Power to the People - A Sardinia-Piedmont Interactive AAR

[Gen. Marshall]

I am most grateful for this appointment by General d'Auria, as blessed by Presidente Balbo. It is my conviction that the military has a pivotal role in upholding the sanctitude of Italy and applying the national policies of syndicalism abroad in a fitting and tailored way. Especially in the colony of Tunisia, National Syndicalism and the Presidente's new administrative order will need the firm support of an effective and loyal military to be applied. Hopefully, under my command we will be able to restore the great Italian and Christian order which this area and its inhabitants have been sorely lacking for so long.

Furthermore, at Presidente Balbo's request, I will gladly represent the military class in the Camera dei Sindacati. In person whenever possible, though by proxy if my presence is required in Tunisia.

- General Iulius Vaccarello
Commander of the Tunisian Military District

 

[m.equitum]

AT THE MONTEZEMOLO ESTATE

​

Massimo had suffered from bouts of coughing throughout the night, as had become the common course over the past few months. The Marquess’ physician seemed helpless in combatting the disease. A series of tinctures and treatments, while easing the symptoms, had proved impotent against the advancing inflection of the lungs. The doctor, sitting beside Massimo’s bedside, offered some words of consolation, saying that Gaius Marius and Charlemagne had also suffered [and succumbed] to the selfsame malady: pleurisy.

But the litany of distinguished figures who had expired on account of the disease was of little comfort. That list of sufferers, no matter how estimable and eminent, was inconsequential. They were all dead. “I am in no hurry to join those gentlemen,” remarked Montezemolo in a frail voice as he lay in bed. His once vibrant cheeks were now ashen, and what handsome features had not been worn with age, were now diminished by illness. Only in his piercing eyes remained that glimmer – a mischievous flicker and a determined spark – which had stayed alight, albeit within a weak and fragile frame that could no longer house that still-burning flame.

The marquess coughed some more, the agony visible on his face. “Kind doctor, I think I shan’t require your service any longer,” Massimo said in a polite tone. The physician, his profession being one in which the tragic matter of death is frequently encountered, could, despite his training, not prevent a stream of tears from rolling down his cheeks. He let out a few soft sobs, then, extracting the kerchief from his breast pocket, dabbed his eyes. Regaining his composure, the doctor rose from his chair, straightened his cravat, and walked a few paces forward, whereupon he offered his chair at Massimo’s bedside to the priest who had hitherto been standing at the foot of the bed.

The priest, a young Jesuit, ordered all those present – the doctor, Massimo’s heir Leopold, his faithful secretary Giovanni, his barber Giacomo, and three footmen – out of the bed chambers. As the chambers were emptied and the large wooden doors locked, the priest began: “My son, it is time for the administration of the Last Rites. Let us begin with your confession.”

Massimo had tried in all things to be kind, gracious, generous – grappling to himself all the virtues of the noble class – but he had never been so vain as to think himself perfect. Attentive to his faults, the marquess made a good and full confession. Upon hearing Massimo’s sins and completing the sacrament, the priest made a gesture of the cross with his hands, reciting the words: “ego te absolve a peccatis tuis in nomine Partis, et Filli et Spiritus Sancti.” A sense of relief seemed at once to wash over Montezemolo. Perhaps, he thought, this was the sanctifying grace which the scholars had written so much about.

The priest continued, extracting from his satchel the sacred chrism to be used in the performance of the Extreme Unction. The Jesuits used only the finest olive oil for the chrism [and drank only the finest wine during the Mass]. The priest looked upon a small piece of paper attached to the container bearing the oil and balsam ointment. The inscription read: “Olio extra vergine di oliva.” Satisfied, the priest continued with the rite. Anointing Massimo’s head and hands with the sacred oil, the priest then prepared for the final portion of the ritual: the administration of the Eucharist.

Massimo, as a young boy, had attended Mass with his mother in the family chapel on a daily basis. Although he had abandoned the custom during his time of study at the University of Turin, and, having moved amongst liberal circles, had forsaken the practice almost entirely during the heyday of his political career, he still remembered the ritual well. The Jesuit brandished the Eucharist in the air above Massimo’s sullen face. “Corpus Christi” said the priest, to which the marquess replied, “Amen,” as the priest placed the wafer upon Massimo’s tongue.

The sacrament complete, the priest beckoned those assembled outside to re-enter the bed chamber. As the group shuffled into the room, the cleric eased himself up from his bedside seat. But before arising fully the Jesuit sat down again and, turning to the quickly fading Montezemolo, whispered in the marquess’ ear: “have you considered donating to the Church?”

