DBWI: German Kaiser steps down, declares republic.

Have you ever felt it was perhaps the same way for us? I'd welcome a relax on repression at home and an increase in the substantive level of democracy more than anyone. But it will be politically untenable without a detente.

Your sentiments are valid, even admirable, but it is America that must work towards Detente. As seen in Germany, it is Socialism, with its internationalism, that is an agressive doctrine by nature. The League of Nations is a force for peace, but will not budge on issues in which we are in the right for the sake of detente. In addition, while better relatiosn with your country will benefit us all, we will not abandon our support for the Mujihadeen and other groups in India.

If your government would let the German situation go, then perhaps we would have a road to peace instead of Cold War.

We will perhaps withdraw our recognition of the German government in exile as part of a prospective peace deal. We cannot, however, speak for Russia.

The peaceful changing of governments, however, is. Also, unlike our unfortunate Maoist comrades in India, we don't interprate the phrase "threat to socialism" too broadly.

Certainly you are more fortunate than they. I admit that progress in America is possible internally. This is why we are not sponsoring American freedom fighters. The Mexican case is a special one.

It was the British Raj that made a democratic regime impossible in India. We all have our part to share in the blame for the India situation.

True, but one cannot pin the crimes of the Bose regime on a hundred years of British rule. People commit crimes, not centuries. In any case, succesful democracies have grown from the British Empire and remained in the Commonwealth, like Malaya and Zimbabwe Rhodesia.

Why wouldn't we punish someone severely for murder or espionage? Even so, we're not in the business of summary exectutions here. We have no death penalty, and we offer defendants a trial with defense.

True, but people suspecte dof connections to our Mexican friends can end up in camps in Montana which are hardly the Assam Penitence Centre but hardly a picnic either.

Both our nations possess large conventional militaries. We have them, just as you do, to support our allies who might be under the threat of military invasion by their neighbors. Like Israel or the Congo or now Germany, for example.

I believe that the situation in the Middle East could have been resolved earlier if not for American involvement. In the 50s, Egypt and Israel were willing to cut a deal and tell Syria t stuff it until America gave the Zionists the impression they could have it the cake of peace by American protection and eat the cake of Jerusalem.

I imagine many German Jews will arrive soon, now that the Kaiserreich's ban on Aliya has been lifted. this will complicate the situation enormously.

Well, would you really trust me if I was in the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs?

Fair point.

We fought racism and homophobia at home, even during times when security was vital. Well I admit their were many misteps, and the Communist Party's lack of emphasis on the problem were what contributed to its eventual downfall, but we still accomplished it. There is no reason why Britain cannot do the same. Our Foreign Secretary is looking for detente, even with the Germany situation.

Valuable as detente would be, a sure way to derail the peace process is to try and put purely internal matters on the table. We will arrive at a British solution to a British problem.

I was arrested at a protest to the war in Vietnam in my youth. I know the limits of dissent here just as well as anybody. But we're still making progress, in spite of problems.

That's true. Nevertheless, a sure way to make progress and institutionalise it is for citizens to broaden their horizons, which right now requires some illegal reading.

Do your parliamentary parties let everyone know their deliberations about which candidates to field?

Not all, but anyone who can raise the necessary resources can run in a constituency.

OOC: If the OP doesn't mind, some news. I'm imagining Russia as a constitutional monarchy with a Tsar who is, on paper, strong but not at all 1905 strong. However, the energetic young Tsar has heavily subverted democracy while maintaining its appearence. "Malorussia" has a very strong local identity but is as Russian as Moscow.

Russian Tsar appears before Duma with German "Kaiser"

Today, Piotr IV, returning from his lightning tour of Malorussia to celebrate Malorussian hero Bohdan Khmelnystky, which culminated in a televised speech in Kiev in which several were injured by the crowd, adressed the Duma in company with "Otto V", recognised by Russia as the Kaiser of Germany.

To frenzied cheers and waving of Russian and German flags, he announced that "Our nation was born when the hardy Slavs made their way north to escape the ravages of the Mongols. For a thousand years, the loyalty and determination of our people has been the shelter for civilisation amid storms of barbarism. When the second Rome fell, it was to us to be the third and preserve Christianity in the darkest times. When Napoleon overran Europe, we, in alliance with the armies of German liberty, came to its rescue. And now, just as two hundred years ago Russia and Germany stood together against a foreign tyrant, we will stand together against a German one!"

