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Kurfürst

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After a gargantuan effort and a some boring night shifts, I am finally caugh up. Great job OP! Hopefully the CSA will finish the job this time around, unlike the USA of old. Whole continent will be under one flag. That would be awesome.
 

Aussie Perun

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The pace of the American advance, while probably inexorable, is pretty lethargic given how long they planned for this and how little time they gave the mexicans.

Climactic factors? logistical limitations? If I were Britain or one of Browders many rivals I'm not sure I'd be intimidated by the showing so far.

On the other hand, slow, deliberate advance may just be the order of the day?
 
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JodelDiplom

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The pace of the American advance, while probably inexorable, is pretty lethargic given how long they planned for this and how little time they gave the mexicans.

Climactic factors? logistical limitations? If I were Britain or one of Browders many rivals I'm not sure I'd be intimidated by the showing so far.

On the other hand, slow, deliberate advance may just be the order of the day?
A mostly untested military - huge, aggressive, well armed, but clumsy and untested in war except a civil war a generation ago. I think of the Soviet Army's invasion of Finland in the winter war which had these factors.

Browder has for sure already commenced selective purges of the military hierarchy, and is going to "retire" most old guard generals from the civil war / revolution generation, once the dust has settled. In favor of younger, better educated, officers who started their military education only after the civil war. Like Stalin in OTL.

Also, AI stupidity

Yeah the rivals are for sure not impressed with the American army. But who cares, the American navy has cordoned off the Caribbean to any outside interference, so Comrade Browder will have the last laugh once the independent unaligned nations in the Americas fall in line one after another.

The south american nations with Pacific or Atlantic shoreline may want to invite the German or Japanese navies for visits and exercises, before Browder's marines come for the grand friendship and cooperation tour.
 
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After a gargantuan effort and a some boring night shifts, I am finally caugh up. Great job OP! Hopefully the CSA will finish the job this time around, unlike the USA of old. Whole continent will be under one flag. That would be awesome.

Thanks and great to have you. Hope I won't make your time investment go to waste.

Why is Seattle cut-off from rest of CSA?

The attack to take it came from the Syndicalist Republic of Canada, not from the CSA homeland as you'd expect. Reaching Seattle from the CSA border would be a massive slog through the rather inhospitable Rockies.

Mexico is holding better than I tought, but I doubt it will last long.

The pace of the American advance, while probably inexorable, is pretty lethargic given how long they planned for this and how little time they gave the mexicans.

Climactic factors? logistical limitations? If I were Britain or one of Browders many rivals I'm not sure I'd be intimidated by the showing so far.

On the other hand, slow, deliberate advance may just be the order of the day?

A mostly untested military - huge, aggressive, well armed, but clumsy and untested in war except a civil war a generation ago. I think of the Soviet Army's invasion of Finland in the winter war which had these factors.

Browder has for sure already commenced selective purges of the military hierarchy, and is going to "retire" most old guard generals from the civil war / revolution generation, once the dust has settled. In favor of younger, better educated, officers who started their military education only after the civil war. Like Stalin in OTL.

Also, AI stupidity

Yeah the rivals are for sure not impressed with the American army. But who cares, the American navy has cordoned off the Caribbean to any outside interference, so Comrade Browder will have the last laugh once the independent unaligned nations in the Americas fall in line one after another.

The south american nations with Pacific or Atlantic shoreline may want to invite the German or Japanese navies for visits and exercises, before Browder's marines come for the grand friendship and cooperation tour.

Like I said Mexico is far from a pushover and as Jodel, mentioned the Syndicalist Americans are still rather "new". Whilst they do have a number of notches to their belt - Civil War, Canadians and the Sand French none of these victories have been that easily won. The Civil War was a rather bloody back and forth slog, the invasion of extremely exhausted Canada still took months of time to get right and the Sand French were largely beaten thanks to the establishment of a beachhead. Meanwhile the Mexicans have had decades of time to hone for preparing their country, even in its current extent, with a rather professional army supported by terrain and weather.

The American advance may have been slow, but any long term war favours them. Mexico is still smaller in size, less populated, has a smaller industrial base and is increasingly cut off from resources. They can hold on for a time as they've demonstrated, but that time is slowly running out.
 
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1962 - The Second Mexican-American War (Part 2)

The Americans were not the only ones glad to see the gridlock at the Congress in Brest. Although the Mexican reaction to the gridlock could not necessarily be described as joy due to hopes of intervention by the British, the appearance of dissent in the Congress convinced many in Mexico that they had not been abandoned. Prior to the Sargasso stand-off many among the Mexican leadership had truly believed that the British would intervene to help them. Thus their reactions to the flight of the Republican Navy were understandably dark. This among other factors is also believed to be the reason behind the Mexican decision not to send delegates to Brest. The appearance of dissent in the formerly unanimous Congress, especially given that it was lead by the British, once again strengthened Mexican resolve to resist against the American invaders, despite the growing American advantages on the field. More than just the British however, resistance to the threat of a resurging American state was a common theme among many American members in the so-called British faction. Although the Centroamericans had made their bed with Browder and the CSA, the same could not be said of other Syndicalist or Syndicalist-aligned states in the Americas. Most openly in the vehemently Syndicalist Venezuela, which had long since held suspicions about the resurgent Americans, finding themselves an unlikely ally in the increasingly Syndicalist-aligned Colombians. Whilst both states still held their suspicions about each other the shared threat of the Americans to the North and the La Platans, whose influence and later troops they had fought off in the 1940s, gave them pause and reasons to consider cooperation. These intension were finally put to work after the Congress of the Syndicalist International failed to tame Browder's march south. However with the land route to Mexico blocked by a hostile Centroamerica and cautious United Provinces of Central America as well as the American People's Navy patrolling the Caribbean that aid could only come from one place, the Pacific. The Colombian port city of Buenaventura was soon more bustling than usual as equipment as well as volunteers began flowing through it to the port of Manzanillo, much to the chagrin of the Americans and the joy of the Mexican government.

