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Still, thats a lot of forgiveness. He was a commander of the red army and instigated several events that would probably fall under war crimes for the new government. It might be popular for the communists (well, some of them. He was apparently quite hard to work with) but everyone else should be probably wanting him imprisoned or shot.

Its a bit of a double edged sword is all I'm saying. Especially if the public doesn't know the extent of the atrocities committed in the civil war and afterwards, because the new government is going to have to start publishing what everyone did eventually just to get people to move on and stop supporting all the old factions that just ended up killing hundreds of thousands of russians.
 
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If Lenin could see where his revolution was going, I'd say he'd be furious at what Trotsky is doing (especially since he did consider Trotsky to be his heir in OTL). Trotsky however can see the writing on the wall, and the revolution was already a lost cause by that point. I'm interested to see how will the government handle Stalin's fate.

There are times in history when extended fighting can wear down even the toughest of hearts. (Conflicts in Northern Ireland and Israel come to mind.)

Trotsky seems well on the road to democratic socialism, which is historically odd but understandable enough in exceptional circumstances. Selling out Stalin kills two birds with one stone – probably literally in Stalin’s case. It’s a big old bargaining chip, and Trotsky can no doubt exploit it to the fullest.

More broadly, it is heartening to see the peace and reconciliation process continuing past political stunts. Maybe Russia will finally see something like a functioning democracy?

A functioning democracy?!

Be discreet with that talk, somebody's liable to hear ya...

And if they were just to wire Lenin up to a dynamo or some such they would probably power half of Russia given how much he is spinning in his grave :)

Funny, that's how Anastasia's own Five Year Plan is going to be powered. #PlotTwist

Capturing Stalin himself would certainly be a real feather in Anastasia's cap (and, implicitly, in General Wrangel's as well). I imagine he's not going to go down without a fight, though...

Future updates will reveal.

Somehow I can't imagine Trotsky being satisfied to function in 'normal' democratic process or to remain in Russia at all, since too many left and right people want to end his existence regardless of government's promise.

I think being as far as Mexico is would be safer bet to him. His only viable option in Russia is the tiniest village in deepest wilderness of Siberia.

This isn't the end of Trotsky, as far as this AAR goes.

He's not going to Mexico, though...

I guess he has the same problem as he faced historically. He is still a known communist revolutionary, after all. Leave Russia and he’d probably end up a stateless exile, de facto imprisoned by whatever government took him in. He wasn’t exactly well treated most places he went, and if Anastasia is at least showing good faith willingness to accommodate him… why risk it somewhere else?

Basically, this will be the better timeline for him. Ironically, the OTL was the darkest timeline.

I think this is how I see it. And ... to the extent he still cares about the Russian people, he may still be able to exert influence on the inside he wouldn't be able to on the outside. And - to begin with at least - the new government has reason to want him alive. Admittedly as a bit of a trophy, but also as a symbol of healing old divides etc. That speaks of a little security.

The only conditions placed on him, really, were to remove any talk of revolutions or overthrowing the government. With kind kind of leniency, one might think you would be able to gain some traction again to win over the people, at least with the idea that you could bring revolution talk back when you were powerful enough.

Still, thats a lot of forgiveness. He was a commander of the red army and instigated several events that would probably fall under war crimes for the new government. It might be popular for the communists (well, some of them. He was apparently quite hard to work with) but everyone else should be probably wanting him imprisoned or shot.

Its a bit of a double edged sword is all I'm saying. Especially if the public doesn't know the extent of the atrocities committed in the civil war and afterwards, because the new government is going to have to start publishing what everyone did eventually just to get people to move on and stop supporting all the old factions that just ended up killing hundreds of thousands of russians.

In this timeline, Lenin was killed and Moscow taken about the time Trotsky took over the Red Army - which most likely means said war crimes didn't happen.

Obviously he might be tied to terrorist attacks in his timeline - however, pinning the blame on those all on Stalin, or giving him the brunt of the blame, would probably help resolve that.
 
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Caught up again after a break doing other stuff.

