This was supposed to be the first chapter of the day, but I messed up,
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POV of Crown Prince Wilhelm
10-March-1921
I covered my face with my hands while finally managing to sigh far more relaxed than before. I remained staring at the ceiling of my office while trying to calm down a little.
''Do you need anything, Your Majesty?'' one of the servants asked while watching me run a hand over the bridge of my nose.
''Wine… please'' I replied while leaning my back against the chair and breathing deeply.
The servant did not take long to bring a bottle of wine. He quickly uncorked it and poured its contents into a glass, which he left beside my right hand.
I extended my hand, took the glass and, after lightly smelling its contents, drank a few sips before placing it back on the table.
We had come out fairly well from that bomb Karl had left us as a gift.
Although, naturally, considering the current conditions, we were much worse off than before.
A new Reichstag had been formed and, to our fortune, the SPD had received a considerable electoral blow. It had gone from controlling almost thirty-two percent of the deputies to only around twenty-five percent, ending up practically tied with the conservative bloc led by the Zentrum.
Although one also had to be honest.
There were some branches of the Zentrum that were considerably closer to the socialists and could collaborate with them on certain matters. However, without that percentage the SPD had lost, the possibility of them completely controlling the Reichstag had become a problem of the past.
At least for a time.
The threat that they would once again insist on removing my father from the throne should not repeat itself until the next elections either.
We had gambled quite a lot by temporarily dissolving the Reichstag because of all the chaos in the streets, with crowds demanding culprits for the war after the publication of Karl's famous book.
And that gamble had worked.
During martial law, the military had been given enough time to clean up a good part of their own disasters while stability returned to the streets. Much of the most compromising evidence had already been destroyed, so numerous officers would surely end up receiving only relatively light sanctions.
Even so, the Reichstag had recently approved the creation of investigative commissions intended to identify those responsible, bring them before the courts and imprison those who could be found guilty.
There was already a long list of names under investigation.
Many belonged to the closest circle of Hindenburg and Ludendorff within the OHL, and several would surely end up being definitively expelled from the German army.
That, naturally, was generating another enormous conflict.
Now it was being discussed to what extent the opportunity should be used to remove numerous Junkers considered unreliable from the army. With the annexation of Austria, we had incorporated thousands of additional soldiers and officers, so there was a much larger reserve of men to choose from.
But the Austrians represented their own problem.
The annexation had been excellent for Germany in many ways, incorporating vast stretches of territory, population, minerals and other resources.
The problem had been the timing.
As we feared, France and the United Kingdom had intervened immediately to limit German gains precisely when our country was going through enormous internal instability.
And, because of that political chaos, we had been forced to yield on an especially painful matter.
We had lost the richest regions of Böhmen, including a good part of the industrial surroundings of Prague, which was precisely one of the most valuable areas we could have incorporated.
Even so, although a rebound had been expected from the German conservative parties with the annexation of Austria, since they had indeed won their election with nationalist and conservative support in Austria, something strange had happened. One of the great winners had clearly been that party of the Viking League, which was literally a party that represented itself through the values Karl expressed in his book.
Military veterans who wanted revenge against the leaders who had sent them to the trenches and who, according to them, had sabotaged the war. In addition, many sought economic policies that were far too similar to those Karl was implementing in his own country.
It was known that the Duchy was enjoying great economic prosperity and numerous political sectors were trying to imitate part of that system. Even within the socialist ranks of the SPD there were those proposing something similar: subordinating the economy to the social interests of the population.
Although, of course, they ignored that much of what Karl had done had only been possible because he governed a country he controlled almost completely and where, when he began his reforms, there were barely any major industrial interests capable of opposing him.
It was not the same thing to invest State money in building companies and then hand shares in them to the workers as it was to expropriate already existing private companies and distribute them.
And that was precisely what some wanted to propose here.
The cost would be astronomical.
Buying just twenty percent of one of the enormous German companies, especially the great conglomerates dedicated to steel, mining or arms manufacturing, would represent a gigantic investment.
Honestly, the State could not afford something like that, much less do it on a national scale. That was precisely the great problem.
Everyone wanted a system similar to Karl's, but Germany did not possess the same foundations that had allowed it to be built.
In the Duchy, there were practically no noble interests capable of confronting the Government, nor were there any large independent industrialists left with enough power to block the reforms. Karl controlled an enormous amount of land and companies after having expropriated the properties of numerous nobles during his purge against those he had considered traitors.
He had built a good part of that system practically from zero.
We could not do the same.
Trying to copy it through forced expropriations would provoke an enormous crisis of confidence among German owners and businessmen. It would be enough for such a law to begin being seriously discussed for many industrialists to start moving capital out of the country, halting investments or seeking any possible way to protect their companies.
And if they managed to approve any of those proposals that simply sought to force the expropriation of part of the companies, then we truly would have a serious economic problem.
But the good thing, within all the bad of the Valkists, was that they were firm and convinced monarchists. Since Karl had defended the monarchy and the Viking League largely followed almost everything his book said to the letter, the Valkists almost always voted in favor of the interests of the Crown.
In the latest votes on an SPD proposal to expropriate the Crown's properties without compensation, it had failed. The same had happened with the recent attempt to remove the Kaiser's authority to temporarily close the Reichstag by decree.
Because the Valkists had not joined the proposal, just like other nationalist parties, the SPD only managed to gather around forty percent of the votes necessary to approve it.
That had left us in a considerably stronger position, especially considering that last time we had only been saved by approximately two percent.
''Your Majesty, it appears Chancellor Constantin Fehrenbach is requesting an audience with you'' one of my servants said from the door.
