Syndicates AARise! MILF plays Hearts of Iron 2.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...aiserreich.jpg

Hello friends, and welcome to my first ever After Action Report. What is that, you ask? It is essentially the same as a Let's Play, but the term applies specifically to strategy games. It's also easier to use AAR somewhere in a title which is the main reason I went with it here. I'm not sure where I'll fall on the gameplay-narrative spectrum yet, but I expect there will be plenty of both. The game I am using is Hearts of Iron 2, with the Doomsday and Armageddon expansions. Hearts of Iron 2, or just HoI2, is a grand strategy game where you choose almost any country on earth and steer them through the time period of the Second World War, and into the first years of the Cold War beyond it (Or the Third World War, if that's how things play out).

I am also using the Kaiserreich mod. Kaiserreich, or KR, is an alternate history where America never entered WW1, leading to German victory. It's now 1936, and the Second Reich stands as the foremost power in the world. Britain and Metropolitan France have fallen to Syndicalist revolutions (Communists, but in principle less centrally-controlled than Bolshevism was); Britain's royal government has fled to Canada, whilst the French are in French West Africa and Algeria. In Russia, German helped ensured the victory of the Whites, but the situation is extremely fragile, and it could go in any of a number of directions.

I will be beginning as the United States of America. In vanilla HoI2 this is pretty much easy mode, because their technology, security, industrial capacity, manpower, and material wealth makes them able to outdo anyone other individual power. Less so in KR, because the depression of the 1930s has been more prolonged and severe, and large sections of the American populace have turned towards radical answers.

[CONTENTS]
United States of America Jan 1936 - ???
January 1936 - General Meeting.
Events in January, President Hoover's Tour, and Month-End Briefing.
February through May, 1936. Third International, Fascist Ozzies, and the Great British Cockup.
June through October, 1936 - Japanese militarism and British elections.
A Day in September - MacArthur's Proposition.
October 1936 and the '36 US Presidential Election.
Election '36 to the Inauguration - the Oregon uprising and humiliation of the US Army.
Reed's Inaugural Address and the nationalization of the resource industries.
Reed's month-long tenure as President, MacArthur's coup, and the beginning of the Second Civil War.


Special/Bonus
Special Briefing on the Far East for President Hoover

(PS: I'll be double-posting some in this thread, mainly to avoid cluttering up AAR posts with chatting to people posts. Hope you don't mind, mods and modettes, but having read plenty of these things, trust me when I tell you it's better this way. :jess:)

January 1st, 7am. White House, Washington D.C., United States of America.

"Gentlemen, please do come in." The President spoke as amiably as he could, given the disruption he was in the middle of causing. The other men, eight in all, stopped their conversations and filed into the meeting room in the White House. Vice President Curtis was already there along with President Hoover; more notable were the absence faces.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../USCabinet.jpg
The US Cabinet, December 31st 1935

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...netshuffle.jpg
The US Cabinet, January 1st 1936

"Fellas, by now you've all got your new dossiers and such, and you've accepted the jobs I've asked of you. For that I thank you. I understand the papers are already kicking up a storm about this reshuffle, but I intend for Curtis to win in November and I intend him to do so in a country that is at peace with itself. The boys in these offices before you, they were talented in their fields, but they weren't the talents America needs today. I hope you will all prove yourselves to be." Vocal assent accompanied nodding heads. "Well, it's a new year, and I want it to be a new dawn for America. It's time to get down to business, and I'm beginning to grow convinced that we need a fresh look, so we're going to tackle this as though we've never seen this country before today. Robert?"

Robert Chapin stood up and brought the meeting's attention to the large map which had been hung in the room.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...iewJan1936.jpg
The USA, 1936, minus Alaska, Pacific holdings, and Colon.

"Mister President, Gentlemen, I hope I don't need to explain what you're all looking at here. Our great republic stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but the trials of the last years has been a difficult time for us." He used a thin stick to point to various regions of the map in turn, moving it animatedly whenever he mentioned a location. “In the Northeast, the Depression has caused serious and long-term decline. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York – they have all seen serious unemployment issues, as have most other centers of industry. The Germanic Empire's influence combined with the fall of Britain and France to radical leftism has closed off most significant foreign markets. New England has also fared poorly, though they seem to have a less-entrenched feeling of resentment, whereas the Northwest is filled with various leftist groups and activism.” He adjusted his pointed and continued

“In the south, the situation is much the same. The region's growth has been curtailed in recent years and the economic situation is poor from Boston down to Miami. Moving inland, the situation is much the same everywhere, though the midwest is not faring quite as poorly as the east, for the most part. Nevertheless unemployment remains a severe problem throughout the country east of the Rockies. The West Coast is the beacon of hope and success for our country at the moment, and it's little wonder that so many are either heading west or aspiring to do so. Trade across the Pacific, especially with Japan and the Australasian Confederation, has sustained and buoyed the West Coast's economy. Of course, folks out there are rather reluctant to share what they've created.”

“Overall prospects? No-holds-barred, Bob.”

“Currently not good Mister President. Without opening new markets, our industry will struggle to revive. The German Reich is bloated and cracks are starting to show, but whether that will do us any good any time soon, if ever, is impossible to say. The British in Canada could do us a world of good if they retook the Isles or France, those would be huge markets for rebuilding, but they're not liable to tackle that soon unless we helped directly. I hardly need to point out the foolishness there.”

“Indeed not. Alright, thanks for that, we'll cover it in more depth later. Let's turn to our current production.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ctionJan36.jpg
US Production before President Hoover's revisions

“The USS Ranger, sir. It would be a fine ship, if I didn't already know what you were planning.” Chief of the Navy Robert Ghormley spoke glumly, but resignedly, when he saw the production chart.

“I've no doubt, Admiral, and she'd be manned with fine men. But right now we have worries much closer to home, and the navy we have right now will have to suffice. I'm ordering the expansion of the army by sixty thousand men as soon as you can train and arm them. They'll have to be militia units but they should go a long way to securing ourselves against enemies, both external and internal.” He spoke with an ominous tone. Ghormley offered no further resistance; he had argued with the President for days over this and had grown tired of the fight. At least there would be no cuts, a very real danger. “The men will be deployed throughout the 48 states, and we will be careful to ensure that nobody can claim they are being unfairly burdened with these troops.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...angedJan36.jpg
Hoover orders units raised to defend the continental United States

Next was J. Edgar Hoover, newly installed chief of national security. An efficient crime-fighter, President Hoover had sought him out to lead the newly reformed Federal Security Bureau, or FSB, which had emerged from the United States Bureau of Investigation. The FSB was charged with a wideranging array of jobs relating to federal offenses and inter-state crime, and Hoover was eager to get to work.

“Mister President, gentlemen, we've got two major threats in the country right now. In the Northeast we've got the reds, and every city is riddled with them and their Trade Unions and other apparatus. Unfortunately we don't have the resources or legal authority to do everything we'd like to, but that's something we'll be working on in the coming year. I would rate the reds as the gravest threat our nation currently faces. If they were to become significantly violent or engage in a general uprising, we could expect them to receive arms and equipment, and most likely volunteers, from other communist powers such as Britain and France. Hopefully they would not directly intervene, though that can't be ruled out.”

“A grim assessment, John. Do you think we can keep a lid on it?”

“I can't make promises Sir, but I would say that if the year between now and November is free of major disaster we should be safe. We can certainly expect the red representation in Congress to grow, regardless.”

“Hopefully that will be the extent of it. Carry on.

“Yes sir. Down south we have another movement of note. Huey Long has created some bizarre new ideology which is based on technocracy and populism. He's making an awful racket about how you're not doing enough here in Washington and he's skated over the line more than once down in Louisiana as governor. The south's economy is ripe for unhappiness and he's stirring up all kinds of hell. But what he wants is still more in line with what we have right now; the problem is how to accommodate him without sending the reds berserk, even if we wanted to do so.”

“Mmmmmm.” The President said nothing but his disapproval was plain. The Kingfish had backed his opponent at the nomination in '32, one Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and it had been a harder fight than a sitting President ought to have in his own ranks.

“Nevertheless sir, this is an election year. Both of these factions, the radicals on left and right, are gearing up already for the campaign. It does not seem likely that they will do anything to jeopardize the legitimacy which a democratic win would give them. The fearmongering of open revolt is just that; not likely to happen at all, and if it does, not this year.”

General Douglas MacArthur looked visibly displeased by this assessment, but he was well known for his advocacy of stronger solutions.

“Alright gentlemen. The one other issue to talk about right here is the new development plan. I've advocated a hands-off approach for the last seven years, but I've become convinced that something stronger is needed. To this end the government is contracting with a number of groups to drive research in particular directions, both to increase current employment and to yield practical benefits for our country.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...TechsJan36.jpg
President Hoover's various contracts which went into effect on Jan 1st 1936.

"That will do for now. There's a lot more to deal with but we'll have to tackle things as they come; I have too much to do today to go through every list of details we might conceivable come up with. Thank you all for your time, and let's make sure we get Curtis into office." "And", he added silently, "That we can keep our country together doing it."

Kill Canada, then Mexico.

Or vice versa.

It matters not.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psychotic

Kill Canada, then Mexico.

Or vice versa.

It matters not.

---

:shobon: How did you know?

The year did not get off to an auspicious beginning. In Russia, the fragile status quo was broken when a gunman fired on Alexander Kerensky, the President of Russia as he stepped out of his car on his way to a meeting of the Duma. Within a very short period of time, Petr Wrangel, Minister of the Interior and a veteran of the Civil War, siezes power.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...rangelcoup.jpg
Dark times for the Russian Republic

Wrangel had been a fearsome anti-Bolshevik and it was largely this which ensured his position, despite being deeply critical of Kerensky and democracy in Russia. The speed with which his officers moved implied preparation, but the obvious question – if he had Kerensky killed – could not be answered. More than one group in Russia wanted a change. In any event, the Russian state apparatus quickly began to be consolidated in the hands of Wrangel and his loyal officers. Vice-President Curtis was particularly unhappy with this, as he had been planning to propose greater ties with the Russians as a means to a new market. Whether this would be possible now was hard to say.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...elautocrat.jpg
Wrangel makes his autocratic intentions clear later in the month.

