FLAG CHALLENGE #152: Reich Dead Redemption
The unthinkable has occured. The National Socialist German Reich under Führer Adolf Hitler, alongside his Axis allies, have won the Second World War. Now fastfoward to 2016, in which that Reich, and that Axis of Evil, has reformed.
This is the challenge: make a flag for a democratized/liberalized Axis nation in an Axis victory TL. The flag can be for the Italians, the Germans, the Japanese, some other Axis-aligned state, maybe a successor state after a collapse or one of the breakaway states forever impacted by decades of fascist rule.
The level of Axis victory ought to be explained along with the flag. Is it total world domination? Regional? Is it an ASB Weltreich? Man in the High Castle? Do the Germans only take Bohemia and Poland? Is it only a reversal of Versailles? You decide!
Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 4 October 2016
Voting Period: 5 October - 12 October 2016
For more details on general rules, click and read the FIRST PAGE
The unthinkable has occured. The National Socialist German Reich under Führer Adolf Hitler, alongside his Axis allies, have won the Second World War. Now fastfoward to 2016, in which that Reich, and that Axis of Evil, has reformed.
This is the challenge: make a flag for a democratized/liberalized Axis nation in an Axis victory TL. The flag can be for the Italians, the Germans, the Japanese, some other Axis-aligned state, maybe a successor state after a collapse or one of the breakaway states forever impacted by decades of fascist rule.
The level of Axis victory ought to be explained along with the flag. Is it total world domination? Regional? Is it an ASB Weltreich? Man in the High Castle? Do the Germans only take Bohemia and Poland? Is it only a reversal of Versailles? You decide!
Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 4 October 2016
Voting Period: 5 October - 12 October 2016
For more details on general rules, click and read the FIRST PAGE
The flag is of, and pardon what is almost certainly poor latin courtesy of Google Translate, Novum Respublica Romana, or, the New Roman Republic, formed following the death of the Duce in 1963 after a heart attack within the "embrace" of his mistress.
Placed upon the tricolor flag that represented the return of true republicanism to the Italian peninsula during the Napoleonic era, the flag of the resurrected Roman Republic is similar to that of the Kingdom of Italy that it directly replaced in all areas but that within the shield that was, originally, the crest of the Kingdom of Savoy. Instead of a bluish-purple shield with a cross of white on red within it, there is a circle of gold and red, the colors of the old empire, and within is a simplified but effective symbol. Placed within the old, imperial laurels is not a crown, for the republic has no king, but a fasces, which symbolizes not only the power of the collective will of the Italian citizenry, but as a remembrance from a grateful people for the Fascist ideals that had allowed Rome to once more return to its glorious position as the guiding light and hand of the entirety of the Mare Nostrum. Above it is the cross of the Catholic church, as gold as any other part, as a sign of the historic relationship between state and church, the former leading the people in their mortal affairs with a firm but just hand, whilst the latter ensures the salvation of their immortal soul and their passage into heaven, as well as the Roman Republic's caretaking of the holy places and Jerusalem itself.
Above cross and fasces flies an eagle. It is not the eagle of the Old Empire or even that of the First Republic, both of whom are now long millenias gone, but a new eagle for a new era and a new Italian state, the primary symbol of the republic, resting atop of the Christian cross with its wings unfurled wide, across to the laurels of Italian empire and across the Mediterranean sea that is its dominion, watching and waiting for the opportunity to expand ever further to lands that the guiding light of Rome has yet to reach...and last but not least, is the one and only star on the flag; though some say it refers to Italy or to Rome itself, others say that it is instead Benito's Star, in memory of the man who did the impossible and restored Roman dominance over the seas of the Mediterranean.
Well, this was fun to make!As I said at the start, I'm still pretty new to the whole flagmaking business, so I probably could have done some things better, but I really like how this flag came out! I thought about going with a full eagle, but I thought the idea of having a different, unique one, would be a better choice than just ripping off the whole Roman SPQR symbol and just moving various elements around
In this world, the fascist Italian state, knowing that it could not forever hold onto power after the death of Mussolini, effectively forged a symbiosis with the Catholic Church, effectively works as its public relations arms, the two feeding off one another as the Church, which has roots deep in Italian society, uses the faith to sway the hearts and minds of men into being more loyal to the state, which in turn gives the Catholic Church a free hand to do whatever it wills as the republic's state religion...the only problem being the question of what will happen when a generation that has grown up being told by their priests that the Italian state is always righteous and just assumes power...?
Democratic Republic of Iberia
República Democrática del/do Iberia
In this ATL, Spain joined the axis powers during WWII with Portugal joining the allies. Consequently, many battles and conflicts occured in the Iberian Peninsula between the Nazi backed Spanish Monarchy and the American/British backed Portuguese Republic. Eventually, mostly thanks to the strain put on portugal from having to deal with their larger neighbor, Franco annexes Portugal and their overseas territories.
(Note: The axis powers may have won the spanish civil war in this ATL, but they still didn't win WWII.)