​

“How about a portion of the Montezemolo vineyards?” the priest suggested to the marquess, who by now was lingering somewhere between life and death, barely able to hear what was being said. Massimo simply nodded his head. He then closed his eyes, never to open them again.

Around Massimo’s bedside remained Leopold, Giovanni and Giacomo each starring mournfully at the marquess. The Jesuit arose from his chair, straightened his priestly collar and walked a few paces forward, he then turned back to look upon the body of the late Montezemolo. He smiled. This year’s sacramental wine would be of an especially fine vintage.

As the priest exited the bed chamber he came upon a group of housemaids who, kneeling upon the floor with rosaries in hand and tears in their eyes, were praying for the recovery of the ailing marquess. “Sweet maidens,” the priest began. He then glanced at his wristwatch, and continued: “at four o’clock this afternoon, Massimo Cordero entered immortality.”

Historical Notes:

The historical Massimo Cordero, Marchese di Montezemolo, died on 04 May 1879, in Rome succumbing to pleurisy. The Italian Archivo Storico del Senato della Repubblica (Historical Archive of the Senate) indicates that Montezemolo’s accomplishments earned him great merits and decorations as well as the high public esteem which constantly accompanied him.

Unlike many of the other names which populate the archives, the documentation reveals neither a wife nor successor for Massimo Cordero. It is indicated in the armorial register, however, that Massimo had a brother, Enrico. Furthermore, a relative of Massimo, one such Marchese di Pamparato, predeceased his cousin by sixteen years, but continued the Cordero lineage.

While I have been unable to find an accurate family tree for the Corderos, we do know that the house remain prominent within the Kingdom of Italy. Indeed, the family is still around today.​

 

[Nax24]

((Tech Plan: Finish Assembly Line --- Bolt Action Rifle (Should be availible by the time Assembly Line finishes) --- Mass Politics --- Associationism))

 

[Andre Massena]

A MEMORANDUM FROM THE MINISTRY OF WAR TO HIS MAJESTY, THE DICTATOR, AND COUNCIL OF PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY

​

The Ministry of War believes that the army and navy should continue to expand. The military should be prepared for a conflict with France so that the government may liberate the people of Savoy. The Regio Escercito should be reequipped with the new technologies that are being developed. The Regia Marina should begin to build a class of cruiser ships when the available facilities are built. The Trans-Italian Railroad should be improved and expanded in order for the army to rapidly deploy across the peninsula. Thus, the ministry offers the following recommendations:

I. That seventeen National Legion ((guards)) brigades should be constructed
II. That sixteen brigades of artillery from the Italian populace should be constructed
III. That three brigades of infantry from the African populace should be constructed
IV. That one brigade of cavalry from the African populace should be constructed
V. That one brigade of artillery from the African populace should be constructed

VI. That five cruiser ships should be constructed once the expansion of the port of Naples is completed

VII. Railroad lines should be constructed in Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Siena, Ancona, Perugia, and Venezia and connected to the Trans-Italian Railroad

Furthermore, since responsibility for the management of railroads has fallen to the Ministry of War, the ministry hereby makes the following decree:

Italian Railroad Company Decree
​

I. The Italian Railroad Company should be formed on the basis of the original 1884 charter
II. The Ministry of War shall handle the responsibilities of the now defunct Ministry of Transportation and Railroads​

​

God bless His Majesty, the King of Italy, and our wise Dictator

​

~Duca Marco Lorenzo Bonaretti di Venezia, Conte di Nizza, Marchese di Vittoria, e Ministro della Guerra

((Recruit 17 guards, 16 Italian artillery, 3 African infantry, 1 African artillery, and 1 African cavalry
Build 5 cruisers once the Naples port is ready
Build/expand railroads in Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Siena, Ancona, Preguia, and Venezia))​

 

[LatinKaiser]

A NOTICE
TO ALL SUBJECTS OF HIS MAJESTY VITTORIO EMMANUELE III, KING OF ITALY

Let it be known that the men who actively supported the illegitimate seizure of power of Signore Balbo are hereby declared enemies of the state, and they are to be tried for the crime of high treason against His Majesty and His Majesty's Government. All subjects of His Majesty the King who willfully assist these men in the imposition of an unlawful government on the Italian people are considered accomplices.
​

-- Umberto di Susa, Marquess of Susa and Acting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy​

 

[Nax24]

A NOTICE
TO ALL SUBJECTS OF HIS MAJESTY VITTORIO EMMANUELE III, KING OF ITALY

Let it be known that the men who actively supported the illegitimate seizure of power of Signore Balbo are hereby declared enemies of the state, and they are to be tried for the crime of high treason against His Majesty and His Majesty's Government. All subjects of His Majesty the King who willfully assist these men in the imposition of an unlawful government on the Italian people are considered accomplices.
​

-- Umberto di Susa, Marquess of Susa and Acting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy​

The King is in peril. Mad Man have seized his highness and fled the country! We must organize a strike force to hunt down these kidnappers and rescue the king!

