After a boring decade where almost nothing happened, with Constantinople still trapped in some sort of temporal anomaly, Grand Vizier Mustafa Kemal has decided it is time to nationalize Western-owned industries. All shares in industries owned by investors from:

• the UK

• France

• the USA

• Germany

• the Benelux countries

• Switzerland (yes, it is the Swiss who own the CFOA railway)

• any other Western country I missed

will be hereby owned by the Sultanate of Turkey. Any investors wishing to recoup their losses are instructed to ask their governments to compensate them out of the reparations Turkey (and the Ottoman Empire before it) has already paid.

##Deutsches Kaiserreich

Reichskanzler Groener breathed out a sight as he eased himself into his chair. He reached for the warm cup of scented coffee on the platter below and raised it to his mouth. It was black and firm, albeit not offensively so. It lacked a distinctive bitterness many associated with it.

Groener looked down at his desk and glanced over various documents. Each paper described the economies of the various regions of Germany. The Reich wasn’t a command economy, but as its warlord, Groener held heavy sway over how things would go.

What had previously been a disaster of unprecedented scale was now a manageable situation. Washington has approved of a loan of $5 billion. It had also agreed to a different loan repayment plan. Groener’s spartan austerity would no longer be necessary. The President of the Reichsbank even argued that it hindered the economy more in the long run. It was because of him that the Reichsmark has been stabilized, preventing what might have been an unimaginable disaster.

Economy and Military

Groener grasped for a pen and began to scribble a few lines on the document. Government programs contributing to employment and economic growth would be restored. The Kaiserheer would also be restored to its maximum number, with veterans from Der Stahelm being reached out to.

With one stroke of a pen, Deuschland had been steered in another direction. There would of course need to be a number of meetings to handle the specifics. However, Groener’s word was law, with the elections being a mere show meant to shore up his legitimacy.

The government would slowly step away from austerity. Even though Washington agreed to a more generous loan repayment deal, it didn’t mean the government needed to splurge on a series of social programs. The loan itself would be used as a buffer of sorts. They would be converted into liquid reserves, which would be used to assist in the growth of the German economy. This meant everything from general tax breaks to subsidies for certain companies.

Education Reform

Groener then looked over a request from the Ministry of Education.

The Reichsministerium für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung was to receive much needed reform. The DNVP has sought to enforce its dominance over the state. The rising National Socialist party threatened their monopoly. They had sought to blame the establishment for Versailles, despite it being Ebert and his rotting cronies who kicked the situation off.

Nevertheless, the National Socialist Party were seen as useful idiots as worse and potential allies at best. Many members were devoted to the Kaiser and the old ideals believed made Germany great. It was why Gustaf Kossinna had been picked as Education Minister. The professor was officially independent, albeit he was invested in Aryan studies, which gained him the praise of the Völkisch and National Socialist factions.

With austerity slowly ending, Gustaf was permitted to accelerate a program of Aryan study and ideological indoctrination. The German people would be taught that they were a master race entitled to stand at the top of the world. The Kaiser would be mythicized as the perfect Aryan, a possibly divine figure that was entitled to absolute loyalty. By rooting these ideals in the minds of the German people, the military would firmly secure its control over the state.

With the stroke of Groener’s pen, Germany would once again be steered towards an unknown fate.

Léon Blum had come to power at a time of great uncertainty. His reign as Prime Minister had been a long one for the Third Republic, and had seen France through several postwar crises. Versailles had been signed, another war with Germany averted, the labor crisis resolved, and economic recovery was well on its way. Yet it was these continued successes that would topple the Blum administration after all.

the Jusserand-Coolidge Agreement saw a massive reduction in France's war debt to the United States, and a supplementary agreement with Britain likewise for them. The agreements would shore up France's fiscal policy for the mid and late 1920's, speeding economic recovery and growth. However the agreement would paradoxically be widely unpopular, as the French populace believed the debts should be forgiven due to our status as wartime allies with the US and UK. The backlash would cause a vote of no confidence in Monsieur Blum.

Albert Sarraut, former Governor-General of French Indochina, would be named his replacement. Sarraut's administration will focus on colonial affairs, education reform, and mark a withdrawal from entangling alliances outside of Western Europe- a partial step back towards the splendid isolation of the late 19th century. However, we will be ever more committed to the ideas of the League of Nations, and will work to ensure an international peace.

Benito Mussolini, for a change, was anxious.

The league of nations was voting on a potentially dicey situation for Italy. After some totally legitimate referendums accompanied by some technically legal genocide resettlement in Croatia, France was raising a stink about kicking around some Croats. This was not unexepected, but could lead to unfortunate encirclement if the French truly decided to join a war against Italy.

Luckily, no naval treaty has been signed yet, giving us a quantitative advantage in dreadnoughts... dreadnoughts we cannot maintain even if the international community would let us.

Brazil, oh cultured nation of instruments and jungle, has received this telegram.

We've heard you have trouble acquiring additional dreadnoughts? Considering your prestigious position on the security council, we have come up with a deal that benefits us both. 2 Konig Class dreadnoughts for the glorious nation of Brazil. One vote against the French resolution on another plebiscite in Croatia.

Though we have been able to lift the burden of a fully mobilized Italian battle station state, our economy continues to suffer from decades of market mismanagement.

