Rise of the People's Republic of France

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*While the Original Tricolor is still used as the official flag of the nation, this flag was adopted as the French Communist Party Flag, & has ever since been identified as the "French Flag." The Blue represents the nation, the red represents the communist ideals of the founders, & the white is the peace between the two. The red globe is meant to symbolize the idea of a free communist world in which peace may surround all.

After years of dependence upon the unreliable Anglo-Saxon coalition, & their bougiouse ideals of freemarket slavery, the people of France have seen fit to free themselves of these & other frivolous bonds! We will no longer bow to any master, but instead work to make ourselves more self reliant in the face of outside interference of our personal & wholly national affairs. No longer will we answer to the obligations of an inept government nor any bonds they seen fit to make with foreign nations. We call upon the people of our imperial colonies to work with us in a bond of trust & friendship to which all our nations may work to bring communism to the rest of the world. No longer are you slaves to the rich, but free men whom may choose to leave the commonwealth of France at any time you choose. No longer do we recognize the government of any nation which wishes to oppress its people in the guise of democracy under an oligarchy of the wealthy, & we will work to support the proletariat of the people where ever they may ask for our help.

-Maurice Thorez, 1936​

These famous words would come to symbolize the beginning of the People's Republic of France. The revolution which lead to the consolidation of power by the French Communist Party, would be the first of five phases which would lead to the rise of a new order in the Western World. It was to be remembered as one of the great watersheds of 20th Century History, & is solemnly remembered throughout much of the world as the beginning of a new epoch in the history of nations.

 

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Well, what do you guys think? After the bug which stopped my last AAR, I said I would begin a new one once I was familiar with some of their changes, & here it is. A couple side notes on my setup. I made France into a Leninist regime with the freedom cheat, & gave them 25 dissent with the dissent cheat. Aside from that the only slider modification was my initial move towards central planning. I am playing on normal/agressive, but have disbanded my entire military (will go into further depth on that in a future update) & with a total of 28 IC after the dissent I do not believe I could even have a chance had I played on a much harder difficulty. If I can find webspace which will let me sign up, having problems with this for some reason, I have made many of screenies for those whom like pictures. Aside from this my intentions are to turn the tide of the war in China in support of Mao's Communist, destroy the Nazi regime which is currently on my borders in support of my eastern friends in the Soviet Union, wage a war of liberation against the western allies, & through all of this make France once again the arbiter of Europe & perhaps the center of a world empire if all things go well.

 

[Brasidas]

It sounds interesting. Is it going to be a WC-mongering, Imperialist Commie France? Or are you going to friendly towards the colonial peasants and have all that manpower to fight a People's War against the capitalists and the fascists.

 

[Rapcw]

Interesting idea for an AAR. Good start, keep it up.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Go Communist France! Do it for the workers!

 

[unmerged(9046)]

Viva la rouge France! (my apologies if I butchered the French!)

 

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The most surprising aspect of the "Grand Revolution" was its almost complete lack of violence. The end of the Third Republic had come not with a bang but with a whisper. During one of the all to frequent parliamentary crises, which had come to symbolize the postwar years in France, the communist refused to take part in the government & demanded that their legislature be opened to the people in a referendum. This demand was refused, & the government ground to a screeching halt after the communist made good on their threat to ignore the republic. Boycotts & demonstrations against the government where held throughout most major cities, but few resorted to violence. Not long afterwards, both Prime Minister & President resigned, & the nation was left without an effective working government. The overwhelming support of the cities for the communist allowed them to take control of most major urban areas without a fight, & one week later the People's Republic of France was proclaimed. Dissent in rural areas was high, however, & many cadres where sent out from the cities to teach the countryside the value of communism.

Meanwhile, the newly formed provincial government had many problems to face. The most obvious was fear of a "rightist coup" among the upper echelons of the military. This was handled by sending all soldiers home on half pay for a period of one year. While some garrison commanders attempted to persuade their soldiers to mutiny, the overall mood was in favor of the communist, who offered a consolidated, stable government, & most soldiers went home. Those who where left attempted to fight a guerilla war in the provinces, but this only had the effect of driving the peasant population into the arms of the communist & their cadres in the field. It has been said that less than 1,000 men died in the entire revolution. The army as it was, was never again called back into duty. Instead an elite voluntary army would take their place, while national "spring training" would prepare the ordinary men & women for defense of the Fatherland.