-Benito Bello

 

[Qwerty7]

The King is in peril. Mad Man have seized his highness and fled the country! We must organize a strike force to hunt down these kidnappers and rescue the king!

-Benito Bello

Signore, the King is still in Italy. The only that has left is your wit.

- Fulgenzio Ruggeri

 

[oxfordroyale]

A NOTICE
TO ALL SUBJECTS OF HIS MAJESTY VITTORIO EMMANUELE III, KING OF ITALY

Let it be known that the men who actively supported the illegitimate seizure of power of Signore Balbo are hereby declared enemies of the state, and they are to be tried for the crime of high treason against His Majesty and His Majesty's Government. All subjects of His Majesty the King who willfully assist these men in the imposition of an unlawful government on the Italian people are considered accomplices.
​

-- Umberto di Susa, Marquess of Susa and Acting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy​

All true Italians, I plead for you to heed the words of my compatriot! Do not believe the lies of the despicable Balbo, the cowardly Bonaretti, and the treasonous Contravarius - not to mention the scores of evil and greedy men who lend them support! All who supported Alliata, who supported what he wished to do - those who still in their hearts support the monarchy - I urge yo to take up arms against these vile men, for they have sought to seize the reins of power and place blinders over your eyes! Take up arms, for when sweetened falsehoods fail to sway you they shall strike with the whip instead! Cast down these usurpers from their stolen thrones, before they tighten their iron grip over all of Italy, from the Alps to Sicily!

- Antonio Escarra, Acting Deputy Prime Minister, in a speech relayed by sympathizers throughout the peninsula to all those who will listen

 

[Andre Massena]

Acting Prime Ministers in exile? This is Italy, not Belgium.

-Marco Bonaretti

 

[LatinKaiser]

Acting Prime Ministers in exile? This is Italy, not Belgium.

-Marco Bonaretti

After hearing about Bonaretti's odd remark through his spies in Rome, the Marquess of Susa comments that Bonaretti's geographic knowledge is truly astonishing.

 

[Mikkel Glahder]

A memo from the Ministry of the Interior ​

Encourage more workers to join our factories in the states of Lazio, Puglia, Sicily, Piedmonte, Campania and Lombardia.

 

[Dadarian]

Memo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
​

There are no major changes in foreign policy goals in the upcoming years.

 

[Davout]

((I am continuing to Agitate.)

 

[Firehound15]

The Territory West of Sahara shall henceforth me rendered separate from the Territory of Tunisia.

Augusto F. Pedrotti

 

[Andre Massena]

La Croce Bianca publishes an "article":

Syndicate Council To Transform Italy​

No longer will Italy be held hostage to the whims of a fickle parliament and obstructionist labor unions. The new Syndicate Council devised by our wise Regent, Dictator Balbo, will allow Italians of all stripes to express their views in a healthy and productive manner. This paper encourages all Italians to apply for a post in the Syndicate Council to represent your occupational field and ideology. Make your voices heard and Capo Balbo will listen! [cont. on page 3a]

 

[LatinKaiser]

((*cough* no press license *cough*))

 

[ThunderHawk3]

Balbo 1899-1901: Deutschland Uber Alles​

Balbo's takeover of the Italian government brought three new ministers to replace those who had fled. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was (theoretically) taken over by Clemente Macellaio, though in practice the exiled Marquess of Solemnis' policies of restoring the former Italian sphere continued. Augusto Pedrotti, who had long courted a post in the Gran Consilgio, was granted the Ministry of the Overseas Colonies. Bentio Bello would take over Balbo's own former post as the Minister of National Education, and would be credited (along with Balbo himself) for the import of many modern industries into Italy.

1. Cesare Agostin Balbo, Dictator of Italy​

The Balbo government differed from the Alliata government in one very critical way: it was having none of this constitution nonsense. Balbo made no particular comment on the constitution after his speech when he assumed control of the country. It was generally assumed that the Amat constitution was dead, and no further effort was made to bring it into force. Instead, Balbo organized a series of Syndicate chambers which in some ways resembled a legislature, except they had no actual power. This made them advisory bodies at best, puppet parliaments at worst. The appointed Senate, at least for the moment, was allowed to remain alongside them with a modicum of real power, albeit only on major reform matters.

