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POV of Crown Prince Wilhelm
28-October-1921
''I no longer understand it. We scarcely emerge from one difficulty before becoming entangled in another. Everything is going wrong. First Karl's book, then the Anschluss and the diplomatic crisis it has caused. All we needed was for the drought to ruin the harvests… We cannot climb out of this hole. Every time we seem to regain our footing, something forces us to begin again. Now food prices are rising, and with them, discontent in the streets. To our misfortune, our neighbors are scarcely better off. The only one to have come through all this unscathed cannot supply us with everything we need to hold prices down'' my father lamented, bringing his right hand to his face.
''The warnings about the drought received insufficient attention until it was too late. The first reports passed through a handful of offices, but by the time the gravity of the situation was acknowledged, little time remained to take precautions. Moreover, as I understand it, Karl cannot sell us larger quantities because Russia is purchasing every available surplus. The Russians have suffered enormous crop losses. Without those supplies, they would face famine, and who can say what might follow?'' I replied as I examined the reports from the various states' ministries of agriculture.
''I know. Nicky told me he had asked Karl, as a personal favor, to sell food to Russia despite the rivalry and territorial disputes between their governments. But that is precisely the problem: our long-term prospects are favorable, yet every immediate difficulty sets us back. And do you know who profits most from all this? The Valkists'' said my father, closing his eyes and clenching his fist.
''According to our sources, Adam Dressler has just consolidated his authority within the organization. He proclaims that he has received Karl's blessing to represent Valkist interests in Germany. Added to that is the adoption of Baltic agricultural methods in Austria, which has been one of the few regions where food production has not suffered a substantial decline. The Austrian Valkists had devoted considerable sums to agriculture as part of their program. They will undoubtedly enter the next regional elections in a much stronger position'' I explained, consulting one of our intelligence reports.
''And what has possessed Karl to support such a band of extremists? Was publishing that book not enough? Must he now also embolden those agitators who deliver speeches in the streets almost daily?'' asked my father, still irritated.
''We do not know for certain. From what we have learned through people close to the Baltic government, Karl had no sympathy for them either. He considered them radicals'' I replied.
''Then… why support a movement he dislikes?'' he pressed, raising an open hand. ''If he has truly endorsed Dressler, he has virtually assured him the leadership of the party. Those men revere Karl and the great heroes of the war. Invoking his name will be enough to prevail over anyone who still opposes him.''
''I suspect Karl believes he can control them. It is conjecture, but if they admire him to that extent, perhaps he thinks he can guide their conduct within the institutions of government. In recent days, they have considerably moderated their demands to close churches that fail to assist their communities or punish those that send money to Rome instead of devoting it to German workers. He may be attempting to restrain their more radical positions'' I said thoughtfully.
''If that were true, it would be welcome news. But we still do not know what they intend. Our attempt to weaken the movement appears to have failed. They are the chief beneficiaries: Austria is not suffering a food crisis comparable to that in the rest of the country, and Karl and his federation of eastern states have been the only ones to emerge from the drought in good condition'' replied my father, leaning back in his chair.
''Bulgaria and Romania have also obtained acceptable results. They have the Danube and have received considerable agricultural assistance from the duchy. They did not have as many specialists at their disposal as the Austrian Valkists, but tractors and fertilizers have allowed them to weather the difficulties more successfully. Maintaining good relations with Europe's largest supplier of industrial and natural fertilizers has its advantages'' I observed with a nod.
''That concerns me little… Well, Bulgaria does: the Bulgarians are our allies. The Romanians are another matter. Had we not inflicted that defeat upon the Russians, those black sheep of the Hohenzollerns would surely have stabbed us in the back. But what matters now is restoring normality. We still have far too many unemployed. Our programs have allowed many people to return to the countryside and somewhat relieved the concentration of population in the great cities, but it has not been enough. Those who cannot find work end up crossing the border to seek it in Karl's domains'' he said, looking toward the ceiling.
''Karl enjoys a freedom of action that we do not possess. He need not assemble parliamentary majorities, negotiate with the governments of the constituent states, or heed the demands of civic associations. The Baltic Duchy has no constitution: it is an absolute monarchy. If he wishes to introduce a reform, he decrees it. And those measures, however radical, attract attention because they are bringing stability and prosperity. I have read economic reports suggesting that a Baltic worker has almost twice the means of a German worker. They have full employment, and many companies prefer to establish themselves there rather than here. Their population is smaller, but it has the money to purchase what they produce'' I replied, lowering my gaze.