​

France after the call for all soldiers to turn in their arms ​

The second issue to be faced by the provincial government was to come to terms with the people of the former colonies of imperial France. Negotiations where entered with communist & nationalist dissidents throughout the empire of the republic. All accepted promises of future indemnities by the French, & the establishment of free nations within the next decade. Most accepted the idea of a commonwealth of nations lead by France after their independence. All of these negotiations where kept unknown to the people at home by strict media control.

The third & final problem to be dealt with in the first year of the People's Republic was what form the newly founded communist state would take. Most within the French Communist Party rejected the idea of a "dictatorship of the proletariat" being practiced in Russia, but at the same time wished to avoid the parliamentary struggles & instability which had laid so heavily on the Third Republic. After much debate it was decided that all other parties would be disbanded, & a board of ten men would run the government through majority rule. They would be chosen among the most loyal & influential of the party, & would be allowed to choose their successors in case the President, only elected official in the nation, dismissed them. Any man or woman over the age of 18 was allowed to join the communist party after taking a pledge of loyalty to uphold the revolutionary ideals & dignity of the people. Party membership was the only requirement in order to vote for the President or Voice of the Proletariat, as some called him, who would serve a seven year term. The Presidents powers where limited to casting deciding vote in the event of a divided board of trustees, the ability to bring any issue before the people in a national referendum, & the ability to dismiss board members with the acceptance of at least 1/3 of the remaining board. In the event of unanimous acceptance of a board members removal his ability to choose his successor was removed. On the third of April the new constitution was put before national referendum, & was accepted by a slim majority of the people (53%).

 

[Brasidas]

So the Vietnamese and the Algerians shall man the Maginot.

 

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Actually, I have left the allies, & no one is currently manning the Maginot. Thank God the AI is dumb or I would be toast. I do not intend to join the war on Germany until they attack Russia. Even then I might take my time in order to show Stalin what being an imperialist pig will get him Although I might take my "share" of the MR pact out of Belgium (making me an imperialist pig as well), but I have not decided on that yet. Right now, I am working on building two serials of three mountaineers to man the line, & buy me time in case the German AI is hardcoded to attack me. Other than that I am going to keep the empire in tact until I am able to pay "reparations" by giving them a portion of the "Five Year Plan" I am going to start in '37.

Also, all of this is just a run up to the actual AAR, which will mostly be excerpts from Board of Trustee meetings, & memoires from soldiers, workers, & various other people who are in France & her former colonies during the "five year plan" & wars of liberation, respectively. Hoping to give a feel for the different places & times which these things are going on, but I couldn't very well talk about the Board of Trustee meetings without telling you who the hell they where or giving a limited view of how their government is going to work.

 

[unmerged(19363)]

This should be interesting. I just have a hunch the Germans will declare war on you eventually, either because you are now communist, or neighbors

 

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First meeting of the Board of Trustees; April 5, 1936:

Seven men are seated at a large semicircular oak table in the middle of a large rather sterile looking room. Behind the table is a large group of chairs behind an oak guard rail with swinging doors. In front of them is an impressive oak desk which seems to tower over the table. On either side of the desk is a French Tricolor Flag. To the far left of the desk in an imposing looking door with a stern faced young man standing at attention in front of it. The man declares in a large voice "The Voice of the Proletariat; Maurice Thorez," after which a middle aged man in a black suit enters, taking his seat at the desk. "Thank you Charles, such formality will not be necessary during private meetings such as this one" Maurice says in a soft but stern voice. Charles then walks to the other side of the room, through the doors of the guard rail, & to the entrance of the room.