Naturally, this stance was not popular in Italy proper. Balbo's first three years at the head of the country would be wracked by protests against him personally and periodic uprising of Jacobin, Anarchist, and newly formed Communist rebel units. Though none of these were particularly large and proved easily crushed, it was perhaps an omnious sign for the longevity of his regime. Balbo himself, like Alliata before him, became aloof and distant as he assumed absolute power. Most of the actual day to day running of the country fell to Bonaretti, the Minister of War, who repeatedly rejected suggestions for the provision of the Living Wage.

Bonaretti also saw a tremendous expansion of the Italian military. He demanded the recruitment of another hundred thousand soldiers for Italia, the construction of several new railways, and five cruisers and (later) two battleships. His ambitious projects strained the Italian treasury to the breaking point, with Marcello Cavalieri being forced to cut spending several times - including military spending from other quarters - to fund the expansion.

2. Many navies had built modern cruisers, which Bonaretti was eager to replicate​

In 1899, Balbo's good office would encounter their first challenge in the form of the Rumelia crisis. It seemed that war-wracked Europe had not yet tired of fighting. The Macellaio ministry would initially declare interest in the conflict over the Balkans - in which Germany demanded the freedom of Bulgaria from the Austria-Hungary backed Ottoman Empire. Why exactly Germany wanted Bulgarian freedom was a mystery to all outside the German foreign office - perhaps it was an attempt to exert German influence in the Balkans - but the UK was the only other interested power. It declared its support of Austria-Hungary.

After almost a year of waffling, Italy refused to back either side after the Minister of War and the Chief of the General Staff agreed that the nation could not risk a war at this time. It was a humiliating stance to take, and diminished Italy in the eyes of the rest of the world. However, it was as nothing compared to what was to come.

On June 9th, 1890 - with talks having broken down, Germany declared war on Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary was joined by their ally France, and their backer, the UK, as well as the Ottomans and their allies, the Spanish. German disrespect for Swiss neutrality also drew the Swiss into the war. Germany had only the tiny free city of Krakow to back it. German rashness drew disbelief across Europe. Could Germany really intend to fight the Ottomans, the Spanish, the French, the Austria-Hungarians, the British, and the Swiss all at once? Political commentators were surprised.

3. German soldiers in a railway wagon​

They were even more surprised when Germany started winning. It was an ominous start to the 20th century.

France, backed a million-strong British expedition force charged in the Rhineland and began to occupy territory while the combined Austrian and Ottoman armies marched into Germany from the southeast. Germany quickly smashed this backwards force and pushed towards Vienna, then turned its attention to the western front, ruthlessly overruning Switzerland and using the small nation as a corridor into France. German soldiers, though radically outnumbered, fought with extraordinary ferocity and valor while French soldiers performed abysmally. At the height of the fighting in the Saarland, a German force of just 9,000 held off a 122,000 man British force for over a week in a fantastic rearguard action, while a third of the French army was surrounded and destroyed in the Rhineland.

By the end of 1900, the Ottoman, Austrian, and French armies had been almost completely destroyed. The battle-hardened British army, supplemented by the Spanish, were holding along the Rhine with surprising tenacity for territory that was far from their homelands.

In Italy, the war hadn't exactly been good for business. While the arms monopolies were making out like bandits, much of the rest of Italian industrial sector plunged into the red. Textiles, in 1899 the most profitable industry in Italy, was forced to accept government subsidies in 1900 - the same could be said of a half-dozen other industries.

The worsening economy situation was exacerbated by high unemployment. The Interior Ministry had decided in 1899 to begin encouraging people to become factory workers and craftsmen in Italy's six largest regions (excluding Venice). Sadly, they had not consulted with the Commerce Ministry before doing this, and it transpired there were no job openings in any of these regions. Unemployment among factory workers stood at about 100,000 by 1900, which was over 12% of the total number of factory workers nationwide. Venetian factories remained closed and shuttered after their capture from the Russian puppet state. The Education Minister, Bello, would go to great pains to import new mass production methods, necessary for building automobiles, telephones, electrical components, and a highly speculative contraption called an "airplane" - hopes were high that in the future factories would be built around these new markets.

