Historically, the Central Powers (namely, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, and the Ottoman Empire) lost World War I and were greatly damaged as a result due to the harsh punishments put onto them. Austria-Hungary ended up collapsing into many smaller nations (Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, etc.); the German Empire found had been dismantled and turned into the Weimar Republic, and was instructed to pay high cost reparations to the Allies. Many scholars would argue that it was these reparations that led to the extensive rise of communism and fascism in Germany, and by 1933, Adolf Hitler would take power and create mayhem—the primary repercussion of World War I.
Rise of Bali saw a very similar outcome for World War I, except, members of the Central Power were diverse. With Germany, Sweden, the USA, and many other important nations now suffering under war reparations, what kind of repercussions might we see? Fascism has yet to be discovered, so one needn't worry about any Nazi risings... yet. Communism, however, is out on the market. So, what repercussions will ensue with World War I now over, and the biggest question: Will the end result affect Bali?
World War I has ended, and for a time, things will be peaceful. But will these years of peace foreshadow something far worse down the road? Almost certainly.
Chapter 7 – Repercussions
The innocence of man, the lust of government, and the repercussions of war. World War I ended in the Fall of 1899 with the Iron Allies installing their demands. The all too predictable outcome of World War I saw Germany as the war's antagonist, despite that they were the victim of the initial war. France had seized Alsace-Lorraine from Germany, a contested bordering region, but the war came at the cost of many innocent lives.
Kaiser Wilhelm II retained the throne of Germany, as did the British Empire with Queen Victoria. Meanwhile, in the United States, newly elected democratic president William J. Bryan takes on American leadership during the era of harsh reparations. The Central Powers were not the only ones to suffer as a result of World War I. In England, much of the population demands social retribution for the many lives lost—something the government refuses to give. The Russian Empire especially finds itself in trouble. Given that for much of World War I Germany controlled Poland, the Polish nationalists now revive the popular debate of independence. But with the Russian Empire now tuckered out from fighting the world's biggest war, the Polish see an opportunity to, perhaps, win their independence through violent means. Even worse, communists in Russia nationwide condemn Tsar Nicholas II's leadership. Though the Russian Empire won World War I, it was still considered a close call on the account that the Germans had begun to occupy as far as Belarus and Ukraine. Change was coming for the world, but for now, many could safely assume a period of peace.
January of 1900 brought even more prosperous of days for the Balinese. Recent reports indicated that the Balinese now had an overall literacy of 30%. The majority of the population remained illiterate, but this was on track to change. This meant that almost one third of the population could read, these were the citizens most likely to join the rich. In Borneo, Bali acquired the funds to build a grand naval base near the old capital of Brunei—the tribe they conquered so many years ago. When the naval base is completed, the impossible could be attempted; to construct the almighty battleship—the steel fortress of warships. A battleship would be the most expensive thing the Socialist Faction ever spent on, and the costs for maintenance would be just as frightening. With an industrial heaven in Borneo, Bali had the benefit of great profit and could afford such a project.
Altogether in Borneo, there were more than 20,000 factory workers, all hard proletariats of the Balinese dream. The the northeast, however, there was a threat that continued to loom. The communist dictatorship of the Philippines. After many years of watching Bali shape Mindanao—the southern islands they conquered—war was becoming inevitable, even after an event as devastating as World War I.
January 25th, 1900, brought about the first repercussion of World War I. For on this day, Denmark, a former Central Power, declared bankruptcy and could no longer guarantee financial returns to their investors. This also meant that the Danish couldn't provide the Iron Allies with war reparations, and thus, the Allies had Denmark make up for this by paying the victors with consumer goods instead, such as wooden clocks. The Allies were at a moderate understanding for the Danish struggle, but the Danish people were not. Now the first actual fear of Danish civil war was at hand, and with a disarmed military, the Danish crown would need to pray otherwise.
Many months went by of peace, and it was in November of 1900 that Bali completed a new naval base in both Borneo and Mindanao. Two battleships were requisitioned by the Balinese navy that would cost millions of dollars. Expensive, but no doubt this make Bali's navy something to be feared.
