German Red Prince

Page 205

With these two parties at odds, the situation in France is relatively stable at present. However, Thorne is more worried than if the Labour Party were in power. France and Germany are both major European powers. In their time, Sino-Soviet relations were extremely good in the early stages, but later they became tense and almost went to war. It is not wrong to be cautious.

However, the most important thing now is to maintain good relations with the commune. Germany is still rebuilding, there are still so many reactionary forces in Europe, and worldwide, those returning home groups are all waiting to "go home." Unrest often occurs within the British Commonwealth, and many people with imperial sentiments often cause trouble to bring the king back.

Germany's victory relieved a lot of pressure on the socialist countries in Europe, and the conflicts certainly wouldn't erupt at the beginning; everyone would still need to stick together for mutual support.

Besides the passage of the provisional constitution, there was another major event today: Wilhelm II fled, Ludendorff fled, but Hess did not escape, nor did his associates. Hess had arrested Strasser and Rosenberg, and later Baumann was also imprisoned.

Hess himself arrested a large number of high-ranking members of the National Party and imprisoned them. Later, after Ludendorff returned and the Wehrmacht gained power, a number of senior SA officers were also arrested. The Emperor and Ludendorff had both fled, but those imprisoned were certainly not going to escape.

Ludendorff deliberately spared their lives to help him escape and take the blame, putting all the blame on them. Wasn't that a good thing?

Military tribunals were to try these war criminals from the civil war, including not only National Socialist war criminals but also prisoners from the Ludendorff government era, and to determine their crimes based on the offenses they committed during the war.

To prevent these people from committing suicide, the Ludendorff government and the revolutionary government placed them under strict surveillance. This trial also aroused the interest of the French Commune, which suggested the same simple and brutal approach they had taken years before: out with the old, in with the new, just hang them all.

Thorne would definitely be reluctant to hang them all. Many of the war criminals being tried here were generals and marshals in their timeline, and it would be a great pity to hang them all now.

Hess will undoubtedly be the first to be tried. He is now considered the number one war criminal in the German Civil War. He dragged the entire German people into the abyss of war in order to satisfy his own selfish desires, and he must bear full responsibility for this war.

Military police wearing white helmets and white belts entered first, followed by the war criminals who were to be tried. After most of the courtroom staff had arrived, the trial began.

464. The Nuremberg Trials

Rundstedt awoke from his coma. Fortunately, he was not imprisoned. During the Battle of Brandenburg Gate, Rundstedt was not killed by a single shell, but was knocked unconscious by the enormous impact and remained in a coma for a period of time.

When he woke up, the whole of Germany had changed. Although the tricolor flag was still in use, the colors of the tricolor flag outside had changed. Now Germany belonged to the people.

He was placed in a hospital for treatment, not by Thorne, but by Thälmann's order. Rundstedt was indeed a pure soldier who stayed in Berlin at the last moment and went directly to the front lines to participate in the battle. Even the enemy deserved respect, so his status was not that of a war criminal, but a prisoner of war.

After waking up from his coma, Lundstätter, who was recuperating in the hospital, was still struggling to accept the fact that the empire had been destroyed. He was very negative and his ward was under strict guard to prevent him from committing suicide.

Rundstedt once left the hospital. The whole of Berlin was still being rebuilt due to the destruction of the war. When Rundstedt went out and saw the tricolor flag of the Republic, he turned around and went back. He never went out again after that.

As usual, Ludendorff was in the hospital that day when several officers pushed open the door and walked in. He knew what they were up to; the new republic had finally freed up its resources to deal with them.

"General, please follow me."

The officer who came in was very polite. This old general was highly respected in the three kingdoms of the German Empire. Although he did not have the outstanding performance of Ludendorff and Hindenburg, everyone who had been with him respected this typical Prussian officer.

Rundstedt remained silent, donned the uniform that no longer bore rank insignia, and noted that the Empire had fallen in less than a month since he had served as an Imperial General.

As he exited the hospital, many officers saw him off. Rundstedt represented the last vestige of dignity of the German Empire's soldiers. Rundstedt nodded to them, got into his car, and left the hospital.

