Going out of this and your earlier post about the importance and role of the military in society: Does this mean that there is a unified german army TTL? Or at least that the prussian one is sohehow seen as less prussian?
Es Geloybte Aretz Continuation Thread
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Technically, no, the German states still maintain separate military establishments. They only share a unified command, training cadre, procurement, supply system, communications, intelligence wing, police, judiciary, inspections regime, and intake management - you get the idea. De facto, it is a German army in that if you choose to make a career in it, you are able to move freely between all units. Draftees are typically assigned to units of their 'home' army, but even that is not guaranteed. If another unit has a specific need, you can be born in Bavaria and end up serving in the Hanseatic Engineer Regiment. At the institutional level, there is a residual loyalty to the subaltern monarch, especially in states with a strong historic identity, but there is no conflict of loyalty involved. An interesting feature is that while the enlisted men swear oaths to their respective monarchs or cities, the formulae (since 1926) are standardised and place the Reich ahead of the state. In any case, whatever pride other than patriotic most other ranks feel is of their regiment or arm, not their state.
The navy and air force are "Reich". All states provide draftees and all citizens have equal access to NCO and officer careers. Most years, there are enough volunteers not to require draftees because serving in these branches carries serious cachet.
How does Alasce Lorraine then fit into this entire situation, maybe it was this tl but wasn't the territory given to Franz Ferdinand children? How does the frenchness and lack og german in region effect its relationship with the rest of the german state? Are they the Texas or Hawaii of Germany? Has their been any attempt to weaken french identity?
It was constituted as a separate state under a Habsburg line, yes. But of course the baneful legacy of Bismarckian denationalisation lived on. The french-spreaking minority reduced in number through emigration and assimilation, but it remains an irritant to German national pride. Alsace-Lorraine was effwectively 'gifted' several Prussian line regiments as part of its establishment, but its draft intake still tends to be more widely distributed than elsewhere - today through institutional inertia. That also means that 'Wackes' are overrepresented in the navy, and just about every town along the border provinces has a Marinekameradschaft.
A lot of Alsaciens emigrated. The republic offered generous incentives, and Germany decided not to place obstacles in their way in the Auswanderergesetz of 1915. From the famous speech of Julius Leber (SPD) during that debate:
"Ihr Gelächter, werte Herren Konservative, ist so fehl am Platze wie jede gespielte Empörung. Was reden Sie groß, wovon Sie nichts verstehen! Erzwungene Gefolgschaft ist die Forderung eines Tyrannen, und wird ihm allemal zum Fluche.
Ich stand unter dieser Fahne von der Aller bis zur Düna im Feuer, und wir hätten unter uns keinen Kameraden gelitten, der nicht freien Willens zu uns gekommen wäre. Und wären es zehn Millionen Unwillige, sie wären kein Verlust. Wer nicht unter dem Panier des Reiches zu fechten willens ist, den brauchen wir in Deutschland nicht! Der mag gehen, wohin er möchte."
Got a question reading finished tl again because so good. Its mentioned poland will keep territories with polish population as low as 10%. Im assuming most of these lands their refering to is modern day Belarus, as they mentioned minsk. So excluding jews and germans who are protected under the constitution, and latter has german protection as well. How are these polish minority lands ruled? As mentioned above some of these lands only have small polish populations, and massive Belarusian majorities. Have the polish adopted a policy of polandisation? Has it been effective? Are these regions troublesome due to not being polish?
is their any policy difference pre and post second russian war. Post war is poland just full on destroy any russian or russian related culture?
Lastly with the conflict mostly being fought in Poland and no doubt reactionary russia will treat poland badly. Will Poland demand Smolensk in the peace treaty?
is their any policy difference pre and post second russian war. Post war is poland just full on destroy any russian or russian related culture?
Lastly with the conflict mostly being fought in Poland and no doubt reactionary russia will treat poland badly. Will Poland demand Smolensk in the peace treaty?
I thought there was a piece in the first part of the timeline about how there are different Polish sub-nationalities that would include Belarusians (although there was probably a different word used). Basically, as long as they don't consider themselves Russian, my impression was that they'd be more or less left alone.
Belarusians had quite weak national identity at the time and wherever they lived they were not troublesome miniority.
Wouldn't the policies of reactionary russia however bleed across the border? Isn't russia more or less turning belarussian identity into a russian one now?
What about Silesia? It was Prussias first real stepping stone and I havent been able to find anything that said the province was uncomfortable being prussian
I was given to understand that the staunch Orthodoxy of the Ruthenians/Belarusians caused at least a degree of friction with/discrimination by officialdom within the Second Polish Republic.
Poland (Second Republic and then also People's Republic of Poland) saw Belarusians as less troublesome than Ukrainians and even promoted Belarusian identity among Orthodox population of Polesia and Podlasie(whose dialects are closr to Ukrainian than Belarusian). Belrusians, who remained in Poland after 1945 were generally loyal citizens and largely assimilated. Their descendants today are mostly Orthodox Poles with east Slavic surnames.
