The year is 1937. The Great Depression has ravaged the world for eight long years. In the United States, it has become too much. When Hoover beat FDR at the election, people were hopeful. Now all of Hoover's policies have failed miserably. States have started banding together and are having thoughts about secession. August 13, 1937 is the day when the Treaty of Washington DC is signed. The former US government did not want her states to leave with bloodshed, so she set them free, hoping with their own governments they would do better than as a whole. There is no more 'United States' but some states have become united once again, in their own factions. Whether these factions will remain peaceful is a question for another time. The abolishment of the USA has struck the world hard, and in many ways worsened the Great Depression across the board. War is brewing. Is anyone strong enough to survive it?
Welcome to Point of No Return. In this RP players will assume control over a former US faction released by the Treaty of Washington DC, or a different nation, existing or new, across the world. The Great Depression is not over, and war might be the only thing that could save some nations, jumpstarting their economy. So tell the stories of what has been done and what will be done to fight the Great Depression in your nation.
TBA
TBA
Name: Flag: Leader: Government Ideology: Claimed States: Rough Population: Capital: Why Your States Decided to Unite(A sort of history):
Name: Flag and Map: Government Ideology: Leader: Rough Population: Capital: History of Your Nation since start of Great Depression:
Does this mean that the others of us who poked our noses in the Interesting Check can now migrate here? Because if so, I'm putting dibs on California and the surrounding Pacific area! Long live the PSA!
Name: Pacific States of America
Flag:
Leader: President Frank Merriam.
Government Ideology: Market liberal with leanings towards liberal democratic.
Claimed States: California, Oregon, Washington & Hawaii, including Pre-American Pacific possesions. (Can I also take Nevada and Alaska as well?)
Rough Population: About 9 million.
Capital: Sacramento.
Why Your States Decided to Unite(A sort of history):
California and the rest of the Amerian west coast had always been percieved as the new "land of oppertunity" inside of the USA; with it's vaste emptiness of fertile land for farming and a pleasent climate that made said farming easier; unlimited amounts of natural resources, immortalized by the California Gold Rush and now countless oil-wells littering the landscape; and last but not least, an ever-stretching coastline that supplies fish and ships from across the globe. Men and women from all cornes of the world flocked to the Golden State in search of a new life, and many did find it there. Right into the 20th century, the new entertainment industry centred in Hollywood attracted the never-ceasing stream of immigrants.
Then the Great Depression hit like one of California's eartquakes, only worse.
After the cosmic boom of the economy on the West Coast, the bust was felt harder than expected. Not that anyone expected it really, which ade it all the worse. Banks closed down, farmers who had already lost their livelyhoods after the earlier crash of the agricultural sector, now lost truly everything. California's heavy industries grinded to a halt, and the now slumbering international trade meant that fewer ships left the harbours. And what happened when all of this stopped?
Those working there had no work left. And what do workers without a job do? They protest.
Right after then governor, current PSA-president, Frank Merriam's inauguration in 1934, a strike began at the International Longshoremen's Association in San Francisco, and spread like wildfire after it's initial days. Similar strikes took place across the US, and many feared that an all-out socialist uprising would take place if it got out of control. That fear would turn into reality on July 5th 1934, when strikers were attacked by police forces assigned to protect the hired labour intended for the affected industries. Tear-gas was used against the strikers, a police-car was overturned, and somewhere in the fray gun-fire killed several strikers and policemen. As the strikes turned into riots, socialist and communist agitators jumped onto the bandwagon and called for "The Worker's Revolution" to begin, guessing that the fresh Merriam wouldn't dare send in sufficiant police-forces to break up the workers.
They guessed wrong.
Within the following days, not only had Merriam called in the Californian National Guard to stop the revolution, he also called in perhaps the strongest branch of the American Military; The United States Navy. In the bloodiest break-up of civilians in American history, the lethal force of the police and military ensured that the so-called "Californian Worker's State" survived only 5 days, 3 hours and 17 minutes. It is debated whether or not the use of such drastic measures were needed, but modern scholars point to it ensuring that a later socialist uprisng at that scale never would take place in Californian history.
