Turn 68 (July 1st, 1961-January 1st, 1962 ): Scientific Development Results
Internal
Continuous work on the development of the rocketry program has continued to receive mild but acceptable criticism. Aristov's attack has so far been driven off by another crisis, and the utilization of the student cadres to strike against his political line has succeeded beyond all expectations. Unlike the expected minor issues inherent to the production of low dosage materials for export, a true wedge has been found in the pharmaceutical industry. Already, the set of students responsible for providing such a victory have been set to be promoted into high posts in the regulatory bureaus, as they have proven themselves unlike those whose gross oversights allowed such failures to occur. Even the Supreme Soviet has produced a good idea that much of the current issues are Aristov's fault, starting the broad work towards the consolidation of power away from the enterprises.
The promoted students are not expected to result in much now that they have been satiated with committee posts for their great effort, but younger weaker cadres are always appreciated in regulatory organs. Politically the great pivot has fallen towards the question of how much responsibility to give to the enterprises and their management, as instead of the old approach of viewing management as loyal elements of the party, some have mouthed the revolutionary idea that they may not represent the workers adequately. Such a revelation has not come unchallenged by the luminaries of the various pro-decentralization candidates. Using the pharmaceutical example as a wedge has served as more than sufficient to reduce their influence on the political system as now any of their criticisms of the planned system can be dismissed with the strategic employment of non-sequiturs.
Development of CMEA has at least come as a relatively non-controversial part of regular voting cycles, as while none can agree how exactly to do it, they can agree that it needs to be done. Aristov may rave for his band of idiots about the necessity of further markets for domestic production while the conservatives do the same talking of fraternal socialism, but both can at least come together to agree on a policy line. Railway intensification in itself has come as a popular policy in development, as the necessary links can secure both funding and labor from abroad, providing a solid basis for expanding the Soviet economy at little cost. It is after all always cheaper for the people to construct a new apartment than it is to raise a worker from nothing. Those that move willingly and for their own employment are also excellent at being retained, as increasing incomes and professional work are a greater guarantee of state-loyalty than non material factors.
External
With a modicum of consensus politics and domestic support the Johnson administration has so far strongly moved towards buffering the American social sphere. Basic aid programs are now being passed in spite of the general state of the government, with many expecting them to only continue. Original Kefauver era banking legislation has also been further upheld, with the expectation that the intensive program of trading financial activity for rural support will continue. Moves towards improving security in South East Asia have also formed a significant priority for the administration, involving actual commitments into SEATO. Most of these are tripwire forces to generate a sufficient number of dead Americans for proper involvement, but they still represent a considerable escalation. Military sales to both Indonesia and China are only expected to pick up in scale as the US continues its shift.
With defeat in the war, immediate power struggles have occurred across the Chinese politburo, with intensive bureaucratic fighting for ranks. So far the CMC has formed the main organ of party power, with other positions considered secondary to it. Currently under Peng Zhen, he is not expected to hold the post for long as internal party movements in both the Standing Committee and the Consultative Conference have strongly criticized him for over-reach in the previous conflict. Of course, out of these both want to consolidate the post with other party posts. In the standing committee Liu Shaoqi has become the standout likely next candidate for being willing to stand against the line taken while maintaining considerable party influence. More conservative forces have however backed Dong Biwu, leveraging his strength in the party disciplinary organs to secure more influence.
Continued reform-ism in Czechoslovakia has so far stalled out, as while they have broadly opened membership chances for nearly all workers, many have avoided signing up. This has come as a result of the necessary party dues of their model along with the involved process of membership, resulting in a practical slowing of the rate of intensive political participation and demonstrating the limits of worker involvement in politics. Such ratios have served as considerable comfort for the Supreme Soviet's more conservative members, as our own domestic policies are expected to result in a similar level of cadre participation. Economically, development has continued along light industrial paths, with exports across CMEA and some to the West providing a steady inflow of capital. Jozef Lenárt has also taken charge with the more recent appointments, though he is expected to change very little and is practically the image of a conservative party member.
Continued crisis politics have occurred through the Italian peninsula, with the Italian Social Movement immediately failing at the first hurdle of governance and not passing a budget despite insistent wrangling. Overall, the show of incompetence has led to the formation of people's squads in the countryside and an intensification of efforts to secure parallel power, but the actual party leadership has instead urged for calm. The CDU has also failed to survive the current transition, splitting into several factions and destabilizing. The next elections are almost entirely expected to be won by a socialist coalition with those unwilling to allow for a fascist government. Externally though, little has happened, as the ISM broadly failed at the first steps of securing power.
For reasons that cannot be explained to anyone reasonable, or the foreign department the Brazilian president resigned. Citing several nonsensical concerns and probably? Expecting a return to power in the form of a military re appointment, his vice president has instead entered office. Acting on a far more reformist line and entering office despite military discontent and several prominent resignations, he isn't expected to last through even the most permissive of American administrations especially if he acts on the economy. Another significant concern is his general stance on the socialist world, pushing for a policy of diplomatic maneuver and restricting possible economic integration.
