"The Footsteps of Illustrious Men"- USA GC AAR

[Strategos' Risk]

It's alright. I'm just overjoyed that you're continuing this despite the demise of your savegame.

[demokratickid]

Well, hope everything is OK IRL. Whenever you can spare the time, keep it up! You're still chugging along very well!

[RGB]

Taxing the wealthy, that's gotta be a bad move.

A shooting in China and the temperance movement, sounds like fun. Better than Mexico at any rate.

[sanmartin]

Bacon is quite the politician, to essentially cripple his main opposition like that... I'm certainly hoping that at least the socialists can recover from this.

Glad to see you're continuing this, your AAR is by far my favorite and I hope to see how this ends.

[Estonianzulu]

Thanks for the support everyone. Updates should be a little more back-to-regular. Including one tonight.

[Estonianzulu]

The Assassination of General Wood
~~

General Leonard Wood had served in the US Army since the Spanish American War, and had won battles for the United States on three continents over the course of 30 years. He was handpicked to follow General Arthur MacArthur who died in 1912 as Chief of Staff, and obvious future choice for President for the Republican Party. In the late 1910’s, Wood was appointed Colonial-Governor of the Philippines. Unfortunately for the Republican Party, Wood gained a heavy-handed reputation as Governor. The Philippine Insurrection, a 3 year period of revolt and struggle, had been put down well before Wood came to power, and Wood felt it was time to press further in the attempts at “Americanizing” the Philippines. The first great step for Wood was converting the Philippines away from Catholicism.

Wood was not, in any serious sense, a religious fanatic. But he felt that Catholicism had been used by the Spanish monarchy to keep the Philippines in check, and by riding the islands of Papal influence, the Americans would be welcomed. Wood was wrong. The near-violent response forced President Bacon’s hand. He replaced Wood and sent him instead to China to serve as Colonial Governor of the American held Chinese lands. However, he sent Wood to this new assignment with a specific goal. President Bacon had fallen under the influence of a group of social reformers known as the Prohibitionists. Led by Minnesota Representative Andrew John Volstead, a group of Republican and Socialist politicians had unified to convince the malleable Bacon to the benefits of Prohibition. With this new divinely-inspired mission, Bacon ordered Wood to get rid of alcohol, tobacco and opium in the American occupied district of China.


Prohibition!

Not only did this move greatly anger the American importers of liquor and tobacco to China, but it also upset some of the more successful Chinese collaborators who had made a fortune on the sale of Opium, which was cracked down on by the Chinese Imperial government. Rather than deal with Wood, the Chinese merchants convened with their American counterparts, and agreed to assassinate Wood. After only three months in China, Wood’s office was bombed by a group of well known Chinese anarchists. Wood was killed, and the American people were shocked. For the first time since Don Carlos Buel, a popular American political figure had been assassinated. The call went out across the United States for action, but Bacon hesitated. The Socialists, who had been cowed two years earlier when Bacon shot down their tax reformation proposals, had the opportunity to strike back. Behind closed doors, they forced him into a corner. They would support military action, but only if Bacon pulled back on his anti-Socialist economic agenda.

Bacon refused, but still hesitated. The Socialists had been cowed earlier, but Bacon had also made political enemies of the Nationalists. Together they formed a bloc strong enough to defeat anything Bacon proposed, provided they could actually agree on anything. One Socialist politician stepped up and took advantage of the President’s predicament. Lathrop Brown, a US Representative from New York, convinced Bacon that the Socialists and Nationalists had unified in their opposition to the proposal, and if Bacon brought it before Congress, they would deadlock the House, and stop his economic de-socialization. Bacon cowed to Brown and refused to discuss military action against the Chinese. The Republican Party was outraged. How could the President sit silent while an American hero died at the hands of a foreign people?

