German Red Prince

Page 167

"Then what about the party leader? East Prussia is pressing us very urgently."

"They're pressing us hard, but our situation is more urgent than theirs. If they're anxious, let them think of a way to resolve the issues between the Kingdom of the Rhine and Bavaria. If we don't deal with these issues of the three kingdoms now, we'll have to deal with them later. Although the old marshal has been retired in East Prussia for so long, he should still have some influence here, right? Let's ask the old marshal if he has any good ideas."

Hess threw the question back at Ludendorff, saying that if Ludendorff didn't want to be caught in a crossfire with the other two kingdoms, giving Tirpitz an opportunity, they needed to resolve the issue before taking action.

After receiving Hess's reply, the party member knew how to handle the situation and went back to East Prussia to explain the situation. Now everyone was using the National Party as a tool, but that was fine, because if you wanted to achieve your goals, you could basically get whatever you asked for, which was also the reason for its rapid development.

Wilhelm II was clearly unaware of the power of the National Party, and of course he had no interest in this small political party. This was a prejudice deeply ingrained in the nobility, a prejudice that would later destroy his empire.

Hess was certainly not content to be just a lackey of the government. During this time, because Prussia was forming an armored force, he was able to travel around and meet with various social celebrities, especially arms dealers.

Vestap's first act upon taking office was to cut military spending, which not only drew opposition from Juncker but also from major arms manufacturers, who argued that cutting military spending would prevent them from making money.

Because Stroheim highly values ​​the National Party, and Prussia is now following the example of the Rhine Kingdom in the formation of many new-style troops, these armies need to be re-equipped with weapons, so Hess is naturally very popular among these people.

Therefore, the National Party not only received funding from East Prussia, but also from many large capitalists, especially various major arms dealers, for whom Hess had promised a bright future.

The sluggish German economy needs the stimulus of war, and if they are elected, they will certainly launch a war in the future that will make them a fortune.

Although the National Party has grown to a certain size, it is not powerful enough, and more importantly, it cannot attract the attention of most people. Nowadays, people's first impression of a political party is based on its party flag and some of its distinctive features, and Hess also started from this aspect.

He redesigned the latest party flag, incorporating features of the National Socialist Party and the National Workers' Party, though the National Workers' Party's black hammer and sickle are certainly not suitable for the current party.

This logo, once displayed, would definitely be a focus of attention, so Hess chose the traditional German symbol, the Iron Cross.

The first requirement of this logo is that it must be very eye-catching. He used red as the background color, with red, black and white as the main colors, which can also reflect the concept of the country. The National Party uses these three colors to represent the country and the cross to represent the nation. Hess was very satisfied with such a flag.

Having this banner allows you to stand out among many political parties, because many people don't actually care what party you belong to. As long as you maintain a good image, people will naturally come to follow you.

Having a new flag alone is certainly not enough. Hess also keenly sensed that the current political situation is very turbulent. In the future, it may not just be about empty words, but also about who has the strongest fist. Without a strong fist, how can one have a voice? Their party also needs a force that can charge into battle.

The National Party needs a stormtroopers to be complete. With everything arranged, Hess could sense that Berlin would soon be his stage, and those who were now taking the stage would not be swept into the dustbin of history by him.

As long as I remain dormant for a while, and wait until those who have taken the lead have fought back enough, I can step in and clean up the mess.

363. Countdown

Hess's report quickly reached East Prussia, and its meaning was clear: the time was not yet ripe, and no further action could be taken; they needed to wait.

"Do we need to wait?"

Ludendorff laughed as he looked at the contents of the document. Didn't he understand what these people were thinking, with those words "wait"?

However, he cannot show it now, since he still needs to rely on the National Party in Berlin to do things for him.

Germany is sitting on a powder keg. Although he has been in East Prussia, he is very clear about the situation in Berlin. Wilhelm II thought he had it under control, but in fact, he had already bought off the people there, and they knew some things even faster than Wilhelm himself.

Ludendorff was not idle in East Prussia. He actively cultivated his own power there, enduring humiliation and hardship. Through his efforts, the East Prussian military district was effectively his territory. Moreover, Ludendorff's sphere of influence did not extend beyond Germany.

Although Lithuania is a monarchy, the actual power in this monarchy, which was established with the support of the Germans, is not in the hands of the king. After the war, Lithuania was granted a large amount of land by Germany, which resulted in the main ethnic groups of the country being Poles, Belarusians, and Jews rather than Lithuanians.