For governor Merriam, things were just as debated. Now you either hated him for openly attacking workers and civilians, or loved him for restoring order and stability in California, compared to the social unrest in the rest of the US. His election in the proper 1934 California-election showed the split in popularity; winning with only 46.3% of the votes compared to the democratic opponent Upton Sinclaire with his 45.9%, he was asked to have the ballots re-counted, but refused it. The opposition and other socialist opponents did not muster the forces to challenge his election, and thus Frank "Marbletop" Merriam was safe and secure as California's 28th governor.
Is was this security that allowed Frank Merriam to push for the indepence of California and the other Pacific states during the 1937 Treaty of Washington, D.C. With the support from the governors of Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and the other Pacific possesions of the US Government, several heads of the West Coast's leading industries and Admiral James O. Richardson, a new nation was created on the American Pacific Coast;
The Pacific States of America, a true successor to the decadant federal government, a shining beacon of liberty and American values on the west coast. Standing united with California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, protected by the Pacific Fleet of the previous US Navy and a vaste ocean in the west, hopes are high for a bright future. But as the initial optimism wears off, problems will arise and threaten to rip the newly-born nation apart. Will she survive and pass on the ideals of the first Californian Republic who revolted against the Spanish, or fade away into the same state as the US did, only to have new nations arise? Only time will tell.
Yeah, sorry these two weeks are a bit rough for me, but you guys are completely fine to join, the people from the interest check haven't even posted here yet and for this RP the more players the better. Can't wait to see your final sheets.
Government Ideology: Rural collectivism/Quasi-Communsim
Claimed States: Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico
Rough Population: About Seven Million
Capital: Wichita
Why Your States Decided to Unite(A sort of history):
Acting as the first - and last - director of the US Food Administration, Herbert Hoover had during the Great War fought to keep measures in place during the war years to subsidize wheat farmers across the nation so as to encourage an artificial boom in wheat to feed US soldiers and their allies during the years of the First World War. This policy created an immense economic bubble and people from all across the nation flocked to the farm fields of the American mid-west to strike it rich in "fibrous gold".
As this would mean: the region boomed.
The history of the boom of the American mid-west goes back decades, clear into the previous century when railroad companies and US policies reflected in the Homestead Act set aside massive tracts of land in ranching and farming. Systematically, the face of the US mid-west was reshapes as bison herds devastated at the ends of muskets and rifles, and the native Indians driven from lands they had once believed were theirs forever by treaty.
And as history went even, the state of Texas after the Civil War desired the largest and most expansive state house in all the country and would reward anyone who could design and build it unimaginable tracts of land in northern Texas for whatever they so please do build it. A firm in Chicago would take up the offer and seizing investment from as far away as England they went about to build the state-house, winning the expansive land grant which became the XIT ranch.
However the XIT collapsed in the following decades after the ranching bubble collapsed and the price of cattle plummeted. In the transition to the new century the old XIT lands were auctioned off at bargain bin prices - sometimes nearly close to free - and gave away to new homesteaders looking for a new life in what was shilled as "The greatest farmland ever imagined".
The cowboys of the old XIT knew differently, and better.
Boom occurred, and the region exploded in industry and population as families from across America and immigrants from Germany and Europe flooded the bankrupt ranch-lands scooping up land at penny on the dollar looking to grow wheat in those devilishly evil high plains. Wheat went down, and the crops came up.
The first world war facilitating an artificial explosion in wheat demand and more people came across the region throwing down wheat and digging homes literally into the soil and sod itself; living like hobbits on the windswept prairie and ignoring the condemning words of the old ranchers who saw black doom on the horizon.
Boom was followed by bust, and wheat prices plummeted. Farmers responded the best way they knew how to cover bank debts and mortgages: to plant even more wheat to break even. This carried for several years until the rug was pulled out, and the dirt went sky-ward.
