Crumbling Reich: A Weimar Republic Game (Gameplay Thread)

[RGM2609]

"The Communists are taking credit for so-called solving a situation that they themselves helped create even as the RFB's contribution was mediocre, while the SPD was a laughing stock on the battlefield. Your government and its forces were the ones to stop the march of the Nazis. For Leow the Bolshevik to claim that his thugs had more of an impact than the professional army of the Reich is just another lie from a desperate party."

[PSOL]

You know, everyday I have a horrendous nightmare that entails me being apart of a failing party of inbreds and but kissers of the DVNP, but then I wake up and smile that I’m in the grandest Communist Party west of the Vistula.

[Devout Centrist]

I strongly disagree with the Vice Chancellor. The KPD stood hand in hand with our brothers and sisters in Berlin, from the very beginning. We organized an Anti-Nazi strike and we stood with the workers of Berlin and Germany against Nazi tyranny. We welcome the support of our brothers in the Reichsbanner and they were key to maintaining a united front. But we must not forget the men of the Rotfront who stood steadfast against the Nazi threat since 1920.

I stood with the people of Berlin in their darkest hour. I promise to bring that same leadership to the German people if I become Chancellor.

[Dereich]

On the Resumption of Normal Government

Now that the tumult of the past few days is resolved and order is restored, it is necessary that the normal functions of government resume. However, it is apparent to all that the members of the Reichstag elected under the banner of the National Socialist German Worker's Party cannot continue to sit in the Reichstag after their party has engaged in a violent rebellion against the Reich. It is also apparent to the government that it would be undemocratic to allow the Reichstag to resume while the seats of the largest party of the most recent election lay vacant.

THEREFORE, elections will be scheduled on the dates of February 6 or February 13, depending on each State and region's stability and ability to conduct an election, to fill the vacant seats of the NSDAP members. The seats will be filled proportionally by State. The Reichstag will reopen on February 15 as a full and representative body.

Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, Reichskanzler

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919, and at the advice of the Reich Chancellor I hereby declare that national elections will occur for the 143 seats of the Reichstag previously occupied by the illegal organization known as the National Socialist German Worker's Party. I hereby utilize Article 48 of the German constitution to enforce these extra-constitutional measures needed in these extraordinary times.

To that end I schedule these elections for either the 6th of February or the 15th of February, with the digression on which date left to the state governments in the interest of safety and stability.

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[KaiserDave]

Federal By-Election Election of February 1933


Custom

Campaign Season


Much has changed since the last election, only four months ago. The insurgent National Socialists are broken, their beloved leader dead, buried at an unknown location. Their paramilitary wings shattered, and their leadership behind bars after a failed attempt to remove the government. The government is stronger than before, its most powerful opponents erased from government. Now the German people will decide who will take their place. In a special election called for through Article 48 of the constitution which provides a pathway for extra-constitutional action, an election based on proportional representation will decide who will make up the 143 seats formerly belonging to the Diet's largest party. But these are indeed extraordinary times? Will the government triumph, perhaps bringing the restoration of the dynasty closer? Will a red tide make the KPD the largest party? Or will a pan-Republican front led by the Social Democrats lead a red, gold, and black wave to power? Here below are the major parties, and noted by if they support the von Papen ministry or not.


Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) Nein!
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) Nein!
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP) Ja!
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP) Ja!
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP) Ja!
Vaterländische Union (VU) Ja!
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP) Ja!
Partei der Revolutionären Nationalsozialisten (PRNS) Nein!



New parties such as the Strasserist Revolutionary National Socialists could make things interesting, and many are asking how the public will perceive the coup, and who will they reward? These questions can only be answered at the ballot box.

Federal Elections: 6th and 15th February

Federal elections result will probably be posted Thursday evening, until then, campaign campaign campaign! Intrigue intrigue intrigue! Remember to try and appeal to a broad base if you want to win more seats, coalition building is everything. Results will be determined by a dice roll, quality of posts, historical precedent, and in game political alliances and maneuvers. Best of luck!

[GoTfan]

SPD manifesto released

Key Pledges:

We pledge a referendum to settle the issue of the monarchy once and for all.

