Honestly, if the Greens are able to gain votes in the coming decades, and the SAP and SDP keep polling this well, I could sadly see a far-left coalition come to power.
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Korwin, Tusk, Walesa and Trump all as Prussian politicians sounds incredibly interesting. Nice scenario.
I'm sure it's not only disheartening in the English language. Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals all working together could only be described as a government of no real ideology or opinion.
Considering it was only twenty years ago, it is amazing how much someone can change both in looks and in ideology.
Maybe it is precisely because Prussia is a young democracy that there is so much fracturing and people trying to figure out which ideology works best for them.
That is certainly a possibility, but I think not an immediate one. This election was basically the SDP's electorate exploding into three parties (SAP, SDP and GfP), while the right parties remained relatively untouched despite the emergence of the CD.P.
As long as we don't go into Dutch territories regarding fractured politics, we're still fine.
Thank you! If you know any other interesting politicians who could possibly be Prussian in this TL, feel free to share!
Interesting results coming from the election. I'm surprised how well the Junkers did, and Trump as Vice-Chancellor?! 
That's also true. And in most European countries there isn't a really active communist party, so most extreme leftists are with the local Green party. So perhaps the Greens will either not grow that hard or most of their growth will come from the SAP and SDP
It's kind of bad here, but I'm kind of expecting some mergers in the coming years. D66 isn't going to remain relevant, PvdA and GL could merge and Otten's new party is just VVD 2.0 which nobody is interested in. But for the moment, we'll have to live with 4 or 5 party coalition
Well, looks like the SAP might surpass the SPD in the next elections if this sindicalist trend continues ^_^
Looking forward for the next update, this is a great AAR dude ; )
Looking forward for the next update, this is a great AAR dude ; )
The Junkers were a surprise for me as well, although in hindsight it might've been because they are probably the party with the most detailed ideology/plans for Prussia.Interesting results coming from the election. I'm surprised how well the Junkers did, and Trump as Vice-Chancellor?!
It would certainly be interesting to see how the electorate shifts after each elections. I feel like there is only so much that the left can grow before they reach their own limits.That's also true. And in most European countries there isn't a really active communist party, so most extreme leftists are with the local Green party. So perhaps the Greens will either not grow that hard or most of their growth will come from the SAP and SDP
It all depends on what the government will do in the next five years. Thanks for the compliment!
There weren't that many options for coalitions, a 'centrist' one might not be preferable for the people, but it's better than an electoral gridlock.
Well done AAR. Is unification with Germany an option (though the Polish part of the country will likely object).
This compromise government has been against the will of the people and the voters of the ruling parties will be disappoionted. Next election, anti EU parties from both left and right will get much stronger as a reply to this government.
German unification is definitely a topic in some political circles. For now, the SDP is the party which is most in favour of closer cooperation with the Germans.
Quite funny actually, as it is the rise of these parties which is the reason for this kind of government coalition.
Also, I'll change up my writing style a bit to provide a more debate-style view on all the parties.
Last edited:
1997
1997
Landtag-session on subsidies for the Königsberg steel industry – February 4
While government coalition talks were still ongoing, the caretaker SDP-VP government revealed its proposal for subsidies intended for the steel industry of Königsberg to the Landtag. The following transcript is a selective view of the debate that ensued. Representing the caretaker government is Minister of Economy and Finances Reinhard Selten of the Volgapartei.
[Reinhard Selten (VP), Minister of Economy and Finances]:
“Unemployment is currently the worst thing affecting the people of Königsberg. While other regions of Prussia are seeing a steady decrease in poverty and unemployment, the figures in Königsberg are rising due the limitations of the current state of industry. The government has proposed a plan to subsidize the steel industry in the capital in order to increase its capacity and employ at least 40 000 more people. Sure it will cost some money from the Treasury, but signs of an economic boom are already showing as our economic growth figures are looking better and better.”
[Johann Korwin-Mikke (JP)]:
“When will the government finally invest in the countryside? What we need is better infrastructure and better accommodations in our small towns and not huge amounts of funding going to waste in a derelict industry branch in the capital. When will the government finally realize this?”
[Donald Trump (EP)]:
“Johann, my friend, the elections are over. There’s no need for antagonizing a caretaker government. For once, I am glad that the government sees the potential of Königsberg as a major hub for steel manufacturing. As the Minister said, subsidies will allow companies, such as my father’s Trump Stahlwerke, to employ up to 40 000 additional people. Unemployment will be a thing of the past and Prussia’s industry will be more able to compete on an international level.”
[Konrad von Moltke (GfP)]:
“What about the extra emissions and pollution that an expansion of the steel industry will cause? Does the government have any plans for reducing carbon emissions or are we now going to build polluting factories until we’re completely out of money?”