The plains were struck with a fierce drought and the mercury soared to oven-level temperatures. No rain fell on the plains and crops withered and died. The creation of the Dust Bowl States was at hand.
With no bank support the people from Texas to as far north as the Dakotas suffered high-winds. Billowing south from the Canadian yukon bitter cold winds swept the plains and scooped up the once fertile soil throwing it away the way an angry child scoops up sand. Storm after storm the plains were eroded away and families saw their livelihoods dissolve.
They cried to Washington, to their state governments to send them help. But none came. Herbert Hoover, interested in operating a hands-off approach to managing the economy only made quarter-hearted gestures in support. But this didn't help, it did not ease the pain and the death.
The plains before had been a place doctors sent patients from the city to live, praising the "clean air" of Oklahoma and the southern mid-west. But now the air was more deadly than that of the cities. And there was little hope. Nearly any opportunity and many were stuck, many more were simply stubborn.
Opting to believe tomorrow would be a better day, they held on.
During the election of 1933 the region voted unanimously in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt in energetic hope of that bright future, casting aside the racist and cigar chomping William H. Murray "Alfalfa". However, Roosevelt lost by some devilish plot and Hoover maintained his presidency. Things got worse, fast.
Residents of the dust bowl called the election a bum deal and as legislation went through Congress to again disunion the union revolution erupted.
Earl Browder, the chairman of the United State Communist Party made for home; Wichita Kansas to lead the disgruntled farmers. For him, this revolution was a clear cry for help and salvation, he lead them to that. Directing the people to overthrow the local state governments and casting out people like William Alfalfa. A revolutionary, communist and anarchist spirit ran through the people as they liberated from themselves governments and institutions they believed had cheated them.
When all was said and done, the people of the Dust Bowl were free. But still not without the storms that ravaged their lands and continued to blow blackish, brownish, yellowish, and reddish dirt clear to Washington DC and New York, seemingly jeering and punishing the policy makers that so badly wished to ignore this had all happened.
When revolution settled, and the disgruntled and impassioned farmers retaken their land and forever killed the threat of foreclosure from New York and Chicago banks, they looked to the great task at hand. Living with the storms: or securing permanent hope elsewhere. To facilitate either goal Browder called for any minds he could find, and any and all personalities. While this happened, the communist kingdom in the heart of the sand-worn states attracted adventurers, exiles, and personalities in their own right to America. Figures like Trotsky, fleeing exile from Stalinist Russia moved from Turkey to the side of Browder. And people like Hemmingway were soon to grace the dust bowl, passionately attracted by the hard grit, gristle, and dogged determinism of the people there.
But figures don't make for a sound future, and they - as well as the people of the Dust Bowl - have to find a way out. A way to fix their beloved plains.
@KingTipThe reason more people from the Interesting check hasn't posted here, is because they don't know that this thread actually exist. You might want to post there and give them the link. Just saying.
Government: Head of State/ Governor-General: Herbert H. Lehman
Head of Government/President of the Union/Lieutenant Governor: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Secretary of Commerce: John D. Rockefeller Jr
Secretary of State: Cordell Hull
Secretary of the Treasury: Henry Morgenthau Jr.
Chief of Staff: Douglas MacArthur
Chief of Naval Operations: Arthur Japy Hepburn
Chief of the United States Army Air Corps: Henry H. Arnold
Chief of the Signal Intelligence Service: William J. Donovan
District Attorney: Thomas E. Dewey
Senate - Lieutenant Governor - Franklin D. Roosevelt [D] President pro Tempore - Perley A. Pitcher [R] President of the Senate for New Jersey: Harold G. Hoffman [R] Speaker of the Senate for Pennsylvania : Thomas Kennedy [D] Speaker of the House for Delaware: Rodney Hutchinson [D] Speaker for Northern Maryland: Harry Nice [R]
House of Representatives: Speaker of the House: Vito Genovese [D]
Government Ideology: "Rooseveltism" - a Commonwealth Nationalist Federal Union mixed with a military dictatorship [National Socalist- Federal Union mixed with some Leftist Ideas.