January 22nd, 1901, a major event had struck Europe. Queen Victoria of the British Empire fell ill early January and later died of cerebral hemorrhage. Under Queen Victoria's long reign, the world saw the collapse of the United Kingdom, but also the freedom of two Baltic nations. Many were sad, others were overjoyed; England could enjoy this event knowing that the British Empire would be under different rule, and therefore, perhaps, willing to climb a friendship ladder. For Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, this meant the death of his grandmother—whom he fought beside in World War I. Great Britain would never be the same without Queen Victoria, either for the betterment or worsening of the two islands.
Following Victoria's death came absolute mayhem. Due to succession issues pertaining to British India, 200,000+ Indian communists arose and began burning down British embassies. India had been given minor independence following World War I, but remained a part of the British Empire for the most part. Now with Victoria gone, India was to be taken by a communist storm; this was also because of the crippling economy resulting from World War I and the reparations.
These 200,000+ rebel troops would proceed to occupy eastern India, and without the British Empire to help, this wasn't much of a plausible scenario for the newly formed Indian government. Worst of all was that a communist Indian dictatorship would be massive and very threatening to the world.
May of 1901 brought about the first crisis since World War I, yet again, the crisis for Poland—only this time it was a serious issue. Unlike all other times, the Polish population were rioting and making threats to the government, the crisis was supported by England. France, a strong ally of the Russian Empire during World War I, took to Tsar Nicholas II's side of the crisis without hesitation. England suspected that Kaiser Wilhelm II may join their side, but the Reichstag of Berlin—still repairing itself—expressed a rare demonstration of concern for safety and desired to stay out of the crisis. This left the Iron Allies arguing amongst each other.
During the crisis, on June 20th, Bali officially announced the entrance of the BN Kuching to the navy. This was the first battleship to ever be constructed in Oceania, and thus, established Bali as the most powerful nation within Oceania. In terms of naval strength, they were now the strongest in both Asia and Oceania. This was one ship, yet, enough to hold off against many less advanced ships. The battleship was armed with three main cannons and five secondaries. The name came from the Kuching jungle, the same jungle that killed many Balinese soldiers back in the early days.
After much talking between the three former Iron Allies, a peace treaty had yet again been signed which closed off the crisis. While all seemed well for Tsar Nicholas II, he couldn't be any wronger. On January 2nd, 1902, it was determined by the citizens of Russian Poland that there would be no more crises for their independence—it was time to seize independence. Though, Polish rebels were not alone in the fight. Within Russia, socialist revolutionist, Vladimir Lenin, arose with thousands of soviet fighters in a bid to restructure the Russian Empire into a communist union. Lenin's communists and the Polish nationalists were fighting for different goals, but a similar cause. The Russian Revolution was taking place, and Tsar Nicholas II had a headache ahead of him.
On the same day of the Russian Revolution, Bali completed the BN Brunei, the sister battleship of the previously made one. This battleship was named after the tribe that Bali had conquered. Together in a fleet, both battleships would declare naval supremacy on Oceania and even leave the Philippines ruling out war. More militarization occurred for Bali in February as researchers came up with the concept of 'bolt-action rifles' and new uniforms. No longer would Balinese soldiers wear their cotton uniforms, but rather, they would wear helmets and cloth uniforms.
Six months of fighting in Russia would determine that the Russian Revolution was evenly matched. On one hand, the Polish rebels continued moving into Belarus, and Lenin's men moved in toward western Russia; but Nicholas II's loyalists would continue fighting off the rebel armies with great success. The true challenge for the Russian Empire was fighting a two front war against the rebels. The size of the rebel armies wasn't the hardest part.
As chaos erupted within the Russian Empire, a devastating event had occurred a year later in Bali. In the summer of 1903, many of the factories in Borneo had been burned down by evasive individuals, thus leaving 11,000+ Balinese workers unemployed and an unemployment rate of 4% for Bali. This was an economic tragedy for the Balinese, and given the fact that many factories had been burned, there was no doubting that this event was planned. The Socialist Faction pointed their fingers toward the Philippines, accusing them of terrorist acts.
The Balinese population were outraged and demanded war with the Philippines. This was something the Socialist Faction was willing to do, but unsure of how powerful the Filipinos had become over the years. Either way, Bali had two massive battleships ready for the fight.
