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Heh, that'd only work with a financially unsustainable system like Stalinism (or Totalism in this universe). Seeing as France and Italy are going to be more economy oriented from now on, I think that have a fair shot, especially since they aren't as radical as some of their brethren. Add to that they have some decent design and trade unions.
 
Thanks for the comments, and thanks to viewers for getting this over 50000 in the past weeks.

As for the future of this AAR, it'll be less gameplay based and more into the world to wrap up loose ends and what not. On the also leg basically though.

As for prospects of the bloc, it must be remembered that unlike USSR, the current block has among its ranks economically developed and powerful nations. Particularily since the CSA is a powerhouse, along with potential for development in Africa and Middle-East to provide for even more resources and exchange.

The Entente's hope to avoid total irrelevancy is tapping into the potential of South and East Asia.

...and I've just noticed for what ever reason Belgium isn't in the big happy blob. I'll fix that later.
 
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i think it would be a good for japan to release republic of china, to make the most of its manpower.
some kind of cold war, and smaller conflicts like OTL cuba crisis, vietnam war etc would also be nice :D btw in TTL vietnam is again a nice to export syndicalism and destabilize japans sphere of influence :)
is any of the syndie countries totalist?
unfortunately this game isn't good at modelling economics. without events in hoi2&dh the ussr would be likely to win the cold war ;)
 
There are no totalists in the game currently in government. The way I see it, at least from what I gather from the KR universe, Totalism's appeal was one of a barracks mentality and the acknowledgement to ready themselves for an inevitable conflict. Their language may not be as appealing right now, and I can't see themselves getting any where. There's an event for the Italians concerning Mussolini's National-Syndicalists disbanding that came up, but I'll work that in with another event that is coming down the tubes.

A conflict I've been trying to develop is one of the Marxist remnants, both in their reformist and revolutionary strands in the KR universe and the Anarchists. Particularly in Italy where many of the figures outside the national Syndicalists are drawn from the historical socialist and communist parties that never split ittl but KR still retained the old conflict between the 'maximists' and 'minimalists' in how Italy should develop.

As to where this goes, you listed somethings I have in mind, but there's another I have in mind too. It's why I didn't go for TC, would've been less interesting.
 
Speaking of Mussolini, I found the running joke of him being in charge of Italy's rails hilarious.
 
I still think that Germany and Austria should be merged.
 
I still think that Germany and Austria should be merged.

That possibility didn't cross my mind... though I'm not sure I want to step into that minefield. I can easily code that in though, but maybe something for the "future" world when the smaller Syndicalist nations begin to federate into larger blocks.
 
That possibility didn't cross my mind... though I'm not sure I want to step into that minefield. I can easily code that in though, but maybe something for the "future" world when the smaller Syndicalist nations begin to federate into larger blocks.

I think that because in OTL both Parliaments of Germany and Austria said yes to the Anschluss in 1919 and because that the Entente specifically forbid the union. And since in this AAR Germany has been highly punished by the French, I think the Anschluss could be a good balm for the German people (and the Austrians won't feel they are a rump state).
 
Egypt is in an interesting position at this point. It has conquered a lot of territory but that territory isn't that well industrialized and it has a lot of people who are not friendly to the Egyptians. I suspect the Egyptians might try to head off any mass colonial revolt (which would aid the Syndicalists greatly) by setting up puppet states in the newly conquered areas and then wielding them into some sort of broad supranational alliance which both anti-imperialist (officially) and anti-Syndicalist. (A good name might be the Alliance of Continental Freedom). It is possible that Ethiopia might join in this alliance, as I doubt they are any friendlier to the International than Egypt is.

talt
 
I am sorry I hadn't posted anything. I had been caught up with my own graduation and move into other academic pursuits. I had been out of the state for much of the last month and could not access the internet all that much. I was keeping up on writing the narrative, but the epilogue I'm imagining is more based on the world rather than the gameplay. This is more due to practical concerns as I can't play the game much further, much less into the 1950s, to cobble together events and deal with how slowly it moves.

