The Rise of the Third Reich

According to the "Fourteen Points of Peace" proposed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize, each nation under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire can decide its own future. This is called the principle of "national self-determination." The same principle applied to Russian Poland and the Ottoman Empire.

But this "Peace President" who allowed the United States to participate in the World War and the Russian Civil War forgot a common sense: there is a nation named German in the Austro-Hungarian Empire! According to the "Fourteen Points of Peace Conditions" he proposed, the German nation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire seemed to be able to decide its own future. At least that was what the Germans in Austria thought between October 1918 and September 1919.

So when Austria became a republic on November 12, 1918, the country's name was "German Austria", and they also made a formal request to Germany to join.

"Great! It's great!" Lloyd George was cheering for the news - this was his reaction after hearing about it.

"Good?" Clemenceau squinted at the British Prime Minister, "What's good about it? If Germany and Austria merge, the new country may have 80 million people, more than twice that of France!"

France's population has been a tragedy since the 19th century. It was originally the most populous country in Europe after Russia. But by the eve of World War I, France's population was far smaller than that of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and slightly smaller than that of the United Kingdom. If you include white people in British overseas territories, the gap would be even greater. If Germany and Austria merge, the population of the new Germany will be more than twice that of France, and the growth rate of Germany's population will be significantly higher than that of France.

In addition, Austria is also rich in iron ore and coal resources. It is possible to fill the shortage of iron ore resources in Germany after the cession of Lorraine-Alsace, which will make France's efforts to limit German industrial development come to naught!

"Of course it's a good thing!" said Lloyd George. "This means the complete collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...not because the Hungarians, but the Germans themselves, abandoned the country first."

Although the Hungarian Revolution took place on October 30, the newly established Hungarian government was not a republican government, but continued to be loyal to Emperor Karl I. This shows that the Hungarians knew very well that the only way to preserve their Greater Hungary was peace. Germans stick together.

"The results of the Hungarian Revolution on October 30 show that Hungarians are willing to fight." Lloyd George continued, "No one would be willing to accept the cession of 70% of the territory. If there is no possibility of the merger of Austria and Germany , the Germans and Hungarians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire may choose to resist... This is very scary! George, you know, we didn’t really win.”

"Then what should we do now?" Clemenceau seemed to be persuaded by Lloyd George.

"Objection," said Lloyd George, "We, Britain and France object, and the United States does not take a positive stance. In this way, the Germans in Austria will not despair, and the Hungarians will lose their allies and face a losing war. In this way, they may Surrender without a fight..."

"But Austria's prospects are still worrying," Clemenceau said. "I always have a hunch that sooner or later this country will merge with Germany, and then we French will be unlucky."

Lloyd George pondered for a while before saying: "Actually, we in Britain have always believed that maintaining the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a good choice. This is an ancient country, and its origins can be traced back to Charlemagne... Unfortunately it no longer exists. , we will face a more troubled and unstable Balkans."

"Isn't there also the United Kingdom of Serbo-Croat-Slovenia?" The country Clemenceau was referring to was the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The policy of maintaining Austria-Hungary had few supporters on the Allied side. But the Balkans do need a force to maintain stability. As a result, all kinds of whimsical methods have been proposed, including the plan to form a group of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia.

"I hope it works." Lloyd George nodded. The Germans cannot merge through national self-determination, but the Croats and Slovenes have to be self-determined and live together with the Serbs. Is this possible?

…

"You led the people to kill the Tsar, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the three Grand Duchess?"

"Yes, I just regret not killing them all!"

"Is there still one Grand Duchess left?"

"Yes! Baltic Olga, she is the enemy of the Russian people!"

"You'll be seeing her soon."

"It's a pity that I can't kill her!"

"May I have your name?"

"Yakov Yurovsky! The Russian people will always remember my name!"

In the heavily guarded Potsdam train station, Ludwig von Hersmann was talking to a thin and frail young man who was shackled. This young man's name was Yakov Yurovsky, and he was the murderer who led a team to assassinate the Russian Czar. He will be transferred to Grand Duchess Olga together with the coffins of the Tsar, Empress, Crown Prince and three Grand Duchess.

The murderer did not feel any guilt at all, although German newspapers unanimously condemned him, including the Red Flag, written by Rosa Luxemburg, was no exception. But Yurovsky held his head high at the moment, as if he were a hero rather than a sinner - in fact he was a hero! He was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" on April 16, 1934. There are full-length statues of him in his hometown and Cheka headquarters. Under the Red Army Military Intelligence Bureau, there is also a "Yurovsky Special Forces" named after him. This is the origin of the Soviet special forces!

"Who sent you here? Can you tell me?" Hessman then asked.

"It's the Bolsheviks!" Yakov Yurovsky replied loudly, "I was ordered to execute Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress!"

There is nothing that cannot be said! Because Lenin had personally admitted it, Pravda also published an editorial praising the assassination of the Tsar as a just revolutionary action.

Indeed for the Bolsheviks! The only regret was that one of the Tsar's daughters slipped through the cracks. Moreover, Olga, the eldest of all children of Nicholas II, is currently the only grand duke among the members of the tsarist family who has territory and an army. Therefore, it is very possible that she will inherit the Russian throne and be supported by the entire Romanov family and all White Guard leaders.

If she becomes the co-leader of the White Guards, considering the hatred of her family being murdered, she will probably become a revolutionary enemy that is difficult to deal with, right?

"Captain Paulus!" Herschmann called Paulus, who had just been recruited into the Military Intelligence Agency as the captain of the special operations team, to his side. "This person is entrusted to you... He must be taken to Polo intact and then handed over to the Stasi for custody."

When he heard "Stasi", a trace of fear actually slipped on Yulovsky's face, which was originally a fearless expression.

Paulus waved behind him, and two soldiers wearing field gray military uniforms and carrying rifles ran over, picked up Yurovsky, and put the future hero of the Soviet Union on the train like a chicken.

——

Please collect, recommend, and vote for Sanjiang