Hermann Eschau: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Created page with "{{WIP}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific-prefix = ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}'' |name = Hermann Eschau |image = Erich Ludendorff.jpg |imagesize = 200 |caption...")
 
No edit summary
 
(30 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 3: Line 3:
|honorific-prefix = ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}''
|honorific-prefix = ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}''
|name        = Hermann Eschau
|name        = Hermann Eschau
|image      = Erich Ludendorff.jpg
|image      = Hermann Eschau, 1941.jpg
|imagesize = 200
|imagesize = 225
|caption      = 1935 official portrait
|caption      = 1941 photo of Eschau
|office      = ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}''
|office      =  
|deputy      =  
|deputy      =  
|term_start  = 18 July 1928
|term_start  =  
|term_end    = 15 March 1948
|term_end    =  
|predecessor  = [[Viktor IV]]<br><small>''as Emperor of the Vierz''</small>
|predecessor  =  
|successor    = ''none (office abolished)''
|successor    =  
|office1      = {{wp|Minister President}} of the [[Vierz Empire]]
|office1      = [[Chancellor of Vierzland#Vierz Empire|Chancellor of the Vierz Empire]]
|term_start1  = 15 December 1924
|term_start1  = 15 June 1927
|term_end1    = 15 March 1948
|term_end1    = 3 July 1949
|predecessor1 = Ludwig Kleiner<br><small>''as Chancellor of the Vierz Empire''</small>
|predecessor1 = [[Lars Hencke]]
|successor1  =  
|successor1  = [[Helmut Bergmann]]
|monarch1 = [[Victor II of Vierzland|Victor II]]
 
|office2 = {{wp|Reichskommissar|Imperial Commissioner}} for Colonial Military Affairs
|term_start2 = 6 March 1920
|term_end2 = 13 September 1925
|predecessor2 = [[Raoul Kaufmann]]
|successor2 = [[Bastian Hannawald]]
|monarch2 = [[Alexander II of Vierzland|Alexander II]]
 
|birth_name  = Hermann Luther Eschau
|birth_name  = Hermann Luther Eschau
|birth_date  = 25 August 1865
|birth_date  = 25 August 1875
|birth_place  = [[Prinzburg]], Vierz Empire
|birth_place  = [[Niederau]], [[Vonzumier]]
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1948|3|15|1870|8|25|df=yes}}
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1949|7|3|1875|8|25|df=yes}}
|death_place  = [[Adtrüs]], Vierz Empire
|death_place  = [[Adtrus]], [[Vierz Empire]]
|party        = [[wp:Independent (politics|Independent]]
|party        = [[wikipedia:Independent (politics|Independent]]
|spouse      =  
|spouse      =  
|alma_mater  = [[Konstantin Imperial War College, Adtrüs]]
|citizenship = [[Vierz Empire passport|Vierz]]
|religion    = [[Wikipedia:Catholicism|Catholicism]]
|alma_mater  = [[Constantine Imperial War College]]
|signature    =  
|signature    =  
|allegiance  = {{flag|Vierz Empire}}
|allegiance  = {{flag|Vierz Empire}}
|branch      = [[Imperial Vierz Army]]
|branch      = [[Imperial Vierz Army]]
|unit        =  
|unit        =  
|serviceyears= 1887–1900<br>1912-1948
|commands = [[Reichswehr (Vierzland)|Imperial Vierz Armed Forces]]'' <small>(1931–1949)</small>
|rank        = Reichsmarschall
|serviceyears= 1892–1900<br>1912–1949
|battles    = [[Frontier Wars]]<br>[[Vonzumier War]]<br>[[Great War (WB)|Great War]]  
|rank        = ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}
|battles    = [[Frontier War]]<br>[[Great War (Vasarden)|Great War]]  
|mawards    =
|mawards    =
}}
}}


'''Hermann Eschau''' (25 August 1865 15 April 1948) was a Vierz military officer and statesman who led the [[Vierz Empire]] as its {{wp|Minister President}} and ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}'' from 1924 to his death in 1948. A key figure in world history, he was instrumental in the start of the [[Great War (WB)|Great War]] and the transformation of Vierzland into a {{wp|military dictatorship}} after the [[October Putsch]].
'''Hermann Luther Eschau''' (25 August 1875 3 July 1949) was a [[Vierz Empire|Vierz]] {{wp|military officer}} and {{wp|statesman}} who led the [[Vierz Empire]] from 1927 to his death in 1949. A key figure in world history, he was instrumental in the start of the [[Great War (Vasarden)|Great War]] and the transformation of Vierzland into a {{wp|military dictatorship}} after the [[June Putsch]].