''All we needed was for our great companies to begin abandoning us when we most need economic activity to recover. Without enterprises producing goods and paying taxes, we cannot sustain the state. We have met many of these difficulties by borrowing, but we cannot continue taking on debt whenever a problem arises. We must prevent all this from developing into another crisis, especially if food prices continue rising until the next harvest'' said my father, bringing his hand to his chin.
''And hope that the drought does not persist for another year. In that case, the measures we are preparing might prove insufficient… The only favorable circumstance is that France is among the countries most severely affected. Besides the shortage of water, there is the land destroyed or contaminated during the war. Many of the plains that once fed the French have become barren fields full of chemical residues. According to our agents, they are squeezing their colonies for every scrap of food they can obtain, with little concern for what remains for the inhabitants. They have imposed production quotas and delivery requirements, yet even these measures have failed to supply their entire population. Apparently, they have already requested food shipments from the United States'' I explained, reading the final pages of the reports on France.
''At last, some good news… At last. God knows those bitter men had earned it. Let us see whether they lose some of their arrogance now that they must beg other countries for food. It was bad enough that one party secured an absolute majority in their elections and gave them a measure of political stability. If famine brings down that government, perhaps we will have an opportunity to deal with a divided France. We must negotiate every decision, while they possess a majority that allows them to impose their policies'' said my father. He closed his eyes for a moment before turning his gaze back to the documents on the table.
''Then, apart from the negotiations with the Americans over naval limitations, there appears to be no other immediate international matter requiring our attention. Our priority will remain restoring the economy. We need people to find employment; otherwise, many will leave for the Baltic Duchy in search of a better life. In the long run, that will weaken our position against Karl, should he decide to use the Valkists against us'' I said, looking at my father.
''I do not believe Karl intends to turn against us. Thus far, he has shown no such intention'' he replied almost immediately.
''It is merely a possibility. But more people leave every day, and eventually that will harm us. Many are men of working age who take their families with them. The prospect is particularly attractive to those with a wounded or disabled relative. There are organized programs to care for them there, whereas here much of that work falls to scattered associations. We must stem that loss of population'' I insisted with a faint smile.
''We shall see what can be done. Proposals will have to be put before the Reichstag, but at present we lack the funds. We would need extraordinary appropriations approved… Perhaps a public works program that would allow us to employ a considerable number of men. Even so, we cannot solve the problem of millions of unemployed through state intervention alone. We need private companies to begin hiring again. Until the economy recovers, we shall continue to suffer the same difficulties'' my father concluded, shaking his head.
I nodded and, shortly afterward, left his study.
We were in a very poor position. We were losing population, radical parties were gaining strength, and we remained burdened by border disputes that had to be resolved through plebiscites. Movements had emerged in neighboring countries determined to extract the greatest possible advantage from those territorial changes and our weakness.
We had recently received word of a political organization operating in the territories of Schleswig-Holstein under Danish administration. Its members demanded the incorporation of the entire region into the Kingdom of Denmark. The Poles, for their part, continued doing everything they could to ensure that Posen voted to join Poland or, failing that, for independence.
There was also the agreement over Alsace-Lorraine. We would probably not intervene too extensively there, since we had already accepted that, in several of the disputed areas, the French would do what was necessary to secure victory in the local plebiscites.
Our latest concern, however, came from Italy. Its diplomatic civil war appeared to be drawing to a close. After lengthy negotiations, the Kingdom of Italy was on the verge of completing the peaceful incorporation of Lombardy and Venetia, bringing them back into the union. That would allow the Italians to turn their attention once more to their claims upon our territories.
Istria was one of their principal objectives. Since it was among the regions subject to a plebiscite, they would surely attempt to exploit the circumstances to demand its cession.
Taken separately, none of those countries necessarily posed an insurmountable threat to Germany. The question was what would happen if they all decided to act at once. Too many governments were eager to seize territory from us.
Moreover, our military position remained precarious. Many officers were retiring or being dismissed in the wake of the scandal over the conduct of the war. Men who had commanded entire armies no longer held their posts, and their replacements were still being chosen. This was no time to face another conflict.
Italy was hardly in the best condition either, but its leaders never ceased demanding the territories with non-German populations that we intended to retain. For us, keeping a Mediterranean port was important if we wished to maintain communications with the few allies we had left.
We were surrounded by potential enemies, while our allies either lacked sufficient strength or faced difficulties even greater than our own. Only Bulgaria and the Ottomans could be counted upon with any certainty. We still did not know what course Hungary would take.
That left the Baltic. Karl was a powerful friend, and his state did not suffer from the instability afflicting the others, but at times he seemed to cause us as many problems as he could help us resolve. Even so, he was the only ally of real weight we retained while our neighbors bared their teeth.
Everything seemed to be leading toward another great conflict.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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