[Reinhard Selten (VP), Minister of Economy and Finances]:
“This caretaker government does care for the environment. Later this year, delegates from Prussia will be attending a climate conference in Japan. It will be up to the next government to decide on any concrete commitments, but I will do everything in my power to see to it that we are represented in international treaties to counter the effects of climate change.”
Trump Stahlwerke, founded in the 1960s, quickly became one of the dominant players in the Prussian steel industry.
Landtag-session on the appointment of the new government – February 14
Selective transcript of the Landtag-session on the appointment of the government coalition consisting of the SDP, CD.P, EP and VP. Comments made by members of the opposition and the majority in regards to the composition of the majority and their policy agreements for the next five years.
[Albrecht Schwartzmann (SAP)]:
“This so-called compromise government clearly goes against the will of the people. Three of the four majority members have lost seats in these most recent elections. The people clearly punished the former government parties, the SDP and the VP, for the neglect of their needs. Now they will get a SDP-VP 2.0 and an addition of two parties on the right whose interest is more in the economy than in the welfare of the people. As long as this government fails to recognize the issues at hand, namely the ramping unemployment, falling living standards, unhealthy working conditions, exploitative business owners and foreign capitalism, this government will not be a government of the working classes but of the politicized classes! These facts will be the cause for continued Syndicalist Action which our party and its associated workers’ unions will undertake in the next few months. This government will come to know the true power of the working classes if they fail to answer the needs of those who are often neglected.”
[Johann Korwin-Mikke (JP)]:
“The people of Prussia have bestowed me and my party with a clear mandate to represent them in this Landtag. It is a shame the Junkers could not lead a majority government at this point in history, but the party will fight for what they stand for nevertheless. In the next five years, it will be crucial to protect our local producers from foreign competition. If this government continues on its path of free trade and integration in a wider trade block, then I fear that will be the end of our Prussian autonomous market. Dutch milk will overflow our markets as cheap American beef will turn our children fat! If the government fails to protect our nation, our markets and our goods, then the Junkerpartei will have no choice but to take it to the courts and fight a legal battle against Walenstadt and his cabinet to ensure the future of Prussia.”
[Vice-Chancellor Donald Trump (EP)]
“This coalition has been formed to give an answer to the rise of both the far-left and the far-right. We will make sure Prussia will know prosperity like it has never seen before. Some might think this government will fight between themselves because, well, I’m a Liberal and Ludwig is a Social Democrat. But I have a great relationship with the Chancellor. I have no interest in dismantling what the previous government has achieved so far. What's the purpose of a country if you're not going to have health care? If you can't take care of your sick in the country, forget it, it's all over. I mean, it's no good. I believe in universal health care. I believe in whatever it takes to make people well and better. And that view is shared by my coalition partners. Those who call us a government of losers are just jealous because they’re losers themselves. Just look who’s in government and who’s not.”
Subsidies for the canned food industry in West-Pomerania – March 13
To further combat unemployment and boost the local agriculture industry in West-Pomerania, Minister of Economy and Finances Hermann Flach Jr. (EP) proposed his plan to subsidize the canned food industry in the region. His proposal was widely supported within the government, as well as by the Junkerpartei and managed to pass easily through the Landtag. The subsidies will allow for the expansion of several factories and will allow more people to be employed in the sector. It is no surprise that the government is increasingly giving out subsidies to expand the industry, as for the first time in years, the Treasury is being filled up again. It is expected that the government will soon announce its plan to repay the national debt.
The Kyoto Protocol – April 7
The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and human-made CO2 emissions have caused it. The Prussian government was personally represented in Kyoto, Japan, by Minister of Energy and Environment Barbara Blida (VP). Within the government coalition, there was disagreement about whether or not to commit to any deals made in Japan, primarily because of Trump’s unorthodox opinion on global warming. In the end, his fellow party members convinced him that there was a need for an international framework and Prussia would be better off showing their intention to work with the international community than against it. Minister Blida signed the Kyoto Protocol for Prussia and returned with a huge responsibility for the country. It is now expected that the government will start working on a ten to twenty year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the availability of renewable energy.
US Vice-President Al Gore addressing the Convention Hall in Kyoto.
Landtag-session on floods of the Oder and Morava river basins – July 7
Excessive rainfall starting on July 3 moving from northern Italy to Moravia and Prussia caused water to flow over existing measurement poles. It was one of the heaviest rainfalls in human history and caused several big floods across the Oder and Morava river basins. Flooding began in Bohemia on July 5 and spread to Prussia on July 6. These early floods were rapid flash floods and caused massive amounts of damage and even a few deadly casualties in both Prussia and Bohemia. The floods revealed various misjudgements in government decision making and infrastructure which was a cause for a Landtag-session on the issue. Ministers Josef Tusk (CD.P) and Barbara Blida (VP) were present to represent the government, while the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor were visiting the affected area.