So I apologize in advance for those of you who were wondering why this was not updated, or if you don't care for a block of text with no pictures. For what ever reason, my accents haven't copied over, but I'll get those fixed. Anyways, here I am with a new installment.

50 Years Later

Chapter I: The Arsenal of Socialism

Author's note

1971 contained several important commemorations by the Syndintern, notably the centennial celebration of the Paris Commune in France. Delegates from all across the International were invited to Paris as the festivities kicked off on March 18, with speakers from all the major platforms in the Commune of France extolling the brave stand of the Communards against the bourgeoisie. Technically, the celebrations lasted until May when the Commune fell, which was a more somber commemoration which saw only France's participation. It is one thing to mark the beginning of a revolution, but another to mark the day when it ended in blood from the reactionaries.*

This conveniently allowed for the Italian People's Republic to mark its birth on April 25th, 1921 when Bordiga proclaimed the republic from the old Kingdom of Two Sicilies. 50 years later, a strong Italy was now looking back at its past- its troubled years in fighting for land reform in the south, the war against the mafia, the Anzio Crisis, the American Civil War, and finally the Second Risorgimento. April 25th, 1971, would be one that we still look back on to this day, and we are now nearing the 100 year anniversary of the Republic. Much has changed in Italy, going from a divided and periphery European power to among the world's most important powers.

By 1971 it had been over 30 years since the unification between the Italian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Italy into the Italian People's Republic. Since then Italy had faced the task of unifying a people along a common national identity, one that was interlinked with all of the Syndintern. Had they succeeded? That depended on who you asked at the time. The main sticking point was the question of the Papacy, whose influence in both of the Italy's could not be understated. There were still some who were distraught at the way the government abolished the Papacy in Italy, and it is believed that this sentiment contributed to the stunning Social-Reformist turn in the Seventh Congress of the Greater Italian Union in 1946.*However, as far as I can see, this is only an embellishment by some of the religious. The Anarcho-Syndicalist defeat then, while influenced by its position towards the Papacy, was mainly affected by the desire to shift to a consumer goods orientation rather than industrial development as well as inter-factional fighting among anarchists, orthodox syndicalists, and Marxists rendering the block ineffective.

What follows is my own writings that were published first in L'Unità and later other major papers like Avanti! and Il Popolo d'Italia, and the basis for one of the first documentaries aired on national TV. I had not thought interviewing Niccolò Gallo, a man you are no doubt familiar with by now, would be my first step into the coverage of our past. The success of the interviews encouraged Gallo to eventually publish his own memoirs, which I have selected portions of which to be used earlier, and for other veterans of the wars to come forward.*

It was a very good day in Naples. Only a month before the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the republic's founding and people were already jumpy for the event. Naples had good reason- it would be one of the rare times where attention would be turned to old Naples, rather than Rome, in the country.*

The weather was very good that day, not too humid and a nice wind from the bay. People crowded along the bay to watch one of the Republican Navy fleets cruising by in its rehearsals for the celebration. This was one of the newer fleets, the twin battleships Gaius and Tiberius [1] being their main feature.*

This, however, was not my focus. My attention turned towards the city center, to the Gramsci National Library where my subject worked- one "Niccolò Gallo". I entered into the old, baroque library and proceeded to the information desk where I saw a a young lady helping a patron.*

"Hello", I asked, once the patron had left, "Could you help me find a worker here?"

"I don't see why not. What's the name?"

"Niccolò Gallo"

"May I ask what for?", she asked, folding her arms, "I have never seen you in here before and I'm not sure he would feel comfortable talking to a stranger."

"Look, I don't mean to bother anyone here. I am a new journalist with L'Unità, and I only wish to do an interview with Comrade Gallo"

"Well, have fun with that", she said, "I don't know what you would could even get out of him. A very ordinary man".*

She pointed me in the direction of an older man, reshelving some books in the history section. As I got closer, I saw that he was indeed ordinary- dark haired, tanned, with dark eyes; Maybe in his 50s, normal height, and all in all did not look all that impressive. Still, I could not think of a way to initiate the conversation and I stumbled through my repertoire of greetings. I finally spat it out.

