Wir werden für nichts zurückstehen!- A German VIP AAR
Hey guys, this is my first AAR, so tell me what you think. I love politics and military strategy, so this will be almost entirely focused on politics, international relations and the military, rather than the economy. This is actually a GC, but I wanted to start at William II's coronation, since he signalled a change in German foreign policy. I played mostly historically, but with a few important differences. And go easy on me, it's my first one.
Any German speakers, tell me if my title phrase makes sense, too. I can speak a little German, but not well. It's another thing I'm working on getting better at.
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Wir werden für nichts zurückstehen!
On June 15, 1888, a new chapter of German history began when William II ascended to the throne. The young German Empire had only existed for seventeen years, all of them under the careful watch of Otto von Bismarck. Now, however, Germany was ruled by a Kaiser who would stop at nothing to earn Germany the “place in the sun” he believed it deserved. There were many things the new ruler wanted to change, and he knew he was starting chains of events he would not be able to stop. For him though, it was worth the cost. The German Empire must lead the world!
Europe on the day of William’s coronation
From 1871 to 1881, Germany had been ruled by the traditional Prussian Conservatives, who ran the nation according to what Bismarck, their leader, prescribed. However, in 1881, the Prussian Old Guard was shocked when their beloved Conservative Party lost the elections in the Reichstag. Instead, the National Liberals won by a large margin, and many of the Conservatives found themselves being drawn into the National Liberal coalition. After all, the jingoistic National Liberals were only one step away from being conservative themselves. Nonetheless, Bismarck watched with dismay as a party with completely different values from his ascended to the leadership of the German Parliament. Instead of the Machiavellian Prussian Conservatism Bismarck himself represented, the Reichstag was ruled by a party which was more “German” than “Prussian”. As a result, this new party advocated many things the Prussian old guard abhorred, such as laissez-faire capitalism, German naval and colonial expansion, and national fraternity and self-determination. Bismarck couldn’t force himself to agree with the National Liberals, but for seven years the old Chancellor had tried his best to neutralize the Liberals’ jingoistic saber-rattling and stabilize German foreign relations.
And indeed, Bismarck had done a spectacular job in maintaining Germany’s foreign relations. As William ascended to the throne, Germany found itself allied to two major powers, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and in a defensive alliance with a third, Russia. Bismarck had also worked his hardest to remain friendly with Britain. The only nation Germany was openly at odds with were the French. With allies and friends on all sides, what could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit, in fact. The alliances with Austria, Italy, and Russia may have reduced potential German fronts to just Alsace-Lorraine, but Austria and Russia were not the Great Powers their rulers claimed them to be.
The Russian military is less than half the size of the French military. Moreover, their country, while large and with a huge population, is unindustrialized and difficult to defend. Still, Russia looks like a superpower in comparison to Austria. The military of Austria is made up of only 24 divisions, less than a fifth the size of the French military. These divisions are frequently not up to full strength, as they’re constantly used to repress rebellions. Observers have reported that at times, the number of rebels in Austria have been greater than the size of the Austrian army. Austria appears to lurch closer and closer to political implosion before recovering briefly.
Moreover, the National Liberals in power aren’t supportive of either regime, which they view as contrary to German interests and ideals. Both Russia and Austria are large, multicultural empires, and the number of voices within the National Liberal coalition calling for Germany to stand against such totalitarian nations grows with each day.
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Here are some other stats:
The Army Comparison-
The Navy Comparison-
Hey guys, this is my first AAR, so tell me what you think. I love politics and military strategy, so this will be almost entirely focused on politics, international relations and the military, rather than the economy. This is actually a GC, but I wanted to start at William II's coronation, since he signalled a change in German foreign policy. I played mostly historically, but with a few important differences. And go easy on me, it's my first one.
Any German speakers, tell me if my title phrase makes sense, too. I can speak a little German, but not well. It's another thing I'm working on getting better at.
**************
Wir werden für nichts zurückstehen!
On June 15, 1888, a new chapter of German history began when William II ascended to the throne. The young German Empire had only existed for seventeen years, all of them under the careful watch of Otto von Bismarck. Now, however, Germany was ruled by a Kaiser who would stop at nothing to earn Germany the “place in the sun” he believed it deserved. There were many things the new ruler wanted to change, and he knew he was starting chains of events he would not be able to stop. For him though, it was worth the cost. The German Empire must lead the world!
Europe on the day of William’s coronation
From 1871 to 1881, Germany had been ruled by the traditional Prussian Conservatives, who ran the nation according to what Bismarck, their leader, prescribed. However, in 1881, the Prussian Old Guard was shocked when their beloved Conservative Party lost the elections in the Reichstag. Instead, the National Liberals won by a large margin, and many of the Conservatives found themselves being drawn into the National Liberal coalition. After all, the jingoistic National Liberals were only one step away from being conservative themselves. Nonetheless, Bismarck watched with dismay as a party with completely different values from his ascended to the leadership of the German Parliament. Instead of the Machiavellian Prussian Conservatism Bismarck himself represented, the Reichstag was ruled by a party which was more “German” than “Prussian”. As a result, this new party advocated many things the Prussian old guard abhorred, such as laissez-faire capitalism, German naval and colonial expansion, and national fraternity and self-determination. Bismarck couldn’t force himself to agree with the National Liberals, but for seven years the old Chancellor had tried his best to neutralize the Liberals’ jingoistic saber-rattling and stabilize German foreign relations.
And indeed, Bismarck had done a spectacular job in maintaining Germany’s foreign relations. As William ascended to the throne, Germany found itself allied to two major powers, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and in a defensive alliance with a third, Russia. Bismarck had also worked his hardest to remain friendly with Britain. The only nation Germany was openly at odds with were the French. With allies and friends on all sides, what could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit, in fact. The alliances with Austria, Italy, and Russia may have reduced potential German fronts to just Alsace-Lorraine, but Austria and Russia were not the Great Powers their rulers claimed them to be.
The Russian military is less than half the size of the French military. Moreover, their country, while large and with a huge population, is unindustrialized and difficult to defend. Still, Russia looks like a superpower in comparison to Austria. The military of Austria is made up of only 24 divisions, less than a fifth the size of the French military. These divisions are frequently not up to full strength, as they’re constantly used to repress rebellions. Observers have reported that at times, the number of rebels in Austria have been greater than the size of the Austrian army. Austria appears to lurch closer and closer to political implosion before recovering briefly.
Moreover, the National Liberals in power aren’t supportive of either regime, which they view as contrary to German interests and ideals. Both Russia and Austria are large, multicultural empires, and the number of voices within the National Liberal coalition calling for Germany to stand against such totalitarian nations grows with each day.
************
Here are some other stats:
The Army Comparison-
The Navy Comparison-
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