Forged in Blood And Steel

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30-September-12-October-1921

’’We would like to know, Herzog Karl, what protections we will have while carrying out our service to the duchy. Our duties will include informing you of matters that might anger you, and we would not wish to be imprisoned for doing so. Those of us who have received the people’s support at the ballot box require certain guarantees. Otherwise, I doubt we will be able to perform our duties properly’’ said one of the Lithuanian representatives, who spoke quite good German.

’’I share my colleague’s concerns. As you will understand, we do not want a repetition of the events of that terrible tenth of November, when hundreds of... brave men who sought to guide the country ended up confined in the darkest, dampest prisons that could be found. Many have died in captivity. None of us wishes to suffer the same fate’’ added a Latvian representative, looking at me with barely concealed hostility.

’’Ah... What a fine day that was. A pity Ernst is not here; he would remember all the politicians we arrested better than I do... In any case, given your duties and my desire to hear what my subjects have to say about my government, you may consider yourselves safe, for the time being, from any police intervention, provided you discharge your obligations properly. But if you present your personal interests as though they were the wishes of the people, we will have a problem. In that case, you might end up sharing a cell with those arrested on the tenth of November... Ah, the memories. Now I remember that idiot who seemed to be enjoying my arrest’’ I said, settling into the highest seat in Parliament as the representatives watched.

’’That is precisely one of the problems that concerns us most... There is no constitution guaranteeing our rights. You can ruin our lives without any restraint, and there is no authority capable of stopping you. You control the police, the army, agriculture, education, and employment. Anyone who disagrees with your government can be crushed by the full force of the state, as the suppression of the latest uprising in Lithuania has demonstrated’’ said another Lithuanian representative. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke in German.

’’For the moment, I have no intention of restricting my powers through a constitution, so do not get your hopes up. There are still many reforms to carry out. I have assembled you chiefly to ensure that every community receives the assistance it needs. We do not want one part of society left behind while the rest advances thanks to economic growth and the new productive enterprises being developed throughout the country’’ I replied, folding my arms as I surveyed the benches.

’’And what about allowing us to use our own language in our own land again, instead of forcing us to speak the language of the invaders?’’ asked a Latvian defiantly.

’’At the very least, both languages could be permitted in official business... You must consider that many people still have a poor command of German and struggle to fulfill their obligations. Even paying taxes can become a problem when one does not understand what the forms require’’ another Latvian representative interjected, cutting in before his colleague could add anything further.

’’No. The intention is for you to learn German. Every state in our federation is adopting it as the language of commerce, in Ruthenia as well as Ukraine. That is why we insist so strongly on teaching it, it will facilitate trade between our peoples. Besides, those who wish to work or conduct business in Germany will already know the language and will not have to face that difficulty. I do not expect you to understand now, but you will be grateful later, when you see the results of integrating our economies and Germany manages to overcome its present political and economic disorder’’ I replied, shaking my head.

’’At the expense of our traditions... Our language’’ said the Latvian, still glaring at me.

’’Be quiet’’ his colleague muttered through clenched teeth, turning toward him when he saw that the man seemed unwilling to restrain himself.

’’Say what you like, but we are not here to debate state policy. I have come to hear your constituents’ requests: roads in poor condition, important buildings in need of repair, and other needs that have yet to be addressed. That is why you are here. Government policy will not be discussed until we have accomplished our objectives’’ I replied, watching the representatives.

’’So do not waste our time. Prepare a typewritten list of your constituents’ requests and submit it to the Herzog. If you wish to meet with him personally, you must request an audience in advance so that a date and time can be assigned to you. You now know your duties. Return to your districts and inform the inhabitants what information the Herzog requires to address their communities’ needs as effectively as possible’’ added Manstein, raising his voice slightly as he looked at the new representatives.

Most began to leave, including those of German origin. Some headed to the adjoining rooms of Parliament to begin their work; others prepared to return to their towns to gather the residents’ grievances.

’’It seems we already have a few openly speaking against the government. All it takes is to offer them certain guarantees, and they forget what happened that day’’ remarked Manstein.

’’Yes, that is only natural. They thought they could change the policies they dislike, beginning with the compulsory use of German. But we need it for commerce. When Germany recovers and its economy begins growing again, trade between our states will increase, and we must have a population that knows the language. We also require those we send to work in the British Isles to speak English, but these people think they are special and that no one has the right to impose obligations on them’’ I said with a faint smile, closing my eyes and leaning back in my chair.