We pledge full employment to all German citizens

We pledge a more equitable nation

We pledge ourselves to the principle of 'one person, one vote'

We pledge to uphold the rights of women, Jews and Catholics

Social policies:

-A full referendum on the status of the German monarchy to settle the issue once and for all

-A comprehensive Civil Rights Act for all German citizens

-Universal healthcare for all citizens, financed by the federal government

-Free meals for schoolchildren to prevent the epidemic of hunger in our young

-Expansion of schools and universities

Economic policies:

-Creation of a Public Investment Corporation for state-funded projects

-Investment into dockyards, railways and airports to create full employment

-Combine tax cuts for the middle and working classes with increases on the upper class and corporations

-Debt forgiveness of up to 2500 Reichsmarks for all Germans

-Hiring and welfare preferences to be directed to those who fought the March on Berlin, with the families of the deceased to receive the same privileges.

Political and Electoral Reform:

-A Voting Rights Act, to protect the right to vote of all German citizens

-Amend the Constitution to ensure that a prospective Chancellor must command a majority in the Reichstag

Foreign policies:

-Creation of an anti-Soviet alliance with other nations threatened by the Soviet Union

-Renegotiate the unjust Treaty of Versailles

[Devout Centrist]

In Service of the German Worker: Thälmann Launches the February Campaign in Breslau

Courtesy of Wikimedia

Comrades, Brothers and Sisters, I want to thank you for such a warm greeting today in the great German city of Breslau!

This is the first time I’ve had the privilege of visiting your city since the combined forces of the German people vanquished Hitler and the Nazi Party. I am humbled to stand before you as a representative of the working man and a faithful ally of the German people against reactionary violence.

A year ago, the workers of Breslau faced an unprecedented onslaught of reactionary violence by the thugs in Der Stahlhelm. While others stood by and bided their time, the KPD jumped into action and mobilized to defend the working people of Breslau against the anti-worker thugs. We successfully fought them back and we renewed our commitment to the defense of working Germans across the Fatherland.

Brothers and sisters, the KPD is the only Party for the working people of this nation! We were the ones who organized the Anti-Nazi general strike! We were the ones who forced the Government to confront the Nazi threat! I stood with the working people of Berlin against the shapeless Brownshirt horde and we emerged victorious!

Don’t let the false promises of other Parties and politicians lead you astray. The DNVP will claim that they stand for the ‘restoration of the Fatherland’; nothing could be further from the truth. A victory for the tinpot Fuhrer would mean a return to the national humiliation of 1918 and the failed leadership of the Kaiser. The fact that Hugenberg and Von Papen want a failed monarch to lead this nation speaks volumes of their failure to protect and preserve the German people. We cannot give them the power to embark on another vainglorious and imperialist project while our own people starve and suffer at home.

We condemn the failed leadership of the Social Democrats, who are attempting to present a ‘fresh face’ to the working class after ten years of failure. Their policies were capitalist in all but name, and their leadership led Germany on a course to national humiliation and economic ruin. Now they adopt new policies that the KPD has supported since 1919 in a pathetic attempt to appeal to the working man.

Ask yourselves this: If Wels and his men truly supported universal healthcare, childcare, and full employment, why didn’t they fight for it in 1919 or 1922 or 1925? I’ll tell you why, because Herr Wels has no intention of ever fulfilling these promises. We’ve seen how the Social Democrats betray the working people of Deutschland when they’re in power. Don’t fall victim to their false promises.

Brothers and sisters, I stand before you as a champion of German socialism. We believe in an economic revival that begins and ends with the working people of this country! The KPD believes in working class solidarity. Through our efforts, the working people of this country will finally be united against the failures of the capitalist system. We will rebuild our economy and our nation after fourteen years of failure from the men in power.

We embrace self determination for the German worker, for we know that working class solidarity is German solidarity! When all working Germans are united under the same banner, under the same flag, and under the same cause, we cannot be defeated!

With your support, we will lead a grand campaign against the forces of national dishonor and destitution. We pledge new leadership and new ideas to confront the failure of capitalism and monarchism. Your efforts will be the beginning of a peaceful political revolution that will shake the foundations of the old order and unite the German people once more!

Brothers and sisters, go forth and join the fight for the holy cause of German Socialism!

