Chronicles of the Commune: Syndicalist France through the Second Great War

[Bassman112]

CHRONICLES OF THE COMMUNE:

SYNDICALIST FRANCE THROUGH THE SECOND GREAT WAR

VOLUME I
La Révolution Syndicalist!
or
Prelude to War

"The Commune of France is a time of divergence! It has a choice, either slowly slip away from the international scene or take advantage of the world-wide Syndicalist Revolution and become a world super-power to rival the Germans!"
- Daniel Guerin

FORWARD:
This the beginning of an AAR series recording the rise of the Commune of France from the ashes of post-WWI German dominated Europe when the Commune has finally gotten its stability. This is using the latest Kaiserreich version (Beta V), so this is a Kaiserreich AAR. For those who don't know the Kaiserreich storyline visit the Kaiserpedia wiki. Basically the German won the Great War and tipped Western Europe on its head causing the emergence of Syndicalism (Kaiserriech's form of Leninism), Bolshevik and Social Radical parties and groups that overturned whole countries like Fascism did to our world storyline following allied-won WWI plus America is on the verge of civil war!

I'd reconmend reading the overview of history on Kaiserpedia if you don't yet know the storyline or you won't understand most of this.
VOLUME II HAS BEGUN! GO HERE!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume I - La Révolution Syndicalist

I. The 1936 Commune Election Period
II. La Troisième Internationale
III. Extending the Alliance
IV. The Syndical Revolution Begins
V. The Campaign in Iberia
VI. The End of the Beginning

[Bassman112]

CHAPTER I:
The 1936 Commune Election Period

January '36 - February '36

1936 began like most other French Commune Election Years with the four main Syndical, Bolshevik and Social Radical parties readying for the election campaign that would lead up to two weeks of voting in mid February that determined the Commune’s ministers for the years to come. In month beforehand, which was the month for political campaigns, polls stated that this Election year would be fairly divided as different party ministers were assigned to each ministry as was the custom in the Commune of France.

Our great cabinet of ministers before the 1936 Election

[I]As always the Commune of France’s ideological brothers in the Syndical and Social Radical nations of the Two Sicilies, Britain and Centroamerica and Bengal watched closely as the most powerful Syndical nation held its elections, like previous years when Britain, Centroamerica and Bengal edged their and bets on the Social Radical Groups as they also ways managed to gain quite an amount of the cabinet. As was common the Jacobin Party and Sorelian Party did not gain international support as most of the world did not support their Bolshevik Laws. These where the last Bolshevik Parties that had any say on international relations as Bolshevik Parties in other nations had been banned after the failed Bolshevik (Soviet) Revolution in 1917/18. Although this put the Jacobins and Sorelians in a negative international view this did not stop them from gaining a regular amount of ministers in the French cabinet. Normally the Travailleur Party gained the largest vote amounts but this varied from election to election as the internal and external world events continued. The Commune of France’s voting system still remained unique in the world.
As the voters entered there booths the parties could only watch as the French people decided the fate of the French and French Foreign Relations by choosing their new leaders. As well as the new ministers, a new Premier of the Comité de Salut Public (currently held by Marceau Pivert who was a Sorelian) would be elected. After the week of voting the new ministers where announced.

The Voting Sheets given to the voters in 1936

A few weeks later Chairman Faure announced that no majority was found in the vote for Premier and overall assembly dominance which was a three way tie between Boris Souverain, Marceau Pivert and Daniel Guerin. He also announced that since the public could not decide that the Assembly would vote for the new Premier. After a week of no news of election, the word came out that the Assembly had elected Daniel Guerin of the Anachiste Party and his government to lead the Foreign, Armaments and Security Ministries. This meant that the election had ended in a mostly Anachiste majority in the minister positions. The current head of state for the Commune, Sébastien Faure was given the minister position of Minister of Security meaning that whilst still remaining in Chairman position for time being he would also the be the leader for the Ministry of Security. An overall Anachiste victory and fall of the previous Sorelian majority over the Assembly of Ministers was apparent meaning that there as a Social Radical majority in the assembly.

The cabinet of ministers following the 1936 Election

[TheConqueror]

Nice start!

[Asalto]

It is very nice you made special voting sheets. Good luck.

[Beladriel]

They are electing the chief of staff, army and intelligence?

Also, voting for people instead of parties?

