OOC: I typed this out in the past few minutes, hope you like it for an update after so long... And i'm sorry, but I get like 23 Manpower a YEAR. I have to use the Manpower Cheat or I wont even have 50 units by 1945. (For those of you who don't know, the Manpower cheat is F12 and type in Manpower) and also, I'm just RPing a Parliamentary system here just to make it more like it's an actual union and not just an estranged country gliding along.
Chapter IV - Politics and the whether heat up
May saw more Elections. Chile May 6th voted in a Liberal Party. Poland, quite shockingly - considering the nation of Poland is surrounded by the Soviet Union (the Communist stronghold of the world) The Habsburg Union (a Monarchical State clinging to 19th Century Europe) and Nazi Germany (without a doubt the most Extremely Rightist nation in Europe if not the world) - elected a conservative party into office. Poland was being called the beacon of Democracy in Eastern and Central Europe, but with the Conservative's new Reforms it was becoming not much better then a nation such as Bulgaria. They even amended the Polish Constitution's electoral system. The British and French called it appalling, the Poles called it survival. The Poles did it to grow closer to Germany and the Habsburg Union and therefore gain friends in the region against the always present Soviet Threat.
The H-Union saw the first Election of the Union's Parliament - the National Assembly. Over the past months the country had been ruled by the combined efforts of the Austrian and Hungarian Parliaments. But now each country within the Union (Austria, Hungary, Transylvania, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzogovnia) would elect members to a national parliament in addition to their local parliaments. It would prove an ineffective system as future events unfolded. Anyway, the seats for the nations were:
Austria 45 Seats - 27 Nationalist Socialist Party, 14 Social Democrat Party, 4 Conservative Party.
Hungary 48 Seats - 24 Conservative Party, 20 Nationalist Socialist Party, 2 Social Democrat Party, 2 Socialist Party
Transylvania 26 Seats - 16 Socialist Party, 9 Conservative Party, 1 Social Democrat Party
Slovenia 18 Seats - 13 Socialist Party, 5 Social Democrat Party.
Croatia 29 Seats - 15 Socialist Party, 6 Social Democrat Party, 5 Conservative Party, 4 Nationalist Socialist Party
Bosnia-Herzigovnia 24 Seats - 9 Socialist Party, 7 Social Democrat Party, 5 Conservative Party, 3 Nationalist Socialist Party.
Total:
Socialist Party: 55
Nationalist Socialists: 54
Conservative Party: 47
Social Democrat Party: 35
Kurt Schuchsnigg - Austrian Chancellor currently - won the Premiership. And the Hungarian Zoltán Tildy won the Prime Ministership. Tildy was a Centrist, which was a godsend with the country becoming politically divided.
Obviously, it was just barely split between Socialism and National Socialism. Luckily for the Nationalist Socialists the Conservatives usually agreed with them and the Social Democrats agreed with the Socialists. However, since there were more Conservatives and Nationalist Socialists combined, so they quickly took majority in the National Assembly. However it was so evenly split that large reform for either side was entirely impossible.
Hitler's and Stalin's meddling was present in the election. The defense ministry in Austria pointed out that Germany's Government personally donated millions to the Austrian Fascist Party. Meanwhile there were also large sums of Soviet currency funneled through Romania to the Socialist Parties within the H-Union. It seemed the two political enemies were attempting to bring the H-Union to their side... Odd considering the Military strength of the Union was still lesser then that of Greece.
After the National Assembly's election the Foreign Ministry tried to organize itself. The Union was now a European Power - economically wise anyway - and the Foreign Ministry was still operating as if it were just Austria. The Foreign Minister - Guido Schmidt - refused to enlarge his department. He was an annoying little man who could never be contacted when necessary or arrange proper negotiations with governments unless his own political views were sympathized with in said nations - which was rare since he was nothing less then an anarchist. He totally refused to incorporate the Hungarian Foreign Ministry into his own and he kept his staff entirely Austrian. His actual loyalty to the nation was in question, but there was simply no possible replacement; Schmidt had been put in the office when he laid out a complex plan for the fast actions the foreign affairs office could take to help secure the lands of the Union and literally create the Union. However, most of the claimed lands were in our control now, and Schmidt's job, after Czechoslovakia submit to our demands, was threatened. He may be, if dismissed, a liability to the Union; His scheming nature would pose a major problem if used against us since he knows virtually everything about the nation... A dangerous man, indeed.