The people who came to pick up Rundstedt were very polite, but the people who came to pick up Hess were completely different. Their treatment was worlds apart. The soldiers who came to bring Hess out all had stern faces, didn't say much to him, and simply blindfolded him and took him out.

The main war criminals and prisoners of war were brought out, and some of them were bound to be tried. The location of the trial was rather gruesome; Thorne chose Nuremberg as the location.

Berlin is still rebuilding and is not very stable. Although the central leadership of the Socialist Unity Party and the central government of the German Democratic Republic have moved to Berlin, Heydrich's Gestapo operations are not over yet, and Berlin will remain under martial law for a long time. For security reasons, these people will not be tried in Berlin.

The Kingdom of Bavaria was liberated by Rommel long ago, and the work there started earlier and recovered quickly than in Prussia. During the liberation of Bavaria, Munich and Nuremberg did not suffer much damage, and the reconstruction work was also quick. Today, Bavaria has basically recovered from the war.

These people were secretly transferred to a train and taken to Nuremberg in Bavaria. Nuremberg had been waiting for them for a long time. Martial law had been in place for a long time, and courts and gallows were ready for them.

A huge red, black and gold tricolor flag was hanging on the courthouse building. The judge was also present. The reporters were notified only after all the wanted criminals had arrived. However, many reporters with a keen sense of smell had already caught wind of the situation and took first-hand photos.

The military police wearing white helmets entered first, followed by the war criminals and prisoners of war. The entire German War was actually divided into two phases: one led by Hess and the other by Ludendorff. This trial also separated the two wars: the first phase was the trial of the National Party, and the second phase was the trial of the military.

Hess's performance here was much tougher than in the original Nuremberg. This Hess combined some characteristics of Hitler and Goebbels from the other world, making him a "master of all trades." He single-handedly orchestrated the later stages of the National Party, demonstrating his considerable abilities.

Facing trial, Hess remained calm, unlike Rosenberg or Strasser. Strasser was the one who regretted it the most among them, insisting on merging with Hess. If he hadn't merged with Hess, given his party's influence in Berlin, he could have easily become a participating party in the new government. One wrong step led to another.

"Rudolf Hess, for the questions you will ask next, you only need to answer yes or no. Do you understand?"

"clear."

Do you admit to the war crimes you have committed?

"I am innocent. This was a war for the unification of the German nation. You have no right to sentence me..."

Hess wanted to give a long speech, but was interrupted by the judge.

"Rudolf Hess, please be mindful of court discipline. You only need to answer yes or no."

"During the war, did you systematically arrest and massacre the Rhine people in Berlin? Did you systematically suppress the working class? Do you admit to your crimes against humanity and counter-revolution?"

"I am not guilty."

Hess's answer was still very straightforward. He continued to declare himself innocent, saying that everything he had done was for the unification of Germany and that he should not be convicted.

“If I win, then you should be the ones in the dock. This war was nothing but your conspiracy to exchange a king for a country. You should be the ones responsible for this war.”

King Otto's death is indeed shrouded in mystery, but nothing seems amiss, which is the most suspicious aspect. Whether it was an accident or a deliberate act, and who was responsible, remains a historical enigma.

Hess believed that this was a ruse by Rhein to get him killed. Everyone wanted to unify Germany, and this conspiracy was to shift the blame onto himself.

The trial certainly won't be over in a day. Even if Hess doesn't talk, there are still many ways to break through. If he doesn't talk, others will. Rosenberg, Strasser, and Baumann have all given confessions, including many secrets of the National Party and the SA. These are key testimonies that will convict them.

Through these testimonies, the judge also obtained crucial information: the entire National Party and Hess were actually Ludendorff's puppets. The old marshal had long been laying the groundwork in Germany. It was truly unexpected that the National Party had any connection with Ludendorff.

After the trial of the National Party concluded, the second trial was a remote trial of Ludendorff, who had fled to Eastern Europe. However, the military tribunal had already convicted this war criminal, and Rundstedt was brought in to serve as a witness.

Ludendorff committed even more war crimes, including ordering the burning of cities, violating international conventions by using poison gas, instigating an attack on Flanders Wallonia, and organizing foreign troops to intervene in Germany.

Lundstätter was very straightforward with these people, saying whatever came to mind. With his and the other prisoners' testimonies, Ludendorff could be convicted here and sentenced to hanging remotely.