Another foreign matter crops up immediately the year begins. The Socialist Republic of Italy cuts off what trade it has with the USA, on the premise that anti-socialist mafia men in Sicily are being supported by American mafia, with the sanction and active aid of the US Government. J. Edgar Hoover and his new FSB have made clear their determination to step on the mafia problem in the US, but this does not convince the Italians.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...s/SRIMafia.jpg
Fortunately, trade was negligible.

Back at home, the President has determined after much discussion with the Joint Chiefs that a reorganization of the American military is required. The US Army Air Force and the US Navy were both considerable entities, and it was felt by many that they would be the defenders of liberty if a foreign power ever attacked, more than the small US Army's ground units.

Hoover undertook a cross-country trip of some length as part of this reorganization, and to review the troops under his command as they were organized into their new dispositions and groupings. Pittsburgh was the first major stop on his tour, where he carefully avoided Syndicalist calls for meetings and protests in the city, and instead oversaw the reorganization of the USAAF's entire combat fleet at various bases throughout western Pennsylvania.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...USAAFPitts.jpg
A total of 32 Interceptors, 56 Tactical Bombers, and 12 Strategic Bombers.

The President met with the three men he was putting in overall command of these units; Foulois, Andrew, and Arnold H. He impressed upon them the importance of their role and how vital a part of America's defense the USAAF was sure to play in the event – God forbid – of hostilities breaking out.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ingJan1936.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...FwingJan36.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...BwingJan36.jpg
The Bombers would rebase to Downstate New York whilst the Interceptions would go to Boston.

On the way out of Pittsburgh, troubling news is brought to Hoover.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...smproposed.jpg
A new strand of radical leftism.

Comrade Mosley in the Union of Britain was arranging a small summit with like-minded radicals throughout the world. He was attempting to make a coherent new far-left ideology, which he dubbed Totalism, indicating the state's total control over all production that he espoused. Before he reached the West Coast, the 'Totalist Charter' would be announced.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...mannounced.jpg
Ominous.

Many, even on the left, scorned or denounced the ideology, but it certainly had its supporters. Whether it would prove popular, and if so, whether it would prove as vile as Bolshevism had, remained to be seen.

The French Government-in-Exile, based in Algiers in French Africa, sent a diplomatic gift to the United States. Hardly enough to change the country's policies, but not an unreasonable basis for a new partnership either.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...NatFrDiplo.jpg
They couldn't afford another Statue of Liberty.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...FrOverview.jpg
National France is big, but poor and mostly desert. The natives are getting restless, too.

As the President continues his tour, the Vice-President has been having to deal with an unprecedented amount of business back in Washington. This is quite intentional, as both Hoover and Curtis want to set the latter man up as a serious and capable candidate, but it attracts criticism from some that the Vice-Presidency is overstepping its bounds. Nevertheless, Curtis is quick to act when the news from Ottawa comes in that King George V has died.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Rs/GeorgeV.jpg
The King is dead. Long live the King!

Condolences are offered to the beleaguered British exiles; King Edward VIII is soon installed as King of the various realms he claims. How he will act towards his British subjects and their Canadian hosts could dictate the course of Canadian politics for years, if not decades. The northern country awaits his first moves.

The news does not stop coming in over January. Almost in San Diego now, Hoover is told of potential trouble in the Far East. With Russia looking inward due to Wrangel's power grab, Baron Roman Ungern von Sternberg, the vicious and quite possibly mad ruler of Mongolia, began making clear his plans for expansion.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...gambitions.jpg
Will the Mongol Hordes ride again, to stretch from Poland to Beijing a second time?

The President, more out of boredom on the long journey than any real imperative, requests a comprehensive briefing on the Far Eastern situation. (See attached dossier). After arriving in on the West Coast he immediately sees to the assembled naval forces; the United States Navy is a vast power indeed, the match for any other on Earth despite all the troubles of the 20s and 30s. Hoover meets and greets a vast number of officers, sailors, bureaucrats, tacticians, researchers, and so on during the course of his days in California, and personally oversees a major naval reorganization.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...SNCombined.jpg
The assembled USN in all its glory and might.

The Navy is split into four parts; the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets will be of roughly equal power and size, based in Pearl Harbor and Norfork respectively. They will be the shields of the country in any confrontation. The small but nonetheless dangerous submarine fleet is to be based in Miami, well-placed to use the shorter range of the submarine vessels if any trouble breaks out in the Caribbean of Gulf region. The other unit is non-combat, the transport fleet of the USN, to be safely kept in San Diego on the West Coast. There is no anticipated need for a transport capacity in the Atlantic, but the Pacific could need reinforcement at short notice. Nevertheless this fleet would be broken up into whatever sized units were needed without compunction, and could be moved through the Panama Canal at a fair rate if they were needed on the other side of the continent.

Hoover makes the trip back to Washington in under a day, taken by specially charted flights. He inevitably attracts some censure for this by those who feel the money could be better spent, but overall he felt the success was a moderate success. The military reorganizations had gone without any significant hitches, the men had seemed in fairly good spirits despite the troubles of the country, and he was able to give more than one speech without being forced to stop by hecklers or actual physical danger.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ssentFeb36.jpg
The level of dissent and unhappiness in the country remained very high, but was slowly decreasing.

By the end of January, back in Washington D.C., the President and Vice-President were feeling very cautiously optimistic. The month had gone well despite the great criticism the administration had incurred for the cabinet reshuffle, and it was felt within the White House that though things were far from ideal, they were gradually improving.

In the month-end meeting, a few outstanding issues were covered.

“So, I hear we've got a mix of news this month?” The President asked of his Foreign Secretary, Henry L. Stimson.

“We do indeed Mister President. I'll provide the three major briefings in turn.” He gestured to the manila folders each man had in front of him. “As you can see on the first page, the new King, Edward VIII, has chosen to follow the democratic course in Canada. He has declared that he will listen to his elected privy councilors in making statements and decisions. Frankly, this came as a surprise to most, because Edward's made little secret of the fact that he believes the Monarchy should have a strong role in guiding the Commonwealth. Nevertheless, it's quite welcome, and hopefully Canada will continue to return to her roots. Given the new King's popularity in Canada he could prove powerful in unifying the country behind a common goal.”

“Well, I'm glad to hear that. We've spent years worrying about our northern neighbors, it's good to see that they remember what democracy is.”

“Indeed so, Mister President. Unfortunately the next briefing is a rather more unnerving claim at democracy. As you'll recall, earlier in the month the French Chairman of the Comité de Salut Public – sorry, that's the Committee of Public Safety - Marceau Pivert, was forced to step down. The Commune have since been having a major party election which could set the course of their country for years to come. So far, no faction has gained an upper hand, but someone could still emerge on top in the days to come.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../CoFElect1.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../CoFElect2.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../CoFElect3.jpg
The Commune of France debates and decides.

“Finally, gentlemen, of less immediate importance but something which could have major long-term ramifications, Emperor Pu-Yi of China has announced that his country, or rather that region of his country which he controls, will be undergoing a “Reformation”. What exactly he means by this is open to speculation, but it's well-known that he wishes to reunite the lands which his Qing Dynasty ruled for centuries, and the Chinese people are not happy with their German or Japanese masters. It's not impossible that he could make China a major power if he guides the country wisely in this time, and if so, that's going to have major ramifications for American interests throughout the Pacific.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...eformation.jpg
Will the Dragon awaken, or is it staggering, wounded, into a final death?

“Thank you Henry, most illuminating. The only things left are the progress of our contracts and the readiness of the new military units. It seems we are on course to have new men ready to go by the middle of the month, yes?” MacArthur and Craig both agreed with this. “Excellent, excellent. And the contracts?” Chapin passed around a stack of papers containing briefings on the current progress of various research projects, but pointed to the cover his own as the summation of these briefings.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...TechsFeb36.jpg
Things are going well.

“Alright, looks like things are going well here. Thank you all gentlemen for this briefing, I'll let you get back to your real jobs now.” Once the men had left, he and Vice-President Curtis felt confident enough to enjoy a cool drink for a few minutes before one of the thousand tasks which engage men of such positions arose.

Wait no, I take that back. I did read Britain and France were communist but it never sunk in until I saw "The Commune of France". That is literally the most disgusting thing I have ever heard. Demand retribution. Demand francocaust.

Commune of France. XD Wiggity wiggity WHAT.

I didn't realize the situation in the US was so bad.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psychotic

Wait no, I take that back. I did read Britain and France were communist but it never sunk in until I saw "The Commune of France". That is literally the most disgusting thing I have ever heard. Demand retribution. Demand francocaust.

---

I'll see what I can do, but you might be able to gather from the title that I'm heading leftwards myself :cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

Commune of France. XD Wiggity wiggity WHAT.

---

That's what Petain said.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sir Lancealot

I didn't realize the situation in the US was so bad.

---

If you think it's bad now, wait until you see what it looks like in 1937. Things are grim in the Kaiserreich world.

Mister President, please find enclosed the briefing reports you requested yesterday. We have collated all pertinent data for your consumption.

Special Briefing on the Far East Situation, per request of President Herbert Hoover 16/01/1936.

Secret

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...tAsiaJan36.jpg

1. Russia. The Russian Republic, under President Kerensky, has interests in the Far East which it does not currently have the strength of internal will to pursue. The borders remain lightly fortified and any deployment would take months to effect, giving local powers considerable time to react. Russia is believed to have special interest in Mongolia and in Transamur.