The German military district commander stationed in Lithuania had a good personal relationship with Ludendorff, which gave Ludendorff the confidence to lead such a large "loyal" force, including the Lithuanian army and the East Prussian army, which would be fully capable of fighting back to Berlin.

Having an army was also the reason why Ludendorff was confident. He wasn't worried about what Hess might do. If Hess did have ideas, that would be even better. If Hess did have ideas, he would just add fuel to the fire and then send his troops to the rescue when the country was in complete chaos.

The current development in Germany is still too slow. Only by stirring up the waters enough can Ludendorff begin his actions. Hess's letter urged him to find a way to change the current political environment in Berlin. The country is currently maintaining a superficial stability, and it only needs a strong stimulus to quickly descend into chaos.

What could cause enough chaos for him to operate behind the scenes? Nothing would be better than igniting a war between the three kingdoms; all it would take is a spark.

The scale of the war needs to be controlled. Ludendorff wants to maintain a short and low-intensity war, and perhaps he can do something to cause a small skirmish between the three kingdoms.

However, wars are difficult to control. Just like the Great War, no one expected it to escalate into such a fierce conflict.

The long-standing discord among the three kingdoms had already foreshadowed future troubles, and minor skirmishes could easily escalate into more serious disasters. However, Ludendorff could no longer afford to stop; even if it meant igniting a civil war, he had to act, or he would never have another chance.

"We still have many organizations in Germany. Get these organizations moving and wait for news. We will be back soon."

Ludendorff gave the order; he was ready. He had an elite army in East Prussia, and in Berlin, thanks to his connections, several border guards were actually his supporters.

Although the purges carried out by Tirpitz and Wilhelm II dealt a significant blow to their power, those truly loyalists hidden deep within remained.

These people will also be the bargaining chips for a future comeback. With his prestige and these troops, he is qualified to enter the fray. He is a participant in the German Civil War, not a bystander.

Everyone has their own thoughts. Some want to go from being pawns to players, some are hiding in the shadows, and some are making their final preparations.

The Rhine Kingdom and Flanders-Wallon proposed a joint border defense force, and more and more troops were sent to Flanders-Wallon, a large portion of whom were military judges.

They were stationed in the Walloon region, which had a strong sense of resistance and many communal sympathizers. The main group fleeing each year were Walloons.

Thorne's reason for sending troops here was not for the king's good; he was cultivating resistance forces in the Walloon region. Since the Rhine Kingdom stationed troops there, the number of resistance organizations in the Walloon region has been increasing. Many members of the German Communist Party have gone to Walloon to guide the work and find ways to incite conflict in their own backyard, so that they would be unable to intervene in the civil war.

Thorne's main concern now is France; he fears the French might launch a sneak attack from behind and ruin everything.

However, according to the information he obtained through Thälmann, France's current focus is not on Germany, but on the Iberian Peninsula. Some recent events in Spain on the Iberian Peninsula have attracted the attention of the French Commune.

Many left-wing groups in Spain have sent people to visit the French Commune, and it seems that something big is about to happen there. The Communist Party of Germany is now unusually united, and almost everyone advocates winning through war.

Those parliamentary reformists who once held the upper hand have all disappeared. After all, the Communist Party of Germany is no longer what it used to be; they now have real fighting power.

Under Thorne's covert machinations, several units within the Kingdom of the Rhine's army were armed forces of the German Communist Party, with officers and soldiers alike being supporters of the German Communist Party. Although such an army was not large in scale, it was still a tremendous victory, as it was extremely difficult to squeeze people into the regular army.

Such troops are uniformly designated as Red Army brigades within the party. During the previous peacetime period, the Kingdom of Rhine already had six Red Army brigades. Now, during the war preparation and expansion phase, the size of this army is constantly increasing. This expansion will also make it easier for Thorne to fill the army with people.

While the National Workers' Party was still preparing civilian-armed stormtroopers for future conflicts, the Communist Party of Germany already had regular troops. Stormtroopers? What are you going to use to fight the National People's Army?

Even the strongest civilian armed forces are still just civilian armed forces. They can't possibly have the strength of regular armed forces, just like the armored vehicles equipped in the army now. No matter how powerful Hess's stormtroopers are, they can't equip themselves with more than ten vehicles at most.

