NationStates Jolt Archive

Long had they been under the heel of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and they had hungered for their own independence, only to have their cries hit deaf ears. But now, they would make them listen, and gain the independence they so desired.

Within Prague, a group of Czech nationalists, the Česka Svoboda Vojsko (which will henceforth be referred to as the CSV), began the rally, telling people to come to the streets, and aid them in their call for independence from the Austrians and Hungarians. With them, they had large banners, held up by multiple people, held the slogan "Nezávislý Československo!" in large letters. Many were shouting that same phrase while encouraging others to come down and aid them in the rally. As a precaution, in case the Austrian military or police became too... forceful, many of the CSV nationalists had pistols concealed on them.

Not too far away, in Bratislava, a similar situation was happening. A Slovakian branch of the CSV, Slovenský Voľnosť Ozbrojené (which will henceforth be referred to as the SVO) began their own rally. This time it was aimed at the Slovakians, who were harshly oppressed by the Magyar nobles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Like their counterparts, large banners were readied, with the same message, "Nezávislý Československo!" for it meant the same in both languages- independent Czechoslovakia. Like their CSV compatriots, the SVO had pistols concealed on them.

It would not take long for either rally to gain steam. Soon, hundreds of people began flocking towards the rallies, adding their voices to those who were yelling out "Nezávislý Československo!". It would take little time for the Austrian and Hungarian authorities to notice what was going on. But the real question was, what was their response going to be?

With Ernst von Koerber in conference out of the country, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was put in charge of managing the crisis growing within Austria-Hungary. He had long promoted universal suffrage, alienating him with the Magyar-dominated Hungarian Government. He had hoped the gradual reforms that had been introduced in 1900 would have helped things, but it appeared that it had only fueled the people’s hunger for their rights. He had hoped that the people would realize that more freedom would be coming as the reforms were introduced over the next ten years or so. It seemed he was wrong.

He was one of the few in the government who wanted the reforms to carry one. However, he was not afraid to use force to make sure that the reforms were carried out in a uniform and most importantly a peaceful fashion. Any protests demanding more rights would be put down with, even if violence was necessary to do so. He ordered a significant amount of troops into the rebelling territories, with orders to put down the rebellion with whatever force necessary.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a supporter of the rights of man, but he would not let these terrorists to gain independence. They would have to work within the current system, or they were going to be put down, and hard.

As the protesters continued to rally through Prague and Bratislava, their numbers had now swelled to the thousands. Some people remained in their homes, either not wanting to participate, fearing a harsh Austrian reply. But the majority of people came out and continued shouting "Nezávislý Československo!"

While marching, a CSV agent, Edvard, gets news from a group of CSV agents close to the area where the Austrian soldiers were coming from. He quickly rushes over to Tomáš, who's leading the rally.

"Tomáš! A group just notified us that an Austrian army force is coming towards us!"

"Calm down, Edvard. Tell our fellow CSV men not to shoot first. If we fire first, we'll look like radicals, but if they make the first shot, we'll look like the freedom fighters we really are. Inform the SVO at Bratislava as well."

"Very well, Tomáš. You know what you're doing..."

Austro-Hungarian Calvary and Infantry, over twenty thousand men in all moved into the areas where the Czech independence movement, along with much of the surrounding territory, was stirring. Their main plan was to first secure all government institutions in the area, and then end the protests. They had orders end the protests without bloodshed if possible, but if the protestors would not disperse….well that was why all the men were armed.

As his men approached the protestors, they received the order to allow the cavalry to lead them in, while the followed with beinets attached, and their rifles loaded. Count Viktor Dankl von Krasnik who had been placed in charge of the military side of the conflict was sure that the protestors would resist. It was just a matter of making sure that the Austro-Hungarian troops would win.

As the Austro-Hungarian calvary moved in, things became more tense by the second. The rally halted in front of the Austro-Hungarian forces, still chanting, at a deafening roar, "Nezávislý Československo!" As a form of crowd control, a group of CSV agents moved to the front control, to prevent any overzealous person from charging at the Hungarians. This rally had been to carefully planned up from the previous months for the CSV to let some fool ruin their plans at this stage.

Things aren't going too well... Tomáš thought. Considering the info Edvard gave me, there are some 10,000 troops in and around Prague, and a similar number in Bratislava. Not good, especially considering that there are maybe... 750 of us CSV agents here in Prague, and around 600 SVO agents in Bratislava. The rest were just normal Czechs. There were a lot of them, no doubt, but they couldn't count on all of them to fight, and none of them were armed.

“Edvard.” Tomáš said.

Coming over to Tomáš, Edvard replied, “What?”

“I need you to do something, if this gets violent.”

“What is it?”

“Run, and send a communication to one of our bases outside Prague. Tell them what happened, and then tell them to communicate with London, Moscow, Berlin… anyone who will listen.”

“Will do. Then what?”

“Kill anyone that looks important in the Austrian ranks.”

Smiling, Edvard simply replied, “Got it.”

Mother Russia will not desert you, little brothers.
The Magyars and Osterreichers will learn the price for obstructing the destiny of the Slavs. We will help you fulfill it.

A Friend in Sankt-Peterburg (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=432096)

Count Viktor Dankl von Krasnik wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad that the Czech's weren't fighting back. Either way, the CSV and SVO were keeping the rallies under control- and preventing Count Krasnik from using them as an excuse to use force to put down the rebellion. He would just have to provoke them into action.

Count Krasnik turned to his second-in-command. "Chose your best men and begin rounding up the leaders of the rebellion. Once that is complete, round up as many members of the CSV and the SVO as you can, except for those armed guards at the rallies. If we're going to show the world how dangerous the Czech independence movement is, blood must be shed."

"Yes sir!" replied the commander. "May I ask sir, why Archduke Franz Ferdinand would want to provoke this violence? I thought he was sympathetic to the Czech cause."

Count Krasnik's eyes narrowed. "Will you carry out your orders, or will I have to find someone else?"

His second-in-comand gulped. Those who disobyed their commanders army in the Austro-Hungarian army were not likely to live long and productive lives afterwards. "N-no sir, I have no problems with the orders!"

"Very well, then carry them out." he replied, dismissing his underling. Count Krasnik stared out the window. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had always been a little soft on the various ethnic groups. Count Krasnik wasn't about to let Austria-Hungary lose more territory.