2. Mongolia. Mongolia remains much as it has done for over a decade now, under the cruel and tyrannical fist of Roman Ungern von Sternberg, a veteran of the Russian Civil War on the White side. Since taking control he has managed to bring some measure of industrialization and modernization to Mongolia, but at considerable cost in lives. He is nakedly ambitious and all surrounding powers are wary of him.

3. Xibei San Ma. The 'Three Mas' is a nominally Muslim Chinese state which spreads over much of the western Chinese hinterlands. Much of this is inhospitable terrain, and the Ma Clique does not enjoy much in the way of wealth or power. They are extremely wary of Mongolia, to the north, and Shangqing Tianguo, to the east.

4. Tibet. Tibet is a fairly insular country who are mainly concerned with avoiding outside conquest. They fear either an attack from a powerful, leftist Indian state, or from a Chinese power attempting to reclaim Tibet as part of a reunification effort.

5. Burma. Burma is a state in chaos. The central government barely controls the capital, and the military is loyal to local elites and those who can bribe them the most. Despite German attempts at enforcing stability, nothing has come of it, and the increasing leftist movement among the peasants is a cause for concern for all neighbors except Bengal to the east.

6. Siam. Siam is a fairly unremarkable place. The King maintains a reasonable degree of control over his country and it is not rated as a high risk for revolution at this time. The country is more likely to be swayed by who is powerful in their region than by ideology.

7. Yunnan. One of China's 'warlord states', Yunnan is the domain of Long Yun. It is of considerable size, but the harsh terrain outside of the Chongqing region prevents much development. The Chongqing region is, conversely, one of the wealthiest in China, densely populated and with some considerable industrial might – with this, Long Yun is able to be a notable, if not major, player. As with most powers, Yunnan is fearful of annexation by a unification movement such as the Qing Dynasty or Shangqing Tianguo.

8. German Indochina. German concessions throughout the Pacific are considerable, but this is the largest contiguous area of German power. Our best intelligence suggests that the German Reich is somewhat neglectful of these territories and they are not heavily guarded at this time. Nevertheless they give Germany a strategically powerful base from which to strike at any Pacific power.

9. Shangquing Tianguo. In English this translates as “The Pure Kingdom Upon the Heavens” or “The Heavenly Kingdom of Pure Peace”. This religious cult has managed to achieve control over a small region of central China and, though the area is fairly poor and underdeveloped, they have built a considerable network of fortifications which are manned by their fanatical troops. More insidiously, their revolutionary theocratic ideology does not need arms to gain converts, and more join the cult's ranks every day. They are most concerned with the Qing's territories to the west.

10. Allgemeine Ostasiatiche Gesellschaft or Algostasien GmbH. The German East Asian Company has what amounts to sovereign control over a large region of southeastern China. Not officially under the control of the Kaiser in Berlin, but rather a zone of exclusively German economic expansion, the realities of the situation in Southern China and the need for the Germans to pacify unhappy locals has created what amounts to a quasi-independent state. Fearing a repeat of Goring's Mittelafrika, the Kaiser has kept von Falkenhausen on a shorter leash and has not allowed for expansion of the GmbH's territory, but the region nonetheless forms a large zone of exploitation for the Reich and its clients and friends.

11. Qing Empire. This is the 'real' China, if that term can be applied to a region so fragmented. Emperor Pu-Yi is the rightful heir of the Qing Dynasty which has ruled China for centuries. Deposed in 1911, he was restored to the throne with German aid in 1926-27. The last decade has not seen a great deal of activity on the part of the Emperor, possibly because he is unable to ensure that major actions will not provoke his own overthrow. Nevertheless he is the most legitimate power in China and the most likely candidate for reunifying the country.

12. Fengtien Republic. The Japanese puppet state in Manchuria pales in comparison to the power of Japan itself, but it can match any of the other powers in China fairly well. The warlord Zhang Zuelin was supported by Japan against further German domination of the Asian continent. A large number of Japanese troops are currently stationed in the Fengtien Republic, and it is Japan rather than Zhang Zuelin who will dictate the policies of the territory in the foreseeable future.

13. Transamur. Wanted by the Russian government as a traitor, Alexander Kolchak's small country of Transamur is under Japanese control and protection, though Kolchak is believed to have ambitions over the entire Siberian region and, possibly, the whole of Russia itself. Whether Japan would back him if he made a move like that is questionable, and Russia is continuing to apply pressure in Tokyo to bring Vladivostok back under Moscow's control and to bring Kolchak to justice.

14. Japan. The Empire of Japan is far and away the premiere power in the region. Their home islands are industrialized and developed, they have an army of considerable size and power, and they have a strong base in Korea, Fengtien, and Transamur from which to make moves on the Chinese mainland. Meanwhile their fleet is considerable and their Pacific holdings give them the ability to deploy it across a large area. Japan is, however, facing internal discord, and is deeply wary of the German influence in the region. Their goals are likely to remain expansionist but this is unlikely to become a threat to the United States proper, though the Philippines may become a point of contention. Japan is known to require resources in abundance from abroad, and they may soon grow tired of buying it.

15. The Phillippines. The island chain remains under American advisement and is the base of our power in the western Pacific region. However, they are poorly developed and underarmed, relying on American strength to protect them from foreign aggression. For now nobody is willing to test our resolve but the country will require ongoing attention if it is to remain secure and become self-sufficient.

16. Legation Cities. The Legation Cities are a strong of economic concessions along the southeastern Chinese coast. Intended to build on the basis of trade, they have rapidly become deeply corrupt and there are criminal gangs in the state with as much power as large corporations, operating smuggling rings through Qing and Algostasien. Nevertheless, strategically speaking the Cities are barely armed and have no known ambitions, they rely on their status as trading posts to protect them.

Invade German Indochina, then give the land to china. That'll make them our allies!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dignified Pauper

Invade German Indochina, then give the land to china. That'll make them our allies!

---

Haha, I might do that, if I had the troops for it. As it stands I can't even secure the US mainland!

February – May, 1936

The French elections continued, though what ramifications these policies have is hard to decipher, because it all seems to be communist gibberish without substance.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic1.jpg
Whatever this means, it's unlikely to be good.

Unfortunately, credence is given to their ideology on what immediately became known as Black Monday, when the Berlin stock market crashed. This had effects within hours in the neighboring Netherlands, who relied almost completely on German markets to sustain their economy.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic2.jpg
Hopefully this won't create too much discord globally.

Perhaps buoyed by the troubles in Germany, the Commune of France declares its ambitions in foreign policy in a rather stark manner. Their intention was to take revenge against Germany for the defeats of 1871 and 1919. Despite their commitments to international syndicalism, their primary focus was evidently going to be across the Rhine. How Germany will react to this is not yet known.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic3.jpg
Ruh-roh!

Closer to home, things are somewhat better. King Edward VIII makes a radio address to the Canadian population, and many Americans tune in as well. He reaffirms his commitment to democracy in Canada, and states that “Despite my obligation to liberate the mother country, I am and shall remain King of Canada, and I shall look to the interests of Canadians as much as British.” In Canada this was met with generally positive reactions, though the British expat community had hoped for a more strident line against the Union of Britain. Americans also felt comforted by this, having a sense of common heritage despite their differences, and finding the King a likable man.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic4.jpg
It's a long road to London.

In the US, the training of the militia units is proceeding without incident. Volunteer numbers are low, but easily sufficient for this expansion. The first two militia units were immediately deployed to Chicago and Atlanta – President Hoover was sending a clear message that he would brook no anarchistic or rebellious uprisings in the USA. The deployments were met with protests but little more than that and the sporadic vandalizing of US Army equipment or structures. The other four units would, by mid-April, have been deployed to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Miami, and New Orleans, all strongholds of either the Syndicalists or the Kingfish's populists. Once they were completed President Hoover ordered the raising of three proper infantry divisions, better equipped and trained than the militias were.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic5.jpg
Intimidation from D.C., or attempting to keep the peace?

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic27.jpg
Proper training takes much longer than throwing some farmers into uniforms and giving them rifles.

In Europe, the effects of Black Monday would soon spread across the Continent, from Spain to Russia. The despair was palpable; the economy had hardly been superlative to begin with, and whilst America rejoiced the weakening of Germany and her unreasonable domination of trade, they also feared that what few markets they did have would be eradicated.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic6.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic9.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic13.jpg
The effects are quick and dramatic.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic7.jpg
Poland just says “Smurf it, it can sort itself out”

American fears are compounded by the launch of the Reichswagen in Germany. Motor firms in the Northeast were one of the few industries which remained somewhat profitable, as America was incontestably the car manufacturing capital of the world and their products were in demand worldwide. If this new car, specifically designed to be affordable for the everyday German middle classes, took off that could spell disaster for Ford and his ilk.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...e2/Up2Pic8.jpg
Ford Motor Company quickly denounces the car as slow and uninspiring.

More bad news for democracy comes in early march, as political chaos in the Australasian Confederation is quickly crushed by Billy Hughes, who ensures that no more clamor for democracy will emerge anytime soon. Hoover and King Edward both condemn this, but are both acutely aware of the need to keep the Confederation onside.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic11.jpg
Authoritarian Aussies and Kiwis, who'da thunk it?

Trouble also emerges in German-controlled China, where a rebellious uprising put the Algostasien GmbH's headquarters to the torch. Rebuilding is quick to begin, with considerable security at the site.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic12.jpg
A taste of things to come?

Drama erupts in the British Isles in March, as an attempt by the Union of Britain to intimidate the Irish Republic into staying neutral backfired completely. Not confident of Entente power, Ireland swallows her pride and seeks the protection of the Kaiser against UoB aggression. Kaiser Wilhelm II agrees immediately, and it isn't hard to see why – it gives the Reich the ability to encircle Britain and France and to project naval power into the Atlantic with considerably greater ease. President Hoover is infuriated by the news, which he sees as the senseless provocation of a neutral country into a rival camp. Faces are red in London for some time over this.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic14.jpg
One of the debacles of our times.

