The Airship President, a TL
- Thread starter Eckener
- Start date
Hm, I seem to remember a discussion whether Weimar actually *had* the death penalty... though, presumably, if there were any crime were they would have it, it would be treason, which planning the attack might count as.
Of course, that isn't strictly speaking the government's job to decide... in fact, unless I've missed some piece of ATL legislation, they can't decide.
That was my thought, that planning an attack on the President, in addition to that attack killing the chancellor, would sufice as motive for the state to seek the death penalty.
I'm not sure what you mean for that other bit...what do you mean they can't decide? If Hitler is tried before a judge, and the government changes its mind after the violence with the Nazis not to seek the death penalty, where's the legality issue?
This is really good!
Regarding the suggestion that the Eckener government might restore the old Black/White/Red flag, why not go whole hog and have Eckener's Germany reinsititute the Hohenzollerns as a constitutionally limited Royal Family?
Oh, and regarding Hitler, his obituary in The November 12, 1952 issue of Time magazine makes interesting reading.
One-time Nazi Leader Dies in Sleep
(Bern, Switzerland) Few people knew him well, and many of those who came into contact with Adolf Hitler during the last year of his life in Bern, Switzerland, saw him only as a frail old man who delighted in painting small, but meticulous, watercolors of the city's medieval architecture for tourists. He particularly liked children and dogs, it is said. Released without fanfare from prison in Germany in 1951, Hitler was at one time the most feared and hated man in Europe. Of Austrian birth, he served the German Army in the Great War and, like millions of other veterans during the teens and twenties, fell under the sway of right-wing extremist hatred. Thanks to his extraordinary theatrical and oratorical gifts, Hitler soon rose to the top of the National Socialist German Worker's (Nazi) Party, the most aggressive and potentially dangerous challenger to German democracy in the 1930's. After the Eckener government's anti-Nazi and anti-Communist purges, Hitler was arrested and sentenced to life in prison at Spandau. It was said by many that Hitler mellowed in prison, spending much of his time producing a memoir, The Power of the Will, several stage designs for the Bayeruth festival, and literally thousands of drawings and paintings. Certainly, none who met him in the last years of his incarceration could imagine Hitler as anything other than an eccentric artist. It is also said that one of the high points of Hitler's declining years was a visit he received in prison from Sir Winston Churchill, famed British historian and conservative politician, who was, like Hitler, an accomplished amateur artist. Hitler died peacefully in his sleep on November 9, 1952, surrounded by several close friends, including the conductor Herbert Von Karajan, whose Berlin Philharmonic and chorus will perform Carl Orff's Missa Solemnis for him at Bayeruth. At the insistence of the German government, his remains will be buried in Austria. The German government issued only one small press release acknowledging the would-be dictator's passing, pointedly observing that no representives of either the Chancellor or Royal Family would attend the funeral mass.
Regarding the suggestion that the Eckener government might restore the old Black/White/Red flag, why not go whole hog and have Eckener's Germany reinsititute the Hohenzollerns as a constitutionally limited Royal Family?
Oh, and regarding Hitler, his obituary in The November 12, 1952 issue of Time magazine makes interesting reading.
One-time Nazi Leader Dies in Sleep
(Bern, Switzerland) Few people knew him well, and many of those who came into contact with Adolf Hitler during the last year of his life in Bern, Switzerland, saw him only as a frail old man who delighted in painting small, but meticulous, watercolors of the city's medieval architecture for tourists. He particularly liked children and dogs, it is said. Released without fanfare from prison in Germany in 1951, Hitler was at one time the most feared and hated man in Europe. Of Austrian birth, he served the German Army in the Great War and, like millions of other veterans during the teens and twenties, fell under the sway of right-wing extremist hatred. Thanks to his extraordinary theatrical and oratorical gifts, Hitler soon rose to the top of the National Socialist German Worker's (Nazi) Party, the most aggressive and potentially dangerous challenger to German democracy in the 1930's. After the Eckener government's anti-Nazi and anti-Communist purges, Hitler was arrested and sentenced to life in prison at Spandau. It was said by many that Hitler mellowed in prison, spending much of his time producing a memoir, The Power of the Will, several stage designs for the Bayeruth festival, and literally thousands of drawings and paintings. Certainly, none who met him in the last years of his incarceration could imagine Hitler as anything other than an eccentric artist. It is also said that one of the high points of Hitler's declining years was a visit he received in prison from Sir Winston Churchill, famed British historian and conservative politician, who was, like Hitler, an accomplished amateur artist. Hitler died peacefully in his sleep on November 9, 1952, surrounded by several close friends, including the conductor Herbert Von Karajan, whose Berlin Philharmonic and chorus will perform Carl Orff's Missa Solemnis for him at Bayeruth. At the insistence of the German government, his remains will be buried in Austria. The German government issued only one small press release acknowledging the would-be dictator's passing, pointedly observing that no representives of either the Chancellor or Royal Family would attend the funeral mass.