"Sir..."

"I'm sorry, I am a bit busy at the moment", said the man, without turning around as he put a large volume on the shelf, "If you need help finding a book I will be with you shortly"

"It's not a book I need help finding", I said, "I have a few questions for you of a more historical manner"

He finally turned around to me, leaning a bit on his circulation cart. "And what, exactly, do you have a question about? I am not a historian, but I will try my best to help you and point you in the right direction. I am the head of circulation and have worked here for a few years, I know just about every book here".*

"No, no, I mean you", I said nervously, "I want to ask questions about you"

"Really", he said, "Well, I do not feel like talking about the library's problems or the recent Congress"

Well, that was off to great start. I could not even ask a way to get him to talk about his tie in the war without being blunt about it. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I asked flatly,*

"I just want to know about your time in the People's Army"

I could notice a change in composure almost immediately. What had been a detached if not snarky old man suddenly changed into a more unsure man.*

"That's something I haven't thought about in some time", he said folding his arms, "but why should I tell it to you?"

"I'm writing a piece for l'Unità..."

"And you need some big piece to get out of rookie status in the paper?"

"Well no..."

"Come on, I know what you are doing. It's the 50th anniversary and they've been going around to all the people..."

"Look", I said bluntly, "I am interested in this subject personally. My father served in the Austrian campaign when he was conscripted, as was much of my family. I have always wanted to learn more about the early years of the Republic..."

"Then why don't you talk to your father?", asked Gallo, "I'm sure he has more interesting things to tell than I could"

"I've already interviewed him. I need more people"

"And I came up on the list of names they gave you?", asked Gallo.

"Truth be told, no", I answered, "In fact the major candidates had already been taken up by the more established journals and newcomers with better standing than me. The Napoli brothers who were part of the flag raising at Vienna were a popular one. I found your name in the database trying to find more people"

Gallo sighed.*

"Alright, what ever. I'll play along with this. Let me get the intern over at circulation to cover with me, and we can take this conversation elsewhere"

Gallo went to a nearby communal kitchen where many public workers frequented. Gallo ordered two coffees and sat down in one of the tables in the small road outside.*

"You know, I've always found Naples to have a certain charm", said Gallo looking across the street at the old buildings, "I don't know what it is, but I've been attached to it since I came here"

"Mr. Gallo", I asked, "Do your coworkers know that you served in the military or with the Department of Foreign Affairs?"

"Hmm?", asked Gallo, "They never asked me. I never told them. As far as they are concerned, I spent my whole life in the countryside until I finally came to the city"

"I read in your file", I said taking out a folder of documents, "That you've been around many places. America, the Middle-East, the Congo... even a lot of your more diplomatic engagements"

Gallo kept looking across the street at something, which I thought was a pigeon perched on the roof across the street. I tried to ask him if he liked birds and he laughed. He cleared up the confusion and pointed to an old looking building across the street.*

"You know, who knows what was in that building in decades past. It's funny how quickly something that may have been a long-time feature of the community quickly fades into obscurity. People've told that it is everything from an old Artists' Collective to a hideout of the Society for the Restoration of Democracy". No one really remembers for sure, it seems. And yet it was always here. Funny how things like that could happen".

"Well, there was a pigeon perched on it", I thought to myself, "Is he senile?"

Ignoring the comment, I continued: "We do not have many veterans of the Garibaldi Legion in the Americas who also saw combat in New York. You are one of the few remaining, you know"

"Yes", he said continuing to look at the building.

"How did you even get into the brigades?", I asked, "If you were born in 1920, you could have not been 18 by the time you deployed..."

"I lied about my age", he said flatly, "They were willing to take anyone in what seemed to be a war that the revolutionaries would not win, and I was charged up with revolutionary fervor"

I flipped through my notebook and took out a picture I had reproduced from microfilm at the L'Unità archives. Several young men were standing with the Brooklyn bridge behind them. I pointed to Gallo at the right side of the paper.

