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So lets start with some disclaimers:

First and foremost, I got this idea while reading Carlton Bach's excellent "Es Geloybte Aretz" story. So props to Carlton and if you see similarities at the beginning of my story, I humbly agree.

Second, a true life story. My brother was a complete prick as we were growing up. I really did not like him at all. He was just one mean, ornery SOB. He is a year older than me and pretty much made my life miserable. When he was 20, he had an accident and suffered some brain trauma. While this did not rob him of any intelligence, it changed his personality profoundly. He became a caring human being and we will now be best buds forever. Not sure if the trauma rerouted his neurons or if he discovered a new outlook on life during his recovery or if he finally just grew up, but he was a changed man. I will draw on this experience as the main POD for Kaiser Bill.

Finally, lets talk about my limitations. I am not a writer (at all) and do not have the imagination to make this into a story with juicy subplots or describe the personalities and interactions of major and minor characters. If anyone wants to use this idea of mine to make a real story, please feel free. Also my map making skills suck, so anyone who wants to can jump in.

On to our story.......

The POD is that Kaiser Bill is out for a horseback ride in 1902 and suffers a fall. He suffered a moderate brain injury but recovers fully but is a changed man. He examines Germany's position in the world and does not like what he sees. He has a vengeful France on his western border, an unstable Russia to the east, is aligned with a tottering Austria-Hungary and his intelligence staff informs him that Italy is not a reliable ally. His relations with England are cool, at best.

He has discussions with his foreign ministers about Germany's position in Europe and does not like what he hears. His biggest fear is another war with the France. France does not particularly scare him on their own, but any war with France would leave Germany in an awful position. He also has discussions with his military brain trust and does not like Germany's prospects if war does come, especially a two front war with France and Russia, with England's participation in doubt. With his new found "maturity" (for lack of a better term) he is fearful of the new weapons of war and what kind of warfare would ensue. The Prussian way of war is to deliver the "knock out blow" in as short of time as possible and then go to the peace table. The war he realistically envisions means that a quick victory is not in the cards. He is also adverse to the scale of casualties such a war would cause, both on his military and that of his foes. His idea is that there should be peace in Europe (or at least for Germany) and let Germany's economy blossom.

Kaiser Bill then pretty much locks himself away for a few months. He calls in his diplomats and military advisers on and off during this time for advice as his plan progresses. He determines that:

1. If Germany holds on to Alsace-Lorraine there will never be peace with France.
2. Germany can't just give Alsace-Lorraine back to France. Germany needs that as a buffer zone.
3. He needs much, much better relations with England.
4. He needs at least a better understanding with Russia.
5. His present allies are unreliable, and at best are a liability.
6. If his solution to Germany's situation ends up "sticking it to the French", so much the better.

He formulates his final plan.........

Kaiser Bill begins his plans by cultivating and improving his relations with England. He arranges a trip over to London to meet with his cousins and particularly with English politicians. They find him a changed man. He is conciliatory, apologizing profusely for his previous boorish behavior, and relations take a turn for the better. He will work hard on cultivating his improved relations with the British over the next couple of years. It is important to him that the English realize that he is sincere when he drops his bombshell idea on them when he feels the time is right. He also shows his new found maturity in his other international relations, particularly with the Russian Czar and the ruling class in St. Petersburg. Also on his list are Switzerland and the Austrian Monarchy. All of Europe is amazed at the Kaiser's changed world view. This does raise concerns in the German Military, but he assures them that he will not sacrifice German honor and ponies up for more than reasonable defense budgets.

We come to April of 1905, and Kaiser Bill decides that now is the time.....

He first calls in his most trusted foreign ministers and military advisers for some secluded meetings. This is a small group and is sworn to secrecy. He lays out his view of Germany's dire geopolitical position and his vision for the future. He then lays out his master plan and his advisers are thunderstruck. He gives them a day to digest his ideas and plans, and for them take some long walks together to discuss the situation. Not all of his advisers are gung-ho on his plan, but given Germany's present unfavorable position on the world stage, they begin to warm up to his proposals.

Next day they meet again, and most everyone is on board. There are some lengthy discussions about some of the finer points and several suggestions and alterations to the master plan are proposed. Most have merit and the plans are altered accordingly. The mood of the advisers varies from resigned to enthusiastic support, but everyone sees that this is at worst, better than the status quo, and at best a new beginning to a brighter future.

Time to set the wheels in motion......

