German Civil War

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German Civil War
Part of The Cold War
From top to bottom: German Civil War Superevent, Speerite Volkssturm prepare to halt the advance of Bormann's forces.
Abilities	Equipment, Manpower, Advisors
Date	October 27, 1963 - Mid-1960s
Place	Germany
Result	Collapse of the Einheitspakt and German influence worldwide - Beginning of the Serbian National Uprising - Start of the Ostland Civil War - End of German bombing campaigns, leading West African nations to expand inland, with eventual wars breaking out such as the West Russian and West Siberian Wars of Unification - Start of the Warsaw Uprising - Formation of the Afrika-Schild and subsequent buildup to the South African War - Outbreak of the Franco-Burgundian War - Outbreak of the British Civil War - Dissolution of Reichskommissariat Moskowien - Eruption of the Transnistrian Bush War - Outbreak of the Ukrainian Civil War
Belligerents
Conservatives Bormann's Germany Reformists Speer's Germany Supported by: Iberian Union United States (potentially) Limited support from: Japan (potentially) Italy (potentially) Sweden (potentially) Ireland (potentially) Bulgaria (potentially) Rumania (potentially) Militarists Görings's Germany Schutzstaffel Heydrich's Germany Supported by: Burgundy
Leaders
Martin Bormann Baldur von Schirach Walter Hewel Kurt Lange Wilhelm Burgdorf Albert Speer Kurt Georg Kiesinger Helmut Schmidt Ludwig Erhard Henning von Tresckow Hermann Göring Wilhelm Stuckart Artur Axmann Paul 'Pili' Körner Rudolf Diels Reinhard Heydrich Philipp Bouhler Gunter d'Alquen August Frank Herbert Otto Gille
Outcomes
Bormann becomes Fuhrer Speer becomes Fuhrer Göring becomes Fuhrer Heydrich becomes Fuhrer

The German Civil War is a conflict that begins on October 27, 1963, around 3 weeks after the death of Adolf Hitler in Germany. This war has immediate and long-lasting consequences that, in the short term, signals the collapse of German influence around the globe.

With the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler after the Moon Landing towards the beginning of 1962, the Führer's health ever since rapidly deteriorates across the rest of the two remaining years that he remains alive, which beckons the question of who would succeed Hitler in terms of leadership. Ultimately, this power struggle would culminate in a civil war that erupts after Hitler's death, leading to not only the collapse of the German mainland, but the collapse of various Reichskommissariats and territories held by the Reich as well as the exit of many members from the Einheitspakt in hopes of surviving the consequences that follow the war.

In the aftermath of the Brüderkrieg, a lack of leadership in the African Reichskommissariats would lead to the formation of the Afrika-Schild and eventually the South African War, which a post-war reunited Germany has the option to help its former colonies in against the OFN-backed South Africa. The collapse and reunification of many Reichskommissariats under potentially unfriendly governments drastically diminishes the former German superpower's influence, which forces the victor of the war into another series of wars to reclaim the German lands in Europe.

The death of Hitler on German newspaper headlines.

Background

After the end of the Second World War, many within the German government were assured that the victories and successes of the Reich would last forever, securing the Endsieg it was destined to inherit. Within the first few years after victory, the taste of glory was already in the hands of the Thousand Year Reich, and with the construction of Germania and various other infrastructure projects and continued economic prosperity, it really did seem as though German hegemony would last forever.

1950s Economic Collapse, Formation of the Reformist and Conservative Factions

Despite the illusion of eternal glory, the economic crash of the 50s impacted the Reich enormously from the average citizen to the most influential echelons of government in the Volkshalle.

Due to the failures of the slave-driven corporatist economic system, Reichsarchitekt Albert Speer, the main mastermind behind it all and responsible for its ultimate collapse, decided to rethink his ideals and economic viewpoint.

In the end, he came to the foregone conclusion that slavery in Germany must be abolished, reform must be brought into the NSDAP and the economy must liberalise in order for the Reich to last and prosper. This ended up planting the seeds for the Reformist faction, attracting various liberals such as the Gang of Four and student movements towards it as it gave hope for change in the totalitarian fascist regime.

Standing in stark contrast to Speer's reformist movement, Martin Bormann and his fellow conservative party bureaucrats believed that the National Socialist system would stand the test of time, advocating for only the most minor of reforms while keeping the traditions and orthodoxy of National Socialism alive.