Looking around Maurice declares "the first meeting of the Board of Trustees in now in session," after which all of the men, whom had rose upon Maurice's arrival, reclaimed their seats. These men make up the core of the French Communist Party. They are (from right to left), Jacques Duclos, Marcel Cachin, George Levy, Lucien Micol, Waldeck Rochet, Andre Marty, & Marcel Gitton. "I look around, & I notice there is something missing, does anyone else here?" The men all look around in a rather wonderingly way, & express their ignorance in various way. "There is three empty seats to Mr. Gitton's left, am I to assume the constitution has been amended without me?" Jacques stands up, an older man with a small mustache & think glasses, & exclaims "we felt it best that we decide as a body whom the other members should be." Maurice gives Jacques a piercing look "Did you? I was not aware it was within this bodies authority to decide such matters. Is it not me who is supposed to decide upon the members of this body in the event that the previous member is not allowed?"

Jaques looks as if he is about to speak when Lucien Micol, a man of his thirties with a handle bar mustache & an expensive suit, interrupts in order to defuse the situation. "I feel that as long as there are no objections it would be all right if you where to nominate the other members, this is a one time occasion after all. However this body should have the right to accept their nominations, just as it would be where a man to die or be unanimously thrown out." Maurice looks kindly at Lucien & states "I would have it no other way"

Marcie looks around & shouts loudly "Marcel Cachin!" then after leaving a small quiet in order to draw more attention to himself "tell me how our attempts to draw the Soviets closer to us are going?" Marcel was a slight man with intense eyes & pronounced cheekbones. He leaned back in his seat & stated calmly "Just fine, the Soviet ambassador has been very kind in offering support to our regime, & has even offered to help make up for the lost trade which we incurred after the revolution & denouncement of the Western Democracies." At this Rochet, a balding man of his forties with thick glasses & a thin face, begun to laugh. "Is there anything funny Mr. Rochet?" Marcel asked still not changing the tempo of his voice. "Stalin is a pig who would butcher his own mother given half a suspicion. I hardly think men like this should be allowed the privilege of being called communist. He has done nothing more than slaughter his own people until they are whiling to obey his own will, & lie about the productivity of an impoverished land. To me he is little better than Hitler. He wishes nothing more than to make us his agents, bleeding France dry of her wealth. I doubt the Soviet Union has much choice than to deal with us in light of his actions."

The room grew tense as they contemplated Rochet's words, only his agents in Russia gave any validity to his words. Maurice would be the first one to break the silence by proclaiming "Stalin maybe miss guided, if what you say is true, but he is still the only choice we have at present & I am sure he is well aware of it Waldeck." Micol then remarked "I would not believe Rochet's either, had it not been for the Russian students recently brought to this country," stopping to take a deep breath before proceeding "I have encountered a number of them recently, who have voiced distress about Stalin's actions over the past decade" Maurice interrupted Lucien before he could go any further into detail by stating "I would watch my tong Mr. Micol," then jokingly adding "you never know who is a Soviet spy" After this all the men begin to laugh. Suddenly Maurice's face becomes very stern as he states in an even toned voice quite dissimilar from that he had just been joking in "Seriously, I will not tolerate such acts of treachery against this state, & will personally hang any man I find guilty of such acts against France," all men stop laughing as the President goes on "I would rather unleash a second terror upon France than see us lapdogs to men such as Stalin, & none of you would like to realize how dead serious I am in this matter, now shall we move on. Lucien, how are things going in the countryside?"

Lucien leans with his elbows against the table & begins his report "Things seem to be progressing nicely. The peasants are being taken in by the cadres in the field, & apparently many are beginning to create collectivized farms on their own. The cadres say it will be some time before they would suggest such an order of collectivization be forced upon the people, & that given enough time they might be able to convince the people it is in there best interest to do so without coercion. Ironically the guerrilla troops have been only a credit to our cause, & many report home that things would not be nearly as easy had they not been active. The miners too are joining the Union of Minors in droves. I do not think it will be long until we are able to begin a five year plan of our own"

