The Second Vienna Conference, Part 1: 1900
- Location
- the Republic
- Pronouns
- He/They
The Second Vienna Conference, Part 1: 1900
Ceding the right to organize an international conference to one of the directly involved parties is a major concession because it grants that party tremendous influence over the proceedings. Though this is usually not done in modern European politics, the usual state of affairs has been upended for the Second Vienna Conference, in which the Republican Alliance has full control over both the agenda and the membership.
Numerous envoys and diplomats descend upon the Schonbrunn Palace, which is already in the process of being converted over into the assembly hall and official offices for the Viennese city council. Nevertheless, numerous ballrooms and other meeting spaces remain open for the delegates, who settle into their chairs to begin discussing the fate of Eastern Europe.
What is to be done?
The Invitations
[] We will invite Britain, France, and Russia.
With Italy and Spain also present, this will make for a compact, high-powered conference that exclusively deals in top-level politics. The Great Powers are more likely to be interested in a divided Habsburg Empire, with a number of smaller new states that should prove more receptive to external influence than enlarged pre-existing ones. This will upset Romania, Montenegro, and Serbia.
[] We will also invite the relevant former League states.
Romania and Montenegro have territorial designs on various parts of the Habsburg Empire and it will be easier to deal with several of the areas you don't directly control if you can hand them off to other states. This will also improve your relations with and popular image in both countries. This will upset Serbia.
[] ...And Serbia, too.
Serbia has a long-standing desire to unite the South Slavs under a single national banner and this represents their best chance in a long, long time. Indulging even a portion of their ambitions will win you much influence and friendship among both the Serbian leadership and their pan-nationalist population.
[] What the hell, invite everyone.
Inviting every Balkan power is a bold move and will transform this conference into a general reappraisal of the entire region, including its borders and balance of power. Chaotic, sure, but it's also a great opportunity to gain influence on a much larger scale.
The Will of the People
[] No strings attached to any transfers.
EFFECT: +2 Leverage. A bunch of politicians draw lines on a map. Improved relations with the nations present at the conference.
[] All territorial transfers must be ratified by plebiscite.
EFFECT: -2 Leverage. Universal adult suffrage votes will be held to ensure that all new states and transferred territories have a popular mandate. Improved relations with anyone who gets territory out of the deal; reduced relations with anyone for whom the plebiscite returns a negative result.
[] ...And the territories must be democratic.
EFFECT: -4 Leverage. Any state formed out of the former Habsburg Empire or inheriting territory thereof must adhere to certain democratic criteria, including free elections for an empowered legislature. Monarchical states will retain their hereditary leaders, albeit with constitutional limits. Reduced relations with any country that has to write or modify its constitution to get territory (which would be most of them).
[] ...By which we mean they have to be republics.
EFFECT: -8 Leverage. No state may be formed nor any territory transferred unless it's to a purely republican regime. In practice, this forecloses on transferring territory to any extant Balkan state except the Istrian Republic. Severely reduced relations with any country so excluded.
The Question of Influence
[] The Alliance in the west, the Entente in the east.
EFFECT: +2 Leverage. The Alliance retains the right to directly reorganize all its presently occupied territories (Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia) while ceding all claims to influence elsewhere (Dalmatia, Transylvania, Vojvodina, Banat). The conference will skip any further territorial adjustments in the former Habsburg Empire and move on to other business, if any. Improved relations with the Entente.
[] Let's take this point-by-point.
EFFECT: +0 Leverage. The conference will move on to a new phase where each region will be discussed individually. Leverage costs will be modified by whether the Alliance controls the region or not. No relations changes (yet).
[] ...But just for the east.
EFFECT: -4 Leverage. The Alliance retains the right to directly reorganize the territories presently under its control. The conference will move on to a new phase discussing the unoccupied territories. No relations changes (yet).
You begin with 12 Leverage. Leverage will not be gained or lost between phases of the conference. Yes, you can spend it all in the opening phase and go into the next one with 0.
If the final deal is 0 Leverage, it will be automatically accepted. For any deal at +1 or higher, you will gain foreign relations bonuses. Any deal at -1 or -2 Leverage may be subject to rejection, counter-offer, or foreign relations penalties. Any deal below -2 Leverage isn't valid. If the system falls apart, I'll fix it somehow.
Please do not get worked up over the specifics of what constitutes "democratic criteria" or a "constitutional monarchy". Think the First Republic, but with a constitutional monarch.
Also, yes, if you pick a certain combo then the Leverage phases end immediately. If the Conference expands to a general congress on the Balkans, you won't need Leverage for those phases, just the ones dealing with the former Habsburg Empire.
The Alliance controls most of core Hungary and Slovakia so it gets to negotiate as though it controls all of them.
Please vote by plan. Looking for a convincing plurality, as usual. Here, have an example plan:
[] Plan: Best Friends Forever
-[] What the hell, invite everyone.
-[] No strings attached to any transfers.
-[] The Alliance in the west, the Entente in the east.
24 hours to consider, then 24 hours to vote.
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