French politics have further shifted to a harder stance, blaming the previous administration's weak policy on Vietnam and Algeria as significant losses. A coalition led by the CNIP flanked by several right wing parties has taken power, focusing on re-armament and the expansion of the settler programs across Algeria. Vietnam itself has formed a significant question, dividing opinions on policy towards stabilizing the colony and ensuring a continued defense against Chinese incursion. In actual practice, the far right government will mostly increase armaments spending further along with a push for independent nuclear forces in the European theater. Increased settlement and peacekeeping efforts across French-influenced Africa are also expected, providing an excellent chance to induce significant attrition, if Kosygin can decisively commit.
Consolidation of French forces and increased security commitments across their old colonial subjects are only expected to increase with time, while the Congo crisis has only intensified. The UN intervention has proven itself mostly useless outside of a fig leaf for the transfer of support and forces for the anti-colonial struggle. Local support to the preparation of the APL rebels have already started to be undertaken under the auspices of the diplomatic ministry. Actual arms and training will take time to be delivered in mass, but the local government has proven a useless means of securing influence, and both the Belgians and Americans are too strong for a decisive move. Our positions in Kenya and Uganda have however been strengthened, with the buildup of Mombasa as a significant harbor for both trade and further influence.
Sukarno has so far formed a broad front with the PKI in a deliberate balancing act for the governance of Indonesia. Weapon purchases have so far been authorized and subsidized on a large scale to contest the expansion of SEATO and ensure that the local area cannot be rolled over by enlarged capitalist forces. Continued policies of economic mobilization and increasing agricultural exports to the rest of CMEA has resulted in an unbalanced economy, but one still more than capable of growth. Cheap goods have so far continued being exported in exchange for more manufactured items and a supply of consumer products. Further efforts towards increasing turnover have also been pushed through, intensifying mining and agriculture as a means of monetary stabilization.
The Indian government has continued under the auspices of the national congress and the communist parties informal alliance. Despite a slowing of economic indicators and steady increases in regionalism, things are still functional. An over prioritization of embedded and historical state concerns has proven to be economically sub-optimal in the view of several domestic experts, but stability in the ranks is an accomplishment of itself. Practical decentralization may have rendered the peninsula a mess to govern, but one that is still in our block. Exports of basic products in exchange for heavy machinery has steadily grown, with military modernization deals subsidized to both augment our defensive industry and protect India.
Space
The Americans have finally launched a man into space on a modified ICBM bus, achieving an orbit and furthering their space program. Already they have a few interplanetary unmanned missions planned and a decisive commitment towards putting a man on the moon. Their programs have come as a logical continuation of army missile programs, with a split focus and a greater degree of militarization than our domestic program. Of course, their increased access to resources and lesser degree of sub sectioning will more then enable a competitive sourcing of technologies. To keep up with them a decisive increase in speed is needed, but our current programs aren't suited towards accelerating development either politically or scientifically.
Expanded and developed work on the RLA system has continued under the immense pressures of necessity. Full scale testing of first stage engines has begun in earnest, attempting to ensure a sufficient safety margin along with the possibility of in-flight re-ignition at a lightweight basis. An expanded bell sub variation has also entered testing for use as a core stage engine, optimizing Block C performance in the overall stack without significant alterations. Block D staging in a full flight configuration has also started testing, with the current exponent cycle hydrogen engine receiving the greatest focus. The practical limitations of the expander cycle have left the upper block stage with a very limited thrust profile despite improvements in engine technology over the baseline , extending burns at an exchange for increased efficiency. In practice, a set of three engines will need to make extremely extended burns with a bare theoretical one engine out capability. If things are to go wrong on a mission, it will almost certainly occur in the Block D stack.
A successful flyby of Venus has been achieved, if one that has been severely limited by our own technological developments. The electronics package has managed to endure long enough for the flyby, even if the data transmission back was partial. The flyby has also occurred at a slightly further point than originally expected, but distance has not compromised the mission. Further attempts at a similar mission package will be done with a reduction in pressurized sections, minimizing the chance of major failure. For second generation probe buses, significant improvements are expected in sensor quality, endurance, and reliability ensuring that future missions and possibly even landers can function.
The launch of several small military payloads and a number of experimental orbital platforms has occurred, as development of orbital capability has been found to be critical. A follow-on female manned launch with enhanced abort systems has proceeded to schedule, with the delivery of Natasha Popova into a parking orbit through an uneventful flight. The next generation ballistic capsule program has itself proceeded at a rapid pace, with electronics design running in parallel with novel structural innovations. At the scale of the capsule and the intensity of the expected re-entry trajectory more than two tons of shielding material is expected to be used. Localized RCS systems are also expected, ensuring that the upper stack has a degree of maneuverability, and ensuring that some failure modes can be minimized. An escape system for the pilots has been pushed forward, with an escape tower, additional backup parachutes with capability to lose two, and the theoretical capability to get out of the vehicle independently.
Continuation of the PKA program has so far been the most surprising, as much of the aerodynamic shape has been worked through with previous high speed air-launched devices. The army has also continued to express interest and support in the program, as the example of a high speed aerodynamic platform. Metal models and general cockpits have already been constructed, with the full unit expected to form a massive block, capable of returning a ton of cargo while hosting a pilot and a copilot. Escape mechanism development has been limited to theoretically capable high velocity ejection seats with a degree of shielding. It will not be sufficient for an evacuation in the direct launch profile or in re-entry, but an extended margin then expected will improve political will and pilot morale.