Back at home, there is some surprise when the Vatican fails to send an anticipated communique to D.C. In the south, Charles Coughlin had aligned with Huey Long and had been broadcasting some rather firebrand shows which had stirred up a lot of resentment and giving the Catholic church something of a bad name. He was the prototypical demagogue and at times his broadcasts reached half the country. Despite the desire to see him silenced, Pius XI had apparently decided not to pressure the American government over this, which Hoover and Curtis were deeply thankful for. Had the issue been forced, they could see no way out which didn't upset someone.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic15.jpg
God praise the Pope!

Vice-President Curtis guessed that the Pope had probably more pressing concerns, such as the imminent elections in the Socialist Republic of Italy, which controlled the southern half of the peninsula, as well as Sicily.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic18.jpg
Papacy or Communists, make your choice.

In Spain, things are almost as bad as they are in the United States. The Carlist claimant of the Spanish throne dies in late March, then in April the legitimate monarch and his state apparatus ban the CNT-FAI – the Federation Anarquista Iberica. It does not take long for the CNT to grow rather unhappy about this, and the police were sent in as a response.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic10.jpg
How will his heir guide the movement?

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic17.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic21.jpg
Remember kids, repression always works and never backfires.

South of the border, Mexico's president dies and a military junta takes power. Their current ambitions remain unknown but Washington D.C. heard the word “Intervention” more than once as this crisis erupted. Hoover knew the country was in no shape for a fight like that, and the issue quickly faded into the background. Autocracy continues to march in Russia as well.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic20.jpg
Instability in Mexico? Never!

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic19.jpg
Petr Wrangel continues to impose his will, making a new and loyal bureaucracy to govern Russia.

May was a month of crisis after international incident. First, Panama acceded to the suggestion of the United Provinces that they join the latter country. This puts a country hostile to the US a stone's throw from the Panama Canal Zone. Hoover decides that one of the new infantry units will be deployed to defend the Canal and supplement the existing troops.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic32.jpg
Don't even think about it, buster.

In the Far East, Sternberg makes his first move, provoking the Ma Clique into a war. He had secretly sent an envoy to Tibet, who convinced the mountain domain to join in Mongolia's expansionist path, through what means we do not yet know. In any event this places Xibei San Ma in a difficult position, located between Mongolia to the north and Tibet to the south. No help seems forthcoming for the Mas and their hinterland state.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic24.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic25.jpg
Green is Ma, Red is Mongolia and Tibet.

The French continue to provoke the world, by loudly declaring that it will indeed go ahead with the planned Third International, a meeting of all the major players in the global syndicalist movement. The expected array of guests declare their intention to attend, including the Union of Britain, Bengal, and an American delegation led by John “Jack” Reed.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic28.jpg
Problem, Kaiser?

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic29.jpg
This'll end well.

As the International gets underway, a piece of news is passed to President Hoover's desk which makes him break out the good drink for the first time in months, celebrating with Henry Kaiser and Charles Curtis. One of the projects he contracted at the beginning of the year has yielded fruit, as Union Carbide reports considerable progress on their agrichemistry research. The results will not be fully felt for some time, but the increased efficiency will help the country produce more food and to hopefully do so on somewhat more marginal land. Other projects would also finish in May, one presenting a new standard firearm for infantry use and the other an improved tank model, which the country was in no state to build at the time, but definitely wanted to have in reserve.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic30.jpg
The press, of course, barely mentioned the President's achievements except to call him a dirty syndicalist and imply he is Catholic.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic40.jpg
Projects as they stood at the end of May.

The major syndicalist powers, France and Britain, waste no time in antagonizing the various powers of the world. Over the course of the International they pledge support for revolutionaries in Spain, America, South America, and Bengal, whilst condemning any country who has ever arrested or even investigated a leftist for any reason. The French also pledge their support for the Socialists in Italy when the time came for their attempted reunification of the peninsula.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic33.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic31.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic34.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic35.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic38.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic37.jpg
Ah, the radical left. Bastion of international cooperation and friendship among men.

The American delegation was of particular note to the President, unsurprisingly. Jack Reed gave a long but admittedly powerful speech about the failures of capitalism in the United States, having a great many statistics committed to memory to support his case, and not shying away from grim stories of the harshness of poverty. Of course, he could have had all the charisma of a damp, eggy fart and France and Britain would have supported him; they knew well that America could prove to be the key element in the future of the world. Still, Reed pledged himself to the democratic process for the time being, and claimed the American experiment in democracy could transition without bloodshed to the syndicalist cause. This was met with incredulity.

In Germany, the government decides to ban the FAUD, the foremost anarcho-syndicalist trade union in the reich. Clearly a response to Syndicalist provocations over the month of May, the French are quickly whipped into an uproar over this. Cooler heads prevail and the Commune leadership is well aware that the time to confront the German Reich has not yet come, as hungry for it as they may be.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic23.jpg
We'll have less of that, sonny jim.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic39.jpg
French courage on display.

Attention turns to Japan as civil disobedience erupts in Niigata. The government wastes little time in deploying troops to break this up, but it symbolizes a deeper unhappiness in Japan that may not be so easily curbed.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic36.jpg
Have you tried... not being repressive?

The months until June were mixed for the USA. Internally, things went relatively well, with the St. Patrick's Day flood only providing the government a chance to appear like it really does care about the citizens, and the Indian Citizenship Act gaining a little sympathy for the administration as well. The minor heart attack suffered by Charles Curtis was big news for a short while, but his rapid recovery seemed to dispel that. Jobs are very slowly increasing and unhappiness decreasing. The situation remains very fragile; nevertheless President Hoover is convinced that a steady and calm hand can keep the ship of state from sinking.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/Up2Pic41.jpg
Slow and steady wins the race.

Sidenote: I only discovered when I came to writing this up that the in-game screenshot button does not take screenshots if you have event dialogue onscreen. The three major things missed by this were the St. Patrick's Day Flood, the Indian Citizenship Act, and Vice President Curtis' heart attack, but none of these have significant effects on the situation.

Also, I cannot keep my friggin' tenses straight, I have no clue why. I do apologize.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

In the US, the training of the militia units is proceeding without incident. Volunteer numbers are low, but easily sufficient for this expansion. The first two militia units were immediately deployed to Chicago and Atlanta – President Hoover was sending a clear message that he would brook no anarchistic or rebellious uprisings in the USA. The deployments were met with protests but little more than that and the sporadic vandalizing of US Army equipment or structures. The other four units would, by mid-April, have been deployed to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Miami, and New Orleans, all strongholds of either the Syndicalists or the Kingfish's populists. Once they were completed President Hoover ordered the raising of three proper infantry divisions, better equipped and trained than the militias were.

---

Thought you would do that.

The United States, June – October 1936

June began with a dramatic and rather unorthodox proposal by the claimant of the Bourbon throne in Spain, Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma. He approached Ireland, Austria, Portugal, and the Vatican-led Italian Federation, inviting them to form a Catholic 'economic alliance' when he takes control of the Spanish crown. All agree to this, perhaps reasoning that he, rather than the legitimate King of Spain, can guard the Iberian peninsula against Syndicalism and that combined they can restore the prestige and power of the Pope and Catholicism in general. Exactly what sort of aid they might grant him is not yet known.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P1.jpg
The Kaiser has not yet commented on Ireland's move away from Berlin.

A somewhat heartening development in China, as Emperor Pu-Yi's reformation takes a decidedly sensible tone. It is announced that “China can never be restored without a solid foundation on which to build” and that the empire's policies will work to ensure the end of famines in China and an increasing industrialization. Whilst this does not preclude aggressive moves on his part, it does suggest that he has more than just a tokenistic concern for the wellbeing of his population; the Qing armies are believed to already be sufficient to mount a war of conquest against Shangqing Tianguo and, if Germany did not get involved, against the Algostasien GmbH.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P2.jpg
Operating in the better traditions of autocratic rule.

Back in North America, the US and to a lesser extent Canada were in for a hellish summer. Record temperatures were recorded across the continent and tempers flared in the uncomfortable conditions.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P3.jpg
Sadly not enough to keep people indoors.

Events in June would conspire to arouse the Communists whilst slightly mollifying the Populists in the South. Alexander Berkman, the heart of American Syndicalism, finally lost his battle with cancer and died in the late hours of June 27th. Though no foul play was suspected or claimed, his death nevertheless served to galvanize the Syndicalists in America and to spur them to ever-louder and more strident protests and demands.

In the South, meanwhile, the situation would be slightly cooled by the release of the book Gone with the Wind, which Southerners interpreted as supporting their cause. Perhaps feeling that the novel would help their cause on a national level due to its evident qualities, there was a slight but nonetheless notable decline in anger in the South, with marches becoming just a little less destructive and violent.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P4.jpg
This leaves Jack Reed as the presumptive heir of the American reds.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P5.jpg
Hollywood is already trying to make a movie.

To the north, the Canadian parliament passes their new defense bill, known as Bill C-7. Among the first of its prescriptions to come into force is the decision to scrap obsolete RN and RCN ships to recycle whatever could be salvaged. There had been some considerable wrangling over whether to sell them to the Caribbean Federation or Dehli rather than scrap them, but it was clearly felt that the resources were needed by Canada.

Weirdly, Canada decides they cannot afford significant industrial investment this year. Given their military ambitions and the clearly degrading world situation, it was expected almost universally that they would find a way to make it feasible.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P6.jpg
The bill also provided for better pay and conditions to encourage more military volunteers.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P10.jpg
Britain outproduces Canada by almost 40%; was this wise?

Despite the heat and tension, for at least one day in the year an air of fraternity and brotherhood descends across the country. The Fourth of July is celebrated in good faith by almost all, and the few who attempt to capitalize on the holiday and accuse rival factions of not being true to the ideals of the Founding Fathers are soon denounced in Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P7.jpg
Not that it would last, of course.

