Chapter 171 The Good Man Hitler

"What? What? We want to join the Eastern Locarno Treaty? That's a treaty used to tie Germany's hands and feet!"

"It's not all about tying us, the Soviet Union is also restricted. And Austria is not among the invitations, and the merger of the Baltic Republic with our Germany does not require the use of force. As for Poland... Mr. Prime Minister, aren't you sure you can reach an agreement with Piłsudski?"

"What about the Czech Republic? And the Czech Republic!"

"The Czech Republic? The Sudetenland?"

"Yes, there are 3.5 million Germans in Czechoslovakia... All German-speaking people should live together, We can't forget them!"

"That doesn't contradict the Eastern Locarno Treaty. The Czech issue can be resolved peacefully... As far as I know, in Czechoslovakia, Germans account for more than 25%, Slovaks account for 15%, and there are also many Poles, Hungarians, and Carpathian Ukrainians, while Czechs probably account for less than 50%. "

In the Chancellery at 77 Wilhelm Street, Hersmann, Schleicher and Hitler were arguing in a large and luxurious office about whether Germany should join the Eastern Treaty.

These three obviously regarded Austria as Germany's possession. Because Austria was worse off than Germany throughout the 1920s!

At least Germany had the Junkers' Defense Force as a stabilizing force, and domestic politics was generally calm. The various parties mainly relied on votes rather than guns to determine the ownership of power. And there was also Soviet-German cooperation and the Keynes Plan to ensure economic development.

And Austria has been guns + democracy for more than a decade after its defeat! The three major parties in the country, the Christian Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Bolshevik Party, all have party armed forces. The Christian Socialist Party has a security group, the Social Democratic Party has a Republican Defense League, and the Bolshevik Party has a Red Brigade.

From the mid-1920s to the present, small-scale armed conflicts between the three major parties in Austria have never stopped. In 1927, because members of the security group shot members of the Republican Defense League, a large-scale street gunfight was triggered, killing and injuring more than a thousand people, and the Palace of Justice in Vienna, the capital of Austria, was burned down.

On May 18, 1930, the armed security group of the Christian Socialist Party declared the "Korneuburg Oath" and publicly called for the overthrow of parliamentary democracy: "We reject Western parliamentary democracy and party states!"

Then there were successive armed conflicts. Although they were not big, they were never peaceful. Under such circumstances, Austria's economy and people's livelihood were naturally in a mess. Seeing the thriving development of their northern brother Germany, the people naturally yearned for it, and the merger of Germany and Austria was naturally the general trend.

Moreover, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, those Austrian politicians who truly represented public opinion rather than succumbing to the will of the Allies chose to let Austria join Germany rather than independence.

In fact, the biggest obstacle to the merger of Germany and Austria is the later "loyal ally" of the German Empire, the Italian leader Mussolini - he currently supports Austria's independence. However, Hersmann knew that the Italian leader would invade Ethiopia in two or three years, and then be involved in the Spanish Civil War with Germany. By then, the Italian leader would become an ally of Germany and support Germany's annexation of Austria.

However, Austria's neighbor Czechoslovakia is not so easy to deal with. This is a country that inherited most of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's industry. Its industrial strength ranks among the top in the world, and it also has Austro-Hungarian military giants such as Skoda.

In addition, Czechoslovakia has two very difficult political leaders, Edward Benes and Thomas Masaryk.

Both of them are Czechs. Together with Milan Restislav Štefánik, who became a French citizen before the World War and made many achievements as a French pilot in the war, they are called the "Three Founding Heroes of Czechoslovakia" - Štefánik served as Minister of Defense in the early days of Czechoslovakia's independence. However, he died mysteriously in a plane crash on May 4, 1919.

At that time, during the Hungarian War, a Slovak Soviet Socialist Republic appeared in Slovakia.

This incident, as well as the subsequent purge and suppression of Bolsheviks in Slovakia by the Czech army, have always been two thorns in the heart of the Czechoslovak Republic.

In addition, the Czechs, the main ethnic group in Czechoslovakia, also have a blood feud with their neighboring country Hungary. In the Hungarian War that lasted for several years after World War I, the Czech army also had the blood of Hungarians on its hands. Moreover, Slovakia, which was occupied by Czechoslovakia, has been part of Greater Hungary "since ancient times" - it was once the only part of the Kingdom of Hungary!