[RGM2609]

The opening speech to the DNVP campaign by Alfred Hugenberg


My fellow Germans,

We are living an truly historical moment, that will be remembered for generations to come. The German nation has taken the first step to undo the criminal Treaty of Versailles! Our brothers and sisters from Eupen Malmedy, a region that had no business being Belgian given the majority of Germans there, can finally reunite with their Fatherland thanks to my efforts, the efforts of the German National Peoples Party and of the von Papen Government. Unlike all of the socialist demagogues, we have done exactly what we were elected to do, and started making Germany whole. It shall not be long until our country rises again from the ashes, and is back where it belongs, among the superpowers of the world. That is the dream that I want to share with you today.

The dream of reuniting our German brothers and sisters locked away in foreign countries by the invaders and the German usurpers and traitors! They have all conspired to make Germany weak and powerless, however they forgot one thing. We, the Germans, are relentless in our desire for unity and strength. No matter how hard they try to keep us in cages, we will rise up! Eupen Malmedy has been a great start to the national rebuilding and reunification that will come with DNVP in government, but that is only if you vote for us in February!

However, before we are able to fulfill this dream shared by our entire nation, we must first bring order to the country. There has been chaos created by this God-forsaken Republic and its former governments, each dumber than the previous one. Which is why now we had to deal with armed thugs disguised as paramilitaries or even worse, Trade Unions. Only a month ago the Communists and Social Democrats had their Union and Paramilitary Thugs paralyzing the entire nation for their cheap political goals and almost allowing the Nazis to take over Berlin. That is unacceptable, and the fact that some random paramilitaries were able to launch a coup is also unacceptable but representative of this Republic. The DNVP has been and still is the party of law and order, and we shall not stop until political parties stop having hired thugs to disrupt the activities of the government! If you vote for us, we will crack down on the domestic terrorists and make sure everything in the country takes place in an orderly manner. We have taken the first step by creating the new Police, we will do much more during the next 4 years!

We will also start working to improve the lives of the people who have been long forgotten by the political establishment in Berlin. Especially the brave, patriotic farmers who have stood by the patriotic forces and have been severely hit by the economic crisis. One of the biggest priorities of the DNVP if it is still in government shall be a help package for the farmers of our nations. We will not ignore their cries for help like all of the other demagogues have done, and instead listen to their cries for help, for they greatly deserve it.

All of these projects of urgent importance can not be done however without a strong leader and a competent party. The DNVP has both. As Vice Chancellor, Interior Minister and now the Fuhrer of the DNVP, I have gathered significant experience in how to protect the German spirit from both domestic thugs and usurpers as well as from foreign threats. My party has been the only one delivering more than empty words to the people. The Communists and Social Democrats have been in the Reichstag for years, and have accomplished absolutely nothing other than crises after crises. We need a stable, competent, strong leadership and the DNVP is offering just that.

Thank you.

[RGM2609]

Germany Rises - The campaign of the DNVP for the by elections

Given the limited number of days to campaign, Alfred Hugenberg will get right to campaigning. He will host mass rallies and celebrations of the Eupen-Malmedy-deal throughout Northern Germany with some  visits to Bavaria as well. The Fuhrer will mostly focus on urban centers which voted with the National Socialists well above average in the last election and will deliver speeches filled with nationalistic rhetoric and fiery proclamations, however exceptions can be made depending on local factors. He will also visit predominantly farm areas and promise help to the local farmers there. He will also go to Eupen Malmedy the day in which the Chancellor officially accepts its integration into Germany and host spectacular celebrations for 2 days. The DNVP local organizations in the rest of the country were also instructed to host events celebrating the event.

The DNVP activists and organizations were also ordered to spread a nationalistic and patriotic message while also praising Hugenberg relentlessly as the new Otto von Bismarck. They were advised to focus on former NSDAP supporters, farmers, Junkers, local Churches and their believers and voters worried about the disorder in the country.