The Nuremberg trial will soon be concluded, and only by thoroughly resolving the past can we move forward with great strides.

465. *The Great Dictator* and *Hello Karl*

The fact that Germany was able to rebuild a powerful nation from the ruins of World War II was inseparable from the support of the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. But the most important factor was its spirit. It might have taken thirty years to clear the ruins of Berlin, but it only took ten years to build a powerful nation.

The situation is similar here. The damage caused by the civil war is much less than that of World War II. After all, the intensity of the current war has not reached the level of World War II, and Germany is emerging from the shadow of war.

Many shops in Berlin have already reopened, and the long period of military rule is being lifted. After reunification, although resources from Eastern Europe and Africa have been lost, supplies are being mobilized from all over the country through internal circulation, and people can still live normal lives. Once we join the Comintern, the recovery should be even faster.

Besides the war, the economic crisis has also caused great damage to Germany, and the current German government must address these issues as soon as possible.

Besides these issues, there is another major problem at present, which is the issue of ideology. After the establishment of the French Commune, successive German governments regarded socialism as a monstrous threat, a monster that would devour people without spitting out their bones. Now that socialism has seized power, how can we get the German people to accept this ideology and to accept socialism?

Gaining broad public support is the top priority for the new government. It must present a positive image to the people in order to gain their genuine acceptance of socialist ideology and a socialist homeland. This issue must be resolved as soon as possible to secure the people's acceptance of the new regime.

As the Minister of Political Affairs and Minister of Propaganda in the new government, Adolf was certainly very concerned about this issue: how to promote socialism to the people and what methods to use to get the people to accept this new idea. He had only previously promoted it to the workers, but it was impossible for everyone to have the consciousness of the working class.

Rigid preaching will only backfire. If it is shouted out every day, it will only backfire, arouse rebellious psychology, and make people more disgusted with this kind of thinking.

We should look to France for experience, but France's national conditions are different from Germany's. Republican ideas have spread much more thoroughly and widely in France than in Germany. There are plenty of kings there who can't find their heads, but how many can Germany find? We have to find our own way.

However, there are things we can learn from France. France has a very good film promotion strategy and prides itself on being a major European cultural power. France has a pretty good reputation in the arts.

After the French Commune came to power, it advocated "art of the people," making art serve the people. Communes under France would organize group screenings no matter how far away they were, using this method to spread their ideas, which is something worth learning from.

Through indirect propaganda such as movies and radio broadcasts, the German people were subtly influenced, and they were made to accept and recognize socialist ideology. However, Adolf was an outsider when it came to making movies. He knew about propaganda methods, but he was not a professional filmmaker. He was good at drawing, and many of the propaganda posters hanging outside were drawn by Adolf.

Just as Adolf was worrying, Thorne found him and asked him to promote the film. Thorne had been preparing for this for a long time. The film he made for the parade was a huge success, and he had met many people in this field. Making a few more films would definitely not be a problem, and he had a lot of material to share.

Before the liberation of Berlin, several films had already been made in Frankfurt to subtly influence the public and help them truly understand the ideology and power of socialism.

"Adolf, I've already figured out how to solve your problems. I've brought two films for you to review today, as if by divine intervention."

The first sound film was born in Germany. After accumulating enough technology, Thorne went on to direct many more sound films.

"To gain the people's support, we must first make them aware of the darkness of the previous regime, and then make them realize what our regime can bring them."

Thorne took out the film and then played it for Adolf. It was actually quite morbid to play the first film on screen. Although Thorne had made some changes, the title of the film remained the same: "The Great Dictator".

It's said that Mustache watched the original "The Great Dictator" twice but didn't offer any critical commentary. Thorne is still very much looking forward to seeing what Adolf in this timeline would say after watching it.

Thorne didn't change the title "The Great Dictator," but the content was heavily adapted based on real-life events. This film is a masterpiece by Chaplin, and remakes always feel a bit off. Thorne hopes to one day work with the master himself to make a true film.

The original satirized Mustache and the Nazi Party, while this remake satirizes Hesludendorff and the National Party, implying that their so-called war for German unification was merely a means to satisfy their own desires, and the Jewish barber is transformed into the Rhine barber.

