Dominion of Southern America - Updated July 1, 2018

[jycee]

I suspect that that is a passenger liner that specifically takes the longer way round to give their wealthy patrons a view of the pyramids during the trip, Falastur.

I should also point out that that is an undoctored picture from OTL - so guess there are reasons....

This is from wiki:

The Middle East flight (1931)
The Graf Zeppelin had visited Palestine in April 1929 and the second flight to the Middle East took place in 1931 beginning on April 9 with a flight to Cairo, Egypt, where the airship landed less than two days later. After a brief stop, the Graf Zeppelin proceeded on to Palestine before returning to Friedrichshafen on April 23, just an hour over four days after departure. The trip took 97 hours, covered 9,000 km (5,600 mi) and crossed 14 countries on three continents.

I will guess that while in Cairo that photo was taken. No matter how impractical the route there is no reason not to do it. After all humanity is kinda vain.

And Falastur is right, my comment was aimed (with humor) to your statement. I don't hold the presence of airships against any TL. No one should.

 

[Glen]

This is from wiki:

The Middle East flight (1931)
The Graf Zeppelin had visited Palestine in April 1929 and the second flight to the Middle East took place in 1931 beginning on April 9 with a flight to Cairo, Egypt, where the airship landed less than two days later. After a brief stop, the Graf Zeppelin proceeded on to Palestine before returning to Friedrichshafen on April 23, just an hour over four days after departure. The trip took 97 hours, covered 9,000 km (5,600 mi) and crossed 14 countries on three continents.

Thanks for that little tidbit.

I will guess that while in Cairo that photo was taken. No matter how impractical the route there is no reason not to do it. After all humanity is kinda vain.

Agreed.

And Falastur is right, my comment was aimed (with humor) to your statement. I don't hold the presence of airships against any TL. No one should.

No, I don't even hold their presence against OTL.

 

[Falastur]

I should also point out that that is an undoctored picture from OTL - so guess there are reasons....

My bad, I had it down as a photoshop. Apologies. I wasn't really trying to catch you out anyway (although I admit it probably came across like that). I just have a bit of an ultra-realist streak in me.

 

[Glen]

My bad, I had it down as a photoshop. Apologies. I wasn't really trying to catch you out anyway (although I admit it probably came across like that). I just have a bit of an ultra-realist streak in me.

No worries Falastyr - just another example of reality being stranger than fiction...

 

[Falastur]

No worries Falastyr - just another example of reality being stranger than fiction...

It was a one-off flight, though, which somewhat reinforces my position. I just didn't anticipate there even being a one-off.

 

[Glen]

It was a one-off flight, though, which somewhat reinforces my position. I just didn't anticipate there even being a one-off.

No one expects the OTL one-off Zeppelin flight over the Pyramids, no one! That is one of our chief weapons against accusations of implausibility; that and a near fanatical devotion to The Rule of Cool!

 

[Glen]

One of the worst kept secrets in Europe was the questionable competency of the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand. A secret council ruled in his name throughout his tenure as emperor, though this information was surpressed by the court. During the turmoil leading up to and including the Liberal War, the council fractured on coping with the crisis, with the ascendent faction inducing Ferdinand to replace Metternich and even a short lived attempt to quell the chaos by appointing a government of more liberal minded politicians. Eventually the Russians were brought in to crush the liberal movements in the Habsburgs lands. The secret council continued on for almost another 20 years, until Ferdinand's death from a fall during a seizure in 1868. Ferdinand's nephew would be raised to the Imperial Throne as Emperor Francis II of a newly renamed Austria-Hungary. Emperor Francis II became convinced of the rightness of the Korsgaardian theory of governance, and slowly brought his nation fully under his control as the embodiment of the state. This would eventually lead his nation into the folly of the Global War, by whose end Hungary was lost to revolution and Trieste to the Italians. Emperor Francis II had alienated the West, the liberals, and the Papacy. What remained of his nation was bankrupt and suffering shortages of all sorts. Now, in order to save what he could for Austria and his family, Francis II made the bold move of abdicating in favor of his dashing (and quietly liberal sympathetic) son, Crown Prince Rudolf, with one last order, bring peace to his nation. This was seen as a key move to allowing for a successful negotiation with the Allied Western Powers. Francis went into quiet retirement, refusing all calls for his interference in politics from that moment forward with the same stubbornness that he had previously ruled with, even when as a condition for peace, the Korsgaardist party was banned and multiple parties were once more permitted in the nation. The former emperor blamed himself for the fiasco that had been led to by his arrogance and blind adherence to Korsgaardist principles. Broken but still proud, it was actually the efforts of his son that eventually led to a remission of the excommunication of Francis II in 1898.

A prematurely aged Francis II in civilian attire after his abdication.

 

[Glen]

It should be noted, while their names are similar, and I even used a Franz Josef picture, once we get past Ferdinand, these are ATL relatives and not the same men - they have different personalities and different histories. Just the names are similar.

