Created by:

Joshua McLellan

Nicholas Terry

Timeline

The Weltkrieg

1914

● While visiting Sarajevo on the 28th of June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife

Sophie are assassinated by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. In reaction, Austria-

Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia, whose contents are deliberately made

unacceptable to the Serbs. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia shortly after

receiving German backing. Russia in turn declares war on Austria-Hungary and

Germany. Germany, wanting to knock France out of the war before it can assist its

Russian ally, declares war on France on August 3rd.

● When Germany invades neutral Belgium to execute the Schlieffen Plan, the British

Empire declares war on Germany. The German advance to Paris is halted at the

Marne and a series of flanking attempts, known as the Race to the Sea, prove

unsuccessful. The war in the West grinds down to a halt.

● The Germans are much more successful in the East, repulsing the Russian invasion

of East Prussia and defeating the Russians at the battles of the Mazurian Lakes and

at Tannenberg. The architects of these victories, Field Marshal von Hindenburg and

General Ludendorff, would play key roles in the final German victory.

1915

● In the West the lines remain static, but the fighting increases in brutality, with chlorine

gas being first used during the Second Battle of Ypres on 22nd of April.

● In the East, Russia is being pushed back by the Germans, but manages to hold on to

Galicia.

● Bulgaria joins the war on the side of the Central Powers, and Serbia becomes the

first Allied nation to be defeated.

● Italy joins the war on the Allied side, hoping to claim Austro-Hungary's Tyrolian and

Illyrian provinces. The campaign bogs down into trench warfare.

● A German submarine sinks the Lusitania. A severe backlash in the United States

leads to Germany abandoning its unrestricted submarine warfare, which had hoped

to strangle Britain into submission. Many speculated that a continuation of the

unrestricted submarine warfare could have led to the entry of the United States into

the war.

1916

● The Battle of Verdun starts, attempting to bleed the French Army dry. In reality, all

sides bleed equally in a battle which soon loses its military objective. A similar

attempt by the British forces at the Somme has the same outcome. 1916 also saw

the first use of tanks at the Battle of the Somme.

● In the East, the Brusilov offensive is launched. While very successful at first, the

offensive doesn’t manage to either knock the Austro-Hungarians out of the war or

drive Germany from Russian Poland.

● Romania tries to profit from Austrian setbacks and invades Transylvania. German

assistance would lead to a quick collapse of Romania, with Bucharest being taken by

German forces within the year.

1917

● On January 8th, the Kaiser hears arguments from military leaders for reopening

unrestricted submarine warfare, but ultimately decides against them. This is the

point where this universe diverges from our own.

● On the Western Front, the heavy French casualties at Chemin des Dames lead to a

strike among the French soldiers. This disaster discouraged the French high-

command from continuing great offensives until the end of the year, giving Germany

a chance to recover from the Brusilov Offensive.

● Russia collapses into anarchy, with the Tsar abdicating in March of 1917. A

provisional government is formed under Alexander Kerensky, but this government

was overthrown by Lenin's Bolsheviks in November, starting the Russian Civil War.

● In Italy the Caporetto Offensive beats the Italians back to the Piave river, where only

a last minute defense saves Venice from occupation.

● A British submarine mistakenly torpedoes an American freighter carrying Christmas

gifts to Germany, killing several US citizens. The public backlash forces a partial

opening of the blockade, averting the looming spectre of famine in Central Europe.

1918

● In early March the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed between the Germans and the

Bolsheviks, freeing thousands of German and Austrian troops for other fronts. The

Bolsheviks cede Finland, the Baltic states, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine to the

Germans.

● A great Allied spring offensive, designed at breaking the German lines before their

reinforcements arrive, is repulsed at great cost of life.

● Operation Teutoberg is launched, attempting to kick Greece out of the war. Instead of

assaulting the Salonika stronghold head on, the Central Powers make extensive use

of specialized storm-troopers and so called "infiltration" tactics. The defenders at

Salonika are pinned down while the rest of the German-Bulgarian forces sweep

through Greece. Athens falls on July 3rd, causing the Greek government to

surrender. The remainder of western forces in the Balkans are evacuated soon

afterwards.

● Anti-Bolshevik White Russian forces of the "Volunteer Army" under General Lavr

Kornilov retreat south from Rostov across the frozen Kuban steppe from February to

May. The famous "Ice March" campaign concludes with Kornilov narrowly escaping

death from an artillery shell on his headquarters during the Battle of Yekaterinodar.

The city's capture cements the Whites' control over the Kuban Cossack heartland.

