Chapter 184: The Political Conflict

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Pov of Adam Dressler

12-July-1921

’’That is why, my people, we are gathered here today!’’ I said, extending one arm toward the enormous machine behind me.

’’What you behold is not simply steel or gears. No! Every piece of this machine has been paid for with the sweat of the German worker, with the effort of the German peasant, with the discipline of an entire people that refuses to remain motionless while the world moves forward’’ I said while slowly moving my hand toward the machinery.

’’Here is what that effort can achieve. One of the most advanced products of our agricultural technique, born in the fertile lands of the Baltic Duchy and built thanks to German ingenuity. A single machine capable of doing the work that once required hundreds of arms and dozens of draft animals’’ I said, making a small pause, letting their eyes return to the machine.

’’But do not make the mistake of thinking this benefits only the owner of the field. It benefits the peasant, who will no longer have to break his back from dawn until dusk. It benefits the miller, who will receive more grain. It benefits the baker, who will be able to produce more bread’’ I said while pointing with the fingers of my hand to each part.

Finally, I closed my fist.

’’And finally, it benefits every German family that tomorrow will be able to sit at the table and feed itself with the fruits of our own land!’’ I said, making sure to raise the tone of my voice with every word that left my mouth.

’’For too long we have been taught that the interests of the peasant, the worker, the merchant and the industrialist are necessarily different. A lie! Because there may be rich and poor, owners and workers, men who work with the pen and men who work with their hands... but everyone needs to eat. Everyone needs bread! And when we make our land more fertile, when we multiply the fruit of every hour of labor, we do not enrich only one man, we strengthen the entire people’’.

I pointed at the machines again.

’’That is why your Government has used the resources you yourselves have produced to acquire these machines. Not to lock them behind the walls of a great estate. Not to hand them over to a privileged few. They will be placed at the service of our agricultural cooperatives so many men may benefit from what no single man could afford by himself’’.

’’Because progress born from the effort of the people must return to the people. We want fields where a machine does the work that once broke the backs of a hundred men. We want mills full of grain. We want ovens full of bread. We want homes where a mother does not have to wonder how much of her husband’s wages will disappear simply to feed her children’’.

I pressed my fist against my chest.

’’And as long as there is a German family that must count its last coins to buy bread, as long as there is a worker who gives all his strength and barely manages to bring food to his table, our work will not be finished’’.

Then I raised my arm toward the crowd.

’’May every advance of German science be an advance for the common German! May every machine free our hands to build even more! And may no one ever again say that Germany lacks the strength to feed and raise its own children!’’

I drew breath as all the accumulated emotion finally exploded in my voice.

’’For the worker! For our land! For our people! Deutschland erwache!’’

’’Ja! Ja! Ja! Deutschland erwache!’’ the masses shouted as they fell into euphoria.

At that moment, I stepped down from the podium where I stood and made sure the local mayor took control of the speech while I simply returned to the vehicle.

’’Excellent speech. Surely the people will remember it’’ Otto said while handing me the newspaper of the day.

’’Thank you. We have to keep taking advantage of these opportunities that have emerged through the use of Reich funds and not allow the aristocrats to buy the loyalty of the people simply with crumbs from the bread they themselves took from their tables’’ I said while adjusting my glasses.

’’That is precisely what we must continue doing. We have coordinated with multiple mayors, as well as members of the Landtag, to keep taking advantage of the opportunities created by the machinery deliveries being carried out by the Austrian State and to demonstrate, through speeches, what can be achieved with good administration’’ Reinhold Wulle said.

’’That is what we are working on, although according to the information arriving from the east, we are arriving late to cover the needs the people will have during the coming months. Supposedly, a drought is affecting the eastern states and there will be a shortage of grain, so food will rise in price again. It is a discontent among the people for which we must prepare and which we must be capable of supplying. We cannot once again come second behind the reactionary forces that reject change and try to remain entrenched in their privileges’’ I said, looking at the member of the Reichstag.

’’That is why you must continue taking charge of that. I have taken the liberty of securing for the party a journalist who specializes in creating speeches, since you cannot keep repeating the same message over and over again. Many politicians in the party simply dedicate themselves to repeating what you say while trying to imitate your natural eloquence, Adam. It would help much more in winning followers among the people if we could diversify our messages’’ Reinhold Wulle said.

’’Regarding that, Adam, do not forget the meeting with Leopold Kunschak about the extra funds necessary to try to supply Austria with grain. The drought will greatly affect food prices and we have to make sure we have enough reserves so the blow is not felt too strongly’’ Otto said.

’’In our areas of influence, we should not try to give too much help to the zones controlled by the Zentrum. That discontent with the traditionalists could serve to tear out by the roots the great problem we have with those who continue supporting that outdated regime that keeps suffocating with its presence, while the churches continue sending money to Rome when people suffer to make ends meet and they continue talking about giving the tithe’’ I said, emphasizing our objective.

