German Red Prince

Page 125

"The central government in Germany is trying to take more power from the states. The conflict between the central and local governments has become public. There are still many historical issues between Bavaria and Prussia, so they certainly will not compromise easily."

"Yes."

Emperor Karl nodded in agreement with Strømsgodz's words. Bavaria's expression of willingness to cooperate indicated that the internal problems in Germany were already quite serious.

Bavaria has started seeking cooperation with foreign countries, which isn't a major problem, but I've heard that it has imposed trade closures on two of its domestic states, which makes the situation much more serious.

Germany prefers to be friendly with its allies? If this were any other time, a war would have broken out long ago. But clearly, Germany is facing some other problems now, and is only sending people to protest and negotiate.

Since Bavaria wants to cooperate, Austria will not miss out and may offer some appropriate incentives in these situations.

Bavaria, while part of Germany, has a history of being a double agent. Historically, Bavaria and Austria have a deeper connection, both having been under the framework of the Holy Roman Empire. Austria was the main body of the Holy Roman Empire, and Austrian monarchs often also served as Holy Roman Emperors.

Austria was once a major cultural power, and Vienna was a mecca in the arts. Given the geographical distance, Bavaria was certainly more influenced by Austria than Prussia. Besides, could the barbarians of Prussia compare to the gentlemen of Vienna?

Although Austria's desire to annex Bavaria largely failed after the awakening of national consciousness, the two countries were still able to maintain good relations, and Bavaria still sided with Austria until the Austro-Prussian War.

Since the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not doing well, could we sabotage Germany? Emperor Karl suddenly had a bad idea: if I'm not doing well, then you shouldn't expect to do well either.

Austria and Germany also have a history of grudges and rivalries, so Austrians are very happy to see Germans suffer setbacks. Even though I'm not doing well, seeing you stumble will surely make me sleep well tonight.

The conflict between Bavaria and Prussia is quite simple. Bavaria was a major power in southern Germany, while Prussia was a major power in northern Germany. The conflict between the two kingdoms mainly stemmed from their respective positions within the German Confederation and their differences on the reorganization of German territory.

Prussia gradually rose to become the leading force in Germany in the mid-19th century and hoped to consolidate its leadership by reorganizing the German Federation. This caused concern in Bavaria, who worried that it might weaken their power within the federation.

In addition to demanding more leadership, Prussia also attempted to pressure Bavaria to support its political and military actions, which was opposed by the Bavarian royal family, some politicians, and the public, who expressed their dissatisfaction.

They also attempted to fight Prussia. During the Austro-Prussian War, Bavaria chose to support Austria in order to protect its own interests, which resulted in them being driven into Germany by Prussia.

Since the kingdoms are at odds, it's not unreasonable to exploit the conflicts among the three German kingdoms, create some minor friction, and engage in some small-scale actions.

Wasn't there an organization in Germany called "Reich Citizens" before?

The assassination attempt in Germany had absolutely nothing to do with Austria, yet Wilhelm still sent a diplomatic protest. Although the organization no longer wields significant influence in Germany, Emperor Karl still remains very interested in it.

This seems to be an organization in Germany that has a favorable view of the Habsburg family. Contacting them might bring unexpected surprises in Germany.

226. The Future of Bavaria

"Minister Franz, you need to think this through. The Bavarian government's current policies are seriously affecting the unity within the German Empire. The decisions you have made may have a significant impact on the German Empire."

“Minister, you are aware of the problems Germany is facing now. If Bavaria persists in its own way, this behavior of closing itself off as a kingdom will undoubtedly cause more conflicts.”

Bavaria was the first state in the German Empire to implement royal trade protectionism. In order to deal with Germany's current economic problems, Bavaria began to fully protect its own state economy, which plunged Germany, which had been promoting integration, into a huge crisis.

Therefore, when they announced the bill, the Imperial government immediately sent people to protest. Of course, the central government sent people to protest on behalf of the German Empire. In addition to the German central government officials, the Kingdom of Prussia also sent relevant personnel to inquire about the situation.

However, this was clearly of little use, because before the government officials and Prussian diplomats arrived, the Kingdom of the Rhine had already sent representatives to protest. Bavaria's response was also very simple, deliberately avoiding the issue by rambling on and on, and in the end, there was no progress.

"This terrible policy will only make the situation more unpredictable. With such a bill, what gives Bavaria the confidence to face the Empire's sanctions?" The Empire's special envoy, seeing Franz's indifference, began to threaten him angrily.

"If you remain obstinate, Bavaria will face sanctions from the entire empire!"