Econ Institutes
Continued development of the economics institutes has practically formed a parallel track of understanding comparative to traditional political economics. Instead of introducing a bevy of cultural factors into economic materialism as the current traditions of political economics call for, a far more rigorous course can be taken in mathematically modeling the economy. The political economists are obsessed with party dynamics and meetings but to focus on them would be to ignore fundamental economic truths as they would be too masked by non-ideal local political conditions. Developing on Stalin's theoretical work, the construction of material conditions will bring about class consciousness and thus speed the construction of Communism. Taking any other approach would be a gross revision of the theory and a direct sabotage of the leading role of the party and state in the socialist mode of production.
This leading role of the party has so far been justified by the inherent desire for any capitalist system to transition to a period of monopoly capitalism. Without the control of the vanguard of the workers, it is a natural and evident cybernetic mechanism that any significant accumulation of capital will accelerate and carve massive degrees of influence out of an economy. As this carving increases, the focus on consolidation rather than production of a firm would only grow, eventually supplanting a sector formally or informally breaking the market system and forming monopolistic capitalism. Such businesses over time will diversify into the political realm, securing untold power until the capitalists themselves have become indistinguishable from the ruling oligarchy. At some point in this process it is expected that the inherent contradictions of the system will bring it down and usher in workers' struggle.
Globalization of the struggle against capitalist imperialism and the colonial relations between the West and their puppets has also formed a core factor of debate. Taking the examples of the more modern French imperial project or the delegated American one, it is evident that the periphery forms an exploited mass, looted for its raw materials by the imperial core. Any capital that is transferred out is only in the realms of extraction and the exploitation of the economy, with foreign firms securing any possible profit, discrediting modernization theory on its own merits without necessitating the exploration of its delusional corollary of accompanying liberalization. Trade relations with these nations have however proven essential to their modernization, as by allowing internal direction to take the part of foreign exploitation, mutual fraternal trade relations can be developed. Such relations enable a steady transfer of technological expertise at moderate cost, spring-boarding economies towards modernity.
An influx of foreign economists have also generated new ideas in terms of theories of economic development proving the proletarianization of the main forces of economic stimulus. Rather than any lofty theory of spending or financialization the largest and primary driver of economic activity is demand for goods. Instability in demand is expected as the utilization of any currently conceived system will inherently lead to asymmetries of information. From these asymmetries economic disruptions will form, leading to a number of further mis-allocations of assets and compounding economic inefficiencies. A market mechanism as evidenced allows for an easy cybernetic representation of the public's aggregate demand at a given time, but caution is needed. A market that is unmonitored and left to its own devices can easily generate forces against its own role, forming one of the inherent contradictions of the capitalist mode of production.
Developing the concept of economic informatics further, both the demand and supply sector can be said to have a deeply imperfect view of their positions. Information imperfections cannot be compensated for as they are generally unknown and are at times deliberately amplified as a means of distorting both towards inefficient ends. As can be immediately evidenced by the intensity of advertising pressure in the West, the manipulation of natural demand relations has practically become its own sector of enterprise. Through such methodologies, the demand curve can be altered so that businesses can endure acting outside their efficiency curve through the distortion of demand. These distortions would normally be solved in a functional system, but in the capitalist mode of production they are allowed to exist until such a point that total collapse seems inevitable from the supplanting and release of this mis-allocated demand pressure.
In the socialist mode of production, market forces can be arrested through vigorous action of the party cadres, state organs, and financial organs. Instead of viewing the marketization of assets as an instrument of capitalist infiltration, it can be inherently separated from its exploitative nature through the influence of workers power. This provides stability in the market system and allows for the direct representation of popular demand through the variance of prices in a cybernetic mechanism. This inherent cyberneticization of the economic system serves to improve turnover and responsiveness in all aspects. In terms of organization of the system itself, the market is rendered as an apolitical indicator, an aspect in enhancing the accuracy of economic planning. Social means of production organization are far more debated and more a political rather than economic question, as capital allocation and control can be done by any organ with a sufficient emphasis towards the prevention of accumulation. This prevention of accumulation will ensure that the impromptu generation of relations characteristic of monopoly capitalism cannot form.
The obvious corollary to the inherent imperfections of demand drive perception is that any competition that can form in a market will be imperfect. Said imperfections in both information and in policies results in a degree of price retention, incorrect assumptions in inventories, and general errors in the administrative level only contribute to such effects. Such coordination failures only further contribute to the issues of an economic crisis. As the workers themselves lack the means to generate the capital necessary to shift their productive labor towards something else, such mistakes compound and radiate through an entire system without intervention, leading to significant failures. State actions at such points can prevent things from cascading to a significant extent, but such imperfections are both impossible to fully correct and impossible to predict.
