The Kaiserreich mod has been developed for over a decade, and many parts of the lore and country paths were changed throughout the development of the mod.
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General
- Originally, Germany broke through the North Sea blockade by being victorious in a Second Battle of Jutland, a scenario that is considered to be very unlikely. The current lore cuts the battle and replaces it with Germany choosing to not instigate a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in order to not lose international sympathy. This is combined with an incident where a British submarine torpedoes an American vessel flaunting the blockade and killing several Americans, leading to Britain lightening the blockade, both of which are far more plausible.
- The Germany rework changes this further. Germany continues to adhere to a restricted submarine policy, but it continues to be a controversial restriction by their military leadership and it is later rescinded several months later. There is still no rallying event that would propel America into the war and in any case, by then The Spanish Flu (here called "American flu" due to it not being spread internationally nearly as quickly by the military and there being no wartime censorship reason to quash news of its origin) is running rampant across North America, making any belated large-scale deployment unfeasible.
- Originally, the Third Internationale faction was named Syndintern (as in "Syndicalist Internationale", like "Comintern"), and the Reichspakt faction was named Mitteleuropa (Mitteleuropa was the German Empire's plans for an economic bloc in Europe if they won WWI; it was replaced with the Reichspakt because the German faction isn't exclusively inside Europe).
Europe
Germany
- In the HOI2 versions, German originally had a National Populist path under the Alldeutsche Verband led by Ernst Röhm.
Britain
- For a very long time, the Union of Britain's flag was a Red Ensign
with a syndicalist emblem to the right. As the flag contains the Union Jack, which is associated with the old monarchy, it's thought to be unrealistic for the socialist Union of Britain, and was replaced with a flag based on the British republican flag.note - Thomas Edward Lawrence of Arabian fame was formerly a path for the Union of Britain. In earlier versions, he stayed in Britain and survived his historical death in 1935. During the Second Weltkrieg, he would lead an underground resistance campaign in Germany (leading to the nickname "Lawrence of Germania"), and could coup Mosley and either restore Syndicalism, keep himself in charge, or invite the exiled monarchy back onto Britain. His path was removed and he was instead made a possible recruit for Canada's intelligence agency, and since 0.11, the only way to bring back the UK is through a victorious Entente invasion of Britain.
- Originally, George Orwell, under his real name Eric Blair, is a political ally of Oswald Mosley and can potentially become the Totalist General Secretary or Chairman of the Union. He is cut in a planned UoB rework.
Italy
- In previous versions, there were just two Italian states: the Italian Federation ruled by the Pope in the north, and the Socialist Republic of Italy in the south. This was reworked into a five-way division between the SRI in the Northwest, Republican Italy in the Northeast, Two Sicilies in the South, the Papal State in Rome, and Sardinia on Sardinia.
- Julius IV (the national populist Papal candidate) was originally Theodor Innitzer, Archbishop of Vienna who collaborated with Austrian fascists in real life. He was replaced by Alfredo Schuster in the Garibaldi's Nightmare update.
- Prior to KR4 0.9.3, the Italian National Populists are initially led by Italian proto-fascist Gabriele D'Annunzio, who serves as Il Duce of Legionnaire Italy for the first few years into the game, before he dies of a stroke and Balbo succeeds him. In 0.9.3, Balbo now leads the ANI from the start.
- In previous versions, Mussolini and most of the Italian Totalists will always die in a plane crash by 1949. If they were in power, a new government will be chosen after that. The plane crash is an allusion to the historical Superga air disaster of 1949, which killed the Torino football team. The plane crash has been cut in one of the updates.
Others
- In older versions, White Ruthenia was a monarchy ruled by King Uladzimir I (Prince Waldemar of Prussia), a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who could be overthrown by his ambitious younger brother Sigismund. Now, the two brothers only appear as a cameo in a flavour event, and have no relevance in White Ruthenian politics.
- Ukraine used to be a monarchy led by King Vasyl I Vyshyvani (Archduke Wilhelm Franz of Austria), and had a path led by Nikita Khrushchev. Its current status is essentially the same as it was in 1918 in real life (the Ukrainian State, a right-wing dictatorship led by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky), while Khrushchev is cut (as the developers put it, without Lazar Kaganovich's backing Khrushchev is a nobody).
- In earlier versions of Kaiserreich, Crete was owned by Germany instead of Greece.
- In older versions, Karl Radek was active in Poland by 1936, and is one of Feliks Dzierżyński's potential successors as Chairman of a Totalist Poland. In 0.12, Radek becomes the leader of a Totalist RSR, and his old role is fulfilled by Feliks Kon.
