German People's State

Deutscher Volkstaat

The **German People's State** (*German: **Deutscher Volkstaat***), often referred to as either **East Germany**, the **Berlin Government**, or simply the **Volkstaat**, is a country in northern Europe, bordered by the German Confederation to the west, the Republic of Bohemia to the south, and the Independent State of Poland and the Russian State to the east. It is a member of the Moscow Accord.

## History

The Volkstaat was founded in the wake of the Second Weltkrieg, formed from the territory held by the Russian forces in the eastern German Empire, from which three reconstruction zones would be established between the Russian State, the Commune of France, and the Union of Britain. Authority from these three states would be gradually transferred to local factions before gaining sovereignty under national protection.

Reconstruction under the Moscow Accord's occupation zone would be brutal. Reprisal killings and war rape were committed on a mass scale by Russian troops in what many have described as a genocide. Within this time, reconstruction collaborationists were appointed by the Russian government, primarily members of the former Imperial army. Among these was Otto Ernst Remer, a former officer in the Imperial army who had defected to the Russians in the Eastern Front.

The original French plan was to permanently divide Germany among these zones. However, that plan was altered in the midst of a diplomatic breakdown between the Moscow Accord and the Third International, leading to the united Volkstaat being proclaimed rather than the planned Prussian republic. Shortly after, the pro-UoB North German Union and the pro-CoF South German Union had united into the German Confederation.

Remer had organized the fractured factions in the former Empire into a single far-right collaborationist party, the National People's Party (Nationale Volkspartei), or the NVP, comprised of the former aristocratic Deutschkonservative Partei (DkP) and the national populist Deutsche Vaterlandspartei (DVP), as well as former officers of the Imperial Army.

## Factions

Factions in East Germany are based not necessarily through ideology, but through loyalties and interest groups, with different personalities and faces within the political structure of the nation.

### Remerist

Remerists are the backers of the founder and current leader of the Volkstaat, Otto Ernst Remer. A compromising balancer of the Volkstaat's interest groups, Remer has created a cabinet with an ideological face, but a technocratic body. Though Remer is a former officer, his main loyalties in government are towards the DVP, from whom he has derived much of the political system and identity of the new administration. Remer combines staunch Savinkovist loyalties with the sympathies of the völkisch movement and the legitimacy of the military.

The Remerists, as well as the völkischen, are represented with the in-game ideology of National Populism.

### Völkisch

The völkisch movement, also known as the Folkists in English, are mostly members of the former DVP. Purely ideological and staunchly National Populist, the völkisch movement has split within the NVP between two internal groups, however, both groups share a similar policy of national and ethnic supremacy as well as anti-semitism, supporting efforts to relocate Jews in East Germany to the Russian State.

##### Mielkegruppe

Considered the left-wing of the völkisch movement, the Mielkegruppe, sometimes called the Left Group views the current status of the Junkers in the German economy as disastrous, and wish to create a planned, centralized economy as a solution to the state's issues; bringing them closer to the Russian State in both state and economic policy. Erich Mielke, head of the secret police, is the leader of the group, from which the name is derived.

The Mielkegruppe is represented with the in-game ideology of National Socialism.

##### Hessgruppe

The right wing of the völkisch movement, sometimes called the Right Group, while Savinkovist in their loyalties, are nationalist in their stance towards Moscow, vying to gain more autonomy for the east, and are more willing to align with the idiosyncratic militarists and conservatives in their ambitions. Rudolf Hess is considered the leader of the group from which his name is derived.

The Hessgruppe is represented with the in-game ideology of Ultranationalism.

### Militarist

Militarists represent former officers loyal to the Emperor who had gained positions in the occupation zone under the guise of anti-syndicalism. Many of them support the Volkstaat not out of necessarily a belief in National Populism, but rather out of a hatred of syndicalism and a desire to reunite Germany. As a result, they are considered one of the more reform-minded factions, if only out of a lack of ideology. Henning von Tresckow is considered the *de facto* leader of the Volkstaat's militarists, and is one of Remer's potential successors.

The Militarists are represented with the in-game ideology of Ultramilitarism.

### Conservative

The Conservatives are members of the landed aristocracy, primarily those within the former DkP who had managed to hold power and carve up eastern Germany under their thumb in the aftermath of the war. They are small in number, primarily due to the anti-monarchist purges that took place in the occupation zone, but hold significant influence due to their vast wealth and popular support. They do not officially support a restoration of the monarchy, if only out of survival's necessity, but support the restoration of junker estates, reversing land reform, and privatizing state-owned corporations, restoring a market economy. Adolf von Thadden is considered a *de facto* leader among the conservatives.

The Conservatives are represented with the in-game ideology of Despotism.

### Reformist

Finally, a small group within the NVP advocates for reform within the party and "human-centered nationalism" under prominent politician Kurt Georg Kiesinger, an opportunist orator who seeks to reduce censorship of the press within East Germany and thaw relations with the Frankfurt government, advocating for a single country to be formed within two systems.

The Reformists are represented with the in-game ideology of Paternalism.

## Spirits

* Stability: **+10.00%**The Gestapo serves as a de facto secret police force, holding immense power and control over East German society, responsible for upholding the current order and combating the numerous dissidents fighting against the government, real or not. Unwaveringly loyal to the regime, the service has grown ubiquitous in society as mouthpieces of Mielke and his supporters. Emboldened by its omnipresence, the Gestapo will not take kindly to any reforms that may lessen their influence, and will try to keep the völkischen one step ahead by any means necessary.