Let the ruling classes tremble – an Interactive Revolutionary AAR

[Seek75]

The AAR isnt over right?

It definitely is not.

[Tommy4ever]

The AAR isnt over right?

Why would it be? There are still factories that do not fly the Red Flad. There is still 34 years worth of game to play through.

[Phalanxia]

Reading this whilst completely wasted only makes this more awesome

[MercZ]

An excellent update. So far this is one of my favorite Victoria AARs, if not the favorite, but then again I'm biased towards this kind of red wank

[keynes2.0]

Congratulations to chairman Trotsky. He has forever blacked the name of socialism and associated it with war and oppression until the dying days of mankind. The most pure notion in the world, kindness towards your fellow man and responsibility to the welfare of your community, is forever more associated with tyranny and suffering. We have endured a half century where socialism has been a force for good and liberation. Now we can look forward to a half century of a world divided between two realms that differ only in why they terrorize their subject.

It seems that Marx was wrong after all and that bastard swine of a capitalist Rousseau was right. No matter how pure the ideals of a nation it will inevitably turn first into an oligarchy then a tyranny.

[Rav3nous_waffle]

Reading this whilst completely wasted only makes this more awesome

This.

[Viden]

That was a big step towards the worldwide revolution!

[Konnigratz]

Congratulations to chairman Trotsky. He has forever blacked the name of socialism and associated it with war and oppression until the dying days of mankind. The most pure notion in the world, kindness towards your fellow man and responsibility to the welfare of your community, is forever more associated with tyranny and suffering. We have endured a half century where socialism has been a force for good and liberation. Now we can look forward to a half century of a world divided between two realms that differ only in why they terrorize their subject.

It seems that Marx was wrong after all and that bastard swine of a capitalist Rousseau was right. No matter how pure the ideals of a nation it will inevitably turn first into an oligarchy then a tyranny.

War does not equal tyranny or oppression! Do the people of an absolute monarchy who have known peace for twenty years know freedom for twenty years? Nonsense! This war has resulted in the liberation of millions. While the war did cost the lives of five million brave men who fought on both sides, it has freed hundreds of millions more, both those who live now and those who shall now be born into freedom. No longer shall the Tsarist machine clamp down on any form of progress. No longer shall the Austrians oppress anyone who is not their own. No longer shall the Brazilians work men, women and children to death while keeping them, quite literally, in chains.

Trotsky shall be forever remembered as one of the most important figures in the institution of Socialism worldwide.

[SwiftRosenthal]

So the Red Army reached its limits... the Red Navy must now step up (or sail, or steam, as the case may be) and modernize in time for round two. And there will be a round two. Even if the Democratic Anarchists win every election from now until eternity, even if Britain, China, and the North Americans forget Trotsky, even if peaceful coexistence returns, it will not be truly peaceful. Capitalism, with its never-ending quest for new markets, is inherently expansionistic. It will grow to encompass the whole world, and then it will turn against the Comintern directly. Trotskyist open war, at the very least, keeps the Capitalist powers on their toes. At the most, well, just look at Paris and Moscow today.

Increased decentralization and participatory democracy are laudable things, but they can wait until capitalism is completely overthrown. That's not a justification to go in the opposite direction, however. If Trotsky becomes the next Blanqui (as Konnigratz seems to want), then I will join Enewald and keynes2.0 in condemning him. But right now? That's just premature.

[keynes2.0]

War does not equal tyranny but overthrowing a peoples government and coercing them into a new one most certainly does. Or do the Marxists actually have delusions that the new puppet governments established in France, Austria and Russia would survive for even a day without constant "leadership" from Cologne?

The days of the people's republic are past. The days of the people's empire are born. How long do we expect that such an absurd contradiction can hold together?

[FireBlaze]

The days of the people's republic are past. The days of the people's empire are born. How long do we expect that such an absurd contradiction can hold together?

1936?

[WelshDude]

Tommy, how did you make Russsia and France communist? Did you add a new war goal or edit the save?

[Zzzzz...]