The film tells the story of a Rhine barber's life in post-war Berlin, spanning the eras of Wilhelm, Hess, and Ludendorff. These three eras are abstractly represented in the film and attributed to the "Great Dictator," since all three belong to the same type of person.

"So, Comrade Adolf, do you think the German people will like this movie?"

“Excellent! Comrade Thorne, it couldn’t be better. This movie is exactly what we need. I’d like to watch it a second time.”

Adolf expressed his opinion on the film, saying he loved it and that its release at this time was fantastic, especially since it was presented as a comedy. He felt that Germans needed a comedy right now and wished he could show it all over Germany immediately.

Adolf was so excited that he wished he could play a role in the movie himself. He found the movie really enjoyable to watch, and he wanted to use his skills to design the movie poster himself.

"This film must be remembered by all the people of Germany! Let us say goodbye to the past completely."

After watching the first movie, Adolf couldn't wait to see the second one. The first movie was mainly to let the people know about the darkness of the previous regime, and the next movie was to let everyone know about this newly born regime.

Socialism is a monstrous flood? Yes, but this monstrous flood devours capitalists and all reactionaries.

Political films are easy to make, but it's difficult to make a high-quality political film. Fortunately, there are examples for later generations to refer to. There is a scene that Thorne still remembers. It is a classic in film history. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you must have seen a clip of it.

The scene of the helicopter carrying Lenin's statue into the distance was a huge shock to him in his previous life. If Germany could make a film called "Goodbye Lenin," why couldn't they make a film called "Hello Karl" now?

A bright nation was created in a small house of 79 square meters. This bright nation will not perish, and this great ideal will not disappear.

466. Historical issues

"Adolf, what do you think of this movie?"

After the movie ended, Thorne asked Adolf about his viewing experience. The story of "Hello Karl" was the exact opposite of "Goodbye Lenin." Thorne had deliberately chosen the setting of German Third, specifically a fully enhanced and distorted version of German Third after the victory in World War II.

Even Thorne had never experienced such intensity, let alone the people of this world. "Hello Karl" tells the story of "creating" a republic in a small house in such a country, East Germany, Red Army Brigade Resistance Army.

Under oppressive rule, socialism experienced a small-scale revival, which ultimately resulted in the resistance successfully overthrowing the empire. Then, upon opening the door, they saw a huge statue of Marx being carried over from a distance.

There was nothing wrong with the story itself, and Adolf didn't say anything about it; he was more interested in the Germany depicted in the story.

"Comrade Thorne, I think the story is quite good, but I don't think it's necessary to portray the country in it like that. Can Germany really become like that? Is it really possible for such a ruler to come to power?"

"You're asking me? I'd like to ask you the same thing."

Hearing Adolf from this timeline ask this question, Thorne thought to himself, how would he know?

"Perhaps the ruler's intentions were good, but the problem lay in the starting point."

Thorne said something quite philosophical, leaving Adolf completely bewildered. Overall, there were no major flaws in either of the two films, and they could be released soon after some preparation.

Besides getting the German people to accept the new government, another essential task is to get them to truly accept each other. Germany is currently only unified in form. It used to be called an empire, but in reality, it was divided into several separate entities. Now that it has suddenly become one family, there are bound to be many conflicts between the different families.

The three kingdoms differed in their ideologies. Prussia was relatively conservative and a traditional kingdom. The collapse of the empire made not only the old nobles but also ordinary Prussians uncomfortable. Even though it was still Germany, the change of political system felt like a world upheaval to them.

It's estimated that the Prussians would find it hard to accept such a new regime at first. Bavaria, on the other hand, was more influenced by Austria and was more conservative. However, while they were conservative, they weren't as hot-tempered as the Prussians. Even after unification, unrest frequently occurred in the Prussian region of Germany, while Bavaria was much quieter.

The situation in the Rhineland was very different from these two. The shift in the timeline gradually turned western Germany into a unified kingdom, but the inertia of history did not change. Charlemagne slowly unified the Rhineland in the decades that followed. After integration, industrial development became more rapid, which also strengthened the revolutionary forces.

The Frankfurt National Assembly was also convened in this timeline, and it convened twice. After Napoleon's defeat, the Kingdom of the Rhine was established in 1814, and gradually unified the entire Rhine region in the following decades, which gave the German people at the time hope for full unification.