[Devout Centrist]

February Campaign Platform

Economic Policy:
1. Nationalization of the Commanding Heights of the Economy
2. Rational Management of Large Enterprises
3. Guaranteed Employment to All Adult Germans
4. Establish a Reichsbank for small merchants and Farmers
5. Establish a Land Bank for German Farmers
6. Free and Universal Healthcare to all German citizens
7. Establish Universal Childcare and Maternity Leave
8. Investment in the Private Economy through Stimulus Spending
9. A 40 hour workweek
10. A Minimum Wage
11. State Support for the Trade Union Movement

Social Policy:
1. An Immediate Ban on Der Stahlhelm and Other Anti-Social Groups
2. A Ban on Nazi Political Activity
3. Continued Progress towards Ethnic and Gender Equality.
4. Support the Efforts of Private and Religious Charity

Foreign Policy:
1. Work Towards Rapprochement with the International Proletariat.
2. Aid the German Road to Socialism through Peaceful Diplomatic Relationships.
3. Binding Referendums in Lands Lost in the Capitalist Great War
4. Negotiate within the League of Nations
5. Solidarity with Germans outside of Deutschland

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg addresses the platform of the KPD

Besides the usual empty and insane promises, the KPD is also proposing a ban on Der Stalhelm. Well, my dear Bolsheviks, Der Stalhelm got disbanded a few weeks ago! I should know it, because I signed the order! The KPD seems to fight with ghosts for now.

[Devout Centrist]

Who is a German: Thälmann Travels to Potsdam

Brothers, sisters, countrymen, I ask you: who is a German? What makes us Germans? Is it the beer we drink? Is it the food we eat? Is it the land we tread on? Is it the blood that courses through our veins?

A century ago, our forefathers stood in this very spot and asked themselves the same question. Only they were not called Germans. They were Swabians and Prussians, Bavarians and Hessians, Frisians and Saxons. The Great Powers of Europe conspired to make Germany simply a geographic expression, devoid of meaning to anyone but mapmakers.  

What those men did not realize is that Germany is not a place, but a people. All of the power and principalities of the crowns of Europe couldn't withstand the will of the united German people. Their wealth and privilege couldn't stop the tide of national awakening and their evil machinations were cast asunder by our triumphant ancestors.

Today, we Germans call ourselves many things: Catholic or Protestant. Jew or Gentile. Farmer or Miner, Clerk, or Craftsman. But whatever we may call ourselves, we are all ultimately Germans. Whether we live in Kiel or Munich, Baden or Hesse, Österreich, Czechia, or elsewhere, we are united by our national heritage.

The capitalist class has tried to divide us with petty titles and pauper's wages for far too long. For the working class to truly thrive in this nation, we must recognize our common brotherhood as Germans. We stand together as one people, united in one cause.

The only pathway to national unity is through German Socialism. As proud Germans, we are all equals. No Monarch, Fuhrer, or Factory Owner can withstand the indomitable will of the German people. When the miners of Thuringia stand with the farmers of Bavaria and the factory workers of the Rhine, we shall see the day where the forces of greed and division are finally destroyed.

Together, we can build a new Germany, without despair and destitution. Brothers and sisters, this is our common struggle.

[RGM2609]

Germany is rising - speech by Alfred Hugenberg at DNVP mass rally

My fellow Patriots and Germans,

Today we are standing at a crossroad in German history. We have to choose if we will walk forward on the path of glory or fall for the same lies of a socialist heaven that the demagogues have been selling us for years.

They have been in the Reichstag for years and have done absolutely nothing for the workers that they claim to protect. During the reign of the leftists, the economy collapsed multiple times and people were left starving in the streets, unable to afford basic necessities. They are liars or extremely incompetent, or most likely both. They have left Germany in ruins and now want to do it again.

Or you can choose the path of the rising German eagle. Germany is a nation meant for greatness, and the only thing stopping it are the crooked, failed politicians who have refused to do what it takes to help their country and have weakened it through their random strikes and rebellions. And yet even with these men conspiring against us, our party has achieved the once-thought impossible by getting Eupen Malmedy back to its Fatherland. This is a historic victory that shows us that Germany can be strong again, if led by men who are competent and patriotic!

We will not stop here. We will fight relentlessly until all Germans are back to their home country, where they truly belong! And no foreign powers or domestic demagogues shall be able to stop the rise of the German Eagle. So in February, go to your polling stations and vote for greatness over faked equality and for unity of the people over strikers and violent mobs! Thank you!

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

The Campaign Trail: Peaceful?


