Chapter 31: After Hitler.
Celebrations are in order.
The war had come to an end. All around the world the people partook in improvised celebrations. Among the victors the soldiers was welcomed as heroes and the ordinary man and woman was glad that their lives could return to normalcy. No longer was the rationing of basic commodities, you could stay up at late at night, but there was this collective relief of it all being over. That the fear of loss of life, your own or your loved ones, had come to a conclusion. Among the victorious and defeated nations alike. In this euphoria nations came together as one, Soviet and Americans alike was as brothers. But another reality soon sunk in.
Trotsky adresses the nation.
Trotsky didn't adress his nation and his people safe in Moscow or in the symbolic city of Leningrad. Instead he traveled to Vladivostok. His first course of action was to hold one minute of silence before the newly erected statue portraying the Heroes of Vladivostok. He told his people to celebrate their victory against fascism and the triumph of the revolution. But he also urged caution. Their collective path had been one of many trials and millions of deaths. The two Russian civil wars and the two great wars came at a major cost. He urged his people to not waste the sacrifices of the Soviet soldier and worker. Now the ordinary socialist man and woman had to be ever more vigilant than ever and to rebuild their own Union but also to extend a hand of solidarity to the proletariat of Europe. The USSR was to take an active part in the rebuilding of Europe and shaping of the world.
Europe is in ruins.
Still the many festivities was met with a major hangover. The world was in ruins. The economies of Europe was broken. Even the once mighty British Empire was ravaged by the war with their cities still suffering from the bombing, South Africa and India finalizing their independence and with the economy in ruins. Ethnic conflicts was again on the agenda on continental Europe with many taking their revenge in their own hands. Post war Europe brought around the greatest refugee crisis. The world was falling apart. Meanwhile the once so cordial relations between the East and West was proven to the public to be merely superficial. There was no longer any "in Uncle Leo we can trust", there was no - official - camaraderie between the soldiers of the opposing blocs, instead they jealously guarded their borders and occupation zones. The peace established was starting to crack and it was showed that a major restructuring of the economy and society was needed to get the wheels turning again. But two powers emerged as major winners: USA and USSR. Both nations was mostly unaffected by the war on their homeland. Yes, heavy fighting took place all over Ukraine and the Far East. But the major industrial centers was left alone, and Ukraine was quickly rebuilt. These two nations was the leading powers of the world and both had disparate views on how the new world order was to be. A conflict was looming, a conflict over ideas, a conflict of world domination.
The anti-capitalist politics are pursued more aggressively.
Russia had never been a naval power. During the Napoleon Wars, the Great War and now the Great Patriotic War it had relied upon its army. A German officer remarked that naval and aerial warfare simply didn't fit Russian mentality. Throughout history the nation had almost exclusively waged war on land and got their soldiers from the vast countrysides. The Russian nation had never been seen as a seafaring nation, it was its near inexhaustible infantry, armor and artillery won the war. But this was to change. The Soviet leadership recognized the importance of a major navy. It was the navy who was the ultimate power projection of the Portugese, Spanish, German and British Empires. And now the United States projected its power through their frightening navy. It was decided the Red Fleet needed a major expansion. The first order of bussiness was to increase the funding to the completion of research into shipmodels and then the creation of several wharfs and naval dockyards. Following this special committees was made to create a new naval expansion plan. Stalin had issued the 1936 Naval Plan and it was unrealistic to finish. It was unrealistic due to the Russian Civil War and the Second World War draining resources, but also from the get go. It was used in Soviet propaganda to highlight the "madmanship of the dictator". The 1936 plan called for the creation of no less than 24 battleships, 22 heavy cruisers, 20 light cruisers, 145 destroyers and 344 submarines. The new naval plan was ordered to be finished by the end of 1943.
The UN have its first session.