Claimed States: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and the North of Maryland.
Disputed Territories [Delaware: Everything North of Dover - Union, everything South - Virginia] [Washington D.C - Union controlled after ceasefire] Norfolk [Union controlled after ceasefire]
Rough Population: 27.388 million
Capital: Washington D.C [Population: 489,869] - [Disputed with Virginia]
Largest Cities: 1. New York City [7,199,946] 2. Philadelphia [1,954,941] 3. Baltimore [824,424] [De-facto controlled]] 4. Pittsburgh [669,917] 5. Newark [669,817]
--------------------- Union Army: Active Personnel: 45,000 Ready to Mobilize: 450,000 Reserves: 1,252,000
Training Picture:
----------------------------- Equipment: M1 Garand [Number: 450,000] M1903 Springfield [Reserves - 3,250,000] Browning M1918 [23,000] M1919 Browning [152,000] M1 Mortar [3,100] M116 Howitzer [2,000] Renault FT [Storage: 121] M2A4 Tanks [143] Light Tank 'M3] [5 - Testing] Leichter Panzerspähwagen [Imported from Germany - Number: 205] [More will be added] ----------------------------- -----------------------------
Union Naval Forces on a patrol
Union Naval Forces: Destroyers - Mahan-Class [8] Light Cruisers - Brooklyn-Class [6] Heavy Cruisers - Washington Class [1 - 4 in building] Aircraft Carriers - Lexington-class [3] Battleships - Colorado-Class [5] Battleships - Tennessee-Class [1] Battleships - Nevada-Class [4] Battleships - New York- Class [2] Landing/Transports Vessels - New Jersey Class [4 - 16 more in production] -----------------------------
Union Air Force [Formerly known as U.N Army Air Corps] Bombers - Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortress' [125] Fighters - Curtiss P-36 'Hawk' [54] Fighters - Curtiss P-40 'Fighting Hawk] [1 - Testing] Fighters - Messerschmitt Bf 109 'Me 109' [195 - Imported from Germany] Dive Bombers - Junkers Ju 87 [135 - Imported from Germany]
Why Your States Decided to Unite(A sort of history): In the early 1900s the Northeastern states of the United States inspired large industrial and population growth, with immigrants coming from Europe after the First World War and it was also where the Great Depression began in 1929. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected Governor and began a recover process for the state, while at the same time expanding the influence of New York. in 1932 New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey formed the "States of Collectivity" a trade and industrial union where both states aid each other while aiding themselves. This process helped the states recover, but it was still not enough and after a "boom" period of 1931-1933, Roosevelt resigned to run for the Presidential Elections.
Herbert H. Lehman the leader of the "Nationalist-Trade Union" became Governor, at first Herbert H. Lehman was a respected and well active leader within NY, yet in 1935 the Governor had a stroke and ever since he was unable to "run the state" and the State fell under a Chairmanship, or a regency until Herbert H. Lehman died. For the first time, the State covered up the Press and refused for "interviews" playing off as Herbert H. Lehman was well and healthy. In the 1936 elections the populist Roosevelt returned and was elected Vice-Governor while Herbert H. Lehman remained as Governor in name only. And in 1937 with the Bill of 1937 giving all the states complete freedom was passed is when the chaos began.
Immediately, riots and violence broke out within the State. The Republicans. Democrats, and Nationalist-Labors formed into one party named the "Federal Party" against the Socialists, Communists, Radical-Liberals, and Anarchists which formed the "American Syndicalist Union" yet the ASU fell as the Radicals and Anarchists broke away to form the "Anarchy-Jacobins" which quickly fell after a supposed "assassination" of the Chairperson took place outside Times Square in New York. This allowed for the "Purge of September" as key figures within the American Syndicalist Union went either missing, deported, or murdered with the help of the local "Five Families" in New York City.