And Poland, another neighbor of Czechoslovakia, is also very dissatisfied with the Czechs. Because the Hungarian War was actually won by the Polish army, but after the victory of the war, due to the need to restrict Poland (Poland seemed too powerful at the time), Poland did not get the Ciesin region and Carpathian Ukraine as it wished - the main population there is Polish and Ukrainian.

"Mr. Prime Minister, you can continue to play the role of a good person in the international community." Hersman finally said confidently, "The Czechoslovakia issue is very easy for us to solve. This is originally an artificially put together country, and its relations with surrounding countries are very bad. And the ruling Czechs have never been known for their bravery."

"What are you going to do?" Hitler hesitated and asked Hersman. "I am the Prime Minister, I should have the right to know, right?"

"Of course!" Hersman smiled and whispered, "The Stasi has always had close ties with the Hungarian Bolshevik Party and the Slovak Bolshevik Party... We can first announce the truth about Štefánik's death and incite the dissatisfaction of the Slovak people. Then send Slovak assassins to kill Czech President Thomas Masaryk."

"Assassinate the president of a country?" Hitler hesitated, "Are you really sure?"

"That's no problem," Hersman nodded, "We have the ability to do so."

"Won't it be discovered?" Hitler thought for a while and asked again, "If it is discovered that it is related to us, I'm afraid there will be trouble, right?"

"It will only be traced back to the Third International!" Hersman paused, "The Czechs will only find out that it was the Soviet Union's running dog, the Slovak Bolshevik Party, who killed their founding father!"

Hersman would of course not tell Hitler that this matter had to be conspired with the leader of the Hungarian Bolshevik Party, Bela Kun.

After the failure of the Hungarian Revolution, Béla Kun did not return to the Soviet Union, but insisted on leading the guerrilla war in the mountainous areas of Hungary. Therefore, the Hungarian Revolution was not completely failed. At present, the Hungarian Bolshevik Party still controls many guerrillas in Hungary and Slovakia.

Moreover, in the past few years, these Hungarian Bolshevik Party guerrillas have secretly accepted funds, weapons and intelligence support from the Stasi. So it is no problem to let Béla Kun's people come out and be blamed - this pot is not in vain, because once the Soviet Union and the Czechs are seriously opposed, the Slovak Bolshevik Party (actually a branch of the Hungarian Bolshevik Party) will have the opportunity to launch an uprising in Slovakia.

And once Slovakia is in chaos, the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, and even Romania will have to intervene.

Hersman shrugged, "Maybe it will be our German Wehrmacht that will defend Czechoslovakia according to the Eastern Locarno Treaty!"

"We will defend Czechoslovakia?" Hitler rolled his eyes and understood what Hersman meant. "It sounds good! That's it... We should indeed sign the Eastern Locarno Treaty."

Schleicher added: "Mr. Prime Minister, we cannot sign the contract unconditionally. We should ask France to recognize that our restoration of compulsory military service and entry into the Rhineland are legal."

...

"What? German Chancellor Hitler agreed to sign the Eastern Locarno Treaty?"

In Geneva, the Soviet Union's delegation to the League of Nations, Soviet Foreign Affairs People's Commissar Litvinov, who was negotiating with the French Prime Minister in Geneva, heard news that made him incredible.

"Isn't this Hitler a militarist?" Litvinov looked at Mrs. Kollontai, an expert on German issues and the head of the Soviet Union's delegation to the League of Nations.

"Well... Hitler was indeed a militarist before he became the prime minister." Kollontai thought for a while and said with a wry smile, "But now he is the prime minister, so he no longer calls for war and killing. I think he did a very smart thing."

"Yes," Litvinov nodded, "The French will definitely meet Hitler's demands..."

Acknowledge the facts that have happened in exchange for tangible benefits, any politician with a brain will do so.

At this time, a telephone on the desk suddenly rang. Litvinov picked up the receiver, and a brisk and soft female voice said: "Please answer the phone, Mrs. Kollontai, this is Natalie Lesinskaya."

"It's Lesinskaya!" Litvinov handed the receiver to Kollontai. The voice on the other end of the line continued, "Madam, Admiral Hersman was very pleased to hear that the Soviet Union has become a permanent member of the League of Nations, and he asked me to call to congratulate him. At the same time, we have decided to join the Eastern Locarno Treaty, which is an event of great significance to peace in Europe and even the world... We hope to help Comrade Stalin and Chancellor Hitler win the Nobel Prize in 1933. And we will meet in Norway when they receive the award."