Peace in Our Time! - A TRO Inspired Franco-British Union Quest

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Introduction, The General Election of 1948
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It was Spring 1947 when the guns finally fell silent across the world. The hammer and sickle flag flew high across Europe. From Moscow to Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Istanbul, and everything else in between. The Axis laid dead, defeated by the millions of men and women of the Red Army. Beneath their banner hundreds of millions of people have been liberated from fascist and reactionary regimes as the old order is swept aside. The proletariat of Europe cried out in celebration at the Soviet Union's momentous triumph over the Hitlerites that threatened to crush the continent beneath their heels. The leadership of the Axis regimes were publicly tried in the city of Nuremberg, all sentenced to death by a panel of Soviet officers, party members, and judges for their numerous crimes against humanity and world peace. Hitler, Petain, Horthy, Mussolini, and many, many others executed by firing squad.

Their trials was the most popular radio broadcast in world history, and remained the number one film reel exported by the Soviet Union for many years to come. The BBC unfortunately did not have a crew in Nuremberg to record themselves. Much to their chagrin they had to request transcripts and reels from the Soviet embassy, which did not respond to the BBC's calls as they were too busy celebrating. Premier Bukharin was considered by many as the most popular man in Europe, second only to Grand Marshal Tukhachevsky and perhaps Jesus Christ. The mood on the continent could be described as nothing short of exuberant across all walks of life, save the fascists, though the opinion of the dead is hardly a concern in matters of public polling. There were a great deal of arrested, imprisoned, exiled, and dead fascists under Soviet occupation as they tore up the regimes, root and stem. In their place were new governments formed with Moscow's official approval. Moscow proved polite enough to not interfere too much with the inner workings communist parties under its wing. Across Europe new people's and socialist republics were proclaimed under the careful guidance of Moscow, adding to the growing ranks of the Soviet Union's allies. If anyone could be considered an undisputed victor of the Second World War, it would be the Soviets.

Them and the Japanese, but many in London were momentarily pretending Asia didn't exist to cope. The Diet had fended off attempted coups by the military and reigned in the Emperor to secure democracy's undisputed place in Japan. It achieved the impossible to forge a liberal empire not unlike Britain, founded on the principles of Pan-Asianism and Wilsonian National Liberation. Well, except for the puppet regimes it carved out of China or its numerous military bases all over the South Pacific. Just like Britain, truly. In the course of the war it had liberated Southeast Asia from empires too busy losing in Europe to fight off the Japanese. That allowed it to establish a collection of allied regimes closely tied with Tokyo. Somehow managing to break America's nose in the many knife fights in the Pacific. America's industrial capacity meant little when it was dead beat broke and run by a dysfunctional government that refused to lift a finger to solve its myriad of issues. Instead Washington desperately waited for the market to correct itself well into the 40s.

Many wondered where it had all gone wrong. The war was a long, arduous affair drawn out by the refusal of the Allies to cooperate with the Soviets or each other. Britain's demands to coordinate their efforts fell on deaf ears as America insisted that London handle Europe itself. Only a token American force led by General Patton was sent to North Africa to help protect it from the Axis's advance. It was only once the war had been lost that Washington realized the full scope of their mistake. Their only lifeline for quick profits laid in British hands. The Soviet's calls for cooperation were ignored by Washington, while London constantly fumbled the bag over and over again. Churchill repeatedly failed to strike a rapport with Bukharin or Foreign Minister Andrei Zhdanov, or cede any Soviet requests during preliminary discussions about post war Europe. It was no surprise that by the end of the war the Soviets decided they'd put up with enough nonsense from their Anglo-American counterparts. Britain's refusal to recognize any Soviet regimes sealed the deal. Victory over the Axis belonged to the Soviets, and them alone. Leaving London and Algiers to play host to a collection of exiled monarchs and former heads of state.