Despite the accuracy of the labor theory of value in a theoretical perfect cybernetic feedback system, such a system is only possible as the end state goal of the construction of Communism. In the imperfect system that exists across the planet, distortions to demand pressure and errors in their interpretation are paramount to any system. These distortions to popular valuation are an inherent feature of the capitalist mode of production, as entire corporations owe their existence towards synthetically inducing demand through distorting factual perceptions. In the socialist mode of production however, errors still exist as no worker can have perfect information on what they would like at a time, and interpreting these desires on a mass scale poses a virtually impossible challenge. Limiting discussion towards the deviations from the labor theory of value brought on by demand subjectivity.
As to economic growth, it becomes a factor of multiplying the productive force of the workers themselves. Fulfilling demand will eventually achieve a surplus of production if theoretical demand was static, but it is not. The surplus production inherent to this mode will provide an immediate feedback towards demand, lowering prices and incentivizing an improvement in efficiency. These improvements then provide a filtering effect on enterprises and businesses, driving them towards the adoption of technologies to improve efficiencies. Popular demand also consistently grows as goods grow cheaper and the economy becomes more productive, driving up overall wealth and thus wages and thus demand pressure. This pressure then continues to repeat the cycle, further increasing turnover and generating economic growth.
"Productive forces are the union of human labor and the means of labor; means of production are the union of the subject of labor and the means of labor." -Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. , 1957, p xiii
Infrastructure
Moscow Renovation: The capital and, more specifically, the rapidly constructed urban growth areas have needed renovation for the last decade. Due to the prioritization of the last leadership and the issues in obtaining sufficient funds, these projects have been delayed. Taking a new look towards constructing a proper House of Soviets in a modernization of the old plan along with a dedicated building for several ministries, work can be moderately sped up while further developing the cityscape. Productivity isn't expected to improve significantly, but new networks of communication and capacity will at least ensure moderate improvements. Residential reconstruction will further assist with this, as far higher capacity units than the broader housing effort indicates will be built at higher localized densities on the metro network, optimizing labor movement. (60 Resources per dice 141/500)
Initial stages of demolition have proceeded at the same time as greatly expanded construction programs elsewhere. Manezhnaya has been directly linked in front of the Kremlin through the demolition of structures, with the relocation of the Pushkin museum and the demolition of the area constrained between Gogolovensky and the Moskva river. The planned construction of a new Supreme Soviet building has already started as the demolitions proceeded, with a significantly expanded floor plan, large conference rooms, and a more modern architectural style. Bolotnaya square and its associated Island have also been designated for demolition, with several major ministries expected to be moved into the area to ensure a proximity to the capital. In other zones, consolidation of housing blocks and a general modernization of zoning plans has started, with relics of Stalinism demolished to make way for new higher density structures. Metro tunneling is expected to follow soon after, but for now a large portion of construction will involve modernizing the residences and worksites for the great luminaries of the Supreme Soviet. Further ministry structures are expected to be moved onto the consolidated New Arbat street, enhancing density and furthering government coordination. Density improvement efforts have also coincided with construction, with maximum height prefabricated towers expected to replace significant areas of the central city. A dedicated enterprise district has also been opened to bidding, with dozens expected to practically self fund towers in a desire to be closer to coordinating bodies.
Additional Options(Pick as many as desired):
[]Second Enterprise District: A practical re-zoning of the large Dorogomilovo District can serve to significantly increase economic activity. The various enterprises across the country, and especially those more service specialized, need massive quantities of office space. Designating a significant portion of the district for the development of high density office space will be partially subsidized, and more a matter of building a few structures and consolidating the population. (Additional 50 progress required) (Enterprise Support/Financial Return)
[]Renovation of the City: Actual broad scale renovation of the Southern city is a challenging task that has so far been mostly separated from direct capital investment. So far it consists primarily of lower density construction and few actual high efficiency structures. There also exists a great excess of inefficient construction, and by redoing it in a more appropriate format, density can be further improved. The largest fraction of these efforts will occur across the Zamoskvorechye, Yakimanka, Donskoy, and Danilovsky Districts. Housing increases will be accompanied by enhanced transportation, ensuring that the people can easily move to economic areas. (Additional 200 progress required)
[]People's Skyscrapers: Across the North of the city center, a more concerted effort can be made to enhance density and personnel allocations. This would involve the demolition of several lower density developments and replacing them with far larger structures of steel and metal rather than the planned apartment blocks. Overall a fairly minor change, but near major subway stations, any improvement in density massively serves to improve the city and its ability to organically transfer labor. (Additional 100 progress required)
[]Alternative Ministry Structures: Rather than focusing the main ministry buildings onto New Arbat street, significant areas of the Khamovniki district can be remodeled to accept the bureaucratic apparatus. Demolishing the older areas and improving housing density, quality, and building several new massive offices for bureaucratic work. The new district will practically form the core of administration and governance for many of the ministries directing economic activity. These consolidations should further improve economic efficiency and ensure a cohesive support base. (Additional 100 progress required) (+1 Free Dice)