History has given Thorne a very good opportunity. Not long ago, when he was still worried about the external international environment, good news kept coming. Kemal made a public appearance to explain his health condition, and at the same time, he did not give up the continued struggle against France.

While this may affect deployments in the Balkans, the fact that the war can continue in North Africa is good news for Thorne at this point.

France turned its attention to the Iberian Peninsula, where tensions between Austria and Hungary were deepening. Austria-Hungary was now merely a federal state, while Hungary's power was expanding. Not long ago, Hungary publicly opposed an order from the Austrian Empire, forcing Austria to negotiate with Hungary.

In Europe today, external interference is minimal. It could be said that the current European political landscape was designed to prepare Germany for a civil war. Even if other countries intervene, they cannot devote all their energy to it.

Without external concerns, the Kingdom of the Rhine could make full preparations, waiting for an event that could change the course of German history to occur soon.

364. General Election

If you tell an American that America is heading towards decline, he will definitely agree with you and go to the bar with you for a couple of drinks.

The Sino-European trade alliance back then directly crippled the US economy; if it weren't for the astonishing size of the US, it probably would have collapsed long ago.

After the collapse of the trade market, the United States worked hard for a long time and has only now recovered a little. However, it is still far from what it used to be. The recession has only weakened, not disappeared, and a series of problems such as unemployment continue to plague the United States.

During the war, the United States maintained official neutrality and was therefore unaffected by the war. In fact, being isolated overseas, it made a small fortune during this period.

Although it did not participate in the war and could not share in the spoils of victory, American industry and business continued to thrive under the leadership of Democratic President William Gibbs McAdoo until the early 1920s.

Even without the war benefits that Germany enjoyed, the United States' overall strength at that time had already surpassed that of the new European superpower, Germany.

The prosperity of the "Roaring Twenties" ended with a stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression. The stock market crash stemmed from the backlash of the newly emerging continental Germany, while the Great Depression was caused by the British Revolution, which cost the United States its most valuable trading partner.

The nightmare began in the 1920s. The successive collapses of the French and British governments dealt a catastrophic blow to the health of the American national economy. Major American companies suddenly faced irreparable losses of millions of dollars in investments, loans and other contracts.

Although the United States played a neutral role in the war, its banks and industries provided substantial assistance to the Allied Powers throughout the war, and with the collapse of the government, a large amount of loans provided to these countries remained unpaid.

The Commune and Britain did not acknowledge this debt at all, and France was in Africa, struggling to support itself. The British royal family, on the other hand, was closer to them, so they could only keep pressing Canada for repayment.

You were the father back then, and now I'm the creditor. I wonder what the British royal family would think if they saw things like this now.

Germany gradually established its dominance in global trade, and a vast number of colonies were divided up by Germany. While Germany was reaping the benefits, the United States was gradually forced to withdraw from the European, African, and Asian markets, only managing to get a small share. The gradual loss of political prestige on the world stage, coupled with a sharp economic downturn, led to an increasingly vicious cycle of domestic and social conflicts.

Although Coolidge's initial campaign promise was to lead the American people back to glory, his policies completely failed to reverse the continued deterioration of the American economy. In fact, his inaction only made things worse, and by 1929, the United States had experienced its worst financial crisis in nearly a decade.

This situation triggered a massive social transformation. Politics was no longer just a matter for politicians in suits; workers, farmers, and businessmen also began to fight for their rights. This spurred the rise of radical political parties, and opinion leaders emerged in every state and region, promising to lead the people into a new era.

From the far-left American Socialist Party to the far-right American Supremacist Party, Coolidge's controversial reelection bid through the House of Representatives and the ongoing recession mean these problems are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

His re-election is unlikely, so he must find a solution quickly to at least ensure a smooth transition of power. Many people across the country are worried that if a radical party comes to power, or if the Great Depression continues unabated, it could lead to serious unrest.

Preparations for the new election have begun, and all parties in the United States are gearing up. This election is of historical significance and can determine the future direction of the United States.

In several northern states, the Socialist Party wields considerable influence, particularly in major industrial cities. Although the U.S. government has imposed strong restrictions on American communism, the Socialists have already taken control of the northern regions. Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, and the Socialists still have a large Red Guard force; otherwise, the U.S. government wouldn't be so lenient.

