"One and Indivisible" (A Russian Kaiserreich AAR)

[warbucks]

Maybe we don’t need a reformist Germany, Germany can just stay as Europe’s angry grandpa with the huge gun collection that it always threatens to use but never does because they know they can’t afford the ammo or maintenance on those things.

Sooner or later economy will stagnate, they’ll need foreign investments and that’s when the first Теремок and Tim Horton will open up in Germany. Soon enough you’ll have Austrian movie studios and British banks establishing themselves there and CEOs and COOs will start mingling with the top brass in the armies, selling them shares and hiring their families as “strategic advisors” and that when it’ll dawn on the military leadership that “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t go to war in India, our partners at Barclays have a lot of business there after all, and those guys are our friends, we don’t wanna hurt them”. And that’s how you softly and peacefully conquer the German giant.

You know, as long as you leave them Mittleafrika and perhaps parts of indochina to bomb and fight in, you know, just as an outlet for all their aggression and to keep the military industrial complex churning along.

 

[JodelDiplom]

Maybe we don’t need a reformist Germany, Germany can just stay as Europe’s angry grandpa with the huge gun collection that it always threatens to use but never does because they know they can’t afford the ammo or maintenance on those things.

Sooner or later economy will stagnate, they’ll need foreign investments and that’s when the first Теремок and Tim Horton will open up in Germany. Soon enough you’ll have Austrian movie studios and British banks establishing themselves there and CEOs and COOs will start mingling with the top brass in the armies, selling them shares and hiring their families as “strategic advisors” and that when it’ll dawn on the military leadership that “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t go to war in India, our partners at Barclays have a lot of business there after all, and those guys are our friends, we don’t wanna hurt them”. And that’s how you softly and peacefully conquer the German giant.

You know, as long as you leave them Mittleafrika and perhaps parts of indochina to bomb and fight in, you know, just as an outlet for all their aggression and to keep the military industrial complex churning along.

Haha! Well I think that is exactly the kind of scenario that the far right demagogues would warn their listeners about. Those who aren't placed to have families hired as strategic advisors by Russian business moguls

Germany in the story isn't in the same sort of crisis as it was IOTL 1930s, and Europe under Pax Russo-Romana isn't the terrible mess it was in the 1930s as France's and Britain's hack job of a post WW1 order fell apart. The potential for a far right movement to become the dominant popular force in Germany, on its own, just isn't the same.

But Wilhelm III really is a horrible leader going by how he acquitted himself in our history... And he's at the helm...

Ultimately it doesn't matter so much what the common people want or think. If those in power are resolved to do things in a certain way then it gets done that way.

 

[Teivel]

So I still have no internet at home and I'm stuck on phone 4g. thanks Australian ISPs.

Good discussion points though, it also reminds me we havent had a Duma debate on Manchuria and its place in the Empire, or on China policy (though that latter one requires agreement with Japan)

I have my own views on what Vladimir's ambition for the East would be but that doesn't mean the Duma and Manchurian elites wouldn't have ideas of their own regarding the matter. Would I need to more explicitly cover the state of affairs there before people could weigh in though?

 

[JodelDiplom]

I have my own views on what Vladimir's ambition for the East would be but that doesn't mean the Duma and Manchurian elites wouldn't have ideas of their own regarding the matter. Would I need to more explicitly cover the state of affairs there before people could weigh in though?

It's always fun to have explicit coverage of any topic in your AAR

 

[warbucks]

Yes yes, give us more Duma discussions. I’m still trying to figure out what party I’m speaking as in those. I’m thinking SocDems, what’s the Russian SocDem party called ? Or maybe a special interest group, The Young Russia Society.

 

[Teivel]

Yes yes, give us more Duma discussions. I’m still trying to figure out what party I’m speaking as in those. I’m thinking SocDems, what’s the Russian SocDem party called ? Or maybe a special interest group, The Young Russia Society.

