The Rise of the Third Reich

On November 6, 1936, Wilhelmshaven, located on the coast of the Adriatic Gulf in the North Sea, had turned into a sea of ​​red swastika flags. There are various swastika flags, some are long strips and hung from high places; some are normal flag shapes, hung on flagpoles and fluttering in the wind; some are made into the shape of Roman eagle flags and are held high by soldiers in full uniform. Raised high; the other swastika flags were small paper flags, held in the hands of countless citizens who came to welcome His Majesty the Emperor back.

Yes, it’s the swastika and not the black, white and red flag of the Second Reich! The swastika now became the symbol of the German Reich - a decision made by the Reichstag to distinguish the Second Reich from the Third Reich.

"Ludwig, is this flag the flag of the National Socialist Workers' Party?" Wilhelm II stood on the deck of the "Deutschland", looking at the sea of ​​swastika flags on the dock in a daze.

"Your Majesty, this is the flag of National Socialism." Hersman explained, "The 'X' shape is formed by the intersection of two 'S's. 'S' is the first of 'state' and 'society' "

What Hersman is talking about now is the standard interpretation, which is what the Flag Act just passed by Congress says.

"National socialism...how is it different from dynastic socialism?" William II asked again.

"National socialism is also national socialism. In the constitution that is about to be completed, the basic principles of 'one country, one nation, one faith, and one leader' will be put forward." Hersman spoke very slowly, as if he was thinking about it. Wording.

He said: "National socialism will become the guiding ideology of Germany and the German nation, which means that the interests of the country and the nation are above all else, and individuals can only enjoy freedom and social welfare if they are in line with the interests of the country and the nation."

This is actually a very... very scary thing according to the value standards of later generations. It puts the nation above individual freedom, positions nationalism as political correctness and opposes globalism and internationalism, and turns monoculture—one country, one nation, one faith, and one leader—into mainstream values. And throw diversity into the trash can.

William II thought for a while and asked: "What does a country and a nation mean..."

"Germany will be a unified and indivisible whole, and it will be the German nation of the Aryan race that will own this country."

"Only...the German nation?"

"Yes!" Hessmann said, "Only the German nation! All non-Germans living in the German Empire cannot obtain citizenship. To become a German citizen, in addition to appearance and language requirements, you must also believe in Protestant Christianity or Roman Catholic Church.”

“No freedom of religious belief?”

"Not at all," Hessmann nodded heavily. "Those who believe in Judaism or YSL can live and work in the empire as expatriates, but they cannot be naturalized and cannot enjoy the benefits of National Socialism."

The basic principle of "one faith" was what Army policy under Hershman's control would suggest. It means believing in Christ. As for whether it is Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, there are no specific regulations. Of course, those who do not believe in Christ will not be sent to a concentration camp, but they will not be naturalized and will not be able to enjoy the various benefits of national socialism.

In addition, at the request of the Wehrmacht, a more precise definition of the German nation was given - Caucasians who speak German and believe in Christianity. The establishment of this relatively loose standard is naturally to continuously expand the ethnic group of the German nation.

"What does it mean to be a leader?" When the German Emperor asked the question, he guessed that he could not be a "leader", but at most a symbol. "Is it Adolf Hitler?"

Adolf Hitler has been known as the Führer since he was the leader of the Nazi Party in the 1920s. Translated into Chinese, it means "leader", but for some unknown reason, the Chinese translated Hitler's title into "head of state" - the word "head of state" originated from Rome and means "chief senator of the Senate."

But this has nothing to do with the Germans. Hitler has always been the "leader". After becoming the Reich Chancellor, his most formal title was "Leader and Reich Chancellor", which was also the case in history.

"Your Majesty, a leader refers to the Imperial Chancellor," Hersman explained. "The official title of the Imperial Chancellor will be 'Leader and Imperial Chancellor'. The Prime Minister will have considerable power, and the government will have the same power as the Parliament. However, Military command will remain with His Majesty."

The Constitution of the Third Reich, which is being formulated, is of course also the result of the power game between all parties. The agreement between Hitler and the National Socialist Workers' Party to restore the empire would not come without a price - the Reich Chancellor would be directly elected by the people, rather than through parliamentary elections. Therefore, parliament can no longer be above the government, and the emperor cannot govern the country with an "emergency authorization" like the original president.

