Work in progress
About
Kaiserreich: The Legacy of the Weltkrieg is an alternative history mod that explores a world where Germany had won World War I; The mod was initially released on Darkest Hour: a Hearts of Iron Game in 2006, but was ported to Hearts of Iron IV on December 1, 2016.
Background
Kaiserreich was released initially for Darkest Hour in 2006. The mod received critical acclaim but remained relatively obscure.
The mod was then released on the Steam workshop for Hearts of Iron IV on December 1, 2016. This was when the mod became known to more people, as Hearts of Iron IV is more user-friendly than Darkest Hour.
History of the Timeline
The mod takes place in an alternative universe, where Germany had won World War I. The timeline of the Kaiserreich universe remains consistent with the normal timeline, until January 8, 1917.
There is an extensive timeline on the Kaiserreich wiki which explains major events in detail until 1936, which is the year the mod starts.
The US never joined World War I due to Germany revoking its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. France, Italy, and the Balkan allies in the Entente had all surrendered to Germany by 1919.
This led to The Treaty of Versailles which radically changed the landscape of Europe. Some of the demands include: Belgium becoming a puppet of the Germans, Italy being balkanized into numerous Italian states, the defeated Balkan nations of Greece, Romania, and Serbia forced to make various territorial cession to Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary, and French cession of some colonial holdings and some border provinces to Germany. Also, Russia’s provinces of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltic states, and Finland all became part of the Central Power’s sphere of influence as part of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.
The Peace with Honour was signed with the remaining Entente combatants which maintained the status quo with the only demands being that the remaining Entente must recognize the treaties and demands made already.
In this timeline, The Soviets led by Vladimir Lenin are defeated in the Russian Civil War, and Marxist-Leninist Communism never becomes widespread and is instead replaced by Syndicalism. In 1919, The war-weary French government was defeated in a coup by a Syndicalist uprising, and the remaining French government goes into exile in their remaining colonial holdings in North Africa. A similar fate happens to Britain when in 1925, the government is overwhelmed by a Syndicalist uprising and the Royal Family is forced to flee to Canada and assumes control of the state.
After this, Germany stood as the unrivaled superpower of the world and entered a golden age until 1936.
Situation at the start of the Mod
Due to the nature of the game, nothing beyond 1936 (with a few exceptions) are set in stone. This is because there are various events which impact how the game plays out, so the game is different every time.
In Europe, The Commune of France, Union of Britain, and The Socialistic Republic of Italy have formed an alliance known as the Third International and are rivaled to Germany.
The remnants the Entente consisting of Canada, The French Republic in North Africa, The Dominion of India (which controls only northwest India), Australasia (A merging of New Zealand and Australia into one nation), and a federation of the Caribbean Islands look to reclaim lands lost during the revolution from the Syndicalist nations.
The German Empire leads Belgium, Ukraine, Belarus, and The Baltic States as well as all of her colonial holdings in an alliance known as Mittel-Europa.
These are the main factions of the game.
Online Presence
r/Kaiserreich was launched on February 25, 2013, and reached 5,000 subscribers on August 21, 2017.
The mod currently stands as the 2nd most subscribed mod on the Hearts of Iron IV Steam workshop.
The game also has a Wiki with over 250 pages.
Related Memes
Every man a king / Share the wealth
These two sayings originate from the Lousiana governor Huey Long, who wasn’t assassinated in this timeline and would become the head of state for the right-wing rebel nation during the Second American Civil War, American Union State.
Every man a king is a catchphrase that was used to represent Long’s populist economic policy. The catchphrase is frequently used as a meme about Huey Long; However, it can also be used in any situation just replacing the “king” part with something else.
Share the wealth is the name of Long’s political party in our timeline. The catchphrase is used in a similar manner to “Every man a king”, but less frequently than the former.
Direct rule from London
Direct rule from London refers to a decision a player can make as the Union of Britain regarding the autonomy of Scotland and Wales. Oswald Mosley, who is a Totalist in this timeline, meaning supports an authoritarian version of Syndicalism similar to how Communism in our timeline works, is required to make the decision pop up, so the meme is usually associated with him. The meme is used similarly to “Every man a king” with the “London” part being replaced with something else to better suit the situation.
Polandball comics
Propaganda Posters
The community has also produced plenty of fictional propaganda posters based on real-life propaganda posters.