Chapter Summaries

Joseph proposed that Buru buy battleships from Germany, and Oscar agreed to sell it the world’s strongest ships in exchange for agricultural products and minerals. Oscar welcomed the deal because he expected a costly Buru navy to weaken its army before a future war with Germany.

• Joseph thanked Oscar for Germany’s offer of assistance and said he would report it to Ulyanov.
• Joseph asked Oscar whether Buru could order warships from German shipyards because it lacked the ships and expertise to build a powerful navy.
• Joseph said the battleship proposal was his own idea for now, but he expected Ulyanov to approve it.
• Oscar agreed to sell Buru battleships, seeing the trade as profitable and a way to divert resources from the Buru Army.
• Joseph asked for the strongest battleships in the world and offered agricultural products and mineral resources as payment.
• Oscar promised ships of more than forty thousand tons with 410mm main guns, and Joseph gladly accepted.

Joseph returned to Buru believing his successful mission would win Ulyanov’s favor, while Oscar’s Imperial Council revealed that Germany had secretly designed its aid to prepare for a future war against Buru. Germany intended to use industrial assistance, intelligence gathering, and Battleship construction to weaken and eventually defeat Buru.

• Joseph returned home pleased with the agreements he had secured in Germany and hoped Ulyanov would reward him over Trotsky.
• Oscar told the Imperial Council that Germany had to prevent rival powers such as Buru and the Austro-Hungarian Empire from threatening its dominance in Europe.
• Oscar explained that German aid would give the Empire influence in Buru, help it assess Buru’s strength, and prepare for a future attack.
• Falkenhayn warned that Buru would recognize the danger of Germany’s proposed transportation network, but Oscar said even limited railway and road construction would aid a German invasion.
• Wachth proposed bribing Bolshevik Party members to advance Germany’s plans against Buru.
• Scheer worried that German-built Battleships might threaten the Empire, but Oscar revealed that Buru’s ships lacked anti-aircraft defenses and could be destroyed by German aircraft and submarines.

Joseph returned to Moscow after securing German support for Buru’s industrial development, but the agreements divided the Bolshevik Party and drew accusations from Trotsky’s faction. Joseph told Ulyanov that Germany was so powerful Buru could not repel an attack, leaving the country’s security as an urgent concern.

• Joseph returned to Moscow and learned that Trotsky’s supporters had accused him of betraying the Party and Buru through his German agreements.
• Chicherin greeted Joseph and told him that Ulyanov wanted to see him at the Kremlin.
• Joseph waited while Ulyanov slept, then reassured him that he would make up the time by working overtime.
• Ulyanov asked Joseph about his impressions of Germany, and Joseph described its military as overwhelmingly powerful.
• Joseph told Ulyanov that Buru’s forces could not hold back a German attack, and Ulyanov considered the resulting threat to national security.

Ulyanov and Joseph discussed Germany’s offer to rebuild Buru’s industry and transportation network, weighing the benefits against the risk of Germany using the new infrastructure to invade. Ulyanov accepted the industrial assistance in principle but left the transportation proposal for the Politburo to consider.

• Ulyanov argued that Buru should strengthen itself and resist Germany if attacked, while Joseph agreed that German support could help rebuild its industry.
• Ulyanov suspected Germany had hidden motives, but Joseph said Buru could monitor the factories and take control of them if necessary.
• Ulyanov approved the industrial rebuilding proposal in principle, and Joseph felt relieved that the agreement could pass.
• Ulyanov objected that Germany’s proposed transportation network could aid an invasion, while Joseph argued that it could also help Buru develop and move troops quickly.
• When Ulyanov asked whether Buru’s army could stop a German attack, Joseph admitted he did not know, so Ulyanov sent the transportation proposal to the Politburo for discussion.

Joseph argued that Buru needed a powerful navy and sought Ulyanov’s support for battleship construction, partly to strengthen his standing against Trotsky. Ulyanov agreed to have the plan discussed at the Politburo and arranged for Joseph to leave the Foreign Affairs post and become Commissar for the Navy.

• Joseph urged Ulyanov to approve battleships paid for with Agricultural Products and Mineral Resources, arguing a Baltic fleet could threaten German shipyards.
• Ulyanov worried about the cost and the strain on Russian peasants, but agreed to submit the naval plan to a Politburo meeting.
• Ulyanov considered Joseph’s rivalry with Trotsky and asked whether Joseph would relinquish the post of Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
• Joseph accepted Ulyanov’s arrangements, and Ulyanov directed him to resign as Commissar for Foreign Affairs and concurrently serve as Commissar for the Navy.