Really enjoyed Ch 13 (the trial). Very dramatic.
“Why, the Republican forces are divided among themselves. The Communists have revolted.”
what a mess, indeed! :eek:
The big takeaway from people with this update seems to be that Manstein is a vampire. :D
Chuckled at that.
a false sense of complacency
Hope you don’t mind, but a small expression point: I think this has become almost a double negative. Either a false sense of security or a sense of complacency?
However, we can offer something far better.”

Maksim had taken his reading glasses out and were beginning to wipe them clean. “Oh? And what is that?”

“The location of Stalin.”
Poetic justice there. No ice pick in the bathtub this time? Very interested to see how things develop in Russia and more widely. Great story and writing. :)
 
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Hope you don’t mind, but a small expression point: I think this has become almost a double negative. Either a false sense of security or a sense of complacency?

I think I did mean "false sense of security". Oops.

Not as embarrassing as my "fifty decades" typo...
 
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Trotsky's doing the right thing, Hopefully will be interesting to see him in future chapters.
 
Trotsky's doing the right thing, Hopefully will be interesting to see him in future chapters.

He'll be popping up every now and then.

Also, I'm still around. I got struck with a cold (no, it's NOT coronavirus...). However, I got an early start on the next chapter, so hope to post the next update soon...ish.
 
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Chapter 16
Masha


October, 1937

Up in the corner of the room, the bulb remained off. Masha’s eyes stared at it with a joyful expression, because it meant she still had time to finish her sandwich. With a mixture of meat, cheese, and some seasoning, she had really treated herself with this meal. Some sliced tomatoes on the side added to the texture in her mouth. She had to admit that, with the recent changes in national stability and the greater flow of movement, things were starting to return to some semblance of normality. Was the economy better? No, but at least trucks and shipments could move to and fro without fearing harassment from the Communists or the military.

“Masha,” came the voice of Ivan from the control room, “we go on in two minutes.” He held up two fingers for added emphasis.

Masha nodded. No matter. She was almost done with her sandwich, and Alexei had the script printed out and on her desk already. The man was sitting beside Ivan, resting his chin on his palm while his eyes stared forward as if he was in a trance. A cigarette rested between his middle and forefinger, the smoke rising gently in swirls about his head. Masha was fairly certain that this was the only cigarette he had smoked since she got into work this morning. Which, of course, meant it was going to be a good day for him.

“One minute,” Ivan called, holding up a solitary finger now.

Masha finished her last bite, even sneaking in one more tomato slice. As soon as she had swallowed she took a swig of the water glass beside her, trying to remove any crumbs that might be stuck on her teeth or tongue. As she put her headphones on and steadied her microphone, her tongue rolled around the inside of her mouth, rubbing against her teeth. Last thing she needed was a stray crumb or piece of bread to make her stumble.

Ivan held up five fingers. The thumb went down. Then the pinky. Then the ring finger. Then the middle finger. Then…

At last, the light flicked on.

Dobroye utro. This is Maria Stepanova for the Moscow service. Here is the news.”

She glanced down at the sheets before her.

“The Spanish Civil War is still continuing, even with three factions now involved. The Spanish Commune is finding itself having to fight a two-front war between the Nationalists to the northwest and the Republic to the southeast. Both the Nationalists and Republic seem to be pushing for Madrid, a city which has already switched hands many times over during the course of this war.”

pDsbUcM.png

She turned to the next page.

“Another civil war has broken out, this time in Mexico. A military junta, under the command of General Saturnino Cedillo, has organized a government in the northeastern section of the country. He has vowed to overthrow the government of President Lazaro Cardenas. The two had formerly worked together, with Cedillo as Cardenas’ minister of agriculture, but disagreement over land reform and other economic matters led to Cedillo’s resignation. He came to form a private army of his own, with backing from agricultural voices inside the country.”

1ExQzNz.png

She turned to the next page.

