Vive La Commune!: A Communist France AAR.

[Estonianzulu]

Good job landing an ally in Russia, no way you'd want to take on the Prussians all by yourself, especially if Austria and/or England gets involved as well.

[Andropov123]

PART 6: Partir Vers les Étoiles!


Iron Rolling Mill in Toulouse

Although the French-backed revolutions of 1848 failed, their ramifications were felt months after the fact. In the Austrian Hapsburg Empire, Hungarian Republicans, inspired by revolutions in Germany and elsewhere, declared independence on June 1, 1848, to cheering crowds in Budapest.

Sándor Petőfi reciting the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in Budapest

The Austrians declared war on the newly declared Hungarian Republic. The Hungarians, receiving aid from French volunteers, sneaking through Moldova from Russia, successfully resisted the first wave of Austrian attacks.

Austrian cavalry charge on Hungarian border outpost

Northwards, in Prussia, hostilities broke out between Denmark and Prussia, the latter accusing Denmark of harboring Republican fugitives fleeing from the Prussian police, and the former refusing to allow the Prussian army into Denmark to root them out.

Prussian and Danish navies clash in the Øresund

These 2 Great Powers were unwilling to fight a 3-front war, and thus left the anti-French coalition, now made up only of the Ottomans, Britain, and Carlist Spain.

On July 14, 1848, Spanish artillery began barrages on French targets in the Franco-Spanish Borderlands.

Britain, seeing victory as unattainable without Prussia and Austria on its side, backed out of the anti-French coalition. Only the Ottoman Empire honored its alliance with Carlist Spain. The war had officially begun.

French cavalry advanced on Lerida, while infantry and artillery brigades remained in position on the French side of the border.

In the following weeks, the fortresses of Lerida and Gerona were taken by the French Republican Army. Spanish armies tried desperately to out-maneuver and catch French forces by surprise, but in vain.

As the French advanced deeper into Spanish territory, the Spaniards planned a desperate last-ditch effort to destroy the French army.

50,000 troops were assembled in Zaragoza and ordered to march on the French army in Tarragona.

Although outnumbered, the better fed, better armed, and better trained French troops, by now well-dug in on the Tarratogan coast, decimated the attacking Spanish army in the bloody Battle of Tarragona.

Spanish and French armies battle in Tarratoga, September 1848

On September 14, 1848, the remnants of the retreating Spanish army were intercepted by reinforcements arriving South from Alasce-Lorraine, originally intended to fight the Prussians. Humiliated, the Carlist King of Spain Carlos VI signed a peace treaty conceding defeat and accepting responsibility for the war.

To placate Russia and ensure its continued friendship with France, France demanded the North Philippines to be ceded to the Russian Empire. The Russians were exhilarated; Czar Nicholas I wrote to Ernest Goüin that "the bond of France and Russia will endure forever and until the end of time."

The Two-Month War, as it would later be called, was a momentous victory for both France and Russia and ensured the continued popularity of their respective regimes at home.

At the Victory Day Parade of October 1, 1848, Ernest Goüin announced of the long-awaited democratization of the Upper House, as well the prohibition of Slavery on French territory. Later, in the state Newspaper "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité", Goüin declared the formation of the Radical Republican Party, headed my himself, as the official ruling apparatus of the state. His call to the French nation became "Partir Vers les Étoiles!", or "Onwards, to the Stars" in English. Jubilant Parisian crowds remained on the streets of Paris long after sunset, drinking and reveling until the early morning.

Victory Parade in Paris

In the following years, the French government began a foreign policy of rapprochement with the European Great Powers. In May, 1851, a grand parade was held in Paris; invited were delegates from dozens of nations, including all the Great Powers. Alphonse de Lamartine, France's second-in-command, spoke of the need for increasing economic integration, peaceful settlements of international conflict, and the maintenance of the European Balance of Power.

The post-war period consisted in a huge post-war economic boom. The Capitalist class, privileged in the new regime, was able to amass gigantic fortunes; they proceeded to invest in science, fund expansion of heavy industry, and patron the arts.

The French Bourgeoisie turned France into the most technological advanced and most artistically avant-garde nation on the planet. Paris became the cultural center of the the continent. The city's architecture was exquisite, its cuisine world-famous. Artistic exhibitions were shown at nearly every corner. Every European's dream became to visit Paris at least once in their lives; the ultra-liberal laws of the country meant free speech was completely uninhibited. One might come across idiosyncrasies such as foul-mouthed yet intellectual poets, eccentric madmen-philosophers ranting on street corners, painters of a new "Impressionist" school, and market stalls stocked full of the most exotic foods the world had to offer.

Paris in the mid-1800's









The explosion of creative, scientific, and entrepreneurial forces became known as the Second French Revolution


The Palais Garnier in Paris





Impressionist art








Industry in France overtook Great Britain in 1856

45 years earlier than King Louis Antonie I aimed for, France became the world leader in industrial and cultural development. French goods flooded European markets; cheaper and more durable than their British counterparts, they became the default choice for European consumers.

Meanwhile, the achievements of French culture grew greater by the day. Learning French became the objective of every educated European, as French literature and poetry during this time was said to rival that of Classical Greece. Futuristic displays of technology were commonplace on the streets of Paris; some were even saying Ernest Goüin's famous expression "Onwards to the Stars" could be fulfilled in the literal sense within decades.

But things are not always what they seem. The majority of the French population's quality of life, in spite of the country's on-paper economic boom, remained stagnant. The urban poor were forced into dark, polluted streets; many were disfigured by industrial machinery, and it was not uncommon for a child to be born deformed, due to dangerous chemicals used in manufacturing. Slowly but surely, discontent grew amongst the nation's proletariat.

A specter was haunting France. The specter of Communism.

[LeifNepstad]

I believe you ought to not simply be content with your freedoms to sit in your cozy cafe chairs but to vigorously export them to your neighbors. The British have threatened the people of France for far too long! It is time to break the power of the British crown!

[Eber]

Andropov123, you have surpassed the 20 max-screenshot rule per hour by a large margin. Please delete the necessary images to make the post 20 screenshots as soon as possible.

Please read the rules in my signature or PM me if you have any questions.

[Estonianzulu]

Excellent work with the win over Spain, they had the numbers on you but excellent job making them come to you rather than the other way around.

[Kroisistan]

This is fantastic, what mod are you using?

[Apelstav]

Just wanted to stop by to let you know that you've been nominated for WritAAR of the Week!

[Avindian]

Very cool AAR! Keep up the good work!

[LeeroyJenkins]

When can we expect an update.

[gav1230]

Any chance of you expanding your empire on mainland Europe?

[Andropov123]

Update: Something is wrong with my Victoria 2 game. It's simply not launching; I suspect this is because of a few events I've incompetently added, but as I haven't had a lot of free time lately, I haven't been able to fix them. This weekend, I'll definitely get to it. Expect an update on Sunday.

[BootOnFace]

For some reason, I just adore this AAR. Good job Andropov.

[gooy]

subscribed

[Mr. Santiago]

Very nice AAR, subscribed!

[Andropov123]

Note my PC has been fixed and I will continue this AAR when I am done with major work- such a long time away from this AAR has filled me with many ideas about how French history and world history will continue... be prepared for major cataclysms to occur soon and change the world forever.

[Deathknight15]

This is a good AAR, please keep it up! Ill be reading.