Crumbling Reich: A Weimar Republic Game (Gameplay Thread)

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg gives speech on recent events

"I will first of all like to thank all German patriots who fought heroically in Berlin. The assault of the Nazis on the German independence was stopped by you.

I also call all rebels to cease fire. The battle is lost, Hitler is dead. Go home. However, many won't, which is why in the following week the Ministry will begin releasing cities from the SA. Citizens now under occupation, do not despair, for help is on its way.

And I'd like to announce we declared a nation-wide state of emergency to find the Nazi leaders and activists who went into hiding. Bordering countries have agreed to help us in our mission. These dangerous men will soon stop roaming our streets.

Thank you."

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

HITLER IS DEAD: NAZI PUTSCH CRUSHED


After days of combat in Berlin, and in all the regions of the Reich, an attempt to seize power by the National Socialist German Worker's Party was thwarted by the Reich government and a broad anti-Nazi coalition ranging from reactionary monarchists to hardline Marxist-Leninists. In Berlin the SA and SS attempted to assault the city by marching on the government center and seizing key strategic points, but despite initial successes (with the key support of mutinying fascists in Der Stahlhelm), the Brown Army was ultimately repelled by a united front of soldiers, police, and Republican and labor paramilitaries. The Reichswehr in particular proved itself in its first major engagement since the Silesian revolts. National Socialist Führer Adolf Hitler was reported dead by the NSDAP Party Chancellery in a statement released on the airwaves saying he was shot dishonorably by a sniper (who they claimed was Jewish) and then died of his wounds surrounded by loyal comrades, they then declared him a martyr for the Reich and the German race. But rumors of Hitler's death were already commonplace, and numerous newspapers had already claimed he was dead.

While National Socialist resistance is still occurring in some parts of Brandenburg, and in Königsberg, and in the Rhineland, the putsch as been all but squashed. The death of the Führer led to a mass rout of remaining Nazi forces. This was followed up by reports of the death of SA Commander Ernst Röhm, the arrest of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess, and the surrender of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. But there are some worries about the escape of SS General Reinhard Heydrich, and if he might organize some kind of future resistance. Many Nazi leaders, such as Gregor Strasser, Baldur von Schirach, and Hermann Göring are still unaccounted for. However Chancellor von Papen has acted swiftly, declaring with the support of the President that the NSDAP is now a criminal organization, and that their various media outlets are also outlawed. Interior Minister Hugenberg has also moved to stop Nazi leaders from escaping the country, and to arrest those still out in the streets.

One of the greatest questions is what is next for the far-right politics of Germany. The NSDAP was only held together by the cult around Adolf Hitler, and without him there is no way a replacement party could survive. Many may flock to the reactionary DNVP, but they may be upset on how hard he has cracked down on Nazism. The left of the party is certain to find a willing home in Otto Strasser's PRNS, while it is unknown what the others will do. For now at least the Reich government is cleaning up the last remnants of Nazi resistance, and restoring order to the countryside and the city streets.

[GoTfan]

We thank the Chancellor for his decisive action on the Nazis and praise the responses of all involved.

[GoTfan]

Wels intends to intriduce the following bills upon resumption of the Reichstag:

Nazi Suppression Act

Be it resolved that:

-The Nazi Party, Schutzstaffel and Sturmabteilung and all associated organisations are hereby declared permanently illegal organisations, pursuant to the Constitution.

-All personal associates of Adolf Hitler are declared enemies of the state

-Promoting the ideas of Hitlerism is declared seditious and treasonous

-Usage of the Hitlerist Swastika as a political symbol is hereby outlawed

Volunteer Support Act

Be it resolved that:

-All volunteers in the fight against Adolf Hitler and associates receive priority in govenrment hiring and welfare payments

-The above also be applied to the families of volunteers who perished in the fighting

-All volunteers who perished are to be buried with full honours

-That all of the above be applied regardless of political allegiance

[RGM2609]

Today, Vice Chancellor Alfred Hugenberg attended, to the surprise of everyone present, the service of a small Lutheran Church in Berlin. He prayed to God just like everyone else and seemed captivated by the Priest's sayings. When asked by a reporter of his newspaper as to the purpose of this visit, Hugenberg proclaimed that he came to God for guidance in his decisions affecting the nation during these troubled times and for the independence and prosperity of Germany. He also said that God and his rightfull Church are extremely important in governing and the DNVP will fight to get both more influence in governmental policies. Photos of the politician praying next to everyone else were spread across the nation, together of photos of Hugenberg meeting with the head of the Lutheran Church.

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg's first speech since the Berlin putsch

A few weeks since the failed Nazi coup, Hugenberg went to a rally in Berlin to express his thoughts on the recent events. Here is what he had to say:

Good evening, Germany!

