The Crucible of Liberty

[Paul Hanson]

The Crucible of Liberty​

The United States of America in 1936​

At the beginning of 1936, the United States continued to buckle under the strains of the Great Depression. Although her economy dwarved that of any potential rivals, and certainly of any of her close neighbours, the US still had considerable economic problems to contend with; double-digit unemployment figures, a lack of government spending, insufficient capital and massive drops in international trade meant that America could not afford to rest on her laurels. The “New Deal”, a series of federal aid and relief programs enacted by Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had yet to yield much in the way of results. There were many, both within government circles and outside of them, who were of the opinion that the New Deal was ill-conceived and ultimately harmful to business; the very cornerstone of the American Dream.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States​

Despite this, President Roosevelt remained popular with many within the US. Despite being born into wealth and privilege, he was well-liked by the common man, who perhaps saw Roosevelt as being the only real choice with regards to bringing America out of the Depression. Roosevelt looked almost certain to win the elections, scheduled for November 3rd, with voters widely expected to back his party in the Congressional elections as well. For the time being, it seemed that Roosevelt was to be America’s choice, although at the time none could accurately predict how long this would last.

Europe and Asia, the two regions that would define the coming decade​

The international scene was of little consequence to America at the start of 1936. The isolationist streak, so prevalent in American politics following the end of the First World War and the rejection of the League of Nations Charter by Congress in 1919, continued to enjoy popular support in the US. Free of “entangling alliances”, the United States was free to chart her own course through the murky waters of international politics; as of 1936, it remained to be seen what this course would be or, more importantly, who would be America’s helmsman. The rise of fascism and socialism in Europe, and of militarism in Asia, were recognised by some in the United States as being potentially threatening to the peace that millions had died to achieve in 1918; for the time being, however, America had problems to deal with that sat somewhat closer to home.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Firstly, a few notes about this AAR. I'm playing it on Normal difficulty, with AI aggression also set to normal (partly a consequence of me forgetting to set it higher, but hell, I'm not that good a player). I'm using what I believe to be the latest version of CORE (0.9?) and have not added any new events or deleted/altered any pre-existing ones, as I simply don't have the know-how to do so. I have, however, added a few new classes of ships to pad out the ones that weren't included in the model.csv file (I assume that the US of OTL didn't build any Nuclear Guided Missile Battleships, but if mine eventually ends up doing so they'll be called Washington-class BBs, for example).

I also have limited access to books covering this period in history, so occasionally I will make mistakes. Bear with me if you see something outrageously unrealistic; by all means let me know, but attempt to enjoy the story all the same.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Great stuff. This AAR is going places.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Part 2: State of the Union​

On January 3rd, Roosevelt entered the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. to address a joint session of both Houses. His third State of the Union address was to focus heavily on world affairs, and the threat posed to peace by autocratic regimes. Several passages in his speech made reference to, in some form, “the Nations which are dominated by the twin spirits of autocracy and aggression”; a fairly clear allusion to the collapse of representative government in countries like Germany and Japan. Roosevelt’s speech set out his foreign policy aims, and they amounted to what could best be called “passive neutrality”; the United States would remain disengaged from the world stage in an active sense, but would provide “all legitimate encouragement and assistance to persuade other Nations to return to the ways of peace and good-will”.

Roosevelt delivering the State of the Union Address, January 3rd 1936​

Using this as a springboard, Roosevelt delivered an articulate defence of the New Deal, and attacked those who he saw as being impediments to true economic recovery; “...financial and industrial groups, numerically small but politically dominant...”. In his eyes, big business spoke only for it’s own narrow interests, and it was the Federal Government that was truely the voice of the people. In response to critics of the New Deal, Roosevelt had spelt out the case for further government intervention in the economy, and with both the House and the Senate firmly within Democratic hands he looked certain to advance this agenda with little difficulty.
Perhaps as a way of disarming his critics (especially those from big business), on January 4th Roosevelt appointed Henry J. Kaiser to head the Treasury Department. Kaiser was best known for his work on a number of grand infrastructure projects commissioned by the federal government throughout the early 1930’s; the Boulder Dam and the accompanying housing project of Boulder City being the most famous examples of Kaiser’s work. He was regarded as a leading figure in the construction industry, with a keen eye for details and an indepth working knowledge of business practice. Kaiser, to put it shortly, was the ideal man for the moment.