Maurice declares "All of this is good news, however, I was very disturbed to hear that the Nazi's had entered the Rhineland. It seems that mad man is truly bent on dragging us into war, does it not Mr. Rochet?" Waldeck once again begins to speak "Yes sir, but it was not an entirely unforeseen move on our part. We had, after all, just renounced all treaties & revoked our place in the League of Nations. It was to be expected of a powerhungy beast like Hitler that he move to consolidate more strength in Germany after such turmoil in our own country. While volunteers have been sent to give the appearance that our army has not been sent home, & I am attempting to limit knowledge of this outside of the country, I am almost sure he knew of the incident when he decided to make this move." Maurice says "all of this was necessary, but I must stress the need to recreate our armed service just as quickly as possible"

Upon hearing this Mr. Marty, a small man with a big nose & odd shaped ears, stand up & proclaims "Sir, the first divisions of the People's Liberation Army will be completed within the year, & we are currently entering negotiations for both our air force & navy to begin rearmament's by next summer." Maurice smiles & thinks to himself, Andre is a good man, a bit to formal, but nonetheless an efficient leader. "The People's Liberation Army? Tell me Mr. Marty, did you think that up all on your own?" Jacques ask. "Yes, in fact, I did, does anyone disapprove of the name?" No one speaks up.

​

Training of the People's Liberation Army, & emergency economic aid given to the South of France​

Maurice looks across the room & then ask "Does anyone have any other business which needs urgent care?" since no one is going to speak up he moves on "then I will call the first meeting of the Board of Trustees to a conclusion, all of you have a nice day & I will see you at the next meeting." All of the men clamor out the front door as Charles holds it open for them.

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Board of Trustees & President ​

 

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If eventualy is after '41 then it should be fine, but if before then we will probably have to replay Verdun with the calling up of the Army of the People

 

[Alsum]

The advance of true communism must continue!

 

[durecellrabbit]

Nice AAR but any chance of screenshots?

 

[unmerged(21338)]

Thanks, like I said earlier I have taken tons of them, but have had troubles getting web space in order to host them. I keep sending out my information to them, but I never get the instant access e-mail you are supposed to get afterwards. I have repeatedly checked my address for correctness, & my filter to see it is just not getting through. If anyone has a good site to use, I will be more than happy to try again. Then we could liven up this AAR with a little color

 

[unmerged(9046)]

Then we could liven up this AAR with a little color

And I bet I know what color that would be!

 

[unmerged(41688)]

What is the slider cheat? I have always wanted to know but i cant find it.

 

[unmerged(21338)]

You hit the "F12" button on your keyboard while in the game, & then type in "freedom" in the little screen that pops up in the left-hand corner. It will allow you to move your sliders freely, & it excellent for role playing such as I am doing now because you can change the government of the country with the authority & ideology sliders.

 

[Bacon King]

Thanks, like I said earlier I have taken tons of them, but have had troubles getting web space in order to host them. I keep sending out my information to them, but I never get the instant access e-mail you are supposed to get afterwards. I have repeatedly checked my address for correctness, & my filter to see it is just not getting through. If anyone has a good site to use, I will be more than happy to try again. Then we could liven up this AAR with a little color

www.imageshack.us

 

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​

An unofficial meeting of select board members; April 6, 1936:

As Lucien looks out over the balcony of Maurice's flat overlooking the grand old city of Paris a multitude of thoughts enter into his mind. Why had the president asked him & other select members of the Board to his personal residence for this meeting? How was he seen in the eyes of Thorez, as an enemy or an old friend? Did Maurice feel that he & the others there could be suspected of being Soviet spies? My God, this city is so beautiful, it never ceases to amaze me.

Small talk is carried on among Andre & Waldeck, while Marcel Gitton sat on the far side of the room. Marcel was a quiet man with a clean face & slick hair, not the kind you would suspect of being an ardent leader under any standard. This said, he was very persuasive when given the chance to be listened to, & was a staunch supporter of both France & Thorez. Surely if he is here, it cannot be any suspicions in the mind of Thorez that we are spies, Lucien thought to himself looking to the corner in which Gitton sat.

