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

I will not be able to get a post out in time, so instead I will post the focus trees for the upcoming turns. These are subject to revision still, especially as you travel further down.





 
Those look really interesting! I am keen to expand our support out to farmers and rural groups. There are a number of focus that look like the will.be good to take
 
You guys wanna know something funny? According to marxist theory, farmers and pesants lack The ability to be proper proletarian and should basically just be ignored. I can imagen that any alliance with farmer/Labour could be meet with resistance from some members of The party
 
You guys wanna know something funny? According to marxist theory, farmers and pesants lack The ability to be proper proletarian and should basically just be ignored. I can imagen that any alliance with farmer/Labour could be meet with resistance from some members of The party
And look what that got the Soviets.

Original Marxist theory isn't scripture that has to be followed to the letter. That's why so many people interpret him differently and adapt them for their own country.
 
And look what that got the Soviets.

Original Marxist theory isn't scripture that has to be followed to the letter. That's why so many people interpret him differently and adapt them for their own country.

But The soviets created a revolution in a society where The majority of People where farmers, they created leninism as a counter point that Said that farmers had their place in The revolution.
 
Well the Soviets were defeated in this timeline, so I don't think the party Left would raise too much of a fuss about it.
 
According to marxist theory, farmers and pesants lack The ability to be proper proletarian and should basically just be ignored
But theory considered them allies, even if it's ultimately prole's movements? Because obviously It's more the land-based econ relations of farmers and employment/labor-selling econ relations of prole could make them both at cross purposes in the struggle against landlords & capitalists. But, ultimately allies.

And as said above Marxist socialist theory isn't a Bible of just Marx, since Engels & him are just the starting point. Especially since each Marxist would adopt that into the material situation of their state (see: Bolsheviks, Left SR, CCP). Like how agrarian communists & DeLeon's labor union focused socialist are both existing American socialist currents.
Well the Soviets were defeated in this timeline, so I don't think the party Left would raise too much of a fuss about it.
I sure hope any wing of SPA would obviously realize impossibility of revolutions surviving w/o secure food supply lol. So even if Soviet survive they'd still advocate for it.
 
March 1933
New York City buzzes with anger. On lampposts, effigies of MacArthur hang. On walls, graffiti demands he be tried. The capitalists move carefully, furtively, keeping their children close. Several neighborhoods are patrolled by their own militias terrified of the vast horde of seething humanity. And yet the city keeps working, for it is simply one great muscle in the enormous organism that is America. Laborers with red armbands keep working in factories and dockyards, the streets are still overwhelmed with lorries. Subways packed with people rush hither and yon.

Over this beautiful tableau, you preside. An enormous portrait Lincoln towers behind you, the platform is draped in American flags, but on the corners wave the grain-and-gear of the syndicalist movement. You have given your speech, and now welcome the chance to watch the political machine you have devised in action.

It rolls ever-onwards, picking up steam, traveling faster and faster.. Reactionaries are ground under its weight, socialists die in its engines, their blood providing fuel for the movement to traverse ever onward, workers and soldiers and activists steer it around the obstacles thrown in its path. There is no stopping it. Revolution is inevitable. Historians will look back at the future, and pick March 4th as the day it came to America, but you know better.

The day peaceful men and women were massacred for asking about the pay they had been promised was the day it became America. Socialism or barbarism, those are the only two paths left.

All you can do is try to push the people to the right path, for your sake and the sake of your daughter and for all those who have raised the red flag.

Rumors and News

The shock and outrage over the Payment Army's massacre have dominated news, and the aftershocks have rippled through America. Anti-syndicalist forces have rallied to MacArthur. In a dozen newspapers, he is praised as a hero. But in many more, he has been condemned. Syndicalists and Longists have launched a barrage of attacks, gaining you both supporters. The event has rippled through the international community as well, with the expected comments coming from the expected places.

News about MacArthur dominates, leaving you with little knowledge about anything else that has gone on. Militias have continued clashing, with Longists forces slowly gaining support and allies from Louisiana to the Atlantic coast. Ford's plant continues being built, slowly and with difficulty, but more Canadian convict labor is hauled in.

[Sharp gain in support, primarily in urban areas.]

Plans from Subordinates

With the early success in New York City, the program is being expanded. Chicago is deemed the highest priority, then a variety of nearby cities such as Toledo, Detroit, and Flint will also have their police forces "socialized." The report from the Committee emphasizes this is meant to be a stopgap measure, with the full transformation of police forces waiting until after the Revolution.

The Illinois Congress is trying to re-pass the bill for protecting strikes, in the hopes of creating stronger legal protection. The governor, despite being a party member, is being somewhat...resistant to the prospect. Other state congresses are continuing with their efforts to pass relief bills but are running into legal challenges which the conservative-dominated courts are happily backing despite the popular outrage.

You have 5 Influence and 2 Authority total. 2 Authority and 0 Influence are committed to ongoing actions. You are not currently taking any Focuses.