The first to speak against Bacon was his rival from within the party, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, who was defeated in 1912 by Bacon in the primary, went before Congress calling on them to grant the Colonial government of China more power, despite Bacon’s inaction. Much to the President’s surprise, the Nationalists and Republicans united to authorize further military and economic support for the occupation of China. Too late Bacon discovered Brown’s ruse. President Bacon went into a rage against Roosevelt before a meeting of the Republican Party. Even as a further 3 divisions of American troops traveled to China, Bacon began to scheme his way out of power. The paranoid president, still politically adept, began to set up his own party for a collapse. Bacon refused to be abandoned by the party he believed owed him its allegiance. He would rather see the Republican Party burn than turn against him. Unfortunately for Bacon, men within his party were prepared.


Vice President William Howard Taft

Vice President William Howard Taft had spent most of his time as Vice President in the Ohio-River valley region. During his time there he had become very popular, reminding many of the grandfatherly Benjamin Harrison who had been ousted by the Populists 30 years earlier. Taft had grown popular not only among the Republicans of Ohio, but the Socialists of Indiana and the Nationalists in Kentucky. Never politically involved, Taft often spoke on social issues and family values, and his hope to one day serve on the Supreme Court. In a time when political scheming and infighting was heavy, Taft appeared to be above it all. When Bacon turned on Taft, thinking that the mild-mannered Ohioan was positioning himself to oust Bacon in 1916, the bottom fell out for President Bacon.

It was now clear that at the end of the term, Bacon would have to either step aside, or be pushed aside by his party. It was clear that Bacon wanted to stay in power, but even in his paranoia he knew that the he would loose his party’s nomination. So instead he went on the offensive, supporting and building up a new party, the Prohibition Party. Over the three years from 1913 to 1916, Prohibition Party headquarters would be established throughout the country, but the success of the party was to be limited. But the impact of Bacon’s assault on the wildly popular William Howard Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt’s pro-interventionist speeches before the Congress would be essential in determining the outcome of the Election of 1916.

[demokratickid]

My oh my! Could we be seeing a new America, COMRADE!!!!

[Estonianzulu]

My oh my! Could we be seeing a new America, COMRADE!!!!

I think you already are seeing a New America

The "A Summary of Names, Places and People" page is now up to date with all the added politicians, military leaders and presidents updated. I'll be updating the timeline and post-list tonight as well.

[coz1]

Bacon is just making things worse - an early Nixon, perhaps. His prohibition will make scads of dough for the black market and hesitating on China made the US look weak in international eyes.

Here comes Taft...watch your bathtubs.

[JimboIX]

Bacon can't seem to get the proper perspective on anything. If he goes the extra mile, could make for a bit of a crisis.

[sanmartin]

Well, just as I said Bacon was had done some good politicking in cowing his opponents, he made some horrible mistakes that ended up costing him very dearly.

Personally, I think his prohibition party will never amount to anything: it was because of prohibition that Wood was assassinated, and any smart politician would remind the American people of that fact, damning the party to obscurity.

[RGB]

Haha. Trouble in Lesser China burns the Bacon...

...shoots self...

[Estonianzulu]

coz1: Poor Taft. He was a relatively good president and served on the Supreme Court, but he will always be remembered for breaking a bathtub.

JimboIX: Yeah. Bacon went on the offensive too quickly, and fell back on the defensive just as quickly. Not a way to maintain power.

sanmartin: That is a very good analysis of the Prohibition Party's serious road block. Likely, it will remain a 3rd (Or 4th I guess ) party.

RGB:

[Morsky]

Read the whole thing. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant work. Makes me want to play Vicky real bad - can't wait until May.

[Estonianzulu]

Read the whole thing. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant work. Makes me want to play Vicky real bad - can't wait until May.

Thank you! If you get a chance, get Ricky as well. The updates and changes are totally worth it.

The British-India Crisis of 1915
--

In 1913, the Germans and French went to war for a third time. Although the result was not the absolute victory that the Germans had hoped for, it had come quick. The sheer industrial might of the German economy had out produced, out maneuvered and out fought the French at every corner. Within a period of 6 months, the entire French Army had been routed and the Germans had retaken the Alsace-Lorraine region. It was a shocking turn of events, especially given the ever-tenuous balance of power on the continent. For the British, the sign of a super-strong German industry was even more frightening. Certain British ministers spoke in hushed tones of the shrinking gap between the Royal Navy, and the German Kaiserliche Marine. Something had to be done to jump-start the British Industry. The solution was Oil.