Eschau was born to a family of the minor nobility in [[Prinzburg]]. His father, [[Adolf Eschau]], was an officer in the royalist army during the [[Vierz Civil War]]. Eschau joined the [[Imperial Vierz Army]] in 1887, fighting in the [[Frontier Wars]] and rising to the rank of {{wp|Oberleutnant}}. He was honorably discharged from the army in 1900, moving to [[Bertenau]]. He rejoined the army in 1912 and was later deployed to [[Vonzumier]], a Vierz colony, as the commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade. A staunch [[wp:Anti-communism|anti-Communist]] and supporter of imperial rule in Vonzumier, Eschau was one of the first to react to the [[Niederstadt uprising]] in 1920. He fought in the ensuing [[Vonzumier War]], achieving the rank of ''{{wp|Generaloberst}}'' before the war's end in 1923.  
Eschau was born in 1875 to a wealthy Vierz family in [[Niederau]], [[Vonzumier]]. He and his {{wp|loyalist}} family moved to Vierzland in 1876 to avoid persecution by the new, independent government. In 1892, he enrolled in the [[Imperial Vierz Army]] to fulfill his mandatory military service, achieving the rank of ''{{wp|Gefreiter}}'' before his honorary discharge in 1900. After working for the [[Ministry of Defense (Vierzland)#Vierz Empire|Ministry of Defense]] for some years, he enrolled in [[Constantine Imperial War College]] to undergo {{wp|officer training}}. He led numerous Vierz forces in the [[Frontier War]] against [[Vonzumier]], winning multiple engagements despite Vierzland's eventual defeat in 1919. He returned to Vierzland thereafter, considered a {{wp|war hero}}.


Enraged by the resulting independence of Vonzumier, Eschau returned home in search of a life in politics. He developed [[wp:Anti-monarchism|anti-monarchist]] opinions, and a personal distrust of [[Viktor IV]] over the events in Vonzumier. When the world was struck by the ''[[1924 financial crisis|Dunklen Monaten]]'', Eschau led a group of army officers called the [[Imperial Maintenance Council]], who [[October Putsch|overthrew the Vierz government]] in 1924 during a period of high instability. Eschau dissolved the council and the chancellery, proclaiming himself {{wp|Minister President}} and vastly restricting the powers of the [[Reichsversammlung]] while suspending the constitution. He quickly transformed Vierzland into an [[wp:Autocracy|autocratic]] {{wp|dictatorship}} and cracked down on civil and political freedoms while supporting policies of rapid {{wp|militarization}} and [[wp:Centralized government|centralization of state authority]]. In 1928, he gave himself the title of ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}'', officially granting himself complete control over the political and military functions of the empire.  
After his return to Vierzland, Eschau became responsible for military affairs in the empire's [[Vierz colonial empire|colonial territories]]. When the 1920s economic [[Dark Months (Vasarden)|crisis]] [[1925 Tierdan financial crisis|began in 1925]], he, having attained the rank of ''{{wp|Generalfeldmarschall}}'', returned to Vierzland proper and worked to quell civil disobedience against the imperial government. After the abdication of {{wp|Kaiser}} [[Alexander II of Vierzland|Alexander II]] in June 1927, the new emperor [[Victor II of Vierzland|Victor II]] tasked Eschau with overthrowing {{wp|socialist}} [[Chancellor of Vierzland|chancellor]] [[Lars Hencke]], culminating in the [[June Putsch]]. The {{wp|coup d'état}} made Eschau {{wp|Acting (law)|acting}} chancellor, and he used his power to centralize state power and repress political dissent. In a bid to combat {{wp|inflation}} and {{wp|unemployment}}, Eschau pursued a policy of ''{{wp|dirigisme}}'', and military spending sharply increased. His {{wp|ideology}} of ''[[Machtstaat]]'', which postulated the idea of a strong central government influenced by {{wp|political catholicism}}, {{wp|national conservatism}}, and {{wp|militarism}}, was implemented at all levels of society. In 1931, Eschau appointed himself ''{{wp|Reichsmarschall}}'', making him the utmost military authority in the empire.