The West Russian War, Schutzstaffel Rebellion and formation of the Militarist Faction

As the West Russian War raged on later in the 50s, however, Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the SS, increasingly became displeased and skeptical of the National Socialist cause he had fought for. He decided that the party had grew degenerate and that a new pure form of National Socialism had to emerge, giving way to a renewed age of prosperity by further increasing the methods of brutality used to punish dissidents and undesirables.

Growing ever paranoid, this ultimately culminated in the attempted Schutzstaffel Rebellion. Despite its failure, the eventual partition of the Schutzstaffel into Burgundian and German portions alongside the creation of the Burgundian Order-State has popularised the idea of a more imposing, pure National Socialist ideology among the ranks of the German SS led Reinhard Heydrich and factions of the Wehrmacht.

With veterans returning to Germania from the east to quell the rebellion, the West Russian War effectively ended as the Russians splintered into bickering factions. Many still yearned the experience of war, while others, notably Reichsleiter Joseph Goebbels and Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring, who noticed that war and conflict was the main contributor to the Reich's economic output, and hence advocated for a hawkish foreign policy combined with a military-controlled government to better ready itself for future conflicts. However, due to Goebbels' death, Göring was instead placed as the nominal head of the Militarist Faction.

Assassination attempt and gradual health decline of Adolf Hitler

By the 1960s, Adolf Hitler had grown old and increasingly incapable to rule, brewing theories on who would succeed the Führer after his death. With his insistence on his eternal rule, however, an official successor would not be chosen until early 1962.

On January 25 1962, Hitler is near-fatally wounded by a gunshot from a Burgundian operative disguised as a Kempeitai agent. Despite the risks imposed to his health, Hitler survived the assassination attempt at the cost of more future years that he would rule. As a result, he was forced to choose a successor out of the leaders of the 4 main factions. With tensions gradually increasing and simmering, the 4 factions and their leaders campaigned to impose their vision for Germany onto the populace, promoting their respective ideologies to the populace to try and garner popular support. This power struggle would continue on as Hitler's health gradually worsened due to the gunshot and long-term effects of drug addictions, worsening his ability to continue his role as leader of the German people.

Death of Adolf Hitler and collapse of German central authority

With Adolf Hitler dead on October 15, 1963, the Reichstag Emergency Council announced a mourning period and funeral service for the former Führer. Despite Hitler having chosen his successor, the other 3 factions refused to recognise the result. As a result, the leaders mobilised and prepared the nation for a civil war, with Heydrich mobilising the SS with assistance from Burgundy, controlling border regions in Alsace-Lorraine and East Prussia, Speer arming the student movements and inviting the Reichsbanner to fight alongside him, taking over the northwestern regions of the Rhineland and Hanover, Göring redirecting the Luftwaffe to allied airbases, establishing his presence in the northern coastal regions and Western Prussia and finally ending with Bormann controlling the Heer, assuming control over the south in Bavaria and Austria.

Only Germania and the surrounding Brandenburg Gau remained under the Reichstag Authority, with the four faction leaders recognizing only themselves as the rightful successor, ripping the Reich to pieces by declaring war against each other, starting the German Civil War.

In-game

The German Civil War has several unique mechanics exclusive to it, being a staple major event in the TNO lore.

Pre-war and preparation focus trees

After finishing the Moon Landing focus in the starting tree, Hitler will inevitably be shot by a Burgundian agent in disguise of the Kempeitai, which adds 20 points of world tension between Germany and Japan in the Cold War GUI. In the next few events, Hitler will go live on television and it is up to the player to choose between Speer, Bormann or Heydrich to be declared his successor (Göring was an option up until later TT versions, where his content and him as an option in Hitler's succession was subsequently removed and turned into a submod), which changes the focus tree to prepare for the chosen successor by increasing their soft power in the newly unlocked Power Struggle decisions tab.

For Speer, the preparation tree mainly involves giving in to the student demands by implementing mild reforms to welfare, appealing to the Reichstag, re-evaluating and defunding the military (particularly those aligned with Göring in the Luftwaffe), opening up the economy and favoring détente with the US.

As for Bormann, his tree focuses on damaging the reputation of the three other faction leaders (which further adds to his already large starting legitimacy), increasing ties and funding for the Kriegsmarine and Heer, grounding the Luftwaffe, increasing the loyalty of NSDAP party members and gathering support from the Reichskommissariats.