A few weeks ago, in this very place, a confrontation has happened. A confrontation between sanity and lunacy. And the sanity of the German patriots in Der Stalhelm and Reichwehr and the Police has defeated Hitler's lunacy and his fanatics. But Herr Hitler is not what I want to talk about. His time is gone. Today I want to talk to all those who feel left out and without a voice without the Nazis. I want to be your voice. The DNVP wants to be your voice. For the lunacy of leaders and coupists can not be blamed their voters, who wanted a stronger Germany. The DNVP will fight for that. For a country which will not fall under the grip of invadors and traitors ever again! For a country in which the rule of law is respected and so is the Church. For a country in which, however, we do not forget about the poor men, such as the small farmers, true heroes of our country. For a country which is not weak, chaotic and delusional but strong, orderly and realist!

On that note, what happened with Der Stalhelm during the Berlin putsch was a tragedy. A thug and secret Jew named Theodor Duesterberg has turned thousands of veterans against eachother. He has been fired, but in the light of the events, I am also disbanding Der Stalhelm. Some of the soldiers will join thd Reichswehr, some will join the new Social Clubs and some will join Der AK Stalhelm, a new militia under the Interior Ministry dedicated to combating the RFB and other affiliated organizatiobs. The brave men of Der Stalhelm will always serve their country, no matter the times.

Thank you!

[PSOL]

Willy Leow in Berlin,

Thanks to the agitation and strength of the Proletariat, The Nazi putsch was quashed. We have their remaining forces on the run. While this is a great victory, we shouldn’t forget who got us this far in the first place, the bourgeois parties and SPD. They are the ones who appeased and tolerated their presence over us, and the SPD should be condemned for raising the Freikorps that resulted in their ranks being filled later.

Now the bourgeois parties are placing their focus on the people most responsible for preventing barbarism; the working class and their organizations—the KPD and the RFB. Instead of owning up to it, they’re too busy campaigning by appearing like pious men in their churches to confuse the proletariat. No matter, once the German proletariat rewards us in the next election, we will quickly work on bringing about Socialism and liberation.

[GoTfan]

The SPD urges all sides to remember that it was the actions of all who fought, regardless of politics, the halted the Bohemian Corporal and his madmen.

[Devout Centrist]

Thälmann: Working Class Triumphant over Fascist Oppression

Brothers and Sisters, today is truly a wonderful day!

A new day is dawning in Deutschland. We can proudly proclaim the death of Fascism and Hitlerism in our nation. The people of Germany stood united against fascist tyranny. Our brothers in the factories joined hand in hand with their comrades in the seminaries. The German people and the German working class took a bold stand and proudly proclaimed their solidarity against all forms of oppression.

I must extend a measure of praise to the men and women of the RFB, the Reichsbanner, and others who stood with us on that day. Many of our brothers and sisters perished in Hitler's failed putsch, but their sacrifice was not in vain! The scourge of Hitler and his thugs will never again threaten the German people and the German worker.

Such a show of working class solidarity is unprecedented in the history of our nation, but I know it will not be the last. We have shown the leaders of this nation that the cause of German socialism is indeed worth fighting for. The sacrifice of our comrades in the field requires more than words or memorials. We must double our efforts for the cause they died fighting for!

We will not rest until every worker is free from capitalist oppression, every senior is cared for by the state, every veteran is valued, every woman is liberated, and every person lives a life free from want! Each day we draw closer to our victory over the forces of destitution and deprivation. I know that we will see final victory in our lifetime.

The good men and women of the RFB shall return to defending the German worker, wherever they may be. Let me be clear: we want no more street brawls or battles. Our only goal is the defense of the working man against all forms of oppression. The RFB shall continue to fulfill its sacred duty.

With the Hiterite menace finally purged from Germany, we are calling for fresh elections as soon as possible. It's time to eliminate the last vestiges of the Nazi movement from our nation forever.

[RGM2609]

Hugenberg responds to Leow's unhinged rant

In a response to the latest statements by Willy Leow, Hugenberg has released a letter published by his newspapers. In it, he claims the Communists have no right to claim credit for the defeat of the Nazis as the only thing allowing them to launch a putsch in the first place was the idiotic and useless strike launched by the KPD and SPD.

[PSOL]

My response in a red editorial,

Saying the strike brought forth fascism and not the antisemiticism of the Right, nor their financial backers who we despise, or the rabid jingoism and anti-communism brought forth by the right is just wrong. I suggest Hugenberg should spend his time doing something other then blowing hot air out of the hole where he screeches tirades and excretes at the same time from.