Very simplified, if you need more info I can dig up the chapter before the last election that went over them:

SocDems - Imperial Democrats (former Right-SRs who have tried to rebrand as pro empire)
MarLibs - Kadets
Centrist - Oktoberists (increasingly simply calling themselves the Centre because the Oktober thing doesn't really play well these days)
Civilian Conservatives - NKS
Silovik Conservatives - Rodina
NatPop - SRN

Not currently in the Duma but previously - Religious PatAut- VN

Government is currently a coalition with the Government deliberately recognising the IDs as the 'real' opposition and trying to sideline Rodina and the SRN to squeeze at least Rodina out of business.

Most of the really large parties would have small wings or allies that run under their banner electorally to get around the 5% minimum quota, but who might form a sub faction in the caucus. The Polish IDs for example probably hang together.

 

[warbucks]

ok, sorry ai deleted the whole thing but I figured out just what I’m gonna be debating as in the Duma.

We’ll call ourselves the “Utopian socialist” wing of the Imperial Democrats, it’s a name given to us as a mockery by our rivals (and some of our friends) but we decided to embrace it.

We are a small but loud minority in the ID party that hold Pan-European, direct democracy, pro-working class beliefs, we’re not that liked in the Duma because we’re viewed as pro-republican and toeing the line between Social Democracy and Radical Socialism, but are tolerated because we are staunchly anti violence and anti revolution believing in working within the system instead to bring about true reform for Russia and Europe at large, so keeping us there kinda gives the Imperial Democrats more legitimacy as an opposition party.

I can see them using us as their “attack dog” for lost causes, like they will send us to debate in favour of far left bills/laws that they know for a fact would never be approved by the emperor, and they themselves don’t really approve on, but still want to put up the facade of “well, at least we tried”, so they point us towards those knowing we’ll fight tooth and nail for such reforms but we’re too small of a minority to actually force any true change of the law.

So basically we’re the starry eyed dreamers with a big mouth but no actual means to create change lol.

 

[Teivel]

I'm still struggling with only 4g internet on a phone here, and spotty reception so I'm struggling to do things like find photos or upload things.

To assuage my guilt, I'm going to just dump the first six months of events for 1949 here as a preview for the next chapter (which includes all of them, as well as narrative around China).

Apologies for the dry lack of images in this preview version.

Selected Historical Events 1949 ​

January:

• Anti-foreign terrorists detonate an explosive against the hull of the German Battleship Tirpitz in Shanghai Harbour, prompting escalations by Berlin and Tokyo
• Oil is discovered in the Caspian Sea, the latest strike in a series of prospecting and exploration efforts across the RRE
• First meeting of the Eurasian Monetary Fund (EMF). As a compromise, the first Managing Director of the organisation is an Austrian, while the headquarters are placed in Saint Petersburg. Germany declines initial membership as debates over the valuation of the Reichsmark and Berlin’s insistence on special voting rights continue.
• Zapatista fighters launch a costly but successful attack on a USSA Continental army outpost in Southern Mexico. While the base is overrun, USSA command notes the raid with some satisfaction as rebel casualties are tremendous. The attack seems to indicate that rebel supply caches are depleting, hence the risky switch to direct assaults to capture more equipment.

February:

• Four capital ships of the German East Asia Squadron arrive off Shanghai “to render assistance to the Tirpitz.” The IJN 2nd Battlefleet commences exercises in international waters off Shanghai. Beijing denies any responsibility for the incident and appeals for international mediation.
• Liberal party holds onto Government in the Philippines, though pressure against the Government (which is viewed as having sold out to Japan) grow. Unknown to Manilla or Tokyo, the first CIA operatives are embedded with Syndicalist organisations in the country.
• HMS Revenge is sent for scrapping at Inverkeithing. She is the last British Battleship in service to have served during the Weltkrieg.

March:

• The 1949-54 Five Year Plan is passed in Rio, covering all nations of the Rio Pact. Controversially, the plan includes a range of reforms includes the promotion of cash-crop exports to Europe to build foreign currency reserves. With Centroamerica disconnected from European trade and the Old World’s markets booming, the Rio Pact concludes an opportunity exists to earn hard cash for the cash-strapped revolution. Some claim the move is intended to extract more assistance from New York and Chicago.
• Concerned about growing American influence in Calcutta, Mosley authorises the transfer of hundreds of mothballed aircraft and dozens of old and small ships to India.
• Centroamerica requests significant shipments of specialised equipment for ‘pesticide production’ from the USSA. Eager to improve agricultural production in the common market, Chicago waves through the sale.