[Bassman112]

from what i understand from the game there is the main party you vote for which is the General Assembly Election which determines foreign minister, head of government etc. then there is seperate votes for chief of the army, intelligence and cheif of staff ministers

[Bassman112]

alrihgt basically at the moment in my game save file i have stopped at the beggining of the 2nd Great War (begginning of Volume II). But I am currently finishing off this volume (1) and are about 2 chapters to go until the end of this volume if you can understand that..

[Bassman112]

CHAPTER II
La Troisième Internationale

February ’36 - May ‘36

Before the new election was even finalised Daniel Guerin and Sébastien Faure began preparation for the Third International to be held near Paris. The Third International would see representatives from every Socialist, Syndicalist and Bolshevik Nations meet in France to conference the various international affairs and put forward plans for the progress of ideological similar nations and national cooperation. The date of the Troisième Internationale was set for May.
Not much more talk regulated throughout the months leading to the Troisième Internationale until the 3rd day of May itself when Sébastien Faure formally invited all of the Syndicalist, Socialist and Bolshevik Nations and Parties of the world to attend the Troisième Internationale in Paris.
Before the Internationale began Daniel Guerin travelled to La Paz, Bolivia to meet with the Bolivian leaders to formally recognize and stretch out support for the isolationist Syndicalist South American country. Although France and the members of the Internationale had ideologies similar to the Bolivians the Syndical and Socialist nations had always stood opposed to Bolivia’s engagements in the South American War. But now the South America continent had slipped back into a period of international calm and Guerin felt as ideological brothers it was time to stretch out relations to the South American country.

Map of post-civil war Commune of France

On May 7th all the representatives had arrived and the agenda of the meeting was clear. A syndicalist revolution in the Americas and Iberia was soon. As all representatives arrived the First Congress of the Third Internationale began on May 9th with an opening the statement by the Chairman of the Commune of France, Sébastien Faure stating that the Socialist, Syndicalist and Bolshevik world needed to bring Leftist governments to the rest of world either through peacefully negotiations or people’s revolutions.
The first discussed order of business between the conference members was the appalling realisation of “White terror” in Spain against the Syndicalist CNT-FAI Party and its members across Spain after a speech from the General Secretary from the Party, Josè Diaz Ramos. Following a conversation the Union of Britain and Commune of France issued a joint statement announcing that the two nations will give full support to the party and asked other conference members to do the same. This statement was met with moderate agreement from the other members of the Internationale. This amongst other minor statements concluded the conference for the day.

Formal Third Internationale Conference Attendees List

On the next day, May 10th, fuelled by the previous day’s support of the Syndicalist revolution in Spain, John “Jack” Reed (leader of the Combined Syndicates of America) formally asked for support from the Internationale to start a syndicalist revolution in the United States was in a time of diplomatic turmoil leading up to the 1936 Election. Mexico’s representative Lazaro Cardenas immediately announced full support followed by the Union of Britain for a Syndicalist/Socialist Revolution in the powerful United States. By the end of the day Daniel Guerin issued a statement noting Jack Reed as a modern day Benjamin Franklin. With the representatives leaving the conference for the day word came via the Centroamerican representative Minister of Security/Chief of Staff: Augustin Farabundo Marti that United Provinces had invaded Panama after the government collapsed and later that night the representatives of Mexico and Centroamerica issued a joint statement condemning the United Provinces actions from Paris after initial thoughts of the Centroamerican representatives returning to Guatemala to survey the operation.
After recent events in the region the conference the next mostly revolved around Latin America as the conference voted and agreed that the best course of action for the situation of Unemployment and rising radicalism in the region was to nurture syndicalism into the region. This year’s Internationale had shown a growing rise in support for rising radicalism and syndicalism in France’s enemies so far.