Henry J. Kaiser, Secretary of the Treasury from January 4th 1936​

Almost immediately upon taking office, Kaiser set about his work. Extensive pamphleting and regular meetings with the heads of big business soon began to yield results, in what historians would later call “The Kaiser Miracle”. The number of business startups in 1936 was 85% greater than it had been in 1935, and although later years would see a slowing in growth, figures continued to rise steadily until well into the 1940’s. It appeared that Roosevelt had been at least partly correct when he claimed that the Great Depression had not been a failure of the free-market, but one of confidence. With Kaiser at the helm, it seemed to many that the American economy had overcome the worst, and would now be on the up again.

These hopes were relatively shortlived, however. Throughout the course of the 1930’s, the American economy would continue to be buffeted by strong forces; forces that the government could not always afford to meet head on. The same would be true for the country as a whole, as liberty itself began to face threats from a variety of sources.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Great update, very good style.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Part 3: First Moves​

Germany wasted no time alerting the world to its move​

In the early hours of January 21st, word began to reach the ears of prime ministers, kings and presidents the world over; German forces, estimated to be 10,000 strong, had entered the Rhineland and reoccupied it in the name of Germany. The news was met with surprise in most of Europe’s capitals, and it was sometime before Germany’s neighbours issued formal statements on the matter.

The Dutch were equally quick in announcing their reaction​

The Hague was the quickest in coming forward with a reaction. Jacob A. de Wilde, the Dutch Foreign Minister, expressed the Dutch government’s deep dissatisfaction at Germany for breaking the terms of the Versailles Treaty, and announced it’s intent to fortify it’s frontier with Germany, as a “precaution”. Berlin summarily ignored the Dutch statement; no official reply was forthcoming, although German officials were heard to make off-the-record remarks questioning, amongst other things, the ability of the Dutch to respond to a serious incursion of their country’s borders.

Brussels preferred words to actions​

The next expressions of disquiet came from Brussels. In an official statement, Prime Minister van Zeeland protested the German actions but offered little else in the way of discouragement. Unlike the Dutch, the Belgians were not prepared to “justify” the German actions by responding to them in kind; there would be no further preparation of border defences in Belgium.

The French were surprisingly slow in reacting to developments​

It was not until 9am local time that the French government issued its response. Pierre Etienne Flandin, the Foreign Minister, denounced German actions but refused to contemplate any direct action, mimicking the Belgian response. The French public was in no mood for military action, although with the benefit of hindsight there is a good chance many of them would have seen things differently. Nonetheless, France proposed instead taking the matter to the Council of the League of Nations, an action which was supported by the United Kingdom as laid out in it’s official statement on the matter, given by Anthony Eden a hour after the French statement (it should be noted that the British government’s attention was focused on the matter of King George V’s funeral and the ascension of Edward VIII to the throne, which occurred a few days beforehand). Partly prompted by German aggression, the British government would later contact the French and Belgian governments, giving its assurances that it would stand by its alliance commitments in the event of future German aggression.

Britain kept it’s distance at first, but would ultimately stand by it’s allies​

Across the Atlantic, the reaction was somewhat stronger. Roosevelt was furious when he heard the news. Although the State Department took some time to send a statement to the German ambassador in Washington, it was clear when it was sent that the US would not accept Germany violating a key provision of the Versailles Treaty. A duty was slapped on a number of German imports; in retaliation, the Germans did the same. The resultant job losses caused a minor rise in anti-German public opinion, while Roosevelt and his government appeared to escape blame.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Part 4: Rising Sun​

Japan’s descent into military dictatorship and subsequent expansionism throughout the 1930’s was the cause of great consternation throughout both Asia and the wider world. The United States in particular viewed events in Japan with great concern, as an expansionist Japan could potentially represent a threat to US holdings in the Pacific. So it was with some unease that the State Department viewed the events of February 26th 1936.

The Emperor was quick to order loyal troops in​

In the early hours of the morning, a group of junior officers in the Japanese military (estimates range from 1200 to 1400) seized control of a number of key government buildings in Tokyo, the Diet, police HQ and army ministry buildings among them. Several key cabinet members were killed by the rebels, and the Prime Minister, Okada Keisuke, narrowly escaped with his life. By the end of the day, most of the city was under rebel control.
The rebels claimed to be fighting in the Emperor’s name; they believed that the current government was controlled by business interests and was neglecting the cause that they considered important, which was the expansion of Japanese influence in Asia, preferably by military means. Whatever the rebel’s aims, their coup attempt was to become a critical point in the history of Japan, though probably not for the reasons they had hoped.
Furious that the rebels would attempt not only to overthrow the government, but have the cheek to do so in his name as well, Hirohito ordered loyal army and navy troops to step in and put down the coup. Having imposed martial law, the military took to the streets of Tokyo and began rooting out the rebels, all of whom were reported to be captured by the evening of the 29th.