April:

• Sikorski S-55 flies for the first time in the RRE. The technology and mobility obsessed leadership at STAVKA seize on the potential of troop carrying helicopters.
• Following further attacks, a USSA statistical analysis identifies a negative correlation between labour force relocations and resistance activity. Relocations are accelerated in response.
• A band of anti-foreign protesters vandalise a length of track on the Harbin approach of the Southern Trans-Siberian. They and their families are deported to Qing China, with their property redistributed to more supportive members of their communities and regionally active charity groups.
• Germany announces its intention to fly a prototype of a new Arado jet airliner no later than 1950, sparking complaints in the RRE that the Empire is falling behind the Reich, while domestic opposition in Germany condemns more profligate spending on quasi-military development.

May:

• Tsingtao accords are brokered in China, disarming the immediate flashpoint of tensions. Japan is elected to the Presidency of the Legations Council while preparations are made for territorial transfers.
• Following efforts by the Central Government to restrict local spending on military aircraft, Totalists in India form hundreds of ‘air racing societies’ and begin importing American aircraft as ‘racers.’ Four engined bombers are brought in as ‘transports.
• Royal family returns to the British Isles after more than two decades in exile, while the British population prepares for their first elections since the liberation.
• Concerned by the accumulation of military hardware by the Bharatiya Commune, the British Government approves the transfer of almost a thousand mothballed aircraft to the Dominion of India.

June:

• First phase expansion of Gdansk port is completed, massively expanding capacity
• British Government invites Ireland to open negotiations on renewed relations and the status of the Northern Counties. The ageing Collins welcomes the invitation, but raises eyebrows by inviting the British delegates to tour the refloated super battleship Ekaterina Velikaya, restored with Austrian assistance and rechristened Eire. Dublin politely rebukes suggestions that it consider re-joining the British Empire.
• The Andean Pact undertakes its first full scale joint military exercises and puts out joint requirements for a range of military hardware in response to pressure by the surrounding red Governments.
• Reichsbank undertakes a market purchase of Reichsmarks to bolster the currency and protect its status as a reserve currency in the face of the challenge by the EMF backed Ruble and Krona

July:

• British Elections go ahead with four approved parties competing. The barrage of propaganda, controlled franchise, and modified electoral rules place the Restoration Party in power over the Conservatives and Nationals on their Right and Liberals on their Left, though the Liberals deliver a much better showing than expected. The House of Lords is re-seated with new restrictions on memberships and a rollback of restrictions on its powers.
• The REE Security Assistance Forces in Britain release a report on electoral manipulation in their capacity as ‘international observers.’ The report surprises many by citing more foiled manipulation attempts by the right than left, and results in three close seats being re-awarded. The exercises furthers trust in the RRE mission as politically neutral, while underground leftist press charge that the whole exercise was an effort to entrench Russian influence over British Politics.
• Anti-foreign terrorists launch a number of ‘big-sword’ attacks on inland foreign concessions in response to the German intervention, these degenerate into general banditry. 11 foreigners and 360 Chinese are estimated killed this month.
• Young China Party establishes its first ‘anti-bandit force.’ in response to rising banditry and violence. Unlike other militias, membership is strictly controlled, equipment is standardised, and training schedules are frequent and gruelling. This contrasts with the burgeoning irregular units of various religious and traditionalist movements spreading across China.
• Seizing on the more conciliatory stance of the Restoration Party towards India, Gandhi invites a British representative to Calcutta for the first time since the liberation. Bose criticises the rapprochement while Maximists begin covertly playing on religious suspicion of the heavily Muslim Dominion of India.

