The Sword of Damocles (Gameplay Thread) (Early 1930)

[Cranberry]

To: The Empire of Japan
From: The German Empire

Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm will most happily attend this joyful celebration, and pay his tribute, congratulations and best wishes to the Emperor, in representation of the German Empire and the House of Hohenzollern.

[Cranberry]

The German Empire - Turn 1

The following was, as per the agreement of coalition between the Zentrum, SDP and DDP, agreed upon by the council of ministers, and is brought before the Reichstag, in order to be debated and made into law:

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The council of ministers has furthermore agreed on the following resolution to be passed by the Reichstag:

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Franz von Papen receives the backing of the Chancellor and the ministers of the Zentrum to stand as candidate for the position of Parliamentary Leader of the party. Kurt von Schleicher is appointed a direct comissioner between the General Staff and the Council of Ministers, however, receives no official ministerial position.

[Cranberry]

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OOC: This has been signed between Germany and the Ottoman Empire some time ago, just thought it would be good for you all to know (Crimea is included in that as well, by the way, as you can see)

[Cranberry]

Since Germany suspects France might, due to their recent alliance with Italy, not completely palatable to Spain, she would offer herself as mediator. We hold no alliances or grudges with either partner, and as member of the Catholic Church himself, Chancellor Marx should be an acceptable choice for the Pope.

A nice, quaint spa town such as Bad Ems would serve as an ideal place for negotiations, if the respective nations would agree.

[Cranberry]

We would be most saddened if the conciliatory talks between Italy, Spain and France were to end before they even began. We can only re-affirm Germany's commitment to ensure peace in Europe, and invite the respective nations to come sit together at a table in Berlin.

[Cranberry]

The German Empire does not recognize a pathetic "government-in-exile", formed in Cuba by one failed former President.

(shamelessly copying Kal's post )

[Cranberry]

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The above has been agreed upon by the German Empire and the United States of America.

x Wilhelm Marx
Kanzler des Deutschen Reiches

[Cranberry]

The recent developments in the Italo-Spanish conflict do very much sadden Germany, for if there is one thing we desire, it is peace and stability in Europe. But we applaud the attempts of conciliation of our friends, the Ottoman and Japanese Empires, and would be very pleased if the road to talks as proposed by the Japanese Empire were to be followed.

I can thus only invite both sides to send me their demands ahead of the peace talks, and we shall try to find the best workable solution and compromise for both sides.

[Cranberry]

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The above has been agreed upon by the German Empire and the Empire of Japan

x Wilhelm Marx

[Cranberry]

The Pope and the Senate acquiesce to the call for a third party mediator in the form of Germany. We do this entirely in the interest of the Spanish people who should be damned for the foolish actions of their tyrannical"government".

We applaud this decision!

[Cranberry]

While we have received demands from Spain, we still will wait for those of the Italo-French alliance before we will begin mediation.

We furthermore implore the Republic of France to come to the table of negotiatin.

[Cranberry]

Having reviewed all input from both sides of the Italo-Spanish conflict, and upon most careful consideration and deliberation, we have come to the conclusion that one of the sides in this conflict must not be prepared to solve this conflict peacefully, otherwise we could not explain this set of, to say it clearly, ludicrous demands from one of the sides.

Out of respect towards all nations involved, we shall refrain from naming that side, that, deliberately or not, ended any chance of a reasonable compromise with their pre-discussion demands for now, and give said nations a period of 48 (OOC: In-game, that's obviously a period of a month or so) hours, during which they may issue new conditions. If that period of time has elapsed, and no willingness to seriously compromise and peacefully resolve that emerging conflict has been shown, we will have no choice but to publicly state which nation was not ready to compromise, and which nation was not interested in a peaceful solution.

In order to avoid this from happening, we shall send out official envoys from the German Government to both Madrid and Rome. Both of them shall be accompanied by reasonable numbers of staff and protective units, and are to lead talks with the above mentioned nation in order to ease the way to a peaceful solution. For Spain, this envoy shall be Hermann Müller, the former leader of the SPD, while for Italy this envoy shall be Prelate Ignaz Seipel, the former Minister-President of Austria, and a member of the Kanzler's own Zentrum party.

[Cranberry]

The German Empire - Turn 2

Seeing as the deputies to the Reichstag are to answer only to the German people that elected them, any form of bribery, be it from domestic or foreign powers, is to condemned most utterly. Widescale investigations on the backgrounds of these bribery attempts are ordered to commence immediately, and to report directly to the Kanzler (OOC: Lumine, I am waiting on your PM xD). Furthermore, the parliamentary leaderships of the Coalition parties are most strongly advised to lead an expulsion of the concerned deputies.

In order to further improve the methods of inter-German commerce, projects to build a network of Autobahnen in Germany are to be continued and extended. Over a period of the next ten years, additional funds shall be directed to construct or enhance further connections between major German cities, such as between Hamburg and Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne or Munich and Vienna.

While Germany will not comment on Chinese internal issues, we are strongly committed to ensure the protection of and the stability and peace in our colony at Qingdao. In order to guarantee this for the nearer future, one additional infantry division along with one additional Destroyer shall be deployed to Qingdao.

[Cranberry]

OOC: Isn't it ironic that this cesspool of all possible sins and lust that our Crimea has become is an Islamic nation?

[Cranberry]

"I may, in the name of His Imperial Majesty, Kaiser Wilhelm III. of Germany, King of Prussia, Head of the House of Hohenzollern, express His Majesty's most sincere consolations to his cousin, His Royal Majesty Tsar Nicholas I. of Romania, regarding the sudden death of His Royal Majesty's brother and His Imperial Majesty's cousin, Prince Carol. His Imperial Majesty the Kaiser will personally travel to Bucharest for the funeral. He furthermore states that, for Prince Carol's death may have been a devious coward's work, every enemy to any member of the House of Hohenzollern is one to that noble house as a whole."

