The Gathering Storm, Redux - Gameplay Thread (WW2 - Early 1940)

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The German Reich offers 1 million dollars in grants to the Kingdom of Romania as well as special advisors in order to help it set up a modernize its manufacturing industry.

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Alfred Hugenberg's speech to the Imperial Diet

Esteemed deputies,
Distinguished guests,
My fellow Germans,

The policy of my government, ever since its formation in 1933, has been to ensure the preservation of peace in a stable and cooperation-orientated world. These are the principles I have comsistently fought for, through each and every decision I havemade. However, after 4 years of watching the world get more and more unstable and with war seemingly looming around the corner, it is clear to me that the rotten core must be addressed. As the collapse of Yugoslavia into a criminal monstrosity, the Third Balkan War and the illegal occupation of the Saar have proven: Versailles failed. It failed in ensuring peace and security. It failed in mending the rifts between the nations. It failed in ensuring we never even think of the possibility of another Great War.

However, all is not lost. I would like to extend my proposal tonight to all European leaders: it is time to come together and put the interests of our world before our egos. It is time to renegotiate. Germany must be regarded as a friend, as a potential partner, not as the loser who deserves no respect. It is time to put the divisions of the Great War behind us.

I watched with great interest the efforts of the German Colonial Society in recent months. And I proudly endorse them. It is time for Germany to be seen as an equal partner not as an enemy or a tool to be used.

Thank you, and may we succeed at preserving peace.

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The German government addresses the latest developments concerning the Austrian referendum:

"The musings by foreign powers who wiew Austria as nothing more than a puppet state and a buffer about the referendum should and will be ignored. The position of the German government is as follows: if the Austrian people vote to join us we will welcome them as brothers. Should they vote to stay independent, we will respect that decision. But should anyone, no matter who, try to stop them from casting their votes, they will be met with fire and fury from this government as well as the Austrian people."

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German-Lithuanian Treaty

- A referendum will be held in 1937 regarding the status of the territory of Memel and whether it should stay as a part of Lithuania or rejoin Germany.
- The independence of Lithuania is guaranteed by Germany.
- Lithuania will be financially compensated and allowed to use the port duty free should Memel vote to rejoin Germany.
- Lithuania will be helped to train, modernize and expand its army by Germany.

X Alfred Hugenberg, Chancellor of Germany

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The German government addresses the latest developments concerning the Austrian referendum:

"The musings by foreign powers who wiew Austria as nothing more than a puppet state and a buffer about the referendum should and will be ignored. The position of the German government is as follows: if the Austrian people vote to join us we will welcome them as brothers. Should they vote to stay independent, we will respect that decision. But should anyone, no matter who, try to stop them from casting their votes, they will be met with fire and fury from this government as well as the Austrian people."

Our concerns are that the referendum will not be legitimate. That it will be subjected to fraud and interference from certain interests. I understand Germany has little regard for international law, but any referendum must be held with League of Nations observers, otherwise the United kingdom will consider it illegitimate.

In a previous statement, which I see you walked back, you said you "wouldn't allow an union". Well sadly no one asked! The Austrian people are the only masters of their destinies.

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Alfred Hugenberg: "The Irish motion to the League of Nations is a disgrace and reveals the existance of an international alliance of countries wishing to fulfill their inane plan of killing off German sovereignity for good, using Ireland as their trojan horse.This motion is a threat to the world peace. We would also wish to once again reiterate our principle of allowing Austria to decide its own future and any attempt by the so-called democrats to push a fist down the people's throat will result in a swift and drastic response."

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The German government kindly recommends Eamon de Valera not to get involved in issues beyond his depth and competence.

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The German government sees itself forced to strongly reiterate its earlier recommandation to the Irish leader.

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The German government declares victory over an international conspiracy to prevent the planned Austrian referendum from taking place and recalls its troops, warning it is ready to send them back at a moment's notice should the conspiring foreign powers incite another coup.

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Alfred Hugenberg responds:

"We firmly deny the accusations, made by the dirt of the planet trying to cover up its own criminal intentions, related to a German intervention in the Baltics. There is only one threat to the sovereignty of the Baltic states, and that is the monster of the East, the Red Plague, the Bolshevik horde."