aBu9ozQ.jpg

During the Second Mexican-American War and even after the Pacific ports of Central American nations
saw rapid
growth as the nations struggled to evade American control over their trade and
sought to forge new and beneficial relations with the other powers of the Pacific Rim.

The much appreciated, although limited, material aid however did little to improve the Mexican strategic position. Growing fears of encirclement prompted by the retreat from Oregon as well as increasing numbers of American probing attacks through the Rockies lead to the Mexican decision to abandon their defensive positions in Idaho. Done as an attempt shorten the frontline and thus offer more stiff resistance to the Americans along the rest of the frontier, the decision to withdraw without real reason caused a considerable feeling of betrayal among the ranks. The increasingly sparse cover from American air raids did little to improve the morale or morals of the retreating Mexican forces. Although official data about the actions taken by the retreating elements of the Central front from Idaho to Utah still remain sealed in American archives it is estimated that scorched earth tactics and requisitioning actions rivalled, if not surpassed the actions taken by the Western and Eastern fronts in per capita numbers as well as brutality. However unlike in the West or the East, where damage resulting from conflict was also often accounted for propaganda purposes, the lack of any serious fighting along the Central front left no doubt about the origin of these actions. The American propaganda apparatus would deftly use this additional gift the Mexicans left behind to their own benefit. Whilst the Central front was retreating without a fight, the situation was far from better in the West or the East. In the East on the 8th of July after months of brutal street to street fighting, the American forces managed to finally clear the exhausted Mexican defenders from the smoking ruins of Austin opening the path to San Antonio. Fresh American elements pursued the Mexican defenders to the city and were puzzled, when the Mexicans did not stop. What the Americans did not know was that
American bombing actions as well as Mexican scorched earth tactics had all but reduced the city to cinders. The American bombing campaigns had decidedly forced Mexican forces to abandon the city and flee to the more defensible terrain along the Mexican-American border, where they would continue to offer staunch resistance.


Ob7xan1.jpg

Front lines in North America after the beginning of the general American advance in the West.
Note the loss of North Idaho and the Rockies line as well as the advances into Texas and California.

Although the oncoming summer would mark some of the bloodiest battles in an already bloody conflict, the story of the Syndicate of Alcatraz often seems to overshadow them. After capturing the island from the Pacific States, the Mexicans had seen it fit to continue using it as a prison complex, that is after liberating some of its more pliable denizens. Once the widespread Anglo terror actions had ended, the Rock had seen a relative drop off in residents. However it was still home to a number of American provocateurs, home bred Totalists as well as those criminals deemed too dangerous for housing on the mainland. The war soon began posing issues for the prison, as the number of new guards first trickled to a stop and then existing guards began to be called off for frontline duty. Left in a bind the prison had little choice, but to begin replacing at least some of its guards with local Anglos from San Francisco. The choice of adding Americans would however prove to be the spark that lead to the revolt. Gruelling background checks on guards to the island were slackened for quick replacement, this however allowed for provocateurs to spill in and spread rumours about the immediate liberation by the American forces, especially as the latter crossed into into California on the 29th of June. Prisoners began plotting and soon links were made with the non-Mexican guards about the revolt. Early on the morning of the 5th of July, before wake-up, prisoners were let out of their cells after the American guards subdued their Mexican partners. The Syndicate of Alcatraz was proclaimed less than an hour later over the radio, whilst the guards and their former charges were clearing the island of any stragglers. Whilst the local Mexican garrison did initially consider retaking the island, the shortage of water on it as well as the belief that wasting resources retaking it would draw away manpower needed to prepare the defence of San Francisco lead to the abandonment of those plans. Water shortages on the island were eventually solved through the gargantuan efforts of the comparably miniscule American Pacific Fleet.

FetYZnh.jpg

Mexican plane circles Alcatraz, following the American conquest the prison would be finally closed down for good.
Although little more than a footmark, the revolution would be turned into multiple films by Red Hollywood.

The rest of July as well as August would see heavy fighting transition away from the Eastern front as American forces sought to take control of all of California as well as push into the Rockies. The fall of Sacramento in mid-July was quickly followed by a breakthrough into Nevada, which due to the rough conditions and relative isolation offered little more than a few recuperating and otherwise non-combat units that could offer little beyond sparse resistance. The rapid advance through Nevada also allowed Americans to put pressure on Mexican defenders in California, as troops there needed to be pulled back to fill the gap left in the lines by the loss of Nevada and block the threat to Los Angeles. Beyond contributing to the rapidly worsening situation in California, the advance into Nevada contributed to another Mexican catastrophe, as it allowed American elements to encircle much of the Central front still holding ground in Utah, Southern Idaho as well as Western Colorado. The pocket, which would not be fully liquidated until the end of September, saw some of the bloodiest fighting in an already rather bloody war. Once rumours got out that the Americans would not be taking prisoners the Mexican defenders fought tooth and nail against the Americans to break out of the pocket, but to no use. The American forces proved resilient in pushing the Mexican defenders back from their sorties time and time again. Once their munitions ran out, many forces surrendered and were marched off to captivity, however many others continued resisting fearful of the rumours spread about American soldiers. The lack of munitions left only cold steel, as their aid against the American forces and to varying degrees of success the Mexican defenders carried out a sizeable number of infiltration attacks on the Americans. However it would prove insufficient and the pocket would see the Mexicans lose more than 20 of its pre-war 105 divisions in the encirclement including half of its armoured and mountaineer forces.