The United Nations was founded in April 1943, but it was incepted well before that. In 1940 the Allied powers (including the USSR) declared their intention to establish the United Nations, that it was to be the ultimate arbitrator in international disputes in order to not repeat the great catastrophes of 1914 and 1938. It paved the way for basic rights for all people. The permament members of the Security Council was the Soviet Union, France, Britain and USA with each of these nations having the right to veto proposals. However already on the onset of this new supergovernmental organization problems brewed. The whole project almost fell apart over a personal dispute between Trotsky and the first Secretary-General. The first UN Secretary General was no other than Trygve Lie. The casual observer might not bat an eye, nor heard of him, but this was the very same man who held Trotsky in virtual arrest in Norway. An arrest that deeply insulted Trotsky who had ever called the Norwegian government for capitalist lackeys and "so called socialist" ever since. This led to a lasting split among the Norwegian labour movement, with one half of the labour party shifting toward their traditional Soviet ally (after all, they arrested Trotsky to not antagonize Trotsky) while another half shifted toward the Allies. It was the last half that remained in power. But that is a digression. Trotsky was furious. His closest associates was reportedly afraid the aging man would suffer from a stroke. Trygve Lie remained in his position from massive US pressure, but this would only foreshadow the growing US-USSR conflict not only within the UN, but the world at large. For the years to come the UN was parayzed between by the US-Soviet conflict, a conflict that often led to the UN failing in its primary mandate; peacekeeping.
Belgium is changing sides. Not that surprising all things considered..
Following the end of the war Belgium got economic and military aid from the USSR and France. This aid was meant to rebuild the country but also to pull it away from Britain. Belgium had developed uniquely from the other communist nations, by that it was made up by cooperatives and unions and had formally gotten rid of the government. However these unions and cooperatives formed a de-facto government. The Belgian economy underwent major transformations, it was the unions who elected government members and they again helped control the cooperatives. One of the first tasks at hand for Co-operative was ensuring total employment, citing it as a proof of their system's superiority over the capitalist nations. After that it was declared the Congress of Unions primary only justification for existance is to ensure the workers have the best conditions possible, reforms was made so that the cooperatives was under workers's control and not some oversight committee. As the cooperatives was slowly forming the congress of unions realized the industries was mostly located around Brussels, as a consequence the many industries and cooperatives was spread all around the Belgian countryside. The Belgian anarchists even went so far that saying this ended the tyranny associated with mass ubranization. Later on these cooperatives enjoyed in some sort of market system that would later be named for Market Socialism. The successess and errors of the anarchist Belgian experiment would pave the way for the later, and unlikely, Italian coalition of anarchists, syndicalists, unionists, radicals and communists. Enough with digressions. The economic system of Belgium wasn't all that idyllic and had its shortcomings. The western powers pressured Belgium to revert their anarchist society back to capitalism and liberal democracy. However the Soviet Union and France came to their aid. In the end it resulted in the Belgians terminating their alliances with the British Commonwealth and the USA. This led to a major shift of power. The Allied powerbase in Europe was reduced to only Denmark and the Netherlands on the continent. The Soviet Union responded with an overt campaign to overthrow the governments of Europe and install socialist-puppet regimes in their occupied territories.
The United States are boycotting us, and FDR have this reactionary smirk all over his face.
Mere days following the victory over the Axis the world situation deteriorated further and further. Roosevelt and the American administration was forced by their legaslative bodies and administration to boycott the Soviet Union. They knew the Soviet Union relied upon the USA for their oil exports and other American goods such as grain. Roosevelt, however, gave the Soviets a choice. Revert your current destructive foreign course and we will revert the boycott. He hoped to not block the USSR away from American economy, he knew this would weaken the US economy and possibly result in a tradewar with the other global superpower. In an undisclosed conversation with his Secretary of State they both agreed that an actual embargo of the Soviet Union would be disastrous. But Roosevelt was forced by conservative, anti-communist and plain scared elements in society. Roosevelt and Truman managed to create a bi-partisan (that is between the progressive and liberal Democrats and Republicans) agreement with the Republicans under Wendell Willkie and Alf Landon to create a new and more radical economic platform called the Fair Deal. This Fair Deal would create major changes in American economy, but this was concerning for many Democrats and Republicans alike. It was seen as nothing but socialism, in an age where the Red Hydra was feared. In order to gain leverage on the conservatives and progressives alike (afterall many Republican progressives such as the late Borah was both progressive and isolationist) by strongarming the Soviet Union. The embargo would be seen as a big victory against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union would back down, communism wouldn't spread in Europe and the Fair Deal could be implemented. However Trotsky didn't back down. He lashed out against the American government calling them reactionary and all sorts of less than pleasant names. Agents who had inflitrated years earlier American society to radicalize the unions and workers in the Steel Belt showed the fruits of their work. The unions of the Stell Belt joined together in one union and called for a general sit down strike. This paralyzed US economy and despite it not being violent the government needed to respond. Some of the more hardline Governors sent in the National Guard to deal with the strikers, but this backfired. This lead to more sympathy among the strikers as they were simply sitting there singing songs before shell shocked troops came in with bayonets at the ready and assaulted them. However these instances was few and was exaggerated by Soviet and left wing propaganda to appear to be the norm. The Federal Government intervened and had a sit down with the union leaders finding ways to improve the economy. This caused more division in American society as the left got legitimacy, while many feared socialism being on the rise. However by the end of the day centrist solutions prevailed.
