Your challenge is to have a Kaiser of Germany rule or be a figurehead of the country after a roughly-OTL WWI and WWII. In this case, that means a WWI and II where the UK and France are allies against Germany and emerge victorious both times. Either the Hohenzollerns could return to power or another house rise to be some sort of monarch of Germany.
AHC: Post-WW2 German Kaiser
- Thread starter Rath
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- kaiserreich
Deleted member 94680
Have a senior Hohenzollern be definitely linked (martyred even?) with the anti-nazi groups in WWII? A figurehead for the movement, replacing the OTL Beck maybe, so the idea of the Hohenzollerns becomes linked with resistance to the nazis in WAllied imagery.
Post war, a Hohenzollern is restored to the throne of West Germany as part of the de-nazification process.
Post war, a Hohenzollern is restored to the throne of West Germany as part of the de-nazification process.
I think Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria would be a great choice for a non-Hohenzollern Kaiser if the Allies decided to restore the monarchy for whatever reason. The Crown Prince said to King George V in 1934 that Hitler was insane, and voiced dissent against him, and even spoke of ambitions for the German Crown during the war, while his wife and children were detained in 1944 first to Sachsenhausen and then to Dachau a year later.
Deleted member 94680
With Hohenzollerns problem was that they were too pro-Nazis. Wasn't grandson of the last Kaiser participated to Nazi activities? And Wilhelm II even praised occupations of Netherlands by Germans. So if you want Hohenzollerns kill Wilhelm II off before WW2 and make them strongly anti-Nazis or then some another royal family.
Another problem is that possible candidate has get Brits and Americans accept restoration of monarchy. Brits might be OK but it would be quiet difficult with Americans.
Another problem is that possible candidate has get Brits and Americans accept restoration of monarchy. Brits might be OK but it would be quiet difficult with Americans.
That'd be very interesting. Perhaps he has a slightly different personality that leads him to vocally oppose the Nazi's and side with the British. Perhaps coupled with a Blunted Sickle type French survival (and no US participation), and less destruction of German institutions due to a shorter war where (as predicted by ABS) "Prussian Militarism" is seen as the most significant issue with Germany. With a still-isolationist US, there is no Marshall plan or British desire to tear down German institutions beyond "Prussian Militarism", because of the need to rebuild them again. A useful pre-nazi institution with a lot of support in the military is monarchism (hopefully the Hohenzollerns are all dead, preferably by Nazi hands). Greater monarchism in Britain and an opposition to "Prussian Militarism" leads to an implementation of south German rule by Rupprect? This might need the POD to increase monarchism in the UK. Perhaps it could cause a British Royal dies in WWI in an extremely valiant way--hopefully somewhere where he is not fighting Germans--, earning a Victoria Cross and being turned into a national hero?
You'd still need France to go along with it, or maybe they get absolutely fucked up in the war and are not in a position to negotiate anything?
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Prince Louis Ferdinand actually had connections to some anti-Nazi figures and was even contemplated as a possible head of state by the July 20th plotters.
Deleted member 94680
Why oppose the British? Oppose one of the Powers that will occupy Germany? That’s not going to get him on the throne.
That’s Britain that is already a monarchy and has had no serious republican movement for 300 years by this point?
Sorry, I meant to write “Side with the British”
By “monarchists” I mean those who actually believe that monarchs with significant power are an advantage, and support “exporting” monarchy when they can, like Americans with democracy.
Deleted member 94680
Ah, that makes more sense.
Maybe some kind of “east west split” where the Americans set up regimes in Asia and the British had the responsibility for Europe? So all WAllied aligned states in Europe are Constitutional Monarchies and all the ones in Asia are Presidential Republics?
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Perhaps this could happen with no US-german war. If Germany fails to take out France completely and the US never joins, this could be a thing.
Not sure. USA probably would find itself on war against Germany. It hardly butterflies Pearl Harbor away. Or then there might be another incident which enforce USA declare war to Axis.
And some legal foundation, maybe if the person was a king of a German principality, there were a few.
In Japan the Americans had no problem with the monarchy
Japan was already monarchy and Americans even thought abolishing that but noticed that there is not way abolish Japanese monarchy. Germany was totally another thing. It was already republic so it was easy keep things like that. Americans didn't toor estore Afghan and Iraqi monarchies in OTL altough they could had.
Yeah after Wilhelm III the Kaisers became way less militarist
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The Hohenzollern might be too associated with militarism and fighting the entente to be restored, which is why I think Rupprect would be a great idea. Maybe if Ferdinand is both more anti-nazi and marries a member of a major allied noble house?