Joseph gained Ulyanov’s public support after negotiating agreements with Germany, including a role as Commissar for the Navy. At the Politburo meeting, leaders debated the costs and risks of Germany’s proposed assistance in rebuilding Buru’s industry.

• Joseph left the Kremlin pleased after Ulyanov agreed to make him Commissar for the Navy.
• Ulyanov praised Joseph at a Politburo meeting for securing agreements with Germany, while Trotsky grew concerned about Ulyanov favoring Joseph.
• Ulyanov said Germany would allow Russians in occupied territories to return in spring, and the Politburo accepted the agreement as a limited success.
• Ulyanov outlined Germany’s offer to help rebuild Buru’s industrial system in exchange for agricultural products and mineral resources.
• Kamenev warned that the trade could worsen shortages, and Joseph argued that future industrial production would raise grain output and strengthen the country.
• Trotsky questioned Germany’s motives, and Joseph replied that Germany might not consider Buru a serious threat.

Ulyanov weighed whether Buru should accept Germany’s offer to build a transportation network, balancing security risks against economic development. He approved Krestinsky’s plan to set the railway standards and make roads and tracks destructible, then assigned Krestinsky to carry it out.

• Ulyanov told the others to cooperate with Germany on industrial reconstruction while guarding Buru’s interests and moving quickly.
• Trotsky argued that Germany’s transportation proposal would let its forces penetrate deep into Buru, while Kamenev cited Russia’s transport difficulties as a defense against invasion.
• Joseph supported building the network to strengthen Buru’s industry and economy, and argued with Trotsky until Ulyanov ordered them to stop.
• Krestinsky proposed retaining Imperial Russia’s railway standards and making roads and railways easy to destroy if war broke out.
• Ulyanov approved Krestinsky’s proposal and put him in charge, while Trotsky suspected Joseph had maneuvered Krestinsky into taking responsibility.

Joseph persuaded the Politburo to approve four German-built battleships and then resigned as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. Ulyanov appointed Chicherin to replace him and made Joseph responsible for the battleship plan and the navy, while Trotsky reluctantly accepted the loss of authority.

• Joseph argued that four powerful battleships would threaten German industry in the Baltic Sea, and Trotsky questioned the plan's value and Germany's willingness to help.
• Joseph cited the German Emperor's guarantee and described the battleships' specifications, prompting Ulyanov to approve the construction of four.
• Joseph submitted his resignation as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, and Ulyanov nominated Chicherin as his replacement.
• Ulyanov put Joseph in charge of the battleship plan and named him Commissar for the Navy.
• Trotsky objected to Joseph taking over the navy but ultimately yielded to Ulyanov's decision.

Oscar’s government approved cooperation with Buru and discussed building warships for Buru and the Ottoman Turkish Empire. When the German Mediterranean Fleet lacked a secure naval base, Admiral Reinhard Scheer proposed capturing Gibraltar from Britain.

• Wachth told Oscar that Buru had agreed to cooperate, and Oscar ordered the agreements implemented.
• Oscar instructed the navy to design Buru’s four Battleships with flaws that would let Germany sink them in a future war.
• Oscar approved the Ottoman Turkish Empire’s request for two Mackensen-class Battleships, provided Germany made a proper profit.
• Scheer told Oscar that the Mediterranean Fleet needed a secure naval port while the bases on Corsica and Sicily were still under construction.
• Scheer proposed attacking British-held Gibraltar so the fleet could use its naval port and control the Mediterranean’s vital route.

Oscar ordered Germany to seize Gibraltar Fortress for control of the Mediterranean entrance and dismissed Spain’s claim to the territory. Admiral Reinhard Scheer presented a plan for the operation, and Oscar warned him to prepare for possible Spanish interference.

• Oscar declared that Germany had to seize Gibraltar Fortress because it was vital to the Empire’s Mediterranean strategy.
• Foreign Minister Wachth warned Oscar that taking Gibraltar could anger Spain, which had long claimed sovereignty over it.
• Oscar argued that Spain had failed to reclaim Gibraltar even after Britain’s defeat and said Germany did not need to heed Spanish objections.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer said the Mediterranean Fleet would bombard Gibraltar while a Marine Corps regiment landed to capture it.
• Oscar warned Scheer that Spain might interfere if the British stirred it up, and Scheer agreed to prepare for that possibility.