The farms of the south lie in dissaray, with the practical if not legal transfer of property to the farm workers militias being nearly complete. However, there exists no mechanism to direct production here, and most of these uneducated farmers are simply producing the same crops that they were in 1918. To this end, a special institution which can coordinate between the farmers organizations and our own fascist government will be founded. This liason service, a part of the Italian National Fascist Syndicate, will be invested with powers to help get new farm workers where they need to be and to direct the general direction of the south's agricultural economy. Use of tractors and other such machinery is unfortunately low, but could be improved in coordination with the north.

In the North, workers councils have largely seen success in defending their seized factories and fully occupying the industrial districts where they did not yet have total control. Considering the governments violent pro-worker response to the violence of the streets, this can largely be considered a victory for socialism in Italy... though the role of the fascist administration in this ascension is troubling to some. The existing planning mechanisms for Northern Italy will see a focus on profitable exports, filling our own consumer goods needs, military production, and the mechanization of southern agriculture. This will surely be a slow process, so we are confident that the North will have ample contracts to produce tools and machines for at least a decade. With a potential Yugoslav war on the horizon, many factories are to kick into overdrive to ensure we have ample ammunition and arms to defend ourselves, especially of the French and Italian tanks we have been producing since the end of the war.

Vocational schools for engineers, technicians, and other industrial trades that lack easy entrances for most Italians will be funded by the state, to encourage a skilled workforce able to support tanks and trucks tractors and other such agricultural machines.

Meanwhile, the colonial governors have been given direct orders to do whatever is necessary to get our colonies back on track. News is expected next month on interesting developments in Libya, Eritrea, Somalia, and.... Ethiopia?

#The Mountain Republic War (1921-1922)

Russia began its campaign of reconquest against the Mountain Republic in earnest in 1921, and the Mountain Republic in turn resorted to desperate measures to beat back the Russian invader. In the end however, the Mountain Republic couldn’t resist the might of the Russian Republic. The economically vital low lying regions of the Republic were conquered by Russia, at higher cost than expected for the Russians, but at high cost. More of the Mountain Republic’s army was left without a home as the Russian jackboot advanced further south. Further demoralized by the scorched earth strategy of poisoning their own wells, and failure of the Republic to produce victories in the field against Russia, many of the troops of the Mountain Republic deserted. As the Mountain Republic’s army deserted, Russian troops advanced and occupied the small villages of the more mountainous areas, still facing sporadic resistance from disorganized army units.

The Russian victory here was bittersweet. While Russia would in the end defeat the Mountain Republic, the army would dissolve into countless Chechen partisan groups. These groups were battle hardened, heavily armed, and with extensive tunnel networks in the mountains. These partisans would be a serious thorn in Russia’s side for the foreseeable future.

#Turkish Wars (1921-1922)

The Turks had divided their armies into five groups, some organized under the SWCR, and some under the Turkish state itself. The fact that the SWCR was effectively a Turkish province at this point was somewhat of an open secret among all combatants. In any case, each of these groups had various missions, and these missions would be accomplished with varying degrees of success.

Their divisions

##1st Division

The First Division was up against Georgian militias, and they were attempting to reclaim territory taken from the SWCR by Georgia near Ardahan. Georgia miscalculated, not expecting a serious Turkish response. So the Turks here had an advantage in manpower. The Turks also had an advantage in firepower over the Georgians. Despite this, they failed to take the territory. The well entrenched Georgian defenders repelled Turkish assaults, and the division spent the remainder of its time reorganizing.

The Georgians here had no chance of winning a counterattack, so the situation here ends in a stalemate. ##Second Division

The Second Division retreats from Armenian territory as part of a secret treaty with the Russians. The organization of the retreat is orderly, and leaves no opportunity for the Armenians to inflict undo casualties. Armenian morale however is high, as the Turks have yielded territory. Turkish mudfeet, with no knowledge of the secret treaty are upset they have just yielded territory to Armenia for no real reason.

The Armenians make a breakthrough near Kars, and push the Turkish army back to the city. The Armenians are within spitting distance of Kars, and should they take it over the SWCR is in serious trouble.

##Third Division

This group is defending the border with Armenia, and Armenia allows the division to take defensive positions near a river on the southern border of Armenia. The Turks seriously outnumber the Armenians here, but due to the secret treaty with the Russians, they do not exploit this opportunity to seize Armenian territory.

##Fourth/Fifth Division

If you were wondering where all of the Armenian troops that would be resisting the Turkish Third Division are, they are here, with the GLORIOUS HERO OF ARMENIA ANDRANIK. Here, the turks have incredible firepower, at least for now. You see, the logistics to actually maintain those artillery pieces are almost non-existent, so if the conflict here went for too long those pieces would be useless. To recap, the Turks have better firepower here, but the Armenians have much better manpower here. The Turks want to push Andranik into Azerbaijan, and cut him off from Armenia. The Fourth and Fifth Division work in concert here to try and dislodge the Armenian hero. They fail, and take serious casualties in the attempt.

Andranik has a really good idea. In theory, if he concentrated an attack on the Turkish Fourth division, he might be able to encircle the division, thus winning the war for Armenia! He would take their equipment, and maybe be able to force a peace treaty with the Turks with a few thousand prisoners. He was very wrong. His counterattack was disastrous, and he even personally died by a Turkish artillery shell. Despite the death of Andranik, the Armenian’s resolve remains strong. They will not submit to the Turk this day.

#Azerbajian-Armenian War (1921-1922)

Azerbajian was in an interesting position. The main Armenian army in opposition to them was in disarray due to the death of their general, and the Turks had borne the brunt of the casualties to do so. They swept aside the Armenian militias that resisted their advance easily, and undid all the work Armenia had achieved so far and then some. With this defeat, the resolve of the Armenian government was broken. They agreed to a humiliating treaty with Azerbajian, giving up the region of Nagorno-Kabakh.