Summer sat in calmly. Liberals were elected to power in Panama, giving the Leftists the upper hand in all over South America.
The first days of July had the completion of the first stages of a defensive line from Innsbruck to Linz against Germany which was originally conceived in 1930 but construction didn't start until 1935. But July would be marked with a much more important issue; On July 12th emergency elections were held in Spain, a Political Crisis was at hand. Spain had been in turmoil since the Conservatives were elected several years ago. They were so paranoid of fascism it drove to near revolt many times. When the Popular Front was elected in February of this year Spain went down a dangerous spiral of events until General Franco - a fascist - Instigated a revolt among the military in Spanish Morocco. Although the Conservatives were put back in power in the emergency elections of July 12th, it was too little too late. Franco's revolution had begun.
As the world turned it's eyes towards Spain, Romania was holding it's elections. Romania was now a potential enemy of the Union and very important to our defense as it currently acted as the only boundary between us and the USSR. Since it was so very important, Romania's elections were practically bought and paid for by the Habsburg Union. The Conservatives were put in power and Romania was turned over night into an unofficial puppet. The USSR objected with furious velocity and attempted to bring Romania to their side with foreign aide and offers to pressure the H-Union to give back Transylvania, but to no avail.
Spain split in two officially on July 18th. Franco from a podium in Burgos - he had snuck into Spain somehow from Morocco - proclaimed a 'new age' a 'grand new order' the 'destruction of the corrupt Religious Government!' The Balearic islands, Northwestern and Southwestern Spain rallied to Franco. The Eastern Coast, the Canary Islands, Spanish Sahara, Spanish Morocco, the Basque and Catalonians in the Prynees, and Central Spain shouted support for the Republican Government with a cry of "Democracy or Death!"
The Italians and Germans instantly gave material support for Franco. The Soviet's countered by offering huge Soviet Volunteers to the Republicans. The British quickly avoided getting involved in fear of aggravating Italy, which they still hoped was an ally. France, as always, wanted to go a different path then their friends in London, but Britain forced them to back down from supporting the Republicans officially. Thus France was stuck with sitting by and watching their southern border go up for grabs by a possibly Fascist and Pro-German Government.
We were split on the issue of support. The Fascists wanted to support Franco with Military Training. The Socialists wanted the same but for the Republicans. The Social Democrats wanted nothing to do with the issue. The Conservatives were split down the middle as to who to support. And so, the vote came down to a very single Margin:
Support Franco 78
Support Republicans: 81
Abstain: 32
It was such a narrow margin and so many Abstained that 5 more votes were held, but all ended inconclusively. It was eventually passed that we would support the Republicans. Minister Schmidt was ordered to send a mission to Madrid immediately, but he refused, saying Fascism should be supported. His Political agenda nearly got him canned. He only agreed to the National Assembly's orders when Emperor Otto threatened to have him court martial. The Mission was sent on July 24th. The Military Attache gave the Republican Government a great deal of Infantry training techniques and doctrines.
Hitler was outraged, he said to one of his commanders "Should have marched on Vienna in 1935 when they were calling for Anchulls. Now that Otto is making a mockery of everything I and the German nation and the German people are trying to accomplish!" Mussolini remarked "The Habsburgs are clinging to the old systems of 19th Century Europe for their own nation and other nations. Our former support of Austria, I now proudly announce, is nonexistent after this decision of theirs." The decision to support Republican Spain put the Union on the bad side of the Fascist world, but the Soviets were pleased. Germany and Italy's denouncification of the Union gave it the opportunity to start plans to get Italian and Czech lands back without worry of a collapse of relations between the countries formerly supporting them. The Czech Ultimatum - which demanded virtually the entire nation of Czechoslovakia - was planned to be delivered August 24th.