Suffice it to say that in London the mood was quite dour, one would even dare say it was downright unpleasant and glum. V-Day had come and gone with barely a peep of excitement. Crowds anxiously milled about when they heard the news, expecting a sense of relief that never came. The war was over certainly, yet many in Britain felt like they had been on the losing side. Which they had been according to the terms of Treaty of Vancouver they signed with Japan. The Nazis were defeated but Britain had nothing to show for it, except debt and the world's largest empire. That was little consolation to the average person on the street. Rationing continued with no end in sight. Britain's other half in the Franco-British Union was faring little better. French Algeria seethed with rage that they had failed to liberate the Metropole. Algiers, and thus London, refused to recognize the Soviet and French Resistance organized elections which saw the Communist Party and SFIO win an overwhelming majority of the vote as valid.

Why? Well, the Soviets had quite rudely ignored Britain's demands that London supervise the elections directly. The Soviet backed French Commune refused to bend a knee to London or recognize the Franco-British Union as valid. Moscow had left the phone on the counter, dial tone buzzing away with no answer in sight. It was an unprofessional petty slight that was incompletely uncalled for by the Soviets. A practical slap in the face to London by Bukharin. It's not like Britain had given millions of pounds to Hitler even up until September 1939 to fund a genocidal war against the Soviets. After all, the Foreign Office was busy burning proof of that! All claims to the contrary were expertly countered by the BBC metaphorically putting their fingers in their ears while yelling at their Soviet correspondents i.e. Labour, as the Soviets didn't care to answer the BBC's questions.

Yes, that old Hitler chap didn't turn out quite as expected. The years of war had soured many Britons on the man for rather understandable reasons, though the Daily Mail held strong in its commitment to the late dictator. The Nazis refused to play ball with Britain, and now the world had been thrown into complete chaos. Centuries of European dominance had been upended in a few short violent years. New, dangerous ideas were finding fertile ground across the world when the empire was most vulnerable: democracy, self determination, national liberation, communism! It was 1919 all over again but with freikorps to stop it! The League of Nations had failed completely in its job of securing peace and European hegemony. The Soviets and Japanese had broken the back of Europe's empires and humbled America, showing the oppressed peoples of the world a way forward that didn't involve kowtowing to British grain magnates. Africans and Asians suddenly thought they had the right to own their own resources rather than some foreign conglomerate!

The only consolation for the diehard imperialists was the FBU had retained control over its African and Indian colonies, mostly. Bengal was liberated by Japan, forcing London to finally grant the Raj dominion status. Rationing, debt, poverty, all of it could presumably be fixed by spending money London didn't have to squeeze more blood from the continent. The average Briton or Frenchmen cared little for that though. It was no prize to see their sons conscripted to garrison a colony in Africa. American promises of manpower mattered little when Washington and Wall Street were breathing down London's neck looking for debt repayments and economic concessions to pay off its own war reparations to Japan. All of which came to the forefront during the first post war election of 1948.

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The Clown Show

The national government that had maintained unity during the war finally ruptured as factions began bickering and pointing fingers at each other. Churchill was forced to step aside as head of Tories to let his protege Anthony Eden take charge of the party ahead of the election. Labour lambasted the Tories for their many failures before and during the war. Clement Attlee pulled no punches in blasting the Tories apart. The Liberals remained hanger ons as always, attempting to eke out seats for themselves with mild success according to polling, though only in ridings with a weak Labour presence. Their policies were unclear or unappealing to the average voter. Talks of mergers were considered in backroom dealings, between British parties or potentially with French parties. Splinters threatened party unity while party whips harassed wayward party members to keep discipline intact.

Algeria was undergoing political upheavals as well. Literal ones too with car bombings and assassinations becoming commonplace among rival factions. The Vichy collaborator Admiral Darlan worked to outmaneuver Free France figure General De Gaulle to secure the support of the conservatives, settlers, military, and Vichy exiles. Tensions were running a bit high between Free France and Vichy figures, though both put aside their differences to murder communist organizers. Monarchies got in on the violence too. Orleanists, Bonapartists, and Legitimists feverishly killing each other to determine which of their chosen candidates would get to marry the already married Princess Elizabeth. The possibility of symbolically and literally uniting the crowns of Britain and France appealed to many of them, though they remained a violently outspoken minority position.