Azerbajian thanked Turkey for its assistance as an honorable ally, and positioned its troops to resist the inevitable Russian invasion.

#Georgian Phony War (1922-Present)

Russia never really accepted Georgian independence, so when Russian troops gathered on the border of Abkhazia, the Georgians assumed the worst. But the Russians were cautious, and would not invade Georgia at Abkhazia unless the Turks would deal a serious blow against Georgia that never came. So twenty thousand Russians sat on the border with Georgia and sort of picked their noses for a year. The situation became so embarrassing commanders on both sides had to prevent the troops of both sides from fraternizing and drinking together. The Georgians took this opportunity to further entrench their position in Abkhazia, which would work against the Russians.

Russia also depended on the conquest of Azerbaijan for an invasion of Georgia from the east, which did not go as planned...

#Russian War against Azerbaijan (1922-Present)

Russia in this war could be seen as having an overabundance of caution. Broadly speaking the general staff in the Caucasus always emphasized the need for sound logistics before advancing, the constant rotation of troops, and so on. While caution isn’t a problem in and of itself, the caution of the Russian forces seriously slowed down their advance.

In the conflict with Azerbaijan, the Russians had conquered much less territory than it hoped, and paradoxically at much higher cost in casualties. As the overly cautious Russian approach seriously strained the logistical capacity of the region, rotating exhausted units after all requires a lot of transport. And all the while Chechen partisans that are no longer part of the Mountain Republic wreak havoc on the Russian rear. The Chechen partisans blur the distinction between civilian and military, and when the Cossacks lash out against a village, the ranks of Chechen partisans swell with new recruits.

Broadly speaking, while the Russians gain ground against Azerbaijan, they fail to take Baku.

#Turkish-Armenian War (1922-1923)

Both sides were very exhausted from the fighting, and extremely disorganized. Armenia sued for a status quo peace while intermittent fighting along the new front lines resulted in stalemate.

#Map & Casualties

(Will come later in more detail)

##Russia

Serious

##Turkey

Moderate

##Mountain Republic

Annihilated

##Armenia

Annihilated

##Azerbaijan

Serious

##Georgia

Minor

#Istanbul

You could cut the tension in Constantinople the night before the election. The election would determine whether the city would enter Greek or Turkish hands, and tensions between the Greek and Turkish nationalists were high.

An angry mob of Greeks assembled to ”enforce a fair election”. They made the claim that the Turks were attempting to steal the election by bringing Turks in from outside the city. They also would ‘solve’ this problem by kicking out these Turks, but how exactly you were to tell the difference between a Turk of Constantinople and elsewhere was beyond them. Constantinople quickly devolved into a riot.

A riot, that the Turks seemed poised to ‘win’, if you could call it that. But how did the occupying forces respond?

The Italians were the most vicious in putting down the Greek opposition. Italian soldiers joined the Turks in what can only be described as a massacre of the Greek populace. They were unrestrained from any even perceived perception of impartiality.

The French, less so. They were mostly concerned with ‘maintaining order’. To the French, this meant a Turkish victory. The French could reasonably claim they were just keeping the peace.

The British unlike the French were actually concerned with ‘maintaining order’. They also set up (mostly ineffectual and overcrowded) safe zones, which were very well received by the Greeks chased out of their homes.

When the day broke, it became clear that the Greeks ‘started’ the riot if you ignore the fact that Turks might have provoked it. The Greeks might have started the riot, but the Turks ended it. Many of the Turks were armed, and the Greeks were not. The Turks had dealt a serious blow to the Greek population, while many of the occupying forces merely looked the other way.

The Greek populace, and especially the nationalists have cast doubt on the legitimacy of any sort of plebiscite in Constantinople. They believe that Turkey and the occupying powers more broadly are acting in bad faith, and will very likely not accept any result that does not end with them keeping the city.

The Turk populace on the other hand, continue to espouse the ‘lofty ideals’ of self-determination and the fourteen points. Whether they actually believe it, or just think that they will get the city that way is up for debate.

What’s clear is that the legitimacy of the League of Nations as a force for peace has taken a serious hit during this whole debacle. The actions of the Italian Troops and more broadly the failure of the occupation force to keep the peace hangs over the head of the organization.

Some in the international community have called for the election to be postponed due to the violence.

The Groener Government has gone through with its policy of austerity. Many government services were cut,

Despite Groener’s association with the Kaiserheer, he personally advocated that its budget be slashed. The German Reich would be in no position to conduct any significant operation for some time. It would be made into a branch dedicated for policing and so on, with the bare requirement being allowed. That minimum was anywhere from 25,000-50,000, with units being focused in the western border regions and in the Brandenburg region.

Social services were also cut across the board, with the budget for non-essential services being done away with. Stresserman instead opted to gather and allow private companies to fulfill the role of government. Special tax breaks and numerous other benefits would be allotted to corporations who managed to make the cut.

Stresserman also proposed a new currency, the Rentenmark, which would end the growing issue of hyperinflation. The Papiermark was growing increasingly more worthless because of policies taken during the war. The government had issued an order to cease any and all printing in the previous year, but the problem would have to be dealt with thoroughly. As Germany was unable to back its currency with gold, the new currency would be secured with the value of productive land - i.e of agriculture and business. 2 billion rentenmark would be issued, with it being introduced as a rate of 1 ritenmark to 500 billion old marks.