As WWII came to a close, the allied powers supported republican rebels in the country. This meant that the many various anti-fascist factions managed to make a comeback. As the Nazis were defeated elsewhere in the world, both Lisbon and Madrid were stormed by rebels thanks to allied intervention. In the end, the flag of the Democratic Republic of Iberia was hoisted beneath a burning Spanish flag, effectively ending many years of Franco's rule.
The purple bar stands for the republican rebels in Spain while the red bar stands for both Spanish and Portuguese republicanism. The blue star and ring is both a nod to the Spanish republican star and the white dots on the Portuguese shield. The white bar stands for the now eternal peace between all formerly independent nations in the peninsula.
The German Reich
With the death of Adolf Hitler in 1947 from a drug-induced seizure, ironically at the very height of his and Germany's triumph, many outsiders expected his empire to collapse with no leader and nowhere left to conquer, but the Wehrmacht had other ideas. Seizing the opportunity, the army occupied Berlin, declaring martial law, and overseeing a mass purge of the Party, bureaucracy and Schutzstaffel (SS) in a second 'Night of the Long Knives'.
The ever-popular Erwin Rommel was chosen as a figurehead Fuhrer by the conspirators, but the 'Desert Fox' was not see himself as a politician, and after four unsteady years of rule, he handed power to the Reichsminister and armaments wizard, Albert Speer.
In 1955, Speer made his 'secret speech' to a select group of allies and officials, expressing a desire for moving away from Hitlerian principles (such as abolishing the title of Fuhrer one month later), re-opening diplomatic ties with the West and weaning Germany off its unsustainable war economy. He even oversaw the quiet military withdrawal from Reichskommisariat Moskau and the transfer of Ukraine to local rule, reforming the Eastern Territories into a state of economic vassalage instead of outright extermination and colonization (though population transfers and deliberate famine were still carried out in the former Poland and Ostland).
Speer engaged in the dismantling of the bloated, outdated Nazi war machine, investing in a vast and generous welfare state, paid for by the states under his economic control, aka the 'European Economic Confederation', and the millions under serfdom in the East. Access to the American markets was re-opened, in a deal with the unscrupulous Wallace administration. This was not enough to reverse the stagnant state of the German economy, but it likely delayed total economic collapse.
To the surprise of the world, Speer resigned his position in 1968. To succeed him was Kurt Waldheim, an Austrian-born Wehrmacht officer and Minister of War, chosen for his lack of ties to any political faction. Waldheim was primarily a military man who did not choose to identify himself closely with Nazi ideology. His keystone policy was 'Offenheit', an attempt to increase transparency, permitting of a freer, albeit regulated press, and the opening up of important party documents to the public (although it was years before the true extent of German war crimes would be revealed). Waldheim even repealed the Enabling Act of 1933, appointing a new chancellor and retaining the position of Reichsprasident, as well as ending persecution of the Catholic Church (himself a devout member).
But with both these roles largely honorary, this new Germany was rather dominated by a cabal of industrialists, bureaucrats and military officers, and while racial discrimination is still widely perpetrated, the state is closer to an authoritarian oligarchy (increasingly fragile as economic malaise and separatist terrorism rises) than Hitler's totalitarian regime.
One product of the Waldheim era was the wholly original flag of the German Reich, retiring the banner of the Nazi Party (a meaningless entity by this point). The new flag, a break from Germany's recent history, references the Second Reich and Germany's Christian heritage.
National State of Ireland
Stát Náisiúnta Éireann
In TTL, everything goes right for the German Reich. The Allied troops are crushed at Dunkirk which severely weakens United Kingdom. Still, the Battle of Britain is postponed and all efforts of the German High Command are concentrated on winning the war in the Eastern Front. Earlier start for Operation Barbarossa and significantly stronger air force leads to the capture of Leningrad, Moscow and the Caucasus in less than a year. Soon, the European part of Russia is mostly pacified, although constant low-level guerilla war continues in the border regions. Continental Europe is now in peace (relatively speaking) and firmly under German control.
Preparation for Operation Sea Lion takes well over two years, with the entire might of Europe in war production working towards this one goal. Finally in 1944 the largest naval battle, the largest air battle and the largest seaborne invasion in history take place. Both sides inflict horrifying losses on each other, but United Kingdom has been slowly strangled by submarine warfare over the years and Germany now throws overwhelming forces to remove the last remaining thorn in Hitler's side. In the end, the RAF is routed, the Royal Navy is driven to retreat and a foothold is established for the invasion.
Ireland had held onto its policy on neutrality from the beginning of war, although slightly favouring United Kingdom. But the German victory on the Continent cast heavy doubt over whether this policy could be sustained. Secret talks had been held during the relative calm after victory of the Continent and it was clear that the Germans were enraged by the resolve shown by United Kingdom and were envisioning a harsh occupation regime rivaling those in the Reichskommissariats, should the invasion of British Isles succeed. Meanwhile, the increasingly desperate United Kingdom was all but demanding that Ireland would allow the use of its airfields as a fallback option in the case of invasion attempt. Thus, when it became clear that the fight against Operation Sea Lion had failed, a plan of the last resort was carried out to preserve Irish independence.
