I wonder if Dmitry and Molotov will have a final meeting over peace negotiations with the Reich. I imagine Molotov will be the one actually speaking with Otto though.
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As I've previously hinted at, the end of the war doesn't mean the end of the struggle. The war will have serious consequences.
Actually, I wasn't trying to imply anything lol.Zen did imply that the Soviet committed some atrocities before and during World War 3. It´s not impossible that they did what your´re implying here.. Tho I´m pretty sure Rutherian/Ukrainian culture dosn´t exist in a significant way like our timeline regardless. If anything, the Soviets are more likely to commit crimes on the German/Greek, Lithuanian and/or Mongol minorities than the people living in OTL´s Ukrainian´s land since it would be inhabited by Russians here.
You were talking about the Holodomor there weren´t you.
Though yeah, I did imply there were equivalents for Soviet atrocities. Ukrainians do not exist in this universe because the circumstances that led to the development of their culture do not exist. The atrocities were directed at Lithuanians, Greeks, Germans, Georgians, Finns, and Mongols. In one of the early updates, I talked about how Lithuanians were being deported to Siberia, and in HOI3 I talked about Deromanization (although I seem to have abandoned that since then; I'll probably bring it up after the war). And in-game, Russian culture has almost completely displaced Mongol culture in the former Yavdi (not part of the plan, but it doesn't conflict with my plans anyways). I'll provide details with the culture map in the 2000s update, and I'll explain what happened at some point.That's assuming Otto is willing to talk to this man. He has a grudge with the man who stole half of his empire forty years ago.
The End of History, Part 61
Belavezha, western Russia – July 9, 1986
The Romans chose a small dacha in an old-growth forest near the Polish border for the signing of the ceasefire accords. Molotov was told it belonged to a Lithuanian nobleman before the First World War. After the surrender of Lithuania, the land was transferred to Russia, and the noble’s family fled over the border to the Reich. A Russian noble moved in, but he only lived there for two years before he too fled across the border to escape the civil war. After the equalists won the civil war and established the Soviet Commune, the dacha was mostly abandoned. A small military base was built nearby. During World War II, an Angeloi commander took up residence in the abandoned dacha and refurbished it while his men burned down the base. Most of the dacha was destroyed when the Soviets returned in 1943 and expelled the Angeloi. Half of what remained was further demolished to make way for an expansion of the rebuilt base and a nuclear missile silo in the 1950s. In the 1960s, a Party official moved in to what was left and stayed for about ten years. In the last two years, the forest frequently changed hands between the Romans, Soviets, and rebel troops. The military base was taken by the Romans, and the silo was emptied of its weapons. And now Molotov was here to sign the treaty that would end the country he spent his entire life leading.
Roman, Indian, and Tsarist troops guarded the doorways, and reporters surrounded him, their cameras snapping pictures of and filming every action. He sat at a long table in the main hall, with Roman and Soviet flags placed behind him. A thick stack of papers sat on the table, stamped with the seals of Kaiser Otto and the Supreme Soviet. He spent the last few weeks reading the entire document. There were many parts he didn’t like, but he didn’t have a choice. He had unconditionally surrendered to the Reich, and he had no right to dictate terms. And he was satisfied if it meant madmen like Valentin and Dmitry were locked away for good.
The guards pulled open the door, and two women walked in and approached the table. Molotov instantly recognized both from his Politburo briefings: Crown Princess Elisabeth Alexandra and United Nations Ambassador for the Reich Shirley Tempel.
Elisabeth Alexandra and Shirley sat down at the table. “Morning, Herr Molotov,” Elisabeth Alexandra said first, shaking his hand, “Glad you could make it. Too bad Dad was busy.”
Molotov shook Elisabeth Alexandra’s and Shirley’s hands. “It’s not like I had a choice, ma’am,” he said, "And I understand about your father. I know he's still angry with me."
"My father never lets go of his grudges," Elisabeth Alexandra said, "Not even after forty years."
“I understand where you’re coming from, Herr Molotov,” Shirley said, “I know this isn’t ideal. But this war has gone on for long enough. Too many people have died.”
Molotov nodded. “You want the Tsaritsa to return,” he said, “The daughter of the man who ran our country into the ground seventy years ago. But I suppose it’s necessary, if it’ll stop this unnecessary bloodshed and bring stability back to Russia.”