[]Integrate the Road Project: Accepting that large portions of Moscow will be demolished and reconstructed in the process of modernizing the city, there is no reason not to include the roads as a core element. This will allow the spaces left by old designs and layouts to be replaced by modern structures improving accessibility for mass transit and automobiles. Further adaptations to an increased urban population will take time, but expanding and re-orienting several core roads will be essential to making the capital easily navigable. (Additional 250 progress required, 200 if three or more other options are taken.) (Replaces Moscow High Capacity Road Ring)
Relocation orders have been distributed to workers in zones of intensive activity. Some have attempted to protest them as excessive and "disruptive" but such criticism has been so far irrelevant. Construction is expected to proceed ahead of pace as popular encouragement towards relocation is significant. Redevelopment itself will necessitate the mitigation of the human factor so as to ensure that the ambitious project can be completed at budget but the task is nothing that hasn't been done before. -Mikhail Vasilyevich Posokhin, Chief Architect
Leningrad Renovation: Home of the revolution and rapidly increasing in size over the last few decades to the point that rapidly constructed moderate-density Mikoyan and wartime-era housing predominates entire districts. Through a dedicated modernization towards a proper skyline in those areas based on the high-density metro integrated district model, it is possible to significantly improve labor and organizational throughput. Dedicated areas for the organization of the largest enterprises and developmental areas for several critical aspects of the economy will be designated, ensuring that any large services projects can have a sufficient degree of bureaucratic space and a rapid flow of labor. This will be accompanied by moderate protective work to ensure that further inclement weather doesn't damage the city. (387+15 Omake/400) (Pork Project) (Completed)
Continued work on higher density districts has finally been funded in full, with the scheduled construction of large towers surrounding dedicated service micro districts in order to serve the expanded population. Commercial areas have also been designated, with obsolete structures removed in favor of a number of planned skyscrapers to serve as enterprise headquarters. Outward facing trade and significant development is expected to be realized, as the trade port is expected to be significantly expanded. Flood control measures have also been funded, if yet to be constructed, ensuring that any issues in the broader gulf can be contained and controlled. Modernization plans have been funded, but actual completion outside of the prefabricated areas is expected to take at least half a decade.
Passenger Rail Network(Western SU): Electrification is a fundamental improvement in the transportation of personnel at high speeds, as diesel locomotives are not properly optimized to run at such a pace. Utilizing several innovations in rectification and localized drives for passenger units, it is possible to provide similar or better speeds across the HSR network. These new units will require a large-scale modernization and be limited to serving passengers. Still, as there is already a network specializing in the task, this optimization is more of a question of specialized production. Electrification of the track itself will be done according to a 25kV AC catenary scheme, allowing a reduction in power loss across the vastness of the Union. (75 Resources per Dice 1780/2250)
Finalization of the electrification of the outer ring of Ukrainian routes has finally been finished, with just the loop into Kiev itself left. Further efforts have been slow, but the introduction of new train sets on local routes around Moscow has provided some cost savings, as the old locomotives have been allocated outwards. Ideally the entire network will be brought up to modern standards, but at the current pace of progress that will take longer than the current plan and only finalize at some point late in the decade.
Civilian Airports(Stage 2): Development of airport assets in tier two and tier three cities is essential, as it is not expected that large scale travel to them will be available for decades. While the rail lines do provide some degree of mobility, many are far too remote to reach with anything short of a challenging drive on poor roads or a slow train. For the movement of soviet workers and the development of these critical industrial and extractive centers, further airports must be constructed. Most will be a small single runway for regional jets, but even that should be sufficient for expected passenger loads. (50 Resources per Dice 135/200)
Building new airstrips for lighter passenger variants of air-frames derived from obsolete Tupolev bombers and a new Ilyushin turboprop. Most of these are designed to take off on short airfields, leaving much of the work more a case of ensuring a margin of safety rather than the wholesale development of new runways. Largely complicated only by the logistical issues of northern and remote construction, several new destinations have already been added to the overall network. It soon should be possible to fly to most populated remote destinations, even if hangar and boarding facilities are likely to remain minimal for a few years.
Unified Canal System(Step 1 of 3): The lowest cost option for entirely unifying the waterways of the Union rests in the restoration of the Ob-Yenisei Canal and deepening it preemptively to match the required depth of the Western deep water system. Barge traffic forms an essential part of the economy, and its further expansion will contribute to the development of the Far East. Work is expected to primarily focus on deepening the current remnants of the Tsarist attempt, ensuring that it can move sufficiently heavy barges in preparation for further construction efforts. (153/100 Stage 1 Completed) (53/650 Stage 2) (-1 CI1 Workforce)
Finalization of the rundown Ket-Kas canal has finally once again linked with a heavy re-dredging of the tiny 8km channel. Depth and width has been synchronized with the broader Western deep water system, as a full linkage is soon expected. Transport across the Tomsk oblast is expected to significantly improve, as a full canal based interlink has been finalized and dug sufficiently deeply. The next stage of the project has also started with water-control dams entering construction for the planned raising of water levels across the Chusovaya river. Preparations for the enhancement of the water supply in Yekaterinburg have also accompanied the project, with a series of major reservoirs planned.