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The German Reich fully and throughoutly refuses to recognise the usurper Jan Syrovy as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, strongly condemns his illegal and dishonourable actions and demands his immediate resignation and incarceration.

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The German Reich has decided, effective immediately, to end all commercial relations with the Czechoslovak Republic and issue a full embargo on it until the usurper Jan Syrovy resigns and elections are allowed to go forward.

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German-Polish Treaty on the status of the Free City of Danzig

Preamble: Overcoming past diplomatic issues and acknowledging the efforts by both the President of Poland and the Reichskanzler to seek a better understanding between nations, efforts which have resulted in reconciliation between tje two states, the signatories are adopting this Treaty in order to settle the last point of division and move past all hostilities.

Article 1: From now on, the Free City of Danzig will be an autonomous free city under the joint administration of the German Reich and the Republic of Poland.

Article 2: The Republic of Poland and the German Reich recognize the current government of Danzig and will each send a representative to serve in government as Secretary of Polish Relations and Secretary of German Relations respectively, which will be full members of the Cabinet and the Administration.

Article 3: The German and Polish ambassadors, together with a representative of the Danzig government, will form a Joint Council tasked to promote trade between the three governments, improve the infrastructure connecting them and organise the legislative elections stipulated through this Treaty.

Article 4: Citizens of the Free City of Danzig will be able to send representatives to either the Reichstag or the Polish Diet. However, they will have to make a choice by registering on either German or Polish lists.

Article 5: The Republic of Poland keeps its current rights regarding Danzig while the German Reich will obtain those same rights.

Article 6: Both the German Reich and the Republic of Poland guarantee the protection of the Free City of Danzig in front of foreign aggression, however in the lack of a clear threat, the governments won't send additional troops within the city.

Article 7: All citizens of the Free City of Danzig will be able to send their children in a school of their choice, have the same opportunities irrespective of ethnicity or national affiliation and freely decide without interference for which legislature they wish to vote, if any at all.

Article 8: The German Reich and the Republic of Poland recommit to their previously announced Non-Aggression Pact, respect this Treaty and refrain from any subversive activities against each other.

X Alfred Hugenberg, Chancellor of the German Reich

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The German Reich unequivocally rejects the French demands.

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Peace Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Empire of Japan

- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Empire of Japan shall end all hostilities
- The Soviet-controlled part of Sakhalin shall be ceded to the Empire of Japan
- The port of Vladivostok shall be considered a joint Soviet-Japanese economic area under Soviet jurisdiction and both countries shall have docking rights
- The troops of the Empire of Japan shall leave the territory of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics immediately

X Lev Kamenev

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The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on one side and Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan on the other side agree to a ceasefire and the beginning of a peace conference in Antalya.

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Soviet-Chinese Treaty

- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Republic of China shall immediately cease all hostilities towards each other.
- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shall withdraw its troops from Xinjiang Province and the Republic of China shall withdraw its troops from the Mongolian People's Republic
- Both countries shall lift tariffs towards each other and export restrictions on oil, coal, ore and steel.

X Lev Kamenev

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Soviet-Finnish Treaty

- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Republic of Finland shall immediately cease all hostilities
- The Republic of Finland shall immediately leave Leningrad and other occupied areas
- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shall cede parts of East Karelia to the Republic of Finland

X Lev Kamenev, Chairman of the State Defence Committee

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Lev Kamenev's first speech as Chairman of the State Defence Committee

"Comrades!,

First of all let me express my deep regret and mourning over the death of our great leader Mikhail Tukhachevsky. He died as a hero, a martyr of the proletarian revolution. His death has not been in vain, and we will all fight to live up to his legacy by building the utopian communist society he so desperately wanted.

I have been appointed in this crucial position at a time which could not be more dire. Not since Lenin has the Revolution been in such a danger. The forces of Reaction have come upon us, and their desperate knowledge that their time is over made them more violent and ruthless than ever. In these times, what we must do is return to Lenin, the founder of our great state, and look in his deeds for inspiration and his thinking for guidance.