6hnKzBi.jpg

Front lines in North America following the liquidation of the Great Salt Lake pocket

September would see no reprieve for the increasingly exhausted Mexican forces as American forces continued hammering them in an attempt to push them out the former Continental US. However as battles raged on the front lines, so too did they rage at Washington. More and more often the question of what to do with Mexico was dominating public headlines as the Fosterites, still called that despite the death of Foster on the 1st of September in 1961, clashed with the Hallites, named after Gus Hall often believed to be Browders' right hand man. The Fosterites claimed that Mexico should be dealt with as the Cubans and Canadians had and advocated a continuation of the policy of revolutionary sister republics. The Hallites however rejected such reasoning instead arguing that Mexico ought to dealt with as the Caribbean Federation had and even claiming that separating the Canadians and Cubans from the CSA was a senseless act of bourgeoisie nationalism done at the behest of the former General-Secretary and indeed harmful for Syndicalism in North America. The fact that the Hallites openly critical sentiments were even being published was proof enough to many that Chairman Browder had seemingly been persuaded by the arguments of those advocating for a state that would stretch across all of North America. Thus it comes as no surprise that when the American forces reached the Mexican border on the 25th of October they only stopped for a brief window before continuing their assault on the 7th of November. In the intervening moments between the assault the Mexicans proposed peace along the pre-Civil War border as well as an acceptance of American pre-war demands. The Mexican diplomats were only notified that that deal was no longer on the table and that the Americans would accept nothing beyond total unconditional surrender and warned of severe response should their demands be rejected. The Mexicans, still hopeful for British mediation, delayed on the offer instead trying to get their supposed patron involved, but to no avail. The assassination attempt that had caught the British intelligence services off-guard the 1st of July had made him cautious of intervening in American affairs.

iEpv4wZ.jpg

The assassination stunned the public both in the Union of Britain and across the Syndicalist world,
whilst the suspect was apprehended and proved to be an Ulster Loyalist, many in British intelligence
remained convinced of an American connection.

Despite the bluster of the Mexican diplomats in refusing the ultimatum, their army was in shambles having been bled dry of its regulars and elite forces in the hundreds and thousands of kilometers that it had fought a structured retreat across hostile terrain. Although many American units were not in a better situation, the Americans had the benefits of greater capability to rotate its fighting forces. Meaning that although many of the units that the Mexicans faced off with on the border were the same that they had faced off with since the beginning of the war, their foes had had time to rest whilst they hadn't. In sharp contrast to the beginning of the conflict the Americans now firmly ruled the skies with American bombers continually pounding the increasingly disorganized troops at the front and the cities far beyond them. Mexican requests for negotiations were once again met with silence from the British and demands for total and unconditional surrender by the Americans, something which the Mexican government still proved unwilling to do angering the Americans and increasing demands to send a message. Manzanillo had thus far been ignored by bombing raids despite the continuing flow of materials and men from Colombia and Venezuela. The port had begun to symbolise hope, especially as evacuation efforts through the port had begun. It is also reasoned that this was the reason that the port had not been bombed by the Americans. That however changed on the 15th of November, when an American bomber dropped a singular bomb on the city. The more than 18 km high mushroom cloud was soon followed by another American ultimatum demanding the same as before, total and unconditional surrender. Unlike the last time however, the Mexicans did not let their American comrades wait long with their diplomats expressed their acceptance of the American ultimatum and thus the end of the United States of Mexico.

e4X77mD.jpg

Final positions of the Mexican and American forces prior to the
atomic strike on Manzanillo and the subsequent Mexican surrender.

-----------------------------------------

Another two weeks, another post. The Americans may have won the war, but let us see whether they can win the peace. The next post will be a return to the old format and will cover events of 1962 outside of North America, most probably what this means for the Japanese.
 
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JodelDiplom

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Yikes, the war went nuclear and Mexico threw the towel. Now the "friendship troops" will come in for full occupation.

I think for the British the consequences are clear, right? They and their faction must view the Americans and their faction as belligerent enemies. The shared profession of syndicalist doctrine is just a fig leaf behind which naked hostility from the Americans, and their willingness to kill millions in pursuit of total hegemony, is hiding. The syndicalist world has been torn asunder, and cannot be made whole again.