Thanks zoomar! I am considering having Eckener revive the monarchy. So that could very likely be a route I choose to take. The main thing is for Eckener to maintain a balancing act long enough for the radical elements to die out of mainstream politics. And reviving the monarchy as a unifying figure for Germans to rally around could very likely be stabalizing to the country.
Also, I liked the article from Time.
In my next update, I hope to have Eckener work out an agreement w/ the WWI Allies over parts of the Versailles Treaty. Also hope to touch on airship development. (An earlier launch of the Hindenburg, some helium use, getting an American service going...)
I'm still not sure how this alt's WWII will work out (or if it will occur at all). Any thoughts/suggestions??
Also, I liked the article from Time.
In my next update, I hope to have Eckener work out an agreement w/ the WWI Allies over parts of the Versailles Treaty. Also hope to touch on airship development. (An earlier launch of the Hindenburg, some helium use, getting an American service going...)
I'm still not sure how this alt's WWII will work out (or if it will occur at all). Any thoughts/suggestions??
Well, they had the death penalty in times of peace, in any case.
Well, the government can decide to not seek the death penalty, but they can't decide that he won't be given the death penalty by the judge of the case, to the best of my knowledge. Not that many judges would give someone the death penalty in circumstances such as these, but...
As for black/white/red, do that, and the SPD and DDP will jump ship for certain. It is too symbolic an act.
So as far as the court is concearned, the gov't just decides not to seek the death penalty.
As for the flag...you have a point, but if the nationalist symbols are revived, and possibly the monarchy, the SPD might not withdrawl their support if they recieve enough political compensation.
Black/red/gold is a nationalist symbol. It just happens to be a nationalist symbol with democratic connotations instead of authoritarian ones.
Mind you, depending on just who of the Hohenzollerns is suggested as new Emperor, restoring the monarchy might be less problematic... as long as the Emperor is more of a figurehead this time around, and the Reichstag holds more power.
Merry Airship Christmas! 
Here's an article from the Smithsonian Magazine on using the Graf Zep for Christmas Tree deliveries to Brazil. It mentions Eckner and the role Zeps played in establishing Transatlantic passenger air travel.
Here's an article from the Smithsonian Magazine on using the Graf Zep for Christmas Tree deliveries to Brazil. It mentions Eckner and the role Zeps played in establishing Transatlantic passenger air travel.
Very nice article! And just in time for the holidays.
As for Papen....dunno yet, to be honest. From what I read (okay, so just the wikipedia article), he wasn't at the top of Zentrum, especially after he became Chancellor in '32. Even though that's been done away with ITTL, I'm not sure he'd be a very big player in all of this, seeing as how (again, according to wikipedia) he wasn't that big of a national political figure BEFORE he became chancellor.
Although I do agree that if there is an attempt to revivie the monarchy, he'd be in support.
As for Papen....dunno yet, to be honest. From what I read (okay, so just the wikipedia article), he wasn't at the top of Zentrum, especially after he became Chancellor in '32. Even though that's been done away with ITTL, I'm not sure he'd be a very big player in all of this, seeing as how (again, according to wikipedia) he wasn't that big of a national political figure BEFORE he became chancellor.
Although I do agree that if there is an attempt to revivie the monarchy, he'd be in support.
Nice--and Death Penalty
I'm still enjoying this thread. I ran across some info that's relavant to Hitler's case. Weimar Germany did have the death penalty, according to wikipedia. How accurate the article is, I can not say.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine
The section, "Elsewhere" refers to Weimar Germany using the guillotine and the firing squad. That's what Hitler and his lackeys could face...
I'm still enjoying this thread. I ran across some info that's relavant to Hitler's case. Weimar Germany did have the death penalty, according to wikipedia. How accurate the article is, I can not say.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine
The section, "Elsewhere" refers to Weimar Germany using the guillotine and the firing squad. That's what Hitler and his lackeys could face...
According to German Wikipedia, the SPD failed to push through a ban on the death penalty in 1927. Can't say how accurate that is, but it does seem consistent that there was a death penalty. In peace; given the period, an important qualifier.