"Sir Envoy, calm down." Franz finally spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Sir Commissioner, this is merely a special policy implemented by Bavaria in response to special circumstances, intended only to help Bavaria smoothly navigate this difficult period. If the German central government can provide us with assistance, would Bavaria still need to adopt these policies?"

“Each state of the German Empire has its own powers. These issues are your kingdom’s problems. The main task of the German central government is to coordinate the entire country.”

"Our problem? Aren't our policies reasonable? Does our kingdom need the imperial government's approval to handle its own affairs? Besides, how many resources has the central government poured into Prussia? Why can't it do the same for us?"

"Since the unification of Germany, how much has Prussia, in the name of the central government, taken from Bavaria? Don't forget, Bavaria has the right to secede from the German Empire at any time!"

"The policies and laws you have adopted are in conflict with the laws of the Empire!"

"Our kingdom has no right to dictate what policies it chooses to adopt," Franz replied simply.

"The Empire's patience has its limits. I hope you will act accordingly."

Seeing that Franz had no reaction, the special envoy realized that continuing would likely not lead to any progress, so he could only leave with a harsh remark.

Watching the departing imperial envoy, Franz sighed helplessly. He had already dealt with countless people. Since the Bavarian law was enacted, almost every day countless people had flocked to his once deserted office.

Representatives from various companies, kingdoms, and empires lined up every day to engage in verbal sparring with Franz. To deal with them, Franz could only engage in rambling and irrelevant verbal exchanges.

Franz knew that such a policy would inevitably have an impact on German politics, but that was not something he should worry about. His Majesty the King must have had his reasons for agreeing to such a policy, and all Fritz had to do was carry out the King's will.

Fritz has always been dismissive of the idea of ​​German unification, believing that the loudest voices in the world would be the Prussians.

While the people of the other two kingdoms also had an interest in reunification, it was not strong. Franz always believed that the reunification of Germany was a Prussian conspiracy.

The Kingdom of Prussia enjoyed more power within the Empire, and most of the Empire's policies favored Prussia, which Franz found extremely distasteful, loathing their hypocrisy.

It was clearly agreed that the three kingdoms would enjoy equal status and power within the empire. So why is it that now it's considered correct to benefit Prussia, and if a kingdom's policies differ slightly from Prussia's intentions, it's seen as opposing the entire empire?

Prussia's cultural foundation was too weak, making it unable to integrate the cultures of the Rhineland and Bavaria. Poland, which had been under integration for so long, is now still seeking independence, which is the best proof of this.

Culturally, the three kingdoms each possessed relative independence, which posed the greatest challenge to unifying the empire. Moreover, it was because Prussia led the unification war that the empire was managed by the Hohenzollern family.

In the beginning, Prussia was relatively polite in order to quell the conflict, but as time went on, Prussia became increasingly excessive and took everything for granted.

For example, in the distribution of colonies, the colonies that Germany received after the war were not as agreed upon in the draft previously discussed by the three kingdoms, in which each kingdom would receive a portion of the colonies. The Imperial government ultimately adopted the Central Africa Plan.

The colonies were then managed by the empire, with the three kingdoms sharing the annual profits of Central Africa equally. This provoked strong resentment from the other two kingdoms, as Prussia would undoubtedly benefit the most if this were implemented.

Because Prussia was caught in the middle, there were no substantial results in the end. Although some changes were made, such as all three kingdoms having positions for officials and governors in Africa, in reality, apart from Prussia, the other two kingdoms could never form enough power in the African government.

Without making sufficient concessions, how can you expect cooperation? What a pipe dream! Franz found it all laughable.

Prussia has its own demands, and Bavaria has its own political demands as well. Internal German integration? If the Prussians can do it, why can't the Bavarians?

Franz rose from his seat; he had been sitting in his office for half the day dealing with these people.

"This kind of job is really inhuman." Fritz scratched his head. It was both mentally taxing and verbally exhausting. If it were anyone else, they probably would have had enough in a day.

Just as Franz was complaining, King Rupprecht was smiling as he met with the Minister of Economic Affairs from Austria, and Bavaria was also considering its own future.

227. The revolutionary task is still very arduous.

"1928 years..."

Thorne looked at the world map hanging on the wall and muttered to himself.

"Flanders-Wallon, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Ukraine..."

Thorne kept gesturing on the map because the history of this world was different from what he had experienced in his previous life. He couldn't control the general direction of history and could only rely on himself to slowly deduce it.

The current situation and politics in Europe can be clearly seen on a map, with the Franco-German border serving as a dividing line between European politics and ideology.

