Chapter 56 The Origin of the Third Reich
"Captain Paulus, how much oil have you put on your head! Are there any veterans like you? Wash it off quickly, with cold water!"
Hersman was yelling at a very handsome "veteran" with a clean shaven face, oiled hair, and neatly combed back hair. This "veteran" was a desk officer named Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus who had returned from a German military service on the southern front. He entered the Army with a diploma from the Naval Academy, and had known Hersman before the war—the two had served together as officer candidates in the 111th Infantry Regiment. It was just an acquaintance. Hersman and he were completely different types of people, so they didn't have much to say.
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" Paulus, who was dressed as a veteran, gave Hessmann a military salute in a depressed manner, then rushed to the Capitol building to find cold water to wash his hair - his official career was really good. Now, without a formal Army Officer School diploma and without any meritorious service, he could be promoted to captain. It was absolutely a miracle in the German Army. But he didn't expect that he would meet Lieutenant Colonel Hessmann, who was even more amazing than him in Berlin! Not only did he become a lieutenant colonel, but he also received the Blue Max Medal. When he heard that the emperor was running away, he even got out of the carriage to talk to him...
Hessmann looked at Paulus's tall and slender back, but what he thought of was the scene of his subsequent surrender to the Bolsheviks. Then he sighed softly and turned his eyes to the "Trojan Horse Revolutionaries" standing in a row in front of him - these "Trojan Horses" were just summoned by Schleicher and assigned to his command. They were not trained, and many of them were He was not dressed appropriately, either too clean or wearing high-level medals that should not be displayed.
Near noon on November 9, Schleicher assigned Hessmann a new task, leading a group of cadets from the Grosslichfeld Military Academy and young officers from the General Staff. Revolutionary troops” to occupy the Reichstag – the original plan was for the Reichstag to be occupied by pro-Social Democratic workers.
However, on the afternoon of the 8th, Albert and Scheidemann changed their minds again. The workers they summoned chanted the slogan "Long Live the Republic," but Albert tried his best to save the monarchy.
William II will definitely step down, but a different person will be appointed as emperor, and a constitutional monarchy will also be implemented, just like the United Kingdom. The advantage of this is that it can unite Junker officers and make them a supporting force for national stability. Historically, since there is no emperor, Junker officers are mostly hostile to moderate centrists such as the Weimar Republic and the Social Democratic Party.
The working class, the original supporters of the Social Democratic Party, fell into extreme poverty due to the post-war German economic depression, and turned to the extreme Nazis and Bolsheviks. Without the centrist political force supported by Juncker, there would naturally be no power to suppress the right and left proletariat, so Germany was left with only two options: the Bolsheviks and the Nazis.
Therefore, Germany's future choice lies in the hands of the current Allied Powers. If they want to completely liquidate Germany's war responsibility and destroy the Junker officer class, then Germany will become a real Soviet state - the Junker officers will have to cooperate with the Bolsheviks! Then World War II would break out in January 1919. Germany (including Austria), Hungary, and Soviet Russia will stand together against Britain, France, and the United States.
If the Allies were attacking and restraining the Junkers (but not destroying them), then Germany would become a Nazi world and World War II would break out twenty years later.
The only way to maintain peace in the long term is to spare Germany lightly. Let the Kaiser and the Junkers maintain their power in order to suppress the extreme forces in Germany. In this way there will be a stable, war-averse Greater German state. And this country will destroy Soviet Russia in 1919 and restore the Russian Empire. This will allow Europe to maintain a balance of power in the future. Moreover, the German people will have greater political power after the war, Germany will become a constitutional monarchy, and Germany will have enough internal power to suppress war.
Albert saw this very clearly, so he was unwilling to give up the monarchy until the last moment.
But the power to determine the future's fate lies not in the hands of Albert, nor in the hands of Hessmann. In the hands of US President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister Lloyd George and French Prime Minister Clemenceau.
Time passed little by little, but no good news came from the German headquarters in Belgium - as long as there was news of an "unconditional armistice," the uprising would be quelled without a single shot.
But until noon on the 9th, there was still no good news. The massive uprising team has already approached the royal palace and the Capitol.
"Ludwig, are your people ready?" Hindenburg's adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Schulenburg, rushed out of the Capitol, his face ashen.
"No good news?" Hersman already knew the answer, but still asked.
"No," Schulenburg sighed. "Mr. Albert asked us to rise up immediately and occupy the Reichstag... I hope we can delay it for a little longer. I hope the Allies will change their minds when they see Berlin falling into the hands of the revolutionaries."
Of course I will change my mind. Hersman said in his heart that the transformation from completely suppressing the Juncker aristocracy to severely weakening the Junkers was just a weakening, not an elimination. Because Britain, the United States and France did not dare to face a new world war.
But this change will still cause the Junkers to lose the power to maintain Germany's stability. At the same time, the Junkers will be hostile to the Social Democratic Party that signed the Treaty of Versailles and ended the monarchy. In this way, the Allies paved the way for the Nazi Party to come to power!
At this time, the uprising team has appeared on the Unter den Linden leading to the Reichstag. There were huge crowds of people, holding red flags and singing the Internationale. Except for the soldiers in the front wearing field gray uniforms, most of them had no weapons. If an army equipped with machine guns and cannons came to suppress them, they could be easily crushed.
But the German emperor could not be forgiven by the Allies, even if he had a Tsar in his hand. So he could not mobilize the army, and the demise of the Second German Empire was today! And the origin of the Third Reich was also today!
"Okay!" Hersman waved at the men who were temporarily assigned to him to command, and they gathered together. "Raise the red flag! Bring your weapons... We are going to occupy the Reichstag! This is to save the empire from falling into the hands of the Bolsheviks! I repeat one last time, we are now supporters of the Social Democratic Party. No armed personnel are allowed to enter without the orders of Mr. Ebert and Mr. Scheidemann! Do you understand?"
"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel!"
"No, not Lieutenant Colonel. From now on, no one is allowed to address me by my military rank." Hersmann said, "You should call me Comrade Braun!"
"Yes, Comrade Braun!"
"Okay, comrades, now sing "The Internationale" and march to the Reichstag!"
At noon on November 9, the Berlin Revolution finally ushered in the moment of victory. A team of soldiers mobilized by the Social Democratic Party, singing "The Internationale", holding high the red flag, and lining up as if they were participating in a military parade, swaggered and occupied the unguarded Reichstag. The Berlin Royal Palace, which was only 800 meters away from the Reichstag, also fell into the hands of the insurgents at the same time-it was Schleicher who led people to occupy it.
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