MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Case Study: Germany and the United States
Manfred von Richthofen’s stint as a Siemens assistant manager in a factory where 2,000 Chinese workers labored on the manufacturing industry, producing radios for consumer use before he was promoted in March of 1924 to full time manager of a series of Siemens-led infrastructure projects in Beijing. At that time, Beijing was still the seat of the Beiyang government and its Kuomintang rivals expanded their economic, political and social collaboration with the White Russian regime. In addition, the three Cliques that were allied to each other (albeit reluctantly) had a major falling out due to disputes that arose from shady backroom deals not made in public. Von Richthofen’s position as manager of the Siemens Beijing Reconstruction Project was always in peril because of financial issues and because Germany was still obligated to pay reparations for its defeat in the Great War. Yet he could not abandon his position and condemn his Chinese employees to a life without any means of earning an income. So he held a meeting in April of 1924 in Tianjin between himself and several Chinese supervisors and told them about some changes that the Siemens office in the Chinese capital had to implement: wages would go down but a 40 hour workweek will be introduced with full lunch and snack breaks and subsidized (or free) transportation to the work site. Once the supervisors relayed the new changes to the employees, some of them bitterly quit their job but big brother Manfred got a big break when the top executives of Siemens notified him that the Abwehr was going to recall him back to Germany for political studies. As the Red Baron was just starting to experience the harsh life of a mere common, civilian manager in a prestigious company, his handlers in the Abwehr recalled him back to Germany, which he returned in May 17th. Upon his arrival, Manfred was escorted by Wolfram and Lothar to the Abwehr headquarters where they first met the delegation of the Deutschenationale Volkspartei’s militant arm, the Stahlhelm. In this milestone meeting, the von Richthofen brothers were asked on their political stance, a difficult question to answer since none of the brothers were politically informed. Finally, Canaris encouraged the von Richthofen brothers to join the DNVP as a way to enhance the Richthofen family’s fame and fortune, and to serve as a morale booster for a German public in need of a morale boost after the French and Belgian Armies occupied the Ruhr Valley when Germany could not pay its war reparations soon enough. When the Red Baron himself traveled to the Ruhr, he was furious to see French troops terrorizing the civilians who protested the occupation. Only after Lothar nearly got shot from an altercation with a French soldier did big brother Manfred called for another meeting with the DNVP and the Stahlhelm militant group. He came up with a series of proposals to attract the lower class into a party that is predominantly upper-class and middle-class. In addition, the “Richthofen Proposals” that Manfred would discuss with the DNVP also included a clause where he would oversee the recruitment of influential figures. In effect, the entire Richthofen family had officially joined the DNVP on November 11, 1924, the anniversary of Germany’s armistice with the Allies. Von Scheubner-Richter commented on Richthofen’s selection of such a date for his admission into the DNVP as inappropriate since it only signaled Germany’s growing pessimistic prospects but Rosenberg in Richthofen’s defense that November 11 was also a date worth remembering because in his words, “November 11, 1924 shall be the day Germany’s road to national resurgence begins”. On November 22nd, 1924, Manfred was scheduled to give a speech on his views about Germany’s present situation and how the German people should stop moping around and start doing something about it. This is the official speech:
“My fellow Germans who live not just in the present Weimar Republic, but my fellow Germans who are stranded in former Austrian lands that are now part of newly established independent Central European states, and in German Austria itself, I have come here to bring a message, not of false optimism, but of a sad reality. The sad reality is that with our economy going down the toilet, our Kaiser in exile as a result of agitation from a bunch of rabble rousers, and our army a shadow of its former self. The sad reality is that the victorious Allied powers did not want justice against us. They wanted revenge, especially our French adversary for whom they held us responsible for starting the Great War. They got their revenge for the humiliation we inflicted upon their decadent, collective egos and we’ve paid for it with our own defeat. By luck, I survived the Great War because of a simple, defective engine. I admit that I did not want to become the immortal warrior the Kaiser wanted me to become, but I do believe that my busted engine on the plane I used to fight the Allies have saved my life. Obscure individuals who could have made their mark in history remain obscure, but I have a second chance at making my own mark in the history of Germany. I am not here to bring any more pessimism, but to ask for your support. Recently, I learned of a new movement arising in the Kingdom of Italy where despite being on the winning side, the Italians were cheated of their gains by the Allies’ duplicity. Yet I cannot help but think of how we should proceed from here on in because all of us have different opinions on how Germany should recover. We will get our revenge, which I can promise you. However, the Kaiserreich has made several mistakes that led to its own defeat, namely underestimating the power of the Allies. We hoped to make the United States neutral, but thanks to our own desperation, we made the Americans our enemy. I do not want to make that same mistake. Therefore, I propose to reform a German national movement that should not only aim to recover our territories that were stolen by the Allies, but to include territories where our countrymen live. I respect and admire the Kaiser, but if our dream of a Greater Germany is to become a reality, then we must also aim at carrying on the legacies of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire gave birth to two rival German states, one of which I proudly belong in the Kingdom of Prussia. Though Prussia remains supreme, I wish to reach out to our cousins in Austria and the borderlands of the new Czechoslovak state. Let us join hands in forming a German New Society.”