[[Luepola]] and [[Targian Empire|Targia]] becoming [[wp:Communism|Communist]] led Eschau to shift the empire towards the likes of [[Gallia]], [[Lairea]], and [[Zaihan]]. Tensions between Gallia and Luepola over a border dispute and ideological differences forced him to decide to back Gallia's decision to [[Invasion of Luepola|invade Luepola]] in 1941, and vowed to support the invasion militarily, leading to the outbreak of the [[Great War (WB)|Great War]] on 10 April 1941. The [[Allianz]] powers, led by the Vierz Empire, were greatly victorious in their early campaigns. Vierz forces, under the aggressive military leadership of Eschau, managed to conquer most of [[Southern Patyria|southern]] and [[eastern Patyria]] by the end of 1942. The entrance of [[Legatia]], [[Vonzumier]], and [[Auchnesal]] into the war in 1943, and failure to defeat [[Insaeldor]], drastically altered the fate of the Vierz Empire and put the Allianz on the defensive. Eschau ordered a final campaign, [[Perfect Storm]], in 1947 to delay the war's end and force a [[wp:Suing for peace|white peace]]. This only led to the [[Coalition of Independent States|Coalition]]'s decision to [[Atomic bombing of Bertenau|drop an atomic bomb]] on [[Bertenau]], to which Eschau replied by authorizing an {{wp|unconditional surrender}}. A group of army officers [[Ides Putsch|attempted to overthrow]] Eschau on 15 March 1948, killing him but later being arrested by forces loyal to Eschau, leading to [[Surrender of Vierzland|Vierzland's surrender]] the next day.
Eschau forged a [[Eschau Doctrine|policy]] of "direct confrontation" with Vierzland's geopolitical foes. A fierce {{wp|anti-communist}}, he lambasted the {{wp|left-wing}} regimes in power in [[Apelia]], [[Luepola]], and [[Granzery]]. When Luepola [[Invasion of Zacotia|invaded Zacotia]] in 1942, Eschau moved to Zacotia's defense and [[invasion of Luepola|invaded Luepola]], starting the [[Great War (Vasarden)|Great War]]. After a number of initial setbacks, a decisive [[Battle of Kasenberg|battle at Kasenberg]] helped reverse the tide of the war and Vierzland and [[Allianz (Vasarden)|its allies]] defeated the [[Socialist Internationale]] in 1947. During the post-war negotiations, Eschau worked to secure a ''Vierzesraum'' ("Vierz space") in [[Patyria]], which resulted in the creation of pro-Vierz {{wp|Satellite state|client governments}} in [[State of Luepola|Luepola]], [[Rentmeesterschap period|Borland]], [[North Granzery]], [[Military dictatorship of Vyzinia|Vyzinia]], and much of [[Southern Patyria]]. The [[Treaty of Adtrus]] created an uneven and hostile geopolitical situation in Patyria, leading to the dissolution of the ''Allianz'' in April 1948, and the evolution of the so-called "[[Silent War (Vasarden)|Silent War]]" between Vierzland on one side, and [[Tierada]], [[Apelia]], and [[Vonzumier]] on the other. Eschau's death in July 1949 left ''Generalfeldmarschall'' [[Helmut Bergmann]] as his successor, although the {{wp|military dictatorship}} was dissolved by Bergmann in 1953.  


Eschau is highly controversial today, particularly in Vierzland. Many applaud him for implementing policies that ended the effects of the 1924 financial crisis in Vierzland, ending what most considered to be a [[wp:Nepotism|nepotist]], corrupt monarchy, and his strategical and tactical genius. Others criticize his role in the Great War, stating that he was instrumental in the war's start and could have prevented it. Historians debate his role in the [[Luepolan massacres]] and the [[10th of May incident]], with some arguing that he was implicit in both. Eschau's body was cremated by the imperial government shortly after his death, with the remains [[wp:Burial at sea|tossed into the sea]].
Eschau is remembered as one of the most defining characters of the 20th century and in modern world history. His foreign policy is often considered one of the reasons for the start of the Great War, which resulted in the deaths of some 70 to 80 million people. From the time of his rule to the [[Werner Declaration|end of the empire]] in 1990, he was portrayed in a positive light by the imperial government. In contemporary Vierzland and Vierz historiography, Eschau is viewed as a flawed wartime leader who pulled the country out of economic crisis but was {{wp|political repression|repressive}} and brutal. He is strongly criticized elsewhere for his {{wp|imperialist}} and {{wp|expansionist}} policies which resulted in the subjugation of various Patyrian nations for almost 40 years.
[[Category:Vasarden]]
[[Category:Vierzland]]
[[Category:Politics of Vierzland]]
[[Category:Great War (Vasarden)]]