Furthermore, the German Government would request from the United States of America a loan of $5 billion dollars at a reasonable interest rate. It would furthermore request the lowering of annual payments, so as to lessen the painful strain on the German economy, increasing the chances of the German government’s ability to actually make payments

The German Government would additionally waive Junker debts and issue notes valued at the amount of property loss. The government would also begin the import of crops from the United States of America and Argentina, and domestic farmers would be subsidized so as to increase productivity.

Growing discontent with government inaction and the direction of policy reached a breaking point today as a large number of senior officials tendered their resignations in a coordinated protest at His Majesty King Vajiravudh in what is undoubtedly the biggest threat to his reign since the Revolt of 1912.

Long-simmering tensions over the direction of government policy, the glacially slow process of reforms, suppression of government critics, and the continued interference of the Palace in the promotion and appointment of government officials, not to mention excessive government spending within the palace (costing a staggering 15% of the government budget) and obvious favouritism within the court, including the recent lottery scandal reached a breaking point today as it was confirmed that a large number of senior officials and members of the royal family have submitted their resignations and appended their names to an open letter calling for major government reform. Noteworthy amongst the discontented faction were;

• Admiral of the Fleet HRH Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, Prince of Nakhon Sawan, Minister of the Navy

• HRH Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, Minister Advisor (Minister without Portfolio), and former Minister of the Interior

• HRH Prince Yugala Dighambara, Prince of Lopburi, Viceroy of the South

• Admiral HRH Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon, Inspector-General of the Navy

• Admiral HRH Prince Vudhijaya Chalermlabh, Prince of Singha. Chief of the Naval Staff

• Lieutenant-General HH Prince Sretsiri Kridakorn, Director of Army Ordnance

• Rear-Admiral Phraya Ratachawangsun (Sri Kamolnavin), Director of Naval Education

• Lieutenant-General HH Prince Boworadet Kridakorn, Viceroy of the Northwest

• HRH Prince Chitcharoen, the Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, former Minister of War

• HH Prince Charoonsuk Kridakorn, Ambassador of Siam to France

• Captain Phraya Saraphiphiphut (Loen Saraphaiwanich), Comptroller of the Navy

• Lieutenant-Colonel Phra Sarasartpholakundhu (Long Suntananodh), Former Director of Military Education, now Minister of Siam to France

• HRH Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana, Prince of Chanthaburi, Minister of Finance

• Field Marshal HRH Prince Bhanurungsri Savangvongse, the Prince Bhanupongwongworadej, Inspector-General of the Armed Forces, former Minister of War

The sudden resignation of these senior figures within the civil and military apparatus of the Kingdom of Siam, not to mention a number of their associates and proteges all at once will no doubt heavily affect the decision making of the King. It all remains to be seen whether a compromise can be reached between HM on one side, and his many relatives and officials on the other. Noteworthy amongst the demands of the rebel faction are;

1. The granting of a Constitution as soon as possible

2. The clear separation of royal and state finances

3. A reduction in spending on the royal household and an equivalent reduction in the size of the Ministry of the Palace

4. The removal of royal favourites from senior positions in the administration of the Kingdom

5. Reform of the civil and military services to bring Siam to modern standards of government

Reaction within the Kingdom at large appears to be favourable to the demands, particularly given the immense prestige of some of the leaders of this faction amongst the populace

The court of King Vajiravudh was rocked by scandal today as it was revealed that the publicly announced Wild Tiger Lottery, meant to fund the purchase of new service rifles for the Wild Tiger Corps paramilitary force, was rigged by its organiser and Wild Tiger Corps Chief of Staff Phraya Nonthisensurentharaphukdi (Max Siensewi), one of the king's closest aides and a senior courtier within the Ministry of the Palace.

It has emerged that the 1 million baht lottery, of which 400,000 would go directly to the WTC rifle program, had its top three prizes all won by mysterious, and later confirmed to be, nonexistent persons. Instead, the defendant used alibis and nominees in order to secure himself the bulk of the prize money.

This outrage has tarnished the image of the WTC further in the eyes of the public, who already view the organisation as an extravagance, and has caused discontent amongst the armed forces, who view the WTC as overpaid amateurs whose sole rationale for advancement was closeness with HM The King. This is undoubtedly not helped by the fact that while HM has stripped the offender of his ranks and titles, it has been confirmed that the defendant will not face trial, as a royal pardon has already been issued for the man.

Sad news from Greece today - after weeks in a coma, King Alexander has passed away at the age of 23. The shocking death of the young king brings up a major political problem - Alexander has no heir, his wife is a commoner, and the rest of the royal family is exiled. King Constantine, Alexander's father, has the best claim of the exiles, and most of his supporters believe he never should have left the throne at all.

Prime Minister Venizelos, riding a wave of nationalist popularity, has announced a referendum on lifting the royal exile or abolishing the monarchy - one which the republicans appear to have a good chance of winning. The legality of this is somewhat questionable, but then again, so is the entirety of the Greek monarchy situation.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha knows that his government is on shaky ground. The ideology preached by his ruling Constitutionalist Bloc preaches secularism in a deeply religious country, industrialization in a largely agrarian economy, and modernization in a nation whose golden age lies in the past. While the Cosntitutionalists won the last election largely due to the alliance between the different political positions represented in the bloc, this alliance, and the prestige of having finally achieved a constituional monarchy would certainly not last. If the Constitutionalists were to stay in power, they would have to change the hearts and minds of the Turkish populace. The key to doing so was education.