Britain and her allies now face enemies on both sides of the Atlantic: America, and their old foes, the Mitteleuropeans. Should Britain choose to not surrender herself completely to Browder and his demand for hegemony (which is probably very unlikely to happen), she faces the dilemma that currently she is in a situation of permanent military threat and a need for military preparedness both against Germany and her neighbors on the European continent, as well as (now) with the American threat across the Atlantic. Britain cannot possibly hope to sustain, in the long run, the economic cost of maintaining maximum readiness both on and across the high seas against the Americans, and at home and in the north sea against the Mitteleuropean alliance. The Americans will seek to overthrow Britain's allies and trade partners one by one, while the citizens of London live under the damocles's sword of a crippling Mitteleuropean surprise attack, with at no point more than 15 minutes warning time to sound the klaxons, send their people into nuclear shelters, get the mobilization orders out to the territorial defence forces, and launch their own nuclear weapons, before the Mitteleuropean nuclear first strike hits, and their follow up aerial invasion forces touch down on and fields and meadows across southern England. (Of course the mitteleuropeans would dispute that they are planning such moves but then again it would be criminally irresponsible for the British not to prepare for them.)

No nation can maintain the required level of military and civil defense preparedness to withstand this kind of threat against the home islands, while also defending their trade and allies on and across the high seas.

It's time for Mosley to send his best negotiators to Berlin and Tokyo, and prepare to completely re-orient his and his faction's foreign policy priorities. Britain must prevail, if need be, with new friends.
 
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:O wow, CSA nuked Mexico. Brutal. The diplomatic repercussions in the Synditern (is that correct?) will be very interesting.
Those who wish to maintain the syndicalist international have a very hard job persuading those who see no more use in a common organization between American and British factions, given what happened.
 

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I can't shake the feeling that war was an incredible, but believable mistake by Browder.

Americas economic, demographic, and cultural power could have been used to steadily gain ever more control of Sydintern. You can't present Germany as the bigger threar though and preach unity if you're the one dropping nukes on red cities.

Secondly, if you were going to war with mexico, either you're fighting a conventional war or a nuclear one. the destruction, blood and losses of the conventional campaign were pointless if you were willing to pay the social and political price of going nuclear (on a civilian target of all things).

The nuclear attack feels like lost nerve or frustration trumping good judgment.

The good thing is that its an entirely believably folly, and on paper it seems to give the Americans a huge win. they're masters of North America.

But I'm with Jodel...Browder may lose Britain and others over this. Crushing revisionism may just end up making it endemic. In America though, Browder will be King and Chairman...for as far as his bombers can reach.
 
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JodelDiplom

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But I'm with Jodel...Browder may lose Britain and others over this. Crushing revisionism may just end up making it endemic. In America though, Browder will be King and Chairman...for as far as his bombers can reach.
And his aircraft carriers.

I think the American leadership made up their minds long ago... They'd look out first and foremost to their own interests, and not for world revolution. If Britain tagged along, fine, if not, well too bad. America first.
 

Anuerin

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The time has come to decisively reject the running dog social imperialism of the Browderite falsifiers of Reed's legacy. Long live Marxism-Syndicalism-Oswald Mosley Thought!
 
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"Long may it live!" is the correct answer, right?
*looks around nervously *

Depends, comrade, how do you feel about wearing a tall paper crown and going on a walk through SOAS?
 

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Remember when I said that UoB and CSA might divorce just like USSR and China did? This seems more likely now than ever.

Well, China did not nuke Vietnam.
 
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:O wow, CSA nuked Mexico. Brutal. The diplomatic repercussions in the Synditern (is that correct?) will be very interesting.

The Americans have always been about showmanship, after all what better way to crush hope than an atomic weapon that produces an 18 km mushroom cloud. Mexico will be out for the count for a while, but not forever mind you.

Yikes, the war went nuclear and Mexico threw the towel. Now the "friendship troops" will come in for full occupation.

I think for the British the consequences are clear, right? They and their faction must view the Americans and their faction as belligerent enemies. The shared profession of syndicalist doctrine is just a fig leaf behind which naked hostility from the Americans, and their willingness to kill millions in pursuit of total hegemony, is hiding. The syndicalist world has been torn asunder, and cannot be made whole again.

Britain and her allies now face enemies on both sides of the Atlantic: America, and their old foes, the Mitteleuropeans. Should Britain choose to not surrender herself completely to Browder and his demand for hegemony (which is probably very unlikely to happen), she faces the dilemma that currently she is in a situation of permanent military threat and a need for military preparedness both against Germany and her neighbors on the European continent, as well as (now) with the American threat across the Atlantic. Britain cannot possibly hope to sustain, in the long run, the economic cost of maintaining maximum readiness both on and across the high seas against the Americans, and at home and in the north sea against the Mitteleuropean alliance. The Americans will seek to overthrow Britain's allies and trade partners one by one, while the citizens of London live under the damocles's sword of a crippling Mitteleuropean surprise attack, with at no point more than 15 minutes warning time to sound the klaxons, send their people into nuclear shelters, get the mobilization orders out to the territorial defence forces, and launch their own nuclear weapons, before the Mitteleuropean nuclear first strike hits, and their follow up aerial invasion forces touch down on and fields and meadows across southern England. (Of course the mitteleuropeans would dispute that they are planning such moves but then again it would be criminally irresponsible for the British not to prepare for them.)

No nation can maintain the required level of military and civil defense preparedness to withstand this kind of threat against the home islands, while also defending their trade and allies on and across the high seas.

It's time for Mosley to send his best negotiators to Berlin and Tokyo, and prepare to completely re-orient his and his faction's foreign policy priorities. Britain must prevail, if need be, with new friends.
I can't shake the feeling that war was an incredible, but believable mistake by Browder.