My friends!,

It is time, now more than ever, to fight for the Revolution! However, however, we can not continue to get bogged down in the various distractions the Reaction has placed before us. We must go straight for the Reaction's heart! That heart, comrades, is in Berlin. The Kaiser and his mass murderer of a puppeteer lay in Berlin, oppressing millions, placing the will of a nation in their chains, using various countries as a shield against the fury of the workers. I say no more! The murderers of Comrade Tukhachevsky are in Berlin! We must focus our entire might, our entire fury on the German oppressors.

Comrades,

We must gear up for this one decisive battle. We will take the fight directly to the Reaction and we shall not stop! We shall not stop until the Germans will have broken their chains! We shall not stop until Hugenberg pays for every single death he caused! We shall not rest until the red flag flies over Berlin! We shall not stop until the Reaction is no more!

Thank you!"

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Lev Kamenev's second speech as Chairman of the State Defence Committee

"Comrades!,

Over 20 years ago, the founder of our state, Vladimir Lenin, stood before the oppressors in revolutionary fury, and liberated the Russian people. Back then, he had a dream. He had a dream of a federation, a federation of equals. A federation where every worker, no matter the nationality, stood together in defiance of chauvinism and imperialist nationalism.

As with so many things, Joseph Stalin failed to understand that dream. During his reign, he let himself guided by chauvinism and he ruined the bridges Lenin built. He made many of nationalities other than Russian despise this Union. Stalin was wrong, the Revolution is supposed to erase all discrimination and privilege, and look at all people, no matter their ethnicity, the same.

This Soviet government will fix these mistakes. I pledge you this on my very life. We will allow true self-governance exercised by the workers through the Soviet Socialist Republics. We will never deny someone the right to express his or her own culture. We will never separate our citizens in first class and second class. This nation will be a home to all those who reside in it. I pledge you this by my very own life.

These days, a war is looming above us. It is the final war, it is the war Marx and Lenin could have only imagined. We are in a total, life-or-death battle against Germany. Today, each and everyone of you must take a stand! Do you stand with the Revolution, with the socialist freedom, with the bright future of communism, or do you stand with reactionary oppressors, imperialist aggressors and murderers, those who don't care how many people die as long as they cling to a Throne or a mansion! I call on all of you! Our mistakes will be rectified, but in this dark hour, we must put aside all of our differences and stand by the red flag, by the revolutionary might!"

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Antalya Accords

The following terms are mutually agreed upon by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (henceforth referred to as the Soviet Union); and the Republic of Turkey, Imperial State of Iran, Kingdom of Iraq, and Kingdom of Afghanistan (henceforth collectively referred to as the Eurasian Alliance):

1. The Eurasian Alliance and Soviet Union shall immediately end hostilities and withdraw respective forces back to their countries of origin.

2. Romania shall be recognized as territory under the sphere of the Soviet Union and shall not be obstructed by the Eurasian Alliance.

3. Afghanistan shall be recognized in its fully independent status with boundaries intact from prior to hostilities encompassed in the Soviet-Eurasian War. The Afghan Soviet Republic shall cease to be recognized by all signatories.

4. All other boundaries prior to the Soviet-Eurasian War shall be regarded as valid.

5. A commitment to non-aggression in foreign policies shall be affirmed by the Eurasian Alliance and Soviet Union.

6. Embargoes by the Eurasian Alliance and Soviet Union against one another shall immediately be lifted and economic relations shall become normalized.

7. A voluntary population transfer program shall be organized for members of the Kurdish community residing in the Republic of Turkey and Kingdom of Iraq. Willing participants shall receive ample accommodations for relocation to the Soviet Union, where upon arrival new Kurdish communities shall be established within Central Asian territory of Soviet borders.

8. For damages incurred over the course of the Soviet-Eurasian War, the Soviet Union shall institute a military compensation program to members of the Eurasian Alliance. Military aid shall arrive in increments of each quarter of the year until the Eurasian Alliance is supplied to equivalent levels as prior to the conflict.

X President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Republic of Turkey

X Lev Kamenev

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Lev Kamenev's statement in regards to the Franco-German peace deal:

"Peace with dishonor! The French aristocrats, trembling in fear of a more equal world, bowed to Hugenberg! The world will soon spit at their name and mock their weakness!"