The Rise Of Australasia

Compared to the rapid development of Australasia in 1926, other countries did not fare as well that year.

Although countries like the United Kingdom and France also suffered heavy losses, domestic order was barely maintained.

Particularly in the United Kingdom, while the loss of population was not good news, the reduction in the number of unemployed people steadied the domestic order even more, and as a result, the unemployment rate decreased somewhat.

The two countries where the situation had not improved at all were the United States and Germany.

Crown Prince William brought Arthur's reply back to Germany, which also gave William II much to ponder.

In the end, William II decided to temporarily abandon his plans to seize power, waiting to see how the German situation would develop and to judge whether Arthur's words would come to pass.

What William II did not expect was that the development of the German situation would quickly exceed his expectations and made the already chaotic Germany even more disordered.

Millions of Germans losing their jobs plunged the country's economy into paralysis, and the population grew extremely dissatisfied with the Imperial Government, harboring deep resentment against the true controller of the government, Hindenburg.

Hindenburg's status had become entirely different from that of the same period in history. Under the propaganda of those who were dissatisfied with Hindenburg, he had become the scapegoat for the defeat in World War I.

Add to that his poor performance during the economic crisis, the aging Hindenburg had caused widespread discontent in Germany, and the power of the military government was weakening by the day.

If William II had come forward and demanded full power, there was a high chance he could have become the powerful Monarch who controlled the German Empire once again.

But after William II chose to remain silent this time, the domestic situation in Germany became extremely chaotic, with numerous political parties emerging and shouting their own slogans.

Hitler, who had already gained some support, propagated extensively during the economic crisis about ensuring every German household had milk and bread, attracting a large number of supporters to his Political Party, and even showing signs of becoming Germany's leading party.

The next congressional election was not far away, indicating that Hitler and his Political Party could possibly gain the opportunity to form the government by occupying the majority of the seats in Congress.

Hitler's meteoric rise caught William II's attention, and he commanded his subordinates to conduct a comprehensive investigation on Hitler.

Upon learning that Hitler had served in the German Army, William II was very pleased, believing Hitler was a person who could be brought over to his side.

Although William II had come to believe most of what Arthur had said, this did not mean that in his absence he could not support his own powers.

With William II's support, Hitler's party was destined to succeed in the elections and replace Hindenburg as the new President of Germany.

In fact, the title of President for Germany's government leader already showed just how utterly chaotic Germany's political landscape had become.

Normally, the head of a government controlled by a Monarch would be called the Prime Minister, who would also serve the Monarch.

However, the leader of the German government was called the President, accountable only to the Congress, and the Monarch had no right to command the President.

This made William II, as the Emperor of Germany, quite embarrassed and was the real reason why he had been unable to obtain governmental power.

With President Hindenburg, who hailed from the Junker nobility, firmly in control, William II had no chance of circumventing Hindenburg to untether governmental power, and the majority of the Military, also composed of Junker nobility, would not support William II, as they had once rebelled against him and feared retribution if he came to power.

But now, after understanding Hitler's background, William II no longer thought of regaining control of the German government.

William II agreed with Arthur's point of view, thinking it better to support a government ruler who aligned with his interests than to struggle for control of the government itself, thus keeping himself out of the fray.

If Hitler made remarkable contributions, he, as the Emperor of Germany, would also be credited for those successes.

But if Hitler performed poorly or shouldered the blame for some wrong decisions, there would be no official connection between William II and Hitler, and naturally, he would not have to bear any corresponding responsibility.

Arthur was unaware of the changes taking place in the German political arena because his attention was currently focused on the strife in the United States. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

Like Germany, the United States was also unsettled by the economic crisis. Particularly since airplanes had not yet become widespread, the United States had not established airports to connect the East and West coasts.

This greatly exacerbated the cost of East-West communication and meant the two parts of the United States were not very united.

The epicenter of the economic crisis was primarily in the East, in places like New York, while the West, including California, was not greatly affected.

Nevertheless, the subsequent numbers of unemployed still disrupted the order in California, with a large influx of jobless people arriving in search of livelihood opportunities, as well as chances to emigrate to other countries.

The United States borders the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on the West and East, respectively, and these oceans lead to Australia and Europe, respectively.

This also meant that the unemployed populations in the United States, seeking to move to Australasia, would have to first reach the West coast ports of the United States to buy their ocean liner tickets to Australia.