Recaps

Mir Osman Ali Khan traveled to Germany to secure the future of Hyderabad State and was promised expanded territory in return for loyalty to the German Empire. Wachth left the specific allocations undecided and tied the quality of each grant to how much the princely states contributed toward Germany’s military expenses.

• Mir Osman Ali Khan asked Wachth whether Germany truly intended to divide Indian territories among the Princely Rulers.
• Wachth said Emperor intended to protect the rulers and praised them as India’s real elite.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan pledged Hyderabad State’s lasting loyalty to the German Empire and expected the other princely states to follow.
• Wachth promised to double each princely state’s territory, with the specific divisions to be discussed after Germany occupied India.
• Wachth said the allocation plan would depend partly on how much each princely state paid toward Germany’s military costs.

Mir Osman Ali Khan offered Germany five billion marks and proposed that Oscar take the title of Emperor of India in hopes of securing the Ganges Plain and a powerful role in the country. Wachth hinted that Mir Osman Ali Khan might be chosen to govern India’s princely states, but left the decision to the Emperor.

• Mir Osman Ali Khan offered Wachth five billion marks in military funding for Germany.
• Wachth declined to settle Hyderabad’s offer before the other Princely Rulers arrived in Berlin.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan decided he might have to give up his entire fortune to secure the fertile lands of the Ganges Plain and Germany’s favor.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan proposed that Oscar become Emperor of India, and Wachth agreed to report the idea to the Emperor.
• Wachth told Mir Osman Ali Khan that India would still be governed by its Princely Rulers and suggested he might be suited to lead them, pending the Emperor’s decision.

After Germany captured Calcutta and pacified most of India, Oscar and Prime Minister Bülow secured the loyalty of India’s Princely Rulers and announced that Germany would distribute Indian lands among the princely states. The rulers welcomed the plan and prepared to donate military funds to compete for the most fertile territory.

• In mid-June 1916, the German 8th Army Corps captured Calcutta while the 4th Army Corps swept through southern India, and Germany arranged to transport the Princely Rulers to Germany.
• Oscar hosted the Princely Rulers at a palace banquet on July 12, where they pledged loyalty to the German Empire.
• The Princely Rulers attended a meeting at the Imperial Parliament Building, chaired by Prime Minister Bülow and joined by the Empire’s Military and Political Ministers.
• Bülow announced that Germany would distribute India’s lands among the princely states rather than govern India directly.
• The Princely Rulers cheered the decision and prepared to donate as much military funding as possible to secure fertile lands.

Bülow laid out Germany’s plans for dividing India among the princely states while extracting military donations and ongoing tax revenue. The rulers learned that donation amounts would determine the order in which they could choose land, forcing them to compete without knowing one another’s bids.

• Bülow told the Princely Rulers that Germany expected them to contribute military funds, and Mir Osman Ali Khan and the other rulers agreed to provide assistance.
• Bülow declared that Germany would retain direct control of Delhi, Mumbai, and Calcutta, build naval ports in India, and station troops there.
• Bülow announced that Germany would begin collecting two billion Mark in annual taxes from India the following year, with each state’s share based on its land area, population, and resources.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan and other major rulers proposed crowning the German Emperor as Emperor of India, winning the other rulers’ support.
• The Imperial Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that rulers would secretly submit donation amounts and that the largest donor would choose land first, alarming the Princely Rulers.

The Indian Princely Rulers competed to donate money to Germany, hoping to secure favorable positions in the coming division of India's land. Mir Osman Ali Khan won first place and was appointed Viceroy of India, while the rulers learned that land selection would begin in one month.

• Mir Osman Ali Khan decided he had to win the donation contest after learning Germany would appoint a Princely Ruler as Viceroy of India.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan donated 15 billion Marks, and the other Princely Rulers submitted large sums to improve their land-selection rankings.
• Prime Minister Bülow announced that Mir Osman Ali Khan ranked first, followed by Mysore State and Indore State, and revealed that the rulers had donated 172.5 billion Marks altogether.
• The Princely Rulers regretted their donations after Bülow said land selection would follow the rankings and begin in one month.
• Bülow announced that Mir Osman Ali Khan had been appointed Viceroy of India on behalf of the German Empire.

