AeroTheZealousOne
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"What Madness Is This?" Volume I: The Union Forever
- Thread starter Napoleon53
- Start date
Fuckin Musso. Whispers in one man's ear and tells him he'll be Emperor of the German Nation, and then he gives half of Germany to a different guy.
Is he trying to have multiple "Servants of Christ" to keep any given one from challenging his supremacy?
I love how the anniversary of the TL comes on Friday the 13th. That may be the most absurdly Madness thing of all. And look at it this way: I've spent 1/24th of my life writing this. I've been writing this universe in general into existence for 16 percent of my life.
Maybe the real Patriot-Saints Day is the friends and timelines we made along the way?
Seriously though, congratulations. It’s been a hell of a ride and thanks for letting us share in it. Crack open some Sweet Victory and celebrate!
MADNESSgascar shall survive the Sanity Flu!Especially once they shut down everything before a pandemic wipes out the rest of the planet.
(Thank you for finally getting the reference)
REUNIFICATION OF THE RHINE
REUNIFICATION OF THE RHINE
Chancellor Hermann Goering, of the Second Rheinbund
When the Germanian Civil War concluded in an uneasy peace treaty in 1920, establishing the Germanian Republic (West Germania), the Illuminist People's Republic of Germania (East Germania), the Illuminist People's Republic of Poland, and the Berlin Free State, it left a glaring weakness in the 1913 Versailles Concordat: that being the clause forbidding the reunification of the former Rheinbund. While much of the northern, Protestant former Bund was now loyal to Wolfgang Kapp's West Germania, the southern independent monarchies of Nassau, Wurttemberg, Bavaria, and Baden were all very much Catholic. In the nearly two decades since the end of the world war and a decade since the end of the Germanian Civil War, the two religious denominations had almost entirely split on geographic lines, with the Catholics in the buffer kingdoms and the Protestants in the north.
As the world entered the 1930s, there was very much reason to doubt continued political and economic stability in Europe. The 1932 Europan Diet election was looking very much up for grabs, with a sickly and weakened Perrault ready to die seemingly at any time. Without Perrault, his Christian Conservative Party would likely fold to more radical elements, such as the Supercatholic Party. The year 1931 saw the assassination of the Queen and Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, plunging an already fragile Western Europe into economic chaos. From Paris to Prague, the economy was tanking fast. Sweden, former Protestant enemy and later trade partner of Europa and Austria-Hungary, announced its closure of ports to Catholic shipping following pressure from Joe Steele onto King Gustaf V. This further hurt the Western and Southern European economies. The Protestant Kingdom of Bohemia, still under the aging King Heinrich, cousin of the late Kaiser Eitel Wilhelm, also abandoned numerous lucrative deals, such as coal shipments, further damaging the economy of Austria-Hungary. But with only a narrow landbridge connecting Bohemia with West Germania and the Protestant world, it did not wish to see a potential societal collapse or Illuminist revolution in the Catholic nations. In fact, Bohemia actually desired a stronger Catholic bloc to deal with the ever-present menace of Illuminists to the north and east.
This was an absolute nightmare, and as people found their life savings becoming worthless overnight and the artificially maintained status quo of the Europan and Austro-Hungarian economy came crashing down, many began crying out for salvation. 1932 saw the narrow reelection of Fabian Perrault as Europan Prime Minister, and Baron von Braunau as the Austro-Hungarian Reichsminister. This put the Europan government on a totally polar opposite side of politics from Austria-Hungary. As the Supercatholic Fatherland Front Party of von Braunau celebrated their victory in Vienna by leading a parade of torches and carrying portraits of von Braunau and Pope Peter II, conservatives in Paris greatly worried that the Holy Father was working to undermine their control over Catholic Europe and move power to Rome and Vienna. To Perrault, Pope Peter was rapidly revealing himself to be a manipulative bastard capable of anything to further his own goals and power. He might have been called the Grail Knight by many, but Peter was by no means a saint.