For the first time in Turkey's history, all education in the country would be governed by a secular national curriculum. The madrassas would close and be replaced with secular schools, and the schools for Turkey's many ethnic minorities would be required to teach loyalty to the Turkish state. While the right of the Greek and Armenian minorities to education in their own language inside designated autonomous zones would be upheld, education outside of those zones would be offered only in Turkish. This requirement was intended to promote eventual Turkification of the minorities.

Under the new education system, primary education would be free and compulsory, secondary education would be free but not compulsory, and post-secondary education would be neither free nor compulsory but would still be required to follow government educational standards. As this would require the construction of thousands of new schools throughout Turkey, the requirment to send children to school would be phased in over the next ten years, with education for boys in urban areas prioritized over girls in the countryside.

#Outrage in Belgrade

Nikola Pašić’s government formally issues a statement on what they see as the unlawful Italian annexation of Croatian land. They demand a free and fair referendum on the territories involved, supervised by the Security Council of the League of Nations. They demand the deportation of Italian settlers, also, and an immediate withdrawal of all Italian forces from the territory in question.

Yugoslavia has begun to build up their military on the border as well, and when asked if the situation could escalate into a war by journalists Nikola Pašić said: ”Nothing is off the table at this moment in time. We do not think it will come to that however, as we believe that the League of Nations will give us a fair and just ruling, and end this unlawful Italian occupation of our land.”

#In Krk and the Adriatic Islands Throughout the Italian occupied territory there was significant resistance to Italian settlement by the Croatians. Croatian peasants resisted Italian settlement whenever possible by openly harassing Italians in public, destroying the makeshift homes of Italian peasantry, and refusing Italians entry to Catholic mass in Croatian villages. Croatian resistance to Italian occupation is only seen in the occupied territories, for now.

The Italian occupation force does not react well to the Croatian resistance. Reprisals against Croatian villages are brutal, ending usually in death and mass deportation to other Croatian lands. The lands occupied by Italian forces are slowly becoming less ethnically Croatian, but at the cost of increased radicalization of Croatian partisans.

The Greeks have acceded to our demands! Italy rejoices, as clearly this new decade heralds increased influence for our glorious empire. To enforce the treaties of St. Germaine and Sevres, two Italian divisions will disembark in Istanbul and make their way to the DMZ. We invite our allies to join us in this police action in the interest of peace.

The details of two the de-militarized zones: Zone A: Burgas-Plodiv, the contested areas from the Greek invasion. Zone B: Greek East Thrace(Edirne-Kirklare-Enez), which was illegally militarized by the Greek government in the course of their invasion of Bulgaria.

Neither Zone will be transferred from the sovereignty of either nation, pending peaceful resolution of this conflict. We ask local leaders to cooperate with this League of Nations backed DMZ initiative, to clamp down on violence regardless of past events.

Following the nearly 2 years of dramatic political change due to the sharp rise to power of JONS, the Spanish Parliament is in a state of grid lock as the Union of Conservatives no longer hold the majority of the Parliament. Initially, though many of the former conservatives had voted along UoC lines, the number that continued to do so had diminished. With the failure to retain control, PM Dato had no ability to continue to lead the Parliament especially with the lack of compromise. The UoC and the LA considered partnering up in order to oppose JONS which had decimated both parties, but large differences between the two prevented this from occurring.

With the rise of JONS, 52 year old former Contra almirante Constantino César Arechavaleta has been named the leader for this new party. A former navy man, Arechavaleta has deep contacts within all the branches of the armed services. Beginning his naval career as an 18 year old enlistee, Arechavaleta has risen all the way to being a Contra almirante. Noted for his love for the people, straight-arrow mentality, and love for the Kingdom, Arechavaleta made an ideal candidate to lead the new party.

With the inability to form a new government, it has been decided that the only process forward is to form a new government is to host new Parliamentary elections for both Houses. While this could mean the loss of even more seats for the Conservatives and Liberals in the election, it is necessary in order to finally form a government. JONS on the other hand is very confident they should be able to push for control of Parliament.

Calls for new elections have picked up, and finally PM Dato has determined that new elections will be held at the end of 1922. While he has stated that he wished he would not have to do this, it is the inevitable result of losing the necessary number of seats in Parliament.

While these developments have begun within Parliament, outside of Parliament JONS has been doing work to strengthen its position among the Spanish people. Two paramilitary wings have been created in the Camisas Azules and the Regimiento de Protección. The role of these paramilitary wings are to gain support among the Spanish working class while also protecting JONS interests and helping disrupt other party protests. These paramilitary wings have seen a sharp increase in support, especially from the youth who are swarming to join the JONS Paramilitary wings.

July and August 1920

The quiet after the stormy weather of 1919 has again been shattered by the formation of a new Internationale in Buenos Aires by the Communist Party of Argentina. Led by Victorio Codovilla, the Communists, still a nascent force in Argentine politics, have called for refugee leftists to flee to Argentina and for delegates of other leftist factions to come and be represented.

All this has naturally peaked the attention of the Argentine Federal Police, who realize a golden opportunity to crack the Left without violence. As arresting Codovilla and the emigres would no doubt provoke more violence, and be difficult anyway, the Police instead begin laying a surveillance network and, contrasting their floundering last year, manage a damn fine job of it. Spies, moles, and informants get them the exact addresses where the Communists and Anarchists lodge the emigres and foreign delegates, most of whom are or will be in Balvanera, scene of the fighting earlier this year.

The other combatant of the Balvanera Battles, the Argentine Patriotic League, receive some "leaked" police intelligence and decide to make a ruckus, but yet again, armed Anarchists send them running once again from Buenos Aires's working class neighborhoods. Not that it matters to the delegates and emigres who arrive in the city, as they realize just how dangerous the city, the whole nation, is becoming. The Argentine Communists advise them to stick around for a while, and wait for the violence to blow over.