Heavy Industry
Severouralsk MMK(Stage 1): With the increase in industrial utilization of Aluminum across all sectors and the considerable demand for ore in the civilian sector, it is time to properly develop several novel extraction complexes. Most of the involved funding and labor are expected to go towards the expansion and construction of the initial mining infrastructure, but later efforts will focus primarily on expanding electrolysis capabilities. (182/150 Stage 1 Complete) (82/125 Stage 2) (17 CI2 Non-Ferrous -32 CI5 Electricity -4 CI1 Workforce)
Large scale work on the development of the non-ferrous mining and industrial site in the north has proceeded with the steadily rising demand for aluminum. The transfer of a portion of the labor reserve along with a number of more skilled miners has served to massively expand the working town, with an expectation that extraction capacity will only significantly increase in the long term. Current plans call for only the initial ore processing to be done on site, with rail transport down south towards Yekaterinburg for final processing. The local deposits are considerable and unlikely to be entirely tapped, providing a steady supply of bauxite for all necessary applications.
Coal Power Plants: With the stabilization of the coal economy, now is the time to start increasing coal power production. Using older parts and a simpler combustion cycle, the plants are expected to generate a good quantity of electricity, if at a far lower efficiency then the combined cycle gas plants. This surge of power can go towards any number of critical projects, ensuring that the Unions power demands can be met for long enough to bring larger hydro-electric, gas, and nuclear projects into full operation. (297/200 Completed) (97/200 Next Phase) (64 CI4 Electricity -24 CI3 Coal -3 CI1 Workforce) (Repeatable)
As with before, any transient power shortages have been compensated for with the rapid construction of newer generation coal plants. A combined cycle-coal gasification approach is still beyond current technical capabilities, but burning coal has never posed a significant problem. Increased yields from the Kuzbas deposit along with an intensification in rail traffic has so far proven more than sufficient for securing more power, but there is only so much that can be economically extracted. The unfortunate reality of the Union is that many of our energy resources are stuck in the East while the power demand is in the West, leaving issues of transportation as the largest limit for the intensification in energy use.
Second Generation Precision Machinery: With further computational developments, a program towards modernizing precision and defense critical machinery needs to be initiated. While the army is at best useless at funding what is necessary for economic development, doing them a partial favor as a consequence of natural expansions of capability should encourage a further degree of dependency and limit the Ministry of Defenses ability to politically maneuver. Current goals call for the development of a limited stock of computer integrated machinery and creating a few standard models capable of general machining tasks. These will then be rapidly shifted towards production, with a significant expected degree of internal supply especially for the aerospace industry. (213/150) (Completed) (-10 CI3 Steel -15 CI2 Non-Ferrous -16 CI2 Electricity -4CI1 Workforce) (+30 RpT)
Pairing of numerical control machinery with modern computational units has produced a novel but critical combination of machine tooling. Instead of utilizing a human operator to give commands, a memory of commands in a manufacturing process can be maintained and programmed into a computational unit. This so far can enable a nearly perfectly precise machining approach for almost any components, with the major limitations occurring at the point of milling rather than in the precision of its application. Production of these new machines has come as a factor of integration with broader computer production lines, as transistorized units are more than capable of the task of directing the system. Actual utilization is expected to mostly prioritize the military and select niche tasks, as the precision is unnecessary for a large number of applications. Computationally aided designs and new programing systems have also come from the current project, as a theoretically fully integrated system could allow for a total automation of production, eliminating floor personnel and allowing engineers to eliminate deviations caused by less experienced workers.
Rocketry
Light and Chemical Industry
District Gas Heating(Stage 3): Further developments of gas heating is more a rollout to the last few areas still using coal for central heating. Further pipeline construction out to more rural areas will take some time, but they do not have the density to produce significant smog concentrations anyway. Effectively entirely moving away from coal heat will make us dependent on the continued extraction of natural gas, but the deposits are sufficient for long enough that something better should come along. If nothing else, extraction of tight gas with nuclear charges will more than solve any shortages. (165/150) (Completed) (25 CI4 Coal 3 Workforce)
Finalization of the gas heating system has been completed, with dedicated heating plants replacing older coal based units with far cleaner natural gas based heating. In areas of intensive development that have so far failed to be integrated onto a general hot water grid due to budgetary and planning limitations, direct building level gas heating has also started being implemented. This has mostly been done along the standard plan, with the water heating system left in the basement and the gas linkages split off for direct heating. Both of these styles are expected to significantly improve urban air quality, and in theory confine the spread of air pollution to intensive industrial sites.
Plastic Production(Stage 5): Further mass expansions towards common use plastics are expected to yield a considerable economic return. Production will focus on the expansion of polyethylene and polypropylene, as both polymers are expected to be in highest demand. These will mostly go towards the private sector, but interest has been expressed by the army and by a massive number of enterprises to secure plastics production. Even with incentive funds rapidly going towards expanding plastic production, far more is needed in order to satiate the massive markets for it domestically and abroad. (415/380) (Completed) (-10 Rpt Oil) (+40 Rpt Consumer Goods) (-29 CI3 Electricity -6 CI1 Workforce)
The key towards improving the export industry and efficiently using the surplus of heavy petroleum products has so far further been expanded. Plastic is practically a wonder material in every respect and its production has been highly in demand practically continuously. Efforts towards modernization of the plants producing polyethylene and polypropylene have finally finished, with overall plastic production across the Union rapidly increasing. Direct domestic markets are still short of being satiated, as the demand for it from enterprises is massive. Even the private sector has started moving on producing more plastic, as it is so essential to so many industries. Continued state efforts are expected, as a gap in the production of plastic products cannot be allowed, additionally any increased cost of plastic is a direct impact on the cost of consumer goods for the workers.