To the west lies the socialist bloc led by France, the stronghold of world communism, including the British Commonwealth, the French Commune, and the Italian Socialist Republic—the world's major socialist forces.

Although the Kingdom of Spain is not a socialist country yet, it has been almost completely infiltrated by France, and its domestic politics are in great chaos, with left and right wings fighting each other in the government. Thorne estimates that the Spanish Military Academy will open soon, and he can go there to gain some experience.

"It really is an iron curtain."

Looking at the map, Thorne couldn't help but sigh. He suddenly remembered Churchill's Iron Curtain speech in his previous life. In this world, the Iron Curtain was implemented decades earlier.

The old world order, dominated by the German Empire, is clashing with the new world order, dominated by the French Commune, but Germany currently holds a clear advantage.

France's main power is now limited to Western Europe, while Germany's political influence extends from Central Europe to Eastern Europe. To put it more specifically, times have changed.

Germany's war potential is too great. Germany and France may be evenly matched in a one-on-one fight now, but if the two sides combine their respective strengths, the scales of victory may tip in favor of Germany.

Although Britain has now turned red, it has completely lost its title as the "empire on which the sun never sets." Leaving aside the British army, just talking about the British navy, Britain once relied on the Royal Navy to firmly grasp its colonies around the world, but after the end of the war, such a powerful navy also became history.

Socialist Britain naturally wouldn't have any colonies, and postwar Britain obviously wouldn't have the energy to manage them. Without a navy to maintain colonial order, the British Commonwealth could only develop within the British Isles, and its strength was far less than before.

Before leaving, the British royal family deliberately left behind Ireland to annoy the French Commune and the British Union. This outpost of the old Allied powers caused the British Union no small amount of trouble.

Every year, many people illegally cross into Ireland from the British Isles, intending to follow their King in exile to Canada.

After the war, the ties between Britain and France became increasingly close. If Britain, isolated overseas, did not cooperate with this ally, it would soon be trapped on the island. Britain still needed France's support, and naturally could not provide much assistance to France during the war.

With the German High Seas Fleet positioned across the English Channel, Britain could only offer all it could to the small islands except for assistance. Moreover, the British economy was severely damaged after the war, and in order to revive it, Britain underwent a series of reductions and adjustments to its army and navy.

The British Commonwealth government shifted resources to domestic reconstruction and improving social welfare, allocating more funds to people's livelihoods; otherwise, the island's inhabitants would have all left sooner or later.

If Britain is in this state, then the situation in Italy is even worse. At least the British Isles are still united, while Italy, which only recently unified, has already split again. And then there's the Italian army in his world...

Thorne was speechless when he thought about the terrible performance of the Italian army in later generations. At least Italy was unified in later generations and developed for many years under Mussolini's rule, yet it still performed like that.

Looking at this timeline, Italy was not yet unified and had no colonies. When a major war broke out, Italy would probably only be a figurehead, and its sense of participation on the battlefield would probably be less than that of Britain, who was cheering from across the Channel.

Moreover, Italy has a traditional skill of betraying its teammates. Whenever the wind changes, Italy's mindset becomes active, and it always "stands on the winning side".

With both allies unreliable, France, no matter how strong, is all alone. France's mission is not just to liberate Germany; its ultimate goal is to liberate the entire Old World, the Imperial Pact, and the Old Entente Powers. The road ahead is long.

"Comrade Thorne, what are you thinking about?"

While he was staring blankly at the map, Thälmann walked in from outside. With Thorne standing behind him, it was safer in the Kingdom of the Rhine than in Prussia. The German Communist Party had now secretly moved its headquarters from Berlin to Frankfurt.

Even so, the development of the German Communist Party was still very slow. When people are desperate, they think of change. Only when all other options are completely unfeasible will people truly want change. As long as they can still eat every day, the vast majority of people will not stand up and rebel.

This is also a common tactic used by capitalists nowadays: workers' wages are just enough to make ends meet and support a family, but not enough to make life better. This way, workers won't have any wild thoughts and will work diligently every day.

Although many workers and proletarians lean towards the Communist Party of Germany, it is currently impossible to muster a determined force to carry out a revolution in Germany. No one wants to change their current comfortable life, and the promises of a better future are not as tangible as having enough to eat now.

This is also the problem that Thälmann is currently troubling. The Communist Party of Germany is developing in the Rhineland, but its strength is still too small and it does not yet have the scale to launch a revolution in Germany.

“It’s Comrade Thallman.” Thorne smiled as he came to his senses. “I’m looking at a world map, analyzing our current situation.”