The military installed Koki, whom they believed to be a ‘yes’ man​

The effects of the coup attempt were wide-ranging, and put Japan further down the slippery slope to military government, which some commentators argued she had been on for some time. Okada was forced to resign by the military, in part because of his inability to prevent the coup, and in his place they installed Koki Hirota. Koki was a career diplomat, and was seen by the military as someone who could easily be influenced by their collective will. Although he was only to serve as Prime Minister for a year, until being forced out by the army in February 1937, his tenure would be critical to Japan’s descent into greater authoritarianism. Ultimately, it would have consequences for the world at large in years to come.

The famous 3rd Infantry was dispatched to reinforce Macarthur​

The United States’ reaction to the 2-2-6 incident, as it became known, was to quietly reinforce the Philippines. The 3rd Infantry Division under General Clarence R. Huebner was dispatched to reinforce General Macarthur in Manila, along with the cruisers USS Chicago and USS Salt Lake City. Admiral William Leahy, commander of the Battle Fleet, expressed his disapproval of the plan in a carefully worded letter to Roosevelt, indicating that in his opinion, “the piecemeal dispersion of American naval and land power is merely inviting trouble at some later date”. Roosevelt’s response was to assign the next two cruisers out of dry-dock to the Battle Fleet to compensate for any loss, and to approve the recruitment of a new infantry division to replace the 3rd in the defence of America proper.
These plans did little to placate Leahy, but he grudgingly accepted them in public and continued to do his duty. It would not be long before history would judge who was in the right; himself, or Roosevelt.

 

[Patriotes1837]

Keep it up. Will follow.

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Continue please oh please. Excellent writing.

 

[unmerged(34884)]

Yes continue...

Quitely reinforce Phillies, and then?? We must know who was rightfull...

 

[unmerged(10426)]

I'm following this. What modpack(s) are you using, btw? I notice you have the same country colours as Mett used in Advantages. The army green of the US is somehow quite visually pleasing.

Will this be significantly alternate history, or are you going to follow the historical route as close as possible?

 

[Paul Hanson]

I'm using CORE v0.9, which uses different colours than vanilla HOI (I forget which version of CORE introduced it).

As for historical accuracy, there will be differences once the AAR gets going. I'll be endeavouring to keep the changes realistic, and where possible I'll attempt to provide some manner of justification for the changes (which will be small at first, but once war breaks out hopefully we'll be seeing some more serious differences).

I know that this AAR's a bit slow going at the moment, but things will get going eventually, I promise. Bear with me.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Part 5: Neutral Parties​

Congress proposed tighter restrictions on executive power​

Whilst liberty continued to buckle in Japan, Congress decided to launch its own reaction to events abroad. They proposed a tweaking of the Neutrality Act of 1935, prohibiting the granting of loans to “belligerents” in any conflict. Roosevelt balked at this somewhat, as it made no distinction between victim and aggressor in any given situation, and was a further constraint on the power of the executive to conduct foreign relations as it saw fit. However, his advisors made it clear that the Act had two things going for it; one, public support, and two, a loophole. This loophole existed in a clause that provided for the president to declare a state of war between two belligerents; provided Roosevelt did no such thing, he would have a much freer hand to support nations that shared America’s viewpoints (and in some cases, those that did not).

The Nationalists and Communists were forced together by unusual events​

At the beginning of April, news came that Chiang Kai-Shek had been kidnapped by two of his own generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng. Together, and with the support of Communist leader Zhou Enlai, they “convinced” Chiang to join a united front with the Chinese Communists against the Japanese, who grew more and more belligerent by the day. Although the incident would remain shrouded in mystery and continues to present questions to this day, news of it drew the attention of the US administration to the increasingly strained relations that existed not only between the various Chinese factions, but between the Chinese and the Japanese.
After Sian, April proved to be a fairly quiet month as far as the State Department was concerned. Asia continued to simmer, but it was felt that it would be counterproductive for America to get itself involved at the current time. Elsewhere, Canada re-elected the Conservative government of Richard Bedford Bennett for a second term, Germany sent aid to Afghanistan and signed a trade agreement with Yugoslavia, and a cyclone struck India, damaging local infrastructure and prompting Britain to send aid to help in the clean-up. The spring of 1936 looked to be a sleepy one to many in America and Europe, although tension always seemed to be lurking under the surface.