Richthofen’s proposal for a “German New Society” rang hollow in the minds of other members of the DNVP and due to some minor disagreements, he immediately thought about leaving the movement. However, his speech had resulted in several hundred new members joining the DNVP, almost all of them being of lower class. The traditional leadership of the DNVP criticized Richthofen for his populist stance and even Lothar expressed his skepticism on big brother Manfred’s plea for support from the public. Yet Manfred starkly reminded them, “Take care of your people and they will gladly follow you to the ends of the world”. Even though the German Junker class viewed the Richthofen family with admiration, Manfred’s experience while working as a Siemens assistant manager and full time manager in China opened his eyes and mind to a life experienced by the common folk. Even more so, his former subordinates had come from middle and lower classes and he shared a special bond with them. Well, most of them except for the pilot who was tragically killed on that same day the Red Baron were supposed to sortie. In Frankfurt, Manfred contemplated on giving up his membership in the DNVP until one of the new recruits came up to him and expressed his admiration. He then explained to the Red Baron of how he was frustrated to have been declared an invalid for a clubbed foot and how he had a failed operation that could not fix his leg. He pleaded to the Baron not to resign because he was the only living veteran that all of Germany can identify. It was in Frankfurt that the Richthofen brothers’ friendship with this individual would prove to be extremely helpful. The individual’s name was Joseph Goebbels.
Just before Manfred was set to continue his duties within the DNVP, the Abwehr contacted them just outside Frankfurt. According to Canaris, he had a secret operation in the United States where homegrown agents would easily give military secrets to Abwehr agents who would relay the information back to the Abwehr headquarters. Canaris pointed out that Manfred would not have to travel outside Europe, but he is required to give speeches throughout Germany. However, his first objective was to help set up a similar party in neighboring Austria. On December of 1924, Manfred and Wolfram journeyed to Salzburg to give a speech to the Austrian public, promoting the idea of an Anschluss between Germany and Austria. Many Austrians were thrilled to see a famous war veteran visiting their town, including another war veteran who was decorated by the last Habsburg emperor, one Georg von Trapp. It is also worth noting that Manfred and Georg first met in a Christmas party hosted by the latter while recovering from the loss of his wife, who died two years ago. They often talked about what they did during the war, and Manfred soon became fascinated by Georg’s experience in submarines that he offered to help establish the DNVP in Austria under the name Deutschenational Volkspartei Osterreich, but Georg hesitated. In his words that immortalized Austrian national identity, George famously said, “We Austrians did not fight the Turks for centuries just so we can allow a bunch of Prussian Junkers tell us what to do.” Georg’s response to Manfred had electrified the Austrian nationalists and immediately the von Richthofen brothers were summarily booted out of Austria. Before their departure though, Manfred met up with a pro-Anschluss faction that had just emerged after he gave his speech in Salzburg. The so-called Unification Party of Austria led by yet another unknown politician named Arthur Seyss-Inquart met up with Manfred at the border town of Branau and pledged their loyalty to him, but Manfred declined because he said that it was not the right time yet. The Unification Party of Austria established links with the DNVP and Seyss-Inquart also entertained an idea to Manfred that in addition to the reunification of the German lands, he could also restore the Kaiser on the throne and even spoke in favor of the Hohenzollern Restoration in the same manner as the Meiji Restoration in Japan a couple of decades earlier, but the Kaiser would have to share his power with the Reichstag in order to better manage this newly restored German state. In his memoirs, Manfred wrote about the idea of a Third Kaiserreich, since the First Kaiserreich was used to label the Holy Roman Empire, and the Second Kaiserreich was the nickname of the Wilhelmine German Empire. A “Third Kaiserreich” would not only be a continuation of the first two German Reichs, but hopefully different enough to try forming a potential coalition of states that might give support to the new Germany.
Georg von Trapp was not easily won over by Manfred von Richthofen's charisma when he proposed to form a similar movement to the DNVP in Austria. His impeccable record while serving in the former Austro-Hungarian Navy enhanced his pride as an Austrian and viewed Manfred with contempt because of his Prussian Junker background.
