Deo Vindice: A CSA AAR

[kingmbutu]

No problem w/ the way he's written things here. In fact, as a native Southerner myself, I have to say that I heartily condone this AAR I also agree w/ the general sentiment that a discussion of the implications of an independent CSA on the abolition of slavery in the South is probably best discussed in the history section of the forum, rather than in this AAR thread.

(My home state, incidentally, in answer to a question asked earlier, is Tennessee.)

Tennessee - woot woot!!!!

 

[GeneralHannibal]

I've been thinking more on the slavery issue and might suggest a compromise of sorts.

So far emancipation has had relatively little political impact (because, sadly, even free African Americans are not going to have much political clout in Dixie), so I suppose if there was a consensus I could retroactively change the date of abolition to 1918, in recognition of both increased industry and their work on the homefront during the war (when White Southerners were serving overseas and their jobs needed to be replaced).

I could also return voting rights to a matter for individual states - liberal Sonora might allow African Americans to vote but conservative South Carolina might not. What do you guys feel? I'm willing to go in either direction (at least slavery is abolished either way).

I'd say go as you are going but if you haven't talked about voting then perhaps you could limit to the state. But either way is fine with me.

 

[RossN]

Above: The Kingfish, 1935 ​

XXIX. First Blood (1935)

“I can frighten or buy ninety-nine out of every one hundred men.” - Huey Long

President Long was careful not to introduce his most controversial policies - the net worth cap (and its annual capital levy tax) and the annual income cap (with its income tax) in his first two years as President, well aware that these would involve tooth and nail battles with Congress and end any prospect of his other policies getting through. If he had devoted - successfuly - 1934 to the Pensions Act 1935 would be the year of the Homestead Allowance.

Long and the Populists wanted to create a Homestead Allowance for every family comprising at least a third of the average family wealth in the country. This was something all Democrats and most Whigs were prepared to fight. The Democrats, a party composed mostly of landed gentry* and Texan oilmen were against state intereference on general principle. The Whigs (several of whom were also of the gentry) on the other hand were not entirely against state measures to help the poor but strongly stood against such radical measures.

As expected the bill was defeated in Congress - what was not expected was that 23 Whigs sided with the Populists and voted against their own party - an unprecedented number, especially as most of the Congressmen had not previously evidenced any Populist sympathy. A furious Garner held an internal investigation of the House Whig Caucus that eventually revealed that many, if not most of the rebel Whigs suffered from poor financial situations and often considerable debt. The implications were clear if unprovable and Garner considered ejecting some of the worst offenders from the Party (though he eventually backed down after consultation with the rest of the Whig leadership).

In fact there was nothing much he could do: no proof at all. So Garner ground his teeth and aside from whispering a few threats to the House Whigs about how the Party viewed disloyalty he kept quiet.

It was a clear indication however that Long was prepared to use 'unorthodox' methods to get his goals, no matter what the opposition might entail. Worse - for Garner - was that the President seemed to have majority opinion on his side.

As 1935 drew to a close politicians across Dixie knew that the real fight had yet to start and 1936 promised to be a bruising battle indeed.


*"The two greatest concentrations of rural aristocrats in the world are the British House of Lords and the Congress of the Confederate States of America." - George Orwell

 

[RossN]

Ok well thanks for the comments guys. Believe it or not that was the end of the backstory. We have now reached actual gametime, which is strangely a little intimidating...

I'm going to post a run down of the CSA at the beginning of 1936 (population, millitary, major cities and so on), to give people an idea of where we are.

As for the abolition of slavery I think I will go with the original timeline then, which seems to be accepted.

 

[GeneralHannibal]

It looks like you're staying with democracy, also, what is Long, is he Social Democrat of Left-Wing Radical.

 

[RossN]

It looks like you're staying with democracy, also, what is Long, is he Social Democrat of Left-Wing Radical.

Well Dixie will begin the game a democracy, but from there on... who can tell.

The scenario has Huey Long as a Social Conservative Autocratic Charmer. While the Autocratic Charmer part is spot on I'm not so sure I'd list him as a Social Conservative but it's CSABadass's Mod so I guess I'll roll with that.

(Personally I'd probably rate the Democrats as SC, the Whigs as ML and the Populists as SL with SD and LWR elements)

 

[Specialist290]

Tennessee - woot woot!!!!

Another Volunteer, eh? So, which part of the state are you from? I live up around Kingsport, in the far eastern part of the state.

@Ross: Watching expectantly. Keep up the good work

 

[unmerged(52507)]

Yes I think the 20th Century is plausible enough for abolition. Or at least an effective abolition even if they allowed some loopholes. Looking forwards to the set up.

 

[GeneralHannibal]

Well Dixie will begin the game a democracy, but from there on... who can tell.