By August of 1903, the tide of the Russian Revolution had turned in favor of the rebels. For on the 22nd of this month, Vladimir Lenin's communists merged with the Polish rebels and made their approach on the Russian capital. Tsar Nicholas II, fearing the incoming rebel armies, would leave the capital in search of safety. On this same day, the Philippines would deny having anything to do with the terrorism committed in Borneo.
In a quick and decisive action, the merged Polish-Lenin troops would take the capital of the Russian Empire. This would greatly damage the Russian Empire, but not end the revolution. If Poland was to win independence, and Lenin to acquire a Soviet Union, more work would need to be done.
Ironically, all the way in Cuba, communist rebels conducted a revolution of their own and ceased 80% of the country, leaving only Havana in control by the loyalists. The United States desired to stop the communists from taking power, however, they did not support the current Cuban government. Henceforth, the United States was prepared to deal with a communist Cuba in the very near future.
Bu August 25th of 1904, Bali had massed together about 33,000 soldiers in preparation to fight the Philippines and stationed them in Mindanao. From here, the Balinese and Filipinos could finally resume their war exactly as it was previously. By January of 1905, Bali was ready for war.
A surprising turn of events occurred in Canada, of all places, as on March 2nd of 1905 a radical right-wing group going by the name 'Canadian Union of Fascists' had their voices heard. Under their new ideology, 'Fascism', this party seeks to create a nationalistic authoritarian system of government. The nemesis of Fascism would be Communism, but may also oppose the concept of Capitalism. Historically, fascist leaders of note would be those such as Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, and Benito Mussolini (the actual creator).
Much like Communism did, Fascism spread like fire throughout the world, but not in large quantities, yet. The Fascism's rise to power in a country would take time, for it is a new ideology. The day that brings about a fascist nation would be the start to great tension. With heavy toll placed against the Central Powers, it would not be surprising if, soon, a nation like Germany could find itself under fascist control. If the United States were to fall to fascism, the entire world would have a reason to tremble in fear.
At long last, Bali positioned its two fleets around the Philippines in what was to be considered an obvious declaration of war. Bali was ready to expand forward into Visayas. This, however, ended up not being the case. On March 9th, 1905, the United States government—now controlled by Theodore Roosevelt, threatened their Balinese allies with harsh retaliation if they pressed on with the war. The American message was somewhat vague to the Socialist Faction of Bali, but the surprising implication was that the United States would retaliate on the Filipino side if Bali took action. The Balinese had no choice, despite the destruction caused in Borneo and expenses gone toward mobilizing for war—all plans of invasion were scrapped on the very last day.
When asked as to why Bali cannot invade the Philippines for reasons of vengeance, the United States responded with, "Doing so would damage American interests and deny the Filipinos the right to remain independent as a unique nation." Of course, there was something fishy about this and everyone knew it. For the United States to defend a communist dictatorship—the enemy of capitalism—was all too wrong and suspicious. President Roosevelt was up to something worth fretting over. Regardless, the United States concluded the event by assuring the same line of protection for the Balinese, in the event that it is the Filipinos who invade Bali.
For whatever the reason may be, the United States desired for both Bali and the Filipino dictatorship to remain independent. The question raised was whether or not this was because of true desire for world peace, or because the United States saw ways to make money off of the two. This wouldn't be surprising, considering the United States was suffering under war reparations and was in desperate need for money.
For the remainder of the year, two major events unfolded. In the fresh nation of India, which had only been independent for a few years, victory had been proclaimed by the Indian communists. Overthrowing the weak nation, a new flag was set up and a new system of government. Indeed, in a matter of years, Red India had formed. This occurred in August, but across the world, another similar event occurred. The government of Cuba, now suffering from losing their best trading partner (United States) had lost their final city and was left with a shattered government. Like with Cuba, a new communist dictatorship came to be in the island nation.
Communist revolutions were on the rise once more and in the most random of places, almost all of which were linked to World War I. The British Empire lost India after World War I, and Cuba's economy crashed since they could no longer make trade with an economically starved United States. For Bali, this meant that the Philippines may seek an alliance with Red India. Not to mention, Vladimir Lenin continued his war against the Russian Empire in a bid to restructure Russia into the Soviet Union.