- Gerhard von Mutius, Imperial German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Romania

[Cranberry]

Statement on German Mediation Attempts in the Italo-Spanish Conflict:

In light of Germany's absolute committment to peace and stability in Europe and all of the world, we have with joy taken over the task of trying to peacefully mediate between the People's Republic of Spain and the Empire of Italy in that emerging conflict. While the possibility of a summit in Germany, on neutral ground, was not received by the individual parties, we nevertheless have tirelessly attempted to mediate between the two nations by grounds of diplomacy and communication. In the following, we have offered both countries to send a number of reasonable demands and pre-conditions for a round of talks to take place. Both of the nations have responded.

Following these demands and conditions, however, we are most saddened to report that any attempts at mediation will sadly be futile. We have received conditions from both nations, but while those we received of the People's Republic of Spain showed, in our eyes, a genuine willingness to compromise and come to a peaceful solution, we cannot do other but not assume such a spirit when looking at the demands sent by the Empire of Italy. No less do they demand than the return of King Alphonso to the Spanish Throne and the end of all forms of Socialism in that country. All personal sentiments from the members of the German Government on that issue aside, we were chosen to mediate between two countries as peers. We cannot do other but take the position that the demands from Italy will not at all be palatable to Spain. We can thus, and we are deeply saddened about this, not continue in our attempts to mediate and craft a compromise, for we can not see a genuine willingness to compromise from the Empire of Italy.

We hope that conflict in this area is still evitable, and ask for the leaders of said nation to come back to the table of negotiation nevertheless.

[Cranberry]

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x Nicholas I, Tsar of Romania, House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
x Gherman Pantea, Prime Minister of Romania
x Traian Popovici, Deputy Prime Minister of Romania

x Abdülmecid II, Sultan and Caliph

x Wilhelm Marx, Kanzler des Deutschen Reiches

[Cranberry]

The German Empire is deeply troubled about the recent developments both in China as well as in Spain, which only point towards a destabilisation and an end to peace in these areas. Germany is most committed to the upkeep of peace all over the planet, and thus, we are deeply saddened on these recent developments.

As for the Chinese Civil War, Germany, as the posessor of Qingdao, sees itsself involved in that way, as we will absolutely guarantee the safety and peace of the people of Qingdao. We will not comment on any internal Chinese issues, but we will not have the safety of the city and the people of Qingdao compromitted. Any power that will bring this civil war within 30 kilometres of the city of Qingdao shall be considered as directly threatening the city of Qindgao, and by extension, the German Empire as a whole.

As for the Spanish Civil War, Germany joins her allies in the Ottoman Empire in condemning any "volunteer" forces, such is currently being assembled in Italy, being deployed by any power supporting any side. We view them no less than an open affront against the territoral integrity of People's Republic of Spain, and, by extension, an affront to peace and stability in Europe.

[Cranberry]

The German Empire

The Reichskanzler is deeply honoured by his nomination by the Nobel Prize Committee, and will gladly accept this honour. He will personally travel to Oslo to accept the prize in persona.

[Cranberry]

We implore on France to reconsider their ultimatum. While we can potentially understand their dissatisfaction with the OPA's recent policy changes, we still see that this would be an issue best resolved on the table of negotiations. Finally, we see no reason why France would feel the need to interfere in a trilateral issue regarding Romania, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire alone.

[Cranberry]

We would like to highlight that last point of our Ottoman allies as well.

[Cranberry]

Germany is most saddened about the most disingenuous actions of the Kingdoms of Serbia and Greece. When Germany approached both those nations in our quest for stability and peace, never did we see any desire for peace from Athens or Belgrade. Far from that, what we received were dubious claims and allegations, even a desire from the Serbian government to illegitimately increase their territory into Montenegro, Bosnia, and wishes from the Greece government to annex all of Albania. It is unclear to us who in this conflict is the aggressor. Is it the nation that defends herself against blatant and bloody threats to domestic security and stability, that is in her very capital subject to government-sponsored terrorism, or are it the nations that use a conflict they have no business in as a proxy to invade their peaceful neighbours, in the certainty that they as their stronger, more powerful neighbours will prevail.

It is that world order of old that is most alien to the German government. We most utterly detest any such disingenuous and vile attempts such as are perpetuated by the Greece and Serbian governments in the present day. Germany's uttermost wish is for peace and stability, and that can never be achieved when such vile powers are allowed to roam free. In light of these recent developments, it is with a heavy heart that the German government decrees that a state of war exists between the German Empire and the Kingdoms of Greece and Serbia. The reason for this are twofold - first, it is in aid of our ally, the Ottoman Empire, which has been spitefully attacked by these two nations. Secondly, it is for the reason outlined above, in aid and defense of the territorial integrity of the nations of Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania, which, to the best of the knowledge of the German government, is utterly and severely threatened by this pact of aggression between Serbia and Greece.

The German government will suspend all diplomatic ties between herself and the Kingdoms of Serbia and Greece, effective immediately. We will furthermore end all relations in trade and commerce between Germany and those nations, and we will expel any citizens of those nations from Germans soil within two fortnights. We will ask our friends within the GAR, the Kingdom of Poland and the Baltic duchies, to do the same actions.

We furthermore want to affirm that the German Empire is fully committed to the territorial integrity of the nations of Montenegro, Bosnia and Albania. It is in protection of those nations from aggressive cravings within the governments of Serbia and Greece that we have entered a state of war against those two nations.