Jaques Doriot, Chief of the Army During a Parade through Paris during the Third Internationale

The next day, May 13th saw a representative from the disintegrating Soviet (Bolshevik) Party show presentation of how women could attribute to worker’s revolution. This appearance showed that the Soviets of Russia where ready to find friendship in their other leftist but slight less authoritarian ideological brothers in Syndicalism and Social Radicalism. After a one day break from conference the leaders returned on May 15th which saw resurgence in conversation about the “White Terror” the General Secretary of the CNT-FAI had mentioned in his speech on the first day and the Internationale registered a comment denouncing the white murderers and their Social-Democratic accomplices. The following day a major conference was held by the Internationale members in Paris about the possibility of reunifying the Italian peninsula for the Republic of the Sicilies from the Theocracy of the Italian Federation in the north. Instantly as France and the Sicilies were military allies the Commune announced that if conflict broke out they would assist their Napoli brothers in reclaiming the rest of their peninsula but strongly urging against open conflict. After the Italian Peninsula the talk of the conference turned to the Berlin Stock Market Crash and the Economic Crisis that had engulfed the world. On the 17th another day of break before the last day of the conference saw France recall the leaders for an emergency meeting because the German Empire had officially banned the FRAUD which was the German Syndicalist Party. The meeting ended with a statement from Sébastien Faure issuing that the unjust banning was not acceptable and that luckily for the Germans that they thought it was too early for military conflict. As the last day of the conference began the Bengali Foreign Minister who had been unusually quiet during the course of the Internationale ask the nations for military support in there conflict with the other India powers of the region mainly Delhi and the Princely Federation. The Internationale agreed to send military advisors and supplies to the troubled region, so ended La Troisième Internationale showing that a Syndicalist Revolution in Latin America, North America and Iberian was imminent. Following the conference on a telephone call to France, Mexico showed its interest in becoming a member of the Internationale Military Alliance.

Next Chapter: III: Extending the Alliance

[Bassman112]

CHAPTER III
Extending the Alliance

June ’36 –December ‘36

Throughout June following the Third Internationale Bengal and Mexico established close contacts within France, both intent on joining the military alignment between France and the Sicilies through Syndical similarities. Bengal and Mexico both had elected Syndical government similar to the French. The Bengali and Mexican leaders made constant trips to France in June to secure a draft for military alliance for Mexico was despret to find help with the encroaching Americans to the North and the risk of a Central American nation being created from the United Provinces to fight them and Centroamerica. Bengal was also desperate to gain the Commune of France’s Alliance to assist with the border Conflicts in India with Delhi and the Princely Federation.
Eventually on July 1 the Bengali leaders met in Toulouse with Sébastien Faure and Daniel Guerin to sign the historical Syndical South Asia Pact (S.S.A.P) which would invite Bengal to join the newly formed Internationale Military Cooperation Pact which expanded on the military alliance between France and the Sicilies to incorporate other Syndicate and Socialist nations of the world.

Bengal joins the Internationale Military Cooperation Pact

Most of the rest of the year continued as normal in France except the fact that Mexican foreign relations increased immensely during this period leading to the signing of the Mexican International Defence Pact (M.I.D.P) on December 15 in Mexico City by the Mexican Prime Minister and Daniel Guerin bringing them to the Internationale Military Cooperation Pact with France, the Sicilies and Bengal. In September of 1936 the Prime Minister of the Union of Britain resigned leaving the leadership of Britain with the Trade Unions until a new prime minister was selected. In the end syndicalist Tom Mann with Arthur Horner was elected the new leaders of the Union of Britain. Meanwhile a power change occurred in Ukraine ushering in a new Radical Socialist government to take control of the new country. Sébastien Faure travelled to Kiev to meet with the new leader and set up diplomatic relations with the country assisted with the Georgian Prime Minister.

Mexico signs the Mexican International Defense Pact joining the Internationale Military Cooperation Pact

[Davisx3m]

Yaay another KR AAR

[Bassman112]

wow this is going really well in plot lines in the save game. it actually seems to have a major plotline

[gooy]

do you plan sending troops to help bengal in case of war ?

[Bassman112]

well i would have but now that in aar terms i am in the second great war and i have bigger business to tend to but hopefully i will after my current sort of operation-campign it is generally on my list of sendign troops tho

heres a little update though in my game save file i am well into the second great war (volume ii) and in aar writing i have just finished volume i (prelude to war)

[Bassman112]