4. Automobiles had existed for more than a decade, but none were yet produced in Italy​

The Colonies weren't going much better. Kenya saw an upsurge in violence and Egypt experienced a nationalist rebellion, hastily quelled by the army. For some reason, the government had become intensely proud of its transformation of the Italian Saharan desert into a "state" and began to usher Italian colonists into the region. By the end of 1902, the Saharan population was majority Italian (outnumbering local Berbers and Tuaregs), which the government loudly trumpeted. As dissent was not tolerated under Balbo, no one was allowed to point out that there had only been a few thousand people living there to begin with.

5. An Italian catholic church built in the Sahara​

The end of the War of 1900 would be the most shocking part of the conflict. By 1902, Germany had broken stiff British resistance along the French border and captured virtually all of France excepting a few parts of Britanny and the western coast. Austria-Hungary was entirely in German hands. The western Ottoman Empire had also fallen to the Germans, Constantinople included.

With their complete and stunning victory assured, a triumph over half the world's Great Powers and a force perhaps four times the size of their own, the Germans announced that they desired peace and that the war was over. German occupying armies returned to Germany and a terse treaty was signed in Paris saying that the various warring powers were no longer at war. Germany had not demanded even a single acre of land from the defeated powers - even its original demands for the independence of Bulgaria were dropped.

While no one understood why they had done this, the message of German dominance was clear... and no one would cross Germany with impugnity any time soon.


----------------------------


Player Actions Needed:

Uh... nothing pending at the moment. I'll wait for orders and then update again.

 

[ThunderHawk3]

((Screenshot link))

 

[ThunderHawk3]

((Corporate profit report.))

Northern Textiles: Michelangelo Ezzo ((mrlifeless))
Piedmont Fabric: 75900
Piedmont Clothes: 36900
Lombardia Luxury Clothes: 17200
Lombardia Dyes: 1100

Gross Profit: 131100
Corporate Tax: -~59000
Net Profit: 72100 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Lumber, Paper, and Furniture: Marcello Cavalieri ((Otto))
Emilia Lumber: 13100
Piedmont Furniture: 38700
Puglia Paper: 15000
Toscana Furniture: 6600
Lazio Luxury Furniture: 1800

Gross Profit: 75200
Corporate Tax: ~-33800
Net Profit: 41400 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Armaments: Augusto F. Pedrotti ((Firehound))
Campania Small Arms: 700
Campania Artillery: 23000
Emilia Ammunition: 19000
Sicily Explosives: 15000
Sicily Artillery: 14200
Lazio Artillery: 9900
Lazio Ammunition: 46400
Piedmont Ammunition: 25200
Puglia Shipyard: 4400
Puglia Ammunition: 15300
Romagna Small Arms: 0
Sardegna Ammunition: 6900
Toscana Small Arms: 0

Gross Profit: 159300
Corporate Tax: -~71700
Net Profit: 87600 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Northern Alcohol: Silvio Ferrabino ((Terraferma))
Piedmont Liquor: 17500
Piedmont Wine: 3700
Lombardia Wine: 0

Gross Profit: 21200
Corporate Tax: ~-9500
Net Profit: 12700 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Cement and Glass: Donato Ceruso ((Canadian))
Provence Glass: 24100
Puglia Glass: 1800
Campania Cement: 2900
Sardegna Cement: 8800
Sardenga Glass: 10600
Toscana Cement: 2200
Emilia Cement: 13900

Gross Profit: 64300
Corporate Tax: ~-28900
Net Profit: 35400 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Southern Alcohol: Marcello Concorde ((king cruel))
Campania Wine: 4000
Sicily Wine: 0
Puglia Wine: 1800
Puglia Liquor: 9900

Gross Profit: 15700
Corporate Tax: -~7100
Net Profit: 8600 ((Amount of money the company gets))

Central Alcohol: Guglielmo Pierno ((Thoctar))
Emilia Liquor: 10200
Romagna Liquor: 3700
Sardegna Liquor: 2900
Lazio Wine: 0
Toscana Wine: 700

Gross Profit: 16800
Corporate Tax: -~7600
Net Profit: 9200 ((Amount of money the company gets))

 

[Andre Massena]

Bonaretti addresses an assembly of soldiers in Rome

The soldiers of France and Austria are weaklings! Look how they were easily mauled by the mighty Germans. Imagine what our legions, which are three times as strong as the Heer, can accomplish?

Soldiers, let us march to Savoy and liberate our king's homeland! Let us restore Italian pride and put the days of the Anarchy behind us!

Hail Dictator Balbo, the Prince of the North Pole, and our wise king, Victor Emmanuel III!

-Duca Bonaretti di Venezia, Conte di Nizza