The German people will once again have a say in their own government, though this time in a unique manner, as instead of the entire Reichstag being up for election, only a pool of 143 seats are subject to popular modulation. These seats, formerly occupied by the NSDAP may prove crucial in Reichstag control. Will the SPD regain its majority? Will the DNVP lead a right wing nationalist wave to a majority? Or will it be the unthinkable only a few years ago, the Communist Party winning a majority of seats in the Reichstag?

The campaign trail so far, while very short has been marked by one unique thing. It has been quite peaceful. No Brownshirts on the streets harassing Jews, no pitched battles with the Red Front. Only a year ago the cities were running red with blood, only four months ago a Brown Army marched on Berlin, but now there is more peace on the streets. The Red Front hasn't carried brass knuckles and revolvers, but instead have plastered entire streets of Berlin with posters calling for German socialism. The Iron Front isn't carrying clubs to defend against potential assassination attempts, instead they have launched a unique propaganda campaign emphasizing the SPD's role in crushing the fascist coup. With Der Stahlhelm largely dissolved, roaming Freikorps are less common. Will this peace reward the government on von Papen who has done much to improve the domestic situation of the Reich? Will the recent acquisition of Eupen Malmedy be rewarded by voters? We will see.

However some point out a darker underside to the campaign. In Essen a left wing journalist wrote an extensive article on voter suppression that has been proliferated nationwide. He claimed that the Interior Ministry has ordered polling places to be relocated, the number of ballot boxes reduced, or polling places entirely removed from the map in left leaning areas. He claimed there is a reactionary conspiracy to rig the election and bring about the return of the monarchy. He did make some outrageous claims on the Interior Minister, claiming that he funded the Nazi Coup attempt to make himself look good, but his claims about the election have been repeated by many leftist voters in the KPD and SPD who worry that the conservative establishment will do anything to restore monarchy.

In Bavaria, the Staatskommissar has rumored to be working with Arthur Mahraun on the drafting on a monarchical constitution, indeed a throne may come to Munich before it comes to Berlin...

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg responds to the slanders of the communists from Essen at rally

My fellow Germans,

Yet again the Bolsheviks try to harass the patriotic movement with their disgusting lies and half-baked conspiracy theories! If that was not obvious for anyone who has a brain, I have not funded the Nazi coup in Berlin! It is not as if the Nazis would have accepted to die in there just so I look good, as this communist belonging in a mental institution claims! He is clearly delusional or writing what some crazies in the KPD ordered him to!

And no, the Interior Ministry does not plan to steal your votes! It is not as if it could have done that without anyone from other parties noticing! You can go to your polling station, vote for whoever you want to vote and rest assured that your ballot will be properly counted, however I struggle to think of a reason why someone would vote for parties like the KPD and SPD who insult their intelligence by promoting such aberrations.

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg visits President Paul von Hindenburg

In a tradition started a year ago, before each election the Vice Chancellor visits President Paul von Hindenburg, a man he admires and has the upmost respect for, to discuss recent politics and the best path for the country. This year is no exception, and photos of the two serious statesmen discussing the problems facing the German nation have surfaced in the media and are already being used in the campaign by activists of the DNVP.

[RGM2609]

The Platform of the German National Peoples Party for the February 1933 election - Germany rises up!

1. The farmer rises up

- The government shall ensure a substantial raise in agricultural subsidies to help the farmers prosper and lower the prices of crops
- The government shall increase its support for agricultural groups of farmers who work together to lift themselves out of poverty
- The farmers shall be helped to be guided to self sufficiency by cancelling minor debts and put crop tariffs in place
- There shall be a moratorium on forclosures and a program for internal colonization

2. The economy rises up

- In order to protect the German economy and products, there shall be an increase in tariffs.
- The unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation is harassing the German companies and the DNVP shall start a massive program to reverse both of them
- There is also a problem caused by the state companies which are poorly administrated and slow down the growth of the economy. Privatization will be a priority for a DNVP government
- Lowering taxes to benefit the middle class and German companies is of crucial importance, a reduction by 15% of corporate, property and income taxes shall be passed immediately
- The welfare programs shall be gradually allowed to expire as the Germans start lifting themselves out of poverty
- Once the current crisis is over, the DNVP shall begin growing the economy by abolishing all of the limits of the criminal Versailles Treaty and fully rearming the Reichswehr