Aug:

• “Quit India” protests in the Dominion of India refine their message. The focus is now squarely on the British military presence and demands for ‘swaraj,’ British businesses are no longer routinely picketed.
• Ground is broken on the first skyscrapers in Moscow, with American exile firms providing a majority of the design and advisory services. Moscow authorities continue to push efforts to establish Moscow as the Empire’s commercial capital, as compared to the political capital in Saint Petersburg.
• In Germany, right-wing printers distribute copies of the political pamphlet “Wehrstaat” arguing for the militarisation of the state and nationalisation of the economy. The pamphlet has no disclose author but most suspect General Kurt von Schleicher. Wehrstaat argues Germany’s great victories have come during times of military rule (such as under Ludendorff or Tirpitz) while democracy has always been at the root of its defeats.

Sept:

• Japanese naval figures raise objections to the recent naval bill passed by the Government - for the first time since the beginning of the Second World War, the bill does not include funds for any new ships to be added to the existing building plan. Japanese shipbuilders instead take up contracts from the Andean Pact.
• Facing significant budget opposition to expensive ‘horror weapon’ development, the USSA Nuclear Program has its funding restricted to the delivery of three gun-type weapons as a proof of concept. Most ‘strategic deterrent’ resources are redirected towards Fort Detrick. Funding cuts force ongoing nuclear development to take place at the North Star facility, as relocation to an isolated desert location cannot be fit in the budget.
• Iran and the RRE conclude the second treaty of friendship and development, further isolating Iran from the Cairo Pact. Russian corporations secure oil exploration permits on an understanding that all extraction ventures will be joint-ventures with Iranian companies or the Iranian Government.

Oct:

• The first modern combined harvester is patented in the Australasian Confederation. The colloquially called ‘Exile Motors’ - a collection of American Emigre backed RRE companies purchase the design for production in the Empire to compete with soon to release German and Austrian designs.
• Arabian Government purchases a huge tranche of old small arms from the RRE in response to an increasing military threat by tribal and nomadic warriors backing competing claimants to the throne. A bounty is placed on members of the house of Saud.
• Liberals leak a military memo which projects that the intervention mission in China will require either a drawdown of Mittelafrikan commitments or an end to the unofficial prohibition on the deployment of conscripts to colonial stations - as well as further budget increases. With only weeks until the election, the leak does great harm to the DKP which had been gaining in the polls off the back of the seemingly successful treaty of Tsingtao.

Nov:

• German elections deliver a strong Centre-Liberal majority as the crushing weight of the Austrian backed Zentrum political machine capitalises on fears of the left and right alike. Negotiations over Chancellor and recommended Ministries begin immediately.
• Rationing ends completely in Metropolitan France, the last jurisdiction covered by the Markov plan to still have purchasing restrictions. The Royal Government is quick to capitalise on the contrast with Germany, where rationing is expected to persist for certain goods into the 1950s, particularly civilian use petroleum which is a major factor in the weakening German trade balance.
• In an end of year update on the progress of the Five Year Plan, Chairman Earl Browder announces stunning progress in the restoration of damaged or destroyed American infrastructure.

Dec:

• Unsatisfied with any of the coalition candidates for Chancellor, Wilhelm III vacillates. It is announced that, as the end of the year is approaching, the Reichstag will remain recessed until an unspecified date in the new year.
• With the Reichstag in recess, the Reich Government passes a recess-motion to increase the military budget to cover the Chinese intervention. The cost is met by diverting silver paid by the Qing Government. The Reich Government also requests an extension of the loan facility created by the Koenigsberg accords. These facilities unused since 1943, had been created to allow the Imperial Government to borrow funds from the RRE while still in exile. Foreign observers suspect these moves are intended to bypass the need for a Reichstag budget and appropriations.

 

[Teivel]

I have now done my best to update the above to the end of 1949. This somewhat spoilers the chapter itself on China, but hopefully not too much!

 

[warbucks]

Germany’s playing a dangerous game here. Also when will we find out which plan the emperor will go with on the last Duma argument ?

 

[JodelDiplom]

I have now done my best to update the above to the end of 1949. This somewhat spoilers the chapter itself on China, but hopefully not too much!

Oooh, a lot of foreshadowing in this

(shouldn't the title now just say "1949" instead of "1949 Jan-Jun"?)