CHAPTER IV
The Syndical Revolution Begins

January ’37 – June ‘37

In January the Internationale backed Combined Syndicates of America staged a revolt in St. Louis in January and after weeks of attempted US negotiation with the Syndical Rebels that lead nowhere Jack Reed assisted by the Commune of France declared independence from the United States naming his new country the C.S.A in honour of the first American Civil War. The Combined Syndicates of America centred their nation on the Great Lakes on the border with Canada setting up a capital in Chicago. As France had said during La Troisième Internationale the Internationale would support the Syndical Rebellion against the authoritarian United States. Immediately the Commune sent supplies and volunteers to help the Syndical Americans. Also the Commune of France began setting up an Expeditionary Force in Cholet which would be named the Force Expéditionnaire américaine and be put under Field Marshall Koeltz’s control. The plan was to land 10 French Divisions in the other rebellious nation of the American Union State in Miami and move in to support the Syndicalists to the north and setup a French base in the Americas where the war with the United States could be planned. By invading the American Union State this did not bring France to war with the United States but still assisted Syndicalists. A date was set for the operation: late May to early June. As well as the C.S.A the Spanish CNT-FAI was starting to begin street fights and a revolution in Spain was imminent as well.

The Combined Syndicates of America at the beginning of the Second American Civil War

It was April and the soldiers were being prepared in Cholet when the Spanish Revolution began in the East Coast of Spain. Two French Armies where diverted to the Spanish border to defend supply routes to the Syndicalists. The attack on the American Union was called off because of the emergency in Spain as the Carlist Spanish Rebelled in the north and CNT-FAI were being beaten back on most fronts.
Instead of the planned attack on Miami, the Mexican and French Government planned to have the Mexican armies invade the weak American Union State controlled Texas. This would give Mexico back its lost territories from nearly 100 years of American tyranny. So on May 25th the Internationale Military Cooperation Pact formally declared a state of war against the U.S and the American Union State and Mexico invaded A.U.S controlled Texas.

[gianlucad]

kaiserreich aar's are the ones i really like!
Pitty is that most of them never get finished...

[Bassman112]

CHAPTER V
The Campaign in Iberia

June ’37 – May ‘38

The following Chapter will focus on the military side of the Invasion of France whilst the next chapter will follow the political side of the two civil wars that would end with the beginning of the Second Great War and next Volume. Both Chapter V & VI take place during the same year which is the last before the Second Great War and this Chapter generally follows Field Marshall Koeltz from when his army is redeployed until the annexation of Spain.

“Field Marshall Koeltz, we have been given permission to attack the Spanish that are bombing us from Huesca” said the distraught soldier as he put the telephone on its hook in the wall. The aging army leader looked up from the map spread across the table of the underground bunker. “Alright, so Guerin’s giving me permission to invade Spain without any backup?” the strangely calm Field Marshall looked up. “Yes, sir” said the soldier who he guessed could hardly be 19. “Uhmm… he said that 13 divisions would be enough to attack the Spanish” the soldier continued. “Alright soldier go tell Colonel Delonge” with that the soldier walked off into the corridor. “Yes 13 infantry divisions, to fight 5 Spanish Infantry divisions, the only thing is that 7 of hows are trained for amphibious operations and 3 of those Spanish divisions are tanks” Koeltz thought to himself.
As the artillery fire stopped firing, under Field Marshall Koeltz’s command his army departed for the Huesca region fighting inch by inch across the Spanish lines that were intercepting French supply trucks bound for the Syndicalist Spanish Rebels to the south. In the afternoon Koeltz’s mainly amphibious troops reached and destroyed Huesca and its artillery and tank divisions in the city.

On June 10th 1937 the Commune of France officially declared war on the Kingdom of Spain forging an alliance with Syndicalist CNT-FAI.

The French Chief of the Army and the various other military officials in the region began to plan an imminent invasion of Spain. They came up with Operation Nord. Operation Nord set a focus for the invasion of Spain to begin in the northern region and focus on destroying the Carlists in the North before venture into the heart of Spain and then finally pushing the Spanish into being surrounded in Gibraltar where they would be finished off and Spain transferred control to the CNT-FAI who during the campaign would focus on defense around Catalonia south east Spain.
Operation Nord would be split into two main efforts. The first would be to force the Carlists and small few Monarchist invading divisions out of the north of Spain whilst the second force would push into the middle of Spain supported by Syndicalist Revolutionaries from the CNT-FAI who had taken defensive positions in east of Spain. This would end with the Carlists being encircled and crushed in La Coruña and French and Revolutionary Forces destroying Madrid and regrouping for the final push toward the strait of Gibraltar.
The Second Operation in Spain was named code-named Operation Sud would focus mainly on the last Revolutionary/French push into Southern Spain ending with the Siege of Gibraltar who would be supported by Revolutionary naval forces from across the strait of Gibraltar.