 

[Mac Gregor]

One of the worst kept secrets in Europe was the questionable competency of the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand. A secret council ruled in his name throughout his tenure as emperor, though this information was surpressed by the court. During the turmoil leading up to and including the Liberal War, the council fractured on coping with the crisis, with the ascendent faction inducing Ferdinand to replace Metternich and even a short lived attempt to quell the chaos by appointing a government of more liberal minded politicians. Eventually the Russians were brought in to crush the liberal movements in the Habsburgs lands. The secret council continued on for almost another 20 years, until Ferdinand's death from a fall during a seizure in 1868. Ferdinand's nephew would be raised to the Imperial Throne as Emperor Francis II of a newly renamed Austria-Hungary. Emperor Francis II became convinced of the rightness of the Korsgaardian theory of governance, and slowly brought his nation fully under his control as the embodiment of the state. This would eventually lead his nation into the folly of the Global War, by whose end Hungary was lost to revolution and Trieste to the Italians. Emperor Francis II had alienated the West, the liberals, and the Papacy. What remained of his nation was bankrupt and suffering shortages of all sorts. Now, in order to save what he could for Austria and his family, Francis II made the bold move of abdicating in favor of his dashing (and quietly liberal sympathetic) son, Crown Prince Rudolf, with one last order, bring peace to his nation. This was seen as a key move to allowing for a successful negotiation with the Allied Western Powers. Francis went into quiet retirement, refusing all calls for his interference in politics from that moment forward with the same stubbornness that he had previously ruled with, even when as a condition for peace, the Korsgaardist party was banned and multiple parties were once more permitted in the nation. The former emperor blamed himself for the fiasco that had been led to by his arrogance and blind adherence to Korsgaardist principles. Broken but still proud, it was actually the efforts of his son that eventually led to a remission of the excommunication of Francis II in 1898.

A prematurely aged Francis II in civilian attire after his abdication.

It should be noted, while their names are similar, and I even used a Franz Josef picture, once we get past Ferdinand, these are ATL relatives and not the same men - they have different personalities and different histories. Just the names are similar.

Nice update and good use of butterflies.

 

[Glen]

Nice update and good use of butterflies.

Thank you!

 

[Glen]

Emperor of Prussia-Poland, William, was still a vigorous man during the Global War, and the most hands-on of the Eastern potentates in his execution of the war. He would often tour the front lines and even disguise himself as a mere officer to lead an offensive. He was wounded twice in the first two years of the war, but much to the distress of his staff, he still indulged in the practice. His bravery on the front lines made him a favorite of the common soldier, both of Prussian and Polish extraction. However, as the war wore on with mounting casualties, both from the guns of their enemies and the diseases that played havoc with all troops (though not as much for the Prussian-Polish military who draconianly enforced standards of hygeine), and William continued to demand that his armies launch offensive after offensive, despite the lessons of the Liberal War and the Year of Blood in the Global War. With shortages of rations and munitions, even the fiercest of the Korsgaardian stalwarts began to lose their zeal for the fight. Those younger troops who were secretly liberal sympathizers contemplated in hushed whispers outright mutiny. All of this helped to explain how the state of the Prussian forces, arguably some of the best military in the world, degraded to the point that the Allied forces, Liberal revolutionaries, and even mutinous units, could oust the Prussians from the majority of Brandenburg. Emperor William personally took part in the fighting for Berlin, and was wounded for the third time, but this time more seriously. He was in and out of consciousness for a week, during which time his loyal troops guarded him in a fighting retreat from Brandenburg across the Oder and into the heartland of Hohenzollern support. When William regained his senses, he ordered the holding of the line at the Oder and set up his court in the city of Konigsberg. While now far away from the lines and in no shape to participate, Word of the abdication of Emperor Francis II and Emperor Rudolf's capitulation to the allies infuriated him. William threw himself feverishly into plans for the retaking of Brandenburg, and drafted messages begging his uncle Tsar Nicholas to send reinforcements he did not have to aide in the future offensive. However, all of this came to naught when William died suddenly from a pulmonary embolus, a complication of the serious wonding he had taken in the Battle for Berlin. Emperor William's son, Crown Prince August, was elevated as Emperor August I of Prussia-Poland. August even though young was known as a hard-nosed pragmatist, and ordered plans for any offensive halted and immediately opened up peace negotiations with the West. The peace was harsh, including accepting the loss of Brandenburg which became a free republic within the Empire of Germany. However, August maintained that it was better to give up land already lost than to lose what they still held through obstinance. He managed to hold down reparations to a painful but theoretically bearable amount. While not a liberal sympathizer like the new Emperor Rudolf, he also made no cumpunction about outlawing the Korsgaardians, freeing political prisoners, and allowing free parties, though the majority of the powerful Korsgaardians in Prussia-Poland migrated to the Crown Royalist Party and continued to be a force in Prussia-Poland politics, even though they no longer were in absolute control of the nation.