To assuage my guilt, I'm going to just dump the first six months of events for 1949 here as a preview for the next chapter (which includes all of them, as well as narrative around China).

No need to feel guilt! We're just happy consumers of your writing, nothing is owed

January

• First meeting of the Eurasian Monetary Fund (EMF). As a compromise, the first Managing Director of the organisation is an Austrian, while the headquarters are placed in Saint Petersburg. Germany declines initial membership as debates over the valuation of the Reichsmark and Berlin’s insistence on special voting rights continue.

And so the financial world is reordered around Russian market capitalism!

February:

• Four capital ships of the German East Asia Squadron arrive off Shanghai “to render assistance to the Tirpitz.” The IJN 2nd Battlefleet commences exercises in international waters off Shanghai. Beijing denies any responsibility for the incident and appeals for international mediation.

Haha, "render assistance", nice words to describe that the great battleship tirpitz now needs an escort while the German admiralty struggles to find a dry dock for repairs. The shame! Will they have the tirpitz towed into a Japanese dry dock and endure the humiliation of having slant eyed Asian devils repair her? Or will they haul the damaged Tirpitz all the way to Singapore or even Suez so she can be repaired in a German dry dock? (Singapore is still/again German, right?)

• Centroamerica requests significant shipments of specialised equipment for ‘pesticide production’ from the USSA. Eager to improve agricultural production in the common market, Chicago waves through the sale.

What is Mosley up to now??

• Following further attacks, a USSA statistical analysis identifies a negative correlation between labour force relocations and resistance activity. Relocations are accelerated in response.

"statistical analysis"... I fear the USSA may be more successful at this "communism" thing than the USSR ever was

May:

• Tsingtao accords are brokered in China, disarming the immediate flashpoint of tensions. Japan is elected to the Presidency of the Legations Council while preparations are made for territorial transfers.

"Territorial transfers"... Oh dear, what's in store for the Chinese now??

• Following efforts by the Central Government to restrict local spending on military aircraft, Totalists in India form hundreds of ‘air racing societies’ and begin importing American aircraft as ‘racers.’ Four engined bombers are brought in as ‘transports.
• Concerned by the accumulation of military hardware by the Bharatiya Commune, the British Government approves the transfer of almost a thousand mothballed aircraft to the Dominion of India.

Ominous, ominous

June:

• First phase expansion of Gdansk port is completed, massively expanding capacity

As the Germans look on, unhappily... Good thing they have all these foreign adventures to distract them from what the Poles and Russians are doing on their former turf (for now)

• Reichsbank undertakes a market purchase of Reichsmarks to bolster the currency and protect its status as a reserve currency in the face of the challenge by the EMF backed Ruble and Krona

How much of their erstwhile massive gold and currency reserves do the Germans still have? Surely most of the gold was carried off to Königsberg when the reds took over, but much of it would have been spent on arms and imports during the reconstruction, wouldn't it?

• British Elections go ahead with four approved parties competing. The barrage of propaganda, controlled franchise, and modified electoral rules place the Restoration Party in power over the Conservatives and Nationals on their Right and Liberals on their Left, though the Liberals deliver a much better showing than expected. The House of Lords is re-seated with new restrictions on memberships and a rollback of restrictions on its powers.
• The REE Security Assistance Forces in Britain release a report on electoral manipulation in their capacity as ‘international observers.’ The report surprises many by citing more foiled manipulation attempts by the right than left, and results in three close seats being re-awarded. The exercises furthers trust in the RRE mission as politically neutral, while underground leftist press charge that the whole exercise was an effort to entrench Russian influence over British Politics.

Hm, why would the house of lords want expanded powers. Is it now the unofficial "Guardians of the Counterrevolution" institution? Kind of like how the Iranian clerics have their Guardians of the Revolution council? Does the house of lords now have a veto right in politics, appointment rights to the top military and security positions in Britain, and the right to declare the state of emergency? Would be fitting for a state in tightly controlled counterrevolutionary mode, whose royal family isn't always present to make these kinds of decisions. (And royals can be so muddle headed and prone to fall for flattery anyways. Better to put such powers into the hands of a council of reliable, conservative aristocrats who will recognize crypto syndicalist subversion of the civilian political process when it happens, and not hesitate to arrest even the prime minister if that's what it takes to protect Britishness, property, and the political stability!)