The Argentine Communists, firmly Leninist in bent, quickly integrate and make the émigré Communists their brethren. The story is different for the Anarchists and the IWW chapters in at attendance, who have more in common with each other than the Communists. And more power. But they decide to humor the Communists and applaud their call to bring the old band back together. They may just be pulling their punches for other reasons, though...

The Fourth Internationale opened with 20 minutes of silence for the Communist Parties of Germany and Hungary, for the Polish People's Republic, the Free Territory of Ukraine, and for the Ukrainian and Russian Soviet Republics. Then, solemn statements are delivered by the attendants hoping for the wellbeing of prominent leaders, especially Luxemburg, Kun, and Lenin.

Next, the Conference decides that the Fourth Internationale shall inherit the function of the Comintern, but supply its services to Anarchists in addition to Communists, a stipulation carried by the strength of the Argentines. In its reduced capacity, though, it will mostly just be able to provide instructors and a place to hide if things go wrong. As long as they don't go wrong in Argentina, at any rate.

Lastly, the topic of how to continue the Revolution devolves yet again into what shape it should take, and yet again the Anarchists prevail. Everyone agrees that it shall have to proceed in Argentina, but here the differences between the IWW and the Anarchists, particularly the Argentine ones, reveals itself. The former push for nonviolent demonstrations and striking, while the latter argument for that and continued terrorism. The Leninists, following Marxist doctrine, lean in the IWW's direction, and so the matter is decided in their favor; workers will continue to be educated, networks built, and strikes organized. No one can ignore, however, that it is still the Anarchists holding the cards in Buenos Aires, and those cards have Suits of Swords and Clubs, not Spades and Wands. There will continue to be blood whether the rest of the Conference wants it or not.

The meeting is adjourned after a few days, and the attendees vanish. The natives still elude the Police, but not the foreigners, though only the Police know this. They will continue to monitor this new "Comintern", lavishing great attention upon it and its guests.

But they will soon regret turning one of their two eyes off the Anarchists.

(M) idk if China is like time bubbled but I’m just gonna make this to get it out of the way

————————————————————————

#Welcome to the party comrade! We got jazz!

News has reached the Kuomintang, unexpected news at that, Tang Jiyao has apparently ousted the Guanxi clique and has, furthermore, asked to join us! This is welcome news in Shanghai where the Central Committee has been struggling to assemble a fighting force! Tang has been offered a position on the Central Committee and his People’s Party is to be given a position of prominence in the near future. The central committee is also willing to negotiate these offers

Despite the war with Bulgaria being forced into a ceasefire by League of Nations intervention, the Greek government has claimed victory over Bulgaria. They say that the world has been forced to a knowledge what they were denied in the wake of the Great War, and will have no choice but to recognize the rightfulness of Greek claims.

Critics have branded this as nothing more than a gambit to shore up support for the ruling Liberal Party, as many believe that the League is unlikely to actually award Greece anything. If it is, it seems to have worked - the popularity of the Liberal Party has shot up. It remains to be seen whether this is an actual gain, or simply a brief bubble.

M: Retro to 1920/M

With the large number of reforms that were written and attempted to be passed, the majority of them were able to make it through Parliament. However, it was the reaction to the Agricultural reform that upset a lot of people in Parliament.

The Agricultural reform immediately stalled as large landholders lobbied the Cortes heavily to block the bill, and they proved to be successful. While discourse is understandable, it was the response to the desire for the reforms that sent many over the edge:

"The Landlords do not care, they would rather take the lands into their own hands and see them unused. Land reform of any kind is a threat to their position and wealth and they oppose it at every time."

The wealthy landowners did not care that they were hurting the nation, causing more problems and not helping improve an already weak Spain. The landlords would rather be greedy, see the land be unused, be unable to feed the people of Spain forcing them to be hungry. Land reform was considered a threat tot heir positions and wealth, but they failed to consider the interests of the nation and the Spanish people. While other political parties may have been okay with this, there was a sharp increase in the people who found this downright despicable, and a time for change would be on the horizon.

After much negotiations, those who felt angered, and felt as though the nation was being betrayed by those with money and greed were able to come to an agreement to merge themselves together into a singular political party. Though their ideologies may have ranged from far-right to far-left, they shared several common principles, which would be enough for the birth of the new party: Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS).

JONS ideology would be considered nationalist socialists, focused on Spanish nationalism, National conservatism, Revolutionary nationalism, Fascist corporatism, and the redistribution of the land/wealth for the greater good of the Kingdom. Despite these ideologies, JONS would remain monarchists, as they believed the King would be an excellent symbol of unity for the Spanish people, though the monarchs role should be reduced to a constitutional one in order to allow for the people to decide their fate.

The parties that broke away from their previous coalition to form JONS are the following: Maurist Party (24 seats), Ciervist Conservatives (23 seats), Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (4), Carlists and Traditionalists (8), and the Regionalists and Nationalists (20). While those major parties broke away from their previous coalitions to form the new party, several members of the other parties also broke away from their previous affiliations, joining with JONS.

This was a huge shift in the political atmosphere of Spain, as JONS began drawing more seats and support. In addition, many of its members helped lead the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Act of 1920. This saw many former party compatriots' corrupt activities exposed. Backlash against the establishment parties would ensue thanks to the corruption exposures. The popularity of JONS spread like wild fire as they demonstrated determination to remove the plague that continues to prevent Spain from achieving progress.