"What's our situation now?" Thallman also stepped forward. "Comrade Thorne, what's your view on the current situation?"

“Now,” Thorne sighed, “it looks like it’s going to be quite difficult.”

What do you think?

Hearing Thorne's sigh, Thälmann looked somewhat disappointed. Clearly, he had also realized this problem: the Communist Party of Germany had made progress, but it was still not enough, and it was still too slow.

However, Thorne and Thälmann considered things from two different perspectives. Thorne was thinking from a global perspective, while Thälmann was thinking from the perspective of the domestic environment in Germany. Whether domestically or internationally, the tasks ahead are still very challenging.

"Comrade Thallman, what brings you here?"

“There is indeed something to discuss.” If Thorne hadn’t reminded him, Thallman would have almost forgotten why he came over.

"Comrade Thorne, I've come to invite you to this Party meeting."

228. The Initiative of the Revolution

In its previous life, at its peak, the Communist Party of Germany was able to go toe-to-toe with the Nazis and once had hundreds of thousands of members.

However, in the Weimar Battle Royale, in the end only the German Communist Party and the Nazis remained, and only one of them could win.

Instead of cooperating with the truly left-wing Communist Party of Germany, the German aristocracy and Junkers preferred to cooperate with the Nazis, who were left-leaning on the surface but right-leaning on the core. Under the combined pressure from multiple sides, the Communist Party of Germany was ultimately defeated by the Nazis, and the Reichstag fire completely killed the Communist Party of Germany.

This also shows that trying to peacefully seize power through elections is simply wishful thinking. How could so many reactionaries let you come to power so obediently? Are they all just waiting there with their necks clean? Waiting for the Communist Party of Germany to come to power so they can pick a lamppost and hang it up themselves?

Capitalists won't put a noose around their necks while claiming they've completed their historical mission and are exiting the historical stage.

If the Communist Party of Germany (CPD) wants to truly control all of Germany, it must carry out a violent revolution. Although existing socialist countries have all seized power through violence, many high-ranking members of the CPD still fantasize about seizing power peacefully. This is not only the case in Germany, but also in the United States.

In some relatively developed capitalist countries at present, the domestic communist parties have not yet been severely punished by society and still harbor illusions about bourgeois governments, believing that elections are the most suitable transitional method.

In relatively underdeveloped countries, the communist parties there understand very well that proletarian revolution is a life-or-death struggle, and that political power can only grow out of the barrel of a gun. They do not want to seize power peacefully.

The French Commune alone could terrify most countries in the world; how could they possibly allow their own country to be turned red?

"Attending a Party meeting?"

Thorne was somewhat surprised, thinking he would have to undergo a long period of observation. He didn't expect to be able to participate in the party meeting so quickly. However, this was also an opportunity for Thorne to properly plan the next actions of the Communist Party of Germany.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.” Thorne rolled up the map hanging on the wall and headed to the venue with Talman.

The Communist Party of Germany (CPD) remains a legal political party in Germany, although it is not very popular and is restricted and monitored in many ways. However, it has not been officially banned. Meetings are usually held in secrecy, otherwise there would definitely be ears around to monitor it. After all, who would feel comfortable letting a party that wants to overthrow the current government develop unrestricted?

It was slightly better on the Rhine side. With Thorne standing behind him, he was generally not bothered and no one would cause trouble. So Thorne guessed that this might be the reason why he was quickly allowed to attend the party meeting, because he might still need Thorne's help with many things later.

When they arrived at the venue, almost all the representatives from various regions had arrived. During this time, Thälmann talked to Thorne about the current situation of the Communist Party of Germany, so Thorne recognized many of the people sitting in the seats.

"Comrades, thank you all for coming to Frankfurt to participate in this conference."

As the chairman of the Communist Party of Germany, Thälmann delivered the opening remarks.

"Comrades, our enemy is not only German imperialism, but also the entire order and system of the old world. We still have many tasks to accomplish in order to achieve the perfect communist society."

"I have read the reports sent by the delegates. In the new year, our party has recruited many more members throughout Germany. This is a good start, and we are one step closer to victory."

"However, our party's strength in Germany is still too small. Although we have hundreds of thousands of members, it is still too weak in the context of the whole of Germany. In order to achieve complete victory, my idea is to actively contact our comrades in France, cooperate with them, and strive for their support."

Thälmann began his report, and after a long period of investigation, he found that although the German working class was powerful, the chances of a successful violent revolution were still too slim.

With hundreds of thousands of party members spread across Germany, the density was too low and the party members too dispersed to organize an effective revolution. Therefore, he believed that the German revolution needed an external force to drive it to success.