The scenario has Huey Long as a Social Conservative Autocratic Charmer. While the Autocratic Charmer part is spot on I'm not so sure I'd list him as a Social Conservative but it's CSABadass's Mod so I guess I'll roll with that.

(Personally I'd probably rate the Democrats as SC, the Whigs as ML and the Populists as SL with SD and LWR elements)

I would have called Huey a Social Democrat in this situation but he just as well could have been to the the right if that was the way the winds were blowing at that time. Maybe you could make him SD if you haven't started but it's all up to you.

 

[stnylan]

Well now, it appears all sorts of interesting things could start happening in pretty short order.

 

[kingmbutu]

Another Volunteer, eh? So, which part of the state are you from? I live up around Kingsport, in the far eastern part of the state.

@Ross: Watching expectantly. Keep up the good work

Knoxville - Nashville

 

[kingmbutu]

Well now, it appears all sorts of interesting things could start happening in pretty short order.

Stnylan you have such a way with words. I think you say interesting more than anyone on the forums

 

[J. Passepartout]

Bribery appears to be the order of the day. I hope that the CSA ends the game as a democracy, in addition to beginning it as one. I assume that the Constitution provides for impeachment where necessary? Long has already committed an impeachable offense if the evidence can be gathered.

 

[RossN]

The Confederate States of America, 1936

States:

1. Virginia
2. North Carolina
3. South Carolina
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Kentucky
9. Mississippi
10. Louisiana
11. Arkansas
12. Sequoyah
13. Texas
14. Sonara
15. Monterrey
16. Cuba
17. Puerto Rico

The Confederate States of America (often informally called the Confederacy or, affectionately, Dixie) is a federal republic in North America and the Carribbean. It was founded on February 4 1861 (commerated as the holiday ‘Seccession Day’ in the Confederate States) by Americans breaking away from the United States of America.

Motto

Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator)

Anthem

God Save the South (official) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular)

Capital

Richmond, Virginia

Population

38,996,000 (67% White*, 31% Black, 2% American Indian**)

Government

Federal Republic

President: Huey Pierce Long (P)
Vice President: Richard Webster Leche (P)

Language

English nationwide de facto official language. Spanish, French and Native American languages regionally.

Religion

75% Protestant, 23% Catholic, 2% other

Largest City

New Orleans, Louisiana (pop. 494,500)

Industry and Economy

Primarily oil, cotton, tobacco, alcohol and food crops. Heavy industry includes shipbuilding and automobile production. Notable airship based aiviation industry.

Currency

The Confederate States Dollar (CSA$)



* Includes White Latinos/Hispanics
** Includes Indians of Mexican descent

 

[RossN]

Just posting a rundown of Dixie in 1936. I'll put the game specific info (ie. Army, ic, cabinet), up shortly.

 

[unmerged(52507)]

looking forward to it! One thing thought - the cities seem quite small. Wasn't NO around 400,000 at teh start of the civil war? Wouldn't a couple of them be pressing towards the million mark?

 

[Specialist290]

Nice breakdown there. Very informative

 

[RossN]

Thanks.

About city sizes I looked them up (for around 1936) here. Surprisingly New Orleans has grown very slowly, or in some periods actually shrunk. The top 5 cities (in 1936) are:

1. New Orleans, Louisiana: 494,500
2. Havana, Cuba: 403,000
3. Houston, Texas: 384,500
4. Louisville, Kentucky: 319,100
5. Jacksonville, Sonora: 305,400

'Jacksonville, Sonora' is really Culiacán in Mexico, which in OTL only had about 22,000 people but in this AAR is the most important Confederate port on the Pacific so is a good deal larger.

Like I said Dixie is very much a nation of large towns and small cities which gives it a more conservative, less comopolitan air than the North with it's metropoli. The old landed gentry are no longer quite as powerful as they were in 1860, but they still have a great deal of clout and social influence. Chivalry and honour are concepts alive and well in the Confederacy and many Southerners have quite a low opinion of the (in their opinion) rude, boorish, materialistic, stressed, self centred Northeners. In the United States a typical Confederate politician would be called 'long winded'. In Dixie he is an 'orator'.

 

[stnylan]

That is a very interesting website RossN. Personally I would have thought New Orleans would have been more populous in this timeline.

 

[RossN]

That is a very interesting website RossN. Personally I would have thought New Orleans would have been more populous in this timeline.

Well it has trippled in size, since the 1860's. It just isn't in the same scale as the US East Coast cities - but then they get/got major foreign immigration unlike Dixie.

Whether it follows the same demographics as OTL New Orleans did in the second half of the 20th century is another question. Some cities will certainly be affected - Los Angles in this timeline will be much smaller with fewer Mexicans and Blacks.