By end of 1921, the Spanish Parliament would look rapidly different than it had at the start of 1920.

• | Independent Conservatives | 3| 0

Total | - | 157 | -67 Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista | Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista | 134| +134 Liberal Alliance | Liberal Democrats | 35 | -10

• | Romanonists | 28 | -6
• | Liberal Left | 25 | -3
• | Minor Liberal Parties | 9| 0

Total | - | 100| -19 Spanish Republican Front | Reformist Party | 9 | 0

• | Radical Republican Party | 5 | -3
• | Minor Left Wing Parties | 4| -6

Total |- | 18 | -13 Total | - | 409 | -

In its efforts to industrialized and promote economic development, Turkey is in need of foreign investors. The Turkish government is in too deep debt to finance large infrastructure projects itself, and thus these projects must be privately financed. However, Turkey is committed to maintaining majority ownership of its own infrastructure. Thus, arrangements have been made whereby foreigners collect the profit from a company that is majority owned by the Turkish state. In Northern Anatolia, the French ownership of the Zonguldak coal mines has facilitated French investment in the North Anatolia Development Company. In South-Western Anatolia, the hope is that the proximity of the Italian islands of the Dodecanese will facilitate Italian investment.

The Turkish government will found the South-West Anatolia Development Company, which will be granted the following concessions:

• a charter to build three rail lines out of the port city on Antalya: one West towards Fethiye, Mugla, and Aydin, on North towards Isparta and Afyon, and one East along the coast with an eventual terminus at Mersin.

• a monopoly on all new mining activity South of Aydin and West of Konya. The first mine to be opened will likely be a Chromium mine at Fethiye. There are also extensive lignite (brown coal) deposits in the coastal mountains, although it is not economical to transport the lignite far, even by rail.

• ownership of the port facilities at Antalya

• title to the land necessary to build the first mine and rail links

The company will be 49% owned by the Italian state and 51% by the Turkish state. The manager of the mining operations will be appointed by the Italian government and the manager of the railroad operations by the Turkish government.

As with the North Anatolia Development Company, the Turkish share of the capital investment will be financed by a loan from Italian investors. The interest on the loan will be paid by giving the investors the Turkish share of the company's profits until the year 1942, and which point the loan will be considered paid off.

The South-West Anatolia Development Company will begin its operations by opening a chromium mine at Fethiye and building a rail line from the mine to Antalya. After that point, the profits from the mine will be used to finance the extension of the railroad inland to Afyon to link up with the existing Turkish rail network. At that point, Rhodes will be linked to the European rail network via ferry to Fethiye, and the railroad will be self-sustaining enough to fund its own expansion.

I am going to claim the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.

Neither at peace, neither at war, in debt to merchants, and haunted by his past, Sultan Faisal bin Taimur finds himself controlling Muscat and most of the Coastal towns, whilst Imam Mohammad Al Khalili rules the interior of Oman. May Allah guide us all.

In order to foster economic development in Turkey, the Turkish government has chartered a company with the explicit goal of developing Turkey's capacity to make its own steel.

The North Anatolia Development Company will be granted:

• a charter to build a railroad from Zonguldak (where Turkey's best coal deposits are located) to Divrigi (where there are plentiful iron ore deposits). This railroad will also pass through the major cities of Ankara and Kayseri and connect to the existing Anatolia railroad at Ankara.

• the land required to build this railroad

• ownership of the port facilities at Zonguldak

• a monopoly on iron mining in the Divrigi area

• a monopoly on steel production in Turkey until the year 1940

Since the North Anatolia Development Company (NADC) will rely on the French-owned coal mines, the Turkish government will look first to the French government and French investors to buy into this company. The Turkish government will retain a 51% stake in the company, while 49% of the shares will be open to outside investment.

To finance its share of the capital investment, the Turkish government will take out a loan from the French government and French investors. The interest on the loan will be paid in the form of dividends such that the Turkish share of the profit made by the NADC until the year 1942 will be paid to the investors lending the Turkish government money. At the end of this period of time, the loan will be paid off ([M]: I'm really just issuing a very strange variable-interest-rate bond that I don't have the financial know-how to describe technically).

All is well in the United States! At least, that’s what Joe Schmoe hears when he tunes into the airwaves coming from the (not) latest and (definitely not) greatest innovation known to man: radio! In the past few years, the transmission of information has accelerated greatly, but proto-boomers warn that radios will rot your brain. Only time will tell. Regardless, the roaring twenties are roaring on; the post-war recession has been easily surmounted by the economic machine of the nation which continues to boom. The United States is basically a utopia for Americans! The problem is, not everyone is considered American…

Coal Wars (August 1921)

America has never had empathy for the poor, and that doesn’t look like it’ll be changing anytime soon.

Since 1913, the coal miners of West Virginia have suffered while the bosses up top get fat off their labor. Their struggle, which had burned slowly until 1920, provided a microcosm of the nation at large. That is, until recently when strikes and unjust compensation sparked a wave of uprising. The last few years have seen extreme unrest in West Virginia’s coal mines; sadly, the strikebreakers woke up, saw miners, and chose violence. Even miner minors suffered at the hands of the capitalist cronies.

Most notably, this past August, over 9700 men rose up against the man to fight for labor rights. Tough luck for them though: nearly 13,000 strikebreakers and law enforcement responded to quash the wage cucks. In what became known as the Battle of Blair Mountain, an estimated 249 young American men died in a multi-day conflict. Upon the surrender of the miners, the leaders were rounded up and tried for treason, sedition, and whatever else could be used to throw onto their names. Lib-right wins again. Clearly, the poor aren’t considered American.