Under Reid's leadership, the Socialist Party of America developed very rapidly. After several meetings where it split up, things actually got better. The opposition members left the party, and the remaining members were able to unite. In preparation for the upcoming election, the Socialist Party mobilized the entire party to begin its campaign.

"Bread, work, a new life."

This is Reid's campaign manifesto. He wants to transform America into a completely new society with equal unions. Although the success rate of the election is very low, the Socialist Party is not unprepared. They are just making one last effort, because no one wants America to be divided again.

The last Civil War was the most serious war in the history of the United States. This land is difficult for foreign enemies to invade. The only thing to be wary of is internal collapse. Wars in the industrial age will only be more bloody. Not only the Socialists, but everyone now does not want war. The great war in Europe has made them realize what modern warfare is like.

The Socialist Party in the North is a left-wing party, while in the American South, more people support Hugh Iran's American Supremacy Party, a populist and conservative party. The overall environment in the Southern states is also conservative, and those parties that think the Socialist Party is too radical have turned to support Hugh Iran's American Supremacy Party.

Hugh Iran was a very talented man who liked to wear distinctive white linen suits. When he ran for governor, he was one of the first Southern politicians to use radio ads and sound trucks in his campaign.

In public, Hugh Iran is known for his humor and wit. Unlike other politicians who maintain distance from others, he is very approachable during his speeches and avoids political rhetoric, delivering his speeches as if they were casual conversations. This has earned him not only numerous supporters but also a large number of enthusiastic fans.

Iran invests most of its funds in education and infrastructure development, and condemns wealth inequality and corporate dominance in national politics.

However, due to his conservatism, while many parties were cracking down on the KKK, he refused to take a hard line on the issue, only imposing some restrictions, but this did not affect his image among voters.

At the 1929 Louisiana legislature session, he pushed through a series of bills to fulfill his campaign promises, including a free textbook program for schoolchildren, funding nighttime literacy classes for adults, and the supply of cheap natural gas.

Hugh Iran devised an unprecedented public works plan for his campaign, including the construction of roads, bridges, hospitals, and educational institutions. His proposals were opposed by many legislators, citizens, and the media, but Hugh Iran used unprecedentedly aggressive tactics to ensure the passage of the legislation he supported. He would suddenly appear in the House of Representatives and Senate or committees and use brute force to get their "approval."

Now that the candidates have stepped into the spotlight, the future of America can only be decided by history.

365. Hugh Iran

The southern states of the United States tend to be conservative, largely due to historical reasons. However, it is precisely this conservatism that has given rise to the American Supremacist Party, just as the industrial states of the North have given rise to the American Socialist Party.

Like other political parties in the United States, the American Supremacy Party is an emerging force and the newest party on the national stage. When the party was founded, Hugh Iran was just a state senator and had not yet become governor.

Hugh Iran is a former Democrat and right-wing populist whose "Share Our Wealth" plan, which provides a fixed income for every family through a national wealth tax, is central to the American Supremacist Party's platform.

Those who yearn for change but do not desire radical change are his loyal supporters, which has allowed the American Supremacist Party to make rapid progress in the Southeast in a short period of time, developing a certain strength in several southern states and challenging the dominance of the long-established Democratic Party in these areas.

Although it belongs to an authoritarian democratic party, its various factions support either paternalistic authoritarianism or national populism. This emerging party has the same choice as the Socialist Party. In order to avoid attacks from established parties and as a form of resistance against political violence, the Supremacist Party has a militia force.

These militias were spontaneously formed by supporters of the Supremacy Party. It seems that people of this era are very clear that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. The American Supremacy Party militia is a decentralized paramilitary organization named after the civilian volunteer forces during the American Revolutionary War, which also reflects Hugh Iran's position.

Hugh Iran's stance was also closely related to his birth. Born in 1893 into a middle-class family in rural northern Louisiana, he naturally sided with the vast majority of the lower and middle classes in the United States, advocating for their rights. He sued many of the country's largest oil companies and, taking advantage of Louisiana's sharp economic and class divisions, won the election by the largest margin in its history.

Upon taking office, he acted swiftly to consolidate his power, dismissing hundreds of dissidents at all levels of the national bureaucracy, from cabinet ministers and board members to ordinary civil servants and national road workers, and filling vacancies with sponsored appointments from his own network of political supporters.

Of course, all of this comes at a price. These newly appointed staff members need to pay Hugh Iran a separate fee for his subsequent campaign. Some have criticized him as a dictator, but Hugh Iran has not made a statement on this because there are still many people on his side.