Churchill’s government focused on rebuilding British strength in Canada while avoiding direct conflict with Germany. Facing the likely loss of Gibraltar, Churchill decided to offer it to Spain in hopes of keeping it out of German hands and creating resentment toward Germany.

• Churchill said Britain was recruiting an army in Canada and rebuilding its navy and shipyards with plans to build capital ships and aircraft carriers.
• Sir Edward Grey reported that Governor Glad had asked to withdraw from Gibraltar because Britain had no ships there and could not resist a German attack.
• Churchill agreed that Britain could no longer defend Gibraltar and ordered Governor Glad to withdraw at an appropriate time.
• Kitchener suggested returning Gibraltar to Spain to prevent Germany from taking it and to preserve the chance of reclaiming it later.
• Churchill ordered Sir Edward Grey to have the British ambassador offer Gibraltar to Spain immediately, provided Spain guaranteed the safety of the British personnel stationed there.

Spain’s King Alfonso XIII accepted Britain’s offer to return Gibraltar in exchange for protecting its garrison, despite the risk of provoking Germany. Spain announced that Gibraltar had returned to Spanish rule, while Foreign Minister Preto celebrated the completion of his British-funded task.

• British Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Preto and offered to return Gibraltar if Spain guaranteed the safety of the British garrison.
• Preto urged Alfonso XIII to accept, while Alfonso XIII worried that recovering Gibraltar would anger Germany.
• Prime Minister Count Romanones warned Alfonso XIII that Germany might declare war, but Preto argued that Germany would accept the change once it was an accomplished fact.
• Alfonso XIII chose to accept Britain’s proposal, hoping to fulfill the ambition of generations of Spanish kings.
• On January 24, 1916, the Spanish government announced that Gibraltar had returned to Spanish rule.

British troops withdrew from Gibraltar under an agreement, and Spanish forces took control before the German Mediterranean Fleet arrived. A telegram from Berlin ordered Vice Admiral Mauff to halt his planned bombardment and await further orders.

• The British Governor of Gibraltar handed the territory over to Major General Donald, and British troops left for camps in Spain.
• Major General Donald accepted Gibraltar but planned to leave only a small garrison and return to camp.
• Vice Admiral Mauff brought the German Mediterranean Fleet toward Gibraltar and ordered preparations to bombard the fortress.
• A telegram from Berlin reached Mauff after Spanish troops had taken Gibraltar.
• Mauff ordered the fleet to halt and await instructions, saying Spain had taken Gibraltar from under Germany’s nose.

Oscar and his ministers debated how to respond after Spain retook Gibraltar, threatening Germany’s Mediterranean strategy. Oscar left diplomacy as the preferred option but ordered preparations to seize Gibraltar by force if Spain refused.

• Oscar met with Germany’s ministers after Spain announced that it had retaken Gibraltar.
• Bülow and Wachth discussed the risks of invading neutral Spain, while Falkenhayn and Scheer argued over Germany’s position among other nations.
• Oscar rejected letting Spain keep Gibraltar because the strait was vital to Germany’s global strategy.
• Wachth proposed negotiating a lease, and Oscar demanded a ninety-nine-year term for one Mark in rent.
• Oscar ordered the ministers to prepare military action if negotiations failed, saying Germany would take Gibraltar by whatever means necessary.

Spain’s King Alfonso XIII worried about Germany’s response after Spain recovered Gibraltar, then accepted Prime Minister Count Romanones’s advice to seek reconciliation while preparing for a limited defense. The chapter left Spain bracing for Germany’s decision without knowing whether it would attack.

• Other countries watched for Germany’s response to Spain’s recovery of Gibraltar and debated whether Germany would resort to force.
• Alfonso XIII panicked when Germany’s fleet arrived at Gibraltar, but Romanones and Foreign Minister Preto argued that Germany was unlikely to attack.
• Alfonso XIII celebrated the possibility of keeping Gibraltar and gaining prestige, then agreed that Spain should mend relations with Germany.
• Romanones advised preparing the army to defend Gibraltar and limit any fighting to that area, and Alfonso XIII approved his plan.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Preto accepted British bribes to provoke a tougher Spanish response to Germany after the Gibraltar crisis. He agreed to carry out the plan despite recognizing that it could endanger Spain, and the chapter left him torn between guilt and greed.