Finally, for Heydrich, his tree's main objectives are to crush the student protests, threatening and purging members of the other factions, dissolving the Reichstag, the expulsion of foreign ambassadors (increasing world tension in the process), bolstering SS units and gaining support from Burgundy, especially Himmler himself, for the upcoming civil war.

The Power Struggle mechanic.

The Power Struggle mechanic

Despite the player's candid support for one of the factions, the other factions are still vying for influence in the Power Struggle tab. Bormann starts with the most influence (25), followed by Göring close in second (15), with Speer coming second in last (10) and Heydrich barely having any at all (5). The chosen faction will have the influence of the leaders above plus 5 extra influence points, being of Hitler's choosing which adds more starting legitimacy to their leadership.

This influence can be spent on diverting infantry equipment to loyal forces, building fortifications, gaining production units, fielding extra divisions in the civil war and even swaying the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Wehrkreis XIX) to your side (which if successful allows them to join later in the war as your side's puppet).

To gain this influence, the player can go through the focus tree, or wait every once in a while to unlock a decision titled "Look for Opportunities" (costing 25 political power) that creates an event for a faction (even the ones not chosen by the player) to gain 5 influence, and in some case, change assorted laws depending on which options are chosen in the events.

Outbreak of War

Upon the death of Hitler (October 15, 1963), the Reichstag Emergency Council will assume leadership of the Reich, and a short, abrupt funeral will be held for the dead Führer. No matter how much influence or whatever the player does, however, the chosen leader will not be handed the title of Führer due to the fact that "the Reich is still in a state of mourning", delaying the transfer of leadership.

Starting situation of the German Civil War.

In descending order, Heydrich, Speer, Göring and Bormann will declare themselves the rightful Führer, with their respective areas of control becoming demilitarised zones and any divisions within the areas deleted from selection. Upon the beginning of the war 12 days later, the central government loses control of these respective areas entirely, spawning each of the Germanies under their faction leaders alongside a good amount of divisions to fight in the war, with the player tagswitching to their chosen candidate. The chosen candidate (whether chosen by the player when playing Germany or by German AI when not playing Germany) will also get a national spirit (titled "Hitler's Chosen Successor", giving +5% Division Organisation, 5% Recruitable Population Factor and +0.05% Daily Compliance Gain), so that the chosen candidate would be more likely to win the civil war if chosen by the AI.

Each candidate's Germany (with the exception of Göring's, for the time being) has their own unique war-time focus tree, dedicated to gaining legitimacy, influence and other smaller bonuses.

Speer's tree primarily concerns freeing dissidents and slaves to fight as mobilised units in the war, getting foreign support from the United States and Japan as well as non-aligned nations in Europe and industrialising his territory towards a war economy.

Bormann's tree aims to rally the NSDAP bureaucracy to fight with their wealth (personally funding the war effort), "politically mobilising" by getting support from higher levels of German society and drafting manpower to try and finish the war quickly.

Heydrich's tree is different however, as unlike the other 2, his tree is forced to go down one of the three exclusive options for which SS to rely on throughout the war: the Burgundian SS loyal to Himmler, the German SS loyal to Heydrich or the Waffen-SS loyal to neither. The choice between the three branches will have consequences after Heydrich's victory, the most obvious being highlighted in the focus effects where Himmler's will be displeased with his choice should he choose either of the latter two options (i.e. less willing to send support), as well as different leadership options and a change of alignment for the Waffen-SS in the SS Civil War.

A week after the war begins (November 3 1963), Hans Speidel and Erwin Rommel will coup the Council in Germania, declaring neutrality and ordering remaining Wehrmacht units to protect the city and its surrounding areas in Brandenburg from the havoc of the war.

Reichsgau Gotenland, starting off a part of Germany will be released with its local Gau government under Franz Maierhofer, while the port of Nordstern and Channel Islands will remain under Schutzzone Germania.

Not only that, but if Heydrich performs well enough to capitulate one of the contenders in the civil war, the two remaining factions will form an Anti-Heydrich Alliance, forming a truce to jointly combat the Spartanist threat. The alliance will disband after both members are defeated or if Heydrich capitulates, which resumes the war between the two remaining belligerents.

