Chapter Summaries

Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki feared that Germany’s plan to sell retired Capital Ships would strengthen its influence and navy, while the Island Nation struggled to rebuild. At a discreet meeting in Berlin, US Secretary of State Bryan began discussing Germany’s military parade with them.

• On the train to Berlin, Crown Prince Hirohito angrily lamented Germany’s plan to sell many Capital Ships, and Kato Takaaki explained how the sales could strengthen Germany and arm smaller countries.
• Crown Prince Hirohito vowed that the Island Nation would grow stronger and eventually defeat Germany, while the Island Nation continued taxing its people to fund military development.
• Uchida Kosai told Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki that Bryan had invited them to a banquet at the American Embassy, and they accepted because the Island Nation depended on American loans.
• At the banquet, Bryan hosted representatives and German ministers before the American Ambassador led Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki to a private room.
• Bryan asked what they understood about Germany’s military parade, and Crown Prince Hirohito called it a sinister display before Bryan acknowledged Germany’s overwhelming military strength.

US Secretary of State Bryan proposed an Anti-German Alliance to Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki, promising further American loans to strengthen the Island Nation. They discussed recruiting Britain and other countries, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Bryan said the United States would also approach Buru.

• Bryan warned that Germany would become too powerful to oppose and proposed forming an Anti-German Alliance.
• Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki agreed, and Kato asked for more support to expand the Island Nation's military.
• Bryan promised to pursue a second batch of American loans, and Hirohito expressed confidence that the Island Nation could seize colonies while Germany fought elsewhere.
• Bryan proposed including the British Empire, and Kato objected before accepting that the alliance's postwar divisions could be settled later.
• Bryan named France, Italy, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Buru as possible members, explaining that Austro-Hungarian ties with Germany might break after Franz Joseph I died.
• Bryan said the United States would seek contact with Buru, though he was unsure whether it would join.

Bryan sought to recruit Crown Prince Karl and the Austro-Hungarian Empire into an Anti-German Alliance, while Karl also looked for American support against Germany. Their shared distrust of German expansion brought them into agreement, and the chapter left them discussing the threat Germany posed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• After meeting Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki, Bryan ordered that Crown Prince Karl be invited so he could recruit the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the Anti-German Alliance.
• The US Ambassador to Germany brought Karl to a private room, where Bryan greeted him and asked his opinion of Germany’s military parade and naval review.
• Karl admitted that Germany’s military strength overwhelmed the Austro-Hungarian Empire and said he had lost the courage to confront it.
• Bryan argued that the two countries were allies, but Karl warned that Germany’s growing ambition could lead it to destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• Bryan and Karl recognized that the Austro-Hungarian Empire needed allies against Germany, while Karl saw the United States as a powerful potential partner.

Crown Prince Karl discussed an Anti-German Alliance with U.S. Secretary of State Bryan but warned that joining could expose the Austro-Hungarian Empire to a devastating German attack. He said the Empire needed a loan to strengthen its military, leaving Bryan to consider the request.

• Bryan proposed that the United States, the British Empire, the Island Nation, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire unite in an Anti-German Alliance against Germany.
• Crown Prince Karl said the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not join until he became emperor and warned that the Empire's ministers would oppose the alliance.
• Bryan promised that the alliance would support the Austro-Hungarian Empire if Germany attacked, but Karl feared other members would exploit the war while his country suffered.
• Crown Prince Karl asked the United States for a loan to develop the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military, and Bryan accepted the request as expected.

Bryan offered Crown Prince Karl an American loan to draw the Austro-Hungarian Empire into an Anti-German Alliance, and Karl bargained for more aid. They considered recruiting other powers, while both recognized that the alliance rested on mutual exploitation.

• Bryan offered the Austro-Hungarian Empire a 100-million-dollar loan, and Crown Prince Karl pressed him for more money to build up its army and navy.
• Bryan agreed to seek a 200-million-dollar first loan and promised further loans if the Austro-Hungarian Empire joined the Anti-German Alliance.
• Bryan proposed expanding the alliance by inviting France, Italy, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and Crown Prince Karl weighed their potential contributions.
• Bryan suggested winning over Buru, and Crown Prince Karl worried that strengthening it could threaten the capitalist world.
• Bryan said the Americans intended to exploit Buru against Germany and deal with it afterward, while Crown Prince Karl concluded that both the United States and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were exploiting each other.