● Vladimir Lenin, the famous leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, is assassinated by

Fanny Kaplan following the Bolsheviks' suppression of the Left SRs. Lev Kamenev

quickly succeeds Lenin, but Bolshevik spirits are seriously shaken.

● Successful Allied tactics against Germany's U-boats and the blockade of Germany

leads to a desperate sally of the German Fleet. The Battle of Jutland ends in a tie,

but the shock of being assaulted forces the Royal Navy to break their blockade. The

total end of the blockade and the influx of Ukrainian grain ends all fears of Germany

being starved into submission.

1919

● On March 2nd the Germans launch their Great Offensive at St. Mihiel, south of

Verdun. Their infiltration tactics prove to be successful, with Nancy falling on the

16th. The French organize an ad hoc defense, leaving their flank exposed. An attack

on Reims on the 26th splits the Allied forces in two. An attack on Château-Thierry

meant the French couldn’t retreat back to the Marne. In effect, the entire French army

was forced to retreat south and Paris was placed under siege.

● Operation Radowitz is launched on the 11th of March, attacking the Italian forces

from Trento instead of the Piave. Vicenza and Verona fall on the 24th, pinning the

Italians between two Central armies after Venice was reached on the 10th of April.

The Siege of Venice would last until July, but with most of the Italian army occupied

the rest of Italy lay defenseless, with Rome falling on August 1st. Italy would

surrender a few days later. The surrender of Italy meant the road to Southern France

was now open, with Marseilles falling in September.

● The retreat of the French Army leads to the positions of the BEF becoming

indefensible. Most of the British forces are evacuated at Dieppe in June, leaving the

French on their own. At this point the French Army, battered, war-weary and with little

hope of victory was in open rebellion. With a second mutiny, a general uprising of the

working classes imminent, the fall of Paris a certainty and Marseilles in German

hands, the French government capitulated on the 4th of October, ending the war in

Europe. One month later, the Central Powers and the remaining Allied Powers

signed a ceasefire in Copenhagen.

The Treaties of Versailles (1919)

● The fall of France, Russia, Italy and their allies in the Balkans reduced the Entente to

the British Empire, Japan and Portugal. While none of these countries were under

direct German threat, none were able to pose a threat to Germany likewise. The

battle between Germany and Britain continued for two more years by proxy, in

Ireland and elsewhere, while the otherwise victorious Central Powers divided up their

conquests.

● Serbia cedes Macedonia to Bulgaria and is forced to accept Austrian-Hungarian

oversight in most domestic and foreign affairs. Montenegro and Albania are annexed

by Austria outright.

● Greece was forced to cede Greek Macedonia and Salonika to Bulgaria, and had to

accept a German lease on Crete for as long as the Kaiser deemed necessary.

● Romania was forced to cede the entire Dobrudja to Bulgaria and the Carpathian

mountain passes to Hungary. It was however granted the former Russian province of

Bessarabia. It was also forced to export 20% of its oil production to Germany, at a

steep discount as war reparations.

● Italy was split apart into a number of weak republics, duchies and principalities with

Tuscany, the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies returning on the map

of Europe. Venice was made completely demilitarized as a buffer for Austro-Hungary,

later being annexed by Austria outright.

● France ceded Dahomey, Cote D'Ivoire, Madagascar, all of French Equatorial Africa,

Pondicherry, Indochina, and her Pacific colonies, along with a swath of territory from

Pas-de-Calais to Lorraine.

The Peace with Honour (1921)

● As the ceasefire began to run out and neither side willing to re-enter direct conflict,

General Ludendorff proposed a ‘Peace with Honour’ to the Entente. The remaining

Entente members would acknowledge the peace treaties between Germany and the

former Entente members and return Germany's colonies (Including those transferred

in the peace treaties) in exchange for status-quo ante-bellum. The peace itself was

signed at 11 AM on the 11th of November, 1921, ending the Weltkrieg after seven

long years.

Postwar developments

1919

● The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), led by communist Emile Pouget,

declares a general strike in reaction to the bloody defeat of the French army during

the German Great Offensive and the second mutiny. Its main aim was an immediate

end to the war. After the fall of Paris, the government of Georges Clemenceau was

replaced by a Provisional Government.

● The Southern White Russians begin their "Volga Campaign" with the capture of the

city of Tsaritsyn. The Whites swiftly seize Saratov, but are halted at Samara by Leon

Trotsky. It takes until July for a Siberian White counter-offensive to force Trotsky to

withdraw and surrender Samara, ultimately uniting the two largest White fronts. In

the Baltics, the White Russian Northwestern Army launches its offensive towards

Red Petrograd. The outnumbered Reds are quickly forced to withdraw to Petrograd

itself, and the Whites place the city under siege.