[Johann Korwin-Mikke (JP)]:
“Minister Tusk, as Minister of Agriculture, how do you plan to accommodate the needs of the thousands of farmers who have been damaged by this flood? Are there any government plans in place for an event like this?”
[Josef Tusk (CD.P), Minister of Agriculture]:
“Unfortunately, the government plans which were in place for events like this are insufficient given the extensive damage of these floods. Farmers who have been hit need to be aided, that much is true. The Ministry of Agriculture will map the damage in the following days and make an assessment of the extent of the floods. In cooperation with charity organizations, we will look into the possibility of providing financial aid to those who were affected.”
[Albrecht Schwartzmann (SAP)]:
“How come we were not warned beforehand that these floods would occur? I mean four meters of water isn’t just something meteorologists could miss, is it? If you ask me, poor communications infrastructure and excessive centralisation of authority is to blame here. How is it that meteorological services are not in a position to communicate directly with the public at times such as these? Radio and television could have spread the message and warned people in advance. Instead, the government relied on telephone and electricity lines, which were among the first to stop working in the heavy rainfall and following floods.”
[Barbara Blida (VP), Minister of Environment]:
“There simply was not enough time for the government to react to these floods. As you say, the water reached a level of four meters in a matter of hours. We will learn our lessons from this and prepare for the future, so that we can handle it if such an event would occur again. The most important thing now is to start the healing process. The government will provide help to the victims and once the water settles down, we will look into to what is needed to prevent future floods of this extent from happening.”
[Jakob von Uexkull (GfP)]:
“And what about the environmental damage? I think it is clear that the events of the last few days have proven how vulnerable we are to disasters like this. And if we as humans are so vulnerable, think of the effects these floods will have on Mother Nature. Debris being swept away, littering our beautiful country, erosion of the soil, thousands of animal carcasses washing up on higher grounds. These are all things that are happening as a result of these floods. How will the government deal with this?”
[Before either Blida or Tusk could answer, Korwin-Mikke (JP) jumped in]:
“Mother Nature will be just fine. She’s the reason all of this happened in the first place. What I want to know is how the government will help the thousands of farmers whose cattle died of drowning.”
[Josef Tusk (CD.P), Minister of Agriculture]:
“As I said before, the government will make an assessment of the damages and will look into the possibility of providing financial aid to those affected. On the matter of environmental effects of the flood, the government can do nothing more than assess the damage and take the sufficient infrastructural measures to assure future floods will be less devastating”
In the aftermath of the floods, the government closely cooperated with charity organizations to help those affected by the natural disaster. In areas where the water damage was the most severe, local relief efforts where strained by limited resources and manpower. To prevent future flash floods from occurring, the government has started to provide adequate infrastructure in areas where rivers are most likely to overflow. By the end of July, another period of heavy rainfall occurred in Prussia, further straining the attempts of the government to deal with the effects of the floods.
Flooding in Breslau, Silesia, reached the point where citizens were referring to their city as the Venice of Prussia.
The Madrid Summit on NATO expansion – held from July 8-9
The 1997 Madrid NATO Summit was held to formally invite the members of the Visegrad Group (Poland-Lithuania, Prussia, Hungary, Bohamia and Slovakia) to NATO. Heads of State or Government of these countries were in personal attendance, although Chancellor Walenstadt of Prussia was notably absent due to the recent floods in Silesia. In his place, Minister of Defence Lehmann-Grube had travelled to Madrid to meet with NATO leaders. As part of the coalition agreement between the SDP, CD.P, VP and EP, it was decided that Prussia would not formally enter NATO during the current government’s mandate. Instead, it was agreed upon that Prussia would enter the Partnership for Peace program, aimed at further building on the relationship with the West and allowing for Prussia to be a possible diplomatic channel between NATO and Russia. Other members of the Visegrad Group agreed to join NATO within the next two years, however Slovakia will likely not be able to join by that time because of a referendum which failed to get a high enough turn-out. NATO membership for Poland-Lithuania, Hungary and Bohemia is expected to further establish democracy in these countries and put them firmly in the US’ sphere of influence.
The lowering of tariffs – October 10
Due to the economic boom that Prussia was experiencing, the government decided that it was time to lower tariffs on imports from abroad. Reduced tariffs would mean more competition from abroad, but it would also mean that Prussian industries would have cheaper access to resources only available abroad. On October 10, the tariffs were reduced to 10% and after a short adjustment of the Prussian economy, the daily projected balance returned to a stable number. Prussia’s economic boom was explained by many as an effect of the global economic upturn, but the government’s own efforts of reducing unemployment by subsidizing the industry had a major hand in the matter.