- Romania originally started out as a Legionary State that expelled its monarchy, and could have a civil war with restorationists. The real Iron Guard had a mixed relationship with the monarchy, but Codreanu himself was a monarchist. In Romania's rework, the Iron Guard and the monarchy now start out in a shaky coalition government, and can go into political conflict with each other, though the civil war no longer happens.
Russia
- In older versions, the Russian Republic did not control all of Russia proper at game start, with Transamur being ruled by a rival government, the North Caucasus controlled by Pyotr Krasnov's Don-Kuban Union, and the areas bordering Kazakhstan being part of the Alash Autonomy. All of these areas now start under Moscow's control.
Russia
- The Russian Republic in earlier versions was at game start led by Alexander Kerensky, an important statesman in the Russian Provisional Government of 1917. He will always get shot a few days into the start of the game and trigger Russia's political crisis. In the Russia rework, Kerensky is now an unpopular irrelevant ex-politician living in exile in New York who only appears in one event.
- Viktor Chernov was originally a potential liberal leader for Russia before the Russian rework; after the rework, he now dies four days into the start of the game and kicks off Russia's political intrigues.
- Alexander Kolchak in the original lore launched an attempted coup against the Russian Republic and is at game start holed up in Transamur as a Japanese puppet with ambitions to take over Russia. In the Russia rework, he is just an admiral with no political ambitions.
- Prior to DH 1.8, Lavr Kornilov was a minister for Russia and featured in no events. In later HOI4 versions, he became a potential leader for Russia in a far-right junta path (replacing Wrangel's National Populist path) where he coups the Republican government after Kerensky's death and invites Savinkov to the government, leading to either a military dictatorship path under Anton Denikin (in some versions of the game) or Savinkov's path after he dies in 1937note . However, in the Russian rework, he has been again Demoted to Extra, becoming Savinkov's army chief that will either die or be retired at the start of the game.
- Baron Wrangel was the National Populist candidate for Russia in earlier versions of the mod. His role was replaced by Boris Savinkov in version 1.8, and he himself was rewritten into the potential leader of a "moderate" military junta.
- Before DH 1.8, Savinkov was an ordinary Minister of Security for the SR-Menshevik government and wasn't mentioned in any events. After 1.8, Savinkov replaced Wrangel as the leader of the Russian National Populists.
- As originally portrayed in DH 1.8, Savinkov's movement had a Nazi-styled flag with a Ręce Boga (a Polish neopagan symbol) as its key symbol. All later iterations of the mod replace this with the Russian tricolor defaced by the "Crown of Thorns" from the First Kuban Campaign Medal commemorating Kornilov's Ice March.
- Originally, the Russian Socialist Republic was outright known as Soviet Russia.
- Mikhail Tukhachevsky and Mikhail Frunze used to be potential leaders of Soviet Russia prior to the rework of Socialist Russia. Now they are field marshals who cannot take power.
Caucasus
- Before being changed to a Social Democratic Menshevik remnant state led by Noe Zhordania, Georgia was a Totalist state led by Lavrentiy Beria, with Ioseb Dzhugashvili as a minister. Dzhugashvili has been moved to Patagonia as a general in a French expedition force.
Central Asia
- Central Asia originally only had two countries: Alash Orda and the Turkestan Khanate. In the rework, the Turkestan Khanate is changed to three countries: Khiva, Bukhara, and Turkestan Republic.
United States of America
United States of America
- Before KR4 0.8, Charles Curtis (Herbert Hoover's VP) was a Republican candidate in 1936 elections and the instrumental figure in the path that prevents the Second American Civil War. After the update, Curtis gave way to Alf Landon as a Republican presidential candidate and to Floyd Olson as a candidate who can prevent the Civil War. In another update after that, the Civil War was made entirely unavoidable.
- Quentin Roosevelt was initially absent from the mod, albeit the older wiki said that he was an America First sympathizer. In newer versions, Quentin became a progressive Republican and Floyd Olson's running mate.
- In older lore, Roosevelt was assassinated in 1935, but his death was later moved to a earlier date.
- Prior to KR4 0.8, because of the dire political situation, Hoover can suspend future elections and invite the military led by MacArthur to ensure safety in the country. This step not only guarantees the Civil War (though it's hard to prevent it anyway), but also can lead to some unpleasant consequences if MacArthur decides to keep his emergency powers after the Civil War.