The German Empire rewarded Mir Osman Ali Khan with the Viceroyship of India after he donated the most military funds, then prepared to divide Indian territory among princely states. German officials secured the rulers' loyalty by tying their gains and survival to German rule, opposition to British return and Indian independence, and the creation of German-trained armies.

• Bülow announced that India’s lands would be divided after the Emperor’s coronation, and Mir Osman Ali Khan enjoyed having won the Viceroyship.
• Bülow warned the rulers of the major princely states that Germany could empower them or destroy them, and Mir Osman Ali Khan and the others pledged loyalty to the Empire.
• Wachth warned the rulers that Britain would try to reclaim India and that their new territories would be at risk if Britain returned.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan and the other rulers vowed to fight the British and oppose Indian independence to protect their lands and positions.
• Falkenhayn called on the princely states to raise armies, promising German weapons and instructors; the rulers accepted the plan, binding their military strength to Germany.

After Qin Tian's coronation as Emperor of India, General Ludendorff led German troops to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala to seize its buried treasures. The Germans uncovered more than forty tons of gold and jewels and took them away despite resistance from local Indians.

• On August 8, 1916, Qin Tian was crowned Emperor of India in Berlin, and India's Princely Rulers swore allegiance to him.
• General Ludendorff told his regiment that Qin Tian had ordered them to search the Padmanabhaswamy Temple for gold and then investigate other Indian temples if the intelligence proved true.
• The German troops drove the monks from the temple, threatened the gathered locals with weapons, and, after finding no underground chamber, blew up the temple.
• German engineers uncovered a buried chamber containing gold ingots and chains, then excavated more than forty tons of gold and many jewels.
• The Indian natives gathered to oppose the Germans, but the troops used gunfire to stop them and carried the treasure away.

After Germany halted the destruction of Indian temples and arranged for the Princely Rulers to take over, Qin Tian convened an Imperial Council to assess the Empire’s position. He identified Germany’s small population as its greatest weakness and warned that it threatened the Empire’s ability to remain hegemonic.

• German forces destroyed temples and seized three thousand tons of gold, provoking protests and deadly clashes with Indian natives.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan asked Germany to stop demolishing temples, and the German government ordered its military to halt the operation.
• The Princely Rulers remained in Berlin until the division of Indian territory was complete, then prepared to govern their new lands with German military support.
• Qin Tian convened an Imperial Council on September 2, 1916, to review Germany’s achievements and unresolved problems.
• Qin Tian warned the ministers that Germany’s population of just over fifty million was too small to sustain its global dominance and had to be increased within twenty years.

Oscar ordered Germany to double its population within twenty years, arguing that the Empire needed more people to hold its territories and stand against its rivals. He secured ministers’ support for the Family Planning Policy, which the government issued nationwide a week later.

• Oscar compared the Empire’s population and mobilization potential with those of its enemies and warned that Germany could not afford heavy losses in a future war.
• Oscar set a goal of reaching one hundred million people by 1936 and proposed mandatory childbearing requirements, subsidies for larger families, and penalties for families with fewer than two children.
• Prime Minister Bülow and other ministers raised concerns about public opposition, infertility, and the policy’s cost, while Oscar pledged government guidance and funding from India’s gold, jewels, and colonial revenues.
• Field Marshal Falkenhayn agreed that the Army’s Indian wealth could fund population growth, and the other military branches accepted the plan.
• Oscar ordered the Family Planning Policy to begin on January 1, and the German government issued it nationwide a week later, drawing widespread support and concern from Germany’s enemies.

Germany expanded its population and territorial-integration policies to prepare for a future war and strengthen its industry. In Amiens, factory owner Balk agreed to cooperate with Germany after learning his captured son Bedok was suffering in a prisoner-of-war labor camp.

• Germany introduced a twenty-year Family Planning Policy and began preparing hospitals, kindergartens, and schools for the expected baby boom.
• Oscar relied on Ukrainian loyalty and coercion of French and Belgian families to secure cooperation in the territories Germany had occupied.
• German authorities used captured French soldiers as forced labor and pressured factory owners by holding their relatives in prisoner-of-war camps.
• Balk refused Germany's demand that his Amiens factory produce military boots, but a letter revealed that his son Bedok was enduring hunger, hard labor, and abuse as a prisoner.
• Balk chose to cooperate with Germany to save Bedok.