The situation within Germany became clearer, and a situation of three kingdoms coexisting gradually formed: Prussia, Bavaria, and the Rhine. At that time, the Germans were very optimistic, and the discussion was no longer about unification, but about whether to establish a Lesser Germany or a Greater Germany.

Did the three kingdoms establish a German Empire, or did Austria in the south establish a completely unified Greater Germany?

Against this backdrop, the first Frankfurt National Assembly was convened in 1839. The first assembly sought "unification" and "constitutionalism." However, with the death of King Charlemagne in 1840, neither of the two goals of the assembly was achieved. The establishment of Greater Germany was a goal, and Austria insisted on being the ruler of the future empire. The Habsburg family was the most legitimate, and the emperors during the Holy Roman Empire were from their family.

This request might have been agreed to in the past, but the problem is that things are different now. In the past, the Holy Roman Empire was the most powerful, and everyone listened to you. Now it's different. The Rhineland has been integrated, and Prussia is gradually rising in power. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved by Napoleon, Austria lost face.

In the final battle of the anti-French coalition, it wasn't Austria that defeated Napoleon, and they even boasted about their glorious past. Greater Germany—that leadership wasn't what he wanted.

Austria insisted on becoming the ruler of Greater Germany, refusing to cooperate if it didn't, thus the Greater Germany plan fell through. Lesser Germany also failed due to Austria's interference and various issues between the kingdoms. The First Frankfurt Conference achieved nothing.

Logically, if the first meeting yielded no results, the second meeting should have summarized the experience and come up with something, right? Unexpectedly, the second meeting was even more chaotic. The Second Frankfurt Conference was the climax of the 1848 revolution, and the demands put forward were much more radical than those of the first meeting.

At that time, almost all of Europe was in the midst of revolution, with the German revolution being the most intense. The Second Frankfurt Revolution was not simply about unification, but about actively establishing a republic.

At that time, there was only the Second French Republic, which would become an empire in a few years. It basically suppressed revolutionary European countries, only to varying degrees. The Rhine was no exception.

Moreover, the second conference was also very chaotic in terms of political propositions. The pursuit of German unity was not simply about unification. People from all walks of life wanted to gain certain powers in the future republic. There was no unified goal at all, and they were arguing among themselves to the point of almost fighting.

Thorne had even looked up the records and found that in this timeline, Marx had also participated in the meeting, and this mentor, who was only thirty years old at the time, had even engaged in physical communication with a group of dissidents in the meeting.

The record says that this disheveled man treated the place like a boxing ring, and beat up three people right there in the hall. If it weren't for his friendship with Charlemagne I, he would have been kicked out of the hall by the guards.

The mentors treated the meeting place like a boxing ring; it would be a miracle if they reached an agreement. However, the second meeting was not a complete failure. If it had failed, there would be no Rhine as we know it today. Later, Charlemagne led the second meeting and reached a common agreement with all parties, reforming the kingdom.

This led to the creation of the most democratic kingdom in the German region. This reform also stimulated the further development of the Rhine economy to some extent, which led to the saying that "half of the empire's money was in the Rhine."

The impact of this political change in Germany on the Rhineland is estimated to be minimal, as the political atmosphere there was already quite relaxed, and things will continue as before.

The war had just ended, and the Rhineland had won. The Prussians were certainly unhappy. The most important thing was that the Rhineland's economy was not bad either. Thorne's biggest worry was that everyone would dislike each other. The Prussians felt that the Rhineland had "stole the country," while the Rhinelanders felt that Prussia was taking their aid and talking about them. If another conflict broke out, it would be difficult to handle.

There was no other way; this was something that unification had to face. The new government could only try to gradually integrate the people. Rhinelanders ruling Germany wasn't necessarily a bad thing. There were only three kinds of people in Germany: Prussians who drank strong liquor, Bavarians who drank beer, and Rhinelanders who drank wine. Only the Rhinelanders had clear minds and were able to rule the other two groups.

This is a famous quote from Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of West Germany, and it seems to make no mistake even now.

The Rhine has two centers, Frankfurt and Cologne, where Adenauer served as mayor of Cologne since the post-war period.