It was just is Andre & Waldeck appeared to have run out of things to talk about that Maurice walked into the room & asked "Can I get any of you a beverage of some sort before we get on with the business at hand?" Most of the men declined, but Gitton got up & asked "Do you have a bottle of wine lying around?" Maurice looked kindly at Marcel, left the room, & came back with a large glass that appeared to dark to be wine. "I have brandy, will that be fine Gitton?" Upon this Marcel nodded in approval, & said "Thank you Mr. Thorez"

Maurice got up & walked to the balcony asking the other men to follow so he may sit at the table he had set up out there. "I have brought you here to ask a favor," Thorez looks across the table as if to read the thoughts of the other men before continuing "as you may know I am in charge of choosing the three new members which are too take their spot beside you on the board, & I have come to an almost surprising conclusion." The men look at one another in an attempt to detect if any in their midst has an idea of what is to be said, only Marcel seems relaxed as he drinks his glass of brandy. "I am going to suggest members who have only recently joined the party, & some of their ranks where considered to be staunch supporters of the republic" Waldeck looks somewhat shocked while Andre prepares to speak, in order to preempt any interruptions Lucien says in a low voice "please President, go on." Thorez's face becomes more solid than before as he continues "Roger Salengo, General Tassigny, & Leon Bourgeois will be my recommendations for seats on the Board of Trustees. Before anyone comments I wish to given an explanation for each; both Roger & Leon where half of the Popular Front coalition which we had under the republic. While General Tassigny is an ardent nationalist who I believe will not work against the nation as a whole. Furthermore I believe that giving these men such high post may help consolidate our government, & make it acceptable to republican agitators who might wish to undermine our authority."

The men look at one another in a somewhat shocking way before Marty speaks up "Wasn't Tassigny the last general to relieve his soldiers of their positions when the call was made?" Thorez looks in his direction & then to the rest of the men "Yes, he was in fact, but he has personally assured me that it was only to prolong antagonisms on the German border, & assure that it could be done in a peaceful fashion, I am inclined to believe him because he has given me no reason not to, Further more, all three men entered the communist party recently after the revolution" By this time Gitton had finished his brandy, standing up & sitting the glass down he looks into Thorez's eyes & says in his unnaturally deep voice "There was no reason to call upon me, I trust your judgment & will be leaving now" Andre Marty looks most surprised at Gitton's loyalty & exclaims "I wish I could be so reconciled in this idea, but I am not. I have no problem supporting either Mr. Salengo or Bourgeois, I know both to be honorable men, but this Tassigny I am weary of. He appears loyal to neither the Communist or the Republic, I will not support him," Upon saying this Marty begins to leave, but as he reached the door Thorez shouts "He is loyal to France & it's people, does that not matter more than his ideology?" Andre ponders this question & shrugs before walking out.

The two remaining men look at one another, & Rochet begins to speak "You have given me much to contemplate, I am honored to be placed in a room with these men & you. They are all honorable & just men who love both the Fatherland & Party. You will have my answer tomorrow, fair well Mr. President" After this he walks through the dim lite room, with its antique furniture & beautiful Persian carpet, & walks out the door. After this Maurice looks at Lucien & ask "Am I a shrewd politician or a trusting fool?" Micol smiles & as he is getting up to leave says "Neither Mr. Thorez, you are a good man with a bold vision for our nation. I too will trust your judgment" Wiping his brow of sweat, Micol puts back on his hat, & begins walking towards the door. Before leaving he hears Maurice say "You know, I may be all of the above" Lucien turns back & gives a slight laugh before leaving the flat.

On the next day, April 7, 1936, the second meeting of the Board of Trustees begun. While Marty stayed true to his promise of the other day, the other three men supported the assignment of all three of the President's appointments. The first two where admitted at a vote of 5-2 for, while the General gained admission by a vote of 4-3, only by a surprise conversion of Mr. Levy, whom was seen as a staunch communist by most of his comrades. Both Cachin & Duclos refused all nominations.

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First Full Board of Trustees. *Rochet is still a member of the board, but not seen here ​