The Großdeutsches Reich, or Greater German Empire, refers to the territory annexed and occupied by Nazi Germany from the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933 to the defeat of Germany at the end of World War II in 1945. At its peak, the Greater German Reich officially included Austria, Alsace-Lorraine, Luxembourg, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and most of Poland. However, Germany also at one point physically occupied France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. It had been Hitler's desire to annex the European part of Russia, and to that end Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. However, this invasion proved to be the crucial factor in the Reich's undoing.
Greater German Reich in In the Presence of Mine Enemies[]
Germany emerged from the Second World War as the dominant superpower of the world and its Greater German Reich was the largest land empire the world had ever seen. Its capital was Berlin, one of its largest cities. By 2010, it was ruled by its fourth Führer Heinz Buckliger. His predecessors included Kurt Haldweim, Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler with the latter two responsible for the Reich's founding and expansion.
The Reich espoused racist views and the "superiority" of the Aryan race. All inferior races considered Untermenschen like Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, Arabs, Negroes and homosexuals were exterminated and/or enslaved. During the Second World War in the 1930s-40s, the Reich and its Axis allies defeated Britain, France and the Soviet Union and divided all of Europe, Africa, Asia and part of the Pacific among themselves. During the Third World War of the 1960s-70s, the Reich and Japan subdued the United States which had remained in neutral isolation during the earlier war.
The vast territories formally annexed as part of the Reich included Germany's boundaries, and stretched from Britain down into the continent of Europe, through the former Poland and Soviet Union, deep into Siberia, the Caucasus, and India. Most of Africa (including former British, French and Belgian colonies) was also an integral part of the Reich.
In addition to the Reich itself, the "Greater Germanic Empire" included two other sub-categories: occupied but not formally annexed countries, including France, the USA, and Canada; "allies", including Sweden, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the Italian Empire. Allies outside Europe included South Africa and the countries of Latin America, specifically Argentina and Brazil. Several of Germany's allies (Italy, Spain, and Portugal) had sizable empires in Africa and in the Middle East. However, these allies were not truly independent of Germany, as the German government had a great deal of say in their own politics. Only Japan ruled a truly independent empire, encompassing much of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
The "occupied but not annexed" countries did have their own governments and some measure of real autonomy. But even "unoccupied allies" had to accept considerable limitations on their sovereignty and German interference in their internal affairs, especially in matters of the Nazi racist ideology.
List of Known Countries Part of the Reich[]
- Afghanistan
- Austria
- Great Britain
- Czechoslovakia
- Denmark
- India
- Iran
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Russia/Russia
- Yugoslavia
List of Countries Occupied by the Reich[]
Greater German Reich in "Shtetl Days"[]
Literary comment[]
Several times in the story, it is suggested that the Reich controls most of Earth by the 2040s. Canada, Peru, and Siberia are mentioned specifically as being under its control. Japan and Brazil seem to be autonomous in name at least. Since few other details are provided, there is insufficient basis for a coherent in-universe article.
Greater German Reich in Worldwar[]
Germany had amassed a substantial empire before the Race invaded Earth in 1942. As a consequence of the Peace of Cairo, Germany was able to retain its empire, effectively continental Europe, with the notable exception of Poland which was ceded to the Race. In the decades that followed, Germany's former enemy, Britain, strengthened ties to the Reich, although it never fell directly under its domination.
However, the Race-German War of 1965 proved disastrous for both Germany and its empire. The war saw the destruction of Germany's military and infrastructure, though it did manage to do significant damage to the Race, especially in those areas which bordered it such as Poland and Spain. Nonetheless, the terms of the peace agreement, which the Race imposed almost unilaterally, included the surrendering of all German nuclear and space technologies and the German withdrawal from, and reconstitution of, France.
Countries Absorbed by the Reich (Prior to Race-German War of 1965)[]
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechoslovakia (Czech portion)
- Denmark
- France
- Greece
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Yugoslavia
Countries Dependent on the Reich's Protection (Prior to the Race-German War of 1965)[]
References[]
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