This was only the beginning, though, for the inevitable happened. In the heartland of World War I's repercussions, Germany, citizens of the dying Reich rose up demanding much of the same. To the east, there was the Russian Revolution; now there was the German Revolution. Kaiser Wilhelm II, of course, wasn't going to go down without a fight. Despite a crippled economy, resentful population, and disarmed military; he would see to the best of his leading abilities that the communists are vanquished. The world would not survive with both Russia and Germany falling under the hands of a communist dictatorship.
In April 28th of 1906, some internal conflict brewed within the former Central Powers. Still upset with the British Empire's incompetency in World War I, the United States brought up the debate as to why Ireland remain under their strict control. Thus, a crisis for the independence of Ireland ensued. The idea was good, but the arguments bad. The United States lacked the truest reasons as to why Ireland should see independence. As a result of bad debating, the British Empire was aided by France, Belgium, Germany, and even the Russian Empire.
The United States tried their hardest to get their points across to the world, but no one was on their side on the matter. It could be argued that both Germany and the Russian Empire were unwilling to risk starting World War II over Ireland's independence, especially since both had respective communist revolutions occurring in their own country. In the end, the United States was forced to fold and close the crisis off with white peace. The British Empire would survive another round.
The Russian Revolution intensified over the many months, and by winter of 1907, it could be noted that the communist uprising had gotten twice as large. This was no longer a simple matter of rebel suppression, Tsar Nicholas II was now fighting a full war with Vladimir Lenin. As the communist armies got larger, so did the complexity and lethal ability of their weaponry.
Meanwhile, in Germany. 23,000+ German communist troops find a break in Wilhelm II's defense and finds their way into Berlin. The capital city remain very damaged from World War I, a communist revolution would only recreate much of the same damage. The Reichstag was the target for the communists, where Wilhelm II would be working with his top military officials to put down the rebel uprising. To counter the rebel soldiers, the German Army mustered together 200,000+ volunteered soldiers and took for Berlin. These soldiers, though, came with poor equipment because of the Treaty of Versailles' military disarmament punishment.
As fierce fighting ensued within the once rich city of Berlin, more and more communists would take to Berlin like crusaders. The communist rebels were outnumbered by a very large margin, but had the benefit of good weaponry and total determination for victory. All in all, despite having a larger army, the German Army was failing to keep the rebels away. Sectors of Berlin had begun to fall under total communist occupation. Much of south and east Berlin now acts as a base of operations for the rebel armies, and both the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate come closer to falling with each day.
While Kaiser Wilhelm II suffered much dilemma in his country, Tsar Nicholas II's struggle intensified not with Vladimir Lenin, but rather, Polish nationalists. December 3rd, 1907, the people of Russian Poland convened and put together a temporary council of leaders. Under this temporary leadership, a non-recognized Poland arose and declared its independence. Poland's independence was recognized by no one, and in fact, led to France intervening on the side of Nicholas II. The first order of military business for the new Polish nation was to invade Russian Belarus and Ukraine. This Poland, however, was condemned by Vladimir Lenin—who was hoping for either a communist Poland or control by the Soviet Union.
Fighting raged on in the Fatherland, the communist rebels continued to kill soldiers of the German Army and seize Berlin. Not only were they taking Berlin, but the entire region of Hanover was being taken by communism. The real victory came with the official collapse of the German Reichstag government and a victorious red flag hanging from the rooftop of the Reichstag building.
Kaiser Wilhelm II had not only fled the Battle of Berlin, but he fled Germany in general and found refuge in the Netherlands. The fact of the matter was, however, that Wilhelm II didn't want to come back. The unfortunate circumstance on that note was that he had no choice.
Following the fall of Berlin, many other kingdoms, duchies, and city states under the German banner threw the towel. Once Bavaria, Hanover, and Prussia agreed on surrender—there was no point in fighting on, for these three kingdoms made up most of Germany.
Dark clouds were only fitting on February 3rd of 1908, as the dissolution of Germany occurred in place of German Democratic Republic (DDR). Kaiser Wilhelm II had been replaced by Chairman August Bebel—first chairman of the new proletarian dictatorship. The anthem of this new country, 'Auferstanden aus Ruinen' , would be well known for its soothing and patriotic hymn.
