"Marxists? In our Alps?" - An ATL

Iserlohn

The Swiss Lenin - An ATL (aka "Marxists? In our Alps?)

Berlin, 10th March 1917

On the request of Fritz Platten:

We are sorry, but we cannot allow you the traversion through Germany for the Russian Bolshevik Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov and his cohort. The situation in Russia is currently in our interest and we have prepared a peace treatry for the new government and because of this we cannot allow more trouble for the Russians, which would be the case in another Russian revolution.

Regards,

Erich Ludendorff,
Oberste Heeresleitung
 
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Iserlohn

The Aftermath of the February Revolution (March 1917 - January 1918)
​


1917

- 10th March: The Oberste Heeresleitung declines the proposal of the Swiss communist Fritz Platten to escort a man known as Lenin to Petrograd through German territories

- 20th July: After the so-called July Days the provisional leader of Russia, Georgy Lvov, resigns, Alexander Kerensky becomes the new leader of the temporary government

- 16th September: Alexander Kerensky declares Russia a republic, the work on a Russian constitution begins; Lenin becomes a member of the Communist Party of Switzerland

- 28th September: The constitution for the Republic of Russia is finished, the Russian duma becomes a directorate with Kerensky as its first head of government.

- 15th October: Several hardcore-communists, including several Bolshevik, attempt to take take control over the directorate, but fail to do so.
Most participants are send to prison, including both of their leaders, who are commonly known as Trotsky and Stalin.

- October to December: The new Russian government passes several reforms and continues the war against the Central Powers.

1918

- 12th January: The directorate sues for peace with the German government, Hindenburg accepts a ceasefire as part of a political gambit.

- 14th January: The directorate accepts the ceasefire, but little do they know of Hindenburgs plans; in Germany and Austria-Hungary spread rumors about the upcoming victory of the Entente.
 
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Art

Hurrah!!

A Lenin missed the train timeline! I've been looking for one of these for months! :)
 
Michel Van

Michel Van

fantasic Idea, Iserlohn !

wat happen to Stalin ?
he is in Bolshevik fraction who support Kerensky government.
OTL Lenin influence Stalin that better to overthrow the new goverment
 

Iserlohn

@Michel Van:
Stalin took part in the failed coup d'etat of the 15th October and was imprisioned shortly thereafter. I wonder what I will do to Stalin after his time in jail...

In general: the next update should come tomorrow ca. 15 PM CET.
 

Jord839

The Red said:
Interesting, I always wondered how a Soviet Switzerlad would turn out.
Click to expand...
I can't remember a time when the Communist Party in Switzerland actually had enough of a following to start a revolution, let alone a successful one. Probably most importantly, unlike Russia it did not have the same level of inequality to make the philosophy appealing. I concede I may be wrong, and of course that all manners of events could change that status, but it seems unlikely to me.

If we do get some form of Soviet Switzerland though, I wouldn't expect a very USSR-esque version, for the reasons I mentioned above. A Swiss Revolution's going to have to be much more moderate and less autocratic once it gets in power if it wants to stay in power.
 
Michel Van

Michel Van

Iserlohn said:
@Michel Van:
Stalin took part in the failed coup d'etat of the 15th October and was imprisioned shortly thereafter. I wonder what I will do to Stalin after his time in jail...

In general: the next update should come tomorrow ca. 15 PM CET.
Click to expand...

how about this

jailed Stalin find salvation in religion
and join the Orthodox Church russia, only to become a second Rasputin
note: he was in Georgian Orthodox Church school, but failed and became then a Bolshevik
 

Iserlohn

@Michel Van:
Good idea, I might use it.


In general: I added a small piece of information to the failed coup d'etat of the 15th October, which tells the fate of the leaders of this coup.
 

Iserlohn

The End of the Great War (February 1918 - August 1918)

1918


- 1st February: The ceasefire between the German Empire and the Republic of Russia begins, lasting until 11th March 1918; Vladimir Lenin officially becomes citizen of Switzerland and starts to study the Italian and Romansh language.