Light Blue: Operation Nord, Dark Blue: Operation Sud, Red: CNT-FAI movements and borders, Yellow: Carlist movements and borders, Green: Mexican landing on Monarchist islands

Operation Nord commenced on June 20, ten days after the declaration of war and the attack on Huesca. Although there was a great amount of success against the Carlists and Monarchists, Koeltz’s forces where taking heavy casualties, mainly Monarchist tank divisions that would arrive just after the French would defeated the Carlist militia. Spain and had been enveloped in a three-way civil war with the Monarchists supported by the Entente, the Carlists without any foreign support and the CNT-FAI with complete military support from the Commune of France.

The first army’s progress against the outmatched and outgunned Carlists was victorious any within 3 months and victory against the Carlist seemed imminent as the 2nd Army began its push towards Madrid assisted by CNT-FAI militants. It was during the month of October well into autumn when Carlist government officially surrendered to French Forces and the first part of Operation Nord now know as Mission Coruña was deemed successful and the forces diverted to the south to fight into the heartland of Spain. After Mission Coruña was won the French Occupied provinces in Northern Spain was given to the CNT-FAI to continue readying the population for the transition to the Syndicalist Government.

Within two months towards the end of December the second part of Operation Nord deemed Mission Badajoz to capture Madrid and regroup before initiating Operation Sud. Operation Sud began shortly after the end of Operation Nord on the 23rd of December two days before Christmas. Operation Sud began with a moderately fast pace breaking past the retreating Spanish lines.

After the initial breakthrough of French and CNT-FAI Forces the remaining beaten Monarchists set up a line of defence at Seville which initially pushed back French Forces. After a month of stalemate the French military formulated a plan named Mission Straits which showed CNT-FAI making a diversion before French tanks brought in from the Italian border would push over the last line.

As this happened to deny the Spanish reinforcing from Gibraltar the Mexican government using its volunteer corps would land in the various Spanish islands off the coast of Africa and the Syndicalist Revolutionary captured Naval Fleet would begin bombardment of the Gibraltar. This was initiated in February 1938. The mission ended in a success leaning into the March that changed the world.



March and April saw a decrease in military action in Spain as Operation Sud was completed with the siege of Gibraltar. The King of Spain, held up in exile in Portugal after the Siege of Madrid, officially abdicated on April 24th 1938 leaving the Monarchists still held up in Gibraltar to form a provisional government that lasted until a week later on May 1st when they surrendered in Gibraltar and France deemed the Campaign in Iberia a complete success. The French Occupied territory in the middle and south of Spain was seceded to the newly established the Syndicalist Federation of Iberia (Federation Anarqista Iberica).

The streets where lined with parading French and CNT-FAI soldiers as General Koeltz, watching over his victorious forces sitting in a Gibraltar café, received a phone call from General Delonge the Commune of France defensive force in Ceuta, North Africa.
“Field Marshall we are under heavy assault from forces unknown! I believe they are African descent. Please you must send reinforcements immediately! We are being slaughtered here!”
“Là il est! Pour la Quatrième République de la France!”
“…”

[mb1066]

I usually keep the Carlists around to easily encircle the Nationalists and thus out of Gibraltar; your middle arrow is usually the main force. However, your way keeps forces closer to traitors in North Africa

At any rate keep it up, I will be following!

[Bassman112]

Later today or possibly tommorrow i will be releasing the last chapter of volume 1, set up a new thread for volume 2 and begin work on the second volume. I am going to make a thread for each volume as when i originally made this thread i thought that the before the second great war began that i would be able to make at least about ten chapters but total war has come sooner than expected and i am ready to migrate to the next volume. So keep a look out for the last chapter of volume 1! later today or tommorrow!~

[Milites]

I think you should keep it all in the same thread. Makes it a lot more practical that way.

Oh and I'm surprised you didn't go for the Travailleur candidates in the army election. I mean who wouldn't want blitzkrieg/guerre-éclair socialist panzers swarming all over the reactionaries?

[Beladriel]

Cool liberation of Spain!

Germany vs. France war in Kaiserreich usually turns out like WW1, which makes it even more fun. And of coures, bloody. Do you have any plans to make it different?