[RGM2609]

With an unanimous vote in the DNVP Leadership Council, Vice Chancellor and Interior Minister Alfred Hugenberg was appointed as the first Fuhrer of the party. After this historic vote, an unprecedented propaganda operation to promote Hugenberg started, as flyers were spread in the cities, mass letters signed by Hugenberg were sent to many families, posters were put on the highest buildings, volunteers and activists filled the streets and his newspapers proudly proclaimed him to be "the new Bismarck" and the man who will make Germany whole again.

[Devout Centrist]

Thälmann Condemns 'Fuhrer' Hugenberg

Less than a month ago, Herr Hugenberg and his men aided us in putting down the Hitlerite Putsch. Yet, he has now proclaimed himself as a new 'Fuhrer' in the model of Adolf Hitler himself. This is nothing less than a total betrayal of the Republic and an attempt to resurrect Hitler's Nazi ideology. We are calling for the DNVP to be subject to the same legal and constitutional restrictions as the Nazi Party. We cannot allow Nazi and Fascist tyranny to return to Germany. The Chancellor must disavow DNVP support if Herr Hugenberg does not renounce the title of Fuhrer.

[RGM2609]

Herr Thalmann must know that I have only been appointed the Fuhrer of the German National People's Party and not of any other organization or state. The DNVP has decided it wanted to impose a more centralized leadership and the Communists are just misinforming the country about the implications of it.

[Devout Centrist]

The KPD is proud to propose the following:

National Economic Recovery and Worker Protection Act

1. Beginning on March 1st, all state owned companies and industrial concerns shall enact a 15% wage increase for all skilled and unskilled workers

2. Effective immediately, President Hindenburg shall establish a Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery

3. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery shall:

a. Purchase or acquire failed or failing banks, factories, mines, or other business concerns as deemed appropriate
b. Delegate acquired enterprises to state-owned companies or create state-owned companies for industrial sectors without public ownership
c. Reactivate failed businesses and rehire staff from the general population
d. Create a Bureau of Jobs that will hire unemployed laborers at state-owned enterprises
e. Give grants and loans to farms, general stores, small mercantile concerns, and other industrial concerns as deemed appropriate
f. Allow merchants and farmers to apply for grants and loans at their local Reichspost Office.
g. Partner with private firms to hire people out of work
h. Firms owned by the Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery will be officially closed shop concerns

4. The Reich's department for Economic Recovery shall partner with labor unions to increase membership, increase base pay, and enforce worker protection laws in both private and state-owned firms

5. The national workweek shall be lowered to no more than 40 hours

6. A national minimum wage shall be established on March 1st, 1933 and will be set at 2 Reichsmarks per hour

7. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery shall receive a budget of 10,500,000,000 Reichsmarks for FY 1933

8. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery will set the following goals:

a. Full time and guaranteed employment for every adult German capable of work
b. Achieving 115% of industrial production recorded in FY 1929

9. The Reichsbank President will be encouraged to lower the prime borrowing rate to 0%

10. Effective immediately, President Hindenburg shall establish a public ReichsArbeiterBank

11. The RAB shall:

a. Make loans to farmers and local merchants at a rate not exceeding 1.5% per annum
b. Allow private citizens to create an account at their local Reichspost Office
c. Insure up to 100,000 Reichsmarks in individual depository accounts
d. Nationalize private equity firms in danger of bankruptcy

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thalmann on the NERWPA

Comrades, gentlemen of the Reichstag, I am proud to propose the National Economic Recovery and Worker Protection Act.

This Act represents an affirmative step towards German Socialism. It would lift the German worker out of the destitution and deprivation imposed on them by the capitalist Great Depression and it would reinvigorate working class solidarity across Germany. While this is just the first step on the road to German Socialism, it will not be last.

This bill has the KPD's full support. We hope the next election will be fought on the merits of a bright Socialist German future versus the clear failure of the capitalist system.

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

Order Restored: Countryside Pacified


After the initial attempt to bring down the government in Berlin, Nazi resistance across the whole of Germany has been suppressed. Nazi uprisings in East Prussia were brought under control by Reichswehr units, who defeated undisciplined SA units without much trouble. In Bavaria, forces loyal to the Staatskommissar suppressed surprisingly large Nazi units. The Rhineland was more troublesome, due to the demilitarization clause of the Versailles Treaty, but ultimately paramilitaries and local police brought down the rabble. After two weeks of continued unrest, the entirety of the nation is returned to order, or at least as much as order as can be accomplished.

However, the government now must deal with a large volume of Nazis who have been arrested, and must sift from those who must be punished, and those who may be let free. There is also the continued threat of SS figure Reinhard Heydrich, who remains at large. Local authorities have posted rewards for his capture, in the effort that the nefarious and ruthless Nazi militant may be apprehended.