Democracy is no longer so revered in Australasia, where Hughes and his cadres waste little time in stamping on any disobedience. Rumors abound that King Edward is trying to quietly nudge the confederation back towards a more liberal, democratic bent, but Hughes does not seem to be heeding him.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P8.jpg
I'm going to report this to me member of parliament. Hey, Gus! I got something to report to ya!

More good news follows for the US, as Canada is soundly thrashed in the Stanley Cup 4-2. Tempers cool just a little more as an accomplishment all Americans can be proud of is reported countrywide.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate3/Up3P9.jpg
Even if hockey is a silly sport.

By late July, the first of the new infantry divisions is trained and ready to go. Given the recent coup d'etat in Mexico the unit is deployed to Corpus Christie in an effort to protect Texas' industrial heartland, in the event of hostilities with Mexico. Another division would be ready in late September, and would be deployed to El Paso.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P11.jpg
We may need to build a wall here.

In Japan the situation continues to deteriorate around Niigata, and beginning to spread through the country. Martial law is declared in an effort to bring the situation under control.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P12.jpg
The Showa Emperor is willing to take all steps to preserve his country.

In Germany, a sad day as former Reichskanzler Georg Michaelis passes away. President Hoover sends the usual diplomatic courtesies to the country.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P13.jpg
'Cause I gotta have faith

Poland, ever chafing under German hegemony, presses once again for the right to have a Polish monarch. Perhaps mollified by years of dominance, or perhaps concerned by the worsening situation in the world, Kaiser Wilhelm II agrees to this. To the great surprise of all, Poland immediately fails to decide on a King and instead appoints a regent until such time as the debate had been settled.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P14.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P16.jpg
Foolishly, we assumed that they wanted a King so bad because they actually had one in mind.

Russia continues along an autocratic path, with Petr Wrangel declaring quite unequivocally that Orthodoxy is the Russian state religion.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P15.jpg
Third Rome stands yet.

A confrontation between Germany and Japan looks almost inevitable at this point, as Korean exiles in the Legation Cities secure German backing for a planned uprising. Korea has been part of the Japanese Empire for years now, but they are not happy with the situation and it is well known that a strong independence movement exists.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P17.jpg
A provocative gesture, no doubt. It is unlikely to intimidate Japan.

Nonetheless, repercussions will not be instant. Japan, beset with internal dissent, is further forced to tend to internal affairs as Prime Minister Inukai dies. The militarist faction, with the apparent support of the Showa Emperor, dissolves the Diet and siezes power for themselves, turning the Empire of Japan into a strictly controlled state. As they mercilessly crush the dissenters, they quickly make clear their intentions to establish Japan as the foremost power in the Far East.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P18.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P23.jpg
American media condemns the events, but the government remains silent.

In the Union of Britain, the Congress of the Trade Unions meets to decide the leadership and course of the country. Whilst Canada and other powers decry it as an illegitimate government, it has to be said that Britain has remained closest to the democratic and libertarian ideals out of all the socialist powers. Nevertheless the internal contradictions of leftism are highlighted over the weeks of debate and wrangling, as entirely incompatible decisions are made by the CTU. As the meeting draws to a close, Philip Snowden announces his resignation as Chairman of the Congress of the Trade Unions, leaving his succession an open question. It seems that the Totalists led by Comrade Mosley might be able to secure power, but this can't yet be known for sure.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P20.jpg
British Socialist democracy in action.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P22.jpg
So far so good...

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P27.jpg
More freedom, but more control by the center. Okay.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P28.jpg
Our army will be used for self-defence...

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P29.jpg
... except when it isn't, of course!

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P31.jpg
Will Oswald Mosley emerge on top?

Meanwhile, Wrangel's Russia decides that they would like to be a major naval power. When news of this new doctrine reaches D.C. there is much laughter, until it is realized that with the world as it is, nobody's likely to stop Russia for a long time, and if they have long enough they could put a formidable fleet to sea.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P30.jpg
Then again, the British, Canadian, Japanese, and American Navies are all mighty already.

In September, however, the real drama would be invisible and it would take place a lot closer to home...

Jitterbug into my brain goes bang bang bang until Germany does the same.

The smurf is this Comrade Mosley :bou::bou::bou::bou: though? I thought old Ossie was a good ol' fashioned jackbooter, not one of these "B-B-BUT THE WORKERS! :crying2:" sorts :colbert:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psychotic

Jitterbug into my brain goes bang bang bang until Germany does the same.

The smurf is this Comrade Mosley :bou::bou::bou::bou: though? I thought old Ossie was a good ol' fashioned jackbooter, not one of these "B-B-BUT THE WORKERS! :crying2:" sorts :colbert:

---

He ended up that way in the '30s, but the British Revolution happened in the mid-20s - right around the time Mosley was an ardent socialist and a member of the ILP. He was never going to get very far by becoming more reactionary than the King and, which is more, socialism had taken control in Britain, meaning he was never given the incentive to look for a new ideology after his OTL defeat in 1931. (And ITTL Mussolini never became a fascist but also remained red, so Mosley wouldn't have had a fascist example to draw on and inspire the BUF).

A Day in September

President Hoover sighed, got up to look out of the window, then sat down again instead. The stack of papers on his desk were a mix of mundane and unwanted. The mundane was the usual minutiae of any President. Recognitions, recommendations, diplomatic niceties, meetings with various politicians, letters from citizens. The unwanted was more dramatic and, by far, more difficult to deal with. Riots, protests, the latest speeches by foremost Populists and Reds. With the election approaching fast, and now only seven weeks away, things were coming to a head. Despite a few hopeful spots during the summer, the cooling weather was not cooling heads any. Speeches were becoming more radical and firebrand, and both the far-left and the far-right were taking more and more local powers into their own hands without regard to the Constitution.

There was a sharp knock at the door. Hoover looked at his watch – 4.00pm on the dot. General MacArthur had arrived punctually, and Hoover had a wrenching feeling in his gut as he contemplated what it might be about.

“Come.” He called. His aide opened the door and announced General MacArthur, who didn't wait before brushing past and striding into the room. “Thank you, make sure we aren't disturbed.”

“Yes Mister President” his aide said.

“General, please sit.” He gestured to a comfortable looking couch. General MacArthur stood statue-still and said,

“Thank you Mister President, I prefer to stand.”

“Suit yourself. I understand you've got an issue of some importance to discuss.” MacArthur nodded.

“Mister President, I'll cut right to the chase. The election is two months away and our country is beset by liberals, pacifists, and communists of all stripes. Now I've looked at Governor Long's policies and I tell you that whatever he says, the kind of control he wants to impose is as red as England.” Hoover looked at MacArthur right in the eyes as the general went on. Neither man wavered but the tension was palpable. “Sir, I, and a great number of other loyal men in this country's military, believe that it is in the best interests to cancel this election until such time as we can ensure the country will not fall to the radicals.”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P24.jpg
These are dark, dark times.

The President looked at the General's impassive face with a narrow glare, but one that hid a stunned expression. Hoover had feared some radical suggestion like nationwide martial law, but suspending the Constitution entirely? Madness! After a long moment he replied.

“General, even during the Civil War, the government in D.C. only abridged the Constitution in such ways as was necessary for fighting. Our country is not at war at this time, not with any foreign or internal force, and until it is I will not countenance such a suggestion.” He spoke with a firmness and a fire he didn't know he possessed, and which judging from his briefly surprised expression, MacArthur hadn't counted on either.

“Mister President, I realize the suggestion is irregular, but it is imperative to avoiding a second civil war. Now I can assure you that action would only be taken against the radicals in this country, and that as soon as the situation was safe we would restore the Constitution in full.”

“Sir, I am afraid I must question your state of mind. I can think of no greater way to ensure that the country will descend into mass chaos or outright civil war than to suspend our democratic principles. I hope I don't need to go into the moral arguments here, but quite aside from all that you know as well as I do that the only thing keeping half a lid on this is that everyone reckons they're going to win the election.”

MacArthur pounded a balled up fist into an open palm as he began to respond.

“Mister President, I can assure you we've thought of that and we are already ready to move against any such actions. Hellfire sir, you yourself have put our boys in place for just this. As for the election, what do you think will happen when Charles or Garner win? Reed and his boys will be up in arms, they'll say the thing was rigged, and they'll be out in the streets like you've never seen before. And frankly I don't trust Long not to do the same.”

“Then I will trust you to put them down for Mister Garner or for Vice President Curtis.” He pronounced the latter's name and title with emphasis, the unspoken and you will address him as such quite clear.

MacArthur was growing agitated by this point. He had expected the President would accede without a fight, even gratefully. Both men were surprised by the fire in Hoover's belly.

“And what if, Mister President, Reed or Long win it?”

“Then I pray for this country. But not as much as I pray for it today, when one of its highest soldiers and supposedly most loyal sons declares that the Constitution is just a silly old piece of paper to be discarded whenever it seems useful!”

“Mister President, I-” The President cut him off mid-sentence, almost roaring by now.

“GENERAL MacArthur. I am the President of these United States and I have rejected your proposition. I am frankly sickened by it and if I could get away with it, I'd have you out of a career by dinnertime. If this country falls to anarchy, populism, or communism, so be it, but Hell will freeze over before I am the man who tears up our Founder's sacred documents. As it stands, I don't expect you will be seeing the inside of this building again until January at the earliest; you will receive new orders soon.”

“Sir I must protest, the country needs to be secured from-”

“Get out.” He spoke in two short, clipped words, with a dangerous tone. The General bowed curtly, turned, and stomped out of the room. The tension suddenly felt, Hoover collapsed into a chair, his heart beating rapidly and sweat suddenly rolling down his face. As he dabbed at it he thought for a moment, then called for his aide.