He has appointed his two most capable diplomats to Britain and a country to be named later. After the umlauts are dotted and the T's are crossed, he sends them away on their missions. The response these diplomats receive after the initial shock wears off is mostly an attitude of "this is crazy, but it just might work. Conferences ensue in the halls of power of these two countries in strictest confidence and the proposals are broadly accepted with some minor suggestions for alterations, none of which are show stoppers. All parties agree that secrecy is paramount, and none of this leaks out.

On to phase II.........

With the general acceptance of the plan by the two most important dance partners, it is now time to advise Germany's neighbors (with the exception of France and Russia) what is about to go down. The master plan is for the most part well received, except in the Austrian court. They are the ones that will have the biggest decision to make and ask for an extra week to formulate their response, but finally reluctantly agree with some additional provisions and suggestions. It takes another week to hammer out a final agreement with the Habsburgs, but a deal is done.

Phase III (timing)......

A meeting is called together in Berlin with the foreign minister and the ambassadors of all involved on June 3, 2005. The ambassadors have no idea what the discussion is about, they are only told by their governments that they are negotiating a date and what time frame is preferred by their governments. It is agreed that July 10th will be the big day and everyone can more or less live with that date.

Phase IV (build up).......

Germany and Switzerland begin a series of verbal jousting over what can only be termed as petty issues. This is being well received by the powers that be in Paris. Always nice to see the Germans not getting along with someone. The Swiss are "egged on" by France. Meanwhile, ships set sail from England, destination unknown to anyone. The spat between the Swiss and Germans continues to boil, and the French note that Swiss troop are moving to German border. July 10th approaches.....

Phase V (the bombshell is dropped).....

On the morning of July 10, small contingents of Swiss troops enter Alsace-Lorraine over their mutual border and a few Brigades of English troops cross into Alsace-Lorraine from the Saar region. German troops are busy putting up posters all over Alsace-Lorraine with the following proclamation:

Citizens of Alsace-Lorraine:

It is the fondest wish of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German Government that the Region of Alsace-Lorraine live in peace and prosper. The Kaiser and his majesty's government realize that this can never be achieved with the current enmity between France and Germany. Therefore, please be aware of the following:

1. Swiss and British troops have entered the territory of Alsace-Lorraine at the invitation of the Kaiser.
2. These troops are to be welcomed by all citizens of Alsace-Lorraine.
3. Over the next five years, there will be a gradual transition of sovereignty of this territory to Switzerland.
4. Three years hence, all remaining citizens of Alsace-Lorraine will become citizens of Switzerland.
5. Should any present citizen of Alsace-Lorraine wish to move to France or Germany proper, they will receive modest compensation to do so.
6. Should any citizen have concerns or questions about this transition, please contact you local authorities. Every effort will be made to resolve any issues brought forward.

What is in it for Britain?

The emissaries of Kaiser Bill explained to their English counterparts his nightmare vision of the future and his concern for maintaining peace for his nation to prosper. He explained that war between Germany and France was inevitable so long as Alsace-Lorraine remained a German territory. He envisioned Great Britain being dragged into such a war on one side or the other, and an entire generation of young men on all sides would be killed, maimed or mentally damaged by such a horrific war not to mention the economic damage and devastation to all belligerents in such a conflict. This was to be avoided, but Alsace-Lorraine could never revert back to French control. This is why the Swiss will take over. They have an excellent record of governing a diverse population in a fair and just way, especially their German and French citizenry. The small contingent of British troops were required as a trip wire to dissuade both Germany and France from ever entering Alsace-Lorraine, and Switzerland as a consequence. These troops would be the guaranty that England would enter any war on the side of Switzerland should this territory be violated. The English crown and government saw much merit in this and agreed to send the few brigades. As a sweetener, the German Empire agreed to give the British Empire a slice of western German East Africa so that the Cairo to Capetown railroad and telegraph dream could be realized, as well as other economic and military agreements. Specifically, England would guaranty that shipping German ports would never be interrupted in exchange for a treaty limiting the size of Germany's Navy to a reasonable fraction of the British Navy, thus eliminating a costly arms race and allowing them to administer their empire holdings while peace reigned on the continent.

What is in it for Switzerland?

More territory and a productive and ethnically mixed population, which they have shown a talent for administering. Also they will have enhanced rail access to ports in Belgium and the Netherlands (more on this in a bit) allowing them more choices to transact international business than just France, Germany or Italy. Also, with the British guaranty, peace on their borders is ensured.