United States – From the Red Scare to Brown-Black Scare:
The United States of America emerged from the Great War in a prosperous manner, though it was marred by worker riots demanding better pay and better working conditions. The failed Bolshevik Revolution in Russia did little to cause a Red Scare when in 1919 there were several riots and fights breaking out throughout the mainland United States. The infamous Red Summer riots of 1919 involved whites seeking and attacking African Americans throughout the United States, and for the first time, African American groups formed armed “militias” to defend their communities against further white attacks. Even worse, anarchists of all kinds have launched mail bombs to several American businesses and US politicians. The deportation of Italian-American anarchist Luigi Galleani from the US to Italy along with many other Italian anarchists had not only bolstered the anarchist movement in Europe, but it also allowed underground socialists of all kinds to link up with the anarchists and to collaborate on their activities. Even though Marxist Communism may have been suffocated in its crib, the potential alliance and unification between the socialists and communists on one side, and anarchists and syndicalists on the other side would prove to be a potent and deadly force. It was the Black Scare of 1924 that escalated fascism’s appeal as an alternative to lawless anarchism. In September of 1920, the infamous Wall Street bombing had killed several people, and a failed assassination attempt against Alexander Mitchell Palmer was more than enough for him to ask the Department of Justice to grant him sweeping powers to deport suspected leftists. The trials of anarchists in the United States lasted from 1919 until 1924 when the US government began to shift its focus from fighting anarchists and socialists to combating the rise of far-right movements within its own soil.
Alexander Mitchell Palmer nearly died when he was visiting Wall Street to discuss his bank account with the bankers when the Wall Street bombing occurred. His close calls with death resulted in far greater convictions and deporations of leftists from the United States to their country of origin.
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So we're getting closer to the possible rise of Richthofen the charismatic leader of a reborn Germany. Unlike Hitler though, the Red Baron will have to be more subtle in his methods. Next update will be about Italy's post-war and hopefully I can find a suitable place for an anarcho-communist analogue to Al-Qaeda in terms of having anarcho-communist terrorists stage attacks.
Unfortunately, there are some OTL figures who served that Nazi Party that will be present ITTL, only they'll be with different parties. Imagine if Goebbels's talent in propaganda is mixed with the Red Baron's charisma, Germany is in for an extremely rough ride.
Manfred von Richthofen’s stint as a Siemens assistant manager in a factory where 2,000 Chinese workers labored on the manufacturing industry, producing radios for consumer use before he was promoted in March of 1924 to full time manager of a series of Siemens-led infrastructure projects in Beijing. At that time, Beijing was still the seat of the Beiyang government and its Kuomintang rivals expanded their economic, political and social collaboration with the White Russian regime. In addition, the three Cliques that were allied to each other (albeit reluctantly) had a major falling out due to disputes that arose from shady backroom deals not made in public. Von Richthofen’s position as manager of the Siemens Beijing Reconstruction Project was always in peril because of financial issues and because Germany was still obligated to pay reparations for its defeat in the Great War. Yet he could not abandon his position and condemn his Chinese employees to a life without any means of earning an income. So he held a meeting in April of 1924 in Tianjin between himself and several Chinese supervisors and told them about some changes that the Siemens office in the Chinese capital had to implement: wages would go down but a 40 hour workweek will be introduced with full lunch and snack breaks and subsidized (or free) transportation to the work site. Once the supervisors relayed the new changes to the employees, some of them bitterly quit their job but big brother Manfred got a big break when the top executives of Siemens notified him that the Abwehr was going to recall him back to Germany for political studies. As the Red Baron was just starting to experience the harsh life of a mere common, civilian manager in a prestigious company, his handlers in the Abwehr recalled him back to Germany, which he returned in May 17th. Upon his arrival, Manfred was escorted by Wolfram and Lothar to the Abwehr headquarters where they first met the delegation of the Deutschenationale Volkspartei’s militant arm, the Stahlhelm. In this milestone meeting, the von Richthofen brothers were asked on their political stance, a difficult question to answer since none of the brothers were politically informed. Finally, Canaris encouraged the von Richthofen brothers to join the DNVP as a way to enhance the Richthofen family’s fame and fortune, and to serve as a morale booster for a German public in need of a morale boost after the French and Belgian Armies occupied the Ruhr Valley when Germany could not pay its war reparations soon enough. When the Red Baron himself traveled to the Ruhr, he was furious to see French troops terrorizing the civilians who protested the