This was a major tear in Europe, for the DDR was unlikely to have a revolution because of their plans for a weapon ban. This totalitarian regime could only become stronger than Germany ever was before, and they would not be friendly toward their non-communist neighbors. Having the Soviet Union form would make for an excellent ally, however, Vladimir Lenin's revolution was slowly beginning to decline, as much of his men fled to go fight for Poland's independence. This left Lenin alone with his communist armies—much more manageable, but far weaker without the Polish rebels. This was Nicholas II's only chance at stopping Lenin, though he may need to completely ignore Poland's war to do so.
In the spring of 1908, France arrived in Poland with several armies to combat the Polish armies. They were met with heavy resistance and a surprising amount of Polish armies. The French managed to take control of much of western Poland, but retaining possession of this land was nearly impossible because of the hidden Polish armies occasionally striking the French.
On May 5th, two major events occurred. First, Lithuania fell under a surprise revolution that left it in the same position as Germany. This gave the DDR its first friend, another European communist dictatorship. But it was all the way in Asia that Russian Manchuria raised their flag in rebellion. This was short lived, though, as the Chinese Empire sent an immediate demand to the Manchu for annexation or face war. Without debate, the Manchu surrendered their country to the Chinese. This illegal annexation of Russian territory would strain relations between the Russian and Chinese Empire.
Chairman Bebel, on August 31st, 1908; frightened the world as he made a surprise order. Despite still suffering from the economy Wilhelm II left them with, Bebel ordered for the immediate invasion of Denmark. Preceding this, Bebel sent an ultimatum to Luxembourg demanding 'anschluss'. Fearing the strength of the DDR, Luxembourg accepted anschluss and allowed itself to be annexed.
The 'Volksarmee' of the DDR stormed into Denmark in mass numbers, the jackboots of each marching German soldier replicating the sound of a storm. Each soldier of the Volksarmee came equipped with the same weaponry used in World War I—and thus, they were violating the terms set in the Treaty of Versailles; which required Germany to remain disarmed. Chairman Bebel violated a second term by invading a foreign nation. He did, however, continue paying war reparations to the Iron Alliance—as the DDR still remained weak and couldn't risk World War II.
On October 25th, 1906, Poland officially won its independence from the Russian Empire—a long awaited event. This was a necessary loss for Tsar Nicholas II, as it did allow him to continue his war with Vladimir Lenin with much success. By this time, Lenin had been forced away from the Russian capital—which had now been liberated. With every communist fighter that dropped, the morale and strength of Lenin's forces became weaker. It was almost inevitable at this point that the Russian Empire would survive the Russian Revolution—but at the cost of both Poland and Manchuria.
By March 23rd, 1909, the DDR had performed a full occupation of Denmark. The Danish people were under strict occupation by Chairman Bebel's new German military, and there was no chance at stopping the storm that was the DDR. Later that month, Bebel demanded all of Denmark, excluding: Greenland, Iceland, Zealand, and their islands. The entire peninsula of Denmark was now an official part of the DDR's borders.
No one approved of this invasion, but alas, France and the Russian Empire were both tuckered out from war; leaving only England, Austria-Hungary, and Italy to decide on what to do. They chose to do nothing in response to Bebel's aggression. It would appear that Bebel had succeeded in creating the DDR, breaking the Treaty of Versailles' terms, and annexing most of Denmark—all without consequence.
By the end of 1909, the Socialist Faction of Bali was forced to agree with reality. As long as the United States remained strict on Balinese-Filipino rivalry, there could be no future war. As much as neither side liked it, peace would be a recurring theme between the two for quite some time. Top top off this part of the 20th century, Vladimir Lenin had been arrested for high treason, and the Russian Revolution half won. Poland was independent, but Tsar Nicholas II remained in power. It was time to restructure the Russian Empire before such an event could occur again.
The DDR, Lithuania, Red India, Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines. An era of advanced communist dictatorships had come, and along with this, came the discovery of Fascism. Fascism had yet to make its true appearance in the world, but soon, Europe would be stabbed by the repercussions that World War I created. The DDR was alive, but poor. In time, the Volksarmee would become a military to be reckoned with, and the DDR would perhaps seek out revenge for World War II. For now, the question was on the desk of every European leader.
Was Denmark and Luxembourg mere target practice for Chairman Bebel's new Germany, or was this the beginning to a very aggressive DDR. With Poland now independent and a growing DDR, Bebel had many targets. Poland could very well be on Bebel's to-do list, if not all of Europe.
To be continued...