In other words, the "leader and chancellor of the empire" would be a presence similar to the president of the United States. However, the Junkers officer corps still adhered to the bottom line.

The first is that the minister of defense and deputy ministers must be active military officers, and their appointments must be approved by the "Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces", that is, His Majesty the Emperor.

The second is that the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Stasi will be reorganized into the Reich Central Security Service - which will be jointly governed by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. The official members of the Reich Central Security Service must be active military personnel.

"So how to solve the problem of the Kingdom of Bohemia?"

When the armored ship "Deutschland" docked at the dock, William II turned the topic to Bohemia. He is still King of Bohemia and Baltica.

"There are many non-Germans in this country, right?" the emperor said worriedly, "how are we going to treat them?"

"Assimilation!" Hessmann said categorically. "National socialism does not build a pluralistic country."

At this time, he raised his right arm and gave the "German salute" to the crowd who started cheering on the pier. The principle of non-partisanship of the army remains the same, but the national socialist ideology will be the soul of the German army, so the "German salute" will also be replaced. Military Salute - Historically, it was not until Hitler's assassination in 1944 that the "German Salute" replaced the military salute.

"Your Majesty, according to the new Imperial Constitution, the empire will implement a close federal system. First, the existing administrative regions of Germany will be redivided and organized, and the 'states' left over from the Second Empire will be merged into The German State'. The Kingdom of Austria and the Baltic States will also be reorganized into 'States'. The German State, the Austrian State and the Baltic States will form the Empire, and the Kingdom of Bohemia will become the German Protectorate."

German unification was further strengthened institutionally. "States" such as the Free State of Prussia and the Free State of Bavaria will soon cease to exist. In Germany itself, there will be 16 states under an almost virtual "German State" that does not have an independent government or parliament.

Austria and the Baltic States will also be composed of the Länder. As long as the people of these two states meet the three conditions of being "white, speaking German, and believing in Christianity", they will automatically become citizens of the empire and can enjoy all the benefits of national socialism.

But the situation in the Kingdom of Bohemia was different, because the majority of the population there did not speak German and identify with the German nation.

"Protectorate?" Kaiser Wilhelm said. "Sounds like a colony."

Hirschman smiled, "We don't care what other people think."

He said coldly: "Because their view is wrong. The majority does not have to accommodate the minority, but should integrate the minority into the majority. This is the real protection. The protectorate plays this role. Under our protection and guidance Under the Bohemian Protectorate, they will become one of us. The Germans will become imperial citizens, while the Czechs will be preliminary citizens, pass the German language examination, and swear allegiance to His Majesty and the Empire, and will defend the center. The Protectorate will become a state when the Germans make up two-thirds of the total."

The current Kingdom of Bohemia does not include the entire Czechoslovakia, but only most of the former provinces of Bohemia and Moravia. The remainder, the Cieshin region and Carpathian Ukraine, are ready to be transferred to Poland, and negotiations are currently underway. The Filvidek State had been given to Hungary.

Slovakia will become an independent country "protected" by Germany - it is too poor and the Germans look down on it. In the 1930s, the Czech Republic was a developed region similar to Switzerland, while Slovakia was just a poor and remote mountainous area.

However, this "mountainous area" is not without hope. 3 million people (including nearly 2 million Slovaks) occupy an area of ​​nearly 40,000 square kilometers rich in forests and water resources. As long as necessary investment and development are made, it can still be built.

Therefore, it is only a matter of time before Slovakia becomes "Slovak State".

Emperor William looked at the "sea of ​​swastika flags" and asked with some worry: "From occupation to protectorate to state, this method will be used in many countries in the future, right?"

"It depends on the situation," Hessmann took a breath and nodded. "Europe needs a leader so that it can be truly united, and this leader can only be Germany. In the process of us becoming the leader of Europe, merging some countries is inevitable."

"A world war is also inevitable?" said Emperor Wilhelm.

Hessmann smiled and said: "Your Majesty, we will win this time! You will enter the Palace of Versailles as a winner by then!"