- Governor Franklin giving a speech after the end of "The Times of Troubles" in New York.
With this, the Federals put a tight grip yet a civil war almost broke out as Syndicalist Forces armed the local population in Albany, Roosevelt called in the National Guard under MacArthur and the leader of the ASU Forces "William Z. Foster" was captured and transported to a prison in New York.
Yet, another threat arose as the National-Socialist- German backed party secured a narrow-election in New Jersey. Large-scale riots broke out and some people in the New Jersey Senate [many former Republicans and Democrats] called on New York to help and liberate the state, which in late September they did as 45,000 thousand strong "New Yorkers" forces moved into and occupied key cities within a week. The State joined New York in a union and formed the "Sister Republics"
- New York Forces reading the surrender of New Jersey.
In early October a referendum was held in Pennsylvania on whether not to union with the Sister Republics the Referndum passed 75% to 35% yet the Pennsylvanians Senate refused to ratify the order and vetoed any attempts same for the Governor. New York outraged at this repeated what it did with New Jersey. The Pennsylvanians drafted soldiers, yet they all refused to fight refusing to die for a silly cause. The State surrendered on the 25th of October as New Yorkers entered Harrisburg and Philadelphia to cheering crowds and at gunpoint the Senate was forced to sign the Bill which forced Pennsylvania into the Sister Republics.
- New Jerseyan Police outside Princeton tearing down the border between Pennsylvania, NJ, and NY.
Peace didn't long last as Virginia which became the "Union" annexed Maryland and Delaware and began to conflict with the intrests of New Yo war broke out in late November between the two. The war become a stalemate as both sides couldn't defeat each other, until Douglas McArthur surprised the Virginian Fleet at Norfolk and destroyed 8/10 of the Virginian Navy, the rest surrendered. This allowed for the Forces of New York to land in Virginia Beach and force Virginia to fight two fronts, which it could not afford to do. Virginia went for one last offensive and drove deep into Pennsylvania. The offensive worked well, yet the cost was to much and they were forced to withdraw as New Yorkians went on the offensive and went so far as Washington D.C while New Jerseyans went and captured Delaware but was forced to stop at Dover. A ceasefire was called on the 10th of December between the two, which divided Maryland, and Delaware into two spheres and ceded Washington D.C and surrounding areas to the Sister Republics. The Senate of Delaware partitioned to join the Sister Republics which passed and Delaware joined while the State of Maryland was completely dissolved and formed into North Maryland under the Sister Republics and the rest under Virginia, and the Port of Norfolk was ceded creating a peace, but a uneasy one.
- Virginian Forces during the Pennsylvanian Offensive.
Philippines needs a neighbor; and me a alternate nation! No one can be lonely around here, haha! __________________________________________________________________________________________
"Only Powerful People Have Liberty" -Dr. Sun Yat-sen, established the Republic of China, and overthrew over 4,000 years of Dynastic Chinese rule.
Name: Third Republic of China Motto: Established by the People, to establish values."
[THE MAP IS REPRESENTATIVE OF A MODERN DAY MAP, AND DOES NOT REPRESENT EAST ASIA IN ROLEPLAY]
Democratic-Socialist State of the People under the Socialist Tongmenghui Party
Leader: President Shi Xiaobo
Rough Population: Estimated 515 Million People
Capital: Beiping (Beijing)
-The government is classified by most as a "Communist Dictatorship" -The constitution allows Freedom of Speech, Religion, Protest, Freedom of Movement, and Naming of Children; but this is restricted by the government in order to keep control over the people by the government. -The government has in place; it's own idealistic ideals of Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. -The government can be classified to us out of RP as a toned-down Maoism State. -The government has full control on state media. -The "Chinese Congressional Body", aka, Chinese Congress; has 350 seats, and is often called a "Rubber-Stamp Congress" that holds little to no real political party; and all politics simply are directed at the Socialist Tongmenghui Party.