The British had been for some time gaining ground in the Middle East. Persian control of massive oil deposits throughout the region had become a key facet of inter-European conflict. The Russians and British were stuck in a deadlock for control over the ailing Persian monarchy, and the winner would likely control the future of oil in the Middle East. After two decades of Anglo-Russian conflict, a third party now entered the fray, the Empire of Germany. The British now had to devout their full attention to the control of Iran, which meant the loosening of other regions. The first place this neglect reared its head was in India, where a revolt quickly spread and the Governor-General Charles Hardinge was unable to keep in contained. The British then called upon their American allies for support.


Governor-General Charles Hardinge

President Bacon, eager to turn around the attacks of the Hawk-Republicans, took the banner of supporting Anglo-dominance abroad to heart. He quickly attempted to take over the popularity that Theodore Roosevelt had gained during the 1913-1914 inter-Party conflict. In 1915, Bacon sent military advisors and officers, along with money and weapons, into the North-West of India. The US task force, led by Colonel William Hood Simpson, landed in the rebel-held Makran region of India. By mid-1915, Simpson had moved his forces north, driving the Indian Rebels into hiding, and freeing up British resources to go into control of Iran. Unfortunately Bacon was portrayed as a political pariah, out cast from his party and seeking any option for winning back public support. The attempt at overcoming the turnaround of 1914 failed.

Then General Simpson made a further mistake. As Indian Rebels retreated back from his strike north, they crossed over into Afghanistan. Habibullah Khan, Emir of Aghanistan, deplored the US-British influence in his sovereign realm, and sent his troops to attempt to drive the Americans out of Southern Afghanistan. Simpson, despite having no knowledge of the coming Afghani Army, repelled them without serious casualties. Emire Habibullah then turned to the Russian Empire, his nominal overlord, for support. The Russians, eager to gain the upper hand in Iran and wanting revenge for the British naval victories over the Russians in the early 1900's, mobilized and sent troops into Afghanistan to defend its puppet. The first shots between the Americans and Russians were fired in July of 1915.


The Americans engage the Afghani's

The result was a tripartite "Conflict" between the Russians, Americans and British. Outside of some small skirmishes between Imperial Russian troops and the Americans under Simpson, and the seizure of some small Russian pacific holdings, the US and Russia never openly engaged in combat. The British however were eager to strike a blow and drive the Russians out of Iran. Three battles occurred in Iran between British and Russian troops. And in Russian Alaska, Canadian troops blasted apart what little resistance the Russians could manage. The Canadians were eager to take over the gold mines which had been discovered in the late 1890's, and the British war gave them the opportunity.

At home, Bacon found himself even further ousted. Republican ire over the failure in China and the conflict with Russia, seen as a natural balance against Austrian influence in Chinese politics (The Austrian government had supported and re-constructed the Chinese Imperial house). Bacon turned to his Prohibitionist allies to try and regain ground, but it was too late. The Prohibitionist National Assembly of 1915, which was supposed to serve as the party primary, ended up a flop. Only 350 party members came to the Chicago meeting, and it was a sure sign that the party was never going to overcome the failures of Bacon. It was clear that Bacon's one term would be all he was to get. The Republicans new that the election of 1916 was going to be tough, and any support Bacon may have had in the nation was now gone. It was time for a new turn in the Republican Party.

[JimboIX]

Looks like Bacon isn't going down without bringing down Russia with him. If he's really gifted, he'll manage to start a world war, he's already made quite the kindling with SImpson's help.

[RGB]

Great, a global conflict. certainly a very different USA history.

[coz1]

So I guess Alaska is lost as a US state. Not a good legacy for Bacon and this war seems not have helped him in any other way, either.

And it seems the battle for oil is on. Alaska hurts there too, though perhaps not in game (can't recall what goods those provinces have other than gold.)

[stnylan]

This has proven to be a fairly exciting Presidential term. Lots going on, political machinations at home and foreign war, I mean, what more do you need?

[demokratickid]

Comrade! This might be the election where the people score their victory! Onwards to D.C., my Comrades!