• Anti-foreign terrorists launch a number of ‘big-sword’ attacks on inland foreign concessions in response to the German intervention, these degenerate into general banditry. 11 foreigners and 360 Chinese are estimated killed this month.
• Young China Party establishes its first ‘anti-bandit force.’ in response to rising banditry and violence. Unlike other militias, membership is strictly controlled, equipment is standardised, and training schedules are frequent and gruelling. This contrasts with the burgeoning irregular units of various religious and traditionalist movements spreading across China.

Very interesting

• Seizing on the more conciliatory stance of the Restoration Party towards India, Gandhi invites a British representative to Calcutta for the first time since the liberation. Bose criticises the rapprochement while Maximists begin covertly playing on religious suspicion of the heavily Muslim Dominion of India.
• “Quit India” protests in the Dominion of India refine their message. The focus is now squarely on the British military presence and demands for ‘swaraj,’ British businesses are no longer routinely picketed.

Hmm, I wonder, will they take British representative to any of the new and exciting air race shows?

• In Germany, right-wing printers distribute copies of the political pamphlet “Wehrstaat” arguing for the militarisation of the state and nationalisation of the economy. The pamphlet has no disclose author but most suspect General Kurt von Schleicher. Wehrstaat argues Germany’s great victories have come during times of military rule (such as under Ludendorff or Tirpitz) while democracy has always been at the root of its defeats.

View attachment 808197​

Oh, that old scoundrel Schleicher! Don't lead this Germany to ruin too.

• Facing significant budget opposition to expensive ‘horror weapon’ development, the USSA Nuclear Program has its funding restricted to the delivery of three gun-type weapons as a proof of concept. Most ‘strategic deterrent’ resources are redirected towards Fort Detrick. Funding cuts force ongoing nuclear development to take place at the North Star facility, as relocation to an isolated desert location cannot be fit in the budget.

That actually sounds not bad at all for world peace

• Liberals leak a military memo which projects that the intervention mission in China will require either a drawdown of Mittelafrikan commitments or an end to the unofficial prohibition on the deployment of conscripts to colonial stations - as well as further budget increases. With only weeks until the election, the leak does great harm to the DKP which had been gaining in the polls off the back of the seemingly successful treaty of Tsingtao.

• German elections deliver a strong Centre-Liberal majority as the crushing weight of the Austrian backed Zentrum political machine capitalises on fears of the left and right alike. Negotiations over Chancellor and recommended Ministries begin immediately.

• Unsatisfied with any of the coalition candidates for Chancellor, Wilhelm III vacillates. It is announced that, as the end of the year is approaching, the Reichstag will remain recessed until an unspecified date in the new year.
• With the Reichstag in recess, the Reich Government passes a recess-motion to increase the military budget to cover the Chinese intervention. The cost is met by diverting silver paid by the Qing Government. The Reich Government also requests an extension of the loan facility created by the Koenigsberg accords. These facilities unused since 1943, had been created to allow the Imperial Government to borrow funds from the RRE while still in exile. Foreign observers suspect these moves are intended to bypass the need for a Reichstag budget and appropriations.

View attachment 808198​

Will the Russians agree to lend them money? On one hand, the political situation in Germany may develop for short term benefit of Russia if the German right is refused the means to prosecute its expensive foreign policy. On the other hand, if the Russian intelligence suggests that the German aggressive position in Asia will run into serious trouble either way, it may be in Russia's long term interest to let them sink as deep into this morass as possible, and lending money may help further this goal along.

 

[warbucks]

I would like to see more nations standing up to Russia just by the virtue of them being successful.

like Austria taking a more pacifist/neutral stance in the world and turning into the “bankers of Europe”.
The Germans I think are moving head first towards bankrupting themselves, but who knows, maybe their colonial adventures will pay off, control of the Chinese market or even a reorganised and stabilised Mittleafrikan market could insure Germany a pretty decent spot in the sun, Japanese zaibatsus spreading their tendrils into Europe and South America and Brazil becoming America lite.

you know, just more countries rising up and making things interesting, having Russia just dominate everything can get kinda bland after a while.

