to be controlled by the police. Several wealthy American businessmen attempted to bolster public confidence by buying stocks, but it was hopeless. They knew a collapse would probably do tremendous damage to the socialists that had been antagonising their business. The government saw an opportunity to exploit a capitalist crisis. The bubble in the American economy was collapsing and few wanted to stop it.

The effect on European markets was strong but not disastrous: America was rather more isolated economically than most countries and this acted as something of a cushion. But for America itself, it was the worst possible timing. On one of the major days of the crash, a huge crowd of 250,000 people rallied in Richmond for Confederate independence; protests also broke out in Maine, Vermont and New York for their own independence movements.

A communist rally in New York.^[2]

Mexico was severely affected by the crash. The Mexican economy effectively vanished in a week. In a country that was already unstable; it was the final straw: rioters took over the streets and the communist party began to mobilise. Foster, ever the opportunist, saw his chance, and sent volunteers and equipment Within just a few days the state of Yucatan, inspired by the success of Tarasco, declared independence. Within just a few weeks, the country had split into several factions, with the communists controlling the capital. Over the course of just a few weeks^[3] Mexico was brought into civil war. Britain's main ally in the Americas had collapsed.

Fighters in the Mexican state of Sonora, one of the main regions of unrest.

It did not take long for the chaos to spread over the border. Foster had not accounted for the sheer number of people that the war would displace within the first few weeks. Streams of refugees poured over the border, mostly into Texas. To make matters worse, however, skirmishes often broke out between refugees from rival factions. Raids on American towns were not uncommon, and soon innocent civilians were dying.

Map of the civil war showing main paths of refugees (click to enlarge).

The Governor of Texas, Daniel Moody, attempted to send the National Guard and army in to restore order, but this was partially overruled by the President, who instead demanded that efforts be focused on controlling anti-government protests in Dallas, Austin and Houston. It was, in the eyes of many, "the worst mistake in American history."

Betrayal
President blocks orders to send National Guard against raiders; Texans left to defend themselves against Mexicans

In a shocking and provocative move, the President has blocked attempts by Governor Moody to send the National Guard to defend the homes of Texans affected by the recent border conflicts. Anger is already brewing across Texas and, indeed, the South, who see it as a violation of states' rights and a betrayal of ordinary Texans.


Another three Texans were killed last night and most people wonder how many more will have to perish before action is taken...​

The reaction of the Texan press was sensationalist, but the damage had been done - in any case, the President had foolishly fumbled around in an already sensitive area. The anti-government protests intensified and spread across the South in support of Texas, and the Democrats announced that they stood in solidarity with the Southern states. Foster was unmoved and cracked down on protests.

The domino effect began. Protests turned to riots in some areas of the old Confederacy. In early May, a huge battle broke out around El Paso between Mexican revolutionary forces and a group of armed American citizens attempting to force them back over the border. Foster sent the National Guard to intervene - on the side of the Mexicans.

It was a remarkably poor decision. In the immediate aftermath, the Democrats held talks and announced their support for succession. Foster was furious. It looked like another civil war was coming.

---

[1] Also known as the North Sea.
[2] Unlike in some other countries, the communists and socialists were bitterly divided in America. Most communists opposed the moderate socialist government.
[3] It is worth noting that, whilst it took just a few weeks to break out, the fighting in Mexico was the result of years of tensions.
[4] Again, these had been brewing for years.