Hurrah for the people's army! Hurrah for the proletarians!

We must set up a navy that can contest the Reactionaries! (yay! naval arms race!)

The explorers returned to Svalbard triumphant in July and the first thing the Captain did was ask if the Red Flag now flew over Paris, Vienna and Petrograd.

that must be sooooo awkward

[SwiftRosenthal]

We can be soft, sure, but we must never be soft like a pillow. Instead, we should be soft like the ocean. It would be most ideal if the capitalists re-learned to be gentle with us, provided the consequences of not doing so are most harsh.

[Enewald]

So the Red Army reached its limits... the Red Navy must now step up (or sail, or steam, as the case may be) and modernize in time for round two. And there will be a round two. Even if the Democratic Anarchists win every election from now until eternity, even if Britain, China, and the North Americans forget Trotsky, even if peaceful coexistence returns, it will not be truly peaceful. Capitalism, with its never-ending quest for new markets, is inherently expansionistic. It will grow to encompass the whole world, and then it will turn against the Comintern directly. Trotskyist open war, at the very least, keeps the Capitalist powers on their toes. At the most, well, just look at Paris and Moscow today.

Increased decentralization and participatory democracy are laudable things, but they can wait until capitalism is completely overthrown. That's not a justification to go in the opposite direction, however. If Trotsky becomes the next Blanqui (as Konnigratz seems to want), then I will join Enewald and keynes2.0 in condemning him. But right now? That's just premature.

Stopping wars is premature? Democracy and sane values are premature?

[Tommy4ever]

War does not equal tyranny but overthrowing a peoples government and coercing them into a new one most certainly does. Or do the Marxists actually have delusions that the new puppet governments established in France, Austria and Russia would survive for even a day without constant "leadership" from Cologne?

The days of the people's republic are past. The days of the people's empire are born. How long do we expect that such an absurd contradiction can hold together?

Well. In Russia there was basically a revolution whilst the Red Army helped out (in game I had a few skirmishes with the Russians then a collosal communist revolt occured and the Russian troops fled east to try to fight them). So in Russia for sure there is a strong and popular regime.

In France the FWL frequently got around 30% in elections and twice revolted against the government as a part of the war. So that's a large portion of the French people on side even if the majority probably don't want a communist regime. Don't forget that another 20-30% of French people vote for the socialist party. So socialism is extremely popular in France.

In Austria communist revolts occur infrequently, much less than in Russia and France. This is the only real place where you could argue that there will be mass opposition to the new regime. In the Veneto and Istria the Italians rule over majority Italian areas - Dalmatia is a bit more complicated. In the East the Hungarians will probably be pretty happy to have independence from Vienna although due to the argrarian nature of HUngary beyond the Danube (on the river it is pretty industrial) communism is not the most popular ideology even if it is significant. In coal and grain producing but backward Ruthenia it is debatable that the population are that conscious of politics. Finally in the Austrian PG territory there is a substantial communist movement but they are not the majority. So here we may be viewed as conquerers.

Tommy, how did you make Russsia and France communist? Did you add a new war goal or edit the save?

I actually just left them as the government they were. Communist regimes in this AAR frequently revert to democracies, since liberal parties can be appointed the entire upper house becomes liberal, the AI reforms and becomes a democracy. So there isn't much point in changing that in game. However I edited their flags and changed the Russian Empire to Soviet Union for effect. You may have noticed that I also, finally, renamed the Ottoman Empire to the CSR. But I haven't given the CSR a new flag yet.

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Terrific update, I concur with calls to strengthen and rearm the navy in preparation for the next great war, it will be much easier than this one if the French and Russians are on our side.

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Why would it be? There are still factories that do not fly the Red Flag. There is still 34 years worth of game to play through.

There was 34 years of gameplay left in DPR too, if I recall.

[Phalanxia]

I actually drunk so much last night that I have no memory of reading this at all, meaning I get to read it all over again!

[Raph]

I actually drunk so much last night that I have no memory of reading this at all, meaning I get to read it all over again!

You're so cool...