 

[Teivel]

I would like to see more nations standing up to Russia just by the virtue of them being successful.

like Austria taking a more pacifist/neutral stance in the world and turning into the “bankers of Europe”.
The Germans I think are moving head first towards bankrupting themselves, but who knows, maybe their colonial adventures will pay off, control of the Chinese market or even a reorganised and stabilised Mittleafrikan market could insure Germany a pretty decent spot in the sun, Japanese zaibatsus spreading their tendrils into Europe and South America and Brazil becoming America lite.

you know, just more countries rising up and making things interesting, having Russia just dominate everything can get kinda bland after a while.

This is good feedback. mostly because it tells me I'm not quite there yet. I thought I'd done a good job of focusing more on other realms in 1948 and 1949, I think all Russia did this year was fly some helicopters, build a port, and jointly set up the EMF with the Hapsburgs. Both the USSA and RRE had a bit of a quieter year.

I'll always be fighting against the time we are in ( I'm sure an AAR of OTL would have people complaining America OP in 1949!) but I'll try to move the needle even further towards what the others are doing if that's the general preference.

 

[warbucks]

This is good feedback. mostly because it tells me I'm not quite there yet. I thought I'd done a good job of focusing more on other realms in 1948 and 1949, I think all Russia did this year was fly some helicopters, build a port, and jointly set up the EMF with the Hapsburgs. Both the USSA and RRE had a bit of a quieter year.

I'll always be fighting against the time we are in ( I'm sure an AAR of OTL would have people complaining America OP in 1949!) but I'll try to move the needle even further towards what the others are doing if that's the general preference.

To be completely honest, after I posted that I though “well, this is what happened IRL with the USA anyways, so the dude isn’t being over the top, not his fault Russia did win the war and dominate all those countries fair and square”

I’d say you’re on the right track right now, countries like the UK, Austria and perhaps even Germany are bound to eventually shake off Russian control over their economies and decision making, but it’s probably only gonna happen around the 60s, you know, once they’re done with their rebuilding and restructuring of society, the relationship with the syndies has cooled down and semi-normalised and there isn’t that much fear of an outright invasion anymore, and Russia simply ceases to have any real leverage over the rest of Europe. There will come a time where Russia will simply have nothing to offer them that they can’t do for themselves or by cooperation with other European powers.

 

[HIMDogson]

I would like to see more nations standing up to Russia just by the virtue of them being successful.

like Austria taking a more pacifist/neutral stance in the world and turning into the “bankers of Europe”.
The Germans I think are moving head first towards bankrupting themselves, but who knows, maybe their colonial adventures will pay off, control of the Chinese market or even a reorganised and stabilised Mittleafrikan market could insure Germany a pretty decent spot in the sun, Japanese zaibatsus spreading their tendrils into Europe and South America and Brazil becoming America lite.

you know, just more countries rising up and making things interesting, having Russia just dominate everything can get kinda bland after a while.

Honestly I think it makes sense for Russia to be in a dominant position; Germany trying to go its own way is enough for me in terms of European challenges to Russia. The fact is though that Russia is in a position of unprecedented dominance, both military and economic, over a lot of Europe, and it has the threat of the USSA to keep its allies under its belt. If the USSA collapses I could see the Pax Russica begin to break down, but until then I just don't think it would be a good move for countries to stand up to Russia. Be important, sure- Austria is Russia's number 2 and Germany is trying to pretend like the last decade didn't happen- but I think Russian hegemony here is about as inevitable as American hegemony was post WWII.

 

[GSR]

Now, I'm not saying that Iraq Centroamerica possesses weapons of mass destruction, but... I don't think it's pesticide production that's being ramped up by the Chairman.

 

[JodelDiplom]

Now, I'm not saying that Iraq Centroamerica possesses weapons of mass destruction, but... I don't think it's pesticide production that's being ramped up by the Chairman.

