Es Geloybte Aretz - a Germanwank
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Would it alleviate your worries if I tell you Grand Duke Sergei survives? Probably not.
I like this TL. Subscribed!
And the title is intriguing....
I know my comments here are very late but...
Thanks.
I figured on that one being intentional. It is supposed to signal a dedication to restoring the German dominance of the baltic that 19th century historians ascribed to the "German Hansa". Partly a signal to Britain that this is not about the Atlantic, but mostly a signal to Russia that Berlin considers the Baltic a German concern. It's undiplomatic, and I admit I don't know well enough how touchy these things were, but I note that the Royal Navy happily reused prize names of captured French ships in the nineteenth century, so I suppose it casn't have been such a big deal. The supposed pattern I have in mind for the German navy is:
Battleships named after realms and historical persons
Heavy cruisers named after Hanseatic cities
Light cruisers and named after birds or fish
Destroyers and torpedo boats have only numbers
They did. It seems that their heavy losses in the Russo-Japanese war were partly owed to their reliance on Prussian infantry tactics.
You are right, of course.
I got the idea into my head somehow that Ostafrika was the first rather than the last to go into direct government. You have that right, too, of course. I was thinking of the Araberaufstand, which completely unravelled company control.
Yes and no. He has a very large remit (not quite as large as Wilhelm II OTL, but plenty to keep him busy). There are reports from the colonies, but they do not look at all different from reports that come from British holdings. As far as Wilhelm is concerned, that is fine. He is a liberal by Prussian standards, but to any modern, he would be an awful racist and authoritarian.
Well, maybe...
According to the Ericsson website in 1900 they employed 1000 employees worldwide? Doesn´t sound exactly like a serious competitor (back then) to Siemens, AEG or whatever?
The "secret stuff" though is fascinating.
Oh, yes, they do. The main problem I see here is that ethnic chauvinism and antisemitism are European phenomena, so they won't just disappear from Germany because the Emperor disapproves. Wilhelm II disapproved of Social Democracy, and that didn't help much. But you are, of course, right that this is an important factor and has created a very fragile political constellation. The imperial government traditionally relies on the Kartellparteien to ensure it gets its laws through the reichstag. There are negotiations and horse-trading going on, but it is all among people with very similar agendas. Given the highly problematic nature of the Bismarckian political institutions (they don't really work unless you break the rules), everybody is very worried how a real conflict between the reichstag and the emperor will play out. With the emperor not following the national conservatives on their path into increasing chauvinism and antisemitism, that is now a potential wedge issue. Parts of the conservative spectrum are contemplating open opposition to the imperial government on the issue, but of course that is anathema to most conservatives. Loyalty is their raison d'etre. If the conservative bloc fragments, the emperor's Reichstag majority is gone (and with the growing Zentrum and Social Democrat representation, the Kartellparteien already need the votes of Christian Social and other fringe representatives). Thus, Wilhelm is unwilling to touch this in public, though sympathetic to others who voice liberal opinions.
Given this Wilhelm´s reaction to the Lesche - Gernsdorf duel / murder (page 8) and his friendship to Rathenau I would expect him to mention this - to conservatives - inconvenient fact.
Conservatives in Prussia first want to forget the legacy of Frederick the Great and then the legacy of the "Freiheitskriege" (Liberation wars againist Napoleon 1813-1815)?
They were quite willing to abandon it wholesale IOTL. Of course there is the difference between what you might call paleoconservatives - Prussians longing for the good old days before universal suffrage and social democrats - and neoconservatives - German ultranationalists with antisemitic and racist agendas who don't care for a separate Prussian identity. The latter are much more successful among the urban lower middle classes, which means a growing constituency.
Not to mention that both France and Russia (as mentioned in countless posts) are a possible threat to Germany. Anyone inciting distrust or hate among loyal German citizens (because of religion, origin or language) is therefore pretty close to treason.
(Leak to the press from some anonymous senior administration official.)
A fair number of senior officials say as much in public.
Don´t mention it.
Nope. Won´t work.
This is early 1902.
You don´t name your naval ship / army division whatever after a town or region you don´t own. Not during peace times. And it will be taken as an indication of your future intentions if you do. There is no way in h*ll Germany in early 1902 would name a naval ship after a Russian Baltic Sea town.
Sounds good so far. Of course this TL German navy is supposed to be smaller. So:
- Battleships named after realms (Prussia, Bavaria...)
(- the future battle cruisers named after generals maybe?)
- heavy (armored) cruisers named after Hanseatic League port cities
- light cruisers named after German cties
- "Destroyers and torpedo boats have only numbers"
<Snip>
According to your own TL this Wilhelm III is a nerd. Unless really, really distracted by something else he will want the best information on his own colonies before making a suggestion at that international conference, Meaning that he would really resent being embarrassed by some current newspaper reports.
