Washington, D.C.
12:03pm, January 20th, 1937

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.


Though not as extreme as Mattick or Foster, Shachtman still provided plenty of radical ideas.


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.


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.


Reactionary forces would not stop American syndicalism!