Define "pest"

 

[warbucks]

wait, is Centroamerica Mosley territory ? Because if that’s the case, he’s getting a little too big for his breeches right now, maybe it’s time for him to meet an untimely demise, put those CIA agents to good use.

also, Gandhi is kinda slacking right now, I know he’s all for non violence, but that doesn’t mean not policing the state, send the cops to crack down on the “air hobbyists”, where did they get the funds for such expensive and bourgeoise pass time ? Why do their planes have guns in them ? Why aren’t they actually up to the regulations of racing planes ? Do some work my man, peacefully purge your party.

 

[Ganholin]

This is good feedback. mostly because it tells me I'm not quite there yet. I thought I'd done a good job of focusing more on other realms in 1948 and 1949, I think all Russia did this year was fly some helicopters, build a port, and jointly set up the EMF with the Hapsburgs. Both the USSA and RRE had a bit of a quieter year.

I'll always be fighting against the time we are in ( I'm sure an AAR of OTL would have people complaining America OP in 1949!) but I'll try to move the needle even further towards what the others are doing if that's the general preference.

Tbf there is seems to be some disadvantages to Russia. It built a great military complex and general goods capacity but seems to be so far lacking a bit in civilian technical advance. Maybe it just hasn't been covered but it gave me that feeling. Honestly I'm not sure if this justified considered brain leak that happened in otl hasn't occurred today and in fact reversed.

Maybe Russia can have some internal problems like rise of some central asian nationalism oro panislamism, maybe with same ideological buildup but with Islamic emir or even caliph at core, instead of orthodox russian emperor.

The development of many areas is interesting in this timeline. Large parts of urbanization of siberia and central asia happened during soviet times with soviet methods, so with new somewhat liberal capitalistic development of these regions is interesting.
Tbf I wouldn't mind a general observation of Russian economy and growth during 40s, but maybe focusing in some regions will give us interesting angle to how view TTL russia generally.

 

[JodelDiplom]

Maybe Russia can have some internal problems like rise of some central asian nationalism or panislamism, maybe with same ideological buildup but with Islamic emir or even caliph at core, instead of orthodox russian emperor.

I don't know about emirs or caliphs. Monarchy is fundamentally an inferior system compared to elective or cooptive leadership, prone to discredit itself in times of intensified crisis due to how often you have incompetent monarchs, and how much these systems emphasize inheritance and defense of wealth, over creation of wealth.

And the traditional islamic concepts of monarchic governance are all discredited anyways, by their failure to withstand european imperialism. The caliph actually just got offed barely 10 years ago, when Russian imperialism trampled all over the part of the muslim world that was until then the Ottoman Empire. The other parts of the islamic world are now forced to undergo super fast social and economic transformation in which those states and systems will come out aread that don't rely on old, ignorant aristocrats, who own all the land and expect to own all the new stuff in the future as well, to make decisions for society as a whole.

Those Muslim states and societies that shed the old aristocratic modes, and reform themselves into technocracies (socialist flavored or right wing flavored doesn't matter), will come out ahead, while those who don't, will be trampled underfoot or need to cling on to European "protection" for survival.

If there is to be a unified Muslim resistance from the peoples of the RRE against their domination and exploitation by the RRE state and elites, it will probably be led by organizations that transcend barriers of group culture and language, like the Muslim brotherhood, or by civil liberty movements that attach themselves to whatever the left most party in the Duma is. Its medium will be the spoken and written word, and its champions will be charismatic, eloquent speakers who reach out to the masses, and backroom organizers who bring groups together. Reactionary traditionalism ("bring back the caliph!") might have its holdouts in remote mountains and backwoods, but without organizational basis and educated, eloquent speakers it's certainly not going to mobilize any great masses.

The development of many areas is interesting in this timeline. Large parts of urbanization of siberia and central asia happened during soviet times with soviet methods, so with new somewhat liberal capitalistic development of these regions is interesting.

Yay, urban development with liberal capitalistic models, for Russia! It's going to be S-P-R-A-W-L-tastic!!