“Sir?”

“Get me the Vice-President and General Craig. I want them in here as soon as possible. Then make sure everyone is coming in tomorrow, it's going to be a hell of a day.”

“Yes sir.”

General Craig was soon installed as Chief of Staff, and Vice-President Curtis was warned against General MacArthur. They were unsure of where Craig's loyalties lay but had little alternative. General MacArthur, meanwhile, was not a man who could simply be quietly fired, but he was quickly reassigned to the Panama Canal Zone, with the excuse that the increasing danger posted by the United Provinces meant the canal needed a man of his caliber to keep safe. Media speculation exploded but the General and whoever his allies were stayed silent and did not feed the flames of it; soon enough it became just another background event in the most serious American political contest for almost a century.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P25.jpg
General MacArthur paid the price for his suggestion.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te3/Up3P26.jpg
Relegated to a sleepy backwater. But will he stay there?

The USA, October-November 1936, and the 1936 Presidential election.

October was, for most of the world, a fairly quiet month. The Entente, minus National France, agreed to create the Imperial Scientific and Academic Council, an initiative which presumably aims to give the Entente a technological advantage to make up for their comparatively poor manpower and industry. The IDEC parallels other bodies such as the Imperial Development and Economic Council and all are geared by Canada to helping the cause of retaking Britain and France.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P1.jpg
Working together for the benefit of all.

The Kingdom of Spain was rocked by a terrorist bombing, though the volatile situation in the country means that identifying the culprit has been impossible, with various groups either claiming responsibility or blaming others.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P3.jpg
Tensions in Iberia might be even higher than in the US.

Wrangel's Russia, meanwhile, faces considerable worker's strikes. Despite his autocratic rule, Wrangel seems wise enough to realize that pushing too hard could be disastrous; Bolshevism remains a force in Russia and could quickly capitalize on unrest. The strikers are convinced to go back to work on the strength of promised economic reforms; political and social ones were seemingly off the table.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P2.jpg
Can Wrangel keep Russia together and free of revolution with appeasement?

Towards the end of the month, and little noticed in the US, where the election was at fever pitch, the Union of Britain's CTU wrangling and backroom dealing finally came to an end. Mosley was ultimately unable to take control and implement his Totalist charter, with the pacifist, anti-war speaking Tom Mann ending up in charge. Nevertheless, Mosley's influence at the Congress of the Trade Unions is clear and evident; Britain is a far more strictly controlled society than it was just bare months ago, and has, like France, moved sharply towards oppression and control. The new government immediately proposed a friendship with Norway, believing the Nordic country ripe for socialism, but this willingness to risk foreign entanglements raises questions about Mann's power.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P4.jpg
Thoroughly unBritish, what.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P5.jpg
Friendship is all well and good, but how will the Kaiser react?

Of course, the eyes of much of the world were turned to the United States at this time, and no other news took the attention away from this in the two weeks between Mann's ascent and election day. America had long had a two party system, only occasionally and temporarily disrupted, but on this occasion that seemed to have gone out of the window. There were now four major and credible parties who campaigned for votes up and down the country, barring the Pacific Coast, where only the traditional Democrats and Republicans campaigned in earnest, with Long and Reed recognizing that the relative lack of unhappiness there left it a poor choice for their often scarce resources.

The four parties were the Democrats, who fielded John Nance Garner, the Republics, whose candidate was Charles Curtis, the America First-Union party, which was led by Huey Long, and the Combined Syndicalists of America, with John 'Jack' Reed at the top.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P6.jpg
Spoiled for choice.

The result was dramatic and for many, unexpected. It had been anticipated that the new parties would become forces of note in Congress, perhaps fading away after a few years when the economic situation improved or as the parties and their positions morphed and realigned into new bodies. Few had expected that either Reed or Long would triumph in the election; but triumph one of them did. Jack Reed took 270 Electoral College votes, a bare majority but enough to put him into the White House without needing to resort to the provisions of the 12th Amendment.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P7.jpg
This took me forever so you better appreciate it even if it is crappy quality.

As was predicted by many, Long dominated in the South, which voted for him with overwhelming solidarity. Though he came third in the overall race, the states which supported him did so with huge percentages, indicated just how convinced the Southern states were by his ideas. He made some headway in the Midwest but nowhere managed to secure a majority, except in Nebraska, which reportedly surprised Long himself as much as anyone else. Reed, meanwhile, dominated across the Rust Belt and the entire Northeast, winning states he was not predicted to take, including New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and even Kentucky.

Curtis and Garner split the remainder of the states between them, those in the West of the country, most of New England, and the states of Virginia and Maryland.

The breakdown of Electoral College votes is as follows:
Reed: 270
Curtis: 110
Long: 97
Reed: 54

As can be seen, even if Curtis and Reed combined their electoral college votes they could not topple Reed. Had the Democrats and Republicans formed a single party, and presuming that party got the same individual votes combined as the two separately got (that is to say, that any vote for the Republicans OR the Democrats would have gone to the D-R), however, that party would have prevented Reed's majority, giving him only 229 EC votes while the D-R alliance would have had 212 (Also taking Nebraska from Long). Despite still being second, this would have forced the issue into Congress, where the D-R party would have had an advantage due to taking the most states. This was not, of course, to be; the people spoke and Reed was their choice. With almost 50 million people voting, turnout was over 70%, the second-highest to date in the 20th century, though at the lower end of most elections in the 19th century.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate4/Up4P8.jpg
Hearts of Iron doesn't account for the time spent as President-Elect. You go into office on November 4th.

What the future holds for America cannot yet be seen, but life will never be the same with a Red victory in the Presidential elections.

Transition and Reed's first moves.

President Hoover rubbed his eyes wearily, feeling the tension and stress behind them relieved slightly, but only slightly. He opened them again and read over the documents before him. With hesitation, he signed them, ordering the creation of more militia units for rapid deployment. He was deeply torn by this; the units would be used by Reed for his Syndicalist agenda. But he had seen the reports before anyone else who didn't have a hand in writing them. Reed's victory was creating huge dissent across the country. Whilst the factories in the Northeast were rapidly returning to work in force, and the country's industrial output had sharply risen in the days since the election, across the South Long's supporters were agitating with increasing fire and thunder.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P1.jpg
With a heavy heart, Hoover helps Reed keep the country together.

Things got serious before Hoover even expected. Historians have since debated at great length whether the Harney Basin Rebels fired the first shots of the Second Civil War. In southereastern Oregon, a sparsely populated region with no particular notability, a small alliance of towns declared themselves seceded from the “Communist government of the USA” and established a supposedly legitimate successor government with the principles of the US Constitution at their heart. Hoover was reportedly shocked so greatly that he locked himself in his office and admitted nobody for over a day.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P2.jpg
November 8, 1936 – It begins.

Hoover took a long time about it, but he eventually found it within himself to order the use of arms against his fellow Americans. He was determined to keep the Union intact no matter what else, and he resolved to do so regardless of the cost to his soul. He ordered the 3rd Army Corps based out of Los Angeles to move north and deal with the rebellion. Mj. Gen. Collins J.L. was authorized personally and directly by the President to use any means he deemed required against the rebels.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P4.jpg
A dark task for these soldiers.

In the Far East, meanwhile, Japan faced an uprising of its own, far more serious than the disturbance in Oregon. Half the Korean Peninsula was in the hands of revolutionists who demanded independence for the Korean state as hundreds of thousands of people joined in the popular effort to expel the Empire of Japan.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P5.jpg
Japan would likely be brutal in suppressing this.

In the South, Long began to make serious moves against the election results. He founded the Minutemen, or more accurately formalized and unified the various militias which had been growing rapidly for years in the South, making them as official as quasi-seditious, independent military units could be. With that done and a feeling of confidence that his words were backed with arms, he publicly condemned the election results as fraudulent and demanded a recount.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P6.jpg
The Second Amendment proves its worth to Long and his boys.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P7.jpg
Dissatisfaction is reaching an increasingly dangerous level.

Before even Hoover could respond, Reed condemned Long and volleyed a series of invectives towards him and his cadre. Hoover appealed for calm at first, but when Reed made some extremely stern demands about how to use the power he had won, but not yet been given, Hoover felt forced to take an unprecedented step. In a noisy and chaotic press conference, he condemned the uprising in Oregon and Long's rabble-rousing, but was most severe by some distance in his criticism of President-Elect Jack Reed, who he had come to believe was unfit to govern the country. He called on the Congress to resist Reed at every step and for the press to invigilate him with a critical eye.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...ate5/Up5P8.jpg
It seems nothing can restore order to the United States.

Developments in the American hemisphere, though almost unnoticed due to the commotion at home, strongly suggested further international issues in the future. In Brazil, a popular uprising forced the previous government to cave, and a syndicalist government was instituted. In Mexico, meanwhile, the young junta unsurprisingly identified the military as the chief recipient of investment and development.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P10.jpg
Reed immediately congratulated the revolutionaries and predicted close ties.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P11.jpg
Will the Mexicans take advantage of American weakness to recover lands lost for almost a century?.

Two disasters occurred in the course of under 72 hours. The Harney Republic, as it styled itself, had sent its 'military' to advance south into the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and had established a network of camps. The 3rd US Army Corps made first contact with the rebels at 0600 local time on November 16th, and it was quickly established that a peaceful settlement could not be reached. Fierce fighting broke out between the army's forward elements and various rebel camps. Unfortunately for the US Army, they were at a severe disadvantage. The enemy had arrived first and had set up camp, allowing them to take the lie of the land and to form good defensive positions. Meanwhile, the Army Corps had been moving for weeks and was disorganized and in little condition to fight, less still to assault a frozen, fortified mountain range. Despite their valiant attempts it became clear that the Army could not yet prevail; the order was given to halt the attack at 1000 local time, Nov. 18th

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P12.jpg
Nobody could expect this humiliation.


http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P13.jpg

I'll explain the combat window briefly: The forces are represented by the soldier icons; different kinds of units have different pictures and numbers to show, for instance, that you've got a regular Infantry division with 1936 tactics and equipment, as on the left, or a tier I militia, as on the right, or for example, a 1945 Light Tank unit accompanied by an Artillery brigade. In the icon boxes, you can see the orangish and green bars. The orange one represent unit strength, that is, how many men and machines are still fighting fit and in usable condition. The green represents morale; when it reaches zero, the unit is defeated and withdraws from combat. If they were attacked and are defeated, they will try to retreat to another province.