Fertilizer Plants(Stage 4/5): High-intensity production of several types of fertilizers is required to fulfill the target for already utilized agriculture and continue the current expansion of land under cultivation. It may not be possible to become an economy where the agricultural sector is not a drain on state funds. Still, a continued shift towards cheaper nutrition can only benefit the workers. Nitrogen-fixing apparatuses will be modernized and continuously improved, along with several vertical layout improvements developed in the petrochemical sector being implemented at all levels. (632/560) (Completed) (-46 CI3 Electricity -7 CI1 Workforce)
Modernization of the massive energy intensive ammonia industry has continued to provide exceptional yield improvements. Previous shortfalls in fertilizer use compared to American practice have finally started being reversed, with availability of basic three component fertilizers starting to exceed that in the West, especially for certain crops that most benefit from an intensive fertilization regime. Actual efficiency of fertilizer use is expected to decrease as more is used, but even a small gain in fixation of nitrogen directly contributes to both water and soil efficiency. Further plans have already called for a larger scale intensification of the agricultural industry, providing the people with even cheaper foodstuffs.
Textile Industry Modernization(Stage 2): The popularity of synthetic fibers is massive and sustained across the entire Union, and it would be remiss to ignore. Instead of continuing the strong focus on cotton, diversification is the primary priority of this stage of development. The private sector has already adopted the materials at scale, with use only going up every day. The state cannot allow for a gap in the production of new fiber, and with a commitment of funding, new consumer goods can be made for both domestic and foreign consumers. (50 Resources per Dice 167/200)
High employment manufacturing has started to prove problematic in that the finalized production of clothing items from processed cloth is unfortunately labor intensive. These issues however have been simply solved with the strategic positioning of plants. A worker in the RSFSR may demand far more wages to be employed processing sheets of fabric into shirts, but a worker in the Central Asian republics or Caucuses doesn't suffer from such issues. Expansion of synthetic fibers have also proven popular, with spandex starting to secure a considerable share of material for certain products. Further efforts are only expected to increase the production of both natural and synthetic fibers, providing the Soviet people with a true sense of variety in clothing.
Agriculture
Expanding Rural Production: Intensification of conventional agriculture has a massive degree of return and now that the chemical industry has steadily caught up, it is all a question of implementation. Higher degrees of processing in order to increase food preservation and accessibility while intensification with chemicalization can bring up agricultural production. Current methods of increasing production will likely increase export opportunities and maintain the relative profitability of the agricultural sector, ensuring that it doesn't become an active drain on finances. (262/250) (Completed) (-2 CI1 Electricity -4 CI1 Workforce) (Significant Agricultural Profitability Increase)
Continued drives towards the modernization of rural agricultural methods have served to improve returns. Using the limited high quality land available and some of the mid grade lands, plans for areas to be designated out for high intensity cropping along with an expansion of winter sowing have started. Newer seed grades are expected to be more resistant to short frosts, and thus, the area of winter sowing is only expected to grow over time. New strains of crops with higher yields have also been broadly implemented to further optimize yields, allowing for greater sized harvests with minimal expansions of labor and machinery. Even the family farms have received such benefits, with subsidized modernizations of seed stocks allowing each to improve their production.
Secondary Agricultural Production: The old enterprises developed to take advantage of the many secondary products from the broader agricultural sector have been constructed with a dramatic underestimation of the overall demand curve. Through the foundation of a further series of specialty cheese and meat processing enterprises along with several further processed products being developed, the Soviet worker could receive far cheaper consumptive products. These are then expected to improve overall agricultural turnover while cybernetically incentivizing several other enterprises to increase the production of previously secondary feedstocks. (315/300) (Completed) (-17 CI1 Electricity -11 CI1 Workforce) (Large Agricultural Profitability Increase)
Continued augmentation of secondary production has served to supply the Soviet worker with high demand goods. The founding of dozens of additional major fruit production enterprises, improvements in supply have been achieved. Secondary meat production recycling has also begun, with the bulk production of high protein feed from otherwise useless components. Production of cheese from surplus milk and several other recycling initiatives have also started, improving the availability of low cost goods for the labor reserve and providing significant state level savings on canteen food. Processed and canned meat has also been greatly increased in production, as its long shelf life ensures that at least someone will eat it, and if not then it can always go into the canteens.
Services 0 Dice
Review of the Pharmaceutical Industry: The current pharmaceutical industry has been made as one of the highest rates of export goods for the Union, requiring little but high precision synthesis work. This has worked for long enough, but some cracks are starting to show in domestic availability as the foreign market pays far more than any domestic health system. By reviewing where these shortfalls are occurring and then subsidizing insufficiencies alongside increasing production they can be compensated for. (80/100) (Possible Persistent Cost) (Completed due to GOST)
One of the fundamental truths of the medical system is that the foreign market has far better prices for medications than anything domestic. Despite the subsidies on manufacturing and the necessities of supplying citizens with a steady supply of medications, this is still challenging for a number of reasons. Production is in itself more than adequate to meet domestic demand in the case nothing was exported, but the exports themselves are a major component of foreign currency availability. Incentive funds have so far contributed to steady expansions, but even these have proven insufficient for meeting the demands of the domestic system. Despite the insistence on reducing exports, the money gained from them is far more valuable than some domestic availability issues, and the problem is expected to be solved in time anyway.