What is in it for the BeNeLux countries?

They also each now have a rotating brigade of British troops stationed on the territory of each country to ensure peace. These troops are welcomed, as the alternative is to potentially being a battle ground between France and Germany. In addition, economic exchanges have commenced with both Germany and England to enhance the financial positions of these countries. In the interest of secrecy, these talks began in earnest with the newly expanded Switzerland only after the Swiss troops moved into Alsace-Lorraine.

What about the Habsburgs?

They have agreed to abandon the dual monarchy and unite Austria proper, as well as the Sudetenland with Germany and establish the Greater German Empire as a neutral power in every sense of the word. Grave concerns of sovereignty were addressed when representatives of of Bavaria, Baden and Wurtemberg explained how their relationship with Germany had left them more or less autonomous in most matters, other than foreign policy. The Habsburgs were no dummies. They could see that their empire was a dying entity, a patchwork of ethnically different populations that was doomed to fail in the future. Joining Germany offered peace and prosperity for its mostly homogeneous German citizens in a mostly homogeneous German Reich dedicated to a peaceful and prosperous coexistence with its neighbors. If ethnic German citizens of Austria-Hungary outside of Austria proper and the Sudetenland wished to relocate to the greater German Reich, they were free to do so and they would receive modest financial assistance.

Reaction from Hungary.......

Ohhhh Poop. Now what? They quickly cobbled together what can best be described as a new Balkan league including the Hungarians, the Czechs (minus the Sudetenland), Slovakians, Slovenians, Croatians, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria. Basically, any remaining country that was not Russia or the Ottoman Empire joined the new league. All countries had to set aside their differences and disputes in order to patch together an alliance in case the Russians, Italians or the Ottomans tried to take advantage of the situation. Nobody was happy with Austria, but it was time to make lemonade from the lemons that had been handed to them. The defensive alliance was put together in record time, but there were flaws that would take time to hammer out between the new members. Cooperation was amazing, but what can be expected with Russia, the Ottomans and Italy looking at such and opportunity to ravage the area.

Reaction from the Russian and Ottoman Empires......

Not much they could do about the fait accompli presented to them. Russia was now concerned that if there were to be a war with Greater Germany, France could not come to their direct aid with military action on land or sea. Time to play nice with Germany and deal with the disaster with Japan. The Ottomans were looking in earnest for friends anywhere. France seemed like a good place to start, but even they had interests that conflicted with their own.

And now to French Reaction.......

The British ambassador had requested an urgent meeting with the French Foreign Minister and Prime Minister on the morning of July 10 to discuss the seemingly dire situation between Germany and Switzerland. He arrived with the German and Swiss ambassadors in tow. They presented a letter explaining what was happening in Alsace-Lorraine just as the Swiss and British troops were entering the territory. The immediate reaction was outrage of the highest order. The British diplomat explained that this was the best solution to the festering wound that was Alsace-Lorraine, and would either ensure peace in Europe or if there must be war, that France should bring it on now. England and Germany were prepared to defend Alsace-Lorraine with ground troops and that war meant conflict on the seas. He also stated that the citizenry of Alsace-Lorraine (the Franco-phone population in particular) would be well represented and treated as equals in the newly expanded Swiss confederation, as evidenced by the harmonious relations the Franco-phone population of Switzerland had enjoyed with the German, Italian and the minority Romansh Swiss citizens over the past centuries. At this point, the German diplomat said that so long as Alsace-Lorraine was part of either France or Germany, there could be no peace in Europe. Germany had taken this monumental step not in their own interest, but in the interest of peace. He also stated that the Greater German Empire was open to returning a portion of the reparations that France had paid to Germany as part of the treaty of Frankfurt, and that territorial adjustments in Africa favorable to France were negotiable. The French representatives at point were red faced with rage, but could not respond without consulting their constituency. The Swiss ambassador closed the meeting by expressing his country's wish for peace with France in particular and Europe in general.

The reaction of the French press was as predictable as it was apoplectic. Some publications were seething with rage at how there government had, to put it mildly, been caught completely flat-footed. Some called for mobilization of the Army while others were more pragmatic, pointing out that there was no way France could take on Germany, England and the Swiss at the same time, not to mention that Italy may want its pound of flesh should war break out. The portion of the press that spoke in more realistic tones were no less outraged than the other factions of the media, just more realistic in how limited the options were to respond.

And they all lived happily ever after?
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