“You’re lucky Father asked the Tsaritsa and the International Criminal Court to pardon you,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “Because it’s very likely you could end up in a prison cell like Varennikov and Yazov will.”
“I’m an old man, ma’am,” Molotov said, “I don’t have much time left. You could put me in prison for all I care. I won’t live long enough anyways. All I want is for Russia’s people to be at peace again, Tsaritsa ruling over them or not.”
Shirley pushed the papers towards Molotov. “If you have no other objections, Herr Molotov, then sign,” she said, “End this war. Do some good in your life.”
“Good?” Molotov said. “Good is a relative point of view, Ambassador. Surely you know that from your long career in Vienna. Your Reich likes to think of equalism as inherently bad. I don’t blame you for that. My predecessors and successors have tarnished that movement. I’d even say I’m partially to blame.”
“How?” asked Shirley.
“I made some stupid decisions in 1944,” Molotov said, “I was young and angry because of what happened to Leon, my friend. And I know an apology can’t make up for what I did to the Occupied Territories, and I know you won’t forgive me, but I just want you to understand. Marx didn’t envision a dictatorship like the kind I ran. That was Lenin’s vision, and I completely bought into that.”
He took a deep breath. “I lived a long life, and you know what I’ve realized?” he said. “I’ve realized that equalism is impossible to achieve. It’s hopelessly idealistic. It puts too much faith in our desire for equality and ignores our propensity for greed and selfishness. It looks very good on paper, but when you try it in real life on a scale larger than a small village, it fails. I know this because Vladimir tried, Leon tried, I tried, and now Valentin doomed it. After what Valentin did, there’s no going back. There’s no room for equalism in this world. But I still believe capitalism in its current state is unsustainable.”
“What do you mean?” Shirley asked. “You just said equalism is unsustainable, but now you say the same about capitalism? Where does that leave us? Is everything sustainable?”
“Ambassador, you should know not everything can be described in black and white terms,” Molotov said, “There’s a reason Marx wrote his manifesto over a century ago. There’s a reason for equalism’s existence. Your Chancellor Papen once said that democracy and meritocracy are the worst forms of government, except for all the others. I’d add that capitalism is the worst economic system, except for all the others. Capitalism creates social inequality, raising a small group of people to obscene amounts of wealth while pushing many more into crippling poverty. I think many of your fellow citizens would agree that is unjust, especially in a free society your Reich says it is. Equalists would say this system is rotten to the core and must be overthrown. My experience says that doesn’t work. Capitalism can still be saved. It can still succeed. But equality and fairness can only be achieved by internal reform. I suppose that’s what your SPR is trying to achieve. A worthy goal, I must add, and a superior way of achieving the equality that I’ve sought the wrong way all these years. Though it will probably be a while before the SPR comes to power, at this rate anyways.”
“Just sign the treaty, Molotov,” Elisabeth Alexandra snapped, “I came here to end a war, not listen to monologues.”
Molotov rolled his eyes. Then he picked up a pen and scribbled his signature on the treaty as the cameras flashed, recording this historic moment.
“Your Highness, this war may be over, but consider this a friendly warning from a leader of a country that as of five seconds ago no longer exists,” Molotov said, “Peaceful reform is important and necessary. If you keep going down your current path, in fifty years your Reich will end up just like Russia, and you will be sitting in my seat. And who knows who’ll be sitting in your seat at this table in fifty years?”
Zen did imply that the Soviet committed some atrocities before and during World War 3. It´s not impossible that they did what your´re implying here.
You were talking about the Holodomor there weren´t you.
I wasn't trying to imply that. One must remember that this isn't the cold war as we know it. There are no 2 blocks of power who can destroy oneanother, but there are 3 who can do that. I was implying that with the Soviets gone, the Chinese might be up to something. But hey, nice try.Actually, I wasn't trying to imply anything lol.
>muh not real communism
You're saying that Sybysla (or whatever her name was) is going to be returned to the throne? Anybody know what she looks like again?!?
Woot woot! I'm hyped!
Now that you bring that up, the Chinese might actually get up to something...
Comrade Molotov's going to make Lenin look like a filthy anarchist! Or not.
