Das Dritte Reich: Deutschland's Letzte Gelegenheit

Here's an attempt for a TL. In it, Karl Jarres doesn't withdraw from candidacy, and thus he, and not Hindenburg, becomes the Reichspräsident.

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Ebert's death and the election:

The year is 1925. The world is still in great shock from the 'War to end all Wars' which has just been ended 6 years ago, under painful circumstances for Germany. Lands were lost to Poland; France; Lithuania; Belgium and even Denmark. The German Army may at last consist of 100 thousand men, which used to be about 13 million during the war. The Rhineland, the heart of the Reich, is under Entente occupation. Transport from East Prussia to the rest of Germany has become harder with the loss of Danzig and surrounding areas. And last but definitely not least, the German people is suffering under the (now still minor) economic depression that came from all this and mainly the fact that the war debts weren't paid yet. Throughout Germany, many minorities were still fighting for independence from the empire. The Reichswehr was unable to suppress these forces and defend the nation from foreign invaders (which weren't present at that moment however) at the same time, due to the low amount of deployed men.

Now, on the 28th of February, as if all that trouble wasn’t enough, the current Reichspräsident, Friedrich Ebert, dies due to various health problems. Many leaders of various parties attempted to become the new president, and these candidates are: Erich Ludendorff (NSDAP); Ernst Thälmann (KPD); Heinrich Held (BVP); Karl Jarres (DVP); Otto Braun (SDP); Wilhelm Marx (Zentrum) and Willy Hellpach (DDP).

The results of the election (on the 29th of March) pointed out that Karl Jarres of the Deutsche Volkspartei or German People’s Party was the winner, with a plurality of almost 39%. However, according to the constitution of the Republic, a second round is required if no major plurality is gained.

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The results of this second election point out that the candidates with major pluralities are Jarres; Braun and Marx. Jarres has a plurality of 46,6% while Otto Braun has 38,3% and Marx has 8,9%.

Jarres' plurality is near half of the total voters. This means that he will now officially become the Reichspräsident of Germany.

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Karl Jarres is a 51 year old man, who was born on the 21st of September in 1874 in Remscheid, located in Rhenish Prussia (Rhineland). Having studied in Bonn when he was a young man and being the mayor of Duisberg (in the Ruhr) since 1914, he has a lot of experience in administration, and will thus hopefully also be a good president.

A new, glorious era for the German Republic is about to start...

Please tell me your opinion about this PoD and my style! I'd love to hear both negative and positive commentary! :D
 
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This does sound interesting. I do remember another Jarres timeline, Jarres goes for it, if I remember rightly if you are interested. Good luck!
 
This does sound interesting. I do remember another Jarres timeline, Jarres goes for it, if I remember rightly if you are interested. Good luck!

Really? The search function doesn't work for some reason, so i wasn't able to research it before creating the thread. :(

Thank you for the comment! :D

I'll probably have another part up tomorrow or on Sunday. :)
 
Very interesting. Let's hope Hitler never becomes Chancelor. You're taking suggestions?

^Ditto. As someone whose in the middle of writing a TL where Hitler doesn't come to power, I concur with this sentiment and am looking forward to reading more of your TL.
I personally think things get way more interesting when u don't have hitler cone to power. Makes the rest of the 20th Century wide open for new ideas. A lot of fun.
 
There must be a second round!!!

''The results of the election (on the 29th of March)'', that is the date of the first round, According to the Weimar Constitution second round is required (April 26, 1925 in OTL) . During the Weimar Republic if no candidate received an absolute majority of votes (i.e. more than half) in the first round of a presidential election then a second ballot would occur in which the candidate with a plurality of votes would be deemed elected. It was permitted for a group to nominate an alternative candidate in the second round.
 
I was surprised when I saw the graphics for the title. Not many people (In fact, I think you're the only one) do this for a TL.

I'd like to see how this goes...
 
Very interesting. Let's hope Hitler never becomes Chancelor. You're taking suggestions?

Yes, suggestions are more than welcome!

And indeed, my plan is to keep Hitler away from Chancellorship. :D

JorgeGG said:
''The results of the election (on the 29th of March)'', that is the date of the first round, According to the Weimar Constitution second round is required (April 26, 1925 in OTL) . During the Weimar Republic if no candidate received an absolute majority of votes (i.e. more than half) in the first round of a presidential election then a second ballot would occur in which the candidate with a plurality of votes would be deemed elected. It was permitted for a group to nominate an alternative candidate in the second round.

:eek:

Hm, i should fix that then! Thank you very much for the information! :eek:;)
 
I was surprised when I saw the graphics for the title. Not many people (In fact, I think you're the only one) do this for a TL.

I'd like to see how this goes...