Crown Prince Karl secured a low-interest American loan and planned to use it to strengthen the Austro-Hungarian Empire, despite Baron von Berchtold's warnings about provoking Germany. He summoned Admiral Anton Haus to assess German Battleships for sale, leaving their possible purchase under consideration.

• Crown Prince Karl left the American Embassy after securing a two-hundred-million-dollar loan, while Baron von Berchtold warned that dealing with the Americans could anger Germany.
• Crown Prince Karl argued that Germany's many enemies could eventually bring it down and imagined the Austro-Hungarian Empire inheriting its power.
• Crown Prince Karl learned that Admiral Anton Haus had arrived in Berlin to evaluate German Battleships being offered for sale.
• Crown Prince Karl summoned Admiral Anton Haus and urged him to buy as many of the Battleships as possible, saying he had secured the funds.

Crown Prince Karl planned to use American loans to buy German capital ships for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, despite warnings that breaking with Germany could provoke war. Oscar learned of the Americans’ secret talks and said Germany would wait for the Austrian Emperor’s death before attacking the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• Admiral Anton Haus urged Crown Prince Karl to buy the German ships, and Karl promised he would find the money despite Baron von Berchtold’s objections.
• Karl revealed that the Americans had offered two hundred million US dollars in loans, with more promised if the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved its alliance with Germany.
• Haus and Berchtold warned Karl that turning against Germany could put the empire in danger, but Karl dismissed their concerns and they discussed bidding for ships.
• General Balaimin reported the Americans’ secret talks with the Island Nation’s and Austro-Hungarian Crown Princes to Oscar.
• Bülow, Wachth, and Falkenhayn discussed the American effort to win allies, while Oscar said the alliance with Austria would last until the Austrian Emperor died and Germany would then attack.

Oscar and his ministers discussed the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s participation in Germany’s auction of retired warships and decided not to bar it. The auction began with bidding on Nassau-class Battleships, with the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Republic of Chile competing for the first ship.

• Oscar considered Germany’s plans to weaken the Austro-Hungarian Empire and make longer-term preparations against Buru.
• Count Tirpitz reported that the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil had registered for the warship auction.
• Falkenhayn suggested excluding the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Oscar refused to break Germany’s promise to allow any country to register.
• Vice Admiral Hipper opened the auction and offered four Nassau-class Battleships separately, starting with the Battleship Nassau at twenty million Mark.
• Fatih Pasha bid twenty-two million Mark for the Battleship Nassau, and Chile’s Secretary of the Navy raised the bid to twenty-five million Mark.

Chile, Argentina, and Brazil competed fiercely for the four Nassau-class Battleships, driving their combined sale price to 174 million Marks. The Ottoman Turkish and Austro-Hungarian Empires then contested the two Blücher-class Battlecruisers, which sold for a total of 89 million Marks.

• Chile, Argentina, and Brazil drove the Nassau-class Battleship bids sharply upward, while Crown Prince Karl told Admiral Anton Haus to save their funds for later ships with 343mm Main Guns.
• Chile bought the Nassau, Rheinland, and Argentina bought the Westfalen, while Brazil bought the Posen, for a combined 174 million Marks.
• Chile, Argentina, and Brazil showed little interest in the Von der Tann, so Fatih Pasha joined the bidding before Admiral Anton Haus raised the price to 45 million Marks.
• Fatih Pasha outbid Admiral Anton Haus and bought the Von der Tann for 47 million Marks.
• Fatih Pasha bid more cautiously for the Lothringen and bought it for 42 million Marks, bringing the two Battlecruisers' total to 89 million Marks.

Vice Admiral Hipper auctioned the 343mm-gun Helgoland-class battleships, drawing fierce competition from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Chile, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Chile bought Helgoland for 65 million Marks, and the Ottoman Empire won Ostfriesland for 67 million Marks, leaving the auction underway with the remaining ships still to be sold.

• Crown Prince Karl ordered Admiral Anton Haus to bid aggressively for the twelve more powerful Capital Ships, which he considered vital to the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy.
• Vice Admiral Hipper opened the Helgoland-class auction, and Admiral Anton Haus, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Fatih Pasha began bidding on Helgoland.
• Crown Prince Karl withdrew from the bidding, and Chile acquired Helgoland for 65 million Marks.
• Chile, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire competed for Ostfriesland, which the Ottoman Empire won for 67 million Marks.
• Brazil and Argentina watched as Chile and the Ottoman Empire secured powerful battleships, strengthening their naval positions.