• Preto met the British Ambassador in a secret room after learning that Spain had reclaimed Gibraltar and nearly faced war with Germany.
• The British Ambassador gave Preto one million Mark for his earlier help and asked him to make Spain take a tougher stance toward Germany.
• Preto initially refused, warning that provoking Germany could bring war and disaster to Spain.
• The British Ambassador offered ten million Mark, and Preto agreed to the plan after receiving a two-million-Mark deposit.
• After the British Ambassador left, Preto struggled with guilt over betraying Spain and reluctance to give up the money.

Spanish Foreign Minister Preto faced a German ultimatum over Spain's recovery of Gibraltar and reported the threat to Alfonso XIII. The king wanted to withdraw from Gibraltar, while Prime Minister Count Romanones and Preto argued that Germany might only be bluffing.

• The German Ambassador accused Spain of disrupting Mediterranean stability and challenged its claim to Gibraltar.
• The German Ambassador threatened war if Spain did not provide a satisfactory answer by the next day, and Preto protested before going to the palace.
• Preto told Alfonso XIII that Germany had formally threatened Spain over Gibraltar.
• Alfonso XIII proposed withdrawing from Gibraltar, but Count Romanones warned that Germany might be trying to frighten Spain.
• Preto argued that Germany might be bluffing and pointed to its fleet and troop transports as evidence that its plans for Gibraltar had been disrupted by Britain's handover.

The German Ambassador demanded that Spain lease Gibraltar to Germany for ninety-nine years for one Mark, threatening that Germany would protect its interests by any means. After the Ambassador left, Alfonso XIII panicked over the prospect of war but could not bring himself to accept the humiliating terms.

• Preto persuaded Alfonso XIII that Germany was bluffing and would retreat if Spain refused to compromise, while Count Romanones advised summoning the German Ambassador.
• Alfonso XIII told the German Ambassador that Gibraltar belonged to Spain and that Germany should not interfere in Spanish affairs.
• The German Ambassador demanded a ninety-nine-year lease of Gibraltar for one Mark total, claiming Germany would recognize Spanish sovereignty in return.
• Preto and Count Romanones protested the terms, but the Ambassador warned Spain to accept or face Germany's wrath and requested a reply by the next morning.
• After the Ambassador left, Alfonso XIII feared Germany would declare war but remained unwilling to lease Gibraltar on those terms.

Alfonso XIII hesitated over whether Spain should accept Germany’s demand to lease Gibraltar, while Preto urged him to gather more intelligence. British and American ambassadors offered support against Germany, but Preto remained uncertain whether their backing could prevent an invasion.

• Alfonso XIII considered accepting Germany’s demand, but Preto warned him that surrender could damage Spain’s reputation and provoke unrest.
• Alfonso XIII ordered Count Romanones and Preto to gather intelligence before deciding, and Count Romanones contacted the British Ambassador.
• Count Romanones and Preto met the British and American Ambassadors, and Preto told them Germany had threatened war over Spain’s refusal to lease Gibraltar for one Mark.
• The British and American Ambassadors condemned Germany’s conduct and said they would rally international public opinion in Spain’s support.
• Preto doubted that public condemnation would be enough to stop Germany from invading Spain.

British and American ambassadors persuaded Spanish Foreign Minister Preto and Alfonso XIII to resist Germany over Gibraltar, promising aid and mediation if war broke out. The next day, Alfonso XIII rejected Germany’s demands.

• Preto refused the British Ambassador’s proposal for Spain to join the Allied Powers and said Spain wanted to remain neutral.
• The British and American Ambassadors warned Preto that yielding to Germany would invite further pressure and urged Spain to fight over Gibraltar.
• Preto agreed to arrange a secret meeting between the ambassadors and Alfonso XIII, while the American Ambassador promised him personal benefits.
• The British and American Ambassadors promised Alfonso XIII assistance, a war loan, and mediation if fighting spread beyond Gibraltar.
• Alfonso XIII accepted the plan to resist Germany, and the next day he sternly rejected Germany’s demands.