The Iron Crown and the Eagle

(OOC: I first tried this TL in the After 1900 discussion, but I failed to have a decent PoD and my ideas were all over the place. Hopefully with an earlier, improved PoD the TL would make more sense. If anyone has read my first attempt let me know if the PoD improved at all, I tried to make it more plausible but I don't know if it came out that way. Here it is, my second shot at The Iron Crown and the Eagle.)


Part One: Introduction


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Point of Divergence: 14 June 1888, Otto von Bismarck sits at the bedside of Frederick III. The two discuss the path of the German Empire in the future with the King’s failing health in mind. Bismarck, speaking on plain terms as requested by the King, brings up Crown Prince Wilhelm and with Bismarck’s silver-tongue, convinces Frederick that the Crown Prince will destroy the nation. That night, Frederick declared his second son, Prince Henry, as his heir and the new crown prince.

The very next day, the King of Prussia and German Emperor Frederick III died due to complications from cancer of the larynx. Crown Prince Henry is crowned the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Germany as Heinrich I. Questions and unrest arise as to the passing of succession to Heinrich, but Bismarck’s grip and Henry’s diplomatic popularity give strength to his reign and he is recognized as the legitimate ruler of Germany. Wilhelm is struck hard emotionally by this, and leaves the country in a self-imposed exile. Some say he left to South America, other say that Bismarck had him taken care of, but the truth is he was never found after he left Germany.

In the Empire, Heinrich and Bismarck worked together to strengthen Germany from the interior, using his Kartell (absolute control of the Reichstag), they initiate the anti-Socialist bill, and with the support the King, the Reichstag signs it. Heinrich also took interest with the lower-class and the mine worker’s strike of 1889, not taking control of the situation, but simply showing his people that he cared for them and sought to improve their situation. This alone was enough for Bismarck to smooth over the situation and help quell the strike with some well placed reforms.

In 1890, Heinrich married Archduchess Valerie of Austria to strengthen the ties of the two countries, but it was also out of true love. The two had met at a ball, and hit it off, becoming entranced with one another. Not shortly after, the two were wed in July. Over the next few years, things were very peaceful and prosperous in the German Empire. The new Empress Valerie was loved and easily accepted by her people for her charitable and down-to-earth personality. Soon enough, the Royal couple was gifted with a child, Crown Prince Franz Wilhelm, after his maternal grandfather and paternal uncle.

Bismarck and Heinrich grew close because of the way they ruled Germany, and the Emperor learned much from his Chancellor as he served over him. This lead to Heinrich strengthening ties with the British Empire, an act that seen as a wise one by Bismarck and the people of Germany, and would lead to a future alliance between the two countries.

Heinrich was a skilled diplomat and kept a strong foreign policy under his belt as the Kaiser, but also favored the military as well. Serving in the Imperial German Navy as a commander, he took the knowledge gained from his service and used it to implement changes into the Imperial Navy, strengthening it by denying the grandeur of battleships and dreadnoughts for superior German u-boats and developing the weapons and tactics used by said vessels. All of the naval reforms were eventually approved by the Reichstag and implemented into the Imperial navy by the end of the decade.

Finally, in 1898, with the death of the Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Paul von Hindenburg was chosen by Heinrich as his successor and continued the policy “of the interior” started by Bismarck. The Kaiser and the Chancellor cooperated on many things and were on excellent terms with one another throughout their time leading Germany together, as Hindenburg was a monarchist himself and understood that even though he had great power as the Chancellor, he still had to answer to the Kaiser, something that Bismarck did not care for but worked around with Heinrich due to their relationship.
 
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Part Two

The Dawn of a New Century


The 1900’s was a time of unrest for the Austro-Hungarian Empire and, by extension their close ally, the Kaiserreich. In 1906 Emperor Franz Josef had passed on and Archduke Franz Ferdinand succeeded him as Emperor Franz Ferdinand I, but the question of the heir was brought up as the new Emperor had a morganatic marriage with his wife Sophie. Thus, a new heir was named, Archduke Charles, the son of a previous Archduke, Otto Franz.

Now, as the newly crowned Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand sought to implement his policies of autonomy and federalization for the ethnicities within the lands under the Habsburg name. Together with his ally and close confidant, Kaiser Heinrich I, he worked towards his goal of a unified Danubian state. The efforts were greatly welcomed by the different ethnicities as the federalization gave more power to them, and in August 1910, the United States of the Greater Austrian Empire was formed. The Greater Austrian Empire was still led by the Habsburg monarchy, and was still an empire, but, it was split into 16 states by ethnic margins, and each state was granted the right to vote for representatives in the nationwide parliament. Franz Ferdinand was proclaimed a hero in the Grossosterreich, but not everyone was content to his rule.