In the midst of all this unraveling chaos, one man quietly made moves in the halls of power along the Rhine. Before the world war, the Bund had been one of the world's premier economic and industrial breadbaskets and one of the chief reasons the United Empire of Europa was able to take on virtually the entire world. It had been Rhenish sweat that had oiled the gears of the Empire. Now, some twenty years after the dissolution of the Bund, this one man was about to become the father of a new nation. Hermann Goering, born in Roseheim, Bavaria, in 1893, had served honorably during the Siege of Budapest during the war and was a well-respected politician since the conflict's end. He had won the hearts and minds of conservative Catholics in his home country, working in soup kitchens and donating some of his personal fortune made in his tractor and farming equipment business to help get the Bavarian people back to work. Bavaria was one of the most staunchly Catholic areas of Europe, and it was the only one of the former Bund members to not have a formal democratic constitution, instead remaining an absolute monarchy under King Rupprecht. It also heavily favored the Hapsburg family and High King Josef was looked on with respect, twenty years after he was forced to vacate the throne of the Bund.
Inspired by the Fatherland Front party in Austria-Hungary and his own involvement with the Anti-Illuminist Society in Bavaria, Goering launched the Superkatholische Partei Bayerns (SPB) in 1932 as the political branch of the Tuefelhunden paramilitary, sweeping him into power as Prime Minister shortly after von Braunau's similar victory in Vienna. Goering and the SPB replaced the Bavarian Conservative Party in Munich. He had campaigned on a promise of reinvigorating the economy and of deterring Illuminist barbarism, and he knew he had to deliver. In 1933, he visited Rome and the Holy See to meet with Pope Peter. While in the ancient halls of the Basilica, Goering and Peter hit it off quite well, with the Holy Father promising further support and funding for the SPB. The Pope told Goering, "You are a modern crusader, forging a new path for Bavaria during this time of economic uncertainty. The people, down on their luck as they are, need the Light of Christ more than ever. It is up to you to bring that light to them and to restore the Rhine region to its former glory."
It was then that Goering knew for sure that the Pope knew exactly what he was planning: a reunification of the Bund. Not only did the Pope know, but he seemed to be giving the pursuit his blessing. But this time, the Rhine would be different. This time it would not lick the boots of Paris and fuel Caesar's glory-drenched imperialistic exploits, but it would instead sustain itself and fight for its own legacy as a nation-state. The other independent Catholic German regions were very much smaller economically than Bavaria. Bavaria boasted a larger economy than the others combined, in fact, such was the lopsided difference. Whereas Bavaria had done relatively well, even during the economic downturn, the other regions still struggled to maintain a modern way of life landlocked and deprived of shared resources. Under the Versailles Concordat, even the sharing or pooling of resources between the South German states was forbidden. But that was all about to change.
When Goering sent his proposal for unification to the other South German governments, they were initally skeptical. They all greatly feared some sort of retaliation from West Germania for violating the Concordat. Even if that was unlikely, as it would leave West Germania open for an Illuminist invasion from the east and Europan intervention from the west, Europa itself might even decide to come over and subjugate the region. After all, if there was no longer reason to fear Germania enforcing the Concordat's terms, who was to say that Caesar Napoleon V might not try to enrich his own economy by annexing the former Bund. But still, in the back of the diplomats' minds, they were truly considering Goering's offer. Bavaria's King Rupprecht was an absolutist in most ways, but it was clear he was aging rapidly and Goering was truly pulling the strings. Goering was a young mind ready to lead, whereas the other Prime Ministers and monarchs of the South German nations were hardly charismatic. While there economies were currently dealing with crushing economic collapse, Bavaria had been holding steady through sheer willpower and crafty maneuvering. The people had unified around the SPB and didn't seem to be wavering. On March 14, 1933, Goering called for a Congress of the Rhine to be held in Munich "to discuss the future of the Rhenish people and the possible foundation of a unified Rhenish homeland."