Otto then tried to give a speech through an interpreter, but was forced to cut short when notorious Primorskii MP Mariya Paskevich stirred the government benches into an impromptu rendition of "God Save the Tsar". Vladimir Ligachev of Kaluga, one of the few Social Revolutionary members still attending the Duma, claims he was assaulted by Ghazaras Janikyan of the Armenian Loyalist federation. Janikyan has apologised, claiming it was an accidental collision in the excitement of the moment.

Chairman of the German People's Soviet Karl Eberstark commented: "That Citizen Hapsburg was unable to be heard over Russian imperialists baying for blood is emblemetic of the situation here. He is, we regret to say, no longer welcome in the land of his birth."

The speech generated a ripple in international relations. The French government, previously wavering, formally announced its recognition of Otto. The Ottoman Empire criticised the "insensitive" reference to Constantinople at a time when the two empires seemed close to a settlement over Bulgaria.

The speech marks a new focus on Germany in Russia's policy. Shortly afterwards, Russian diplomats quietly approached their Japanese counterparts. Japanese officials claimed that a deal had been which would drop Russian claims to the Kurils and establish a condominium on Sakhalin/Karafuto whereby Russian and Japanese settlers at each end of island would retain their citizenships while being resident in a semi-independent "joint protectorate", and that negotiations were in progress. Russia refused to comment, possibly fearing that important Far Eastern supporters of the Tsar such as Ms.Paskevich and General Lazutkin, the colourful Ataman of the Ussuri Cossacks, would be alienated by a raproachment in the Sea of Okhotsk.
 
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Russia an Japan should reallu cooperate to tackle the common threat of Republicanism!!!!

I for one have long advocated such a deal, and Britain will be happy to provide useful input. Russia and Japan are natural friends, and a freezing rock in te north Pacific into which they have both sunk their national pride should not change that.

OOC: An now for something completely different! The opinions of these characters are in no way my own. I though I should re-iterate. You'll see why.

Russia an Japan should reallu cooperate to tackle the common threat of Republicanism!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm no fan of republics! A vile and unnatural form of governent lacking strong leadership and national unity which puts man into a debased state where his better passions either whither and die or are inflamed into an orgy of idolatry!

Republicanism is an enemy of Russia, certainly, but Japan is another enemy of Russia! I see no reason why se should make any concessions to this half-civilised Asian country simply because a group of illegal immigrants have landed on our island! I'm sure the boat people will be less than thrilled, since they probably made the voyage in order to live in a great nation like Russia anyway!

I very much regret that we are abandoning the strategic Kuril islands. First Alaska, now this! I'm sure some of the stoddy old men in the foreign office want to sell Siberia to the heathen Chinaman! Yermak Timofeyoivich would turn in his grave and be ashamed!

Fortunately, we have a Tsar who would not allow such a betrayal. As a member of the Russian army, I am forbidden from advising all loyal subjects of his majesty to give generously to the Yermak Foundation for the colonisation of Siberia, who intend to swamp the proposed Sakhalin protectorate in good Russians and thus incorporate it into our empire. This is why I am not advising you to donate to the Yermak foundation.

General Ataman Kuzma Lazutkin.
 
Apparently Premier Malcolm Little of the USSA has just made a public announcement on PBS. He has stated very publically that American intelligence sources have picked up major troop and material movements in the Russian Empire to advanced positions in Byelorussia and Poland.

He's ordered the US Strategic Nuclear Forces to DEFCON 3 in response to this aggressive posturing, in the hopes of scaring off any attempts at aggression. He has also ordered the V Corps to Germany. Combat elements of the 3rd Motor Rifle Division should be on the ground within 24 hours.

This could turn ugly very quickly.
 
You know what I find is funny? It was the Zentrumspartei (and its equivalents for other religions, which I hear are planning to merge together into one huge party for all religious types) and the National Liberals that were really pushing hard for the republic thing, not the SPD - despite what people from the outside world are saying, since they apparently can't see the difference between the National Liberals and the SPD. And who knows - I'm no Socialist, thank goodness, but apparently the SPD is not as 'socialist' as, say, the KPD. That, thank goodness, is also a good thing - in fact, the SPD is probably the only pro-monarchist party out there! (other than the right wing, but that's expected of the right wing) Apparently, the centre in Germany wanted the Kaiser to go (something about the problems of Prussia and the fact that the Kulturkampf got WAY out of control, even for the Protestants), as did a good deal of Germans, because of the current economic crisis and the Kaiser's, well, incomptence (to put it politely). Ah, the joys of living in Switzerland - one doesn't have to worry about such petty matters - even if everyone wants to copy what you do. :D
 