On the political front, new elections are expected soon to restore stability and constitutional government. There also remains the question of what will happen to the over a hundred NSDAP members of the Diet, and where the Nazi voter base will go. The KPD is expected to make gains in any new elections, but also governing parties who have become quite popular with some in the middle class. As for the Nazi vote, many in the working class, so called "Beefsteak Nazis" may back Otto Strasser's PRNS, others may back the Communists, more establishment Nazis may back Hugenberg's DNVP. Some believe in the aftermath of his proclamation that he is the DNVP Führer that he is the true savior of Germany they were looking for. Some former Nazis who have renounced their membership, but oppose left wing economics have formed the National Party of Germany (Nationale Partei Deutschlands or NPD). On the whole there will be much in the way of political interest in the coming months.

[Devout Centrist]

The KPD renews its call for fresh Reichstag elections.

[RGM2609]

BREAKING - Belgium accepts deal by Alfred Hugenberg to bring back Eupen Malmedy to Germany

In a historic victory for the German nation and the first territorial recovery after the criminal Treaty of Versailles, the Belgian government has accepted a deal proposed by Vice Chancellor, Interior Minister and DNVP Fuhrer Alfred Hugenberg to give Eupen Malmedy back to Germany in exchange for the relatively small sum of 1.2 million Reichsmarks. The only step that the deal needs to take to become reality is to get the approval of the German government, which is expected to be a formality.

The DNVP and Hugenberg media have been relentlessly promoting the new development, with celebrations planned to be held in most communities by party activists and mass rallies in the major and safe cities attended by the Fuhrer. Whenever Eupen Malmedy officially joins Germany, Hugenberg will host a massive rally there as well, attended by German nationalists and patriots from both the newly integrated region and from the entire country, as well as spectacular celebrations created to attract the attention of national and international press. (all of this shall apply only if FvP accepts the deal)

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thalmann on the Return of Eupen Malmedy

The KPD would be more than happy to welcome the people of Eupen Malmedy back into the Reich and we would be the first to greet our working class brothers with open arms.

However, such a deal should be announced by Chancellor Von Papen. Once again we have an unelected 'Fuhrer' attempting to sidestep the Reichstag with backroom deals and false promises. This matter should be negotiated by the Chancellor and the Reichstag, not a member of the capitalist class and a self proclaimed Fuhrer.

A KPD Government would negotiate referendums in all former German lands lost during the capitalist Great War. The German working class must have the same right to self determination as their international brethren. We cannot allow the capitalists and imperialists to divide us.

[RGM2609]

Alfred Hugenberg responds to Thalmann

"The unelected Fuhrer, as he calls me, is actually the Vice Chancellor of the Reich and the leader of the second largest party in the Reichstag. The leftists are yet again trying to distract from their utter inability to do anything of note for the country by criticizing this monumental accomplishment. It is not as if the KPD, backed by one of the worst dictatorships in the world, suddenly became a lover of democracy, when they were the ones who paralyzed the country just a few months ago to reverse the results of an election."

[Devout Centrist]

If it weren’t for the general strike, Fuhrer Hugenberg, the German people would be bowing down to another Fuhrer as we speak. Your party was fully prepared to form a unholy alliance with the traitorous Nazi’s. You would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for the valiant efforts of the German people and the German worker.

[RGM2609]

"On the contrary, your useless and counter productive strike was the only thing which allowed the Nazis to almost take over Berlin successfully because it kept the government focused somewhere else."

[GoTfan]

Wels speaks in Berlin

"While the Vice-Chancellor and Herr Thalmann bicker with each other, the SPD unflinchingly maintains itself for unity in the aftermath of this second Nazi Putsch. Let it not be forgotten that it was the unity of all people who defeated Hitler and his band of traitors.

In the event of new elections, I ask people to look at who stayed in Berlin. The government left. The communists  returned only at the hour of greatest crisis.

We Social Democrats stayed. I stayed. Kurt Schumacher stayed. We stayed. In the event of new elections, I urge you: vote for the ones who stayed. Vote for the party that was not afraid to stare Adolf Hitler in the face and say: 'You shall not pass!'

We stayed. We stood with the people of Berlin while others ran.

We are above the bickering of the other parties. It is nothing more than a distraction from the issue of saving this republic, which has and always will be the focus of the Social Democratic Party.

Wir stelehn als eins! Fur die Republik!

[PSOL]

Laughable, the RFB was at the forefront of clashes with the Nazis the time of the putsch on Berlin. Social Democratic supporters were the ones who played the most marginal of roles, of which the third was the DVNP and second the Army.