"I see that this is your division of the Italian brigades, and you appear to have been to a hospital recently. There's this man next to you though, who is not wearing the same uniform of the Garibaldi's..."

Gallo took the picture from me and looked at the picture. It was some time before he finally put it down, and breathing in deeply, said:

"Yes, that was Mark, our American attaché. He was supposed to be the one relations figure for several divisions, but we were among the few left by then..."

For the first time he looked towards me.*

"I'll be honest, this is the first time I've even thought of Mark since the American commemoration of the Second American Revolution in 1961, 10 years ago. I had thought of him as a brother..."

"What is it that you remember about Mark? When did you first meet?"

And so began what would become one of the more fruitful relationships I have had in my many years as a journalist. While I did interview Gallo on the war, I suggest reading up on his more comprehensive accounts featured earlier in this book.*

In the past few weeks, we had moved from the communal kitchen to Gallo's own apartment. I had made the acquaintance of Gallo's wife and three children. On a side note, I was embarrassed when I met Roberta, who was actually then the Chairwoman of Naples' City Council. She had been using her maiden name rather than Gallo- apparently Gallo had chosen not to partake in what he described as a "bourgeois" tradition of taking a woman's name which he felt meant ownership of the woman. But I digress.

When was the last time you saw Mark?", I asked

"In the Siege of Atlanta, January of 1939", he said, "By then I had been participating in battles once again, and the Garibaldi Brigades were once again at full strength, swelled with more volunteers as the war turned in our favor. After the battle, the Garibaldi Brigades were reduced in numbers and positioned in non-combative roles as it became clear the Combined Syndicates would win. As we received news to return back to Italy, Mark and I promised to stay in touch. I never heard from him again"

"Did you find out what had become of him?", I asked.

Gallo leaned back in his chair and wiped his face.

"Not until the 25th year commemoration of the Second American Revolution in November of 1961", said Gallo, "I had hoped to finally meet Mark again, but I found out that would not be possible".*

"Touching down in New York with my wife and children, we were taken to a commemoration of a memorial for the Garibaldi Brigades, with the many names of those who volunteered, dead or alive. Many friends I recognized there, and a solemn reminder of just how many of us did not return or died later in the World War. I kept looking around to see if Mark was present- he was no where to be seen"

"I checked up on his address in Brooklyn, and I got confused looks when I tried to ask people where he had gone. Much of New York's population had been disturbed during the siege, and many were dislocated or moved away, never to return. Mark's neighborhood was one of these that had completely turned over, filled up with completely new people. I thought he too had moved away from New York and thought I would see him in Chicago during the official commemoration of the great Chicago uprising that began the Second American Revolution. So I went off to Philadelphia Station to board a train- I wanted to see the countryside at peacetime..."

"When I got to Chicago, I met other veterans of the International Brigades. Many of my fellow comrades from the Garibaldi Brigades who had also been present in the New York ceremony recognized me instantly, and I enquired the whereabout of Mark- they did not know either."

"It got to the unveiling of the monument and speeches by various veterans and leaders. Many paid homage to those who had died in the revolution, and those who could not live to see the 25 years of the new America, including President Reed himself [2]. I finally managed to meet Harry Haywood, one of the commanders of the Syndicalist forces in the war, who arranged for me to be aided by archivists to find Mark."

"I'll admit, by this point, I had begun to have a creeping thought in my head that Mark died. It was not good for me when I found out that he did, and not only that, but in the way he did die. He was found dead in one of the Rocky Mountain passes as the Syndicalists were making the last push on Junta holdouts in California. He had a bullet wound in his head, but they could not decide if he had died fighting or died from his injuries. Or worse."*

"Haywood referred me to his associate, Oliver Law, who had led the assault to breakthrough the Rockies. Law, surprisingly, recalled Mark quite vividly and was notably shaken when he recalled his death. He told me that Mark had been one of the more respected and popular officers in his group, and his death had shaken many, new and old alike".

"He told me that while they had been used to comrades dying, no one had thought Mark would have died after surviving so much, much less in the way he died"

"Did you ever find out how he died?", I asked.