History of Your Nation since start of Great Depression: Since the overthrowing the deprived, economically destroyed 1926 government led by fascist Chiang Kai-shek that overthrew the 1911 government; and a destroyed economy to the new Third Government; attempts with socialism as a way to bring the government to its original condition of Pre-1840s, with purging of many fascist government officials like Chiang Kai-shek under the new government, the Third Republic also seized most government property and created a new currency; "Third Yuan", as further shedding its government's crippled self, but the government still finds itself, with heated border conflicts and tensions with warlord states like Manchuria, Inner-Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. While still attempting to find ways to re annex the broken states like those, as well as Outter Manchuria that declared Independence in 1911. The government's current structure and model is called often a "Semi-Democratic State", with most parties existing being socialist; and those who aren't have little to no power; with the majority party and party that founded the Third Republic; the "Socialist Tongmenghui Party" founded off Sun Yat-sen's principles using Sun's Tongmenghui Party that existed up till the early 1900s; as a basis. Such as Sun Yat-sen's three principles, "Nationalism, Democracy, and People's Livelihood [Socialism]". Though with states like Japan, who has seen weakening since the depression, and without a U.S. trading with them and a crippled world, the idea of Japanese imperialism is a thing of the past. with losing Taiwan and Korea; and Taiwan becoming under TROC control, The new government primarily focuses on working with their former enemy, and defending itself from unrest, and warlord cliques attempting to assert dominance over China, while still battling the remnants of European colonies; like British Hong Kong and Portuguese Macau. As well as the re-annexation of the Communist clique; which allowed it to reassert more socialist ideological ideals on the people, the government has tight control over the economy; with high interference to help control the economy during a crippling time. As well as high militarism, and industrialization policies to modernize the army; the country is a possible war machine to unite the warlord cliques in non-controlled regions of China.
With around 71,391 people in the army's volunteer forces [Conscription is not mandated due to it is not a full-war time for the country], the people guard the borders and deal with, "unrest" in the name of protecting the country, and the people. The army, which is filled with ideals of the Tongmenghui; and 95% of military generals and officials are associated with the party.
The government spends 10% of it's GDP; dedicated to investing time to make the Chinese people think the government is the best in the world with the best economy; and distancing itself claiming the 1926 government was a shame government, and that the true ROC was the 1911-1926 government and the Third Republic. It as well invests heavily in claiming the Europeans as "Colonizers of China" and still are plotting with overthrowing China for a European colony. The government, is heavily controlled by the Socialist Tongmenghui; who goes as far as investing false democracy to imitate the 3rd policy of Sun Yat-sen, to make itself look like a legitimate successor of China.
Think about it like this; this is a Great Depression Era North Korean styled state.
This is the order of political parties according to their power in government. - Socialist Tongmenghui Party [84%] - Worker's Party of China [10%] - The Democratic League of the People's China [4%] - OTHER PARTIES IN THE GOVERNMENT [2%]
"The Revolution has not yet succeeded. Comrades, you must carry on!" -Dr. Sun Yat-sen
I think for my first Alt. History nation, I did pretty good for a background!
@KingTipSo when is our point of divergence? When Hoover remains president in 1932, or the Great Depression starting off worse in 1929? Because as I understand it, this time-line begins after the 1932 presidental election.
@PreusenYou should read through Dinh AaronMk's nation sheet; his nation's leader is supposed to be in jail according to yourself.
I recall a Alt history TL on another website called the falcon cannot hear that I always thought would make good NRP material. I am not joining but I hope this does well.