- Prior to 0.8, if Reed or Long is elected and tries to strong-arm their reforms through with the military, MacArthur will utterly refuse to cooperate, inevitably leading directly to the Second Civil War. In particular, Reed can try to have MacArthur arrested, only for MacArthur to preempt him with a march on Washington to depose Reed, and when MacArthur refuses to follow Long's orders, Long declares America a dead nation and declares the American Union State in the Deep South, after which MacArthur fills the power vacuum left by Long and his entire cabinet leaving.
- Prior to patch 0.8, if elected president, Long would tire of the partisan gridlock and various rules of the federal government preventing him from enacting his agenda and suppressing the Combined Syndicates, and declare the United States to be dead and found a new American Union State in the south, while MacArthur assumes the now-vacant position of POTUS. Post 0.8, MacArthur stages a coup against him, just like he does to Jack Reed.
Pacific States of America
- Prior to 0.8, the PSA was characterized as a separatist state dominated by Mega Corps who wanted to preserve their profits. After 0.8, however, they (alongside New England) became the last bastion of American democracy in the face of Reed, Long, and MacArthur.
American Union State
- Prior to the Germany rework, the National Populist path for the American Union State was the Silver Legion under William Dudley Pelley, who would launch a coup against Huey Long after victory in the Second American Civil War. While Pelley would actually restore some aspects of American democracy Long sidelined or ignored, this path was rightly seen as the worst possible outcome for the former United States in a mod that mostly portrays the various squabbling sides as neutral in comparison to one another, with democratic government restricted entirely to white voters, blacks forced into an ultra-apartheid system with limited educational opportunities that barely differed from slavery, and everyone suffering from outbreaks of preventable diseases thanks to Pelley's mistrust of vaccination leading him to outlaw the practice. Pelley could also choose whether to share some of his more... esoteric views and claims (like his belief he could turn invisible or walk through walls) with the public or keep that side of himself under wraps. This path was removed on the basis that the entire premise of the KKK and far-right spiritualist nutcases taking over the US was extremely tasteless, that while it made a neat Final Boss for other nations to defeat there was nothing for the player to do in that route except oppress their own people, and that Pelley's extremist policies ultimately severely weakened the United States and would make playing a extreme right AUS extremely difficult for the player outside of memes and Video Game Cruelty Potential. Post German Rework, Pelley has been replaced as the Natpop route with Huey Long himself, who starts off as Natpop and can remain Natpop if he follows through with his principles, or compromise with the establishment as an Authoritarian Democrat. In addition, a moderate authdem path has been added for the American Union State representing democratic elements of the AFP increasingly opposed to Long's dictatorial policies, while still being pretty unpleasant and far-right.
- Even earlier back in the HOI2/Darkest Hour days, the farthest right leader for the AUS is Fritz Julius Kuhn of the OTL German-American Bund.
America
Mexico
- Prior to KR4 0.8, almost all of Mexico's paths have the option to invade the USA and take back lost lands (with the exception of Lázaro Cárdenas'). Following the update, only the Sinarquistas have thoughts of Reconquista.
- Monarchist paths used to be legitimate playable options prior to the rework, but were reduced to puppet options due to the unlikelihood of anyone in Mexico supporting monarchism in the era.
South America
- In earlier versions, Argentina was known as La Plata, led by a military cabinet headed by Agustín Pedro Justo. In the backstory, Argentina fought a war with Bolivia and Brazil in 1933 known as the Great South American War. Argentina won that war and annexed Paraguay and Uruguay to form the Union of La Plata. Over the course of the game, La Plata may go to war with Brazil, and if Brazil wins, they can divide La Plata back into Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
- The Patagonian Worker's Front was originally planned to feature a Totalist path under socialist-leaning bandit Alfredo Fonte, who would've ran the country as a bandit state. The path was considered too ridiculous and was cut in the rework.
- Before being reworked into a monarchist Integralist movement, the old Integralist movement in Brazil was largely identical to how it was in OTL, and was led by its OTL leader Plínio Salgado.
China
- The original setup for China was completely different from its current incarnation. The country (excluding Tibet and Mongolia) was originally divided between just the Qing, the Fengtian Republic, the Allgemeine Ostasien-Gesellschaft, the Shangqing Tianguo, the Yunnan Clique (led by Long Yun from the start, and also fully controls Sichuan), the Ma Clique (who controlls all of Northwest China, including Xinjiang), and the Legation Cities.
- The original lore for Pu Yi's restoration apparently involved Chinese republicans inviting Puyi back onto the throne because they were sick of democracy. The ridiculous scenario was replaced with the Zhili clique opportunistically restoring Pu Yi to court German favors in the China rework.