Mandates:
Provide legal or extralegal protection for strikers in Chicago before the general strike being planned commences this month (from The Right). Provide state-level relief or job programs in 4 months (from The Center). Provide revolutionary indoctrination or education in 4 months (from The Left).

Party Actions

Hold a Rally: It's a classic for every political party for a reason. There's nothing quite like a grand rally with banners waving and people cheering to make you seem unstoppable and to gather more support. The demonstration of the energy and might of the working class will have the capitalists shaking in their boots. It is a message to your supporters as well, that all the power of the SPA stands behind them. Here is what it says: Let your foes try and stop you. They will be ground under your heel. Cost: 1 Resources and risk of backlash and hostile interruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/50/85/120. Results: Variable change in support, chance of intimidating your enemies. Can synergize with other actions.

Wave the Red Banner: The Red Banner is not the only SPA-affiliated or favoring publication, but it is the only one produced by the Party itself. And it is immensely popular. New ones go out constantly, but you could write an article of your own and make a special edition. This would receive extra attention and possibly some new readership, allowing you to make your opinions heard and sway the hearts and minds of others. You could shape the narrative on something, make an argument for or against a particular course of action, attack an enemy or uplift an ally. The possibilities of the written word are limitless. Cost: 2 Resources and a risk of backlash. May be additional costs depending on the topic. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/25/50/75/100/150. Results: Variable change in support or party factions, results depend on topic. Topic must be written in. Some examples: "The importance of unity in the socialist cause," "The corruption of the Hoover administration," "Why feminism and socialism must go together," and "Why Farmer-Labor should unify with the SPA." Can synergize with other actions.


Send Social Agitators To: Nearly every street corner in Chicago, New York City, and Seattle has a man or woman standing on a crate and telling the passerby of the virtues of the cause and encouraging them to donate. They are often beaten brutally by the bourgeois or by police (and just as often protected by their listeners), but they nevertheless persist, determined to gain recruits and funds for the cause. Some of these agitators are amateurs doing it in their spare time, but quite a few are dedicated and skilled speakers. Sending these speakers in significant numbers to an area can turn your foe's supporters against them, especially if it is followed up upon with meaningful organization. Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the agitators depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and reduce Federalist and AFP support there.

Create Shadow Government: You have had a brilliant idea: Though you lack power at the federal level, the Socialist Party has substantial control of many mayorships, county governments. You even effectively control some states of the Steel Belt. Creating a forum to help these various governments cooperate and resolve disputes will be useful, especially if you have further requests of these governments. You have only discussed this concept briefly, but the idea of the Interstate Committee of Socialist Governments (name subject to change) has dazzled many. Especially since it will help you gain influence over their legal codes, voting laws, and National Guard armories. Cost: Significant and dangerous backlash from within and without the Party, probable legal challenges. Time: 3 months. DC: 80/160/235/310. Results: Various states and lower-level governments integrated into a coordinated body, many new possibilities available, although the body could be unwieldy.

Condemn Reactionary Judges: The situation in many streets resembles a powder keg. There are gathering crowds, ready to strike. They are growing hungrier. They are growing angrier. Even your soup kitchens can stave that off for so long...and judges are preventing relief. Speaking on this matter will ensure the people's ire is properly directed and may inspire some changes of heart. Cost: Risk of backlash. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/15/30/45/60. Results: Legal challenges for relief laws cleared away.

Invoke Party Discipline: The governor of Illinois is being recalcitrant. If he stops hemming and hawing, then the bill will get signed and Chicago can go on a general strike without consequences. Pay a personal visit and find out what the hell is going on. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Find out why the bill is being blocked, convince it to be unblocked.

First They Came For the Payment Army: MacArthur's vicious deed has given you an opportunity to jump on with both feet. The darker side of you suggests thanking him before shooting him. Make it clear to every working man and woman that innocent soldiers were shot for daring to ask for the pay they promised...and who is to say the same might not happen to them if the bosses get unhappy? The capitalists will take every opportunity they can to block your message. They might succeed more than you liked, but nothing can stop the truth. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100. Result: Major gains in support.

Support Faction: The party is more than a little divided, even if everyone is determined to stick together, they still clash frequently, with each other and with you. Spending some time and effort backing a particular faction in these debates could gain you some gratitude, which is always a valuable currency. Cost: Risk of losing Influence or Authority. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Increase Relations and Strength of selected faction, chance of gaining Influence.

Make Changes To Subordinates: You do not have the time or capability to make all the decisions involved with bringing the Revolution to America, and so you have trusted subordinates to help. Occasionally, you will need to redirect their efforts, invest more in their success, or even replace them immediately. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Make any change to 1 subordinate. Can be taken multiple times.

Party Donation Drive: Your income comes from party dues and a cut from the incomes of the unions that make up the CSA. And it is proving insufficient for all the demands placed on your party. Asking for additional voluntary donations on a one-time basis would help ease the strain and buy time for you to begin finding additional sources of revenue. And doing it once shouldn't make you look too bad. As long as you make it clear you are asking. Cost: Very low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/150/200. Result: One-time increase to Resources, the amount is dependent on roll.