The red-green bar shows who is winning the fight; it moves as the fight progresses and it's your best bet for following a battle overall. I called the attack off once it reached this point, because there was no way they were going to recover and win after this. The little icons above that represent combat modifies. In this instance, the medal shows that the commander is giving a bonus due to one of his traits, the mountains represent the terrain (Mountains create a whopping 80% malus to armies attacking into them AND provide a significant bonus to defenders at the same time). The white stuff is a patch of ice, which further benefits defenders; I think the little portrait dude shows up because the rebels don't have a commanding officer, which decreases their fighting ability; finally, the moon and stars show that the current phase of combat is at night, which decreases fighting ability on both sides, but harms attackers more unless you have certain doctrines and technology like night vision.

(Do feel free to ask questions you might have, by the way! Hearts of Iron is a fairly complex game so I'm happy to explain stuff.)

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P14.jpg
An infamous day for the US Army. Worse, a sure boon to other rebels and militias.

Hoover immediately changed the deployment orders for one of the newly created militia units. He had not expected that they would be used so soon, but they were ferried to Sacramento by rail and deployed there under darkened skies; he also dispatched the entire 1st US Army Air Force Bombardment Wing to the region. Having overcome his initial shock, Hoover had still wanted to preserve lives where possible. With the ignominious defeat just encountered, he lost any such qualms, and he felt overwhelmingly impelled to stamp out the seeds of rebellion in the minds of anyone else in the country. Hoover became obsessed with keeping the union intact in the final days of his presidency, roaming the White House at all hours and, it was rumored, speaking to portraits and busts of Lincoln.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P15.jpg
The rebels might be tough, but nothing can stop the Army Air Corps

Meanwhile, in the great white north, Canada had very suddenly found itself facing a new security situation, one which was perhaps the worst one they could ever imagine. The USA had turned to radical leftism and elected an avowed Red as President. Even as the Oregon rebels humiliated the US Army, Canadian military thinkers were quick to warn of the dangers America could pose if she put her house in order. The British very quickly came to agree with the Canadians that Canadian security was paramount; there could be no liberation of Britain if Canada fell to Syndicalism.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P16.jpg
A grim mood reigned in Ottawa since the American elections, and Canadians across the country were training with firearms.

The relatively small and scattered airfields in the Sacramento region were barely able to handle the large air fleet which had been brought in, and the process of reorganizing them was taking a long time. Hoover waited as long as he felt able, but soon ordered the bombings to commence; fortunately, the rebels had no anti-aircraft capabilities.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P17.jpg
Give 'em hell!

The new militia unit was similarly slow to organize, but they were just about able to contribute to the 3rd Army Corps' new offensive. D.C. would never admit to it, but on the ground the rebels were able to best the army units in engagement after engagement. It was only thanks to the relentless air bombardment that they were defeated; the partisans had not expected any kind of air assault and had made no preparations against it. They were wide open to the round-the-clock bombing runs that boomed through the mountains.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P19.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P20.jpg
Observe the difference in the rebel unit's strenght. Bombing takes a heavy toll.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P22.jpg
Finally! But with too much effort required, too much blood shed. Hoover would be denounced across the country as criminally violent in putting down the rebellion.

Huey Long, unsatisfied with the vague response from Washington over his accusations of electoral wrongdoing, took to the streets the day after victory over the Oregon partisans was reported. He incited a massive rally across the South, denouncing Hoover and Reed in equal measure. He cited the difficulties in the west and the supposedly fraudulent election outcome as evidence of the corruption and weakness of the Washington government, and spoke at length about the need for a strong government to preserve the American tradition.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P23.jpg
The anger just keeps building. Where will it end?

Abroad, events of December and January were largely overlooked in the US;

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P18.jpg
France began to gear her industry for the war she planned with Germany

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P21.jpg
Russia's Wrangel was convinced to pursue a new concept of warfare which they envisioned as a rapidly-moving mechanized army that could keep the enemy off balance and unable to respond to Russian advances

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P25.jpg
Norway became a formally socialist state, to the unease of her Nordic neighbors

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P29.jpg
The death of Pope Pius XI made Julius IV head of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Italian Federation; a war of words erupted between Rome and Naples.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P33.jpg
And finally, Japan identified Germany as her main rival and the force which must be removed to create a Japanese-dominated Asia.

President Hoover, in one of his final acts before leaving office, ordered the creation of a second US Cavalry unit. Recent research had improved the potential of cavalry, and the problems in the west were, he was convinced, caused by the slow response of the military. A second cavalry unit could do a great deal to put down future rebellions quickly.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P24.jpg
Hoover was convinced the cavalry would remain loyal to the United States' principles, not just its President.

And, on January 20th, 1937, after a muted Christmas and New Year's, with the rebels cleared out of Sierra Nevada but with Harney Basin maintaining its claim on independence, with The Kingfish rallying people across the South to his cause, the Presidency of Herbert Hoover came to an end as President John 'Jack' Reed was sworn in on the steps of the Capitol Building's East Portico. What the future would hold could not be seen, but with thousands of Americans already killed or maimed, the situation could not look bleaker...

Washington, D.C.
12:03pm, January 20th, 1937
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Johnreed1.jpg
President John 'Jack' Reed.

“My fellow Americans” The President began, looking out across a fervent sea of American flags; and flags proclaiming loyalty to various syndicalist and other radical leftist philosophies. “My fellow Americans, let no man doubt that we have made a choice at the greatest crossroads our land has ever faced. We have been subject to the forces of unfettered capitalism, of foreign corporate selfishness, and of a despite economic situation worldwide, one in which all our brother and sister workers have suffered terribly. In the Union of Britain and the Commune of France, workers have for over a decade now taken control of their own lives, their own industries, their own farms and factories; and the economies which have weathered the crisis of today best are those of our socialist siblings.”

“America has arisen! The hard and decent workers of this land, a land of boundless potential, have been awoken by the desperation of our situation and we have, collectively, demanded a new system. The inevitable course of history is playing out before us, within us. But how could we not have demanded a new system when there are those in the country who have endured the greatest of privations; not the privations of not being able to afford a radio, or of seeing a talking picture, but the privations of starvation and the deepest, most shameful poverty. America, we will not stand for this any longer. I have already begun drafting legislation, in concert with my advisors and with the input of the workers' unions across our land, which will put food in the stomachs of all our citizens.

“We were not directly touched by the war of imperialist powers across the sea, but the outcome of that conflict has certainly guided the course of history and has deeply changed our own fates. We Americans must band together as socialist workers not only for our own sake but for the future of the world, and for the sake of our comrades across the globe. I will say again what I have said a thousand times over the past months, that my goal, the goal of any true socialist, is and must always Peace among Men. I will never let our experiment be controlled by the whims of kings or corporations but I will never seek warfare as a solution to our differences. I say to the King of Canada that we do not need the armed border he seems intent on establishing, that if we cannot be friends, we can at least be good neighbors. We will be prepared for foreign interference, but we will never initiate interference of our own in foreign lands.

“Let us not mince words, my friends, for these is no doubt a dark and brooding reactionary movement within our country which is a far graver threat than any outside force. These are powers who would see a legitimate election overturned because they do not like the results, who are arming reactionary militias with the intent on terrorizing American workers into obeying the old system. Well Americans are no fools, and the workers of this country have shown they won't be intimidated. Within these borders as well as without we will always seek peace, but do not be fooled; I shall tackle uprisings such as the Harney rebellion with all the force available to me. I am here because of democratic choice and though I seek to make changes, I will protect and uphold the Constitution of these United States, as I swore to do scant moments ago. I will not pretend that my beliefs, that the philosophy of Syndicalism and of the left in general, do not rouse fear and anger among some. There are those who call me anti-American. To them I ask one thing, one question only. Is it American to take up arms against your duly and constitutionally elected government, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? The American worker has been ruled by Presidents who have no common cause with them for a hundred and forty years, and has never opposed it with violence. If you oppose us now, then I ask that you let us have these four years, and that if we do not fulfill the mandate we were given, if we betray the American people, I will be ousted as many before me have been. I do not doubt in my heart that we have begun today a hundred and forty years and more of socialist leadership in these United States, but I believe this because the fair policies we institute will sustain our support, because the American worker will hark to our call and will arise to ensure his own security and that of his brother and neighbor.

“My fellow Americans, my comrades-in-arms against poverty and injustice, we go now to begin the work of restoring this country to her deserved glory and to instituting a system of fair government and fair economics that will leave no man, woman, or child behind. Thank you.”

President Reed waved to the cheering crowd, then turned and hurried to the White House, where he immediately began the work he had been sent to Washington to do. He was joined by Vice-President Shachtman; he was not Reed's first choice, but the new President was wise enough to know that changes would have to be somewhat gradual at first, with the country so unstable.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P26.jpg
Though not as extreme as Mattick or Foster, Shachtman still provided plenty of radical ideas.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P27.jpg
Reed and his cabinet.

Within days, the situation across the country was becoming intolerable. Though the factories of the Northeast had returned to work, that was strongly counterbalanced by the refusal of workers in the South to abide by President Reed's government. American industry enjoyed a sharp increase in output, but it still fell vastly short of her potential.

