Springtime of Nations II: A European Republic Quest

[X] Release Schnäbele, but insist upon his guilt.

This isn't worth a war, but we probably shouldn't undermine the NG just after founding them.
 
[X] Release Schnäbele with a full apology.

We don't seem to have any definitive proof, and I'd rather we be the first to strike against France, rather than the reverse, so we don't want to strengthen their warhawks.
 
[X] Release Schnäbele, but insist upon his guilt.

I'm not interested in a war with France right now, but I also don't want to bow and scrape to Georges fucking Boulanger.
 
[x] Hang Schnäbele as a spy.
Be nice to foreign spies and they will be nice to ours that is just how the game is played
Edit: Actually hang him he is french he deserves it.
 
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[X] Hold Schnäbele pending further discussions.

Heighten the tensions within France. Mayhap French republicans and socialists can make use of the opportunity.
 
More rationally, the only options of any value are the first or the last. Either we improve relations with the Entente, thus buttering them up for any prospective Eastern War, or we fight France now. All of the middle and moderate options are fucking us over in both ways by doing our enemies a small offense.
 
More rationally, the only options of any value are the first or the last. Either we improve relations with the Entente, thus buttering them up for any prospective Eastern War, or we fight France now. All of the middle and moderate options are fucking us over in both ways by doing our enemies a small offense.
The Holding option is good, actually, because it keeps the Emperor and Boulanger at odds. The goal there is to provoke infighting.
 
[X] Release Schnäbele with a full apology.

Putting aside diplomatic immunity as a concept, this would be a war of France's choosing, and I don't want to give that to them.
 
...by doing our enemies a small offense.

Well my hope is for France to declare war and the entente to not intervene militarily, though it might be considered faint I believe it is the best option. (Also we can just hang him later for all those hang voters)

Edit: See the masked readers post above mine
 
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Do we know how strong the radlib and socialist forces are in france at the moment? Have they recovered from the german civil war?
 
The Holding option is good, actually, because it keeps the Emperor and Boulanger at odds. The goal there is to provoke infighting.
Not at all what I'd call a good option no, it's sacrificing relations with France for an unpredictable chance that might well come back to bite us. Such as Boulanger's warhawks taking power and us finding ourselves opposed on both sides by rapidly arming great powers.
 
It's been too long since the last war. This is as good a opportunity as any! GIVE WAR A CHANCE FOLKS!
 
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To those voting for apologizing - George Boulanger, also known as "General Revanche", is a French nationalist and arch-conservative. Peacemaking with France will not work - He's clearly champing at the bit to go to war, and this is just the excuse. Holding the spy ensures that Boulanger and the Emperor (who does not want to go to war) will fight, and will keep Britain far more distant than the outright provocation of hanging.

The tradition of releasing spies like this is a holdover of the "gentleman's game of European politics." I will remind everyone that when that game came to Germany, it was a Franco-British starvation blockade, and hundreds of thousands of foreign volunteers flooding across the borders. They will not follow their rules to defeat us, we must not play their game to defeat or appease them. Holding the spy will throw the opposition into chaos, and allow their domestic republicans and socialists to have a chance.
 
look at it this way, the emperor Doesn't want to declare war, as long as we don't shit in his lap he can prevent that, what holding him does is inflame internal tensions in france, and make the emperor fight with his parliament. i don't think that britain wants anything to do with this, so that also strains the relationship with britain if france looks to be leaning towards war. holding him is only to our advantage
 
Not at all what I'd call a good option no, it's sacrificing relations with France for an unpredictable chance that might well come back to bite us. Such as Boulanger's warhawks taking power and us finding ourselves opposed on both sides by rapidly arming great powers.
Our relations with France are clearly already at rock bottom, considering they just tried to pass a vote to mobilize and invade us over a single spy. Boulanger is in power - We are already surrounded by hostile great powers. We must not make the mistake of appeasement!
 
From what I can tell we are ready to go to war in military terms but aren't likely to get much support from the people considering how short of a period it has been since the civil war.

Personally, I prefer just utterly to outpace them economically instead. From what I can tell, we are also in the middle of redefining society, so it's a bit of a delicate internal situation.
 
Like we have just reformed our army. This is a good opportunity to take it on a test drive and figure out if our doctrine works. We will be in Paris by christmas i suspect.
 
A draft treaty between France and Italy is leaked to the Italian newspapers in early 1887. Its terms outline the cession of Savoy and Nice to the French Empire in exchange for the annexation of Rome, a substantial cash payment, military aid, and admission into the Western Entente. The draft is met with notable public disapproval, which deepens into growing unrest as news filters back about Italian expeditionary troops suffering a humiliating loss in Eritrea. When the king requests a huge sum to reinforce and rebuild the colonial army later that year, he is rebuffed by the Italian parliament and the bill is narrowly defeated by a coalition of socialists and republicans.
This is a massive opportunity. If we swallow this temporary indignity, we would edit:increase our chances of success in supporting Italian radical republicans and socialists.

Swallowing the insult to Germany could fan German militarism for our future endeavors - whether in supporting Italian republican-socialist coalition, or in the Republican Alliance's[1] war against the Imperial League. In the first place, the Frankfurt-Darmstadt cops fucked up by inviting cops from the Entente - a decision which could provide diplomatic immunity to official envoys should have required to be counter-signed by the Foreign Commission.

[1] On that note, we should start helping Spain build up to help them strike the Quadruple Monarchy from the Med

Edit: Holding on is gambling, and I do not like our odds. Releasing and maintaining the allegations wins us nothing. Hanging means war is certain, and the Imperial League could pile on...we would not win that war.

[X] Release Schnäbele with a full apology.
 
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