● Jacobin radicals, inspired by their Russian brethren and Leninist theories about a

revolutionary vanguard start a series of attacks on government officials and public

buildings, ending any chance of the CGT and the Provisional Government of

reaching any agreement. An attempt of the government to use demobilized soldiers

to restore order ends in many soldiers joining the revolutionaries. France in engulfed

in a short but bloody war, ending in a victory for the communist revolutionaries.The

communist revolutionary government now has the difficult task of changing the

French Republic into the Commune of France.

● Mere hours after the announcement of the treaties of Versailles, the Kingdom of Two

Sicilies was proclaimed in Naples by incensed far-right nationalists. The competing

Socialist Republic of Italy, modeled after France's communist revolution, was

proclaimed less than a week later in Torino, and thus the Italian Civil War begun

● Blurry battle lines were drawn in the space between Veneto and Lazio, where the

Austrian garrisons were simply too strong for the fledgling Italian successor factions

to confront at first. Soon, street brawls devolved into full scale battles; looting was

widespread in the countryside as army regiments were quickly forced to take sides in

the midst of a chaotic demobilization, often having to suppress their own beliefs in

order to fight a peace both ‘republics’ saw as vile. Unrest in the Veneto, Lazio and

Campania areas were quickly suppressed by Austrian and right leaning army

regiments now loyal to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

● Baron Ungern von Sternberg and his ‘Wild division’ take the Mongolian capital of

Urga, with Sternberg declaring himself Mongolia's supreme ruler.

1920

● Though Moscow had been under siege from a combined army of Whites since

November of 1919, it takes until January 22nd, 1920 for the Bolsheviks to finally

submit a formal surrender. Outnumbered, outgunned, and crippled by starvation and

desertion, the Reds have little choice but throw themselves at the mercy of the

Provisional Government. The Whites stand victorious at the formal conclusion of the

civil war.

● Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo becomes the 29th President of the United

States.

● The Italian Civil War reaches a crescendo, as outnumbered Austrian and Republican

forces decisively defeat the Socialist attackers in the Po River Offensive. Weary of

war with Austria, and with most of its territory devastated by conflict, the SRI is forced

upon the defensive. After months of fighting a two front war with Austria in the North

and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the South, they surrender, ceeding Venice to

Austria, and the rest of their land to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

1921

● Kaiser Karl reconvenes the Imperial Council and announces his intent to move

forward with the institution of national self-determination within the Empire.

● The promising political career of Franklin Roosevelt is tragically cut short when he

succumbs to polio.

● The Kingdom of Two Sicilies, after reuniting with the north, proclaim themselves the

Kingdom of Italy. A referendum is immediately held in the College of Cardinals of the

Papal States, who vote for unification with Italy.

1922

● After the Easter Uprising in 1916 and five years of war, a peace treaty is concluded

between the UK and Irish rebels that leads to the creation of a new Free Irish State

on 1st January, 1922. With the Protestant north as an autonomous region and the

King as a figurehead only nominally acknowledged, opposition to the treaty is

minimal.

● South Rhodesia joins South Africa, nervous of potential German expansionism in its

region.

● In Portugal, the Monarchy is restored after a coup led by Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro

1923

● After being linked to a mass embezzlement of public funds, Ludendorff is removed

from his post, ending the Junta in Germany. Grand Admiral von Tirpitz is elected

Chancellor, beginning the golden age of Weltpolitik.

● When the Victoria Police Strike leads to a Communist uprising and the brief formation

of a Melbourne Commune, George V implements the Emergency Protocols, and the

Commune is brutally suppressed.

● The constitution of Italy is passed, making the Monarchy little more than a figurehead

leading the executive, and the legislative and judicial branches of government led by

the Catholic Church. The Swiss Guard becomes the national army of Italy.

1924

● In the U.S., President McAdoo is reelected.

● The Consolidation of Resources Act, passed by both New Zealand and Australia due

to increased tensions in the commonwealth, it allowed Australia to annex New

Zealand into the Australian Confederation.

1925

● A British general strike over coal tariffs escalates into an nationwide uprising when

government troops massacre striking miners. After the army begins to stand down or

defect and the Royal Navy begins to mutiny, the government flees to Canada. A

coalition of leftists centered on the Trades Union Congress take control under the

charismatic John McLean, creating the Union of Britain.

● Michael Collins dissolves the Irish Free State and the autonomy of Ulster,

proclaiming the Republic of Ireland with himself as President, seizing northern

Ireland.

● The fall of Britain itself lead to a massive landgrab by many of its longtime enemies.