On the other side of Europe, King-Emperor Edward VII of the United Kingdom died in May 1911 and the crown was placed on the head of George V. Due to being cousins and already having a close relationship, George and Heinrich quickly signed an alliance with one another, bringing Britain and Germany together even more so. George was crowned Emperor in India at his Imperial Durbar, creating a tradition that would be followed by his descendants and would continuously bring Britain and India closer together.

Back in the Grossosterreich, Emperor Franz Ferdinand and the Empress Sophie traveled across their great nation, planned to take place over the next 5 years, spending time in each of their states and meeting with the parliaments and the people themselves. As the Emperor and his wife reached further and further away from German Austria, they realized that they were less popular than in states closer to Vienna. They reached Bosnia in 1914, and planned to have a parade in Sarajevo.

During the parade, an assassin from within the crowd tossed a grenade underneath the car that the Emperor and his wife were riding in, creating a fiery explosion and killing them both and wounding some of the bystanders. It was later discovered that the attack was made by the Black Hand, a military secret society fighting for a united, independent pan-Slavic nation. After the Emperor was buried with his wife, Archduke Charles was crowned Emperor of the Greater Austrian Empire. Following his cousin’s actions, he confided in the German Emperor, Heinrich, and discussed how he should proceed in the situation. Heinrich suggested seeking complacency for his people and attempt to undermine the power of the rebels, while the people of Grossosterreich called for blood. Charles was split in his decision, but when it was discovered that the Kingdom of Serbia was backing the Black Hand, it was made public by Heinrich’s suggestion. The Kingdom of Serbia denied such claims and demanded that the Greater Austrian Empire retract their false statement, but Charles reacted with a demand for the Kingdom of Serbia to cease all dealings with said rebels. Peter I of Serbia quickly responded with the threat of war to Charles, responding that the Austrian Emperor holds no power of the King of Serbia and with Nicholas II of Russia’s guiding hand on his shoulder, declared war on the Greater Austrian Empire on July 1st 1914.

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Part Three

The Great War
The Serbian declaration of war on the United States of the Greater Austrian Empire set off what was known to be The Great War. As Serbia declared war on Austria, Russia followed swiftly, and Greater Austria’s call was answered by Germany and Britain. France answered Russia’s call and finally the stage was set. The Entente consisting of Germany, Austria, and Britain (and later the Ottoman Empire) fought against the Balkan Alliance consisting of Russia, Serbia, France (and later Greece, Albania, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The majority of the war was fought on the Eastern front, which was the lands consisting of and lying adjacent to the Eastern boarders of Germany and Austria, and the Western boarders of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The western front, which consisted of lands in and around France, fell within the first year of fighting due to being brutally assaulted on two fronts and completely surrounded by the Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy. With the Entente victorious in France, they could now divert their much needed reinforcements to the Eastern front.

The Balkans was known as the Mountains of Blood during the war as the most destructive and devastating battles were fought there. The Balkan Allegiance (formed by the alliance of all sovereign states in the Balkans against Austrian Imperialism) took the brunt of the full force of the Imperial Austrian Army, as the now unified and stable Greater Austrian Empire was a much stronger opponent than it would’ve been pre-Federalization.

In the north, the German General Staff pressed deep within Russia, reaching St. Petersburg by fall of 1915. Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, Generalfeldmarschall and commander of the Eighth Army crippled Russian supply lines by using superior firepower and maneuvering with the backing of British reinforcements to destroy the massive manpower that Russia had at its beckoning. His valiant efforts in the Great War made him a war hero and earned him the title of Der Bar der Ostee, or; The Bear of the Baltic.

By summer of 1916, the war was over. France was occupied by Germany and England, the Balkans were split between the Great Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire (now the Caliphate Republic of Istanbul), and Russia had been crushed, the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg devastated.