"Law told me he felt he may have been executed", Gallo said, "I would rather not think of it though".

"Did you find where he was buried?"

Gallo stood up from his chair and looked out the window into the street.

"Mark had apparently remarked idly to his friends as they neared Utah that he would have liked to see where Joe Hill was killed. As they moved westward, they cremated him as per his wishes he had declared earlier, and scattered his ashes there thinking he would have liked it"

"I could have not imagined that went over well with his parents", I said, recalling the Catholic position on cremation.*

"It didn't. I found that out when I met them, living in a small Italian community in San Francisco. North Beach I believe. I found them while I was touring California" He blushed slightly, and went on "I wanted to see where they made all those movies and maybe even see Chaplin. I knew the wife and children would enjoy the sights too, after all the depressing events before. By chance I happened upon an actor who knew Mark's family personally"

Anticipating my next question, he went on:

"They were both happy to see me. Mark had mentioned me several times in his letters back, and they wanted to welcome someone who had ties to their long-dead son. I also found that Mark had quite a large family, many of whom were scattered across the country by that point..."

"Did you feel like all this was worth it?" I asked, referring to the Second American Revolution.

Gallo sat in silence for a few seconds.*

"I am torn about that. I saw many brothers and sisters die, many in their youth, never to return to Italy and not knowing about the outcome of the revolution. I made American friends like Mark who did not live to see what their hard work had created. I came into the war with a genuine feeling of aiding the revolution, but I came out cynical. You feel more attached to your comrades than the politically. It was good for the overall international revolution though... but that's not easy to tell people who got their lives destroyed in the revolution, whether they were pro-Syndicalist or not."*

"It's times like these I'm actually happy the SSDR has long been disbanded. I'm not sure how they would have responded to reading that", he said tilting his head back over the back of the chair, "but you probably wouldn't have been able to publish it anyways if that was a concern. Anyways."

"When I came back in 1961, I was comforted somewhat by how much progress the Combined Syndicates had made. There was little evidence of the war ever happening when I saw New York and Chicago. It was almost disarming walking through the streets of New York that did not have burned out buildings, debris, and piled up snow- a sight I had associated with New York City for the any years afterwards. The race question in the South was beginning to be resolved, but there was still aways to go there. But it was a start."

"The most discomforting thing was fighting the Papal Legions. They were fellow Italians, yet they became our enemies. Only a taste of things to come with the Second Risorgimento."

"Did you ever seen the mafia operating in those circles", I asked, "I had read that they had a major role in mobilizing men for it, and to boot it appears that the "Sword" was a mobster himself..."

"Yes, we had encountered them as we were processing them to be integrated into the Republic. The big ones who were on the SSDR's list were taken away before we could even see them most of the time- regardless of whether it was even them. I don't want to think of what happened there. Still, some of them showed their worth and became committed revolutionaries once they were released. The Survivor of Riga was one of these, I'm sure he does not mind me saying this now."

"What about Sword?"

"Ah yes, 'Sword!' ", said Gallo as he laughed, "Here we were thinking he was a fearsome commander from the Federation, and yet nothing could be further from the truth. You probably remember- think of how Italy was when we saw that old decrepit "Sword" emerge publicly in Cuba, none other than Don Vito Cascioferro who was supposed to be in jail! Imagine, an old feeble man was who we declared Public Enemy No. 1..."

Gallo regained his composure and continued, "still, it tells you the influence the Mafia had in Italy even as the were being broken down. Somehow they sprung Cascioferro from jail, and the SSDR suppressed all news of it and claimed Cascioferro died in the seas of the Mediterranean. None of us thought he would end up doing this though... Or maybe it reflected on our incompetence then, I don't know. That they would have had the influence to infiltrate that highly and find a useful idiot to recruit, I just hope that they aren't still around..."

"You mentioned previously about the "changes" you saw in the Combined Syndicates", I began, "Could you expand on that?"