“In France, lawmakers are seeking to begin a revision of the constitution. Part of this revision, analysts say, is to make way for a repealing of the Law of Exile. The Law of Exile was a motion passed by the French government in 1886, banning the House of Orleans and Bonapartes from being in France. Some predict that this will lead to a monarchical revival in France. Critics say that the French government is attempting to resolve internal disputes by mimicking the popular move in Russia to restore the Romanov dynasty.”

Through the window, Masha could see Alexei lift his eyeglasses up to his forehead and rub and eyes. “Who wrote it that way? Who wrote it that way?” he began to mouth. “Some amateur producer! That presumes motive! Oh, I’m going to hear about that one…” He began to inhale his cigarette deep.

OR16gd6.png

Meanwhile, Masha continued to read.

“Fighting continues in China, as Japan and her allies push into the mainland. Beijing has especially seen embittered fighting, as Japan has been attacking the city since the war started in May. Japanese casualties are believed to be at about 24,000 lost, while Chinese casualties are just over 330,000. Little ground has been gained by either side.”

HISIJ27.png

She turned to the next page.

“And now, in more local news, further developments have been reported related to Russian industry. Construction equipment have been upgraded to keep in line with those available in other parts of Europe. Improved machine tools for factories are underway, as are machine tools used to excavate for natural resources. The Russian navy has also announced some improvements over the control systems on their ships.”

CfI4xLX.png

“That was your news at the top of the hour. We now turn to ‘Tale of the Head’ from Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila. This is-”

Masha stopped short. Through the window was waving his hand and shaking his head frantically. Alexei was glancing from Ivan to Masha and back, his face turning pale.

“Oh, one moment.”

Alexei held up a record case, pointing to the cover. The words read The Rite of Spring.

“Correction, we have a… selection from The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. This is Masha Stepanova, with the Moscow service.”

The light flicked off. Alexei flew to his feet so quickly that Masha half-expected him to continue flying up through the ceiling. His eyes were bugging out through bottle cap lens as he stared at Ivan. “Who made that change?!”

“The producers did at the last minute.”

“Why wasn’t I told?!”

“I don’t think they like you.”

Alexei held the cigarette up to his mouth and gave a big inhale. The white turned to gray all the way up to his fingers. “Great, just great. And they’ll blame me for that little kerfuffle, I’m sure!”

“Who’s going to remember it? And the kid handled it well. We didn’t have dead air.”

Masha leaned forward on the table. “If you’re that worried, Alexei, you can blame me.”

Alexei glanced at Masha, staring at her for a moment. His lips pursed as he lifted his head and gazed to the side. Suddenly, Ivan swung his hand down against his side. “Don’t throw the kid under the bus over this!”

“Don’t hit me!” Alexei glanced down at his cigarette, and saw it was all done. It was promptly tossed into the ash tray with a light growl. “I need to buy some more. I’m going to need them after I hear about this…”

Masha giggled to herself as Alexei left the room. Ivan stood up and walked into the studio, a newspaper under his arm. “I thought you might be amused by this.”

“Oh? What?”

“Remember when we covered the trial of Yakov Yurovsky?”

Masha pursed her lips. How could she had forgotten it? The mountain of evidence against the man, the gruesome details of the murder of the Tsar’s family, the screams of Yurovsky’s wife, the climactic forgiveness from the Empress… it had been a day to remember for sure. Masha had become so entranced with the sequence of events that in the quieter moments she had to remind herself to say something to avoid the prevalence of dead air. “Yes, I do.”

“Apparently there were some American newspapers covering it. Someone working at the embassy in America sent us this.”

Ivan dropped the newspaper on the table before Masha. The girl saw that it was unrolled to a specific page. To her surprise, she saw a photograph of her and Ivan from the table they had sat at during the trial. Ivan was barely recognizable, since he was hunched over his equipment, checking some wires, his face half-covered. Masha, meanwhile, had been captured at one of her more professional moments: she sat with headphones around her curly blonde hair, her back erect, and her chest sticking out.

“Oh my,” Masha exclaimed. “I don’t read English, though. What does it say?”