Indeed not. Mukden was a Japanese victory IOTL, but nothing of that extent. With the strike preventing supplies for whatever is left of the Russian military...
It will be interesting to see the Japanese gains of the peace treaty.
SMS LÜbeck it is, then. They can build SMS Reval in 1910.
Perhaps. There will not be an SMS Preußen, though. It's bad luck - what if it's sunk?
I want to keep the Bundesmarine tradition of having cruisers named after birds, for "old times' sake", so to speak.
He is embarrassed, but of course he can always point to the fact that it is "not policy", so to speak. he has clear rules about how colonies are supposed to be run. reality on the ground looks different, but simply taking a look at recent history will show how long it takes for news of systematic violations of rules to penetrate into the public consciousness. The colonial charter has no more chance than the universal peace agreement pushed by Nicholas II at the Hague, sadly.
Adler
Banned
As for the names German navies, except the Kriegsmarine under Hitler, did never have a problem naming ships "Deutschland" or "Preußen", even at the danger of the loss.
The historical naming conventions were:
1. Battleships: Named after states or rulers
2. Armoured Cruiser/Battlecruiser: Named after persons
3. Light Cruiser: Named after towns and cities
4. Gunboats: Named after animals
5. Smaller boats: Only numbers
Even in the very beginning of the Kaiserliche Marine these conventions were soon accepted. So a naming of these ships in another way would be a problem.
Adler
The historical naming conventions were:
1. Battleships: Named after states or rulers
2. Armoured Cruiser/Battlecruiser: Named after persons
3. Light Cruiser: Named after towns and cities
4. Gunboats: Named after animals
5. Smaller boats: Only numbers
Even in the very beginning of the Kaiserliche Marine these conventions were soon accepted. So a naming of these ships in another way would be a problem.
Adler
Vielen Danke fur Eine Zusse Grosse Deutsche-wank!
I'm kvelling about how you've balanced the far-more-savvy Albert and Kaiser Wilhelm III teasing Germany out of the diplomatic corner it painted itself into OTL trying to play naval chicken with the Great Britain and trying really hard to defuse antisemitism and anti-Slavic discrimination.
Having Germany on board with Polish nationalism's a little weird, but OK. Regardless of how much fun they get out of twisting Tsar Nick's tail, they're creating a shitstorm for the Austrians and themselves to deal with.
The big problem is that yes, Albert and Billy the Younger have managed to keep Britain neutral and assure them they're not hostile and put together memos of understanding with Whitehall, but the Germans are still largely without a dance partner 100% in their corner.
What would do a world of good is Britain and Germany making a much more formal alliance with free trade and defense cooperation.
Germany needs it and the UK'd be smart to work with it, because it'd put the two most innovative European commercial powers in league with each other instead of at loggerheads.
One can only hope that the German-Japanese alliance bears some good fruit and gives Taisho democracy a fighting chance, but that's twenty years down the road.
I'd love to see Germany following the better angels of its nature.
It's ghastly to see Russia going through the grotesque tribulations as OTL through 1905 without much home improvement. I see the same half-hearted olive branch to Constitutional Democrats reformists that neuters all parties that allowed things to limp along until WWI forces the issue of who's really in charge and responsible for running the country.
Also, hopefully, the Ottoman Empire gets a chance to clean house and survive a couple of decades or so more rather than let the Sauds as landlords of Mecca and Medina.
Anyhow excellent TL!
I'm kvelling about how you've balanced the far-more-savvy Albert and Kaiser Wilhelm III teasing Germany out of the diplomatic corner it painted itself into OTL trying to play naval chicken with the Great Britain and trying really hard to defuse antisemitism and anti-Slavic discrimination.
Having Germany on board with Polish nationalism's a little weird, but OK. Regardless of how much fun they get out of twisting Tsar Nick's tail, they're creating a shitstorm for the Austrians and themselves to deal with.
The big problem is that yes, Albert and Billy the Younger have managed to keep Britain neutral and assure them they're not hostile and put together memos of understanding with Whitehall, but the Germans are still largely without a dance partner 100% in their corner.
What would do a world of good is Britain and Germany making a much more formal alliance with free trade and defense cooperation.
Germany needs it and the UK'd be smart to work with it, because it'd put the two most innovative European commercial powers in league with each other instead of at loggerheads.
One can only hope that the German-Japanese alliance bears some good fruit and gives Taisho democracy a fighting chance, but that's twenty years down the road.
I'd love to see Germany following the better angels of its nature.
It's ghastly to see Russia going through the grotesque tribulations as OTL through 1905 without much home improvement. I see the same half-hearted olive branch to Constitutional Democrats reformists that neuters all parties that allowed things to limp along until WWI forces the issue of who's really in charge and responsible for running the country.
Also, hopefully, the Ottoman Empire gets a chance to clean house and survive a couple of decades or so more rather than let the Sauds as landlords of Mecca and Medina.
Anyhow excellent TL!
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