Over by Christmas – Chapter 2 -1917 to September 1919

The New Map of EuropeThe war was over and the population of the German Empire were rejoicing. Although this could not be said of the newly annexed Poles, Ukrainians, Latvians and Estonians there was little to worry the Kaiser about these people’s who were already used to subjugation.After the end of the festivities held across the empire to celebrated the glorious German Victory, the Kaiser's Government quickly set about setting up new diplomatic ties with the old enemies and in particular the new nations to be born out of the Austrian collapse. A policy of diplomatic missions was followed, and although trust was still not to be found about the Triple entente there was little, The Americans started to see that the Germans were not this evil nation, as they had been led to believe by the British. To the South the nation of Hungary came closer to Germany and became a valuable trade partner, as did her neighbour Romania. It was the Bulgarians the Germans warmed to the most and in February 1917 when they requested to join the Central powers, they were inducted with open arms, to act as the barrier and starting point to bring down the Ottomans if the time and need called for it.The Kaiser and his government also decided to pursue a national policy of building new factories. All across the Fatherland, and by 1919 the new acquired Eastern Empire, factories producing everything from automobiles to small arms to steel for ships were popping up and welcoming the soldiers of the war with jobs, wealth and prosperity. The sheer amount new factories led the German Empire into the enviable position of the world’s largest industrial power, and the new trading opportunities quickly allowed the Central German Government to become extremely wealthy and build up a large reserve of cash. This money was then duly invested in infrastructure, education and national security. And into rebuilding the German Navy. The rewards of the investment soon paid off with the large German companies creating new tanks, new prototype Battleships, submarines and developing new industrial techniques and importantly new ways to wage war.The German Empire went from strength to strength for 2 years, in the Far East, the Empire took the ports of Hong Kong, Macao and Port Arthur, much to the anger of the Western Allies, Russia and the Japanese, the latter more so than the formers. Yet the Japanese had already prospered from the Empire’s misfortune and it was time for the Eagle of Germany to spread her wings east.In late 1918 the Kaiser decided to embark on an experiment in politics. Believing that the economic strength of Germany, the new lands in the East and the power of her armies would allow for a more democratic government to start to rule allowing the Kaiser to slip into a more constitutional and ceremonious role at the end of his empire. On the 9th of November in a small Town called Weimar the German Democratic Government was formed.For a few months, all seemed well and the Weimar government looked to be handling the situation well, yet at the end of January 1919 the first glimmers of unrest at this new government appeared. The first was the Spartacists, a group of Marxist revolutionaries looking to overthrow the government of Weimar and turn the German Empire into a Marxist paradise. They were quickly quelled however by the well armed and modern German Army stationed on the Border with Czechoslovakia.To the South the once dependable Hungary fell to the ideas of a man named Lenin and were attempting to establish their own workers paradise, however this new government was soon attacked and defeated by the Romanians who then established a Social Conservative government to re-assert power. This uprising and new government did little to assist the already struggling experimental government of the German Empire, and in April the Bayern Communist Republic attempted to break free of the Empire. Yet again however the superior German army crushed this rebellion, with the help of Austrian Troops, showing perhaps the old alliance was not yet dead and there could perhaps be dreams of a ‘Gross Deutschland’.In the east news of uprisings brought hope to some extreme partisans that could see themselves as free, and ruling themselves and therefore the time of independence wars began in the German Eastern Europe. However to many it was a laughable attempt by many different partisans groups who could decide themselves what they wished for to find some freedom, and as with the previous uprisings all of these freedom fighters were quickly found, surrounded and ended. The Kaiser outraged at the failure of this new government pushed for a more authoritarian regime and went to take back his powers as the supreme head of the Empire. It had worked under his rule, the Kaiser concluded so therefore it shall work once more. Once taking over the Country and dismantling the democratic government the Kaiser set about establishing the Wilhelm line from the channel to the Swiss border, this was designed to prevent the French from taking advantage from any internal struggles in Germany, and in 1919 many of the forts were well underway.In Munich a small party called the National Socialist German Workers Party was formed to give more rights to the workers, yet in 1919 it was small, no one of great interest had joined, a few old men, racists who disliked the peoples of the east, and some ex-soldiers such as an Austrian who served as a private in the German Army called Hitler.