As the junior partner in the Union, French Algeria would be sending their representatives directly to London rather than receiving their own separate national parliament. Its population was slightly higher than Scotlands, and with far fewer Europeans to boot. Much to the chagrin of many settlers, Muslims were allowed to run for office, though native parties were crushed underfoot by the French military and local police. It was a bloody affair to say the least. The outcome would shape the initial post war policy for the new Union going forward. Concerns in the Foreign Office were very high too as America conducted its own election. Always the fickle beast, the results in Washington could have a larger impact on the FBU's future than its own election. But that was entirely out of its control, up to the whims of fate and the American people. Nobody was sure which was more unreliable than the other…

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This is the 1948 general election. It's key to shaping the initial post war consensus in Franco-British politics. The votes are weighted to represent the electorate's vibe.

French political parties will be unable to form a majority government on their own, no matter how many votes they may receive. They must always form a coalition if they want to form a government. The nationality in brackets indicates where they're running and drawing their support base from. As the Union is relatively new there's yet to be cross national party mergers and cadet branches.

There's two rounds of voting to decide government policies. The first is the general election to determine which party or coalition wins power. The next is determining foreign and domestic policy through a mix of write-ins and selecting options, and if you'll actually follow through with campaign promises. Generally it's a bad idea to elect, say Labour, then implement austerity and privatization without the party threatening to revolt or splinter.

Parties may form a coalition with each other if the option is provided below their name. Players tick the box to merge them when voting for them. If players do not want to form a coalition then they do not need to include the option. If one party is in favour of a coalition with another party, but the other one isn't then this represents a confidence and supply agreement.

Players can only vote for 2 parties, 1 British and 1 French, but as many Coalition partners as they want.


[ ] Labour (British), Clement Attlee
-[] Coalition: Radicals

Promising sweeping changes to the FBU, they plan to implement many social democratic policies to improve general welfare and labour reforms, while maintaining a pragmatic foreign policy to keep the empire together. They are distrustful of America's demands. They've yet to gut themselves on the altar of appeasing capital. Ostensibly neutral on the Soviets, they are in favour of banning the Communist Party to appease the French electorate.

All votes for Labour count as 1.5 votes.

[ ] Tory (British), Anthony Eden
-[] Coalition: Liberals
-[] Coalition: Christian Democrats

Promising less than radical change, the Tories plan to implement limited Keynesian economic policies to appease the masses, while working hard to keep businesses happy through tax breaks, private-public partnerships, and limited privatization. Maintaining the empire and FBU's position as a great power is paramount to their foreign policy, keeping America as a friend at arm's length. Limited austerity measures will the "fat" where possible, leaving services like schooling in a mix of private-church-public hands.

All votes for the Tories count as 0.8 votes

[ ] Liberal Party (British), Archibald Sinclair
-[] Coalition: Tory

Its economic policies of free market reforms and relatively free trade are less appealing than they were decades ago. The party has little to offer the war weary people of the FBU, besides in the realm of foreign policy. Sinclair had spent his pre-war career arguing in favour of collective security action against the growing dictators on the continent. In the unlikely event of a Liberal led coalition, the League of Nations will be placed front and center in their foreign policy. With little hope of winning on their own, they're prepared to form a coalition with the Radicals and Tories.

All votes for the Liberal Party count as 0.8 votes

[ ] Conservative Bloc (French), Francois Darlan
-[] Coalition: Tory

A collection of centre-right to far right parties bludgeoned together into a semi-cohesive bloc under the leadership of Admiral Darlan. De Gaulle is a major figure in it. It is republican aligned, pro-church while remaining secular, and favours a strong hand in economic affairs, while giving tax breaks to small businesses and landowners. It refuses to recognize the Commune of France as a legitimate government and wishes to offer asylum status to Vichy collaborators fleeing Europe.