Americas economic, demographic, and cultural power could have been used to steadily gain ever more control of Sydintern. You can't present Germany as the bigger threar though and preach unity if you're the one dropping nukes on red cities.

Secondly, if you were going to war with mexico, either you're fighting a conventional war or a nuclear one. the destruction, blood and losses of the conventional campaign were pointless if you were willing to pay the social and political price of going nuclear (on a civilian target of all things).

The nuclear attack feels like lost nerve or frustration trumping good judgment.

The good thing is that its an entirely believably folly, and on paper it seems to give the Americans a huge win. they're masters of North America.

But I'm with Jodel...Browder may lose Britain and others over this. Crushing revisionism may just end up making it endemic. In America though, Browder will be King and Chairman...for as far as his bombers can reach.
And his aircraft carriers.

I think the American leadership made up their minds long ago... They'd look out first and foremost to their own interests, and not for world revolution. If Britain tagged along, fine, if not, well too bad. America first.

Jodel's America First, encapsulates Browder's CSA rather well. The American return to international stagehas never really been about doing their international duty or whatnot even from the outset. All the steps that the Americans have taken from toppling the Entente to expelling the Italians - the last flame of Continental Syndicalism, has served to put American issues first and more control in the hands of America. The Mexican war much serves the same purpose, however as both of you and others mentioned it is very likely to have an undeniable amount of blowback.

Some, potentially the Indochinese and other more 'conscious' parties may withdraw from the SynIntern. However a lot of parties will smell the way the wind is blowing and who will be able to keep sending them money to keep their operations running and it is very likely not to be Mosley and his confederation of Norwegians and Gaels. The UoB is not necessarily in the best of states, even if you discount its unofficially official 'Armed Forces First' policy. Although they've recovered from the bloody slogging match they had with the Entente, all it has done is land them squarely in the American pocket. Expect any attempts by Mosley for a detente with some of the capitalist powers, most likely Germany, that the Americans would see as detrimental to them to be a rather arduous affair.

That is of course not to say that Mosley won't try to break off. After all, he is still convinced that Browder tried to have him killed, not to mention the whole carton of eggs he has on his face for the British withdrawal at the Sargasso stand-off. Just that the actions that he might take to bring himself closer to the Capitalists could end up costing more to Syndicalism in Britain than sticking with the Social Imperialists.

The time has come to decisively reject the running dog social imperialism of the Browderite falsifiers of Reed's legacy. Long live Marxism-Syndicalism-Oswald Mosley Thought!

Well, if Washington keeps at it let's see how long it shall live.


Remember when I said that UoB and CSA might divorce just like USSR and China did? This seems more likely now than ever.
Well, China did not nuke Vietnam.

They didn't indeed, Mexico is also not really Vietnam though. The relations between the two will however get a lot tenser. Most obviously for the fact that London is convinced that Browder or at least somebody close to him, tried to knock off Mosley and they will likely continue to believe it, no matter how many Ulstermen they'll catch trying to pull the same stunt.

-------------------------------------------

New post probably coming tomorrow, by which I apparently mean probably today. Still some proofreading that needs to be done and after that we can finally start move on from 1962. We're also going back to Japan and I hope that we can stick around for a while now that the greatest threat to the thus far unchallenged Lord of the Pacific has returned whilst it is caught up with 'that damn Chinese affair'.
 
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1962 - The Vanguard

Although the 1960s would prove a pivotal moment for International Syndicalism as a whole, as growing doctrinal conflict between the Syndicalist states would see the movement severely hampered, the loudest reverberations of the change that Syndicalism was undergoing would not be felt in the highly Orthodox Syndicalist world or even the Syndicalist-aligned states. Rather the new face of Syndicalism would be moulded in the streets and universities of the Capitalist world. Whilst the splintering of the wider Syndicalist movement as a whole, following the Second Mexican-American War, is the most often cited reasons for the change the underlying reasons of the change are buried much deeper. Indeed, present analysis claims that the origin of the change lies not at the feet of Syndicalists, but instead Nationalists. More specifically the protests that swelled cross Eastern Europe under German Chancellor Frahm, as they posit that the reasons leading to the change brought about by the Studentenbewegung or students movements lie there. Nursed in the German incubator the movement would eventually mostly abandon its nationalist roots and adopt a much more Syndicalist tone as it spread across the Capitalist world. Inspired by the works of French philosophers, colloquially known as the post-Syndicalists, the increasing association with Syndicalists would see the movement take on a radically egalitarian, anti-authoritarian as well as anti-war character. This new message greatly resonated not just among the disillusioned Eastern Europeans nationalists, but also among much of the new generation of students entering higher education in the late fifties and early sixties, most of whom had been brought up during the war or its immediate aftermath. Although always political, the 60s would see a move away from alignment with traditional Syndicalist or Nationalist forces that had been the norm for much of the 1950s. Instead the internal struggles of the SynIntern would see numerous groups break from the Orthodoxy of International Syndicalism as the wider movement itself began to increasing splinter.

