minor quibble with this: the German Socialist Party was a far-right nationalist party formed after WWI which merged into the Nazis in 1922. The SPD's been the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1890, and I see no reason why they'd change their name again ITTL. I might be wrong tho.
8mm to the Left: If Hitler Died in 1923
- Thread starter KaiserKatze
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Thanks for the catch, I actually meant for that to say "the leading German socialist party" and I didn't pay enough attention
but they will have a lot better access to german tech than otl. and being so friendly, the germans may opt for reasons of detente to let some tech appear through the Netherlands.
plus dutch tech level at this time was pretty high,for example with regards to radiolocation developments (radar) they kept up front with with the other countries.
As an addendum to the last chapter, here are the voting results from the 1936 Prussian Election. I removed it from the chapter because it, and the segment talking about it, felt distracting and a bit too detailed for what I wanted, but it gives a nice visual for how the SPD's control of Prussia is slackening.
I do not, but more because I did not have the energy to calculate or estimate them out, especially with possible changes brought about between 1932-1936
Also, even if the SPD has moved to the left, I doubt they'd allow an ex-KPDer to be the leader of the party due to the bad blood caused by 1919, so I would instead have Otto Grotewohl be the leader of the left-wing/"official" SPD, especially as it would make a good allusion to how he was Minister-President of East Germany IOTL.
I actually considered all of the major East German politicians, but I didn't want to pick them for a few reasons, the main one being that I wanted a character who is a bit more sideline. Picking one of the major leaders not only makes a bit of a statement, it also forces me into more of a rut with them, since they were major leaders with more well-defined paths and traits.
Selbmann was appealing to me because he carries a very Göring-esque biography, where he moved between different positions of relative power and always seemed on the cusp of greatness, but was always overlooked due to circumstance. Simultaneously, he is adjacent enough that I can bend him as I need.
As for the election, that is more due to the relative difficulty that the SPD has in choosing a good candidate. Sudden elections and candidate expulsions tends to cause a lot of strife, and of the factions within the SPD, the KPD is the strongest. There are still a lot within the SPD who aren't fans of Selbmann, but they see his leadership as a skew, not a complete alteration of the party. The SPD has, till this point, rested heavily on the likes of Wels, who basically chaired it for most of the Republic. Replacing such entrenched leaders often causes upsets, and I think the party choosing him is plausible if they feel that he is willing to fight against the decay of their democracy.
I feel that it can also be explainable as a quirk of humanity, that we often choose what is bad for us. I mean I can think of quite a few elections where an obviously unsuitable candidate won. Not naming any names
I'm not really an expert when it comes to the Spanish Civil War, but both sides are capable of a fast victory, right?
The Nationalists could be put at a massive disadvantage if the Italians don't transport the Army of Africa.
The Republicans could be put at a disadvantage if the soldiers in the Cuartel de la Montana somehow manage to turn themselves into a fifth column within the city, striking when the Nationalists approach.
I'm not an expert, but it seems that anything could still be possible.
On that note, while Vorbeck is 100% a Nationalist sympathizer, I doubt he’s the type to send over the Condor Legion or an equivalent formation.
I am likewise not an expert, but I have also always understood the Spanish Civil War as a close affair for much of its early development, with the Republicans holding more ground and resources, but the Nationalists having the better troops.
Finally caught up! Terrific work, of course, and I’m excited to see where this goes. This is the “no Nazi 1930s Germany” TL I’ve always hoped for
Thanks! Though funny that you just got caught up since I am going to be posting the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow
Same, I love how L-V and the rest move around the peculiar situation that was the 1930s. Now I'm waiting for Britain to finally get off their ass and help Germany bc of the failure of the post WWI system to keep ppl from going to extremism in France and Russia.
Hell, with how Spain may go differently than otl I hope they become a French ally just for Britain to more acutely feel that they are being excluded from the continental system.
ooh that sounds very nice indeed, I wonder what you're going to explore in your next chapter!
Next chapter will be a follow-up to the last regarding the new French PM and his policies moving forward, as well as the Montreux Conference on the Straits and lead-up to the 1936 Olympics, which will themselves cover 3 or 4 chapters because they will be a BIG event