The German Civil War mechanic

Throughout the war, the gathered influence in preparation for the chosen leader will carry on into the German Civil War decisions tab as legitimacy, which can be converted back into influence for 5 legitimacy.

The German Civil War mechanic.

Influence can then be used to start missions on capturing key cities, and upon capture will give 5 legitimacy as well as small amounts of stability, war support and political power, though these bonuses can still be gained even without starting the mission anyway. Not only that, influence can also be used to add debuffs to opposing factions by sabotaging their frontlines, giving +45% extra attrition and +25% supply consumption for 25 days to wane the abilities of faction militias. Additionally, influenced can also be spent on starting uprisings in opposing factions, spawning 2 militia units behind frontlines in their territories which can be used to disrupt their war effort further.

Influence can also be converted back into legitimacy, though it is far less profitable as it would cost 10 influence to get 5 legitimacy in exchange.

Despite how all this makes influence sound like the more important aspect to look for, legitimacy too plays a role in the civil war in the form of a national spirit "titled State of Our Legitimacy". If one side has a high amount legitimacy points, this will buff the spirit, whereas if one side has less or a low amount of legitimacy, that spirit becomes a debuff to the faction. The national spirit affect political power gain, production efficiency caps, training time, planning speed and daily compliance gain, each percentage changing depending on the amount of legitimacy one side has.

Immediate global impacts

Conflicts beyond the Reich

As Germany collapses, the Einheitspakt dissolves and all members of the German economic sphere leave, with Serbia being the first to fall into civil war (before the GCW starts or even the dissolution of the Pakt itself), followed by the completely loss of order in the Reichskommissariats, with Ostland, the General Government, Moskowien (at first falling into anarchy, then imploding into a state of civil war between a dozen warlords) and Ukraine. The Luftwaffe, now being focused on the war, ends its bombing campaigns over Russia and West Africa (removing the Luftwaffe Terror Bombing national spirit, though with the exception of Tyumen due to the end of their starting tree removing the spirit for them), giving way for the Smuta in West Russia and West Siberia, as well as the opportunity for West African nations to expand inland.

In Africa, the Reichskommissariats having lost contact with Germania form an alliance known as the Afrika-Schild, officially for defense, but unofficially to support the upcoming Boer rebels and escalate a war against South Africa, which later spirals into the South African War. After the civil war, Speer and Bormann both have options to support the Afrika-Schild by sending volunteers or to withdraw from Africa altogether.

Without the restrictions of the Pakt chaining the Order-State, Burgundy launches a full-blown invasion into France, who because of their military restrictions from the Second World War, cannot resist with their weak military comprised of several untrained divisions. Burgundy also gives tacit support to Heydrich and his SS legions, sending equipment and manpower, but if he capitulates, Himmler supports Göring instead.

After a snap freeze in Britain killing thousands, the inability of the Reich to stage an intervention as a result of their own civil war and the death of prime minister Barry Domvile to a package bomb, Her Majesty's Most Loyal Resistance (HMMLR) led by former MI5 director general and partisan leader Maxwell Knight launches the Second General Uprising against the collaborator government in London now under Ronald Nall-Cain.

Due to the lack of German support and the nearby breakout of the Ukrainian Civil War, the Transnistria Governorate suffers from partisan activity, dragging Romania into and starting the Transnistrian Bush War and eventually causing the Odesa Hostage Crisis.

Other power struggles

Beyond the conflicts that erupt due to the Reich's implosion, economic and political collapse, smaller scale power struggles within countries both within and without the Reich's sphere of influence also occur and could change the trajectory of German diplomatic ties within the country, depending on who takes charge and who wins in the GCW.

In Denmark, Werner Best will struggle to keep himself in power, which could potentially get him couped by the Wehrmacht garrison stationed in the area, outmaneuvered by his own foreign minister with democratic sympathies (though he inevitably gets couped by the Wehrmacht or the NSFP), or a putsch from Martinsen's pro-independence Nazi collaborators, though it's possible that he could retain his power as head of state.

In Norway, Terboven will depart from the Reichskommissariat and abandon it, disbanding the Wehrmacht garrison stationed there, empowering the local collaborator government. This causes infighting from the various factions of the Nasjonal Samling, between the mainstream wing previously led by the former Reichskommissar now under Gulbrand Lunde, the more liberal minded (but still authoritarian) moderates under Per Borten and the highly Germanophilic radicals under Jonas Lie. Alternatively, the Nasjonal Samling may be lose power altogether via coup by the Milorg under Knut Møyen.

