[quote=Imperfectionist]
I keep thinking, throughout all of this, why not make it Russia? I understand that you know more about Germany, but really, you're just using it as a proxy for your obvious opinions about the current state of modern Russia... What would really be the problem with getting rid of the proxy and simply making our "conservative ally that's also pretty scary" (and marginalizaes Muggle-borns) Russia to begin with?EDIT: Wow, I say "just" way too much... Edited.
[/quote]

I take the point, but when we're talking about fictional versions of places, I think it stops mattering where the geographical original was - just as how JK's blatant allegory for Nazi Germany still totally worked set in a fictional version of the UK in book 7. I doubt many people scratched their chins and wondered why it wasn't set in Germany! If I could set it in Russia, I probably would, but I feel like my general knowledge about Germany will enable me to play a much more realistic character and, certainly, having be able to mutter a bit in German will be a definite plus (for me, maybe >:D)! On a side-note, it does help that Germany has a little bit of cultural heritage (presumably some involvement with Grindelwald) in canon, while Russia has a big fat nothin'.