The ruling Fianna Fáil government under Éamon de Valera carried out a self-coup. The parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were united into the National Alliance (Comhghuaillíocht Náisiúnta) and all other political parties were disbanded. A pro-German general Eoin O'Duffy was installed as a figurehead leader of the Alliance and the Taoiseach, military control was seized over Northern Ireland and an offer for joining the war against United Kingdom was sent to Germany. Locked into the long and bitter Battle of London at the time, the Germans were only glad to accept.
The power of the National Alliance is further consolidated in the new Constitution (Bunreacht), adopted in 1948. This constitution establishes the National Territory (the entire island of Ireland, plus Isle of Man which was transferred from the German control during the partitioning of United Kingdom), the sole National Language (Irish Gaelic) and the National Religion (Roman Catholicism) along with the new name of National State of Ireland and the new flag. Adoption of the new Constitution also ends the wartime Emergency Powers and elections are again held normally both for local government and Dáil, although only the members of National Alliance are allowed to stand. This is mostly the norm for the next three decades. Unfortunately, as a part of European Government dominated by the German Reich, Ireland gets also locked into a cold war with United States, who had crushed the Japanese in the Pacific.
Changes only begin with the Détente of 1980-s. As the relations between United States and European Government normalized and the trans-Atlantic trade began to flow, it was clear that some political liberalization is well past due. Ireland was the first member in European Government to allow multi-party elections, as the National Alliance was dissolved and the parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael re-established. As the results were completely non-threatening to European Government (which had already dealt with both groups present under the National Alliance), no sanctions were established. This encouraged several other members to follow suit and today Ireland is credited with beginning of the Democracy Revolution in Europe.
Although several members of European Government changed their flags during the Democracy Revolution, the Irish have kept theirs, because the flag of 1948 is seen as a symbol of the leaders who kept Ireland free. The flag originally chosen by the National Alliance features the cross of St Patrick with the golden harp of Ireland superimposed on it. This symbolizes the unity of Irish nation in territory, language and religion. The main color of the flag is black, symbolizing the newfound strength in unity.
Republic of Czechomoravia
Following the disintegration of the 3rd Reich, the protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia, following a short civil war, was taken over by a coalition of Left leaning groups and was turned into the Republic of Czechomoravia. To road to democracy was long.
The Kalimantan Republic occupies the entire island of Borneo and some nearby areas and is one of more than a half dozen states in Southeast Asia and the surounding islands granted independence by the Empire of Japan (which kept several choice bits for itself) after the long military occupation. The Kalimantan government is on a short leash with regard to its foreign policy by reason of both the huge Japanese military base situated within a days' tank ride of the capital city and of course the risk of economic dislocation that would result from the disruption of trade with Japan and the other members of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The flag shows the obvious influence of the flags of the Imperial Navy and Army, as well reflecting the traditional flags of the area, both by the use of a crescent and star and by its employment of black and yellow.
Here's mine:
Greater Federal Empire of Japan-大日本連邦帝国
In the early period during the Glacier War (TTL's equivalent of the Cold War) between ATA (American Treaty Alliance) and the Axis powers after WWII, Japan and Germany were close allies in competition against the United States, often exchanging materials and weaponry to each other to keep themselves over the edge against ATA in terms of military power. However the death of Adolf Hitler in 1951 along with the accession of Albert Speer and his like minded successor (who had different ideas about dealing with ATA in a "peaceful" fashion)would sow the seeds for the German-Japanese split of the 1960's, of which the Siberian border conflicts between the Germans and the Japanese had almost sparked WWIII between the two countries. In the 1970's, the leadership of Japan, the Taisei Yokusankai, realized that it needs to pursue a positive relationship with the USA to counterbalance that of Germany, yet it needs to reform itself to gain Washington DC's favor. Starting in the late 70's, the leadership began to focus on economic growth as well as giving "political freedom" in the 1980's, though Japan still maintains an authoritarian grip on society, especially in Korea, China, and the former Russian Far East. By the 1990's, the Empire of Japan changed its name to the Federal Empire of Japan as well as changing its flag to reflect its "reformed" status. The big "circle" represents Japan's influence on land (green) and sea (blue), while the red smaller circle within represents the Japanese people and having rays stick out to represent its imperial status. The yellow cherry blossom represents good luck and prosperity for the nation both in the present and in the future.
Wait for me !
Nationalist Estonian Republic. 1967-1998.
After the death of the Adolf Hitler on 21st of June, 1965, the Reich was shaken by civil wars caused by nations wanting independence. Such countries were the Baltic States. On 1st of February, Estonian Nationalists manisfest the first act of aggression on the German Occupation Forces stationed in the Baltics. The Estonians liberate, Lithuania, Latvia and parts of Poland and Belarus. On 5th of November 1967, the Treaty of Tallinn is signed, which made the newly formed nation be recognised by over 50 nations.While the Estonians wanted independence, they didn't abolish the nazi regime. Three decades later, diplomatic relationtions with the New Nordic Axis go sour, leading Finland to attack Estonia. The war was short with very few casualities. After the Finnish-Estonian war, Estonia was annexed.
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