Union Actions


Send Union Organizers To: While agitators can disrupt other political organizations and explain why you are better, to actually gain support of the kind that makes people spend blood and gold and sweat on your behalf requires a different approach. Establishing that takes time, but sending union organizers to an area can make for a start. In many ways, the risks these organizers take are even greater than that of the agitators, especially if there is sufficient hostility to socialism already. Some have literally been tarred and feathered...Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the organizers depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and gain temporary support there.

Appoint Union Representative: There are dozens of unions, many with hundreds or thousands of chapters. A rare few even have branches in Canada, with a rarer few having branches in Mexico. The Combined Syndicates serves as a forum to allow them to coordinate and cooperate, but the vagaries of time and travel mean that the larger meetings are often sparsely attended. Electing (although your influence will help make it an effective appointment) a representative to help manage the syndicates, smooth over disputes, and ensure all voices are heard would reduce the growing pains the CSA is suffering from. However, the notion is not entirely popular...Cost: Chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/Variable/Variable. Result: Subvote to determine who you will support for Union Representative and how much to invest in them.

Expand Soup Kitchens: The urban masses are being fed, but only a few cities (Seattle, New York City, and Chicago) have anything like enough kitchens to provide for the sheer overwhelming number of people who must be fed. If you build even more kitchens and provide them with as much food as possible, you might just be able to keep the entire population of the cities fed. This expansion will cost a great deal of money and the amount it will cost to keep them all supplied is enormous, but the political and moral benefits are just as enormous. Especially if you can improve your messaging...Cost: 10 Resources, -4 Resources per turn. Time: 3 months. DC: 0/50/75. Result: Massive expansion to the food kitchen program.

Establish Community Gardens: The cities of America are filled with vacant lots and crumbling buildings. Reclaiming the buildings will have to be part of a larger effort, but the lots can be used to the benefit of the people by establishing gardens. Though they will take many months, the fresh vegetables will improve the quality of the food served by the soup kitchens...and hopefully reduce expenses. Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: +1 Resources per turn after 3 months.

Create Strike Fund: Striking is the simplest way for the workers of America to make their demands heard directly. Strikes have won minimum wages, shorter hours, and worker's compensation. But many companies can outlast their workers, especially major conglomerates like Ford. The establishment of a strike fund unions can take from to support themselves will remove this advantage and help workers win victories. Cost: 20 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/20/60/120. Result: Increase in union size and effectiveness, increase to support.

Mutual Aid Foundations: While directly expanding the soup kitchens would benefit many, a less costly alternative would be the establishment of mutual aid organizations to ensure that people are fed. Since they are less directly dependent on the SPA buying food for them, they will be cheaper for you to maintain, but still serve to provide relief to the struggling masses and help expose them to socialist ideals. Cost: 2 Resources, -1 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90/120. Result: Small expansion to the food kitchen program.

Union Donation Drive: Your income comes from party dues and a cut from the incomes of the unions that make up the CSA. And it is proving insufficient for all the demands placed on your party. Asking for additional voluntary donations on a one-time basis would help ease the strain and buy time for you to begin finding additional sources of revenue. And doing it once shouldn't make you look too bad. As long as you make it clear you are asking. Cost: Very low chance of loss of support or Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/10/20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100/150/200. Result: One-time increase to Resources, the amount is dependent on roll.


(1 Authority Committed) Striking Education (Ideological): Many unions are not particularly desirous of revolution at the moment. They have more immediate demands - better wages, safer conditions, protection from arbitrary firings. Most can barely conceive of demanding profit-sharing, let alone workplace democracy or the complete abolition of capitalism. Anything too radical will likely make them abandon you wholesale. However, the SPA has many skilled agitators and speakers who could help change this, although attempting this education may backfire. Cost: 2 Resources, chance of losing Influence or Support. Time: 1 month. DC: 40/80/120. Result: Increase the Strength of the Left faction, increase relations with the Left faction, increase support from unions, reduce the negative impact of other actions on your supporters.

Union Charities, Donations: The unions of the CSA have their own individual strike funds and incomes, used for various events. These funds are often rather significant in size, and could be used to supplement the charitable endeavors of the SPA. Doing so would ease the logistical strain providing for so many causes, but not every union is entirely dedicated to socialist ideals, especially not when it comes to the outsiders who will inevitably come seeking aid. Cost: Increased risk of corruption. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/100. Result: +X Resources per month.

Union Charities, Fundraising: The unions of the CSA have their own individual strike funds and incomes, used for various events. These funds are often rather significant in size, and could be used to supplement the financial resources at your command through direct donations and holding fundraising events. It may somewhat aggravate your supporters, but as long as you are using the money for their benefit there won't be more than grumbling. Cost: A new mandate. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/80/120. Result: +X Resources per month.

Participate in the General Strike: Millions of workers will down their tools in Chicago. The city will come to a stop. And then it will resume, under the direction of the people. They will manage garbage disposal and traffic direction and the delivery of goods. It will be a glorious beacon of what is possible under socialism, the merest ghost of what the future could hold. And you could join in...partaking in the Seattle Commune helped set your star to rise, and it could be a good experience to do so again...and maybe you could even take the family, it will help Hannah understand why you are a socialist. Cost: Must commit at least 2 Influence for the duration of the general strike. Time: Until the strike ends. DC: No roll. Result: Opportunity to participate in the general strike, increased benefits from the strike.

Falling Off the Truck: Thousands of tons of food are processed in American factories where unionized workers work. They send food off to be sold in grocery stores then destroyed when no one actually buys it while their bellies are empty. Begin a program of encouraging workers to "donate" some of this food to the food kitchens. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Increase to income.

Militant Actions


Additional Weapons: The armaments of your "regular" Red Guards are highly irregular, and the "irregulars" who sometimes join in during protests or strikes are even worse off. Beginning to create armories of weapons will help equip both. The first step will be to acquire things like billy clubs and batons, both to avoid attracting unfortunate attention and because stockpiling guns in the current climate is needlessly risky...Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/30/45/60. Result: Create stockpiles of "non-lethal" weapons for the use of the Red Guards.

Instilling Discipline, Pt.1: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Every branch of the Red Guards contains at least a few who do it more or less full-time. These are some of your most dedicated and radical supporters, and when the time comes they are the ones who will form the hard core of the Red Army. So they are the ones who need training and discipline the most. Based on what you saw of the Bolsheviks in Russia, the first thing that men who wish to be soldiers must be taught is discipline. And so that is what the training shall begin with. Regrettably, the fury in them at the moment will make it harder to convince them not every rich man is their mortal enemy. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 4 months. DC: 30/60. Result: Improve discipline of Red Guards.

Encourage Veteran Recruitment: The recent veterans from the Legation Cities have not all signed up to join your ranks. And there are a fair few older veterans of other wars and "police actions" who could be perhaps convinced to join you. They have heard of the Payment Army and they are angry. Their experience and familiarity with combat will help stiffen and strengthen the Red Guards, although some could be traitors...Cost: Small loss of Relations with the Right and Left. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/45/90. Results: Recruit veteran soldiers, bonuses to other actions.

Go Hunting: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) In every city and town of America you face enemies. Hostile police forces, reactionary militias, mercenaries and Pinkertons hired by capitalists, and more. They all seek to oppress and suppress the workers. This cannot be borne. While the Red Guards continually battle in the streets, protecting protests, defending meetings, guarding agitators and organizers, they only rarely go on the offensive and keep it strictly to retaliatory strikes on those most responsible for attacks. Asking for a more general attack would help weaken opposition, and perhaps see some justice done. Cost: Reduces support, reduces relations with the Right and the Social Democrats, chance of it going badly. Time: 1 month. DC: 25. Results: Red Guards begin attacking class enemies, chance of gaining Resources, Support, Influence...

Street Medics: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) One of the tactics used by the heroes of the Shanghai Uprising was the establishment of street medics, noncombat members of the Left-KMT who helped keep injured members in the fight and provided aid and comfort before the soldiers of the Legation Cities resorted to bloodier measures. Implementing such measures could be useful...Cost: 5 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 35. Results: Red Guards gain street medics, help reduce casualties.

Anti-Strikebreaker Force:(Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Pinkertons and police have been used to break many strikes, often injuring or killing innocent men and women who wanted nothing more than fair treatment and rarely suffering consequences for that. This cannot be tolerated any further. While such behavior can now be legally punished in many states, that doesn't always discourage it. More drastic measures must be taken. Find the best and most determined members of the Red Guards who are willing to do it full time and shuttle them around the country to protect major strikes. They will need some training and equipment of course. Cost: 3 Resources, - 0.5 Resources per month. Risk of backlash. DC: 0/25/50/100. Results: Form a small force of semi-professional troops who will be automatically deployed at major strikes and similar actions.

Take the Docks: In many cities, the powerful Dockworker's Unions could stop the transfer of goods at will, or smuggle goods in past customs inspectors. While this is mostly used for their own benefit, it could be a potent measure to increase the party's resources and power. Cost: Risk of backlash, will likely increase corruption. DC: 0/30/60/90. Results: Gain income, easier smuggling, new options unlocked.

Cultural Actions


Christian Socialism: Most Americans are Christians, and despite the words of the Constitution it is widely considered a Christian nation. Given that many churches are staunchly opposed to socialism while socialism is a staunchly secular ideology, this could be troublesome. Fortunately, this Gordian knot can be cut rather easily. The concept of "Christian socialism" and claiming that Christ himself would be a socialist is simple enough, with ample support for this notion coming directly from the Bible. Combining this message with a few displays of piety will help reduce criticism from the pulpit, although significant portions of organized religion will doubtless remain hostile. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Left, loss of support from Jews and other religions. Time: 2 months. DC: 15/45/90. Results: Increase in support from Christians, increased ease of recruitment.

(1 Authority Committed) The American Revolution, Pt. 1: Lumpenproletariat and alienation and private property...socialist, syndicalist, and anarchist theory is rife with such words and concepts that many Americans find unfamiliar. They might like the results, but the name and the description turns them away. Fortunately, those things are easy to change. Begin describing American Revolutionism, where the work of George Washington must be completed by liberating the works of America from the tyrannies of King Georges with names like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt and Pullman. Sell people on socialism by not calling it socialism, sell people on the revolution by calling it a revolution. Cost: General loss of Relations, chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 35/70/105. Results: Chance of significant increase in support and dramatically easier recruiting.

Songs of the Revolution: The Internationale. The Preacher and the Slave. This Land is Your Land. Solidarity Forever. Many are the songs of the socialist movement. Let everyone hear them. Establish choirs and wandering musicians and every other way to spread your message through song there is. Cost: 3 Resources, -0.5 Resources per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/30/50/70/90/ Results: Easier recruiting, increase to morale among the party.

Unity In The Melting Pot: The Socialist Party and the IWW have long used multilingual speakers to reach out to immigrants. With the end of the Weltkrieg and the defeat of the Bolsheviks, thousands from Eastern Europe have flocked to America's shores to find conditions no better, while others have come north with Central and South America. Reaching out to those groups will be essential. The multilingual program will be expanded, to begin. Cost: None.
Time: 3 months. DC: 5/45/90. Results: Easier recruiting, increased support among immigrants.


Socialist Radio Networks: Huey Long has used the radio to spread his reactionary babble to thousands of Americans. We can do the same. Through speeches and interviews, your message can be broadcast. While some may turn off the radio rather than hear the truth, the more you reach the more you can convince. The first step will be to purchase...whatever it is that produces radio waves for broadcasts. That was never something you needed to learn in school. Cost: 3 Resources. Time: 3 months. DC: 5/25/50/75. Results: Significantly easier recruiting, increased support.

Posters and Pamphlets: The speeches you give reach only those who hear you. Your speeches written down reach all who can read...but they are a bit too long for a poster discreetly put up or a pamphlet smuggled behind a boss's back. Beginning to create and produce snappy slogans and logos for posters and pamphlets will help you in the propaganda war, especially given the number of virulently anti-socialist publications that will smear you and your movement in any way possible. Cost: 1 Resource. Time: 3 months. DC: 10/50/90. Results: The creation of posters and pamphlets to help spread your message, ease of recruiting.

Political Actions


Impeachment: If President Hoover has been unable to leave the White House grounds for two months, he is clearly no longer fit for office. The two-thirds majority impeachment requires is veritably impossible to achieve, but even making noises about it could help gain you support and allies, especially if you are high-profile enough. Some in your party consider it nothing but a waste of time, others feel it is a tactical error. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Center. Time: 1 month. DC: 5/20/50/150. Results: The Socialist Party initiates an impeachment motion for Hoover, chance of gaining legislative allies or support.

Ally With Farmer-Labor: Farmer-Labor is in many ways the party closest to you, but there are significant differences. Their left fringe overlaps heavily with your right fringe, and they are a primarily agrarian party with different concerns, but the instability in the market and the chaos it's causing among their supporters have left them looking for solutions. They may be willing to begin working with you, although they will likely balk at the prospect of a revolution. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/40/70. Results: You make some form of alliance with some or all of Farmer-Labor

Poach the Democrats: The Democrats have traditionally been a party pulled in many directions - Bourbon conservatives, progressives, Southern populists, and union members, political machines - and while a significant portion of all these factions has left, there are always remnants, such as the Roosevelt family. The party as a whole rejects you wholeheartedly, but individual members can be convinced to change their allegiance. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 45/80/120. Results: You convince some members of the Democratic Party and aspects of their political machine to switch allegiance to you.

Press the Progressives: The Progressive Party is now the second-weakest in America. Even the newly formed America First Party has surpassed them. They hold a few scattered seats in the West and Midwest and little more. This weakness is also what makes them vulnerable. They will collapse as a national party without intervention, you suspect. And you can offer this intervention. Cost: Unknown. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/40/70. Results: You convince some members of the Progressive Party to switch allegiance to you.

Pro-Worker Legislation: It's unlikely to pass, at least on a federal level, but demanding it will make a statement in and of itself. And you will not just push this legislation on a federal level. These laws will focus on the things workers have fought for. Better wages, workplace safety, price caps for company stores...with the stroke of a pen, they can be spread across the country, and it will be the SPA that will take the lion's share of the credit. Cost: Loss of Relations with the Left. Time: 1 month. DC: 15/25/70. Results: You pass worker-protection laws on the state and possibly federal level and can gain varying amounts of support.

State-Level Strike Protection: You know better than to even try legitimizing strikes on the federal level, and the state-level laws you are putting into practice will certainly face federal challenges. In some states, you don't have the full control that passing your Platonic ideal of a striker-protection law would require. So you will spend some time speaking with judges and statesmen and encouraging members of the SPA to do the same to get some form of the rules you want passed. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/30/80. Results: You accelerate the passing of striker-protection laws of varying usefulness in many states and ease the way for their defense in courts.

Party Lawyers: Many potentially vital laws are being held up in the courts. And frankly, you have a shortage of good lawyers. There are some willing to work for free from dedication to the cause, but most lack the wealth for that or are entirely uninterested in working for you. But enough filthy lucre can solve that problem. Cost: 1 Resource, -1 Resource per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: 45. Results: Hire some lawyers to help defend the laws you get passed.

Appoint a Party Whip: You have gained fifteen seats in the Senate and far more in the House. While you generally don't have to deal with congressional revolts, there may be occasionally controversial legislation you will have to deal with. Furthermore, having someone handle the day-to-day matters of making sure everyone is read up on the bills, helping your congresspeople manage their staff and campaigns, and coordinate filibustering would free up some more time you could use. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Subvote to determine who the Party Whip will be and how much to invest in them.


Intellectual Actions


The Legacy of John Brown: John Brown was a revolutionary martyr who fought for freedom. Abraham Lincoln sought to bring freedom to the enslaved. They would support you in your struggle to bring liberation to all. You will insist on it. You will quote them to say so. You might have to be a bit selective in doing so, but it won't matter. Cost: None... Time: 1 month. DC: 5. Result: Increased efficacy of The American Revolution actions.

Create an Educational Program: Designing a socialist education program will be just one of the many questions you have to answer after the revolution. There are important differences in content and teaching style and likely other things as well. Begin looking into who is an expert in such things and start drawing up the broad strokes of what a curriculum will cover. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/40/60. Result: Begin designing an education program.

A Socialist Structure, Pt. 1: How will the economy work? Will currency be abolished? How will you ensure racial equality? Though there are examples to look forward to from Britain and France, you will need to begin creating your own answers to these questions. Plans must be made, although they will be by necessity vague. But creating the most basic framework for what form American socialism will take will help ease your path forward. Cost: Probable loss of relations, chance of -1 Influence. Time: 6 months. DC: No roll. Result: Begin coming up with a more detailed roadmap for socialist America, begin unlocking actions to create small-scale imitations/programs related to this.

Who Supports Who?: If you looked out the window to see New York City, you would think nine in ten supported you. You are not fool enough to think that, of course. The Payment Army alone disproves that, let alone the bullying your daughter has experienced, the endless attempts at suppression, the thousands of letters denouncing you. Beginning to get an accurate count will be vital for effectively directing your efforts. Cost: 2 Resources. Time: 1 month. DC: 30/60/90. Result: Get a general idea of where your support is strong and weak and what people are concerned about.

Questions and Answers: There are always a few common refrains against socialism, like that it is un-American, it is undemocratic, and will involve socialists stealing your shoes. Answer and rebut these fallacies to help your agitators and organizers counter the narratives of the reactionaries and the establishment. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 5. Result: Begin countering common attacks against socialism.

Against the Socialism of Fools: Anti-Semitism is a virulent problem in this country. Father Coughlin spews anti-Semitic bile, many claim Jews are behind every problem and especially behind the syndicalists, even some of your party members and unionized workers mislike them. Countering these narratives may cost, but it is a worthy effort. Cost: Likely loss of relations, chance of -1 Influence. Time: 1 month. DC: 10/50/100. Result: Counter anti-Semitic narratives, increase in support from Jews, small chance of +1 Influence.

Proletarian Unity: The workers of the world must be united. There are false divisions embedded deep into the American psyche. Racism is the greatest but by no means the only one. Target these divides, weld them together as best you can. Make promises of restitution and justice, publicize what you stand for. It will be difficult and potentially dangerous, but you have to start somewhere. Cost: Likely loss of relations, chance of -1 Influence, chance of losing support. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/75/125. Result: Counter racist narratives, increase support from minorities, small chance of +1 Influence.

Intrigue Actions


Siphon Party Funds: The first step in performing covert actions is to acquire funds to do so. Simply taking money directly from the party treasury strikes you as a bad idea, as the resulting vanishing will be wide open for anyone who looks. So instead you will arrange for a few dribbles of cash to vanish into an account you can use for off-the-books problem-solving. Cost: -0.1 Resources per month. Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 0/35/70. Result: +0.1 Resources per turn goes into a dark fund you can draw upon for covert ops.

Siphon State Funds: With nearly unfettered access to many state governments and party loyalists being installed in treasury departments across the nation, you have an opportunity to enhance the party's financial position by arranging for subtle fund transfers from the government funds. There will likely need to be some sort of...shell to hide the directness of the money transfer. Cost: Risk of discovery. Time: 1 month. DC: 25/50/75/100. Result: Increase to income.

Hire an Assistant Secretary: You need someone who is good at this sort of thing. Someone trustworthy, loyal and competent. That's going to be really hard to find...but at the same time, it is undeniably necessary. How would you even begin to find that? Cost: Risky...and you will have to commit an Authority to them. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/??/??/????. Result: Find some potential spymasters, can delegate Influence or Authority to them.

Foreign Assistance: The success of the French and the British (and the Italians and Mexicans) gives you hope, both because they prove it is possible for socialism to triumph (you almost despaired of that after Russia) and because it means that you can call on them for assistance. Funds, trainers, spies...you don't know what you can get till you ask. Cost: Risk of discovery, possible favors. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/??/??. Result: Gain some form of foreign support.

Sending Spies: Particularly given your purging of the police and the increasing difficulties the capitalists are having with oppressing the workers in areas dominated by syndicalists, there is something of a low-level exodus going on from the north, which means there is an opportunity to get eyes and ears in the lower level of the National Guards, U.S. Army, and hostile militias, to name a few possibilities. Cost: Risk of discovery, risk to the spies. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/???/???. Result: Write in where you send the spy.

Newspaper Analysts: With the increasing influx of information, often heavily conflicting, getting an idea of what is going on in the country grows more difficult every day. Arranging for a few party members to subscribe to dozens of newspapers and compare them so they can brief you will be child's play compared to some of the things you have organized. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Result: Improvement to Rumors and News section.

Revolutionary Guards: People have been threatening to kill you and your family and other leaders for a long time. You have developed protection against overt attacks, but perhaps it is time to begin developing a more covert sort of protection as well. Cost: - 2 Resources per month. Time: 3 months. DC: ???/???/??. Result: Create an organization of plainclothes bodyguards for you, your family, and other important figures. Unlock additional counterintelligence actions.

Send Covert Organizers: Unions cannot operate openly everywhere. Particularly in the South and Midwest, efforts to organize are met with bombs, knives, and bullets. Or worse. You have vivid memories of the results of your trip to Wilmington...But people still organize, they still fight. Sending covert assistance can lead to an increase to your strength in an area, and help increase the chances of more overt intervention. Cost: Risk to the lives and health of the agitators depending on where they are sent to. Time: 1 month. DC: ??/Variable/Variable. Results: Write in an area (such as New York state, the Midwest, New Orleans, etc. The bigger it is, the more diffuse the impact) and reduce Federalist and AFP support while increasing your own support there.


Personal Actions


Work Overtime: Although your heart and mind ache at the thought, the cause needs you. It will be stressful, it will be upsetting to your wife and daughter, you can feel your very soul revolting at the thought of spending even more hours working...but you must. The workers of the world demand it! No matter what it costs you. Cost: Severely stressful, unhealthy, bad for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: +1 temporary Influence.

Personal Attention: If you spend a few hours working on a particular task, it will likely go smoother. It will cut into the time you would normally spend with your family or your books, but it is a sacrifice you will have to make. Cost: Stressful, not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Small dice and narrative bonus to chosen action.

Exercise: You have gotten slightly out of shape thanks to the stress of the election. Getting back in shape would be good for your health and your image...and if you ever get the chance to punch Huey Long in his fat face or strangle MacArthur, it will help then too. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, improvement to health.

Spend Time With Your Family: Your daughter Hannah misses you, as does your wife Louise. Spending some extra time with them this month will make up for all the times you missed doing it during the campaign season. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Major decrease in stress, good for your family.

Write: You have been working on another book about your own thoughts and beliefs about socialism and syndicalism, as well as on a few poems, memoirs, and some other odds and ends. Spending some time working on that will help order your thoughts and ease your burdens. Cost: Not great for your family. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Results: Decrease in stress, possibility of new traits.


Free Actions


Tweak a Subordinate's Priorities: While those who are working with you are scattered across the country, between the train and the telegram they are within reach. Requesting a minor change to their priorities is a simple matter. Cost: May pick only once per turn. Time: 1 month. DC: No roll. Result: May make 1 change to 1 subordinate's priorities (change order, add one, remove one).

Choose A Focus: You currently have no focus. Select one from the Available Focuses spoiler.

The Union Forever! - Through the most difficult and darkest days, it was the unions that kept the revolutionary spirit alive. Let the unions stand forever. No reactionary or capitalist can defeat the people, united. Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain national spirit The Union Forever (Effect: +1 Strength to the Left faction per month).

The Struggle Carries On! - Though the Party is determinedly advancing to socialism, we need more. We need to organize the masses and reach out to those not yet willing to follow us! Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain National Spirit The Struggle Carries On! (+1 Strength to the Center of the Party per month)

Political Alliances - Victories must be won not just on the battlefield, but in the halls of the rich and powerful. They must be convinced to side with you against Long's insanity and MacArthur's tyranny. Time: 3 months. Effect: Gain the national spirit Political Alliances (Effect: +1 Strength for the Right faction per month).

A/N: 2 hour moratorium please.
 
We need to remember that at this time most Americans are one to two generations away from the farm or still have connections to rural communities. If we can show that we not only help the industrial workers but farmers and laborers also we will gain supporters and food.
 