YdCTYYt.jpg

Although the violent suppression of the protests in Kiev may have suppressed public outcry for a while, its memory lived on.
The foundation of new groups would also be how the Studentenbewegung seemed to hold so much influence over Syndicalist affairs without really having any direct influence on Orthodox Syndicalism, which still largely continued following the line towed by the 'patron' they had aligned themselves with. The struggles of the young vanguard with the old guard did however see a constant bickering over doctrine, not to mention radicalism, become the norm that lay the foundations for undermining the power that Orthodox Syndicalists still maintained among the public. However it would be misleading to imply that this youthful rebellious spirit was just limited to dealings between the students as well as the representatives of the old order. Internal schisms within the groups proved rampant not just on personal, radical or doctrinal lines, but also on national lines with the best example perhaps being the relations between the various student movements across the Europe - more specifically in its its eastern cradle. Although the Kiev Bloodbath and the increased presence of Hungarian troops in Transylvania may have delayed the inevitable, it could not stem the tide. Whilst the student movements in Germany, the Austrian and to a lesser degree the Hungarian parts of Austro-Hungary would increasingly adopt the ideals of Pan-Europeanism, multinationalism as well as continuing the push for taking a genuine chance on true democracy, the same could not be said for the nations they ruled over. Indeed clashes between the 'native' student movements, for whom the total and utter destruction of the Herrendemokratie and ridding themselves of the "Stahlhelmed ghost haunting Europe" was primary, with the so-called Herrenbewegung only began to intensify as the sixties carried on. This would not only see bitter rivalries form between the 'native' and 'Herrenvolk' student corporations, but also stoke simmering ethnic tensions among the general public.

kL8kRPr.jpg

Photograph of a clash between German and 'native' students, dated mid-1960s.

It goes without saying that the Studentenbewegung would also take very firm root across the Empire of Japan. Given that the Empire had perhaps most closely largely been modelled on Germany and that despite the officially cold relations between the two nations academic cooperation as well as cultural exchange remained vibrant, it comes as no surprise that the trends increasingly present in Germany would find its way quickly to Japan. Although by the 1960s the Gilded Shōwa era had yet to truly subside, the issues that had arisen from such rapid economic development as well as rapid growth across all of Asia had begun to take root across all of society. The appearance of student movements thus saw radicalism break out of hotspots such as Korea and spread across the entire Empire and most worryingly the Home Islands. Many in the Japanese government had hoped that the political liberalisation brought about during the boom era would have as well as the failures of Army radicals in the thirties and the JCP in the fifties would have disgraced radicalism, both ultranationalist and syndicalist, and pushed the public at large towards acceptance, if not appreciation of the status quo. Whilst such trends were indeed true for both blue and white collar workers, the same could not be said for the youth. Many of whom lacked a personal connection to either of these events, especially as more time passed, and who felt increasingly alienated by the system that their figures of authority took pride in and had struggled to build in the preceding years. For many among these alienated youths, the failures did not necessarily represent warnings, but rather endorsements for radical change. It comes as no surprise given the growing influx of young working class Japanese into institutions of higher learning, many of whom had been brought amidst the strikes that had followed the legalisation of labour unionism as well as the Three Diseases Protests, that an increasing number of young Japanese would see the failures and the change that sprung from these events as not just proof that only radical action could bring about change for the Imperial System, but also confirmation that it would also succeed.

K95SpCK.jpg

The growth of the students movement emboldened Japanese students leading to
increasingly violent conflicts between police and protestors.

Much has been said about the political trends within the Japanese students movements, as well as its eventual formation into a largely 'hisei' or non-political movement, concerned primarily with either extremely specific or rather local issues. Despite this eventual form, the early years of the movement in Japan were characterised political activism like their European counterparts. Although popular among the blue collar workers, as mentioned before, the alienated youths that stood at the avant-garde of the Japanese student movement despised the Taishūtō for its rejection of violence, seeing it as little more than a pink face of the establishment and the Imperial System. This hatred would manifest itself most prominently in 1961, when a radical left-wing student activist tried to assassinate Taishūtō bigwig Asanuma Inejirō, whilst the latter was campaigning. Even though Asanuma survived the rift created from this act meant that even after the movement began to splinter, primarily due to the same issues that plagued their European counterparts, negotiations between the two groups were still something that could provoke outrage and even power struggles among both. However, just like in Europe the splintering of the International Syndicalist movement meant that increasing amounts of Japanese student movements began to turn away from even the most radical of the occasionally legal Japanese Syndicalist parties. Despite trying to maintain pace with the student movements, the continued attempts by the JCP to move away from the embarrassing armed struggle in the fifties provoked anger among the more radical student groups. The continued attempts to balance the need to attract the working class, towards whom this slow de-radicalisation was targeted, as well as the young radicals proved too much for many among the latter as they argued that the distancing from violence would see the JCP turn into little more than a slightly louder Taishūtō.

6Y7hvIL.jpg

Despite the assassination attempt, Asanuma declined to change his behaviour
and attempts at betraying himself as a true man of the people.