"Following the end of the Second American Revolution, what was once the United States lay broken. A daunting task awaited the revolutionaries as they sought to transform what was once the heart of capitalism into the engine of socialism. Yet their troubles within was just as difficult as those around them"

"The Combined Syndicates was envisioned by Comrade Reed as a big-tent party for the disparate socialist groups in the United States, from the reformist elements of the Socialist Party right up to more radical Marxists and syndicalist trade union activists and the everything you could imagine in between. Even Anarchists found their place in this organization; as we know Alexander Berkman held a high position in the group before his death. All that came apart at the seams following the end of the revolution- the Marxists led by Earl Browder tried to form "Soviets" across the battered remains of the Americas. William Z. Foster was trying to lead his own band of hardline Syndicalists and argued for a more orthodox Syndicalist structure incorporating the trade unions into the new governance of the Combined Syndicates. Max Schachtman was arguing for a more "pragmatic" transition into socialism starting with nationalizations of existing industries. The anarchists wouldn't have none of it."

"As you know from your own history, President Reed had initially gone with Schachtman's proposals, and maintained this even as the Marxists were calling for a revolutionary government to be formed immediately to start the "real" revolution. From the Anarcho-Syndicalists he took the plans to reorganizing the rural landscape into a system of syndicates run by the farmers themselves"

"The challenges the Combined Syndicates faced in this daunting economic construction I do not have time to discuss. I'm sure you could find more qualified people if you want to read more on that- what I do know though is that the Combined Syndicates, much like their French and British comrades before them, had to contend with the remnants of capitalism in all its forms- banks, land holdings, religion, the military, police, even the trade unions themselves. Not one element of society was untouched by this, and in a country as vast as the United States, this was a monumental task. The country's old administrative states were dissolved and replaced with a different system of "Syndicates", though states themselves still existed as a means of geographical identification "

"And what of the immigrants there?", I asked, "Including our own countrymen and women?"

"The Italian-American community were, like our own citizens, rarely united behind one call. In the civil war, many had thrown their lot in with the Junta, others with the Catholic Preachers who sided with the America First. Only those who lived in the cities were typically working with the Combined Syndicates. Religion was a potent weapon that deeply divided the community, and even when I went in 1961 it was still a factor that played an important role in their lives."

"We saw the ascension of several Italian-Americans to the Continental Chamber of Syndicalists- Vito Marcantonio, La Guardia, and Carlo Tresca being the notable ones. The later would end up becoming a long time member of Reed's government. Unsurprisingly, the relationship Italian-Americans had with the government helped to strengthen the ties between Italy and the Combined Syndicates."

"They closely watched our own debates over the issue, even in the thick of it during the '50s. There was also the influence of the mafia, another issue that the new government had to deal with from the results of poverty in the immigrant communities in New York City, Chicago, and elsewhere. Similar problems were seen in other communities too- the Irish-Americans were strongly loyal to their homeland which had been hosting the pope for a long time then, and accordingly viewed the Syndicalists with distrust, despite the Union of Britain's firm commitment to their independence. Jewish communities were divided in their response to the Syndicalist victory, but they had supported the movement against the blatant hate spread by America First against them. Same story with the Eastern Europeans and Asian Immigrants- they knew the Combined Syndicates were the only ones open to them, but the ideology was something they were unfamiliar, if not distrustful of."

"And the move towards racial equality?"

"An honorable one", Gallo responded, "Even in France, the heart of the Syndicalist revolution, there had been a half-hearted engagement of this question with its North African citizens. I feel only the Combined Syndicates genuinely attempted to face the issue, and they charged into it full speed, backed by veterans of the revolutionary struggle like Oliver Law and Harry Haywood, and supported by intellectuals in the African-American community like W.E.B. Du Bois. The fight against racism was significant both in the northern industrial cities as well as the old southern cities- and in both it brought out a lot of violence. A few months after I had left, there had been mass riotings and confrontations between white and black communities across the South as the local syndicates there attempted to break down the barriers that had long been established. This was "egged on" by the so-called "Radio Free America" broadcast from the US government in exile [3] that called for "Americans" to defend themselves from Syndicate attempts to upset the social order. The 60s and 70s was filled with violence from these reactionaries, and it resulted in instability unsurprisingly. More shameful was the Government-in-Exile claiming this was legitimate resistance to the central government"

1775_23r.jpg

Protest by "resistance" groups in Atlanta

"It is ironic to me", finished Gallo, "that on the one hand these American bourgeoisie claimed to be fighting for liberty, but apparently this lofty ideal was limited in scope to a certain "type" of American, if you catch my drift. For the rest of the huddled masses, they were not a concern- in fact as the Radio would go on about, they were the ones that the "good" Americans had to take back the country from!"