The Treaty of Belgrade redesigned the maps of the world, as it destroyed and created borders. France was stripped of its colonies, Morocco and Algeria going to Germany and sub-Saharan West Africa going to Britain. The United Duchy of the Baltic was created from the lands of Livonia, Estonia, and Lithuania, existing as a part of the German Empire and answering to the Kaiser, but with its own Duke. The Kingdom of Poland was created, some more land west of the Dneister added to the USGA as the new state of Ukraine. The Balkans was the final matter of the Treaty, and the topic spent most time deliberating over. Heinrich and George wanted to establish a republic that controlled the area, but the Caliph and Charles wanted to split the Balkans between them. Heinrich saw the unrest in the Balkans and tried to persuade Charles as they would only be a burden onto whomever controlled them, and so the Austrian Emperor added Serbia and Romania as states to the USGA with Albania and Crimea as client-states, and the Caliphate assumed its claims once more on the southeastern Balkans, dominating over south Greece and ruling over a rump state Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Europe in 1916.PNG
 
Part Four


Red Dawn

The Great War changed the world forever, and the events directly following it would be highly influential on the future of the nations of the world. Shortly after the Treaty of Belgrade was signed, Kaiser Heinrich I would pass on peacefully in his sleep. He would be succeeded by his son, Franz Wilhelm I, and would leave behind his wife, two sons, and a daughter; Empress Valerie, Franz Wilhelm I, Prince Frederick, and Princess Valeria. Franz Wilhelm wouldn’t carry over his father’s talent for diplomacy, but he would still maintain friendly ties with his allies, most importantly his cousins Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and Charles I of Grossosterreich. Franz’ knack for leadership came from his mother, with a personality that would light up the hearts of his people, always looking towards the future, but at the same time trying to make the present better. Due to his “hands-off” approach to politics, he and von Hindenburg ruled gracefully together, and under his rule, a new, powerful wave of German nationalism and patriotism arose.

The United States of the Greater Austrian Empire, on the other hand, was having trouble with its new states added after the war. Romania and Serbia were full of rebels and unrest, but over time the majority would come to see the fair rule of the Austrian Kaiser and the self-government that would be given to them. Charles watched the eastern boarder with Russia with a keen eye, waiting and watching for any foul treachery that would arise from them, and in 1919, it finally did in the form of the Russian Revolution.

Like a phoenix, the Socialist Soviet Republic would arise from the ashes of the Russian empire. With aid from the Germans and Austrians in the form of weapons, logistics, and to a point; manpower, the uprising would succeed. The Russian Revolution of 1919 brought change to the people under the weakening grip of the Czar, in the form of people rising against him, arming themselves and marching on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and the Kremlin in Moscow. The weakened and demoralized Imperial Russian Army took up arms, but instead of putting down the rebellion, most of them joined their fellow people in the streets, bringing down the Russian Empire with the public hanging of Czar Nicholas himself.

Out of the chaos that was the Revolution, a man named Lev Bronstein rose to the occasion of leading this newborn nation. Although he followed Marxist teachings, he implemented his own ideas with those of Marx, to create a new blend of Socialism that would spread across Eurasia over the next twenty years. Instead of leading with a dictatorship of the proletariat, Bronstein chose to reform the Republic and use it to rule, creating the position of Comrade-Premier as a sort of Chairman of the Republic. He was elected as the first CP of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, and would proceed to strengthen his great nation during his time as its leader.

In the United Kingdom, George V was approached with an idea to federalize the British Empire along the lines of the Austrian-model, one that has proven to be successful enough to survive and even win wars. It took time, planning, and politicking, and in 1925 the Imperial Federation of the United Kingdom was formed. Following the Austrian-model with its own influence, the Dominions of Canada, Australia, West and South Africa, New Zealand, the Indian Empire, and the British West Indies were divided into states and given the right to vote for representatives of their states in the British Parliament. George V created and took the title of the King-Emperor of the Imperial Federation of the United Kingdom.

In Russia, the RSSR recovered all lands that were in the possession of the Russian Empire just before its fall in 1919 by 1928, and had their hands in the Chinese Civil War. Bronstein aided the Communist Party against the Nationalists, and when the Socialists finally won in 1929, the Chinese Soviet Socialist Republic was born.



(OOC: That's all I've got for got, gonna be a while before I write anymore, and I'm surprised no one commented yet.)
 
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Pretty awesome TL, man. I'm subscribed.

However, I find the revolution in Russia pretty ASB. While, yes, the peasants were unhappy and demoralized, it would have taken the Germans helping out the Bolsheviks to really get the revolution off the ground.
 
Pretty awesome TL, man. I'm subscribed.

However, I find the revolution in Russia pretty ASB. While, yes, the peasants were unhappy and demoralized, it would have taken the Germans helping out the Bolsheviks to really get the revolution off the ground.

I'll add that in, thanks much.
 
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