No discussion of the Studentenbewegung especially the Japanese is complete without addressing the role of women's activism. Although women's activism would be tied to nearly all student movements, the lack of voting rights as well as the changing social structure meant that the movements were especially strongly related in Japan. Throughout the Gilded Shōwa more and more women had entered the workforce not only as glorified office decorations and semi-secretaries, but also as workers in their own right. This trend is largely perceived to be a result of the increased labour demand during the largest periods of expansion. Whilst marriage still represented an indefinite hiatus for their career for a large amount of women, if not most of them, an increasing number of so-called career women continued their professional life well after marriage and even child birth. Whilst this group was initially composed primarily of managerial workers and other specialists by the 1960s it had also begun to encompass limited amounts of women in the industrial and service sector. These latter two groups were also very prominently associated with labour unionism and are noted for the roles they played both in building support for the Three Diseases Protests as well as fortifying spirits of resistance during the Miike strikes. Industrial action was however only one facet of women's activism during the era. During the Constitutional Reforms of 1937, the case for women's suffrage had largely been overshadowed and on some occasions even silenced by those pushing through universal male suffrage. The following decades had also seen little change in the political role of women and although the suffragette movement continued in Japan, by the 1940s it had largely become comatose. The movement did however gain a new lease on life in the second half of the 1950s, when growing amounts of women in the work force as well as increasing numbers of highly educated women started demanding equal rights. The egalitarian message preached by the students movement saw the two groups increasingly intertwine despite deep-seated conflicts between radicals of both movements. This ranged from rejecting the need to fight for voting rights as a bourgeoisie ploy to accusations that the more libertine trends within the students groups, such as the resurgence of polygamy, was a ploy to deprive women of equal rights as well as other issues also common within the student movement itself.

TIhg6mj.jpg

Demonstration for women's voting rights by Japanese student activists.
-----------------------------------------
January


January 1 - In Germany, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer announces the formation of the Federated States of Oceania made up of the German Pacific colonies. The move draws criticism from DKP members, who admonish him for repeating the mistakes of the SPD. The move however leaves Zentrum support largely untouched. The region is set to gain independence in 1963.
January 9 – The assassination of Dominican President Rafael Trujillo marks the beginning of the descent into civil war for the island nation as the struggle for power turns violent between Trujillo loyalists and the post-Trujillo junta. Following the American blockade of the Caribbean the appearance of a third group - American funded Syndicalists.
January 10 – An avalanche on Nevado Huascarán in Peru causes 4,000 deaths.
January 28 - The Japanese satellite Teisatsu 1 is launched to study the Moon, but narrowly misses its intended target.

41ux3PP.jpg

Photographs of the bullet riddled car of Trujillo would have likely made quite the
headlines had it not been for the war between the CSA and Mexico.

February

February 1 - In Japan, Tokyo becomes the first city in the world to cross the 10 million citizens mark.
February 7 - In Germany, 299 are killed in the in the Luisenthal Mine Tragedy. The disaster was triggered when a methane explosion, caused by the opening of a methane cavern, triggers a massive coal dust explosion.
February 13 - A British attempt to pierce the American blockade is foiled after the American People's Navy arrives in force.
February 20 – The FDB-105 Arrow interceptor aircraft begins to be rolled out across the forces of the Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although no deliveries are made to the Union of Britain after the recent decline in relations, the British have previously obtained plans and begin production in their own plants.

6dJOBfJ.jpg

The rapid and ever continuing growth of Tokyo raised quite a number of concerns for the
Japanese government, despite the apparent prestige from having the largest city in the world.

March

March 9 - In the German Empire, Zentrum makes a poor showing at the general election, however still manages to gain enough seats for a majority together with its previous coalition partners the NLP and the FVP. Many commentators suggest that the dwindling support of the the Chancellor's party has to do with labour union rabble-rousing about the threat of Pan-Europeanism as preached by the Chancellor.
March 11 - In Austria, the Christian Democrats lead by Kurt Edler von Schuschnigg manage a close victory over the Social Democratic Workers' Party. The latter has been criticised over the past few years due to its failure to address both social and foreign policy issues, as well as a harsher stance on the Legion by von Schuschnigg.
March 18 - 'Un premier amour' sung by Isabelle Aubret wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1962 for France.
March 24 - A number of bomb attacks occur in Shanghai, killing 110 and injuring 147. Constabulary investigation implicates the NLFNC (National Liberation Front of North China) as responsible for the event, but the organization denies its involvement, blaming it on out of hand power struggles among the local Triad factions.

April

April 7 - Nelson Mandela is arrested by the South African government near Howick, and charged with incitement to rebellion.
April 16 - The Nissho Maru, the largest tanker in the world at the time is launched from the Sasebo Naval Arsenal.
April 18 – The Japanese cabinet orders the evacuation of all nationals and diplomatic personnel from Mexico, citing the worsening security environment as well as the threat to lives as a cause.
April 28 – A firefight ensues between Legion-affiliated militants and Hungarian forces leaving 10 gendarmerie and 2 legionaries dead. The incident comes during manoeuvrers by Romanian forces along the Transylvanian border. Hungarian Landwehr units are rushed to the border, whilst the Common Army units are put on high alert.

XBUgLkP.jpg

The Nissho Maru standing by a slip.
May

May 2 - Benfica beats Real Madrid 5–3 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam winning the 1961–62 European Cup in association football.
May 3 – In Japan, the Mikawashima train crash kills 160 and injures around 300. The accident causes Japanese National Railways to change its policy of not stopping its trains unless absolutely necessary to stopping trains regardless the size of the accident.
May 14 – King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece are married at a ceremony in Athens. The wedding also plays host to talks, as Germany tries to align Spain and the Austrians attempt to truly align the Greeks against the Legion.
May 15 - The first armed helicopter company of the Heer is formed at the Port of Matadi with the intent of gaining better control over the Congolese interior. Additional helicopter formations are being formed across the dispersed forces of Infanterie-Div. 'Lettow-Vorbeck'. The manoeuvrability offered by the formation also draws the attention of the rest of the Heer.