Balk endured his neighbors’ condemnation for cooperating with Germany, hoping the arrangement would save his son, Bedok, from a Ukrainian POW camp. Colonel Essen then promoted Bedok to overseer after telling him that Balk had joined the Empire’s nationality, and Bedok began learning how to supervise the other prisoners.

• Balk ignored accusations from French neighbors as he walked home, having cooperated with Germany to protect his imprisoned son.
• Balk’s wife prepared a lavish meal made possible by German supplies, and the family worried and prayed for Bedok’s safe return.
• Balk resolved to keep cooperating with Germany and told himself that the family had to begin a new life because the French Republic no longer existed.
• In a Ukrainian POW camp, Bedok was summoned by Colonel Essen and feared he would be killed.
• Essen told Bedok that Balk had joined the Empire’s nationality, promoted him to overseer, and ordered a new uniform for him.
• Bedok changed into the uniform and listened as Essen taught him how to control the other prisoners.

In November 1916, Oscar focused on the approaching death of Emperor Franz Joseph I and the threat that a hostile Austro-Hungarian Empire could pose to Germany. At an Imperial Council, German leaders discussed preparing for war, and Falkenhayn urged a swift attack if the empire joined the United States.

• Germany's forces advanced through the Straits Settlements and landed in western Australia, where Oscar expected the campaigns to continue into the following year.
• Oscar ordered the Intelligence Bureau to monitor Emperor Franz Joseph I, whose death he believed could end Germany's alliance with Austria-Hungary.
• At the November 15 Imperial Council, General Balaimin reported that Franz Joseph I was unlikely to survive past November 20.
• Bülow and Wachth warned that Crown Prince Karl's hostility and American influence could push Austria-Hungary into opposing Germany after the emperor's death.
• Oscar asked what Germany should do if Austria-Hungary left the Allied Powers, and Falkenhayn recommended destroying it if it sided with the United States.

Oscar and his ministers discussed using military force to defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the military leaders promised a swift victory. As Crown Prince Karl waited for Franz Joseph I to die and inherit the throne, the emperor passed away at Schönbrunn Palace.

• Prime Minister Bülow and Foreign Minister Wachth warned Oscar that war with the Austro-Hungarian Empire could provoke another major conflict.
• Oscar rejected peaceful negotiations, and Field Marshal Falkenhayn and Admiral Scheer said Germany could defeat the Austro-Hungarian army and navy.
• Oscar proposed secretly encouraging the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s constituent states to remain neutral or seek independence during a German invasion.
• Crown Prince Karl waited near Franz Joseph I’s bedchamber, feeling excited about inheriting the throne rather than grieving.
• Franz Joseph I passed away at Schönbrunn Palace on November 18.

After Franz Joseph I died, Crown Prince Karl prepared to succeed him while Oscar ordered Germany's armed forces to mobilize for a possible war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Karl became Karl I on New Year's Day 1917, increasingly resentful of Germany after it sent only its foreign minister to the funeral.

• Karl learned of Franz Joseph I's death, mourned publicly, and arranged the funeral and his coronation with the senior ministers.
• Oscar chose Foreign Minister Wachth to represent Germany and ordered the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Ministry to prepare for war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• Franz Joseph I's funeral took place in Vienna on December 18, and Karl resented Germany for sending only Wachth.
• Karl was crowned emperor as Karl I on January 1, 1917.

Karl I decided to break the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s alliance with Germany and align with the United States, despite warnings that the plan could provoke a German attack. After agreeing to Wilson’s terms, Karl remained confident that American aid would let the Empire defeat Germany.

• Baron von Berchtold warned Karl I that Wilson would likely pressure the Empire to choose sides, but Karl argued that Germany was already suppressing it and that American loans could strengthen it.
• Karl dismissed Berchtold’s objections and resolved to risk an alliance with the United States, driven by his ambition to surpass Germany and his jealousy of Oscar.
• On January 2, Karl I met with Woodrow Wilson; Wilson left smiling, while Prime Minister Mario Weber worried about what they had agreed.
• Karl told Weber he had agreed to withdraw from the Allied Powers and dissolve the alliance with Germany in exchange for American support and a one-billion-dollar interest-free loan.
• Karl claimed the Empire could withstand a German attack until more than one million American troops arrived, but Weber doubted they could defeat Germany.