During the Franco-Burgundian War, French Prime Minister Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour will mysteriously disappear, forcing Chief of the French State Charles Huntziger into power, who dies after a few weeks past the invasion. With extreme political instability brought on by the war from Himmler's shadow state (forcing the relocation of the capital from Paris to Bordeaux) and the loss of two heads of states in rapid succession, the political status quo in France collapses entirely, creating a power vacuum in the government. In the end, five main contenders emerge from the political anarchy, most coming from the Parti National, among them are the populist Pierre Poujade's Union and French Fraternity movement, Antoine Pinay's Reformists democrats and Jean Bichelonne's managerial Technocrats. This doesn't exclude politicians who don't come from the PN who could take power however, as there are two who don't belong in the party, namely the French Popular Party (PPF) under Pierre Sidos' national socialist Germanophiles and the once-thought-to-be-irrelevant French Action (Action Française, AF) led by monarchist historian Pierre Gaxotte.

The Netherlands too suffers from a power struggle similar to Germany's, albeit without a civil war and on a much smaller scale after Reichskommissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart dies of old age, rendering his attempts at keeping the NSB out of power useless. This in turn causes a power struggle between the three main factions of the party, between the NSB's mainstream Musserite wing, the reformist Amsterdam Group and hardliner Nazist Volkisch faction. A coup may also come from the Dutch SS under Feldmeijer as well should Heydrich win the civil war.

After being ruled under Reichskommissar Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont for over a decade, the Caucasus may have a chance of changing leadership after the loss of contact from Germania, possibly ending with a coup from Paul Pleiger's technocratic Nazists, though it is highly likely that the sitting Reichskommissar will retain his role and continue his rule. Another possibility (although exceedingly rare) is that Reichskommissar Pyrmont declares himself King of Kaukasia from his aristocratic family heritage, becoming an absolute monarch and going back to his noble roots, though effectively not much changes from his previous rule as a non-royal. In the event of a Heydrich victory, Reichskommissar Pyrmont will remain a Nazist Reichskommissar with no possibility of a coup from Pleiger nor declaring himself king.

With the withdrawal of German diplomatic and economic support, Higinio Morínigo of Paraguay will inevitably be overthrown no matter any scenario due to a crisis plaguing the country from the civil war, with even his own faction in his party, the Red Banner Wing, ousting him in favor of Juan Natalicio González. Besides the orthodox fascists in the party, the stratocratic War Front led by Mutshuito Villasboa and the reformist Democrats led by Federico Chávez both have potential to dethrone the current faction in the National Republican Association.

Reactions

Most of the world will rejoice at the death of Hitler, having been the man responsible for the deaths of tens of millions in starting the Second World War, and oppressing those he invaded with colonial governments in place. Not only that, but with the collapse of the German sphere, Germania exits the Cold War GUI as a superpower, leaving only the Americans and Japanese as the two sole superpowers in the world, who both have the option to send arms and manpower to Speer due to him being the most moderate out of all the Nazis in the civil war.

Speer, as previously mentioned, also has the option to request arms from the remaining non German-aligned nations in Europe, including Rumania, Italy, Sweden, Ireland and Bulgaria, each with the option to send arms or decline the request. The Iberian Union also has the option to support Speer in their focus tree as soon as the war starts, sending equipment, manpower and diplomatic support.

Ireland, formerly a Pakt Observer, will leave any association with the Pakt behind due to the Einheitspakt's collapse until its refoundation, restoring its observer status, though they may leave again should negotiations be opened with the IRA in the Ulster insurgency.

Other Pakt observers such as Sweden, Iran and Finland will also disassociate from the alliance, though unlike Ireland, they will not reapply as observers unless encountering interference by a unifier after the civil war.

Outcomes

Domestic changes

The State of the Reich decision tab.

Speer

In Speer's victory, Germany's reformists are now put into power, with a decisions tab mechanic (named The State of the Reich) that displays the regime's stability, social outlook and economic policy, as well as an option to launch propaganda campaigns costing political power and liquid reserves that can change the power balance between reformist and conservative forces in society and the government.