More seriously still, the city of St. Louis was the site of severe violence just a couple of days after Reed's speech. St. Louis was seen by many as one of the most volatile places in the USA, being a nexus where Syndicalists, Southern Populists, and the Democrats and Republicans all enjoyed overwhelming support among particular sections of the population.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P30.jpg
Reed was forced to send a National Guard unit to restore order when treasonous, reactionary local government would not.

Reed's first major concern was the resource industries of the country. He had long believed they were among the most exploitative of all commercial concerns, because they could and did hold everyone and everything else to ransom. He declared that the time of the common man being beholden to “oil robber-barons” was at an end, and signed into law sweeping legislature that nationalized industries such as oil, steel, coal. Unfortunately many resisted this change, most notably the oil industries of the Pacific coast; Reed pushed ahead nevertheless, and was undaunted by the threats of reaction from California.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P32.jpg
Reactionary forces would not stop American syndicalism!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...te5/Up5P27.jpg

---

Pretty open for a dictatorship.

The Beginning

Reed sighed, looked at the documents again, and sighed again. The brief spike in productivity had quickly eroded as factories across the country shut down in protest of Reed's inauguration. The Northwest ostensibly remained open for business, but so much of what they needed came from elsewhere that their output was drastically reduced as well. Before he even began the reforms, reactionary elements were stalling him and, more important, were stymieing the democratically elected syndicalist movement.

---
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/1.jpg
I'll give a brief explanation of this now

Left to right, these icons represent manpower (1 = 1000 men), Nukes (Which need a huge investment of research and industry to create, but are hilariously destructive), Dissent (High dissent is very bad. It reduces your industry, and thus your income, supplies, and production of units. It also makes provinces rebel, and inflicts a penalty on your soldiers in combat. 55% is absolutely crippling.), Supply efficiency (The left number is the amount needed given your armed forces and their actions. The right number is what you have. This basically means that my men are getting less than three percent of what they need, so it takes forever to reorganize after a fight.), and Industrial Capacity or IC (Left to right, Wasted IC, which means the amount being spent on nothing at all, Effective IC, which is your IC after modifiers like dissent and technological breakthroughs, and Actual IC, which is simply the number of factories you have in your country.)

As you can see, we're in the devil's own pickle right here. Manpower is good, but dissent is so huge that it has utterly crippled our IC, which in turn means we can't invest into reducing dissent, which is primarily done by building consumer goods.

---

There's little to do except keep an even keel while the country slowly recovers. Reed was confident that this would accelerate in time as people outside his heartland saw the wisdom of syndicalist leadership. He pushed the stack of papers aside for the moment, to study another communique, one which was not immediately relevant but which distracted him slightly from the country's troubles. To the south of Russia, the Don-Kuban Union and Alash Orda had come to blows over the Don-Kuban Union's attempts to stir up separatism among Alash Orda's cossacks. It was obvious to all but the two belligerents that this left them both open to Russian revanchism.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/2.jpg
A small war for now, but if it gives Russia the chance to regain her glory, it could prove a momentous event.

Within hours, things had taken a turn Reed had hoped to avoid, at least for a little while. Frantic reports came in and it was soon clear that two more uprisings had occurred in the continental United States. Tacoma and Fargo, and their respective environs, were in open, armed revolt against the US government, claiming electoral fraud and the failure of the authorities to investigate it; effectively they thought a left-wing coup had occurred.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/3.jpg
Reed knew he had to act fast if he was going to retain any credibility.

As Reed was overseeing the deployment of the US Army and USAAF to deal with the miscreants who threatened the peace of the nation, it became clear to him that others were resisting, if less violently, no less wholly. The laws of the land were being flouted by a consortium of resource businesses based mainly in California. In their eyes, the wealth of the Pacific states depended on being able to trade freely, not handing the oil over to D.C.; in reality, of course, the whole thing was an excuse for corporate fat cats to pocket obscene amounts of wealth while their workers went hungry and cold. Proclaiming “Solidarity throughout the nation”, Reed ordered an internal embargo of California, to force the rogue state to comply with the government's edicts.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/4.jpg
Extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions.

As he waited for the army to reach their positions, and for California to heel, Reed turned his attention to the South. If the Southern trade unions could only gain their rightful positions of power, Reed and his cabinet agreed, the whole country could be put back on track. Huey Long was having none of this, and had whipped up feverish dissent and disobedience throughout the South, intimidating the trade unions and promising that the South would not brook the aggression Reed showed California. Reed ordered militia volunteers of the CSA, rather than the US proper, into the South to provide protection and escort for the trade unions, to help establish their power so that they could begin to properly represent the Southern worker.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/5.jpg
It is hard to see a peaceful resolution now.

With the economic situation as dire as it was, the Army petitioned Reed for a significant increase in resources. What little industry the US had operational and under the control of Washington was dedicated to keeping the population happy, so Reed spoke to Syndicalist states with the goal of importing military supplies in exchange for some of America's huge raw resource abundance. International brotherhood was not high on the agenda of anyone; Britain and Georgia agreed to one-sided deals, whilst the French offer was so palpably unfair that the American delegation left in a storm of invective.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/6.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/7.jpg
You would expect better from fellow travellers...

When he received news via wireless that Army elements had secured the town hall in Burns, Oregon, without a fight, Reed was quick to capitalize on it. The fighting had been done under Hoover's term in office, but Reed claimed it as a demonstration of his own determination to keep the country intact, and warned that other traitorous elements would be destroyed with great vengeance.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/8.jpg
Sadly, Southwest Oregon would hardly boost American industry.

Every day in Washington was tense. Every hour brought a report of a new strike, a new speech, a new newspaper article. The cabinet wondered aloud, even knowing the minds of reactionary capitalists, that an elite so quick to proclaim itself democratic would so overtly turn against a democratic government. The days passed, and no good news crossed Reed's desk. Indeed, the reports from the South made it increasingly clear that the militia units were not able to restore order. Reed ordered the deployment of the US military proper in place of the CSA militias, to crush Long and his so-called 'Minute Men'.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Update6/9.jpg
A house divided against itself cannot stand.

The deployments created the worst wave of dissent yet. Three seperate uprisings took place during the night of and morning after Reed's order to deploy the military to the South. Two were no particular threat, but the uprising in Delaware and Maryland was a terrific blow to the Reed government. This was more now than dissenting mountain folk; this was a serious threat to the very heart of the federal government. Who knows how many institutions of government would be threatened if this was allowed to persist? Reed ordered every soldier in D.C. to fight the rebels immediately, and to their credit they crushed them in short order. Nonetheless the damage would be done, and compounded by persistent rumors that Jack Reed and his cabinet had fled D.C. in fear.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/10.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/11.jpg
If this keeps up, the rebels will outnumber the army.

The emergency legislation which followed was quick to be enacted. Washington assumed unprecedented powers, consolidating Reed's legislation of the past few weeks, and the palpable threat of rebellion convinced those Republican and Democrat lawmakers who still attended the Congress that this legislation may be necessary to maintain the union's integrity.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/12.jpg
Reed and his cabinet now have power which Mosley and Mussolini envy. Of course, this is only on paper; the US government's authority has less practical impact with every passing hour.

The blockade of California had proven futile. In amongst all the other problems, it had almost been forgotten, but reports of excessively harsh handling of a smuggling ring over the California-Nevada border propelled it back to the front page. California was doing just fine thanks to their trade with countries throughout the Pacific, such as Japan, Australasia, and the various Chinese states. The solution was obvious: the blockade must be extended to include a naval element. Nothing would enter or exit California until the illegal cadre of businessmen who had seized the state's apparatus were made to obey the rules which the people's government had wisely instituted.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/13.jpg
No need to worry about their welfare if they wish to be selfish and not worry about the rest of America's.

And then, just like that, it happened. President Reed was reviewing a number of high-ranking military personnel for disloyalty, and top of the list was General Douglas MacArthur, who had recently absconded from his post in Panama and was reportedly speaking with politicians of the Democratic and Republican persuasion in secret. That alone was enough to see him dishonorably discharged, but before Reed could even sign the papers, William Aalto and a number of stern looking young men burst into his office. They bustled him out of the city with barely a word of explanation; Macarthur was on the march, and the knowledge of his had sent the local army units into complete and overt disobedience. They would not be stopping the rogue general's coup, they would be supporting it.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/14.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/15.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/16.jpg
Contrary to the statements of the bourgeoisie, this was an actual coup, in modern America.

Within hours, MacArthur had siezed control of the US government, citing exceptional circumstances and a treasonous President installed under the most dubious of circumstances. Claiming that only the military could ensure the safety of the country now, he instituted severe measures to curb rebellious elements. Many in the Midwest and West were greatly mollified by this. The Northeast and South were another matter; though MacArthur was clearly more concerned with the CSA, he had little love for Huey Long, and the America Firsters knew it.

Despite the general's best efforts, Reed and his cadre escaped the capital and retreated to Chicago, where they were met with unmatched celebration. Thousands of American flags were burnt; the flag of the Combined Syndicates of America was flown from every building, even the governmental ones. Reed made a short speech in the early morning of March 1st;

“My friends, the reactionary enemies of the people and of democracy have overthrown us. It was our belief and our hope that the change this country needs would come from peaceful means, but we have not been allowed to do this. If anyone doubted it before let them see now that we tried our hardest, as democratically elected equals, to guide this land into the future, and that our attempts were met at every turn by dissenters, by reactionaries, by the forces of big business who care only for their profits, and who have overthrown an elected President and torn this country apart in their lustful greed! My legitimate election to the Presidency was overthrown; your votes have been trampled on, as your lives have been for so long. It was to be hoped that it never came to this, but our hands have been forced; the workers of this country have been forced. The United States of America is a dead nation, fit only to hide the reactionaries behind their false proclamations. The worker's state exists here, now, I have in my hand the articles of secession and we are as of this moment independence of the United States of America. Workers, Arise! Our time has come!”

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/17.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...Update6/18.jpg
The Second American Civil War has begun.