Gibraltar finally returned to Spanish hands, while Argentina quickly seized the

Falklands, The German Empire managed to secure most of the British African

Empire as well as the strategic colonies of Malta, Suez, Aden, the Strait Colonies,

Brunei and Sarawak.

● Australia retains control over the British parts of New Guinea and Fiji.

● South Africa manages to secure the Bechuana Protectorate (Botswana).

● In Canada the Senate is replaced by a reconstituted House of Lords.

● Xu Shichang manages to become president of the divided Chinese Republic. In an

effort to restore order, Xu asks the German Empire to help him restore order in

China. In exchange he would accept the restoration of Pu Yi of the Qing Dynasty to

the Chinese throne. The Guominjun accuses Xu of betraying the Republican

principles of Sun Yat-Sen and declares war on him.

1926

● Governor Hans von Seeckt of German Indochina is ordered to intervene in the civil

war in support of Xu. Within six months Germany manages to defeat the Guominjun

and secure most major centers of industry and population. The opponents of the

government retreat to the mountains of Mongolia, where they are given refuge by the

Baron Sternberg, while Pu Yi is restored as Emperor.

1927

● King Ferdinand of Romania dies and is succeeded by his grandson Michael, after his

son Carol had been forced to renounce his claim to the throne. As Michael is still a

minor he is effectively a puppet of the military who now have complete control over

the country.

1928

● Republican Herbert Hoover easily defeats Governor of New York Al Smith. Norman

Thomas runs for the Socialist Party, and wins several Midwestern states, while Jack

Reed is elected Senator for New York in an upset. Huey Long becomes Governor of

Louisiana.

1929

● The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suffers a massive collapse of 12% in one

day. Newspapers dub this “Black Tuesday”. Most investors lose faith in the NYSE,

opting instead to invest in the much more secure Berlin Stock Exchange.

1930

● Reichskanzler Alfred von Tirpitz dies on March 6th. He was the most successful and

popular chancellor in German history behind Otto von Bismarck himself. He is

replaced by Franz von Papen.

● Baron Sternberg, leader of Mongolia, hosts a New Year’s Eve celebration where he

invited all of his favourite racing horses. He held a keynote speech where he states

that horses should be given personhood, and allowed to vote. Nobody informs

Sternberg that Mongolia is not a democracy, and no one is allowed to vote.

1931

● The Creditanstalt, Austria's largest bank, almost collapses after a brief but intense

banking scandal over subprime mortgage loans, bringing into question lending

policies and stock market regulations.

● In South Africa Barry Hertzog, the leader of the Quit-Entente movement, was ousted

as a French Communist agent, arrested and after a show trial, executed for treason.

This effectively ended the movement in South Africa to leave the Entente.

1932

● Herbert Hoover is re-elected by the House of Representatives after the socialists win

enough states to deny any party an electoral majority. Denied the Democratic

nomination, Huey Long forms his own far right American Union Party.

● Germany bails out the Austrian government, and props up the Austrian market.

However few regulations change, with many economists predicting a larger collapse

in the near future.

1933

● The military government of Romania is violently ousted by one of the right-wing

political groups they collaborated with, the fanatic nationalist Iron Guard. Their leader

Corneliu Zelea Codreanu is set up as the new Leader (Conducător), while the young

king flees the country.

● Italy creates a series of anti-communist laws, known colloquially as the Benito laws,

named after a prominent Italian governor, Benito Mussolini. These laws make being

communist, or associated with any communist movements punishable by death.

1934

● The son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Alfonso, dies after a car accident with two of

his three brothers, Jaime and Juan. Although appearing to have sustained minor

injuries, their haemophilia led to fatal internal bleeding.

1935

● The German stock exchange in Berlin falls a dramatic 25% on December 9th, the

single largest loss a stock exchange has ever experienced. This is known as Black

Monday.

● King Alfonso XIII of Spain falls into a coma from a heart attack due to being startled

by fireworks during New Years Eve festivities. His only son, the twenty year old

Gonzalo, is missing and cannot be found.

Crises

All the nations present have gathered in Switzerland to discuss the two main world

problems facing us today, including the recent economic collapse colloquially known as

Black Monday, and the Spanish Succession Crisis. The outcomes of these problems will

have dire consequences for every nation in the world.

Black Monday

Black Monday is the largest economic collapse in the history of the world.