The NKVD are watching you.
But the Soviet Union was not without its fair share of problems aswell. It would be the understatement of the century to claim the NKVD was an intelligence service with little oversight. It can be said it grew to be a branch of the government in its own right, perhaps even a state within the state. Following the purges of the Stalinist supporters it was the left wing revolutionaries (by Soviet standards, by western standards ultra left extremists) and Trotskyists who remained in the NKVD. The powers of the NKVD was grand before the assassination of Stalin, but now it was frightening. The NKVD saw it as their purpose to spread the world revolution. Fair enough, Trotsky had more or less only strengthened the NKVD in this regard. However it was also the NKVD that plotted against Stalin, it was the NKVD who invited Trotsky back. They also saw it as their holy purpose to ensure that the Soviet Union remained true to their revolutionary principles, to seek out progress and not revert to capitalism or fall into revisionism. And Trotsky knew this. But where Stalin would have led society into mass purges and civil war, Trotsky instead embraced it. Hearing that many were dissapointed of lack of major progress a choice was made.
The 19th Soviet Congress.
After a meeting with top NKVD officials the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held in Moscow. From its inception in 1920 it had been held annually, however Stalin in his paranoia ended these congresses and only one had been held following the Trotskyist coup. The Congress would decide upon the future course of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party. During the 10 days of this Congress hints was made of changes in Soviet society regarding women's rights, empowering of Soviets, new labor reforms, scaling the back of usage of certain camps and discussing future directions in foreign policies. Stalin then got the brunt of accusations against him, all negative developments that had happened after the past year, even after Trotsky came to power, was blamed on Stalin as the Communist Party "fell victim to the ambitions of Stalin". New and radical ideas was being implemented and it was decided these were to be revealed during the First Congress of the Internationale. This other congress was to be a similar congress only for the Communist states and parties (such as the British Communist Party and radical elements of the Labour Party) to decide the future course of the communist and socialist movements as a whole. It was hoped this Congress would be dominated by the Soviet Communist Party.
The T-34 underwent an extensive upgrade.
But the wheels kept turning around. And so did the T-34. The T-34M prototype was looked into and developed. By westerners it would be called T-34-85 1943, 1944 or 1945 depending on which year it was produced. However it greatly improved the aging T-34 tank to make it become even more formidable. Gone were the days of poorly welded armor plates, the gaps was filled. The engines was and transmissions was improved, with improved sights, better spacing and communications. However the most frigthening aspect was the replacement of the 76.2mm cannon with various versions of an 85mm cannon. This was inspired by the German Tiger tanks and was capable of knocking out any of the American and British armor of the time. The T-34M/85 versions would remain the prime T-34 tank for years to come.*
Propaganda footage of anti-Stalinist policies.
In December a series of much more aggressive de-Stalinization policies followed. These were mostly symbolic, such as there was entire events propped up where statues of Stalin was erected only to be torn down by well choreographed angry masses, all taken on the camera. Many propaganda films was made making the Soviet generals, NKVD officers and Trotsky look like saviours of some sort against Stalin who plotted with Hitler to end the Soviet Union. This helped rebuild the nation and give them some sort of collective purpose in their common fight against Stalin and now the capitalist world. They were warned about preventing the return of another Stalin and to be ever vigilant and do their part to spread the fires of revolution and protect the beacons of light all across the world, otherwise menacing figures such as the bulldog that is Churchill would conquer all of Europe..
The T-44, still not as reliable as the T-34M and 85, but it have potential.
By the end of 1943 the top secret T-44 tank reached its final testing before entering mass production. It was in many aspects a major leap forward. Alltough it was still outfitted with the 85mm gun of the new T-34 it had proven to be able to wield a massiv 100mm cannon that the T-34 could not. It offered a more powerful engine, greater cross country riding (being less reliant on using the death traps of roads) and a much stronger armor, managing to take much more of a beating. It was also outfitted with handles so that infantrists could sit on the tanks as they did on the other Soviet tanks, only this time having actual accessories to support tank riding. However it had much greater internal space than the T-34 and a much lower silhouette than the T-34 making it harder to hit and to observe by the enemy. It was a major step forward and the development of a new tank to replace the T-34 had been long requested by the Red Army but been neglected due to the war. Now the replacement had arrived, but it was still similar to the T-34-85 in many aspects so the latter remained the main tank - mostly because it was cheaper to produce. However once improvements to the T-44 such as the 100mm gun and even thicker armor it would become the Soviet main battle tank.