At Germany’s naval auction, Brazil, Chile, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire drove prices for the warships sharply upward. Crown Prince Karl eventually secured three Moltke-class Battlecruisers for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Germany profited from the sales and planned to reinvest the money in its navy.

• Admiral Anton Haus failed to win the Oldenburg after Brazil bought it for seventy-five million Marks with financial support from Argentina.
• Crown Prince Karl bid against the Ottoman Turkish Empire and Chile for the East Prussia as the four Helgoland-class Battleships fetched a total of two hundred and eighty-five million Marks.
• The Ottoman Turkish Empire withdrew from bidding for the Moltke, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire bought it for sixty-eight million Marks.
• The Austro-Hungarian Empire also bought the Goeben for sixty-nine million Marks and the Seydlitz for seventy million Marks.
• Crown Prince Karl secured three powerful Battlecruisers, while Germany collected funds to develop its navy.

The auction of five Kaiser-class Battleships drove fierce bidding among the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and the Republic of Chile. Crown Prince Karl and Fatih Pasha battled over the final ship, Regent Leopold, as the price continued to rise.

• Crown Prince Karl won the Kaiser for eighty-eight million Marks after the representative of the Republic of Chile and Fatih Pasha withdrew.
• The Republic of Chile won Frederick the Great for ninety-four million Marks, outbidding Crown Prince Karl and Fatih Pasha.
• Crown Prince Karl won Catherine for ninety-two million Marks after Fatih Pasha withdrew to deplete his rival’s funds.
• Crown Prince Karl won Prince Albert for ninety-five million Marks, while Fatih Pasha withdrew believing Karl was running out of money.
• Fatih Pasha and Crown Prince Karl drove the bidding for Regent Leopold past ninety million Marks, reaching ninety-three million Marks without a winner being named.

The German Navy's auction of eighteen capital ships and other retired warships ended with proceeds exceeding 1.62 billion Marks. The Austro-Hungarian Empire emerged as the biggest winner, leaving Germany to consider the growing naval balance in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Crown Prince Karl outbid Fatih Pasha for the battleship Regent Leopold at ninety-seven million Marks, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire secured it.
• The eighteen capital ships sold for a total of 1.221 billion Marks, enough to fund the later construction of Germany's twelve battleships and ten battlecruisers.
• The armored cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers sold for another four hundred million Marks, bringing the auction total to more than 1.62 billion Marks.
• The Austro-Hungarian Empire acquired eight capital ships and became the world's second-largest naval power after Germany.
• Germany recognized that the strengthened Austro-Hungarian navy could threaten its Mediterranean Fleet, though Ottoman ships and future German carrier groups could limit its advantage.

Oscar learned that Germany had sold retired warships for 1.6 billion marks and discussed how the buyers could shift naval power. He approved plans to support the Ottoman Turkish Empire and prepare for possible conflict in South America.

• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz told Oscar that the warship sales had brought in 1.6 billion marks, which Oscar planned to use for the navy’s upgrades.
• Tirpitz reported that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had bought eight Capital Ships for 657 million marks, and Oscar worried about the pressure on Germany’s Mediterranean Fleet.
• Tirpitz said the Ottoman Turkish Empire had bought three ships after competing fiercely with Crown Prince Karl, and Oscar approved building more powerful ships for the Ottomans if they paid.
• Tirpitz reported that Chile had bought four Capital Ships and proposed paying with mineral resources, while Brazil and Argentina had bought one ship each.
• Oscar warned that Chile’s naval expansion could spark a South American war and ordered preparations to protect German interests.

On New Year's Day 1915, Oscar held a promotion ceremony for the German Empire's military leaders, elevating Tirpitz and Falkenhayn to Imperial Marshals and promoting numerous other officers. The next day, Oscar announced new appointments and the army began replacing aging commanders as it prepared for reform.

• Oscar praised the Empire's servicemen at the imperial palace before Chancellor Bülow read the promotion list.
• Oscar promoted Count Tirpitz and Falkenhayn to Imperial Marshal, while several army corps commanders and Reinhard Scheer became service marshals.
• Lieutenant General Seeckt, Ludendorff, Hipper, Spee, and more than fifty other officers were promoted to general.
• Oscar appointed Reinhard Scheer as Imperial Navy Minister, retired Tirpitz, and assigned Hipper and Spee to command the Home Fleet and Pacific Fleet.
• The army retired many aging corps commanders and appointed younger generals as Army Group Commanders to begin reforms.