You know what I find is funny? It was the Zentrumspartei (and its equivalents for other religions, which I hear are planning to merge together into one huge party for all religious types) and the National Liberals that were really pushing hard for the republic thing, not the SPD - despite what people from the outside world are saying, since they apparently can't see the difference between the National Liberals and the SPD. And who knows - I'm no Socialist, thank goodness, but apparently the SPD is not as 'socialist' as, say, the KPD. That, thank goodness, is also a good thing - in fact, the SPD is probably the only pro-monarchist party out there! (other than the right wing, but that's expected of the right wing) Apparently, the centre in Germany wanted the Kaiser to go (something about the problems of Prussia and the fact that the Kulturkampf got WAY out of control, even for the Protestants), as did a good deal of Germans, because of the current economic crisis and the Kaiser's, well, incomptence (to put it politely). Ah, the joys of living in Switzerland - one doesn't have to worry about such petty matters - even if everyone wants to copy what you do. :D

OOC: Dude, Hapsburg Kaiser, PoD after Napoleon, "people's chairman" in Germany... I love a twist as much as the next man, but this is just out of whack. I'm pretending this didn't happen.
 
Oh, lord. I wasn't expecting this to happen, I can tell you. Everything moved so damn fast... I have to go. If there's one way to get the Russians to slow down, its to convince the Kaiser he wants peace, which he does. Socialism is going to be a nightmare for Germany, but war will be worse. If he makes a statement that war isn't the answer, that's the justification for Russia's grandstanding gone.

I'm sure they're only trying to squeeze further concessions out of the USSA. I'm sure. But this is going too far.

Your correspondant regrets that there are no accompanying pictures as these, like many other elements removed by Russian intelligence officers, are considered overly sensitive information at this stage.

Russian troops are arriving at forward bases such as the one near Kovel from which I report by the hour, coming from all parts of the empire. Their diversity is fascinating even under these grim circumstances: their are Russians of all kinds, Malorussians speaking the slurred dialect of this region, Muscovites, Siberians, men from the shores of two seas and two oceans, and the famous Cossacks. There are lorries bringing up troops from the Caucasus: Georgians and Armenians and Tartars ["Caucasian Tartar" or "Caucasian Turk" was the pre-independence term for an Azeri] pass by, talking in their exotic and impenetrable languages. Some days ago, a battalion of Finnish rifles, said to be some of the finest light troops in the world, passed through. I talked to one Asiatic-looking character speaking Russian to the bushy-haired Slavs that made up the rest of his unit and he turned out to come from a Mongol tribe who live on the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia. The only conspicuous absense are the Poles, who are by their statute of autonomy only permitted to serve in their own country.

All these units stop here briefly before being assigned to their final destinations nearer the frontier. There is an air of purposeful chaos as the depot's officers run back and forth, clipboards in hand, to interrogate the convoys tailing away from the checkpoints. The air is filled by the rich meaty sound of the Russian language, enlived by the occasional rush of a Turkic or a more obscure speech.

Moral is high, surprisingly so. I asked a regiment of Belorussians what they thought of the the unfolding crisis. There was a definate consensus that socialism was a threat that needed to be put in its place and that only Russia could do that. "God Save the Tsar" and other songs were carried from the departing convoys by the wind.

Nevertheless, nervousness and uncertainty are everywhere. The mobilisation is unexpected: most regiments do not know there stations until arriving at Kovel. It is the Russian practice to leave half of a division's regiments at home and half in a garrison somewhere in the Empire. This means that temporary divisions have to be thrown together from the units in the western districts while they wait for their other regiments to arrive. Privately and anonymously, a colonel told me that he hopes there is no war, as Russia's forces, though brave and well-equipped and trained, are currently in a dangerous state of disorganisation, in contrast to the formidably efficient American army.


Today, addressing the nation by television and radio, Chairman of the German People's Council Karl Eberstark appealed to Germany to raise "Freikorps" to resist any Russian attacks. This seems to be a propaganda gesture to undercut Russia's appeal to Germany's past struggles for liberation and to show that Germany's new government will not back down. In practice it will probably mean a revitalisation of the Landwehr and Landsturm, left relatively untouched by the mass flight of German officers after the revolution. Students at Amsterdam University have already announced their formation of a volunteer unit. More later as details become clear.
 
With Red Air Force bombers already holding station over the Arctic, I doubt that war will begin. The young Tsar may be overconfident in his ability to wield hard power on the international scene, but he's nobody's fool. Hopefully the Kaiser will back down from his posturing, so that a forces reduction can be effected. I don't want the Last War to begin over something so relatively trivial.
 
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