Overall, minorities can expect enfranchisement to varying extents, while slavery is abolished and the slaves themselves receiving government retribution for their enslavement, though the extent of the retribution is also varied depending which faction holds more power. It is entirely possible that the Nuremberg Laws may be entirely repealed from Germany's judicial institutions itself, and political restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of the press may be lifted slightly to allow criticism of the government.

Economically, Speer and the Gang of Four (Erhard in particular) will try to combat the Wehrwirtschaftsführers (military industrialists) to point Germany's economy in a more free-market liberal and capitalist direction, doing away with the Nazi corporatist economic policies that involved the use of mass slavery and racial discrimination, while also transforming German economic influence into a more equal platform for the rest of Europe into what's known as the Zollverein.

Bormann

Das Kartenhaus mechanic.

In Bormann's victory, an entirely separate mechanic will become available completing one of the first few focuses known as Das Kartenhaus (transl. "The House of Cards"), which shows three different factions' (Conservatives, Reformists and Militarists) influence over the many institutions and aspects of German society, with each major group being represented as a card. The player is able to interact with each of the factions in every one of the cards, expanding/curbing their influence or increasing/decreasing their loyalty to the government, though there is a limit to how many interactions can be made with the cards. Within the first few years of his reign, however, Bormann will end up dismantling either the Reformists or Militarists in his focus tree, being forced to choose between Speidel and Schörner for military reforms.

Though slavery will end up abolished in the long term, this is done so for the sake of economic inefficiency, and repatriated slaves will not be given further rights beyond "freedom" from slavery, given barely any wage under squalid working conditions in practical terms. The Nazi party-state bureaucracy remains unchanged from Hitler's time, just more efficient yet close-minded as they were before, while many small bans previously in place under Hitler's regime like smoking are no longer prohibited or discouraged against in German society. In the later stages of this run, this spree of strange small-scale social reforms will continue as his political opponents have been defeated, including the lift of the ban on polygamy.

On the economy, as mentioned previously, Bormann bans slavery to promote long-term economic stability and efficiency, while giving small restrictions to the megacorporations dominating the German war industry. The Großraum is left untouched and unchanged, while opposite to Speer, the reintegrated Reichskommissariats are instead slowly integrated and eventually annexed into becoming parts of Germany proper, with programs to further resource extraction and improve railway infrastructure across the Pakt put into place as well.

Göring

The Militarist Demands decision tab.

With the Reich's ashes reunified under Göring, the Reichsmarshall's main focus prioritises foreign policy and imperialist expansion above domestic policy, exemplified in his various War Plans found in the focus tree, which will then automatically set its own deadline found in the decisions tab. Should the completion of a War Plan within a given amount of time fail, Schörner, the de facto head of the Militarist Faction will launch a coup against Göring, ending the run for the player and slowly collapsing the accumulated German sphere of influence built under Göring's rule.

Due to Göring's ambitious plans for conquest, the entirety of German society is mobilised to help the war effort, and combined with Nazi racial supremacist principles, will see various Reichskommissariats placed in charge of conquered lands much to the dismay of the natives living there. Inside the Reich core, martial law is installed 24/7, with a massive purge commenced against any and all political opposition, dissenter or bureaucrat alike.

The economy's fate is similar to that of society's — the entire economy is reshaped towards the complete efficiency and benefit of Wehrmacht divisions on the frontlines of conflict, with severe austerity measures such as the end of luxury as we know it and the dedication of factories to military products over civilian goods being commonplaces across the Reich.

Heydrich

Main Article: SS Civil War

Map of the SS Civil War.

In a Heydrich victory scenario, Germany is now under the boot of the SS, with the approval of Himmler and the rest of Burgundy's government. Despite this, however, a chain of events will end up worsening the relations between the two SS leaders, with Heydrich disgusted and horrified at Himmler's plans for nuclear annihilation in the name of the Aryan race, driving him to go against his former ally and plunging Germany into a new state of de facto division in what's known as the SS Civil War, in which various factions of the SS and the rest of the German political scene take up parts of the country for themselves, being given the choice to either join Heydrich or Himmler, both of which are trying to stockpile nuclear missiles for themselves, for in Heydrich's case he will stop Himmler from annihilating the world, whereas in Himmler's case he wants to annihilate the world.