occupation. Only after Lothar nearly got shot from an altercation with a French soldier did big brother Manfred called for another meeting with the DNVP and the Stahlhelm militant group. He came up with a series of proposals to attract the lower class into a party that is predominantly upper-class and middle-class. In addition, the “Richthofen Proposals” that Manfred would discuss with the DNVP also included a clause where he would oversee the recruitment of influential figures. In effect, the entire Richthofen family had officially joined the DNVP on November 11, 1924, the anniversary of Germany’s armistice with the Allies. Von Scheubner-Richter commented on Richthofen’s selection of such a date for his admission into the DNVP as inappropriate since it only signaled Germany’s growing pessimistic prospects but Rosenberg in Richthofen’s defense that November 11 was also a date worth remembering because in his words, “November 11, 1924 shall be the day Germany’s road to national resurgence begins”. On November 22nd, 1924, Manfred was scheduled to give a speech on his views about Germany’s present situation and how the German people should stop moping around and start doing something about it. This is the official speech:
“My fellow Germans who live not just in the present Weimar Republic, but my fellow Germans who are stranded in former Austrian lands that are now part of newly established independent Central European states, and in German Austria itself, I have come here to bring a message, not of false optimism, but of a sad reality. The sad reality is that with our economy going down the toilet, our Kaiser in exile as a result of agitation from a bunch of rabble rousers, and our army a shadow of its former self. The sad reality is that the victorious Allied powers did not want justice against us. They wanted revenge, especially our French adversary for whom they held us responsible for starting the Great War. They got their revenge for the humiliation we inflicted upon their decadent, collective egos and we’ve paid for it with our own defeat. By luck, I survived the Great War because of a simple, defective engine. I admit that I did not want to become the immortal warrior the Kaiser wanted me to become, but I do believe that my busted engine on the plane I used to fight the Allies have saved my life. Obscure individuals who could have made their mark in history remain obscure, but I have a second chance at making my own mark in the history of Germany. I am not here to bring any more pessimism, but to ask for your support. Recently, I learned of a new movement arising in the Kingdom of Italy where despite being on the winning side, the Italians were cheated of their gains by the Allies’ duplicity. Yet I cannot help but think of how we should proceed from here on in because all of us have different opinions on how Germany should recover. We will get our revenge, which I can promise you. However, the Kaiserreich has made several mistakes that led to its own defeat, namely underestimating the power of the Allies. We hoped to make the United States neutral, but thanks to our own desperation, we made the Americans our enemy. I do not want to make that same mistake. Therefore, I propose to reform a German national movement that should not only aim to recover our territories that were stolen by the Allies, but to include territories where our countrymen live. I respect and admire the Kaiser, but if our dream of a Greater Germany is to become a reality, then we must also aim at carrying on the legacies of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire gave birth to two rival German states, one of which I proudly belong in the Kingdom of Prussia. Though Prussia remains supreme, I wish to reach out to our cousins in Austria and the borderlands of the new Czechoslovak state. Let us join hands in forming a German New Society.”
Richthofen’s proposal for a “German New Society” rang hollow in the minds of other members of the DNVP and due to some minor disagreements, he immediately thought about leaving the movement. However, his speech had resulted in several hundred new members joining the DNVP, almost all of them being of lower class. The traditional leadership of the DNVP criticized Richthofen for his populist stance and even Lothar expressed his skepticism on big brother Manfred’s plea for support from the public. Yet Manfred starkly reminded them, “Take care of your people and they will gladly follow you to the ends of the world”. Even though the German Junker class viewed the Richthofen family with admiration, Manfred’s experience while working as a Siemens assistant manager and full time manager in China opened his eyes and mind to a life experienced by the common folk. Even more so, his former subordinates had come from middle and lower classes and he shared a special bond with them. Well, most of them except for the pilot who was tragically killed on that same day the Red Baron were supposed to sortie. In Frankfurt, Manfred contemplated on giving up his membership in the DNVP until one of the new recruits came up to him and expressed his admiration. He then explained to the Red Baron of how he was frustrated to have been declared an invalid for a clubbed foot and how he had a failed operation that could not fix his leg. He pleaded to the Baron not to resign because he was the only living veteran that all of Germany can identify. It was in Frankfurt that the Richthofen brothers’ friendship with this individual would prove to be extremely helpful. The individual’s name was Joseph Goebbels.