Got the bare bones of my NS laid out, I'm on my phone so there's no fancy formatting or anything. I'll add that once I'm on my computer, where it's easy to do
Name: Confederated Socialist States of America (CSSA)
Flag: TBA
Leader: James W. Ford
Government Ideology: Marxism-Leninism
Claimed States: South Carolina Mississippi Florida Alabama Georgia Louisiana Texas Virginia Arkansas North Carolina Tennessee West Virginia
Rough Population: 32,000,000
Capital: Jacksonville, Florida
Why Your States Decided to Unite: The Depression hit the southern USA hard. With the decline of northern industry, southern agriculture became less and less profitable. Herbert Hoover's destructive policies of giving more and more freedom to businesses made things terrible for the working man in the south. The working and living conditions of coal miners and factory workers worsened and worsened, and strikes were met with lethal and barbaric force delivered by private organizations and sometimes even the federal army. More and more people flocked to the unions in search of change, and with the labor unions came the CPUSA.
The ideals of Marx began to spread, slowly but surely, throughout the south. Talk of class divides and the alleged evils of capitalism began to overpower accusations of communist atrocities in foreign lands. By the year of the elections, the Overton window had been pushed shockingly far left of center. The countless unregistered African-Americans found themselves being escorted to the polls by armed men sporting red bandanas, all so they could register as communists without being assaulted. So popular was the CPUSA, in fact, that when Herbert Hoover swept the southern states the first argument were about whether it was the CPUSA that spoiled the Democrats or the Democrats that spoiled the CPUSA. However, the two parties found common ground in their hatred of the fact that Herbert Hoover had received the minority of the popular vote in the southern lands.
More intriguing, however, was the fact that the CPUSA had won more of the voters' hearts than the Democrats.
In an incredible display, CPUSA pundits and supporters came out of the woodwork and lashed out at the Democratic Party. By refusing to accept that the communists had won more support, it was said, the Democrats had let Hoover win. Had they simply chosen to support the majority of the people, of course, then Hoover wouldn't have won four more years. The communists believed it, and the communists seemed to be far more popular than the polls showed. This was not a majority among minorities, it was a true popular ideology. Perhaps, some said, Hoover shouldn't have been in office anyways. Perhaps it was been voter fraud on a massive scale. And the Democratic Party, also puppets of the bourgeoisie class, had done the same.
That idea brought the CPUSA into full prominence. Disgusted by the supposed foul play of their party, Democrats switched sides. Class consciousness skyrocketed even higher, as one couldn't walk into a bar of coffee shop without hearing "Damn bourgeoisie" muttered by more than one man. In the south the CPUSA lashed out against the Hoover administration, demanding his resignation. Of course, he refused to step down and went far enough to write off the entire south as "A bunch of good-for nothings who don't know what's good for them." Following that, one couldn't walk into a bar or coffee shop without hearing "Well, they say revolution is inevitable. And it's already happened in Russia..."
Finally, mounting pressure forced the government to act. The Treaty of Washington D.C. was signed, and the union was shattered. Immediately, the southern states blew up like the time bomb they had become. The existing state governments found themselves fighting hordes of communist revolutionaries, demanding that they bow to the wishes of the people. It was national guard and police against everyone else, since the federal military had split right down the middle between the communists and the democrat state rulers.
Chief among them was Oliver Law, a soldier whom had served in the First World War (and never, ever saw combat). During the election year he had recklessly chosen to move back to his home state of Texas in the hopes of helping swing the state towards communism. With his military training and unexpected knack for command, he was placed in charge of the 24th Texas Revolutionary Infantry, and soon distinguished himself on the battlefield. He rose through the (rather empty) ranks of the non-military branch of the American Red Army through his willingness to take chances and ability to improvise in the middle of battle. By the end of the war, he was a General. A General leading a ragtag army of coal miners with pickaxes and shotguns, but a General nonetheless.
When the dust had all settled, the political climate in the south was less than stable. Many said that they ought to join the Dustbowl States, but the party officials of the CPUSA were less than enamored with the midwest's specific brand of pseudo-anarchocommunism. In the end, the now communist southern states joined together into the Confederated Socialist States of America, a (pseudo) Marxist-Leninist state based around a strong vanguard party with the goal of reuniting America under communism. A world away in Moscow, Stalin raised an eyebrow.