Latest revision as of 19:15, 3 May 2021

Hermann Eschau
Hermann Eschau, 1941.jpg
1941 photo of Eschau
Chancellor of the Vierz Empire
In office
15 June 1927 – 3 July 1949
MonarchVictor II
Preceded byLars Hencke
Succeeded byHelmut Bergmann
Imperial Commissioner for Colonial Military Affairs
In office
6 March 1920 – 13 September 1925
MonarchAlexander II
Preceded byRaoul Kaufmann
Succeeded byBastian Hannawald
Personal details
Born
Hermann Luther Eschau

25 August 1875
Niederau, Vonzumier
Died3 July 1949(1949-07-03) (aged 73)
Adtrus, Vierz Empire
CitizenshipVierz
Political partyIndependent
Alma materConstantine Imperial War College
Military service
Allegiance Vierz Empire
Branch/serviceImperial Vierz Army
Years of service1892–1900
1912–1949
RankReichsmarschall
CommandsImperial Vierz Armed Forces (1931–1949)
Battles/warsFrontier War
Great War

Hermann Luther Eschau (25 August 1875 – 3 July 1949) was a Vierz military officer and statesman who led the Vierz Empire from 1927 to his death in 1949. A key figure in world history, he was instrumental in the start of the Great War and the transformation of Vierzland into a military dictatorship after the June Putsch.

Eschau was born in 1875 to a wealthy Vierz family in Niederau, Vonzumier. He and his loyalist family moved to Vierzland in 1876 to avoid persecution by the new, independent government. In 1892, he enrolled in the Imperial Vierz Army to fulfill his mandatory military service, achieving the rank of Gefreiter before his honorary discharge in 1900. After working for the Ministry of Defense for some years, he enrolled in Constantine Imperial War College to undergo officer training. He led numerous Vierz forces in the Frontier War against Vonzumier, winning multiple engagements despite Vierzland's eventual defeat in 1919. He returned to Vierzland thereafter, considered a war hero.

After his return to Vierzland, Eschau became responsible for military affairs in the empire's colonial territories. When the 1920s economic crisis began in 1925, he, having attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall, returned to Vierzland proper and worked to quell civil disobedience against the imperial government. After the abdication of Kaiser Alexander II in June 1927, the new emperor Victor II tasked Eschau with overthrowing socialist chancellor Lars Hencke, culminating in the June Putsch. The coup d'état made Eschau acting chancellor, and he used his power to centralize state power and repress political dissent. In a bid to combat inflation and unemployment, Eschau pursued a policy of dirigisme, and military spending sharply increased. His ideology of Machtstaat, which postulated the idea of a strong central government influenced by political catholicism, national conservatism, and militarism, was implemented at all levels of society. In 1931, Eschau appointed himself Reichsmarschall, making him the utmost military authority in the empire.

Eschau forged a policy of "direct confrontation" with Vierzland's geopolitical foes. A fierce anti-communist, he lambasted the left-wing regimes in power in Apelia, Luepola, and Granzery. When Luepola invaded Zacotia in 1942, Eschau moved to Zacotia's defense and invaded Luepola, starting the Great War. After a number of initial setbacks, a decisive battle at Kasenberg helped reverse the tide of the war and Vierzland and its allies defeated the Socialist Internationale in 1947. During the post-war negotiations, Eschau worked to secure a Vierzesraum ("Vierz space") in Patyria, which resulted in the creation of pro-Vierz client governments in Luepola, Borland, North Granzery, Vyzinia, and much of Southern Patyria. The Treaty of Adtrus created an uneven and hostile geopolitical situation in Patyria, leading to the dissolution of the Allianz in April 1948, and the evolution of the so-called "Silent War" between Vierzland on one side, and Tierada, Apelia, and Vonzumier on the other. Eschau's death in July 1949 left Generalfeldmarschall Helmut Bergmann as his successor, although the military dictatorship was dissolved by Bergmann in 1953.

Eschau is remembered as one of the most defining characters of the 20th century and in modern world history. His foreign policy is often considered one of the reasons for the start of the Great War, which resulted in the deaths of some 70 to 80 million people. From the time of his rule to the end of the empire in 1990, he was portrayed in a positive light by the imperial government. In contemporary Vierzland and Vierz historiography, Eschau is viewed as a flawed wartime leader who pulled the country out of economic crisis but was repressive and brutal. He is strongly criticized elsewhere for his imperialist and expansionist policies which resulted in the subjugation of various Patyrian nations for almost 40 years.