All votes for the Conservative Bloc count as 1 vote

[ ] Christian Democrats (French), Robert Schuman
-[] Coalition: Tory

The centre-right that refuses to align itself with the admiral or general, distrusting the strongmen militarists. Their policies are the usual sort where charity is expected to substitute public welfare and a friendly relation with the church. They are oppossed to secularism and wish to create a Catholic republic. It's a socially conservative, centrist party. Schuman voted to give Petain dictatorial powers in 1940, but left the government shortly afterwards. He's generally tried to downplay that decision, and focus on party policies.

All votes for the Christian Democrats count as 1 vote

[ ] Radicals, Rene Pleven
-[] Coalition: Tory
-[] Coalition: Liberals

A collection of centre-left social liberals and conservative liberals that are generally socially conservative, but in favour of government intervention into the economy and strongly support secularism. It is strongly anti-communist. Rene Pleven, the party's leader, believes strongly in the FBU and League of Nations to maintain Europe's relevance in global politics.

All votes for the Radicals count as 1 vote

[ ] Monarchist (French), Orleanist
[ ] Monarchist (French), Legitimist
[ ] Monarchist (French), Bonapartist

The gaggle of violent counterrevolutionaries still upset over 1792. They are not unified in the least. They want nothing more than to kill each other then their opposition so that their preferred candidate can marry the already married Princess Elizabeth. For actual policies they take inspiration from the defunct French Action that supported the Vichy regime. Disorganized, they are a vocal minority without much support, but perhaps the FBU will convince people to join the thrones. They will not cooperate.

All votes for the Monarchists count as 0.5 votes

[ ] Communist Party (French)

Heavily suppressed by French authorities, they've nonetheless risked life and limb to run candidates in the election. They promise a return to the Metropole by dissolving the FBU to recognize Paris as the legitimate government. Their economic and social policies are extremely radical, arguing for equal rights for women and colonized peoples, collectivization of land and enterprises, independence for Algeria, and the dismantlement of the French Empire. It takes its marching orders from Paris and Moscow.

All votes for the Communist Party count as 0.5 votes.

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QM Note:

Welcome to Peace in Our Time!

I've been thinking about running a Franco-British Union quest inspired by mods like The Red Order, @Spartakrod's The Dual Order, and @StarMaker764's The Long March for a few months now. The world history shares many similarities with TRO/TNO, though it's not exactly the same. I wasn't sure what the set up would be because I didn't feel comfortable using Reds!, so it wasn't until later that I hashed out a rough idea for a timeline during a discussion with Starmaker. I played around with the idea further until I realized it was a golden opportunity to have a sort of unique spin on the idea of a Franco-British Union. It is not the unstoppable juggernaut it's normally depicted as, instead it is a hastily thrown together union ruling over a bloated empire and flat broke. It's not even the sole leader of its bloc. It has to share that position with America.

This will be slightly tongue in cheek, however it is not unserious or a comedy. I aim to have a somewhat dark comedic tone without being disrespectful to the topics covered. The FBU is the villain of the story.

Players must navigate the FBU through a three sided Cold War as co-head of the Anglo-American bloc. The FBU must try to hold onto its vast colonial empire for wealth and profit while reacting to crises as they appear or are directly caused by player policy decisions. There's many points of tension across the globe that can flare up into regional conflicts. Players will be able to set policy during certain crises while other times they can only pick from a select few responses. They should reflect the ideology of the ruling coalition. Deviating too much from the party platform may have negative repercussions for the current government. Failures during crises will reflect poorly on the current government. It's not just the public whose concerns have to be taken into consideration. The military, civil service, and old boys' clubs all have a say in the affairs of the country. If all seems lost they will take matters into their own hands.