’’Then are we finished with these fellows, or is there anything else to do?’’ asked Manstein before stepping down from the dais.

’’Nothing more for now. Apart from continuing to supervise the construction of the roads and railroads that will connect the entire duchy, we should not have too much work left for the rest of the year. With winter approaching, we must continue preparing for the distribution of dividends. Besides, the Red Baron is supposed to depart with a Jasta at the beginning of next month to fly around the world’’ I replied, rising from the chair overlooking the chamber.

’’In the middle of winter? Is it not dangerous to set out when storms could bring their aircraft down? If one of our best machines crashes in a foreign country, you can be certain they will study the wreckage. We could lose the advantage gained through months or years of secret research’’ warned Manstein.

’’They will fly south and cross into the other hemisphere. Although they will leave as winter begins here, they will arrive there in summer. We expect more favorable conditions during that part of the journey. Attempting it in the depths of winter would be far more dangerous. In any case, the journey will be long, and they want to depart soon so they can cross the Atlantic and return in a more favorable season. If they succeed, they will be the first to fly around the world. But the support ships must arrive first. As soon as we receive confirmation that they are in position, the Red Baron can depart’’ I replied as I walked toward the exit.

For my part, I soon set to work. The idea seemed to be producing good results, as reports from the representatives soon began arriving with valuable information about their communities. This allowed us to better understand the lives of those we governed. Apparently, our administration was making mistakes, though they seemed minor to me compared with the problems left behind by the Russian administration.

One of the most frequent complaints in Riga concerned the houses built during the reconstruction following the bombardments. Some had all the pipes and fittings intended to supply drinking water and carry away waste, but had never been connected to the city’s water mains and sewers.

As a result, some families still depended on wells or their neighbors’ help to obtain water. Worst of all, they had not dared report the problem to the authorities, chiefly out of fear.

In the countryside, we found administrative problems. We had built numerous roads and bridges to carry goods between communities, but the constant passage of trucks was beginning to wear them down. Yet no funds had been set aside for urgent repairs. Nothing serious had happened so far, but if a bridge or stretch of road became unusable, the local authorities would not have the money to repair it. They therefore requested an allocation for the upkeep of those works and permanent crews to maintain them.

Another frequent request was for connections to the railroad network or the main roads, depending on the terrain and the means available. Most came from small towns and villages outside our settlements that had been left out of the major state construction projects.

They also requested assistance in expanding their irrigation systems and building reservoirs so they could withstand another drought or cultivate their land more intensively. Added to these were requests for connection to the electrical grid. In some cases, villages beside a newly completed power station or dam still had no electricity. Priority had been given to supplying factories and major cities, leaving those living beside the generators in darkness.

The most widespread complaint among the smaller communities, however, was the lack of physicians. Our system concentrated services in certain towns that served the surrounding area. Almost everything could be found there, but many inhabitants had to travel long distances to receive medical attention. The representatives requested some form of basic care in the villages themselves.

We therefore had to include small dispensaries among the planned construction projects, as well as find the physicians and nurses needed to staff them.

To fill those posts, I lifted the restrictions on British immigration for physicians and nursing personnel. We would need several thousand trained professionals to meet the country’s medical needs.

We then turned to requests concerning other shortcomings that had initially seemed less urgent to me.

Among them was a request to provide fire engines for various communities. Only the major cities had professional fire departments and vehicles of their own. Elsewhere, residents depended on communal efforts to put out fires and on the precautions taken when their homes were built to prevent flames from spreading. We needed to organize a fire service that covered the entire country and could respond to a major blaze. Until then, we had been fortunate: there had been only a few fires, which had been extinguished quickly, but nothing guaranteed that our luck would hold.

Another request came from Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian villages that had been left out of the large construction projects intended for the German settlements. They urgently needed granaries and storehouses to preserve their harvests. In some cases, we had supplied tractors and fertilizers, and even sent people with agricultural knowledge to help increase production, but we had not built the storage facilities needed to hold that surplus.

Those reports allowed me to recognize the shortcomings of our administration and better understand my subjects’ everyday needs. Now that I knew the problems and had the means to remedy them, it was my responsibility to do so.

With the savings from our trade with the Russians, the extraordinary revenue from food sales during the drought, and the remittances that continued to arrive from America every month, we began addressing the most serious deficiencies. Among the first measures were hiring physicians and nurses and building clinics throughout the country.

Births had increased considerably, but many families still had to travel long distances to find a physician or, with luck, a midwife. It was a failure of our administration that we had to remedy as soon as possible.

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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.

Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.

I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.

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