3. The German spirit rises up

- The education system and especially the curriculum shall be greatly reformed to instill patriotism and national pride in our children
- The government shall take action to promote national pride, family and Lutheran values with all of its actions
- The rightful Protestant Church shall be the one to flourish under a DNVP government, as we are all after all servants of God. We shall also promote Protestant Trade Unions
- Moral standards shall be upheld and thus there shall be a severe crackdown on sodomy and abortions
- The rule of law shall be back in these lands, with no tolerance for paramilitaries under our government
- Trade Unions shall not be allowed to disrupt the activity of the government through their useless strikes anymore and their power shall be restricted

4. The German tradition rises up

- By 1934 the Republic shall be abolished and the rightful Monarchy shall return. The DNVP shall allow a referendum on whether the former Kaiser or the Crown Prince shall be the new Head of State.
- The system from before 1918 shall be restored as much as the realities of the time allow

5. The German eagle rises up

- The criminal Treaty of Versailles has divided us from our brother and sisters, we shall immediately denounce it and leave its useless creation, the League of Nations
- Eupen Malmedy shall only be the beginning, and we shall not stop until our fellow Germans in places such as Memel or Austria are not back in their Fatherland
- We shall seek allies in countries such as Italy and other nationalist and patriotic states who want the best for their people and nothing else
- The DNVP strongly supports acquiring colonies in Africa in order to help the economy of Germany

[Devout Centrist]

Ending the Depression: Thälmann Rallies Workers in Hamburg

Comrades, who built the German economy? Was it built by the speculators on Wall Street? Was it built by Kaiser Wilhelm? Was it built by 'Fuhrer', er, Vice Chancellor Hugenberg?

No! You built it with the sweat of your brow and the strength of your arms. Your hands built the cars we drive, just as the farmer reaps the crops we eat and the miner extracts the coal we burn. Without you there would be no economy.

The capitalist class and their allies in the political establishment have robbed you of your rightful wage for over a century. Now they insist that we must let the robber barons loose on this nation and let them 'build' an economy for us.

Hugenberg and his thugs have proposed the most outrageous anti-worker and anti-German legislation in the history of our Republic. They want to put you back in the chains of serfdom and auction you off to their capitalist masters. They want to eviscerate public assistance for the poor and cut unemployment benefits to the bone. In short, they are no different than the Hunger Chancellor of yesteryear!

And what do we say to them, brothers and sisters? To them we say NO! We will not let the powers of wealth and privilege steal your hard earned wage any longer. We will not let them rob you of your rightful reward for your sweat and toil. We will not let them trample on your right to organize, to speak freely, and to live freely.

This election is a watershed moment in our national history. The choice is clear: either we choose destitution and humiliation under Von Papen and Hugenberg, or we embrace national revival and prosperity under German Socialism! The working people of this country will no longer be trampled by the power of the political elite and their capitalist masters! We will boldly march together under the banner of German Socialism!

[RGM2609]

The farmer rises up - Hugenberg visits farmlands in Schleswig

Despite the unusually short campaign, Alfred Hugenberg is decided to get the farmers out to vote for the DNVP which is why he has taken three full days to hold rallies and visit farms in the Schleswig areas.

Far away from the agitated big cities and with party activists and hired journalists by his side, the Vice Chancellor has held events and conversations in small villages and towns. During his speeches he promised for the DNVP to propose legislation to double all kinds of government subsides towards farmers as well as create new ones and a very long list of promises, similar to the ones in the platform. He warned the peasants there not to fall for the lies of communists, socialists and Mahraunists as they do not understand or care about their needs and only run after their votes, given that they have done nothing to help them in so many years and view them, just like their idol Karl Marx, as a disposable bunch to help the revolution of workers. Instead, the farmers are people close to God and patriotic about their country who need to vote for those who can restore the greatness of Germany.

Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of DNVP activists are rushing to Eupen Malmedy to prepare an huge event as ordered by the Fuhrer. The rally shall take place on February 4th and shall be attended by DNVP leaders, conservative figures as well as Chancellor von Papen. Hugenberg has made it clear that he expects an epic event with spectacular celebrations and at the very least 200.000 attendants. It is also the place where the party will make its last appeal to the voters before they vote.