Thank you! Yes, i'm hoping to make this a good and plausible TL, and i thought it might get some attention with a nice title/logo. :)
 
OK, i've got an update! But first, C.Cain has helped me fix some major mistakes, and deserves an applause! :D

The Difficulties of the Reich:

Jarres immidiately gave a speech after being appointed as president. He said the following:

English: "Thank you, dear Germans, for appointing me as your president. I will do exactly what my assignment is. I shall make sure we will peacefully become a major power in Europe, maybe even the world, again. Our claims and lands have unrightfully been taken from us 6 years ago with the Treaty of Versailles. However, i know, just like you, the great German people, know, that revenge is the last thing we should do. First, i will make sure no German will be starving, and i will try to raise the money to repay our debts. After that, i will diplomatically retake our territories. German territories. German lands that belong to our great empire. I shall do my best to forfill my task of being the key to unlocking the German rights and wealth. I will make sure no right wing nor left wing political parties shall gain power in this nation, for no such thing is needed. Bless the glorious German empire!"

German:
"Ich danke meinen sehr geehrten Deutschen Mitbürgern, mich zum Reichspräsidenten gewählt zu haben. Ich werde exakt das tun, was mein Auftrag ist. Ich werde dafür sorgen, daß wir wieder eine Europäische Großmacht, vielleicht eine Weltmacht, werden. Unsere Ansprüche und Gebiete sind uns ungerechtfertigt genommen worden, vor 6 Jahren im Versailler Vertrag. Dennoch, ich weiß, wie ihr, das große Deutsche Volk, es wißt, daß wir keine Vergeltung üben dürfen. Zuallererst werde ich dafür sorgen, daß kein Deutscher mehr Hungers sterben soll, und ich werde größte Anstrengungen unternehmen, Geld aufzubringen, um unsere Schulden abzubezahlen. Danach werde ich auf diplomatischem Wege unsere verlorenen Gebiete zurück kriegen. Deutsche Gebiete. Deutsche Gebiete, welche zu unserem großen Reich gehören. Ich werde mein Bestes leisten, der Schlüssel zu sein, der den Deutschen Recht und Reichtum erschließen soll. Ich verbürge mich dafür, daß weder die Linken noch die Rechten radikalen Parteien in diesem Staate die Macht erlangen werden, denn solcher Radikalismus wird nicht gebraucht. Gott schütze das glorreiche Deutsche Vaterland!"

(Thank you Josephus for fixing the German text!)

One year earlier, the Dawes Plan was started. Germany was, according to the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, forced to pay 226 billion gold marks. This, obviously, was quite an amount, and Germany had to default in 1923 due to the inability of paying the war reperations. This led to the Franco-Belgian Ruhrgebiet occupation, which led to Germany not being able to gain profits from its steel and coal factories (The area wasn’t known as ‚the Heart of Germany’ for no reason ). Due to this occupation, the German civilians began to resist the French and Belgian troops, leading to even more difficulties for the already crippled economy.

Now, back to the subject. The Dawes Plan focussed on the rebuilding of the Reichsbank with Anglo-American aid; the evacuation of the Ruhrgebiet by Entente troops; a better order for the payment of the debts (1 billion marks in the first year; 2,5 in 5 years) and the sources of the debts (transportation; excise and customs). Also, according to the Dawes Plan, the US was to lend money to Germany, as these loans might be the only way to make Germany able to pay the debts. Germany agreed with this plan, and it has now been continuing since September 1924.

The results of the plan were that the German currency and markets would increase again. But the problem is that that made the economy dependent on foreign markets and economies. Now if another nation, most importantly the US, would be caught in an economic depression, Germany would be dragged with them. That is something that may absolutely not happen to the empire, especially not while it has to repay debts.

Due to this plan, a cycle was becoming a natural cause on the world. The USA lends Germany money, which is given to other nations in Europe to pay the debts, and this way these nations are able to pay debts to the USA. The whole world was slowly becoming dependant on the United States of America.

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This popular image shows exactly what i mean.

The German business started to gain grip and popularity again, and the Germans did indeed pay for reperations. But it was pretty obvious to the world that this might not continue for long. Jarres, now Reichspräsident of Germany, claims that he should meet with the Entente nations and see if a new plan could be discussed, also claiming that this would be the only solution to keep the German economy standing.
 
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Well done.

Your German is excelent.

So, who is the President gonna pick as Chancelor, and what's gonna happen to the Nazis in this TL?
 
Well done.

Your German is excelent.

Really? I didn't expect my German to be that good! Thank you!! :D

So, who is the President gonna pick as Chancelor, and what's gonna happen to the Nazis in this TL?
Whoops, i almost forgot about the chancellor! I think Hans Luther will stay chancellor until May of 1926 as per OTL. And after that i could see Jarres picking Wilhelm Marx, like OTL, or maybe Otto Braun?

