A stab in the dark: The second German civil war
Good question, considering that he was much more conservative than his brother Otto. Maybe he leads a new central government?
Ch 3: Battle of the Fatherlands
Chapter 3: Battle of the Fatherlands
“Death to Strasserism! Long live the New Fatherland!” – Slogan of the Bavarian Fascist Corps
The Descent: A history of the Second German Civil War by Thomas Scott
From a historian’s perspective, the frequent destruction of official documentation (even before the intervention) and the slow decay of formal bureaucracy presents a large obstacle in cataloguing the events going on following the outbreak of hostilities in Germany, but there are a number of reliable sources that allow us to construct a somewhat detailed picture. Perhaps the most reliable are the reports by foreigners to the international news, but another valuable source is the communications between the Bremen commune and Moscow which presents a somewhat accurate look of the tactical situation in Germany up until 1935 with the onset of the soviet power struggle. One of the significant players outside Germany at this time was Austria, functioning as both a key ally and a gateway for Italian support in both men and supplies which played a key role in sustaining the Bavarian fascists as well as other catholic militias in southern Germany. By the winter of 1934 clear “sides” had taken shape with the primary players being the Brauchitsch-led Wehrstaat, Hess’ party government, the Strasser Brothers’ Volksrepublik and the communists in Bremen and the Ruhr. Initially, it was only the Wehrstaat and the Party government that had any real chances of territorial expansion as the more ideologically-aligned (as opposed to claiming to be the continuation government) factions were largely confined to their territories of ideological support.
This largely explains the reasons behind “black December”; the factions not actively trying to expand instead turned inward, embarking on mass campaigns of ideological purges, each with their own horrifying bent: the Volksrepublik killed not only ideological opponents but also most “non-aryans”, whilst the executions of the Ruhr army are exceptional for their sheer scale. The revelation of these atrocities in January 1935 finally spurred the rest of Europe to action and the first session of the London conference openly floating the idea of an international intervention, which in turn likely spurred on the pro-intervention camp in Poland to pursue unilateral involvement in the conflict. By this time Italy and Austria had already intervened semi-directly with the deployment of the auxiliary Legionary Airforce and Corps of Volunteer Troops in service of the Bavarian Republic as well as the Second Catholic League as a whole. There were also a collection of international volunteers travelling to Bremen on their own accord, but the aftermath of the Ruhr purges dampened the calls for any large-scale organized efforts to participate amongst socialists and communists. Whilst the news emerging from Germany was a cause for concern amongst the European powers, the war-weary populace of the continent did not yet provide enough support for a decisive intervention.
Unless the Volksrepublik is in an area that is highly homogonous or is tiny it isn't really possible for them to kill "most non-Aryans" . It takes a lot of planning and infrastructure to carry that out and they would be dispersing their strength at a time they really need it for their rivals. That is something they would after, not before, they win. Of course the occasional pogrom is given.
BigBlueBox
Banned
This is a perfectly logical assumption. But the Nazis and their fascist fellow travelers were not logical. If the Nazis applies this logic the Holocaust never would have happened.
Except the Nazis didn't kill "most non-Aryans" before they took over. That took time, money and planning. It didn't really ramp up until after the war broke out.
BigBlueBox
Banned
The Nazis didn’t have the power to do that before they were in control of the government. Here the Strasserists have their own little fiefdom to do whatever they want.
Which was 1933, the truly massive killings didn't start until 1942. That is nine years after they took over.
BigBlueBox
Banned
Internment of Jews in camps already began before the war. In the middle of a civil war there's no time to build camps, so they go straight to the Einsatzgruppen-style executions. Seems perfectly plausible to me.
The problem is time, organization and money. They simply don't have any of that, particularly time. This can't be done in an instant.
BigBlueBox
Banned
Strasserists don't have any Reichswehr personnel anyways. just a radical splinter faction of the SA. It doesn't look like the Strasserists are trying particularly hard to win hearts and minds.
The population also would have had far less time to be brainwashed via propaganda so a higher percentage would object. Huge projects don't happen overnight. Frankly, I believe that, like OTL, serious planning on doing so wouldn't happen until the Strassers actually have control of the government.
Yes- if there's killings, I'd expect them to be sudden and localised brutality. Jewish prisoners being shot, or synagogues burnt when a village is 'secured.' Terror from the ground up, as it were.
BigBlueBox
Banned
So we’re in agreement then, because that’s exactly what I meant when I said “Einsatzgruppen-style executions”.