[GoTfan]

Wels on the campaign trail

With a refreshing lack of chaos on the campaign trail, Wels threw himself into an energetic campaign for the 143 sets on offer. The campaign opened with a massive Kungdebug fur die Republik in Berlin, where Wels delivered a speech in front of the Brandenburger Tor, appropriating the famous Gate's image as a symbol of unity.

From here, he travelled to traditinally Catholic areas of the country, attempting to win over the traditinally Zentrum-aligned ovters. Spruiking the Civil Rights Act was the core of the campaign here, as well as more than a few insinuations about Hugenberg aligning himslef with Lutheran extremism. As always, there was also a focus on economic issues as well. In the major cities, the SPD paid heavy attention to four things: The free meals for schoolchildren, universal healthcare, the debt forgiveness, and the tax cuts for the working and middle classes.

It was during this time that Wels considered issuing a debate challenge to the other party leaders, but declined to do so.

Wels and Hans Vogel would also campaign heavily in the traditionally right-wing agricultural land, pointing out that Hugenberg, as a right-wing industrialist, was unlikely to be embracing such measures for farmers out of altruism, and was likely doing it to pay lip service to the DNVP's populist rhetoric. Here, the emphasis was on the monarchy referendum, debt forgiveness and the tax reform that SPD had outlined in its platform.

It was in Potsdam that Wels himself would make his final pitch to voters, in particular on the creation of a Public Investment Corporation before pivoting to his other policies, such as tax reform and the free meals for schoolchildren. Others, such as Hans Vogel, Arthur Crispien and Kurt Schumacher, made final speeches in heavily Catholic areas of the country. Schumacher, as the youngest and most energetic, held rallies in Munster, Trier and Aachen. Vogel made speeches in Wurzburg and Augsberg. Finally, Crispien addressed crowds in Regensburg and Passau.

Notable speeches from Wels during the campaign included:

Berlin, opening the campaign:
"Brothers and sisters, I stand here today to officially declare the opening of our campaign for the seats held by Hitler's traitors.

We all know that the nation desperately needs urgent measures for recovery, which is why we promise tax cuts for our working and middle classes! It is why we promise to forgive debts of up to 2500 Reichsmarks for all Germans!

On the issue of the monarchy, our position remains clear: government members alone canot know the true will of the people. The will of the people must be made known through a national referendum. This is the only way it can be done, otherwise it is inherently anti-democratic.

We welcome our Catholic brothers and sisters. We welcome our Jewish brothers and sisters. We support their struggle for self-determination against the forces of reaction. That is why on the first day after the election, the SPD will present a comprehensive Civil Rights Act to the Reichstag to enshrine religious equality for all Germans into law!

I ask you to join me on this campaign, and help me create a more equal union! Wir stelhen als eins! Fur die Republik!"

Aachen, on the Civil Rights Act:

"It is no secret that we live in a predominantly Lutheran country. However, that does not mean that the supremacy of one religion be promoted over another. The Vice-Chancellor has aligned himself with the most radical aspects of Lutheranism, and the Chancellor has turned his back on Zentrum, the party he was supposedly aligned with.

You may not agree with us Social Democrats on much, but we have always embraced the idea that all are created equal. We welcome any Catholics who feel unrepresented or threated by this government into our movement. We embrace the idea that the Catholic and the Jew are the equals of the Lutheran in all things. We have pledged to introduce a Civil Rights Act the first day after the new Reichstag stakes its seats, and I swear it will uphold the rights of all Germans, regardless of their religion."

Dresden, on potential voter suppression

"These allegations deserve to be fully investigated and if wrongdoing is found, the perpetrators must face the full extent of the law.

Moreover the Vice-Chancellor, in his infinite wisdom, neglected to give a proper answer on the issue. Instead, he decided to rant and rave about the evils our party represents. Only one of us has declared themselves Fuhrer of their party, sir. Only one of us has engaged in extralegal action against a minority group.

Whether or not this is true however, we must look at something else: would it be so entirely out of character for the Vice Chancellor to attempt this? His preference for ignoring the constitution and working outside the law is well known, so I don't believe one can dismiss this out of hand.

Regardless, this only reinforces our message: fight for the republic! Fight for a better future! Fight at the ballot box by casting a vote that hurts the reactionaries!"

Potsdam, final speech:

"You have heard the voices of a great many people in this campaign, brothers and sisters. Each of them claim that they alone can fix Germany. That they alone have the answers to your problems.