And the Nazis will gain alot of popularity among the people like OTL. But I will make sure that they won't gain more than that. Of course Hindenburg was quite anti-democracy and pro-imperialism. Although he did everything he could for the republic, he still disliked the idea. Having a bit of a more pro-democracy leader, like perhaps Jarres, will make sure the Nazis won't gain power, and hopefully restore the German economy too. ;)
 
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"Ich danke meinen sehr geehrten Deutschen Mitbürgern, mich zum Reichspräsidenten gewählt zu haben. Ich werde exakt das tun, was mein Auftrag ist. Ich werde dafür sorgen, daß wir wieder eine Europäische Großmacht, vielleicht eine Weltmacht, werden. Unsere Ansprüche und Gebiete sind uns ungerechtfertigt genommen worden, vor 6 Jahren im Versailler Vertrag. Dennoch, ich weiß, wie ihr, das große Deutsche Volk, es wißt, daß wir keine Vergeltung üben dürfen. Zuallererst werde ich dafür sorgen, daß kein Deutscher mehr Hungers sterben soll, und ich werde größte Anstrengungen unternehmen, Geld aufzubringen, um unsere Schulden abzubezahlen. Danach werde ich auf diplomatischem Wege unsere verlorenen Gebiete zurück kriegen. Deutsche Gebiete. Deutsche Gebiete, welche zu unserem großen Reich gehören. Ich werde mein Bestes leisten, der Schlüssel zu sein, der den Deutschen Recht und Reichtum erschließen soll. Ich verbürge mich dafür, daß weder die Linken noch die Rechten radikalen Parteien in diesem Staate die Macht erlangen werden, denn solcher Radikalismus wird nicht gebraucht. Gott schütze das glorreiche Deutsche Vaterland!"

I have polished it a bit, should be grammatically correct now.
 
The Stresemann Plan:

As promised, Jarres sends the German Foreign Minister, Gustav Stresemann, to a conference where the American Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg; French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Édouard Herriot and the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Austen Chamberlain.

On the 2nd of April, the foreign ministers meet each other, and Stresemann brings up the idea of the re-occupation of the Ruhrgebiet. The territory was once the industrial heartland of the empire, and the occupation of it greatly decreases the German economy. Obviously, the French minister disagrees with this. However, the British and American secretaries stand behind Stresemann's idea. Chamberlain says: "The British are dependent on the German market, and would suffer great economic difficulties if it would collapse." The USA is lusty for the Anglo-French money that has to be paid to them due to debts, and since this money comes from the Germans, Kellogg also choose the side of Stresemann: "Mr. Herriot, i'm very sorry to burst this bubble of yours, but the unnecessary occupation of the Rhine area is threatening the United States economy. And thus, i shall have to defend Stresemann's case."

The US; Germany; France and the UK sign a treaty, known as the 'Stresemann Plan'. The following are important points:


  • Franco-Belgian troops will leave the Ruhrgebiet.
  • Germany may now have up to 250 thousand armed forces, of which only 10% may stand on the Ruhrgebiet.
  • Germany is still to pay 1 billion a year until 1929/30, when it becomes 2,5 billion a year.
  • 50% of the incomes from the Rhineland industry are to go to France and Britain.
 
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"Ich danke meinen sehr geehrten Deutschen Mitbürgern, mich zum Reichspräsidenten gewählt zu haben. Ich werde exakt das tun, was mein Auftrag ist. Ich werde dafür sorgen, daß wir wieder eine Europäische Großmacht, vielleicht eine Weltmacht, werden. Unsere Ansprüche und Gebiete sind uns ungerechtfertigt genommen worden, vor 6 Jahren im Versailler Vertrag. Dennoch, ich weiß, wie ihr, das große Deutsche Volk, es wißt, daß wir keine Vergeltung üben dürfen. Zuallererst werde ich dafür sorgen, daß kein Deutscher mehr Hungers sterben soll, und ich werde größte Anstrengungen unternehmen, Geld aufzubringen, um unsere Schulden abzubezahlen. Danach werde ich auf diplomatischem Wege unsere verlorenen Gebiete zurück kriegen. Deutsche Gebiete. Deutsche Gebiete, welche zu unserem großen Reich gehören. Ich werde mein Bestes leisten, der Schlüssel zu sein, der den Deutschen Recht und Reichtum erschließen soll. Ich verbürge mich dafür, daß weder die Linken noch die Rechten radikalen Parteien in diesem Staate die Macht erlangen werden, denn solcher Radikalismus wird nicht gebraucht. Gott schütze das glorreiche Deutsche Vaterland!"

I have polished it a bit, should be grammatically correct now.

Thank you very much, Josephus! :D
 
"During the second election (which was on April the 26th), many Germans who previously voted for Otto Braun of the SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei), seem to withdraw and vote for Jarres instead. Quite possible is that the reason for this was that the people just wanted a new president as soon as possible, without any fear for comminist leadership."

Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. Jarres was the candidate of the (economically liberal, socially somewhat conservative) DVP and the definitely right-wing DNVP. Why should the Social Democrats vote for him?
 
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