Oscar and German officials prepared for war after learning that Karl I had secretly met with Woodrow Wilson and seemed to be turning away from Germany. Germany planned to crush the Austro-Hungarian Empire and annex Austria, while leaving its other states as protectorates.

• General Balaimin reported that Karl I and Woodrow Wilson had held a secret meeting in Vienna and that Wilson had left pleased.
• Oscar said Germany expected Karl I to end the alliance, which would give Germany a pretext to declare war.
• Field Marshal Falkenhayn confirmed that five German army corps had secretly mobilized to invade Austria and Bohemia and deter Hungary.
• Wachth reported that Karl I had little control over the Austro-Hungarian Empire's divided states and had shown hostility toward Germany.
• Oscar explained that Germany intended to annex Austria and make the empire's other states independent protectorates.

Karl I persuaded Austro-Hungarian officials to support withdrawing from the Allied Powers despite fears of provoking Germany. On January 15, 1917, Prime Minister Mario Weber announced the Empire’s withdrawal.

• On January 12, 1917, Karl I told the Imperial Council he had decided that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would leave the Allied Powers.
• Archduke Friedrich and Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf warned that withdrawal could expose the Empire to a German attack.
• Foreign Minister Baron von Berchtold cautioned that leaving the alliance would further worsen relations with Germany.
• Karl I argued that Germany already suppressed the Empire and that other nations, including the United States, might intervene if Germany attacked.
• The ministers did not openly oppose Karl I, and his decision passed with the support of several officials.
• On January 15, 1917, Mario Weber announced that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had withdrawn from the Allied Powers.

Oscar confronted Baron von Berchtold over the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s withdrawal from the Allied Powers and demanded that it reverse the decision within three days. Berchtold reported Germany’s ultimatum to Vienna and urged Karl I to comply, warning that war could destroy the empire.

• Baron von Berchtold told Oscar that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had withdrawn from the Allied Powers because it believed the alliance was no longer needed, not to provoke Germany.
• Oscar denounced the withdrawal as a betrayal and demanded that the Austro-Hungarian Empire publicly retract it within three days or face the consequences.
• Berchtold realized that Germany might be using the withdrawal as a pretext for war, but assured Oscar he would report the demand to his government.
• Berchtold hurried to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy and urged Karl I to reverse his decision, warning that the empire could not withstand a German invasion and should not rely on American support.

Karl I and the Austro-Hungarian ministers debated Germany’s ultimatum after the Empire withdrew from the Allied Powers. Karl rejected compromise and insisted the Empire would resist a German attack, though his advisers doubted its chances.

• Baron von Berchtold’s telegram warned Vienna that Germany’s ultimatum could lead to war, and Prime Minister Mario Weber and Duke Andrassy urged Karl I to take the threat seriously.
• Karl I declared that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would rather fight than submit to Germany.
• Archduke Friedrich warned that the Empire might not be able to defeat Germany, while Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf and General Anton Haus described the limits of the army and navy’s ability to resist.
• Karl I claimed the Empire could hold out until the United States and other powers joined the war against Germany.
• Karl I urged the ministers not to yield and suggested that Germany might be bluffing, but the ministers remained apprehensive.

Hungarian nobles and the Bohemian Archduke prepared to abandon Karl I rather than face war with Germany. The chapter left Hungary considering neutrality and Bohemia agreeing to let German troops pass through, while the Archduke expected Germany to grant Bohemia independence.

• Count István von Tisza, Baron Tobres, and Hungarian nobles condemned Karl I for challenging Germany and putting the Austro-Hungarian army on alert.
• Marquis Damen Fe Lenz proposed that Hungary remain neutral if Germany attacked, revealing he had already contacted the Germans.
• The Bohemian Archduke agreed to German demands and told Prince Carini that Bohemian troops would let German forces cross their territory toward Vienna.
• The Bohemian Archduke said Germany would likely allow Bohemia independence, though the new kingdom would have to align with Germany.
• The Bohemian Archduke told Prince Carini that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had become a shell after Franz Joseph I died.