"What was Comrade Reed's position on the matter?"

"He was deeply passionate about it. Unfortunately his death in 1952, just as the Combined Syndicates was emerging from the mess of the revolution and the World War, meant he could never see it implemented it. I had it on good authority from his successors- President William Foster and Chairman Eugene Dennis- that what they had begun in the 1950s was essentially the vision of Reed. Take that as you will."

eYPFc.png

The first government of the Combined Syndicates following Reed's death

"Shortly after your departure, there was another Congress of the Combined Syndicates which saw the ascendance of Bayard Rustin, the first African-American to hold the position of Chairman and then the highest position held by an African-American. This was a great advancement, and he was a skilled leader in his own right. He was closer to the reformist wing of Norman Thomas, but respectable none the less. He had also begun opening up acceptance of those who lived outside of heterosexual relationships"

"There was another figure too I was intrigued by- Malcolm Little from the New York City Workers' Council. He was pretty much the perfect example of the Combined Syndicates's "reformed" man- he had started as a criminal element working in the lucrative black market in NYC, but after a stint in jail completely changed. He became passionate about the experience of the descendants of African slaves in the United States, of pan-Africanism, of socialism. In a span of ten years after leaving his criminal past, Malcolm had risen to a powerful position within the regional Syndicate, and as we speak he is now on the Central Committee! An extraordinary experience- at his rate, he may very well be a candidate for President!"

"Economically, what do you think the Combined Syndicates was like?", I asked.

"By this point, they had just more or less recovered from the scars of war. The forges of industry were once again glowing, research was growing, the country was on their way to growth. The Commune of France was still the most powerful in the Syndintern, but nowadays we are looking at a Combined Syndicates that has moved well beyond the Commune of France, and is about to overcome Germany's own position at the top"

"The Combined Syndicates was in a more beneficial position than those in Europe. There was no remnant of nobility, of landlords. They could truly begin workers' control of the economy, and unleash the true capabilities of that land. The inefficiencies and queues that was common place in the late 40s and early 50s was no longer the norm, and the Combined Syndicates breathed life into the movement when it began to actively involve itself in the affairs of the world. It was well needed too, for in the 60s the Syndintern had been in a precarious position, and as much as the French and German factions may deny it, the Combined Syndicates played a decisive role in resisting the reaction we saw beginning in the late 50s."

"Most embarrassingly, the Combined Syndicates reached made the first inroads into computing and beat out their European counterparts. I guess in a way they made up for being last in nuclear technologies and beaten by the French-based program to launch a rocket into space"

"And now imagine how the balance within the Syndintern would look ten years from now?", Gallo asked rhetorically, "The Combined Syndicates will end up being the strength that will even humble the remains of capital"

"And in light of that", I asked, "do you still feel the same about the revolution in the Combined Syndicates?"

"As I said before, a lot of people lost things on both ends of the revolution. But for our cause, the Combined Syndicates was the key to turning around Syndicalism from isolationism to a world force. Unfortunately they did not embrace the internationalism of football, but one can hope..."

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[1] Referring to the Gracchi of Ancient Rome, reformers who tried to act in the interest of the plebians. In Italy during the 60s and 70s, studies into ancient revolutionaries like the Gracchi and Spartacus were encouraged in order to bring them up to the level of recognition that Caesar and the Emperors had.

[2] President Reed died on April 5th, 1952 from what had initially been described as "natural causes". It was expanded upon later that he died of complications from a kidney condition that was exacerbated by his full commitment to the reconstruction of America. His funeral was attended by all major leaders of the Syndintern, as well as a rare recognition from American government-in-exile, though unfavorably as they celebrated the death of the "tyrant who killed liberty".