Konigsberg Castle, site of Emperor William's death after Berlin was lost.

 

[bolhabela]

So the population of Prussia-Poland is 50% german and 50% polish? Are the going to evacuate the german population from the lost lands?

 

[Glen]

So the population of Prussia-Poland is 50% german and 50% polish? Are the going to evacuate the german population from the lost lands?

Ah, the demographics is a loaded and tricky question....

The German population from the lost lands will not be evacuated in any masses, but a lot of Junkers, Korsgaardist Bureaucrats, and other Liberal-aversive types will move to the remaining Prussia-Poland.

 

[stevep]

Ah, the demographics is a loaded and tricky question....

The German population from the lost lands will not be evacuated in any masses, but a lot of Junkers, Korsgaardist Bureaucrats, and other Liberal-aversive types will move to the remaining Prussia-Poland.

Guys

I suspect the Poles are now in the majority, which raises the question of where will the capital be? Warsaw is almost certainly the largest and most developed city left to the state but I notice that William, when driven from Berlin had his working capital at Koenigsberg rather than Warsaw, or even Danzig.

Steve

 

[Lord Grattan]

Fantastic coverage of the Global War Glen and a creative use of butterflies.

 

[Glen]

Guys

I suspect the Poles are now in the majority, which raises the question of where will the capital be? Warsaw is almost certainly the largest and most developed city left to the state but I notice that William, when driven from Berlin had his working capital at Koenigsberg rather than Warsaw, or even Danzig.

Steve

Well, a political and a financial capital need not be the same. Then again August may have different plans.

 

[jycee]

Guys

I suspect the Poles are now in the majority, which raises the question of where will the capital be? Warsaw is almost certainly the largest and most developed city left to the state but I notice that William, when driven from Berlin had his working capital at Koenigsberg rather than Warsaw, or even Danzig.

Steve

Personally, I think Konigsberg works well as a political capital; it is the old Prussian capital- even if by now this country is essentially Poland with a ruling Prussian nobility. As Glen said the political and economic capitals don't need to be the same.

The bigger issue is what the Poles think about the new situation; they are the majority; the largest city and economic capital is within their heartland; and so far they have been the junior partner in this dual monarchy. This will have to change, or there might be some from of insurrection against the Hohenzollerns. Not to mention that there is always that religious divide between the Catholic Poles and the Protestant Prussians.

At the same time, how German do the Prussian's consider themselves? The a war against Germany, and the dual-monarchy with Poland must have had some effect on their identity. Do they see them selves as Germanized Poles, Slavicized Germans, or simple Prussians? Regardless, it is much more likely that the Germans in Germany no longer see them as German.

 

[Glen]

Fantastic coverage of the Global War Glen and a creative use of butterflies.

Thank you for your kind words! Out of curiosity what was the butterflies whose creative use you liked?

 

[Glen]

Personally, I think Konigsberg works well as a political capital; it is the old Prussian capital- even if by now this country is essentially Poland with a ruling Prussian nobility. As Glen said the political and economic capitals don't need to be the same.

Yes and yes.

The bigger issue is what the Poles think about the new situation; they are the majority; the largest city and economic capital is within their heartland; and so far they have been the junior partner in this dual monarchy. This will have to change, or there might be some from of insurrection against the Hohenzollerns. Not to mention that there is always that religious divide between the Catholic Poles and the Protestant Prussians.

Kinda makes one think of Ireland, doesn't it? But on a more serious note, the Hollenzollern are actually well thought of among the Polish citizenry - they have treated them more prespectfully then most other leaders in the past, even if it has been in a quasi-fascist state.

At the same time, how German do the Prussian's consider themselves? The a war against Germany, and the dual-monarchy with Poland must have had some effect on their identity. Do they see them selves as Germanized Poles, Slavicized Germans, or simple Prussians? Regardless, it is much more likely that the Germans in Germany no longer see them as German.

The Prussians that remain in Prussia are thinking of themselves more and more as Prussians and less and less as Germans. The Korsgaardian Prussia-Poland style actually emphasized the shared roots of the Prussians and Poles in the region, as Christians against pagans and other non-Christians, and such. The Germans of the West are seen as weak, effeminate, compared to the Prussian ideal. As for the Poles, they definitely think of themselves as Poles, and have not been Germanized per se (though a lot of German words are seeping into Polish; and vice versa), but rather these are Prussianized Poles. Think how Germany became 'Prussianized' though not by that name IOTL after the founding of the German Empire under the Hollenzollerns, and you should have some idea how the Poles are changing culturally.

And yes, at this point, most of the Germans in Germany are seeing the Prussians more like militant, slavicized, Germans (this is not entirely correct, but there is that perception). Western Brandenburg was the most 'German' part of Prussia-Poland, from the German perspective, and with it now safely in the Empire of Germany, they see the Prussians across the Oder as something rather different.

 

[Umbric Man]

Glen, may I ask who was President of the USA during the 1880s? I've been scouring to no avail.