Germany prepared to fight the Austro-Hungarian Empire after securing neutrality promises from several constituent states and considering the risk of American intervention. On January 19, Bülow formally declared war, and German forces stood ready to attack.

• Wachth reported that Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia-Slavonia, and Dalmatia would remain neutral and were interested in independence.
• Oscar and his officials discussed possible American intervention, and Admiral Scheer proposed keeping aircraft carriers in the Atlantic to counter the US Navy.
• Oscar ordered Germany to declare war the next day and directed the military to attack quickly.
• More than a million German troops took their positions as Europe watched and speculated about the war's outcome.
• On the morning of January 19, Bülow declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the grounds that it had betrayed the alliance.

German Emperor Qin Tian justified the declaration of war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and German forces crossed the border as the invasion began. In Vienna, Karl I ordered a counterattack and sought international support.

• Qin Tian accused the Austro-Hungarian Empire of betraying its alliance, and German propaganda stirred public anger in favor of war.
• German commanders sent prepared vanguard units across the border and ordered them to crush any resistance.
• Officials, civilians, and soldiers in Vienna panicked over Germany’s declaration of war and doubted the Austro-Hungarian Empire could win.
• Karl I blamed Germany for forcing the Empire out of the Allied Powers and ordered Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf to counterattack the invading forces.
• Karl I ordered his government to expose Germany’s invasion to the world and send the Americans a Telegram requesting support.

President Woodrow Wilson discussed how the United States could use a war between Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to gain time and weaken Germany. After Germany declared war and invaded, Wilson left open whether America would send troops or strike the German Navy.

• Secretary of State Bryan reported that Austria-Hungary had left the Allied Powers and Germany had threatened military action unless it reversed its decision.
• Wilson said a European war would benefit the United States by slowing Germany’s growth while America developed its industry and technology.
• Secretary of War Garrison asked whether America would honor its promise to send troops if Austria-Hungary held out for a month, and Wilson said the decision would depend on the situation.
• The Secretary of the Navy suggested exploiting a German naval deployment to the Mediterranean to attack the German Atlantic Fleet, and Wilson said America would wait for an opportunity.
• A secretary reported that Germany had declared war on Austria-Hungary and crossed its border, and Wilson said the show had begun.

German forces crossed into Austro-Hungarian territory and advanced through Bohemia as local troops chose not to resist, leaving the empire’s central government with few forces to oppose them. German troops reached Prague and continued south toward Austria, while Bohemia’s rulers hoped the invasion would help them gain independence.

• The Austrian Division Commander withdrew his troops after scouts reported German reinforcements and tanks approaching.
• The German 211th Regiment advanced toward Vienna after learning the Austro-Hungarian troops had retreated.
• Bohemian troops surrendered or opened the border under the Bohemian Archduke’s policy of non-resistance, allowing German forces to enter Bohemia.
• German 6th and 7th Army Corps occupied key cities and transport hubs, and German tanks appeared in Prague within hours.
• Prince Carini told the Bohemian Archduke that German troops had occupied Prague and were advancing south, and the Archduke said Bohemia would become independent after Germany defeated the empire.
• Baron Tobres ordered Hungarian troops to remain in their barracks, leaving the Austro-Hungarian central government with few forces available to resist.

Karl I learned that Germany had invaded the Austro-Hungarian Empire and insisted the empire could defeat the German forces through mass mobilization. The situation worsened as Bohemia surrendered and Hungary’s army was ordered to stay in its barracks, leaving the empire’s defense in jeopardy.

• Karl I told Archduke Friedrich and Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf that the Americans had promised to join the war if the empire held out for a month.
• A staff officer reported that four German army groups had crossed into Austro-Hungarian territory and were advancing toward Vienna and through Bohemia.
• Karl I called for expanding the army to four million, while Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf warned that the available forces might still struggle against Germany.
• A staff officer reported that the Kingdom of Bohemia had opened its border and surrendered to the Germans.
• A staff officer reported that Baron Tobres had ordered all Hungarian troops to remain in their barracks.