“Oh yeah, they sent a translation. I took a look at it.” Ivan held up the paper and cleared his throat. “Moscow Masha! This va-va-voom girl of the Volga is a local radio celebrity, and has covered every moment of the Anastasia saga since it’s first inception. Here she is covering the trial of Yakov Yurovsky, the Tsar’s executioner.

Masha’s eyes rolled, and a grin curled over her lips. “Va-va-voom girl of the Volga? Really? My hair was a mess that day. Plus, I’m not a celebrity. What kind of rubbish is this?”

“Yeah it’s obviously sensationalist journalism. Not the dull, boring news we do. But hey…” He lowered the paper and gave a wink. “Moscow Masha. Has a nice ring to it.”
 
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Life goes on in the rest of the world, even with Anastasia's reappearance and the return of order and stability to Russia. Interesting to see that monarchism is on the rise elsewhere in the world, especially in France of all places...

Looks like Masha's star is continuing to rise :)

The last minute record switch has me wondering if perhaps Radio Moscow's "producers" are involved in something clandestine; prearranged radio signals are a common enough occurrence in spy work, or at least spy fiction. Maybe it's related to the coming apprehension of Stalin...
 
Hoi4 currently really, really likes states getting unaligned and with old monarchies, even without mods, so France going monarchist would be quite the goodness thing to see.
 
A Franco–Russian monarchist alliance would be quite the thing to see.
 
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A Franco–Russian monarchist alliance would be quite the thing to see.

Very much something to make everyone else in europe gang pile you though. Germany would have no trouble building a central alliance, and britian might be worried enough to support it.
 
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Very much something to make everyone else in europe gang pile you though. Germany would have no trouble building a central alliance, and britian might be worried enough to support it.

Oh yeah, no doubt. It wouldn’t be that useful for either party, but seeing as Europe is pretty wildly screwed on all fronts it would at least be entertaining.
 
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A Franco-Russian alliance against British-German ... call it the Seven Years War redux?
 
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A France restoring the monarchy? How interesting indeed! And the Spanish continue to fight among themselves with little end in sight. I'm concerned at the amount of casualties the Chinese are taking in fighting the Japanese Empire and its allies tbh, hopefully they made the Japanese pay for every inch of land that was taken.
 
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A Franco–Russian monarchist alliance would be quite the thing to see.
But don't expect a Bonaparte to help a Romanov. The Bonapartes, while not fascist themselves, they does have support from the fascists in France. Based on the Bonaparte branch of the focus tree, they probably want Napoleon VI to get revenge on Britain, Germany, and Russia.
A Franco-Russian alliance against British-German ... call it the Seven Years War redux?
So... Franco-Russian monarchist alliance against Nazi Germany and Syndicalist Britain (and yes, I quote Kaiserreich)? It can only happen if Napoleon is not on the restored French throne.
A France restoring the monarchy? How interesting indeed!
As long as the Bonapartes are not on the restored French throne, Russia should have nothing worry about France. Besides, based on their focus tree branch, I would assume Napoleon VI would listen to the fascists in his own country and go on a war spree against Hitler, British Bolsheviks, and Tsarina Anastasia.
 
But don't expect a Bonaparte to help a Romanov. The Bonapartes, while not fascist themselves, they does have support from the fascists in France. Based on the Bonaparte branch of the focus tree, they probably want Napoleon VI to get revenge on Britain, Germany, and Russia.

Yeah. When I say monarchist I don’t really have Napoleon in mind (which I appreciate is neither accurate nor how HoI sees it). Bonapartism is just so… odd.
 
All strategy aside, it seems even monarchist Russia’s news is full of production quotas, machine tools, tractors etc ;) Next we should get a story about some ‘hero workers’ and maybe a Five Year Plan to get the Rodina ready for impending trouble.:p
 
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All strategy aside, it seems even monarchist Russia’s news is full of production quotas, machine tools, tractors etc ;) Next we should get a story about some ‘hero workers’ and maybe a Five Year Plan to get the Rodina ready for impending trouble.:p

Was Stalin the red tsar, or is Anastasia the white general secretary?:eek: