To Struggle and Strive: The Combined Syndicates of America in 1932. A Kaiserreich Quest

Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Dec 6, 2021 at 4:22 PM, finished with 20 posts and 19 votes.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Dec 6, 2021 at 4:22 PM, finished with 20 posts and 19 votes.
 
October 1934 Results Pt. 2

California Preparation: 2 Influence, 65+16+20=101

No one is going into this election expecting things to be free and fair. Even if that was possible in a nation like America, the material conditions preclude it. This election will be practically existential in importance, and no one will be holding back come November 1st. Already, every campaign has been using smear tactics, harassment campaigns, and violence to improve their odds of success.

On election day, you expect those techniques to be used on an unheard of level. Experienced figures in the movement are anticipating everything from sabotaged voter registration, to ballots being discarded or faked, to voters being threatened, but there will be more subtle attacks as well. You can expect to see heavy use of the court system, economic blackmail, artificial restrictions on voting, and "errors" in the counting process. In several states, alarms have been deliberately raised by reactionaries about the possibility of the process being subverted, with deputized militias or federalized Guardsmen being used to "make sure" that doesn't happen.

Areas of concern include California, Texas, Colorado, the Deep South, the Midwest...it is impossible to know how much there could be.

But for every technique they use, you will have some of your own. And soon, you will begin deciding how to best apply them...

You consider the list of techniques carefully, crowded by advisors. Some warn you that the capitalists will hold nothing back, and insist the SPA must do the same. Others argue for restraint, claiming that the SPA must hold itself to a higher standard. Some from the right-flank argue that creating discrepancies in the vote will make you vulnerable to reactionary counter-attacks, and that maintaining good behavior is more important than anything else. All manners of compromise measures are proposed. In the end, you make a decision.

Despite its contentious nature, you are able to bring people around to it. The SPA will...

[] [VOTE] Hold nothing back. (???)
[] [VOTE] Limit the tactics used. (???)
-[] Write-in what tactics
[] [VOTE] Limit the areas pressure will be applied to. (???)
-[] Write-in what areas
[] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[] Write-in...
[] [VOTE] Hold yourself to a higher standard. Track incidents of voter fraud, but do not commit any. (??)

Despite the debates, all are united on one topic: hostile fraud cannot be allowed. Red Guards, Schenck's men, trustworthy police and paramilitaries, lawyers, and more, all are rallied to attack voter fraud wherever it appears. With all the preparation done, there is nothing to do but wait and hope...On the 1st of November, the election will begin.


Ears in the Party: 1 Influence, 50+20=70

Schenck and Flora work together with icy politeness as they find trustworthy individuals and ask them to keep an eye out for any troubling news. They feud on what to prioritize, they argue about how to approach recruits, they fight about what to offer.

Schenck wants to prioritize reformists, Flora wants to attack the corrupt. Schenck thinks religious affiliation is unimportant, Flora wants to keep it in mind.

You aren't sure how much of their hostility is genuine dislike, how much is political disagreement, and how much is professional disdain. But you do know both are competent enough not to let it get in their way.

A small network grows throughout SPA and CAS offices, formed through a mix of appeals to principal and to pocketbooks. A steady tide of information keeps flowing up, helping you keep your finger on the pulse of internal affairs and untangle the chaotic internal networks of favors and obligations.

Result: Internal intelligence network established, difficulty of internal intrigue actions reduced, more information on internal affairs gained.


Report from the Coordination Committee: 1 Influence on Union Registration Drives, 24+5=29+10=39, 1 Influence on Voter Registration Drives, 58+5=63

Across the country, the party and the unions put their resources to work. Young boys and girls are sent to knock on door after door to find reluctant individuals who have, for whatever reason, failed to join a union or the SPA despite it being in their class and material interests. In addition, all manner of leverage is applied.

At workplaces, the promise of economic democracy and improved conditions is used to encourage union expansion and the alignment of more conservative organizations with the greater CAS. In some cases this recruitment is overt, in others it is subtler as Schenck's spies and those they recruit begin reaching out to future comrades inside factories where SPA influence is weak.

In cities, public pressure is used as mass rallies and propaganda are used to gather support, with speakers repeatedly using the failures of the American economy under capitalism and the previous, "moderate" attempts to reform it, all of which were unsuccessful entirely due to capitalist greed.

In towns, agitators trawl the streets, looking for people to speak to, to make them question what they have seen as the natural order.

And all this energy, all this enthusiasm is bent towards giving people the opportunity to vote, and the desire to vote red all down the ticket. Laws are pushed through legislature after legislature, ensuring easy registration and widespread access to mail-in and absentee voting.

With such effort expended on helping people vote, hopefully many will vote for the party that sought to aid them so.

Meanwhile, the various union recruiters use tactics of their own. All sorts of pressure is applied, for the CAS is a mighty and powerful organization, and its membership is rather sick of tolerating reactionaries in its midst. Under union pressure and the threat of seizure, some factories are transformed into union shops and those who refuse to join are fired. Cooperative housing grows cold and unfriendly to those who resist, and investigations by community check-in groups make sure that such stubbornness comes from a sound mind. Social, legal, financial, and more...every tactic that can be used is.

While the reactionary press howls criticism after criticism for such actions, some have more reasonable concerns. They feel that the methods used are undemocratic, and may be contributing to the presence of reactionary groups.

[] [UNION] Push the CAS to officially condone such tactics. We cannot afford hesitation at this critical juncture. (???)
-[] Write-in arguments (optional)
[] [UNION] Remain silent on the matter.
-[] Write-in arguments (optional)
[] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. (???)
-[] Write-in arguments (optional)
[] [UNION] Push the CAS to wholeheartedly condemn the use of coercion. It is cruel, it is counterproductive, and above all it is unnecessary.
-[] Write-in arguments (optional)


Personal Action: Exercise

The presence of so many military men would ordinarily be a boon for someone trying to exercise, except for one problem: they are all much more fit than you, to an almost humiliating degree.

The most exercise you normally get is walking back and forth across a stage as you speak. It's not even close to the sort of things the Red Guards and Revolutionary Guards accompanying you do on a daily basis.

You run the length of a train car, back and forth, dropping to touch the floor at the end of every lap. You pull yourself up, lifting your chin over a metal bar again and again. You lie down on your back and lift your legs as one guard holds your torso down and another resists your attempts at raising your limbs.

You sweat and ache and hurt.

But when it's all done, you feel a few pains so old you have forgotten what it's like to not feel them vanish.

Result: Health mildly improved.


Focus: The Union Forever!

For three months, you have spent spare scraps of your time writing a song, one you intend to dedicate to the agitators and organizers who have fought so hard for the cause of socialism and syndicalism. At every level of society, through every avenue they could find, they fought, and now they are on the verge of an unimaginable triumph. Reactionary forces circle like wolves in the night, but the heroic fighters of the Red Guards and the determined cadres of the Socialist Party are undaunted.

And at their forefront have ever been the most vibrant and radical stripes. With petrol bombs, rifles, and billy clubs they have broken anti-socialist militias and defended strikers from the foot soldiers of capital. With song and story they have reached the hearts of the people and swayed them away from false consciousnesses. With organizational ardor and rigid discipline they have fought reformism, corruption, and inefficiency just as determinedly as they have fought national populists.

And so, with their struggles and sacrifice first in mind, you offer them this song:

"Well, I am a union man,
Oh, I am a union man;
With my little band of deepest red
I am a union man.

In the broad streets o' the Windy City,
I threw on down my tools,
For they had shot their soldier boys,
And me? I ain't no fool!

In big Red New York City
I took on up my knife;
They had took my comrades captive
And I fought hard for my life!

And come chilly November
I'll mark on up my vote;
Our foes will fail and fall on down,
And I'll try not to gloat!

'Cause come the month of March,
I'll be sitting on down in
Their precious marble Capitol,
And that's when we will win!

Well, we are the union men
Oh, we are the union men!
With our little bands of deepest red,
We are the union men!"

Result: Focus completed, national spirits unlocked.
 
[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
 
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[X] [VOTE] Hold nothing back.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
Real contentious vote here....