- While Shangqing Tianguo now serves as a path for Shandong Clique, in earlier versions of the mod Shangqing is present at the start of the game, located in Shaanxi.note They can potentially unify all of China under a new imperial dynasty.
- Shangqing Tianguo could install Zhu Rongji, who in real life was Premier of China and whose family claims descent from the first Ming Emperor, as the new Emperor of China. This is no longer possible and now the Shangqing Tianguo will simply re-puppet Puyi should they conquer Beijing.
- The pre-retcon lore of Yiguandao is partially based on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which is inaccurate and anachronistic.
- The League of Eight Provinces did not exist prior to the China rework. Instead, all of their territory is controlled by the AOG.
- The AOG was formerly Allgemeine Ostasien-Gesellschaft (General East Asian Company), a German MegaCorp that effectively controls everything south of the Yangtze River on lease as its own state. After the rework, they are now more properly a governmental organization, and only controls some port cities.
- In the early phases of the rework, the reworked AOG was an actual country tag with its own politics. It was reworked again (over gameplay considerations) with its tag being removed from the game entirely, and it remaining in the game solely as part of the lore; the cities it controlled were given to the LEP and German East Asia.
- Pre-rework, Chinese republicans (among which includes the KMT) can rise up in AOG territory through rebellion, foreign intervention, or peaceful transition via the AOG's de-Germanization program. Post-rework, the vague "Chinese republicans" faction was rewritten into the Left KMT, and now they rise up in LEP territory instead.
- Chinese republican leader Huang Xing, who's dead before the point of divergence, can become the head of state in the pre-rework Republic of China, a massive Plot Hole. He is removed in the rework.
- Pre-rework, Chen Jiongming is one of the President options in the Republic of China that arises from the AOG.
- Earlier versions called the Totalist faction of KMT "Xintefa". It was supposedly retconned due to being a "Blind Idiot" Translation of an English name that makes no sense in Chinese.
- Prior to the China rework, the Triads can actually take over the Legation Cities and run the city as a pseudo-government, with three leader options: Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng, and Jiang Qing (a massive case of Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman). This can lead to intervention from several major nations (including Japan and Canada), resulting in them declaring war on the Cities, and usually defeating them easily. Following the China rework, the paths were cut and Jiang Qing was cut from the cities' lore, with Huang and Du still having some lore relevance in the new lore.
- Roman von Ungern-Sternberg in Mongolia was significantly reworked in the China rework. Before that, his character was a flanderized version of him in reality; he starts to believe that he is a reincarnation of Genghis Khan, and usurps the Khagan title and wants to restore the Mongolian Empire. Now he acts in a (relatively) more sane way, being a power-hungry and brutal warlord general.
Middle East
- Egypt's faction to oppose the Ottoman Empire was originally named "the Axis", before being renamed to Cairo Pact, likely due to "Axis" sounding too ridiculous for a regional faction.
Asia
- In older versions, Hồ Chí Minh was residing in France as of 1936, and can be brought back to lead his country by the Bharatiya Commune. Since 0.6, he has been dead for 3 years when the game begins.
Africa
French Republic
- Before National France's rework, if the French exiles decided to restore the monarchy, they had two options: Prince Jean, Duke of Guise (the Orléanist pretender) and Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (the Bonapartist pretender). Now, only the Orléanist pretender is an option, and the Bonapartist pretender can only take the throne by being elected President of the French Republic, then reclaiming the entire Métropole, including Alsace-Lorraine.
- The update of National France originally included a second national populist path led by George Groussard, a military officer who historically resisted the Vichy regime from within. The path would have transformed National France into a 'Stratocratic Republic' ruled by an offshoot of the social liberal Parti Radical called the Oriflamme. Named after a medieval symbol of France, the Oriflamme regime would have launched a "Great Crusade for Democracy" while demonizing any opposition as authoritarian despite its own heavy-handed ideology.
Mittelafrika
- Pre-German rework, Hermann Goering was the starting leader of Mittelafrika, and could potentially seek to assume absolute power and carry out horrific atrocities against the native population. He was replaced by Karl Ritter on the basis that his route ends up creating the implication that the only reason that Mittelafrika was so horrible was because it was run by Nazi-adjacent figures and not because of more systemic issues tied to German colonialismnote as a whole and that all he does is exist as a failstate collapse path for Mittleafrika, which deprives Germany of any support during the Second Weltkrieg from their external colonies.
Others
- The Führerreich Double-Blind What-If in-universe alternate history book was originally written by Erich Maria Remarque, and in later versions of the game retconned to Our Finest Hour written by Winston Churchill.