GOST Medical Standards: Now that food goods have been broadly standardized, a further standard can be made for domestic medications. This will take some time as the industry has practically been allowed to grow with minimal intervention, but it is essential towards checking and improving medical standards. Most of the work will be assessments and evaluations of the drugs currently for sale, with some independent testing conducted for efficacy as quick confirmations of effects. (205/150) (Completed) (nat 100) (Possible Persistent Cost)
The expectation that many of the industries and their accompanying management were creatively interpreting production standards has been broadly confirmed. Using a cadre of inspectors raised from alternative sources consisting mostly of students empowered with their posts and given a chance to earn prestige has so far provided an efficient organ to strike at such practices. Politically unconnected and too inexperienced to make the correct reports, they have managed to uncover consistent adulteration, several impurities, and technical issues across four major pharmaceutical enterprises. They have even gone as far to present their findings directly to the Supreme Soviet, creating a massive stink over the clear insufficiencies of the management. For the cost of organizing some students and giving them a small lab, their movement has allowed for major consolidations and the replacement of several influential export oriented managers.
[]Sack Them: Engaging in some politicking and removing the managers responsible will be a hasty but overall correct and decisive move in responding to the new political crisis. This will provide a degree of distance from the main cadres and ensure that the ministry itself is seen as acting strongly and decisively on the issue. Of course some will still criticize the act as a symptom of catching the problem late, but their replacement with unconnected loyal cadres will ensure a significant long term gain of influence.
[]Broaden Reviews: Using the students as a weapon may stink of several problematic behaviors involved in reviewing production, but there isn't any reason to avoid their utilization. Independent commissions can be raised from fresh faced party cadres and organized in order to independently test the production of various goods. As long as they have the good sense to keep the reports confined to the political and ministry circuit, the behavior will provide for an internal control mechanism for quality along with an easy ability to open the way for promotions.
[]Give the Management a Chance: The managers may have caused the mess they are involved in, but someone absolutely damned with no political future can be a useful component of politics. Their support base will likely abandon them entirely, and only by providing them a short opportunity to make their examples and fix the situation can they hold their posts. This will significantly expand control with already burned personnel, leaving them in their posts but only by the barest of margins. They will know that if an order from above comes, their only concern will be its execution, not any creativity
Bureaucracy
Encourage CMEA HSR: To cybernetically accelerate the development of material conditions across our fellow socialist republics, a program of easy worker movement is necessary. If it takes a Bulgarian worker days to reach his new employment in a Soviet enterprise, there will be chances for him to be turned back. Instead if efficient transportation of immigrants, tourists, and students can be encouraged far more can be secured. As an added benefit, some domestic workers can travel further on their vacations, improving morale to some extent. (80) (Supreme Soviet Reform)
Wrangling CMEA diplomats and inducing the MFA has been a nightmare of competing interests and the necessary politics. Thankfully due to broad support from the CMEA organizational council itself and Kosygin it has been forced through. A general plan for a single European loop has been authorized and pushed forward so as to interlink the economies of comecon more and ensure continuous economic gain. The track is expected to go through a Minsk-Warsaw-Poznan-Berlin-Dusseldorf straight route. This will be further connected through a southern leg ranging from Dusseldorf-Stuttgart-Munich-Vienna and then continuing onward through Budapest-Belgrade-Bucharest-Chisinau, linking into the Ukranian branch of the HSR network. Bulgaria itself is expected to be connected through a branching line off from Craiova to Sofia and forming a small southern loop. Additionally, on the insistence of the Czechoslovak government, a secondary loop from Vienna to Berlin through Prague will be constructed and funded. Actual funding for the project is expected to come from the local governments, with near zero interest loans offered from Gosbank.
Push Towards Trade Agreements: The Union needs to find more capitalists willing to spend their money on the goods leaving our factories. While we produce enough for domestic consumption across most sectors, exports are critical if we are to secure further capital for industrialization. By continuously taking a strong pro export policy and leaning on the MFA to work towards lowering barriers to trade, significant amounts of funding can be secured. CMEA has been rendered a limited growth market, as we are restricted to their rate of growth, but there is a massive number of workers globally that have yet to have their demands satiated. (29) (Supreme Soviet Reform)
Signing a variety of trade agreements across the European states has proven to be fairly simple on the diplomatic end, but actually dealing with various delusions on economic activity has proven far more challenging. The capitalists have universally been willing to secure products produced by cheaper Soviet labor, but actually dealing with the domestic political situation has been annoying. The managers themselves have so far thankfully taken up most of the burden fighting for it, as it is strongly in their interests to expand their markets. Actual effects of these trade agreements are expected to mostly improve export revenues across several types of goods while slightly raising domestic prices, but far more capital will be available to everyone to expand production and further modernize the domestic economy.
12 Hour Moratorium(Vote by Plan)