Hmm, current thoughts:

[ ] Plan Draft
-[ ] Wave the Red Banner (1 Influence)
--[ ] Subject: The Government's Betrayal of the Payment Army
-[ ] First They Came For the Payment Army (2 Influence)
-[ ] Invoke Party Discipline (1 Influence)
-[ ] Create Strike Fund (1 Influence)
-[ ] Spend Time With Your Family

Combo Waving the Red Banner about the Payment Army along with First They Came for the Payment Army (plus one of our Strike Demands being that the Payment Army gets its compensation.) Invoke Party Discipline to get legal support for the General Strike, and create the Strike Fund.

@notbirdofprey Would these actions be enough to satisfy the Right's Mandate, and if not, what actions would satisfy it?
 
Hmm, current thoughts:

[ ] Plan Draft
-[ ] Wave the Red Banner (1 Influence)
--[ ] Subject: The Government's Betrayal of the Payment Army
-[ ] First They Came For the Payment Army (2 Influence)
-[ ] Invoke Party Discipline (1 Influence)
-[ ] Create Strike Fund (1 Influence)
-[ ] Spend Time With Your Family

Combo Waving the Red Banner about the Payment Army along with First They Came for the Payment Army (plus one of our Strike Demands being that the Payment Army gets its compensation.) Invoke Party Discipline to get legal support for the General Strike, and create the Strike Fund.

@notbirdofprey Would these actions be enough to satisfy the Right's Mandate, and if not, what actions would satisfy it?
I like all of this except for the personal action - shit is about to get super stressful and Jack will need to be in good health to handle it. As such, I advocate focusing on exercise instead.
 
For completing the Right's mandate, there is a chance it will complete on its own, successfully invoking party discipline will do it, forming the anti-strike breakers will do it, and there should be a political action for pushing state-level striker protection laws.
 
Anti-Strikebreaker Force: (Benefits from Veterans in the Red Guards) Pinkertons and police have been used to break many strikes, often injuring or killing innocent men and women who wanted nothing more than fair treatment and rarely suffering consequences for that. This cannot be tolerated any further. While such behavior can now be legally punished in many states, that doesn't always discourage it. More drastic measures must be taken. Find the best and most determined members of the Red Guards who are willing to do it full time and shuttle them around the country to protect major strikes. They will need some training and equipment of course. Cost: 3 Resources, - 0.5 Resources per month. Risk of backlash. DC: 0/25/50/100. Results: Form a small force of semi-professional troops who will be automatically deployed at major strikes and similar actions.

State-Level Strike Protection: You know better than to even try legitimizing strikes on the federal level, and the state-level laws you are putting into practice will certainly face federal challenges. In some states, you don't have the full control that passing your Platonic ideal of a striker-protection law would require. So you will spend some time speaking with judges and statesmen and encouraging members of the SPA to do the same to get some form of the rules you want passed. Cost: None. Time: 1 month. DC: 20/30/80. Results: You accelerate the passing of striker-protection laws of varying usefulness in many states and ease the way for their defense in courts.
Here are those other options. Hmm, do we want to take away Strike Fund in favor of one of these? Anti-Strikebreaker Force we'd probably want 2 Influence on it due to the risk of backlash, which I'm reluctant to do when I want to have two on First They Came For the Payment Army. So maybe go for State-Level Strike Protection?
 
Here are those other options. Hmm, do we want to take away Strike Fund in favor of one of these? Anti-Strikebreaker Force we'd probably want 2 Influence on it due to the risk of backlash, which I'm reluctant to do when I want to have two on First They Came For the Payment Army. So maybe go for State-Level Strike Protection?

i think you'd want to go with either of the following:

2 die on Anti-Strikebreaker and 1 die on First They Came
1 die on State Level and 2 die on First They Came

i would personally prefer the first of the two, that being said
 
[X] Plan: Rallying Support for the General Strike
-[X] Wave the Red Banner: 1 Influence
--[X] Subject: First They Came For the Payment Army
-[X] First They Came For the Payment Army: 2 Influence
-[X] Invoke Party Discipline: 1 Influence
-[X] Create Strike Fund: 1 Influence

-[X] Personal Attention
--[X] Wave the Red Banner

-[X] Choose A Focus: The Struggle Carries On!

While it's a bit reliant on the legal protections for the strike (and we've seen that that won't necessarily protect you) we can't afford the Governor of Illinois to not be on the side of the General Strike. If there's a problem, we need to nip it in the bud now.

Hopefully we'll have enough breathing room for the first month that we can take the anti-strike breaker force next turn.
 
You know, I think we should avoid Christian socialism so as to not alienate minorities and maintain a broader alliance, and continue to go further down the Americana path with John Brown and Lincoln.

Lincolnism-Marxism is the way of the future.
 
I wish we had more than one Personal Action each turn. I'd like to be able to keep relations with family up at the same time that we exercise.
 
[X] Plan: Rallying Support for the General Strike

The Strike is starting soon and it'll be a springboard for further agitation. I was thinking about pushing for arming the Red Guards more but this is not quite the political environment to do that imo - people are outraged at MacArthur for being a vicious thug and arming in response to that will throw cold water on that indignation. Stoke the flames of that outrage instead and we might be able to turn it into widespread militant energy against Hoover and MacArthur.
 
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