Chapter 22 Grand Duchess
"Captain, the core issues of the Courland Plan are land and nationality."
"Land? Nationality?" Captain Falkenhorst looked at Hessman, "Major, do you want to concentrate all the Germans in the Baltic region in Courland?"
"And Livland." Hessman added, "About 65,000 square kilometers of land, centered on Riga, more than half of which is arable land, and the rest are hills, lakes and swamps."
He was talking about Latvia in later generations! Before the end of World War I, there was no concept of the Latvian state, only Latvians. This is a small nation with a population of only 700,000 to 800,000. It has no country of its own. Historically, it has been ruled by either Germans or Russians.
Hessman went on to say: "According to statistics from the Baltic Provisional Government, there are about 1 million non-Germans in Courland and Livland, of which Latvians account for 60% (Latvians at this time are not all in Courland and Livland), Russians account for 20%, and the rest are Estonians, Lithuanians, Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. In addition, there are Austrian Poland and Austrian Ukraine in the Baltic region and Lithuania. There are currently about 800,000 Germans, most of whom are around Riga, that is, in Courland and Livland. Courland region. The Courland Plan suggested rearranging the population of Courland and the entire Baltic region, concentrating the Germans in Courland and Livland. Then move as many Latvians as possible from Courland and Livland. To ensure that the Germans can become the largest ethnic group in the future Courland Autonomous State! At the same time, the Courland Autonomous State must be prepared to accept Germans from Poznan and West Prussia when necessary. "
Hersmann's Courland Plan is not complicated. The core idea is to occupy Courland and Livland with population and womb! The first goal is to make the German population in the Courland Autonomous State reach 1 million. Considering the agricultural conditions of Courland and Livland and the diligence of the Germans, 65,000 square kilometers of land can definitely allow 1 million Germans to live well, so that they can continue to attract immigrants from Germany. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, the Courland Autonomous State might have a population of 3 million (including non-Germans), exceeding Latvia in later generations.
No matter how unreasonable the Allies were, they couldn't do anything with 1 million Kurland Germans - it was Europe after all! Moreover, the Germans in the Kurland Autonomous State would not be without military force.
"If the Kurland Autonomous State in the future can have 1 million Germans, then after full mobilization, the Kurland Defense Force will have 100,000 soldiers. Relying on the hilly, swampy and forested terrain, it can resist 200,000 to 300,000 Allied troops from afar..."
Of course, preparations for fighting must be made! In the Kurland Plan, Hessmann suggested the establishment of a standing army of about 50,000 people - the Kurland Defense Force. The backbone will be volunteers recruited from the German army on the Eastern Front. They will have dual citizenship of the Kurland Autonomous State and Germany, and will be allocated land in the Kurland Autonomous State.
"What's the matter with land distribution?" Captain Nicolas von Falkenhorst had a copy of the "Courland Plan" in his hand. He was listening to Hessman's explanation while flipping through the copy and writing notes on it with a pen. He found that there were many contents about "land distribution" in the copy.
"Every Baltic German who wants to live in the countryside should be allocated enough land to maintain a middle-class life." Hessman said, "This is the key to uniting all the Germans in Courland. There is a lot of land in the Courland Autonomous State, right? If we don't distribute the land there to our German compatriots, how can we make them believe that Courland is a homeland worth defending with their lives? If some German landlords suffer losses in land distribution, we can compensate them in other ways, such as bonds of the Courland Autonomous State, civil servant positions in the Autonomous State, or properties in Riga."
Captain Nicolas von Falkenhorst glanced at Hindenburg, who nodded. The Courland Autonomous State can be said to be the only fruit of victory that the German Empire may retain after this world war. This was obtained at the cost of the blood of 2 million people! The interests of the Kurland German landlords cannot be compared with the blood of 2 million people. Moreover, if the Kurland Germans lose power, their land will be confiscated sooner or later.
"In addition, we should also resettle the relocated Latvians as much as possible... We can resettle them in Poland and Lithuania and give them some of the land belonging to the Russian nobles. It would be best to form several or a dozen Latvian settlements in Poland and Lithuania."
Hersmann also mentioned the resettlement of Latvians in the "Plan". He did not want hundreds of thousands of Latvians to hate Germany... If you can be generous to others, why not? It's not bad to create a Latvian problem for Piłsudski!
"Major, you also mentioned in your plan the possibility of Courland joining the Polish Federation or forming a federation with Estonia." Captain Falkenhorst frowned slightly, "Can't we consider making Courland independent?"
"It is obviously more advantageous to form a federal state," Hessman explained, "The first choice is of course to form a Baltic United State with the Courland Autonomous State and the Estonian Autonomous State... It can be a grand duchy or a republic."
In Hessmann's "Courland Plan", the fate of Estonians and Latvians is completely different. The latter will be relocated from their homeland, while the former will have an autonomous state and become the main ethnic group on the land of the former Estonian province (formerly Tsarist Russia) and Livonia. The two autonomous states will be merged into the Baltic United State, and the capital of the country will be located in Riga... The benefits of doing this are obvious, because the Estonian nation is very weak and the population is not large, even smaller than that of the Latvians. If it forms a federation with the powerful German nation, the power of the federal state will be manipulated by the Germans. In addition, the Germans have always been the upper class of the two Tsarist provinces of Estonia and Livonia, controlling a lot of land and industry. If Estonia and Courland form a federation, then the Estonians cannot confiscate the property of the Germans.
"Then who is the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy?" Captain Falkenhorst asked again.
"Currently it is a German monarch... This is your majesty's consideration, not something we can decide." Hessmann said. In his "Courland Plan", there is no mention of the candidate for the monarch of the United Baltic Duchy - now that Kaiser Wilhelm II is still in power, it would be disrespectful to discuss this issue.
However, in Hessmann's mind, there is a most suitable candidate.
"Go ahead," Hindenburg waved his hand, "the formulation of the "Gray Plan" was originally intended to deal with extraordinary times. I don't think that at that time, a duke of the German Empire can still be the monarch of the United Baltic Duchy."
This is obviously impossible! The Allies are not so easy to talk to, unless the Germans in Courland are ready to fight! Although they may not necessarily lose, war should still be avoided as much as possible, after all, the huge German Empire was defeated...
"The ideal candidate is Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna."
"The Tsar's daughter?" Hindenburg frowned, "That's a good idea! She is indeed qualified to be the monarch of the United Baltic Duchy, and neither Britain nor France can say anything."
The United Baltic Duchy originally belonged to the Romanov dynasty. Nicholas II's titles included "Prince of Estonia", "Prince of Livonia", and "Prince of Courland and Semigallia", which refers to the monarch of the United Baltic Duchy. This was recognized by Britain, France, and the United States, so there was no legal problem for the Tsar to pass these three princes to Olga. And considering the Allied Powers' opposition to the Soviet Union, they would not oppose this arrangement.
"But what about the Soviet Union?" Hindenburg frowned even more. "Will they accept the Romanovs coming to power in the Baltics?"
"I don't think so?" Hessman smiled. "But it doesn't matter. When the Allied intervention in Soviet Russia fails, we will ask them to step down! By then, it will be the Baltic Union Republic."
——
It's time to beg for collections and recommendations again. Do you have votes? Can Luo Luo's weekly recommendations exceed 10,000?