Remarks from Burgundy, Erich Paul, Voss's Newspaper, November 1928 [post canon]
"Es wird mächtig geputzt. Ein Appell jagt den andern. Von allen Seiten werden wir revidiert. Was zerrissen ist, wird umgetauscht gegen gute Sachen. Ich erwische dabei einen tadellosen neuen Rock, Kat natürlich sogar eine volle Montur. Das Gerücht taucht auf, es gäbe Frieden, doch die andere Ansicht ist wahrscheinlicher: daß wir nach Rußland verladen werden. Aber wozu brauchen wir in Rußland bessere Sachen? Endlich sickert es durch: der Kaiser kommt zur Besichtigung."
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Any details to share on baden baden countries economies? Which ones are doing good, bad etc. Any have any particular focus such as tourism. How intertwined is their economies to germany? Do they use german currency?
That's a big question and I can not really do it justice here, but I'll try a basic answer for the years 1908-1930(ish) first.
The new countries do not use the Mark, but their currencies are pegged to it at favourable exchange rates (favourable to Germany). The treaties give them the right to go on the gold standard, but none of them managed so that part is dead letter.
Who is doing well, who is doing poorly? Depends on definitions, in part. Wolhynia is technically doing very well, with a solid current account surplus and thriving trade, but its peasantry is effectively living a colonial existence. Estonia is in near-perpetual crisis mode, overindebted and overtaxed, but its industrial sector of growing rapidly and many citizens work abroad and send back remittances from Finland or Germany. I would certainly much rather be a farmer there. Poland is poor, but the overall figure papers over a massive discrepancy between the underdeveloped and semi-feudal east and the thriving cities of the west. Finland is basically divided between an urban, industrialising coastal region and a rural inland and northeast mainly focused on resource extraction. Life in Helsinki is not much different from life in Berlin. Life in Kola is not very different from life in Siberia.
In bulk terms, Wolhynia and Poland are food exporting countries, with strong seconds in semi-finished products (yarn, cloth, leather etc.). Finland is strong in timber, minerals, and semi-refined industrial products. Lithuania is a lot like a smaller version of Poland, but with a more maritime and trade-focused urban centre. Latvia and Estonia are trying to become industrial countries, but the way there is thorny. Latvia exports a lot of tinned fish. If anyone outside knows any one product of the country, it's smoked sprats.
Their economies start out completely integrated into the German wear economy and slowly begin to disengage as time progresses. The terms of the treaty are harsh, but it allows for easing and exits if you can pay for things and service debts in hard currencies. Earning francs or Sterling is a survival strategy.
One thing that we will see a strong divergence on later is welfare state policy. Right now, all those countries are fairly rural and fairly poor. public services are patchy and emerging. But Finland, Estonia and Latvia are putting sincere effort into a comprehensive welfare state based on the emerging german or Swedish models while Lithuania, Poland and Wolhynia are not. The issue is highly contentious in Poland and Lithuania (with a strong, heavily politicised rural-urban divide), practically non-existent in Wolhynia, whose governing institutions are dominated by landowners. All three countries will be latecomers to the game and their population suffers for it mid-century.
Basically, a village in eastern Poland and one in central Finland are very much a like in 1910. But by 1940, the Finish village will have a school bus service, a community nurse, a part-time post office with postal banking that pays old age and invalid pensions weekly, a telephone, and either a visiting doctor or access to a regional clinic. The Polish village will probably have one or two of these amenities, if any.
Wolhynia intrigues me. How does it interact with Galicia in A-H? Presumably it has a Hapsburg monarch? Does it still have a reasonable German minority and how does it develop in terms of religion observance?
on top of that what is Wolhynia? They are described as ruthenians and now are trying to create a seperate identity from ukrainian, so any key differences. Also have they adopted any historical figures and stuff as Ruthienians. Like North Macedonia used to claim Makedonia and Alexander the Great etc, fabricating a identity and stating people are theirs etc. Is Ukrainian dying out now due to reactionary russia wanting to make everyone russian and this policy of new identity. Is there any major divide culturally between western and eastern Ukrainian? Has there been a divergence to cause cultural shift among the people there that they no longer see each other as the same people? Also is Lviv the capital and main city of Wolhynia?
Lastly Is Kiev part of Wolhynia, if not will it become part of Wolhynia post second war. This seems to be one of the most logical desires for the Ruthenian state to take the birth place of the Russ for the cultural reasons. along with the economic and political reasons to take it.
Lastly Is Kiev part of Wolhynia, if not will it become part of Wolhynia post second war. This seems to be one of the most logical desires for the Ruthenian state to take the birth place of the Russ for the cultural reasons. along with the economic and political reasons to take it.
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The last map I saw seems to suggest that Kiev is (barely) in Russian control after the peace. But of course, this is really for Carlton to answer.
EDIT: Ah, wait, Carlton spoke about it on the next page:
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Damn Wolhynia is not that big. No doubt after the second war both austria and germany will expand them. Just how much of ukraine will they get now.The last map I saw seems to suggest that Kiev is (barely) in Russian control after the peace. But of course, this is reall for Carlton to answer.
EDIT: Ah, wait, Carlton spoke about it on the next page:
kham_coc
Banned
That makes sense tbh, the river makes for a great border, Kiev would be a very hard concession for Russia, and its somewhat along the river where Russians start to outnumber west Ukrainians (no otl implications obvi).