This is not the case for anyone at all.

I do not claim to have easy solutions to the problems plaguing our country. I do not claim to be solely able to repair the fabric of our nation. The demagogues to both our right and left claim that they will lead you into a promised land, but their promises are naught more than empty phrases designed to chase support.

The Social Democratic Party believes however, that we can begin to solve these problems. We present the ideas that will set us on the road to recovery. It will be a long, hard road, but our reward will be peace and prosperity for all Germans.

I ask you to join me once more in forging a more equal union.

Wit stelehn als eins! Fur die Republik!"

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg responds to the attacks from Otto Wells

Well, Herr Wells really does like to portray himself as some man of the people who knows what to do to solve the crises of our country. However, I have one simple question - the SPD has been involved with almost all governments until the von Papen one. If they really have the best interest of workers in mind, why have they done nothing in that period? Why, instead of passing their proposed socialist measures, they have presided over lawlessness, disorder, chaos, huge poverty and national humiliation that only Franz von Papen and myself have started to fix?

[Devout Centrist]

Fighting for the Germans Abroad: Thälmann Visits Liegnitz

There is a specter haunting Germany, comrades: the specter of defeatism. Fourteen years ago, our nation and our people suffered a humiliating defeat in the capitalist Great War. We lost so much more in the War than just blood, land, and treasure. We lost our national spirit!

Versailles stripped us of ancestral German lands, some of which have been German since time immemorial. So many of our brothers and sisters now exist outside of the Reich, with no means to return home or to determine their own destiny. Brothers, we cannot allow them to suffer in absentia. We must make their cause, our cause.

They are members of the German proletariat just as you are. Each of them toils day in and day out, hoping to gain the unique freedom that comes with German solidarity. In foreign lands, they often are subject to worse treatment than their brothers in the ethnic majority, simply because they are different!

If elected, the KPD will work tirelessly to empower the German worker, both at home and abroad. We will fight for the peaceful and equitable return of hose lands lost during the Great War. We will negotiate fair and equal treatment for German minorities in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and elsewhere. We will not rest until the German people are made whole again.

In a similar fashion, we must extend the same sympathies to our brothers and sisters who are not German. To those Poles, Czechs, Frenchmen, and others that live in our lands, I say this: you are our brothers too. Your cause is our cause, and we will all go forth as one under the banner of socialism.

For though the German people enjoy a special relationship with one another, you share in our struggle. As working people, we are all united under the Red Flag.

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thälmann on 'Fuhrer' Hugenberg's Economic Plan

Does the tinpot Fuhrer have any shame? A year ago, during the reign of the Hunger Chancellor, Herr Hugenberg was pushing to expand social welfare programs and pledged an immediate end to austerity. Now, a year later, he is calling for cuts to public welfare, massive tax cuts for speculators and capitalists, and a brutal crackdown on German trade unions. This spectacular hypocrisy cannot go unpunished: Herr Hugenberg is no friend of the worker, the farmer, or the craftsman. He is a front man for the capitalists, hell bent on selling our nation to speculators in London, Paris, and Wall Street. We urge the people of Germany to ignore his false promises and baldfaced lies.

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg responds to the accusations coming from Thalmann

Once again, the Bolshevik thug named Ernst Thalmann lies to the people and insults their intelligence. The DNVP economic plan, as anyone can read, involves cutting income taxes, meaning every single one of the German citizens are going to benefit from it. The welfare programs are going to be reduced in size only once the people are lifted out of poverty in order to prevent frauds and for as long as the economic crisis continues to rage on, the DNVP has no plans to reduce social programs during these difficult times and we are not opposed to increases as long as the budget allows for it. The real question shall be how the Bolshevik plans to pay for his own proposals given that they would involve a massive increasing of spending to the point where there is no way to ensure a balance by traditional means. And I will tell you how they will do it - through mass confiscation of property, just like their idols in the USSR did. Your house, your crops, your tools, your fields and literally anything you own is in great danger of being taken away from you. They claim to be friends of farmers, yet they secretly plan to implement a murderous collectivization. They claim to be friends of workers, yet they want to take away all of their power and give it to their own government through the Trade Unions. Your way of life is at stake on February 4th.