The government was centralized and a new party formed, dubbed the Southern Communist Party (SCP) in order to avoid overt association with the CPUSA which had been headed by Earl Browder. A one-time election was held to choose who would be Chairman of the part and Premier of the nations for life, after all, there was little reason to change the leader every four years after the victory of communism. James W. Ford was elected, thanks to his undying (if perhaps somewhat blind) loyalty to the communist party and the people of America. This was a notable event, as Ford was very obviously not a white man. It showed just how far the South had come socially, and just how far socialism had come within it.
Stalin's raised eyebrow had now turned into a full briefing on the so-called "American situation" at the start of every day while he are breakfast. The clear intention of the CSSA to move towards a more Soviet-style government had piqued his interest. Diplomats were flown, offers were made, hands were shook, and by the end of it all the newly formed CSSA found in its possession shiny new tanks, airplanes, and a non-trivial amount of subsidies and trade deals.
Those new resources were put to work when the SCP took a page right out of Stalin's book and began a Five-Year Plan. The farms were collectivized, and industrial expansion began with the construction of new factories being paired buildings across the nation being converted to factories in order to fully utilize the vast raw material output of the south.
Diplomacy with the Dustbowl States took an odd turn with Trotsky's arrival. Though not the most publicized event, the government was well aware of it. The Southern Communist Party called a meeting in Jacksonville, as did the Soviets in Moscow, to discuss the situation. Neither meeting came to any conclusion, and so Ford and Stalin met behind closed doors aboard the CSS North Carolina to decide what ought to be done. Both were opposed to Trotsky and the ideals of the nation in which he had sought refuge, but they were also both well aware of the rising tide. Germany and the Sister Republics were proof that fascism was gaining power, and they had to be willing to pay any cost necessary to defend against fascism. Ford knew that Trotsky, a Russian, would be hard-pressed to gain any major power in America. Meanwhile, the Dustbowl States were ultimately a weakened land that followed an ideology that was by no means absolutely incompatible.
And so, after days of discussion, it was decided that the Soviet Union would stay out of the situation while the CSSA would remain friendly towards them, unless by some chance Trostskyism rose as the prominent ideology.
@Dinh AaronMk I know, well I do now after having read about him. But the issue was that according to his nation sheet, Browder was the leader of the soscialist forces that he defeated, while he was supposed to be the leader of your nation, creating a time-paradix that threathened to rip the entire universe apart :p
I'm afraid, vedy afraid that everyone of you wants a piece of my lovely Pacific...God help me...
@Dinh AaronMk I know, well I do now after having read about him. But the issue was that according to his nation sheet, Browder was the leader of the soscialist forces that he defeated, while he was supposed to be the leader of your nation, creating a time-paradix that threathened to rip the entire universe apart :p
To be honest, an almost-time-paradox isn't the worst thing going on in that application. Namely in part that FDR somehow got shoehorned into a pseudo-fascist state despite honestly being a lot closer to a socialist in the timely high-minded liberal American aristocrat sense. He wouldn't really fit in that area; he being a prominent New Yorker be damned.
Not to mention Republicans during this era were very against the idea of a large army and mass mobilization which'd be the very anti-national-socialist position.
Honestly, though he's only 35 at this point Charles Lindbergh would be a better choice for FDR's position that FDR. His wife would bust a vein if she knew who he was associating with, and she'd know sure as hell who he's associating with now.
I'm afraid, vedy afraid that everyone of you wants a piece of my lovely Pacific...God help me...
I think most people have more to worry about from the Dust Bowl than anarcho-commies.
And now there's no National Weather Service to tell anyone these are on their way, even though no one really cared except when the big ones hit the east. Twice.
- New Jerseyan Police outside Princeton tearing down the border between Pennsylvania, NJ, and NY. 