I think we agreed way back in the HOI3 thread to have Sbyslava use Queen Wilhelmina's portrait, though I don't remember if I ever used it (since the AI messed up everybody's cabinets anyways).
Looks like Russia and the occupied territories will be scarred for decades to come. I wouldn’t be surprised if the people of the Reich will still have a deep hatred of Russia for what’s its done to their people and seek to punish them like Germany In both World Wars In OTL and probably worse than that. Tho Otto probably won’t do that since the Russian monchary is coming back and he will just punish the equalists. It’s gonna be a difficult task to rebuild Russia after the millions of people dead in the worst war after WW2 (and probably one of the worst in all of history from the causlties Zen estimated earlier) Btw, can I pm you about my interlude so far at some point?
Tho Otto probably won’t do that since the Russian monchary is coming back and he will just punish the equalists. It’s gonna be a difficult task to rebuild Russia after the millions of people dead in the worst war after WW2 (and probably one of the worst in all of history from the causlties Zen estimated earlier) Btw, can I pm you about my interlude so far at some point?
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Go ahead.Looks like Russia and the territories the occupied territories will be scarred for decades to come. I wouldn’t be surprised if the people of the Reich will still have a deep hatred of Russia for what’s its done to their people and seek to punish them like Germany In both World Wars In OTL and probably worse than that.
At last, the war is over. We're gonna need a world update once the dust settles, but Molotov's words remain. What will the Reich be like in fifty years? Is his warning just his own bias, or perhaps there's some truth to his predictions?
I’m also wondering if the SPR will be that popular since Molotov publicly endorsed them in front of many reporters. I mean, through he is redeeming himself somewhat, he’s still the man that occupied Roman lands and started the Cold War that lead to WW3. And he nuked three Roman cities too remember.
He did make some good points there tho, which is werid since the equalists, especially Valentin, most of the time make hippocracies and strawmans when they aren’t oppressing people.
P.S. At least he signed the treaty on a hopefully big desk.
Also thanks for accepting my intite Zen.
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I didn't take enough pictures for a proper world update (which will come in 2000), but I did take screenshots for places with notable border adjustments. I think you already know where most of those adjustments are.
The SPR would probably remain as popular as it did before the war, if not a little bit more popular due to its support. The news could twist Molotov's words as either an endorsement or just a personal preference, depending on their ideological stance. Right-wing news channels would certainly portray it as an endorsement, while left-leaning and ideologically center channels would downplay it, saying of course Molotov would support the Reich's largest socialist party. It's not like he has a choice on which party he likes.I’m also wondering if the SPR will be that popular since Molotov publicly endorsed them in front of many reporters. I mean, through he is redeeming himself somewhat, he’s still the man that occupied Roman lands and started the Cold War that lead to WW3. And he nuked three Roman cities too remember.
He did make some good points there tho, which is werid since the equalists, especially Valentin, most of the time make hippocracies and strawmans when they aren’t oppressing people.
P.S. At least he signed the treaty on a hopefully big desk.
Also thanks for accepting my intite Zen.
Yeah, I wanted to portray Molotov differently from my other equalist characters and give him some growth from his appearances in HOI3. I guess in old age he found wisdom and common sense his successors lacked. Or maybe it's just because he's the last of the generation that grew up before the Soviets took power, while Valentin and his generation grew up with the Soviets in power.
And yes, he got the biggest desk at Belavezha. Good thing he didn't throw it out a window like his other desk.
No problem. I think I'll suggest a few small edits in a couple minutes, but it's otherwise pretty good.
Finally!
Here's to The Reich now they're true blue's hey, they're pisspots through and through hey, they're great mates so they say
Here's to The Reich now they're true blue's hey, they're pisspots through and through hey, they're great mates so they say
Thanks. And I'm just getting started. I'm not even halfway through with this yet.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
U no
Anakin, I was right, the Meritocrats are taking over!
explodes
chokes and diesThen you choke and die.
A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.I HAVE A TV TROPES?!
You have done well, my apprentice.
no u
The tyranny of the equalists will never return!
We will watch your career with great interest.
