Chapter 2637 Baden’s Choice 1
This has a historical background. First of all, as a traditional southern German state, Catholicism has a long history. It was a deep-rooted local force. Of course, as Prussia became increasingly powerful, Protestantism also tended to move southward. Moreover, in the process of unifying the German Empire, the Grand Duchy of Baden was the most inclined to unify among the southern German states. (55%, it seems?) So, in the following decades, Catholicism and Protestantism became the dominant religions in the Grand Duchy of Baden. Normally everyone lives in peace and harmony, but once political parties divided by sects appeared, the religious conflicts within the Grand Duchy of Baden became somewhat prominent.
The so-called good personal relationship is personal. In fact, before 1905, the personal relationship between the Kaiser and Ruprecht was very good! But as the saying goes, the butt determines the head! When one party hurts the interests of the other party, let's not say that the relationship between the two parties is over, but this will definitely create a gap between them.
Especially recently, when the Crown Prince hinted through the Prince of Baden that the Protestants in the Grand Duchy of Baden were being oppressed by Catholics and Orthodox Christians (from Baden's new territory in Eastern Europe), and hoped that the Grand Duke of Baden would coordinate, Baden Grand Duke Deng's opinion of the Crown Prince quickly deteriorated because this already involved internal affairs! The Grand Duke of Baden did not expect that the Crown Prince would interfere in his own internal affairs. Not to mention the current group bond, even before the war, Baden would cooperate with Prussian policies, but the Kaiser would not ask the Grand Duke of Baden so straightforwardly. Doing certain things within your own country, especially this kind of thing, means you are looking for trouble!
Born in an imperial family, the Grand Duke of Baden knew very well that interests were the decisive factor. When core interests were involved, the Grand Duke of Baden would not back down. And he is not a confession. If at a certain point, the crown prince thinks that throwing away the interests of the Grand Duchy of Baden will gain greater benefits, then given the nature of the crown prince, he may throw it away without hesitation, right? In fact, not only the Crown Prince, but also Prussia and Bavaria before.
Did Bavaria make little contribution before 1905? The German High Seas Fleet was actually built under the guidance of Crown Prince Ruprecht, who agreed to the Kaiser's request to increase the size of the Bavarian conventional forces in order to force the Prussian military to expand. In addition, in the Far East and North Africa, Bavaria did a lot of things that were inconvenient for the imperial government to do, not to mention Bavaria's role as the mainstay on the Eastern Front during World War I. But when it was time to fall out, everyone still turned against them, and then stabbed them openly or covertly. ♀It just happened not long ago!
As for when can the Grand Duchy of Baden be thrown away? The Grand Duke of Baden also thought about it. You must know that the Crown Prince wants to establish a political party that spans the entire North Germany. In other words, his party can actually obtain a ruling status in the Prussian Federation. Although it was established by the right and center of the Social Democratic Party, But it didn’t say that they can always maintain their dominant position. Therefore, the crown prince’s party can also obtain the ruling status in the Prussian Federation, and then obtain the rights of the two Prussias in disguise. At that time, if the crown prince wants to further unify his own forces If so, then we must take action against Baden!
Because the other small states are too small to eat and are of no use. The three southern kingdoms are monolithic. Dealing with them is the next step. Well, if not the Grand Duchy of Baden, who will the Crown Prince look for? Until then,
The Grand Duke of Baden can only become a subordinate of the Crown Prince rather than an ally. The difference can be seen literally!
Therefore, regarding the Crown Prince's actions, the Grand Duke of Baden could only say: Sorry, you have overstepped your bounds. Then start leaving a backup plan for yourself! Of course, in addition to the above two reasons, the most important thing is that the Grand Duke of Baden believes that if the two sides really compete, the Crown Prince is not Ruprecht's opponent. There is an unbreakable truth in the political struggle, and that is, The team must be on the side of the final winner] However, when the Kaiser was strong, Bavaria was desperate and fought back, let alone now? Ruprecht is more powerful, but the Crown Prince is not as good as Wilhelm II!
Of course, this does not mean that the Grand Duchy of Baden has decided to completely abandon the Kaiser now, but is just making preparations. In fact, while the Kaiser expressed silence about the Crown Prince's actions, Prince Albert also became the feudal prince. The officials are also trying to keep a backup plan, that is, once the contest between the Crown Prince and Bavaria fails, then the Kaiser can cleanly replace the Crown Prince and let Prince Albert take over. If the Crown Prince wins, then it will be solved naturally. All issues resolved, Prussia regained dominance within the empire, and Prince Albert became the prime minister of the empire.
"Then, His Excellency the Grand Duke of Baden, are you ready to listen to my shortcomings? Then use this to analyze, in the future game, who has a higher chance of winning, me or the Crown Prince?" the Crown Prince said with a smile. Finally, now, the Grand Duke of Baden has made his purpose clear. The Crown Prince must also answer the questions of the Grand Duke of Baden, because his answer today will greatly affect the future Grand Duke of Baden's tendencies!
"In the future, political parties will inevitably become an important part of imperial politics, and we will also establish political parties. But I will never divide them based on sects or states! The political party I will establish in the future will be dedicated to revitalizing the empire and benefiting the largest population within the empire. As a nation, it is our duty to reap our own interests. We do not increase our wealth by grabbing other people's things, but achieve greater success through cooperation."
"First of all, in the future, the southern kingdom of Germany and some countries will gradually break down the barriers between each other, and for relatively weak countries, we will provide certain assistance, and we will spread this common market to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Whether they are Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox, they will benefit.”
"And for those who have evil intentions towards us, we will definitely give a very severe counterattack! If the future Crown Prince's actions do not satisfy us, then I think the Kaiser's line will not be able to control the imperial power. A multi-party coalition will form a cabinet It will become inevitable. And we will not cooperate with the Crown Prince. It should not be confessed. Maybe there are many people in Germany who are against Bavaria, but there are more people who don’t like the Crown Prince. This is a political activity decided by the majority. You should know Who will be the final winner?" the crown prince said.
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