Foreign changes

Speer and Bormann

Though domestically both take drastically different political paths and directions in governing, diplomatically Speer and Bormann policies are quite similar in actions, especially in the presumably ongoing South African War upon their victory in the civil war. Both have the options to either commit volunteers to the Afrika-Schild and the African Reichskommissariats, or to simply abandon their allies and withdraw forces from the war entirely. Depending whichever option is chosen and if a Schild-leaning or complete Schild victory is achieved, choosing to support the Reichskommissariats will allow the Afrikaner Volkstaat to join the Pakt as a full member under Pieter Willem Botha after the Reichstaat's collapse, whereas abandoning the Schild if the Schild wins will result in the Volkstaat being led by Jaap Marais after Hertzog's resignation, choosing to maintain a neutral foreign policy.

Outside of Africa, both Führers will aim to reestablish German hegemony in the former Reichskommissariats of Central and Eastern Europe, invading or reintegrating (if the governments are compatible) in what can generally be split into phases. The first phase will include reintegrating the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia (Wehrkreis XIX), Denmark, the Netherlands and Slovakia, the second involves Poland, Norway and Ostland, the third on Ukraine, the fourth in Moskowien and the final phase in Kaukasien, though there are subtle differences in which governments can be reintegrated or left with no choice but invasion depending on the outcomes of the power struggles in these countries (except Moskowien, which will always be reinvaded no matter the outcome of the Moskowien Dissolution).

Beyond the reclamation of their spheres, both will seek a détente with America and Japan (though Bormann may choose not to with Japan), though both will conduct their détentes differently based on their choices beforehand.

Speer can choose to have a détente with America (if he chooses to appeal more to the reformists) by sending Schmidt or by going himself (Schmidt's meeting discusses a lot more ideological disputes and cultural niches, whereas Speer is more pragmatic and talks more about trade and the possibility of reform), both culminating in the Toronto Accords. Bormann will visit America purely to end the embargo and hopefully join together against Japan in the Cold War, meeting the president (with a different event per each president) to further cement his thaw in relations, which itself can also have a possibility to fail or succeed.

In Japan, Speer can choose to have a détente with them over America (if he leans conservative), which focuses on the old ties they had as fellows Axis co-belligerents in the Second World War and lifting trade barriers between the two empires, while Bormann has a choice to either pursue a policy of détente with Japan or to build ties with other Middle Eastern and south Asian nations against Japan's interests.

Göring

Main article: Göring Expanded

Prior to removal (and being turned into a submod), Göring's content was infamously known to allow a German hegemony not only in Europe, but across the entire world.

Just like his more level-headed adversaries Speer and Bormann, Göring also has the option to help the Schild in South Africa, and similarly will reconquer former Pakt domains in Europe, but unlike the first two, his militarist allies will force him to go beyond and conquer every single country in the world he comes across with their War Plans, turning them into Reichskommissariats or puppet regimes under the Reich. Some operations among the War Plans are even given the special "Fall" (meaning Case in German) designation due to their magnitude or significance (Fall Blau for Iberia, Fall Rot for Russia, Fall Schwarz for Burgundy, Fall Wiking for dealing with the OFN's Northern Flank, Fall Amazon for Brazil, Fall Venedig for Colombia and Venezuela, Fall Rockwell for America and Fall Dammerung for Japan). Either way, his entire foreign policy revolves around conquest and avoiding nuclear war by capitulating everyone as quickly as possible (lest Schörner coups him).

In the end, one of three things happen: nuclear war between the Reich and another nuclear power, Schörner launches a coup d'etat against Göring, or Göring's plans work out successfully and Germany dominates the world entirely.

Heydrich

Heydrich's content is extremely concentrated around the divisions in the SS and dealing with Himmler as well as the SS Civil War, which gives little room for any foreign diplomacy. The only interactions with a foreign power in a Heydrich run will be with the former Reichskommissariats to send volunteers or give support to Heydrich or Himmler's faction (or in the case of Kaukasien, neither at all), while the rest of the world is given a backseat in any gameplay interactions with the new Führer. Upon the end of the SS Civil War and Heydrich's suicide leading to the complete destruction of order in Germany however, the Reich will forever lose its superpower status, unable to participate in future proxy wars and turning the Cold War from a three-sided conflict into a two-sided one between America and Japan. Should Himmler win the SS Civil War, the nukes produced by Burgundian arsenals will fire, causing worldwide nuclear war and the destruction of civilisation as a whole, ending the game.