The government’s personal computer program – November 19
On November 19, the infrastructure for Internet was finally in place across the country. As a result, the government looked into the possibility of modernizing its own administration by introducing personal computers. Minister of Education and Science Wolfgang Thierse (SDP) even took it a step further and proposed tax benefits for companies planning to buy personal computers for their own corporations. The plan was introduced and Prussia began importing personal computers on a large scale.
Subsidies for the car industry in Silesia – December 24
In continuation of its program to subsidize the industry and reduce unemployment, the car industry of Silesia was next in line to receive funding to expand. The trademark Prussian Phobos-cars, manufactured in the region, were being marketed abroad and an increased demand caused the need for an expansion of the industry. Even though the Phobos lacked in quality, the car made up for it in its distinguished character and look. Particularly in Western-European circles which sympathized with the former Eastern Bloc, the Phobos was a sought after collectable.
The Prussian Phobos was considered as a symbol for the Eastern Bloc.
The repaying of foreign debt – December 31
At the end of 1997, the government announced its intentions to begin repaying the huge foreign debt which the previous administration had managed to acquire. Prussia had an enormous debt to the US and to Germany, but also to private investors. The SDP had increasingly come under fire because it was “selling Prussia to foreigners and private investors”. Under impulse of the EP, the government agreed on a repayment plan of which the first step was taking on December 31. A first repayment of 22 407k Prussian marks was spent to repay loans taken from private investors and from the Bank of the United States. Over the next few years, the government would keep repaying its loans at the end of the year. It was expected that the total debt would be gone in five to ten years, depending on the global economic growth. All in all, the new government managed to hold together well. Unemployment was almost entirely gone, an economic boom was affecting Prussia and the foreign debt was being repaid.
International news:
I changed the style how I present some issues which Prussia is facing. This is to get a better overview of all the standpoints of each party, while also giving the opportunity to introduce some more debate-styled content. I hope you all like it!
I like the new style, and I also like the style of the syndicalist party spokesperson
An awful lot to pick up on in that. Not in the least the fact that Dennis Skinner is prime minister over in Britain (!) and Diana escapes death (for now). Oh, and congratulations to Jakob von Uexkull on presumably becoming the oldest politician in the history of the world.
This coalition continues to be politically uninspired, and reading Trump as a sort of milquetoast liberal-democrat type is… uncanny. That said, I like the promise of mass working-class activity. Looking forward to the imminent occupation of the motorways and the appropriation of this new “internet” for syndicalist ends.
This coalition continues to be politically uninspired, and reading Trump as a sort of milquetoast liberal-democrat type is… uncanny. That said, I like the promise of mass working-class activity. Looking forward to the imminent occupation of the motorways and the appropriation of this new “internet” for syndicalist ends.
Albrecht will certainly return to be a sticky thorn in the government's side.I like the new style, and I also like the style of the syndicalist party spokesperson
I can easily see where the confusion regarding von Uexkull comes from, but the Jakob von Uexkull mentioned here is not the 19th century biologist, but rather this guy. In regards to Trump, inspiration for his political views came from his own early political views in the 90s, when he was often quoted as identifying as a liberal. The quote I used in here about his view on healthcare is in fact something he has said in OTL.An awful lot to pick up on in that. Not in the least the fact that Dennis Skinner is prime minister over in Britain (!) and Diana escapes death (for now). Oh, and congratulations to Jakob von Uexkull on presumably becoming the oldest politician in the history of the world.
This coalition continues to be politically uninspired, and reading Trump as a sort of milquetoast liberal-democrat type is… uncanny. That said, I like the promise of mass working-class activity. Looking forward to the imminent occupation of the motorways and the appropriation of this new “internet” for syndicalist ends.
You know, I half suspected it might not be so straight forward. Props as always on your commitment to digging up cool people to staff Prussia’s political class.
Also, reading through the Wiki page, not only is that guy’s dad’s dad the original Von Uexküll, but his mum’s dad was Sigurd Lewerentz. Quite the family he’s got there.
Yeah, I remember you saying something similar a while back. Would be interesting to see whether he holds to his “principles” (whatever they may be) in power, or whether he ends up betraying something of the figure he would go on to become IOTL.
You have to remember, It wasn't Trump who changed much from 1990 to today, although he certainly changed a bit. It was America who shifted around him. In the words of Regan, He didn't leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left him. Liberalism I 1990 was much different than it is today, for good or ill.