He criticized Iran as a dictator, brutal, and corrupt, but said that he brought a new life to the people, and that was enough.

"Throughout this year, nearly three thousand banks have failed across the United States. This is bad news for the United States, and it is also bad news for us, because three of them are in Louisiana."

Hugh Iran explained the severe economic crisis in the United States in a half-joking manner, but for Louisiana, this depression seemed like something happening in another country.

"In these years we have completed countless public works projects: bridges, hospitals, schools. Poverty has been banished from us and from Louisiana. Some people say I am a socialist, but I want to say that I have done so much precisely to defend against the invasion of socialist ideology. My platform comes from the Bible and the Declaration of Independence!"

Although many of Hugh Iran's practices are similar to those of the Socialist Party in the north, this does not mean that Hugh Iran is a leftist. He is a pragmatist who simply takes what he needs from the many ideas available to him.

As the country grappled with the Great Depression, Hugh Iran delivered a series of radical speeches. The logic behind his speeches was very clear, and the targets were also very clear. He condemned the current concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and criticized the incompetence of Democratic and Republican leaders for failing to solve the various domestic crises, suggesting they should step down as soon as possible.

Hoover of the Bureau of Investigation considered Hugh Iran a radical demagogue and a very dangerous man. He privately told others that Hugh Iran, like General Douglas MacArthur, was "one of the two most dangerous men in America."

In order to weaken Hugh Iran's power, the US government also took many measures. Hoover prevented Lang from participating in negotiations on the allocation of federal funds and allowed the IRS to investigate Lang's financial situation. Once the IRS found any blemishes on Lang's record, he would basically be finished.

However, Hugh Iran also took action. Hoover was unable to link him to any illegal activities, but some of his deputies were accused of tax evasion, and only one of them was convicted.

Hugh Iran maintained effective control over Louisiana, blurring the lines between federal and state politics through various means. He continued to draft and push bills through the Louisiana legislature, despite the lack of constitutional authorization to do so. He implemented many bills according to his own ideas, including a new consumer tax, the elimination of the head tax, homestead exemptions, and an increase in the number of state employees.

Hugh Iran turned Louisiana into a testing ground for the new America he envisioned, a place where experiments could be rolled out across the country in the future.

During his campaign speeches, Hugh Iran was surrounded by many supporters. As usual, Hugh Iran wore a white suit and spoke eloquently in front of the crowd, explaining his political views and ideas. Hugh Iran is a staunch opponent of the Federal Reserve Bank, and he has repeatedly put forward the idea of ​​abolishing the Federal Reserve Bank.

As an alternative, Hugh Iran proposed federal legislation to limit personal wealth, income, and inheritance. He used radio broadcasts and his own national newspaper, The American Progressive, formerly known as The Louisiana Progressive, to promote his ideas and achievements nationwide.

Just like his propaganda of "everyone is a king," Hugh Iran announced a bold economic plan that he called "sharing our wealth." The reason why some people say that Hugh Iran is a socialist is because some of his ideas and actions really resemble those of a socialist.

He believed that the country had enough wealth to allow everyone to enjoy a comfortable standard of living, but because it was unfairly concentrated in the hands of a few millionaire bankers, businessmen and industrialists, the wealth gap was so huge. He proposed new wealth redistribution measures in the form of a net worth tax on companies and individuals in order to curb the poverty and crime caused by the Great Depression.

In an effort to stimulate the economy, Hugh Iran advocated for federal spending on public works, public education, pensions, and other social programs. While he had many supporters, he also had many opponents. During Hugh Iran's speech, a gunman slowly raised his pistol.

366. The Calm Before the Storm

Although Thorne was very worried about future developments, the world has been peaceful for a while now, and nothing has happened recently.

However, Thorne prefers to call it the calm before the storm; who knows what will happen next?

Paulus returned to North Africa. Kemal's public appearance had clarified the situation in North Africa, and there shouldn't be any major problems for the time being. Thorne ordered Paulus's African troops to continue to be stationed in Africa to deal with emergencies. They shouldn't be needed for domestic affairs; these men should just guard the energy reserves of the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Some internal strife has arisen within the Austrian Danube Confederation, with calls for its separation. Austria is forced to turn its attention to dealing with this issue, while also grappling with problems in the Balkans. Even though the war ended long ago, some countries are still looking for revenge.