The storms would soon be figurative as well​

The facade of peace was somewhat damaged in mid-May, when news arrived from Spain that President Niceto Alcalá Zamora had been ousted from office by the left-wing Popular Front leader Manuel Azaña. Azaña had previously been Prime Minister, and his policies had been indirectly responsible for an economic crisis earlier in the year which had left the peseta woefully undervalued. A series of general strikes followed as workers demanded higher wages, and it seemed that order in the country had all but broken down. The violence reached such levels of intensity and repetition that Rex Smith, manager of the AP’s Madrid bureau, was heard to remark that it would have saved a great deal of time and effort if each act of violence in the country was assigned a code, and that this code then be sent to New York each time something specific happened. One can only imagine the scenes in New York had this plan been carried through.

Manuel Azaña, Niceto Alcalá Zamora, Francisco Franco and José Sanjurjo​

The obvious weakness of the Spanish Republic began to attract attention, not least from those who were politically aligned against it. Rumours began to spread of meetings between a cabal of army officers, disaffected with the government and longing to restore Spain’s past glory. José Sanjurjo, Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola began plotting the overthrow of the democratic government and the establishment of a military dictatorship. It would be some time before their efforts began to bear fruit, but when they did the world would hold it’s breath.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Part 6: Small Victories​

Mussolini proclaims victory in Abyssinia​

On May 20th, Benito Mussolini proclaimed to the Italian people (and the rest of the world, who happened to be listening in) from the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia that Italy had triumphed over the Abyssinians. Italy annexed the defeated nation, and King Victor Emmanuel III was proclaimed Emperor of Ethiopia, to the delight of the Italian population. Pope Pius XI expressed his admiration for the conquest, surprising many as the Pope’s relationship with Mussolini was known to be rocky.

Schuschnigg further consolidated his grip on Austria​

Further to the north, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg further consolidated his power by proposing plans to disband the Heimwehr, a nationalist paramilitary group which had the potential to split the Austro-fascist movement. With the Heimwehr out of the way, Schuschnigg became the sole leader of the Austrian fascists; a fact which drew the attention of a fellow countryman, Adolf Hitler.

The two leaders were courted by the major European nations​

Hitler’s was also keenly interested in Mussolini’s Italy, following the annexation of Abyssinia. On May 21st, Mussolini was invited to make a state visit to Germany, an invitation which he accepted. Ties between the two main fascist powers were clearly increasing, and for the time being the United States could do little but sit on the sidelines and watch. Opinion polls indicated that only 3% of the American public had any desire for “war against those who preach non-democratic governance”.
On the same day as the German invitation, Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassie arrived in London to petition the British government. Although initially wary of taking action against Italy for fear of driving them closer to Germany, Haile Selassie was ultimately successful in persuading the British to pressure the League of Nations into placing sanctions on Italy. Ultimately, they would have little effect, largely due to American non-membership of the League. The US, for its part, refused to recognise Italian rule over Abyssinia, a decision that would cause some minor damage its relations with the Italians.
In Japan, the government finally got round to dealing with those involved in the 2-2-6 incident back in February. The survivors were court-martialled and given a stark choice; execution, or ritual suicide. Figures were never released indicating the extent of either choice, but it was inconsequential; the militarists had gained more power, and with it greater confidence. This confidence was soon to have consequences for the entire Pacific region, the United States included.

The USN developed a number of important doctrines​

Come the end of June, the United States Navy also had cause to celebrate. Strategists and naval theorists at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland devised a number of new doctrines, designed to enable the navy to meet new challenges. The groundwork that these doctrines laid would prove its worth in the coming years, when the USN would be tested like never before.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Incidently (and hopefully this won't give too much away), does anyone know if it's possible for the US to send expeditionary forces? A fair major part of this AAR requires me to be able to do so, and I can't for the life of me manage it (the option simply doesn't exist on the menu). Is there anything I can do to allow it?

 

[VILenin]

Not sure about that. My rememberance of USA in Hoi 1 is a little foggy. I thought you could still send exp. forces but they might have changed that for the time where US is still isolationist. Your AAR is very good, by the way. Keep it up!

 

[unmerged(34884)]

When ur not in an alliance u cant send exp forces i believe, but its very long time i played hoi1.

 

[Paul Hanson]

Damn. Never mind; I'll just have to abstract that part of the story a bit then.

 

[elbasto]

If I remeber correctly, in C.O.R.E. you weren't allowed to send exp. forces, so the button to do so might have another name (like "do not use" or something similar).

But I haven't played C.O.R.E. for a long long time...

 

[Paul Hanson]

I thought that might be the case, so I loaded the save game as Britain, and the "Send Expeditionary Force" button was there. Must either be a US-specific thing, or a restriction placed on countries not in an alliance.

Next update coming later this evening (for me at least)!