Propaganda poster to justify the increase of the Soviet Army.
Logic entails that during the end of a major war the Armed Forces demobilise. But this was not the case. Both sides engaged into an arms race with their tank forces and their naval power (the very things the interwar treaties wanted to prevent) and the Soviet Congress ratified a massive increase in the Soviet Armed forces. Major funds was put into developing new and devastating rockets, improve their air force and artillery force and to set up several new divisions. A total of 84 Rifle Divisions, 10 Airborne Divisions, 6 Naval Infanrty Regiments, 7 Armored Brigades and 1 Motorized Rifle Division was planned to be recuited by 1945. When the 1944-45 Army expansion plan was over it was planned to create another 126 Rifle Divisions, 1 cavarly division, 5 Mechanized Corps, 15 Tank Brigades and 14 Naval Infantry Regiments by 1945-1948. The 1944-45 expansion plan was deemed to be the minimum for an aggressive war against the Allies.
The experimental reactor are ready...
On the 17th of December the clandenstine prototype of the nuclear reactor in Moscow was finished. By New Year it was planned this reactor would undergo the process of enriching uranium ((actually constructing it)). This would lead to devastating potential in the arms industry and great potential of new energy sources.
...but the USA have come a much longer way than us.
But the Americans managed to find the various Soviet agents and exectured them outright for treason. This was not declassified until later and the Soviets never got another word from their agents what truly happened. A Soviet agent was caught while he was to transmit the following message to his superiors in Moscow: "Urgent. Americans will finish bomb within the next year". This never reached Moscow however who was now completely blind to American progress and couldn't use their successes to help their own program. The temperature of the world was slowly rising in the shadows of the cold war...
The First Congress of the Internationale are about to begin.
Then on the 22nd of December the Soviet Union called out for "First Congress of the Internationale" as the Soviet Congress had detirmined. The Soviets sure did like their congresses. The aim of this congress was to unite all the communists and socialists of the world into a single goal, to together develop a common foreign policy and even economic policy. They hoped to unite the entire socialist world and to create unrest in the non communist nations for an eventual takeover. The Congress was to be held over the New Year and it was first debated if was to be held in Moscow, Leningrad or Paris. But it was then decided it was to be held in Brussels to further insult the British who considered Belgium as their own backyard.*
Project 22 are resurrected.
As a part of the expansion of the Red Fleet it was looked into a new and improved Heavy Cruiser to lead other cruisers and desoyers into battle and raids. Still it wasn't decided exactly how many would be produced.
Soviet Navy on an excercise in the Black Sea.
But that was decided by a decree right before New Year. The 1944-1945 Naval Plan was drafted. It called for the following warships to be created in addition to those already in production: 4-6 new battleships, 2 aircrat carriers, 3 battlecruisers, 11 heavy cruisers, 7 light cruisers, 29 destroyers and 52 submarines. This was considered the minimum for an aggressive war with the Allies, however the Navy itself was not meant to conduct aggressive manuevers, only defensive ones. For going on the offensive another naval plan was in the making that would expand the Red Fleet further. Meanwhile the Red Fleet continued to rattle its sabers and show off its strength. In the Black Sea there was weekly manuevers where the Turks often believed the Soviets wanted to run straight through their strait, the Baltic Fleet already ignored Danish sovereignty in their strait and provoked the Royal Navy time and time again. The Navy was the incarnation of Soviet foreign policy: renewed confidence and much more aggressive without qualms to use power. The USSR had solidfied their position as a global superpower.
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*As you can see the T-34 version have better hard attack and piercing than the T-44, so it will be in production for a while (along with the T-44) until I gain a better T-44 version.
**This will be more important later on. I think I will make a post of its own regarding the International. The actual focus is named "The Comintern" in game.
but yeah, if war are to be pursued the USSR need to prepare but that also give the Allies time to prepare. We'll see if Trotsky will free the workers, or lead to the damnation of the world. 
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