Just before Manfred was set to continue his duties within the DNVP, the Abwehr contacted them just outside Frankfurt. According to Canaris, he had a secret operation in the United States where homegrown agents would easily give military secrets to Abwehr agents who would relay the information back to the Abwehr headquarters. Canaris pointed out that Manfred would not have to travel outside Europe, but he is required to give speeches throughout Germany. However, his first objective was to help set up a similar party in neighboring Austria. On December of 1924, Manfred and Wolfram journeyed to Salzburg to give a speech to the Austrian public, promoting the idea of an Anschluss between Germany and Austria. Many Austrians were thrilled to see a famous war veteran visiting their town, including another war veteran who was decorated by the last Habsburg emperor, one Georg von Trapp. It is also worth noting that Manfred and Georg first met in a Christmas party hosted by the latter while recovering from the loss of his wife, who died two years ago. They often talked about what they did during the war, and Manfred soon became fascinated by Georg’s experience in submarines that he offered to help establish the DNVP in Austria under the name Deutschenational Volkspartei Osterreich, but Georg hesitated. In his words that immortalized Austrian national identity, George famously said, “We Austrians did not fight the Turks for centuries just so we can allow a bunch of Prussian Junkers tell us what to do.” Georg’s response to Manfred had electrified the Austrian nationalists and immediately the von Richthofen brothers were summarily booted out of Austria. Before their departure though, Manfred met up with a pro-Anschluss faction that had just emerged after he gave his speech in Salzburg. The so-called Unification Party of Austria led by yet another unknown politician named Arthur Seyss-Inquart met up with Manfred at the border town of Branau and pledged their loyalty to him, but Manfred declined because he said that it was not the right time yet. The Unification Party of Austria established links with the DNVP and Seyss-Inquart also entertained an idea to Manfred that in addition to the reunification of the German lands, he could also restore the Kaiser on the throne and even spoke in favor of the Hohenzollern Restoration in the same manner as the Meiji Restoration in Japan a couple of decades earlier, but the Kaiser would have to share his power with the Reichstag in order to better manage this newly restored German state. In his memoirs, Manfred wrote about the idea of a Third Kaiserreich, since the First Kaiserreich was used to label the Holy Roman Empire, and the Second Kaiserreich was the nickname of the Wilhelmine German Empire. A “Third Kaiserreich” would not only be a continuation of the first two German Reichs, but hopefully different enough to try forming a potential coalition of states that might give support to the new Germany.
Georg von Trapp was not easily won over by Manfred von Richthofen's charisma when he proposed to form a similar movement to the DNVP in Austria. His impeccable record while serving in the former Austro-Hungarian Navy enhanced his pride as an Austrian and viewed Manfred with contempt because of his Prussian Junker background.
United States – From the Red Scare to Brown-Black Scare:
The United States of America emerged from the Great War in a prosperous manner, though it was marred by worker riots demanding better pay and better working conditions. The failed Bolshevik Revolution in Russia did little to cause a Red Scare when in 1919 there were several riots and fights breaking out throughout the mainland United States. The infamous Red Summer riots of 1919 involved whites seeking and attacking African Americans throughout the United States, and for the first time, African American groups formed armed “militias” to defend their communities against further white attacks. Even worse, anarchists of all kinds have launched mail bombs to several American businesses and US politicians. The deportation of Italian-American anarchist Luigi Galleani from the US to Italy along with many other Italian anarchists had not only bolstered the anarchist movement in Europe, but it also allowed underground socialists of all kinds to link up with the anarchists and to collaborate on their activities. Even though Marxist Communism may have been suffocated in its crib, the potential alliance and unification between the socialists and communists on one side, and anarchists and syndicalists on the other side would prove to be a potent and deadly force. It was the Black Scare of 1924 that escalated fascism’s appeal as an alternative to lawless anarchism. In September of 1920, the infamous Wall Street bombing had killed several people, and a failed assassination attempt against Alexander Mitchell Palmer was more than enough for him to ask the Department of Justice to grant him sweeping powers to deport suspected leftists. The trials of anarchists in the United States lasted from 1919 until 1924 when the US government began to shift its focus from fighting anarchists and socialists to combating the rise of far-right movements within its own soil.
Alexander Mitchell Palmer nearly died when he was visiting Wall Street to discuss his bank account with the bankers when the Wall Street bombing occurred. His close calls with death resulted in far greater convictions and deporations of leftists from the United States to their country of origin.
---
So we're getting closer to the possible rise of Richthofen the charismatic leader of a reborn Germany. Unlike Hitler though, the Red Baron will have to be more subtle in his methods. Next update will be about Italy's post-war and hopefully I can find a suitable place for an anarcho-communist analogue to Al-Qaeda in terms of having anarcho-communist terrorists stage attacks.
Unfortunately, there are some OTL figures who served that Nazi Party that will be present ITTL, only they'll be with different parties. Imagine if Goebbels's talent in propaganda is mixed with the Red Baron's charisma, Germany is in for an extremely rough ride.
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