- 13rd February: Wilhelm II decides that a reorganisation of the Heeresleitung is needed and makes Wilhelm Groener the new deputy chief, replacing Ludendorff and Wilhelm II himself becomes the new chief of the OHL, replacing Hindenburg.

- 10th March: Wilhelm Groener asks the Russian directorate to expand the ceasefire until the 11th August instead of making an official peace treatry; Kerensky accepts Groener's proposal, saying that a state of war is useful for boosting the economy of the young republic.

- 20th March: The German troops begin a last offensive against France, which at first is successful.

- 14th July: The French troops begin a counter-attack, ending the German offensive. Later, British and American troops follow.

- 8th August: The German army tries to attack the Entente at Amiens, but is beaten; after hearing this news, deputy chief Groener suggests the German emperor to surrender, before the enemy overruns Germany.

- 10th August: Wilhelm II declares the surrender of the German nation to the Entente, shocking the remaining Central Powers

- 11th August: U.S. president Wilson, French president Poincaré and British prime minister George accept the emperor's surrender and send peace treaties to Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary; the Russian government accepts the surrender seperatly.

- 14th August: Ottoman forces launch an attack on their British-occupied territories, hoping to improve their situation by this offensive, while knowing that a defeat is inevevitable; Austria-Hungary accepts the peace treaty because of huge national dissent.

- 15th August: After a failed small attack in Greece, Bulgaria surrenders.

- 20th August: The Ottoman general Enver Pasha declares their attacks on the British a failure and surrenders; preperations to end the Great War formally with a peace treaty between the whole Entente and all of the Central Powers begin.
​
 

stevep

Iserlohn

I'm not sure that the Kaiser had the power to sack L & H by 1918. It sounds rather like, largely under Ludendorff's domination, Germany had become virtually a military state by that time.

Otherwise an interesting idea. Often wondered what would have happened if the Provisional Government had made peace, or am armistice as you have, before the November coup by the Bolsheviks. Would have made them pretty unpopular with the western allies but might well have saved them. Also at that point in time would have got markedly more moderate peace than the Bolsheviksdid in Mar 1918. [A different scenario than yours but along similar lines. ;)]

Going to be interesting with relations between Russia and the western powers. How do they feel about Russia dropping out, which will have made their position worse for a while? On the other hand, if the Provisional government is willing to recognise the Czarist debts that will ease a lot of ill feeling and also make for a more stable post war situation. [Especially since there's a chance that the British proposal for a cancellation of war debts be accepted, faint through it is].

Steve
 

Iserlohn

A bump for great justice!

Extracts from the final peace treaty between the Entente and the Central Powers should come before Tuesday.

@stevep:
Let's just give the good, old Kaiser a more solid backbone than OTL and he can do. The final peace treaty will also tell you what happens to Russia, as it will be involved.
 

Iserlohn

Here is a part of the preamble of the Peace Treaty of Versailles, which here in this TL serves as the conference to discuss the future of all Central Powers, not only Germany. Anyway, here is a list of the Central Powers representatives:

[...]

Germany, by:
Count Georg Friedrich von Hertling, foreign minister
Wilhelm Groener, deputy chief of the Oberste Heeresleitung
Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst of Hohenzollern, German Crown Prince

Austria-Hungary, by:
Count Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, chief of the general staff
Baron Maximilian Hussarek von Heinlein, minister-president of Cisleithania

The Ottoman Empire, by:
Mustafa Kemal, general
Talat Pasha, minister of the interior

[...]

I will post a list of the Russian representatives and the fate of the Central Powers during this week, probably Thursday evening.
 
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Iserlohn

Here are the part of the preamble that features the Russian delegation:

[...]

Republic of Russia, by:
Mikhail Tereshchenko, minister of foreign affairs
Nikolai Nekrasov, vice-president and minister of finance

[...]


That's it for today, the fate of the CP will come tomorrow!
 
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