The Congress of the Rhine saw the leading members of all the South German states converge on Munich at the appointed time. Sandy blue-uniformed Bavarian stormtroopers lined the streets as the various monarchs and politicians arrived for the show. This was the first time in a very long time that "Rhenish" became a popular adjective to describe residents of the former Bund. Crowds cheered jubilantly as Goering rode through the streets on horseback to the Royal Palace in Munich, baton held high overhead. The next two weeks were spent in intense debate, going back and forth between reasons for or against why the Rhenish people should unify. Most worrying was the possibility of Europan invasion. However, Goering made a good case against that fear, saying on March 22:
"Whether or not we create a new homeland along the blessed Rhine is irrelevant to the question of Europan tyranny or invasion. If we do not unify, we are just as much an open target for the Bonapartes. Whether together or apart, Paris could launch an invasion. West Germania does not have the strength to march on our soil if we break the terms of the pathetic 1913 treaty. But I say that together, united as one, we offer a much fiercer and determined foe to any possible Europan aggression, and will thus deter such monstrous acts from Paris. Together, the Rhineland shall prosper once more and develop into a country which shall shine as a glorious example of Catholic Germanic culture. Together, the Rhine shall run clear again, unified under one flag. Together, we shall stand as a bulwark of Catholicism, modernity, and prosperity. Let us come together and march hand-in-hand into the future. Let us create a homeland. A home for the Rhenish people, now and forever."
Chancellor Goering inspects the soldiers of the Second Bund (1934)
Flag of the Second Rheinbund
While Goering successfully humiliated Paris, Count von Braunau was making moves in Vienna to further enhance his own stature. Tensions were extremely high with the League of Tsars. The Tsardom of Ruthenia, whose continued existence was entirely dependent upon their continued monetary installments to Austria-Hungary as per the 1914 Treaty of Bucharest, way falling behind in their payments due to their own increasing poverty. Some Ruthenians were even marching in the streets with Illuminist banners. Many Austro-Hungarians were clamoring for an invasion of the nascent monarchy to take what was theirs by force. The League of Tsars was aware of these plots and warned von Braunau's government that any attack upon Ruthenia would be an attack upon the League. And so the seeds were planted for war, and for von Braunau to finally step into the spotlight of the world stage.
At the same time, back in the Britannic Union, General Director Winston Churchill's government was welcoming a delegation from every fascist country to London. It was the first time London had been on the world stage since the war, and it was a major event to showcase how the rebuilding effort had gone. While having initially lost massive amounts of popularity in the aftermath of the war, Churchill had rebuilt his reputation as "Uncle Winnie," and adopted the mannerisms of a kindly father-figure. The BU, slowly but surely and with no small amount of help from its allies, was being restored to its former glory. Joe Steele, fresh from the Masonic Purges of 1931-1932, arrived at Great West Aerodrome, on the outskirts of London, with a mission to revolutionize the fascist web of alliances and the Greater Fascist Co-Prosperity Sphere into a new League of Nations, utilizing the same currency and revolving around his New Jerusalem. Johnny Gamble and Churchill were the first to meet him on the runway, but others followed, such as Fuhrer Reinhardt von Bachenheim of the Mittelafrikan Reich, and together they paraded to central London and the Office of the General Director (formerly Whitehall), and there they would hash out the details of this new, more solidified bloc. The 1930s rolled on, toward the chaos and war that was to come....
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@Sunstone77 it seems like our dreams about the Illuminati Repubblic of England have been destroyed.
Also looking at these photos, i wonder how the f*ck Goring was able to walk in the first place.
Also looking at these photos, i wonder how the f*ck Goring was able to walk in the first place.
The Revolution cannot be destroyed, only delayed! The Fascists shall fall! Kings will Kringle! And the Illuminati shall..shall....shall illuminate!
With an Illuminist England, Europa would absolutely bumdiddled if a war broke out, and that's not where I want to take the TL. It is a neat idea idea to ponder on though!