Economists around the world blame the German Empire for overspending, specifically by

borrowing and spending far too much money growing their colonial holdings as well as

reshaping and “modernizing” Europe, without reaping in enough revenues to justify the

spending. The straw that broke the camel’s back that precipitated the collapse, was

Germany’s strategy to bail out the Austrian Government in their banking crisis. It was not

long after this Germany was forced to issue higher yield bonds, reducing their credit rating,

and destroying investor confidence. The house of cards that Germany built soon after

collapsed; Ukraine is ready to fall apart, with Russophiles, Germanophiles, and Communists

ready to take over the government; Romania is chafing over the oil payments they are forced

to pay as part of the treaties of Versailles; France and Poland look to this as an opportunity

to take the territories they feel were wrongly stolen from them in the treaties of Versailles.

Spanish Succession Crisis

The King of Spain lies in a coma, with death seemingly imminent. His only son,

Gonzolo is missing, leaving the Kingdom of Spain with no clear succession plan when, not if,

Alfonso XIII dies. Germany, the world’s largest superpower, urges all parties to remain calm

while they aid Spanish authorities in the search for Gonzolo, the Bourbon heir. The Royalist

Canada, supported by what remains of the Entente, suggest that the English speaking

Prince Xavier, the Carlist pretender to the throne, be named successor to King Alfonso. The

Communist Party in Spain, secretly supported by Communist France and Britain, seek to

use this opportunity to establish the People’s Republic of Spain, and spread the flames of

the Worldwide Revolution.

Country List

Germany

Formerly the undisputed greatest country in the world. Rocked by Black Monday, and seeks

to maintain the peace. Leader of their Faction, Mitteleuropa.

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary is a close ally of Germany, extremely weakened by its own banking

collapse and Black Monday. Member of Mitteleuropa.

Italy

The Kingdom of Italy is a constitutional monarchy, with the legislative and judicial branches

of government being led by the Catholic Church. The Pope speaks frequently about the

evils of communism, and being a communist in Italy is punishable by death.

Russia

Russia is a democracy led by President Kerensky, who has served as President for close to

18 years and is in ill health. Many factions within Russia look to extend its hegemony back

into Europe, and retake what they lost from the treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

Communist UK

A Communist People’s Republic in the United Kingdom. Lost most of their colonies in their

revolution and is only a shadow of its former Empire. Desires to extend communism to all its

former lands. Member of the Comintern.

Communist France

The Commune of France. Looks to retake territories it lost to Germany in the First World

War, and extend communism wherever it can. Leader of the Comintern.

Royalist Canada

The Kingdom Of Canada, lead by King Edward VIII. King Edward desires to return to the

English throne, by any means necessary. Leader of the Entente.

USA

The isolationist United States, faces internal turmoil due to total economic collapse from

Black Tuesday, and Black Monday. There are rising communist movements which are

opposed by far right militarist elements.

Communist Mexico

The Commune of Mexico, is secretly supporting communist elements in the United States.

Member of the Comintern.

Portugal

Kingdom of Portugal, relatively stable and unaffected by Black Monday. Member of the

Entente.

Ukraine

Republic of Ukraine, split by a number of internal factions of Russophiles, Communists, and

Germanophiles. All united by fear of Polish expansionism.

Poland

Polish Government is currently led by a coalition of far-right parties. Desires to expand to its

natural borders to the extent of what the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was.

Iron Guard Romania

Far-right government of Romania, led by the Iron Guard party. Looks to regain territories

lost in World War 1, and halt its payments of oil to Germany.

Japan

Led by Emperor Hirohito. Looks to expand its Empire by any means possible.

Qing China

Led by Emperor Pu Yi, who is a close ally of Germany. Seeks to maintain its own

independence and hegemony over the primarily agricultural Chinese lands.

Australia

The lone democracy in East Asia, sees itself as a bastion of freedom in the region. Hit hard

by Black Monday. Member of the Entente.

Mongolia

Led by the probably insane Baron von Sternberg. Housing the radical Chinese Guominjun

faction. Extremely Militarized, and as such not affected by Black Monday.

Ireland

Republic of Ireland led by folk hero and revolutionary Michael Collins. The Irish Economy is

propped up by the Dublin Stock Exchange, and as such has remained relatively unaffected

by Black Monday.

Bulgaria

Republic of Bulgaria. Massive economic collapse stemming from Black Monday. Associate

member of Mitteleuropa.

South Africa

Democracy combining all former British Colonies in Southern Africa. Member of the

Entente.

APPENDICES

1.1 Political Map of Europe

1.2 Faction Map of Europe

1.3 Maximum Extent of Polish-Lithuanian Borders (1619), imposed over 1936 Baltic Europe

1.4 French Borders Pre-Weltkreig (1914)

2.1 Political Map of East Asia

2.2 Faction Map of East Asia

3.1 Political Map of North America

3.2 Faction Map of North America