[3] The government of exile was a collection of American expats who had fled to Cuba, a merger of the MacArthur Junta in Canada and the America First exiles that had already been in Cuba. The government-in-exile went well beyond the forms they had taken elsewhere and influenced the government of Cuba itself, being instrumental in thwarting a revolution in the late 50s aimed at overthrowing the dictatorship and their American backers.

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I also got this in my PM box it appears, they want Pdoxers to vote in AARland.

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?618374-AARland-Choice-AwAARds-2012-(Round-2)
 
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I'm sad to see this come to an end, but I am glad to receive closure. I am also amused at Malcolm X's role in the new American government. If you will pardon my politics, I find this summary quite ironic seeing as in this day we are capitalist to the point of a push to abolish minimum wage and all public assistance. xD
 
I'm sad to see this come to an end, but I am glad to receive closure. I am also amused at Malcolm X's role in the new American government. If you will pardon my politics, I find this summary quite ironic seeing as in this day we are capitalist to the point of a push to abolish minimum wage and all public assistance. xD

It's not quite over- still need to explore the events that occurred in the rest of the world that Gallo happened to be witness too. I had intended actually for this to come third in these series leading up to the short epilogue, but I still need some times to straighten out some events simulating the changes in those regions. I have taken into consideration some suggestions readers have given me.
 
Finally got round to reading through this epic. I started at about 1AM a couple nights ago, took my eyes of your updates and found it was 4AM :p. You really are a very talented writer. Congrats on graduating too! :D

I hope you have plans to continue writing AARs after this finishes? :)
 
Finally got round to reading through this epic. I started at about 1AM a couple nights ago, took my eyes of your updates and found it was 4AM :p. You really are a very talented writer. Congrats on graduating too! :D

I hope you have plans to continue writing AARs after this finishes? :)

Thanks for the comments, interesting you would read the whole thing start to finish.

It has been an interesting experience writing these. I have a lot of respect for AAR writers after this, as I can understand now why updates could take awhile even if it might seem simple to the reader. It's been said before that comments are like gold to those of us doing this, and that's defintely true. Still, I look at the views I have gotten and it's more than what I would have expected in my first foray.

As for whether I will do another, I'm not sure. This one honestly took longer than I hoped it would because of my own periods of getting what one could call a writer's block. Maybe I'll try my hand at a V2 AAR using a custom concept of mine in mind. I think however I will probably just lurk on AARs and leave comments, let them know that someone's reading at least.
 
Thanks for the comments, interesting you would read the whole thing start to finish.

It has been an interesting experience writing these. I have a lot of respect for AAR writers after this, as I can understand now why updates could take awhile even if it might seem simple to the reader. It's been said before that comments are like gold to those of us doing this, and that's defintely true. Still, I look at the views I have gotten and it's more than what I would have expected in my first foray.

As for whether I will do another, I'm not sure. This one honestly took longer than I hoped it would because of my own periods of getting what one could call a writer's block. Maybe I'll try my hand at a V2 AAR using a custom concept of mine in mind. I think however I will probably just lurk on AARs and leave comments, let them know that someone's reading at least.

I always enjoy AARs most when I can read them straight through, it does leave a sense of emptiness when you get to the end though. :/

Yeah, amount and quality of comments has always mattered a lot to me when writing AARs, without them you just feel no one is reading and sort of lose motivation to continue. You've clearly managed to make a very popular AAR here, DH doesn't seem to have that much traffic but you're AAR looks likely to exceed 60,000 views. Well done! :)

I'll understand if you don't want to do another, but I'd really look forawrd to it if you do start a new AAR. V2 is a great base game for making AARs. ;)
 
Good reading, but I would thank some images.
 
I'd be interested to see how rock n roll developed in this new America. I imagine that since in OTL its development was initially stalled by racial bigotry, that the syndicates of the fine arts and culture in the CSA would throw their weight behind black music as part of the nationwide effort to stamp out racism.