[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.

Really unsure on the vote vote, the urge to win, the urge to claim a moral high ground, and a desire to not give the enemy a weapon are all warring inside me
 
[X] [VOTE] Hold nothing back.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
 
[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
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[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
[X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
[] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
-[] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.

What does this mean for other places outside of the SPA core? We go all out?


Edit:
[X] [VOTE] Hold nothing back.

We need to go all out including our core territories
 
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[X] [VOTE] Hold yourself to a higher standard. Track incidents of voter fraud, but do not commit any. (??)

This is about the soul of the nation. The war that comes no matter what we do will be a war for the body.

[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.

Changed this to families with children.
 
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children disabled, or families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
[X] [VOTE] Hold yourself to a higher standard. Track incidents of voter fraud, but do not commit any. (??)
[X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Dec 9, 2021 at 7:33 PM, finished with 14 posts and 13 votes.
  • 11

    [X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
    -[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
    [X] [VOTE] Hold nothing back.
    [X] [VOTE] Hold yourself to a higher standard. Track incidents of voter fraud, but do not commit any. (??)
  • 11

    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children disabled, or families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
Scheduled vote count started by notbirdofprey on Dec 9, 2021 at 7:33 PM, finished with 14 posts and 13 votes.
  • 11

    [X] [VOTE] Limit the areas and the tactics. (???)
    -[X] In the SPA's core territories, there is no need for ballot stuffing, destroying or "losing" ballots, or any other form of direct tampering with the ballots themselves, nor for heavy voter suppression. We are guaranteed to win in those states, and our Red Guards can guard against any Federal tampering.
    [X] [VOTE] Hold nothing back.
    [X] [VOTE] Hold yourself to a higher standard. Track incidents of voter fraud, but do not commit any. (??)
  • 11

    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children or disabled. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
    [X] [UNION] Push the CAS to condemn and punish some of the worst. There are lines that should not be crossed. No forcing out women, children disabled, or families with young children. People shall be officially notified before being fired or evicted.
 
Family Matters Pt. 4
You take a moment to memorize everything you need. Then the book goes to the back of your shelf, where no prying eyes will see it. You smooth your blue skirt and walk on down, heart pounding. What you are about to do is foolhardy and reckless. Your parents have not laid a hand on you in years, but you might well end up with a switching if they find out you went to a red rally.

And what are you doing it for? To impress Sylvia? This is a terrible idea, you will be lucky if all you get is a switching...

You have already begun twisting the dial in the familiar pattern. Seven digits later, it began to ring. You expected to hear the polished tones of the Bronstein's butler, but he had been let go. Sylvia picks up instead.

The room is empty except for you, so you don't hesitate. "Sylvie! You'll never believe what I found!" you gush to her, " I know when and where there's going to be a red rally, and it's tonight! Let's go and see what happens!"

She gushes right back, her excitement driving away your nerves and filling you with warm optimism.

"Oh, it's going to be so exciting! The rallies are so vibrant, I hear, with all sorts of foreigners and liberated women, we might even see some of those negro soldiers my father has been complaining about! It will be an adventure, and when we're old and this has all blown by, we'll have some wonderful stories to tell our children!"

Her voice is breathless and bright, full of confidence. Sylvia believes that things will work out. You are jealous of her confidence sometimes, the sort of jealousy that makes your stomach roil and curdle, but she is too dear for you to ever remain upset with her.

So you join in with her excited chatter, imagining what a grand affair it will be. Perhaps the police might even decide this particular rally is a problem, and you'll see a great street battle, a clash between order and chaos. You grin in anticipation and arrange to meet with her in a few hours.

In the meantime, you return to your room. First, you try to read a different book, then you try to do homework, but you are buzzing with curiosity about the rally and anticipation about spending time with Sylvia. It has been far too long since it has been just the two of you.

As time passes slowly, you give up on distracting yourself mentally and go down to the kitchens. The cook's been let go, with the butler having to make the meals instead, but there's still plenty of food for snacks. You take two slices of bread and decide to experiment with toppings for them. Ketchup sandwiches are not something to make again, you decide. Apple sandwiches, however, seem like they need just a bit of tweaking.