Germany began expeditions to reclaim British colonies while Oscar assessed the nations that could threaten its new dominance. He left Germany preparing for future conflicts with the United States, Buru, Island Nation, and others, while Britain remained sheltered in Canada.

• On New Year's Day of 1916, the 3rd Army Corps and 8th Army Corps launched joint expeditions toward South Africa and Egypt, while the 4th Army Corps prepared for overseas combat.
• Germany planned to take over colonies already handed over by France and Italy, and expected to build colonial forces to maintain order and protect supply lines.
• Oscar identified the United States and Buru as Germany's greatest future threats, but refused to suppress Buru's industry and chose instead to profit by selling it machinery.
• Buru sold agricultural products and mineral resources to Germany to fund industrial development, while its people endured hunger and famine.
• Oscar viewed the Austro-Hungarian Empire as vulnerable to eventual breakup and saw Island Nation as a threat to German interests in India and the Pacific.
• The British Empire remained in Canada under United States protection, while Germany held off from war because of the Atlantic Ocean and the risk of fighting the United States.

Joseph arrived in Berlin as Buru's envoy and sought a meeting with Oscar to ask Germany to stop suppressing Buru-backed guerrillas and Bolshevik Party members in Eastern Europe. Oscar suspected the request concerned the crackdown and remained determined to eliminate the guerrillas as a threat to Germany.

• Joseph, under pressure from Moscow and Ulyanov, ordered his aide to contact the Germans again and secure a meeting with the German Emperor.
• Wachth told Oscar that Joseph had requested an audience three times in one day and speculated that Buru wanted German grain or help with its guerrillas.
• Oscar rejected the idea that Buru sought grain, saying its leaders prioritized industrial development over feeding peasants.
• Wachth suggested that Joseph wanted Germany to end its campaign against the Buru-supported guerrillas and Bolshevik Party members in Eastern Europe.
• Oscar agreed that the envoy likely sought help and said Germany needed to eradicate the guerrillas before a future war with Buru.

Oscar ordered Marshal Hindenburg to intensify the campaign against guerrillas in the Eastern European Plain while agreeing to meet Buru envoy Joseph. Joseph asked Oscar to stop the killings and spare guerrillas connected to his party, but Oscar remained firm and the meeting ended without agreement.

• Oscar ordered Wachth to telegram Marshal Hindenburg to speed up the extermination of the guerrillas, then agreed to meet Joseph the following afternoon.
• The Director of the Bolshevik representative office told Joseph that Oscar had accepted his request for an audience.
• Joseph arrived at the Imperial Palace and met Oscar and Foreign Minister Wachth.
• Joseph asked Oscar to halt the military operation, but Oscar said the Empire would continue eliminating rebels.
• Joseph admitted that some of his party's members were among the guerrillas and pleaded with Oscar to spare them.

Oscar confronted Joseph over Bolshevik activity in German-held Eastern European territories and offered a spring withdrawal of party members to preserve relations between Germany and Buru. Joseph agreed to report the proposal to Ulyanov and sought German help rebuilding Buru’s industry.

• Oscar accused Buru of violating the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and Joseph insisted that his government recognized the treaty.
• Oscar warned that Germany would respond harshly to further covert activity, and Joseph promised that Buru would not tear up the treaty.
• Oscar offered to let Bolshevik members and other Russians leave German territory for Buru next spring, provided they never returned.
• Joseph approved the proposal in principle and said he would report it to Ulyanov, while Oscar warned that anyone who remained and acted against Germany would be wiped out.
• Joseph asked Germany for industrial support for Buru, and Oscar agreed to provide whatever assistance Germany could.

Oscar offered Germany’s help rebuilding Buru’s industrial system and transportation network in exchange for payment, while Joseph accepted the industrial proposal but recognized the danger behind the transport offer. Joseph said he would report the proposal to Comrade Ulyanov, leaving Germany’s plan awaiting Buru’s response.

• Oscar told Joseph that Germany could rebuild Buru’s industrial system, but required payment, and Joseph agreed that Germany should earn a profit.
• Joseph asked Germany for a loan, but Oscar said the project would cost more than ten billion marks and proposed payment in agricultural products and mineral resources instead.
• Joseph accepted the barter arrangement, and Oscar offered to build Buru a railway and highway network for payment.
• Joseph realized the transportation proposal could help Germany invade Buru and said he would report it to Comrade Ulyanov.
• Oscar reaffirmed Germany’s friendship with Russia and said he hoped it would last forever.