''What is the reason for his request for an audience with me?'' I asked while extending my hand toward my glass again to finish what remained of the wine.
''Matters of State. Since your father is visiting some hospitals as part of several propaganda campaigns, the Chancellor considers that you should be the one to hear his plans and then inform His Majesty the Kaiser.''
''Then let him in'' I replied while settling myself in the chair and waiting for the Chancellor to enter.
I moved the glass aside to keep it out of sight and, shortly afterward, Fehrenbach entered the room.
''Your Majesty'' the Chancellor said while stopping before me.
''Chancellor. As I understand it, you have mainly come to present the program you intend to apply during the next month, once this year's budget is approved in April'' I said while clasping my hands and trying to offer him a slight smile.
''Indeed. I also wish to present some proposals that our party considers optimal and to try to secure the Kaiser's support on these matters, considering that we find ourselves in a situation of considerable political instability and that parties are emerging which intend to make excessively severe changes to our institutions'' the Chancellor explained while watching me attentively.
''Yes, I suppose you are referring mainly to the Viking League. But I hope you are not proposing some kind of political persecution. It is a party composed mainly of veteran soldiers. Many belonged to the Freikorps, and the fact that they now form part of paramilitary organizations does not mean they have stopped being trained war veterans'' I replied, adopting a considerably harsher tone.
''I know. But a good part of that anger the soldiers feel should diminish thanks to the investigative commissions. In addition, we want to establish some incentive programs for veterans. Many still lack work and are also suffering the consequences of our internal problems: insufficient agricultural production and an enormous shortage of decent housing''.
Fehrenbach made a small pause before continuing.
''If we manage to carry out a good campaign on those matters, we should be able to recover a good part of those votes for the traditional parties. At the same time, the Valkist movement should stop representing such a great threat if we manage to take away part of the support it receives from veterans and from certain workers who previously voted for the socialists'' the Chancellor explained.
''Yes, it seems like a solid plan. But can we truly finance such a program? Do we have the votes necessary to approve a budget of that size, one that would allow us to solve part of our agricultural deficiencies and also build who knows how many homes?'' I asked while watching the Chancellor.
''We have the votes everywhere: in the Landtage of the federal States, in the Reichstag and in the Bundesrat. It has even already been negotiated with the Viking League. It seems much more willing to negotiate with us than with the socialists, so all that remains is to formally present the budget'' the Chancellor said, looking quite confident in the negotiations he had apparently managed to close with his party and with the other forces necessary to approve a large national budget.
''Good. Give me a quick summary of that plan you intend to launch so I can explain it to the Kaiser once he returns from his journey'' I said while looking him in the eyes.
''In principle, the plan intends to provide work for some one hundred thousand people, mainly through construction projects. We will try to ensure that many of those positions are given first to our veterans, guaranteeing them decent working conditions. With that, we plan to build around four hundred thousand homes within five years, which would be delivered mainly to veterans and their families. That should considerably reduce the overcrowding that exists in the great German cities''.
The Chancellor adjusted himself slightly before continuing.
''Economic incentives will also be offered to private companies so they hire more personnel, once again giving priority to veterans whenever possible''.
''Then comes agriculture. This is where the plan intends to absorb a good part of the veterans who are still unemployed. Our agriculture has fallen considerably behind that of some of our neighbors, so we want to attract Ukrainian and Baltic tractor companies to establish facilities inside Germany. In that way, we will create jobs and, at the same time, increase our production of tractors, seed drills and other agricultural machinery''.
Fehrenbach moved one hand slightly as he continued.
''We also intend to offer certain tax exemptions to companies dedicated to fertilizer production so they can expand their facilities. We need to considerably increase the amount available if we want to modernize national agriculture''.
''Then we will buy tractors from the Duchy and the Kingdom of Ukraine… There would have to be several thousand to cover a significant part of our farms. But the main problem remains who controls many of the large estates. Are there plans regarding land ownership?'' I asked the Chancellor.
''Eh… yes. A land purchase program is being studied with the intention of later redistributing those lands among peasants. That would also serve to reduce part of the socialist narrative against the Junkers and the nobility''.
He made a brief pause.
''But it would mainly involve purchasing properties belonging to landowners who are bankrupt or going through serious economic difficulties. Some pressure could be exerted to encourage sale, but we are not speaking of forced expropriations''.
''Good. And what about the army?'' I asked while raising an eyebrow.
''Once the investigations are finished and we remove the weeds that still exist inside the army, the institution will continue functioning essentially as it has until now. However, we want to prevent Junker ancestry from mattering more than merit again. The objective will be to ensure that the capacity and ability of commanders determine their promotions within the ranks, preventing us from ending up with another case like Hindenburg'' the Chancellor replied.
''Good. For now, that serves us… Anything else?'' I asked.
''Beyond some support measures and subsidies intended to reduce social discontent, not too much. We will have to take on some debt to finance the whole program, but we believe these measures should allow us to move forward. If we achieve visible results, we expect our coalition to increase its support while the socialists and the Valkists begin to lose voters'' the Chancellor explained, nodding his head.
''Excellent. I will inform the Kaiser. You may withdraw'' I replied thoughtfully.
Without adding another word, the Chancellor left the room.
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Just a heads-up: Starting this Sunday, I'll be posting Basil's story more frequently, but I'll be posting this one less often, so you'll know.
Also, once I finish Basil's story, I'll take on another project. Among the possibilities, I want to share ideas from here with the readers on the other page, since they'll be the ones to choose which project I work on. I'm giving them options, as well as… the chance to revisit projects I abandoned for personal reasons.
So leave your ideas, and I'll try to include them in a poll later on.