oHHgwLl.jpg

One of the first German Helicopter units leaving for patrol duty, dated May of 1962.
June

June 4 - The Kōmei Seiji Renmei, the political arm of the Sōka Gakkai, announces its official reformation into a new party the Kōmeitō.
June 11 - Following a ceasefire called in May after the forces of the Indochinese Federation are routed by Indian regulars and Laotian guerillas the Bangkok Accords are signed officially recognizing Laos as an independent state. Although Saigon continues backing guerilla forces in the region, the growing Indian presence as well as the lack of aid to it during the Syndicalist Congress in Brest has put the Indochinese off the costly failure.
June 15 – The world's first commercial communications satellite belonging to the Japanese state-owned communications company NDD is launched into orbit and activated the next day.
June 17 - Brazil beats Bohemia 3–1 winning the 1962 FIFA World Cup.

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Being marred by constant violence the 1962 World Cup would see a revitalization of the
Chilean Junta, still reeling from the 1960 earthquake.

July

July 1 - An assassination attempt is made at Chairman Oswald Mosley whilst he is giving a speech in London. The assassin flees the scene and escapes into the dense smog choking London. The event leads to harsh crackdowns across London, during which the assassin is caught, as well as causing the aging Chairman to refrain from future speeches. Rumours circulate about the hit being organized by Washington.
July 3 - The Japanese national men's gymnastic team picks up its first victory at the 15th World Gymnastics Championships in Prague.
July 11 - The YS-11 and replacement hope for the ageing Nakajima L2D, the first fully Japanese engineered passenger aircraft, makes its maiden flight.
July 12 – Japan's first TV information magazine 'Weekly TV Guide' is launched.

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The YS-11 as the first truly Japanese passenger jet would be pushed hard by MITI.
Thanks to this, it quickly rose to dominate air travel across Asia.

August

August 18 – The Quarrymen debut nationally as their single 'Love Me Do'/'P.S. I Love You' releases and is played on the BBC Light Programme.
August 19 - The 44th Kōshien is won by Tochigi Sakushin Gakuin High School, its first victory at the Summer event. This also marks the first consecutive Kōshien victory in the same year.
August 24 - In Indonesia, the launch of the TVRI marks the official launch of a domestic television service in the region.
August 26 - M5.9 class earthquake occurred on Miyakejima due to a volcanic eruption.

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Despite the growing anti-American sentiment in the Union of Britain, British officials proved unwilling
to ban rock music. Claiming it as fighting the Americans with their own weapons.

September

September 1 - Typhoon Wanda strikes Hong Kong, killing at least 130 and injuring more than 600.
September 7 - The Europarat bill is narrowly approved in the Reichstag. Although its detractors call it an attack on German interests, the bill as well as the powers of the Europarat have been greatly watered down to assure its passage as well as continued German dominance over the bloc. The Council, made up of delegates from each of the willing states in the Mitteleuropan economic union, has advisory as well as theoretical legislative power over the future of the new economic union.
September 20 - Excavation of the Shin-Tanna Tunnel is completed, progress on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen project is proceeding as scheduled with the opening of the line scheduled prior to the 1964 Olympic Games. Japanese National Railways also begins funding research into maglev trains.
September 26 - The Wakato Ōhashi, which connects Tobata City, Fukuoka Prefecture and Wakamatsu City is opened.

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With a 367-meter main span and two kilometer length, the Wakato Ōhashi
quickly earned the nickname of 'finest suspension bridge in the Orient'.

October

October 1 - 'Staking more than Life', the first film starring the stout, but debonair British Intelligence operative James Bond premieres at the London Pavilion, featuring Sean Connery as the hero.
October 5 - In Japan, the first National Comprehensive Development Plan is formulated. The plan argues for 'social development' as well as achieving a more balanced regional economic development to counter the growing issue of urban overcrowding as well as the depopulation of the countryside.
October 11 – Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.
October 19 - The New Japan Women's Association is formed. Although decried by some for its ties to the Japanese Communist Party, the organization quickly gains support on campuses due to its loud demands for equal rights setting itself apart from the the women's organization of the past.

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Set in Canada during the height of the Syndicalist War, the movie has been
conspicuously scrubbed of the role played by CSA operatives.


November

November 4 - A postal bomb explodes at the office of a fan club for the famous enka artist Shimakura Chiyoko. The package is signed Sōka Jirō and marks the start of a massive man hunt across the Imperial Capitol.
November 15 - The Republic of China begins first steps into the realization of the Three Gorges Dam project.
November 28 - Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands dies in the Het Loo Palace.
November 29 – Video Research, an audience rating research company, funded by Tokyo Shibaura Electric, Dentsu as well as 18 commercial broadcasters is established.

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Although Queen Wilhelmina had considered abdication in the late 40s due to poor health, she had been
convinced against it and had instead delegated much of her duties to her heir apparent Princess Juliana.

December

December 7 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco revises the principality's constitution, devolving some of his formerly autocratic power to several advisory and legislative councils.
December 20 - Kyobashi, the first service section of the Metropolitan Expressway opens.
December 22 - The 'Big Freeze' begins in the Union of Britain.
December 24 - In Japan, following the first broadcast day of Radio Gifu, the number of commercial broadcasters in the Empire crosses 45.

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The 'Big Freeze' marked the coldest winter in the Union of Britain since 1895
with there being no frost-free nights until the 5th of March 1963.
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