Trying to pump out some consistently good stuff for you guys! I have a lot of stuff that needs covered in the 30s and 40s. I still have a Patton chapter half-written and I'm planning out the Rounders one. But when we enter the late 40s and 1950s is when everything is gonna go _nuts_. I honestly am so excited to see what is gonna happen. I have a good outline, but I never write down all my ideas so there's always something random and fresh that can suddenly happen that'll excite even myself, the guy who has been planning this whole TL all year. lol
Second that. Divided Britain was just a fun idea to make the 1984 allusion in WMIT more overt and to play into the great England!screw tradition of Madness.
Honestly, the only complaint I can level against WMIT has been the inclusion of Mussolini, Goering, and
Maybe I’m just getting my knickers in a twist, but it was something I wanted to put into word.
And congratulations again on 1 year of Madness 2.0
Exactly why I wrote it! You'll see about the Masonic purges very soon!
Well, when you realize the grander plot I have in store for those three guys I think you'll change your mind! They aren't going to do what you think they will do, I can promise that. It's going to get really weird. I have covered Mussolini for a while but Goering and von Braunau are essentially new characters (even though VB was a POV character during the Great War chapters). They'll blossom yet. Adi is getting a full biography chapter.
Also, as I've said before about using OTL people: I try to mix in plenty of fictional characters, like Perrault, almost all the Bonapartes and European royals, and Hendrick, but using some OTL people that could still exist makes illustrations SO much easier. Also, Europe is a sideshow to the American part of the TL, the main attraction and what most readers wanna read about. But I'm definitely trying to give Europe an interesting story without writing European chapters for the next 20 IRL years. My favorite way to explain people like Hitler being ITTL: "Could he exist?" "Yeah, I can't think of a 100% reason why he could not." "Would he rise to power?" "Almost certainly not, but the same could be said about OTL." This TL stretches plausibility all the time for entertainment value, and having him is entertaining--to me personally at any rate. Also, there's a tradition in TTL of having lots of OTL characters going by absurd or odd new names. Running gag. A.A. Lincoln, Oswald, Charles Marx, Richard Lionheart Nixon, von Braunau, etc.
But mainly, I just love the idea of Pope Mussolini and HRE Emperor Adolf. It's incredibly amusing to me.
Well, when you realize the grander plot I have in store for those three guys I think you'll change your mind!
They aren't going to do what you think they will do, I can promise that. It's going to get really weird. I have covered Mussolini for a while but Goering and von Braunau are essentially new characters (even though VB was a POV character during the Great War chapters). They'll blossom yet. Adi is getting a full biography chapter.Also, as I've said before about using OTL people: I try to mix in plenty of fictional characters, like Perrault, almost all the Bonapartes and European royals, and Hendrick, but using some OTL people that could still exist makes illustrations SO much easier. Also, Europe is a sideshow to the American part of the TL, the main attraction and what most readers wanna read about. But I'm definitely trying to give Europe an interesting story without writing European chapters for the next 20 IRL years.
My favorite way to explain people like Hitler being ITTL: "Could he exist?" "Yeah, I can't think of a 100% reason why he could not." "Would he rise to power?" "Almost certainly not, but the same could be said about OTL." This TL stretches plausibility all the time for entertainment value, and having him is entertaining--to me personally at any rate. Also, there's a tradition in TTL of having lots of OTL characters going by absurd or odd new names. Running gag. A.A. Lincoln, Oswald, Charles Marx, Richard Lionheart Nixon, von Braunau, etc.But mainly, I just love the idea of Pope Mussolini and HRE Emperor Adolf. It's incredibly amusing to me.
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Dear God, it's beginning!
What are a list of the fascist nations? Off the top of my head I've come up with: Republican Union (includes Holy Nippon), CoCaro, Britannic Union, West Germania, Norway, Mittelafrika, and Australia
What are a list of the fascist nations? Off the top of my head I've come up with: Republican Union (includes Holy Nippon), CoCaro, Britannic Union, West Germania, Norway, Mittelafrika, and Australia
If this TL doesn't feature an absolute monarchist paramilitary organization called Antifascist Action I'll be very disappointed.