The End of History, Part 62
Babelsberg, Potsdam – July 9, 1986
Vladimir got off the bus from Berlin and checked his belongings. He looked at his map and then up at the large sign over the street: “BABELSBERG STUDIOS.” He couldn’t believe he was finally here, after so many years. Babelsberg was the center of the Roman movie industry and a cornerstone of popular culture. Babelsberg made movies that thrilled audiences around the world and defined popular culture for decades. This was the place where talented young men and women could become superstars. And he hoped he could be the latest.
When he told his wife, she wasn’t happy. After they reunited in Helsinki, Lyudmila insisted he find work as a police officer or join Tsarist intelligence, due to his background. Vladimir just knew she wanted the pension. They didn’t have much money back in Russia, and Vladimir spent half of what they brought to Scandinavia on a plane ticket to Berlin and a bus ride to Potsdam. She would probably kill him when he returned, especially without results.
“…live from Belavezha,” Walter Cronkite reported from a TV in a window, “We have just received word that Acting General Secretary Molotov has just signed a peace treaty. It is a momentous and joyous occasion for the world. With this treaty, the Soviet Commune has unconditionally surrendered and dissolved itself. The war is over, repeat, the war is over…”
The screen displayed Molotov signing the treaty as cameras flashed and the Crown Princess sat opposite him.
Molotov really did it, Vladimir thought to himself. The old man had a spine for something other than desks. For his entire life, Vladimir had looked up to this founding father of the republic as second only to Trotsky and Lenin, infallible in his judgment. And now he was watching this founding father sign the end of the country he founded. He could only hope Molotov still made the right call.
Pulling away from the TV, he found a door labeled “Talent Office” and stepped inside, instantly approaching the counter. The receptionist looked up from his computer and scrutinized him.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m wondering if you were having auditions or something?” Vladimir said, his accent occasionally slipping through.
“I’m sorry, sir, but the auditioning process doesn’t work like that,” said the receptionist, “I can give you a number and schedule…”
At that moment, a man poked his head through a back doorway. “Hey, Kurt, is that someone asking for an audition?”
“Yeah, Herr Soisson,” Kurt said, “But I was about to tell him—”
“Splendid!” Soisson said. “I was just about to send out a message that I’m looking for actors for this new project I’m working on with these two fine young men. What’s your name, sir?”
“Uh, Vladimir,” Vladimir said.
“Great!” Soisson said. “Got any experience?”
“Well, I worked with an intelligence agency for a couple years,” Vladimir said, “Had to do a lot of acting. But then I quit the service. Might have gotten a little rusty since then.”
“That’s not a problem,” Soisson said, “You know what they say, there’s no such thing as a former KGB agent. You might still have it in you.”
“True,” Vladimir said.
“Now, Herr Vladimir, if you’ll follow me,” Soisson said, holding open the door, “We’ve got a room reserved down the hall.”
As Vladimir followed Soisson, Soisson handed him a script. “Now, I have just the part for you. It’s one of the leads, a guy named Theodoros Leopold. It’s a comedy, by the way.”
“Won’t be a problem, Mr. Soisson,” Vladimir said, “I love comedies.”
Well all he needs is a breakout role and he can finally go into action movies like he wants to.
I return now, in your hour of... oh... I see... They occupied ALL of Russia?... and the UPM landed in Mobile and still haven't been pushed out?...
Well darn, it seems like I have missed the party.
Also, just predicting now that this world's Russia will be our world's North Africa and the Middle East, with the Empire trying to stamp out radicalism in a region devastated by the previous rulers' poor decisions.
Well darn, it seems like I have missed the party.
Also, just predicting now that this world's Russia will be our world's North Africa and the Middle East, with the Empire trying to stamp out radicalism in a region devastated by the previous rulers' poor decisions.
I kinda assumed that the Eimericas would end up as TTL´s Middle East or North Africa and Russia would just have the economic and social devastation and consequences of OTL´s Germany or TTL´s India for their actions, maybe with casualties as big or worse than OTL´s Soviet Union in WW2.
P.S. Was any of that a spoiler Zen?
I didn´t mean to spoil anything if I did, I just wanted to respond to Osterreich Will Rule´s questions. I know you´ve had to deal with them in the past so I don´t want to cause trouble now.
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I don't know. I they will more likely be like Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the economic battle ground of the 2nd Cold War between China and Rome with Russia being the military one.