’’You should not make it too obvious either, Dressler. I know you do not like the churches, but you also cannot publicly declare your hatred for them. For now they have considerable strength and that is shown by the power of the Zentrum in Austria, but that discontent caused by the rise in prices will surely allow what you are saying. To take advantage of it, we have to be ready’’ Reinhold Wulle said.

’’And we will be. We govern in multiple areas of Austria. We may not control the Landtag, but it is only a matter of time. When people realize who truly works for their interests, they will understand why we must continue our work’’ I said, looking at those accompanying me inside the vehicle.

’’Exactly. I have tried to obtain some kind of agricultural information from the Baltic zones, but specifically the industry and construction specialists of the Herzog’s Government are reluctant to leave the Duchy to come here and help us. Besides, securing a meeting with the Herzog has proven incredibly difficult, since he is rarely in his palace. I was informed that he is always on the move, inspecting agricultural zones, since the Herzog supposedly noticed the possible drought back in February’’ Otto said while handing me a notebook where some meeting attempts had been written down.

’’It is understandable that our ideological leader is practically unreachable at the moment. From his humble origins as a soldier, he always had a very deep connection with agriculture, especially during his period as Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine, so he must know much more about the subject than even you, Otto, with your brief time in the Prussian Ministry of Agriculture’’ I said, grimacing as I observed that we had been unable to secure Herzog Karl’s support.

’’We have to keep trying. If we manage to get him to show himself favorable to our party, that would enormously concentrate the vote of those who believe they are voting to carry out the necessary changes to transform the regime and, with that, we would divide the National Socialist vote that cost us the majority in the elections because of the split vote’’ Reinhold Wulle said while settling into his seat.

’’We are not going to stop. We certainly need that meeting, since it could mean many things if we secure his support. The Herzog clearly feels political apathy toward the traditional parties, except for his loyalty to the Kaiser. If we manage to make him see us as the representatives of his Baltic Duchy ideals in Germany, we could count on his support and, with it, his knowledge of agriculture and architecture, which would allow us to continue our party’s project not only across Austria, but throughout all of Germany’’ I said, taking out the Herzog’s book and looking at it for a few seconds before putting it away again.

’’Certainly. And now, speaking of that, the members of the party are asking for a meeting regarding what the next steps should be, considering that it is known that many of the state programs that have been approved in the Reichstag seek, in one way or another, to control the growth of the socialists and of us. The Zentrum and a pile of associated parties consider us a threat and could try to expel us from politics if the Zentrum and the socialists unite to push us out of German politics’’ Reinhold Wulle said, looking rather worried.

’’It is certainly a real possibility that could happen, considering that we are the third political force in the Reichstag, but I doubt the Zentrum will shoot itself in the foot. They are protectors of the aristocrats’ interests, but if they do that, they could end up in an even worse position. Consider that the union of the left-wing parties is coming dangerously close to controlling the Reichstag and already controls some northern Landtag. We are the ones helping prevent a socialist seizure of power that seeks to end the Kaiserreich and place us under the rule of a corrupt democracy’’ I said while thinking about what we could do.

’’That is why they are asking for the meeting, just in case, to have concrete ideas about what we should do with this whole movement against us. Although, in a way, we voted in favor of this budget because it greatly benefited the people, our party’s movement cannot present itself only through social revolution and cultural discontent against one specific group. If that discontent disappears, so do we. That is why we have to focus more on the ideology we offer and that must be made clear within the party’s ranks or we will begin to have fractures’’ Reinhold Wulle said seriously.

’’Many already know our ideals quite well and the only way to carry them forward is through a cultural revolution. That is why we must continue influencing the Austrian institutions where we have power. The president of the Landtag may be from the Zentrum, but without our votes the Zentrum does not gather a majority, that was made clear. For that reason, we demanded the portfolios of Education and Agriculture, since they are the two most important for the cultural revolution. The associations of adolescents and ex-soldiers must continue opening in every town and city we have under our control to open the eyes of those who still remain blindfolded by the reactionary groups’’ I said, nodding.

’’I will create the necessary arrangements for the representatives of the Austrian Landtag, the Reichstag and the mayors to meet and discuss the solidification of our policy and try to win the next elections. We have to win Austria by then and see what happens with the matter of food prices, because it could be the moment when important things happen or, certainly, when nothing serious happens at all’’ Otto said while beginning to write it down in his notebook.

’’Well, now that everything is settled, I have to give another speech, so, if you will excuse me...’’ I said, observing that we had arrived at the town where I had to give a speech similar to the previous one.

’’Go ahead, we will wait’’ Otto said while Wulle nodded.

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