You slip another into a bag and then leave the house, walking boldly out the front door. None of the servants question it. They won't even bother to inform your parents unless you are out for too long.

You aren't quite running, that would be unsuitable and you are not dressed for it. But as soon as you leave your family's grounds you are moving swiftly, darting across the silent streets and then ducking through the wood. There's a narrow path through the evenly spaced pines that leads to your immediate destination.

As you walk, the wind blows sharply, making branches slap against each other and causing your skin to break out in goose pimples. Someone's dog begins to howl in the distance. If you were some superstitious peasant girl from one of the backward nations of the world, you would take all this as a sign to turn back. But you are a White, and so you keep going without any fear at all.

As you exit the woods, a shadowy figure lunges towards you. You do not have to struggle not to squeal as one hand flaps up to your chest.

"Sylvia!" you hiss, swatting at her as she smiles brightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she says, grabbing your wrist.

"Now lead the way, we have a rally to watch," she adds.

You grip her hand as well and lead her on. Laughing and giggling, the two of you make your way to the rally. At first, the streets you walk past seem no different from your usual haunts, even as you see a great many police striding back and forth. People are hurrying about their business, not giving the uniformed constables a second glance.

Then you start seeing the marks the Long Depression has left on the city. There, an empty shop, its glass window long gone. Over there, a small knot of beggars warming their hands over a fire. Here, just beneath your feet, graffiti blaming...words you mislike using...for the woes of the city.

The further you walk, the worse things get. The police become fewer, and replacing them are hard-eyed, unfriendly men in working clothes. Most have a red armband or hat, others wear green or blue or orange. Some seem to be guarding apartments or stores, others are patrolling. Still others walk like they are hunting, and you shrink back whenever you see those groups.

Every single one of them is armed. Some have rifles, some pistols, some simply carry billy clubs. You suddenly wish you hadn't called Sylvia, that you had just stayed safe at home.

There are other signs that this part of the city has changed. There's more graffiti. Hammers, sickles, wheat, gears, axes, torches, and other such cities predominate, along with angry, vengeful slogans. There are posters every few walls, and signs that some have been torn down. You notice far fewer beggars in this section as well. You wonder what's been done to them...

As you keep walking, you see others beginning to go the same way as you, with far more confidence. They laugh and talk, their words a startling mix of crude and educated. Some whistle at you and Sylvia, making the two of you blush crimson and briefly retreat, although the scoundrels who dared treat you so are descended on by a small knot of fierce-looking women in trousers.

Sylvia calls a hasty "Thank you!" to them as the two of you take advantage of the distraction to get some space between the affair and yourselves. By the time you decide enough is enough, you have been caught in the press of the crowd. It sweeps you forward like a tide, and neither you nor Sylvia have the courage to go against it.

She turns to you, still holding your hand. "So many people here for a book signing. Perhaps it's something more...maybe Jack Reed is here. He's supposed to be a handsome fellow..."

Your gasp is half-genuine and half-faked for her amusement. "Sylvie! He's..." you swallow what you were about to say hastily, "a married man!"

She giggles again. "If you heard what my brother said about their marriage..."

You gasp again, then smirk. "Oh? What did he say?"


She leans in to whisper it into your ear...

And it turns out she's right. There's more to this than a book signing, it's a rally with a rather charismatic speaker, though it's certainly not Jack Reed. What is he speaking about?

[] [SPEAK] The coming election.
[] [SPEAK] The social revolution
[] [SPEAK] Workplace democracy
[] [SPEAK] The need for radicalism

And while his speech does raise some questions in you, your ruminations are interrupted by something unfortunate. What happens?

[] [PROBLEM] The police arrive. Apparently the speaker is a wanted man.
[] [PROBLEM] The socialist militias aren't the only such force, apparently. And these newcomers seem quite a bit meaner.
[] [PROBLEM] You see someone you know from your life here...and more importantly, they see you.
[] [PROBLEM] Just because the speech is interesting doesn't mean you don't have objections, and someone unpleasant overhears them.
 
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