WesWorld

Wasn't motivated earlier, but have some news now...

1 January

Civic officials in Koln have called for government assistance, following last night’s reports of flooding along the Rhein River. City workers and volunteers are out in several areas of the city building up sandbag barriers in an effort to hold back the icy waters from homes and businesses.

The mayor of Koln, Oskar Kunz, has called on the government to provide assistance, both monetary and manpower. Defence Minister Otto Gessler responded by ordering a regiment of infantry to deploy at once.

Minister Gessler said that he would also be notifying signatories of the Treaty of Versailles about the deployments. “Technically we are not allowed to station military forces west of the Rhein at this time - this is purely a short term endeavour, with a humanitarian focus, and if the Entente powers wish to send observers to Koln, they are certainly welcome to do so. We will remove the infantry back out at the earliest opportunity.”

5 January

With flood waters under control in Koln, the army has removed its infantrymen from the city. Mayor Oskar Kunz said that the troops were of great help. "They have certainly earned the appreciation of this city."

There were no lives lost to the flooding, but several hundred buildings were damaged by the event, including the city archives.

8 January

Shipwrights at Wilhelmshaven are back on the job after several months of intermittent strikes to protest the lack of a share in the navy’s building programs.

The union says that the destroyer Z-211, laid down at the start of the month, is encouraging and will be a source of pride for the men who worked on her.

Defence Minister Gessler told reporters that, “We place great value in the excellent work done by our colleagues in Wilhelmshaven, and we are making arrangements for the Z-213 to be built there starting later in the year."

30 January

It was bound to happen eventually.

The government of Wilhelm Cuno was forced to resign after a bill on funding of private secondary schools was defeated in the Reichstag.

The motion had been tabled the previous day, but there had been little discussion of the bill and virtually no interest expressed by anybody during its reading. Perhaps for those reasons, over a dozen members of the Weimar Coalition were absent from the house. Consequently, the motion was defeated by a mere two votes.

While this was only an embarrassment to the Cuno government, rather than a fatal blow, it became evident in the minutes after the vote that the DNVP was scrambling to introduce a motion of no confidence. That vote - had it been carried - would have required President Braun to dissolve the Reichstag and call a general election. Consequently, Chancellor Cuno was quick to tender his resignation to the speaker before the motion could actually be drafted and tabled.

President Braun will thus be able to merely ask one or more of the parties to form a new government, without the trouble of an election.

There was considerable confusion and anger in the halls outside the house after the day’s session had concluded, with one member of the Democratic Party heard to shout, “What the hell were our whips doing?”

3 February

President Braun has asked former Chancellor Cuno to re-form a government, after last week’s embarrassing fall. Herr Cuno accepted the invitation, and will announce his cabinet in the next few days.

Dr. Karl Jarres, leader of the German National People’s Party said that he was disappointed but not surprised by the decision. “President Braun is afraid to try a new tack in politics, just as his predecessor was. It will not stop us from seeking what is right for Germany.”

There were reports of a few disturbances by members of the KPD and NSDAP in several cities. About two dozen arrests were made, with several men being injured as they resisted police.

8 February

Chancellor Cuno’s new cabinet has been announced. There is only one change to report, with Interior Minister Rudolf Oster being replaced by Gephardt Strasser, a member of the German People’s Party. Herr Oster was noticeably absent from the Reichstag during the debacle of 30 January, and it is assumed that he is now being punished as an example to other members of the Coalition government.

17 March

Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann says he’s encouraged that discussion continue on the Frankfurt Amendments.

“We’ve had some good dialogue. There are still some sticking points - submarines and mines being the main ones. I think we may the former licked, now that the Italians have presented a counter-proposal. As for the mines, we’ll see.”

Minister Stresemann says that most European powers are in agreement that Germany should receive allocations similar to France, but notes, “South Africa has expressed some concerns on this point, which we'll seek to address."

11 May

Filipino Foreign Minister de Varga was in Berlin, meeting with Chancellor Cuno and several cabinet ministers over the past few days.

“There were some interesting discussions that will merit follow-up over the coming months”, noted Minister of the Economy Joseph Wirth.

Defence Minister Otto Gessler noted that, “While the Filipinos are justifiably proud of the Samal class battlecruisers, I think it is safe to say that Germany will design its own capital ships in the future.” He had no comment on reports that Minister de Varga was trying to sell such a vessel to neighbouring Poland.

24 May

Amidst great pomp the light cruiser Koln was commissioned into service today. The powerful cruiser carries sixteen torpedoes and is intended as a hunter of capital ships in the Baltic and North Seas.

Two other vessels of the class - currently designated Ersatz Niobe and Ersatz Nymphe - are under construction, and a fourth will follow in two months.

Meanwhile, the elderly cruiser Arcona was decommissioned. Reichsmarine officials say they are still discussing the ship’s ultimate fate - scrapping or target. Either way, the ship’s weapons will be removed over the next month for re-use in some other form.



(Edits: Corrected destroyer numbers and Koln's in-service data)

Very interesting news once again. One wonders what might happen next time Cuno is in trouble.

Thanks for sharing...

You're welcome. That'll be eight dollars, please.

Cuno's little problem merely illustrates the reality of German politics - that majorities were hard to get, and even slim majorities have to be carefully managed if they're to survive long. Hence the reference to the "whips"...

Well, the history of the Weimarer Republik and the fall of Germany´s first democracy is a topic every German pupil has to learn in school...

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if there had been a 5%-benchmark for parties to enter the Reichstag (a party has to get at least 5% of all votes before it is allowed to be part of the Government or Opposition). Such quota would have prevented the Reichstag from being flooded with mini- and midget-parties thus making coalitions more stable. It is a cornerstone of modern Germany´s democracy....

Lesson learned,

HoOmAn