CSA Political Parties

[David Comnenus]

Just out of curiousity, what are the political parties in the CSA? My only guesses would be from Harry Turtledove's books, which would result in the following:
Whigs-Conservative
Radical Liberals-Liberal
And that's it. I could see a SPCSA emerging, as well as perhaps a CPCSA, but that's all that come to mind. Ideas, anyone?

 

[unmerged(10945)]

Don't forget Freedom - Reactionary though they were formed after the time period.

 

[David Comnenus]

I know. I would have included them had they formed in time...wait, I just realized that they formed in the last 2 years of the game.

Anyhow, a repressive far-right(or possibly far-left) party should be included that kicks in to existence if the CSA loses a war with another big country. That would represent defeat bitterness, etc.

 

[unmerged(10945)]

Speaking of which, this thread is a good reminder that once we get the game we should throw some Red revolts in for the CSA if they don't already get them in the Great War. Might also have to make a revolter tag for the Black Socialist State depending on how the events are done.

 

[monoxism]

In the beginning there are the Whigs and the Democrats

 

[Darkrenown]

Originally posted by PriestOfDiscord
Don't forget Freedom - Reactionary though they were formed after the time period.

They'd only be formed if the CSA lost a fairly big war.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

CSA politics

Parties would mostly liklet form along the line of division that already exisited in the South.

The Confederate Nationalists - supporters of a strong central government in Richmond. Want to expand the Confederacy west and into Latin America. Want a strong military and national economy. Willing to end slavery when it is for the good of the nation. Popular with the military and former federal officials. Possible Members: Jefferson Davis, Judah Benjamin, R.E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, ect

The Liberty (Libertarian) or True Confederates - supporters of a loose Confederacy similar to the Articles of Confederation. Against expansionism and national projects done by Richmond (and want to legalize pot :rofl: ). Don't have a problem with slavery and some members (Stevens) say that blacks are inferior and therefore can only be slaves and 2nd class citizens. Possible Members: Alexander Stevens, Gov. Joseph Brown of Georgia

The Industrialists - believe that Richmond should focus all of its resources on industrializing the Conderacy in order to compete with the Union. This party is popular with the few industrialists and their workers in the South. Possible: Nathan Forrest

Tne Brotherhood of Confederate Socialists - supports greater social aid by the government, the complete abolition of slavery/2nd class citizenship for blacks, universal suffrage, a general leveling of Southern society for the good of the whole. Nationlistic but not expansionist. Popular among most blacks and poor whites, strong in big ubran centers (New Orleans, Charleston, etc). Possible members: Huey Long (I cant think of anyone from the Civil War era that would support this platform)

The Democrats - formerly the southern branch of the national Democrat party. Mostly old guys who support the status quo and want to ban most new parties since they are disrupting the status quo. Does not carry as much sway since Jeff Davis left to become a Nationalist. Possible Members: 40% of the Confederate Congress

 

[David Comnenus]

Forrest, actually, would probably form his own group believing that free blacks should be given some level of equality. Then again, I am unaware of his pre-war beliefs. What I do know is that in the 70's, he advocated allowing blacks to advance in society. The quote, which I can't recall correctly, was to the effect that they should be allowed to advance uninhibited into law and so on.

Those are good ideas, though, and I agree that almost all of them(if not all of them) would be formed. If one follows Turtledove, there would probably be a Southern Negro(or Colored) Socialist(or even Communist) Party(not meant to offend; just what it would be in history; there was a New York Liberal Republican Party of Colored Men in 1872) if things are a bit freer. Also, could someone dig through some of the txt files for a CSA party list(and even USA while they're at it)?

 

[Razgovory]

Forrest as in the Guy who founded the Ku Klux Klan?

 

[unmerged(547)]

Also, the western states (and territories) should probably have the Grange active in politics as well.

 

[AllonEU]

Forrest did, but he gets a bad rap for that. He never intended for it to be what it became.

 

[unmerged(5605)]

You guys are forgetting the populists. They have a reputation as being a midwestern party in some quarters, for some odd reason, but they were formed in Texas, and they had big electoral wins in the South in the real world at their height. Mind you, the fiscal policy of the U.S. was in large part *why* they formed, but the CSA could attempt a similar deflationary system.

I don't know how you could model the beliefs of the populist party though. In general, they were closer to being left wing than right wing (even formed some alliences with socialist parties), but had a sort of politics that was transitional, and unlike anything else of its time period.

 

[David Comnenus]

Razgovory: From what I have read, he intended it as a social club rather than as a hate society. And Forrest was not the bigot we all make him out to be these days. The Klan was hijacked by another group of guys within a few years, and I also recall Forrest wringing his hands at what happened to it.

Eschaton: You're right, I did. And I should have remembered that, being the proud owner of a copy of V.O. Key's Southern Politics in State and Nation. The Populists came within a whisker of winning the Texas governorship in 1896, and managed to win 23.5% of the Texas vote in 1892(as an independant ticket), not to mention getting more than a third of the Alabama vote that year. For all intents and purposes, they were the second party in the South for about 5 years.

 

[Tim O]

Democrats and Whigs I would imagine.