Greenwood Massacre (June 1921)

It’s not just the poor who suffer: America is supposed to be a land of opportunity, but not even affluency can save colored men and women from white rage.

Unfortunately, the repugnant citizens of Tulsa, Oklahoma (and RP-8001) have decided that black lives, in fact, do not matter. A young, black shoeshiner by the name of Dick Rowland had been working hard shining some dudes new Js when he had to take a water break. When good ol' Diamond Dick got in the elevator, the history of race-relations in the United States would be changed forever. Accused of assaulting a young white woman operating the elevator, Rowland would have been lynched had it not been for overwhelming support from the nearby Greenwood District, the most affluent black community in the nation. A little background: often called the Black Wall Street, Greenwood boasted a home-grown, self-made, hard-working town of black Americans. On the other side of town, them poor white folks yonder were certainly envious. Tensions were high, and all it took was one shot fired in the crowd and soon enough, disaster unfolded.

Nearly every white man in the city of Tulsa was deputized and the crooked sheriffs and marshals of Oklahoma led what was effectively an army on an extrajudicial rampage. The mob subjected thousands of blacks to harassment, unlawful arrest, and anyone who dared resisted were subject to the wrong end of a rifle. Homes, businesses, hotels--everything was ablaze, the flames silhouetting strange fruit swaying in the southern wind. The next morning, nothing remained. What was once a prospering city, heralding promise for those that were once in chains, was now reduced to naught but ash and rubble. For every 1 white killed, 48 blacks perished. Estimates ranged upwards of 460 dead, but the true count was lost and purposefully obscured. Historians would mark the Greenwood massacre as the worst incident of racial violence in American history. But what did the federal government do about it? Nothing. Clearly, black Americans aren’t considered American.

Emergency Quota Act of 1922 (April)

The poor, the colored, and worst of all: immigrants.

Foreigners had no place in 1920s America, and the federal government would reinforce that nativism. Although built upon the backs of immigrants, the United States feared the foreigner. What could they bring but poverty, empty stomachs, and empty brains? Oh, that’s right: anarchism, socialism, and some weird form of collectivism in Italy. The Spanish Flu also has mostly burned itself out, but that doesn’t mean nativism has.

As of April of 1922, the United States Congress, with strong support from President Thompson, passes the Emergency Quota Act, enforcing the harshest ban on immigration to date. Introducing the first numerical limits on immigration from specific countries, as well as the first quotas to enforce those limits, the bill targets immigration specifically from Southern and Eastern Europe. It*lians and other undesirables were subjected to a 2% representation of the 1890 United States Census numbers. Projected to curb immigration by a massive percentage, it honestly seems more like jingoism at this point. Surprisingly, along with nations like Italy and Spain, Thompson specifically led the charge to impose the same quota on the United Kingdom. Curious. With these goals in mind, Congress intentionally designed the Emergency Quota Act as a temporary measure, and policy on immigration will have to be revisited in the coming years. Clearly, non-Americans... aren’t considered… American? I guess that one at least makes sense.

But dude, who cares? It’s the 1920s, and America is ROARING!

With full independence from Britain achieved, Amanullah Khan now sees fit to embark on his project to bring Afghanistan into this new modern world, as well as granting it - and by extension, him - the prestige he feels it deserves.

First of all, a new image is needed. The Emirate of Afghanistan is over - the God-Given Kingdom of Afghanistan is born!

The official name of the state is now The God-Given Kingdom of Afghanistan and It's Dependencies. The short-form of this is simply The Kingdom of Afghanistan. The ruler is no longer an Emir, but a Shah. Amanullah was no longer Ghazi Amanullah Khan, but Ghazi Amanullah Shah.

Amanullah Shah reigns supreme as the absolute, enlightened monarch of this new Afghanistan. He and his supporters, including his father-in-law Mahmud Tarzi, have their minds set on unity and modernisation. Nationalism is the way forward, and the nation must be led into the future.

The first step of this, a gift of the people, is a system of founding schools. An educated populace is needed, and the Shah is determined to give all boys [for now, though the education is girls is an end-goal for the programme] (#secret) a good indoctrination education!

[For the Shah and Tarzi, in particular, all of this is synonymous with Pashtunisation/Afghanisation. Pashto and Dari are quietly made the only official languages of Afghanistan, with those schools in non-Pashtun areas teaching children Pashto, with later years only taught in the language.] (#secret)

God Save the Shah!

Given the relative instability of the new British mandates, Britain will dispatch 2 divisions to the capitals of each mandate to assist in the creation of these new administrations, and to ensure an orderly transition of power and reorganization effort, as well as safeguard the development of these regions.

The locations in question will be Jerusalem, Baghdad, Damascus, and Amman.

Light Machine Gun

MAC, MAS, and Hotchkiss have all come forward with prototypes of a new light machine gun. While a sturdy design, few are interested in retaining the Chauchat.

• MAS has produced essentially a French version of the American BAR. While an effective weapon, it is dismissed for being a foreign design.

• Hotchkiss has produced a very competent piece of hardware. However the design is too expensive and heavy to be adopted for squad-based service, and is passed over.

• MAC has seemingly found the golden goose. The weapon is portable and passes all tests with competence, and MAC will receive full funding for refining and manufacturing the gun. It will use a 25-round detachable box magazine of 7.65 Sedan, which can be filled with the 5-round stripper clips being used in other programs/weapons. Refinements and preparation for production are expected to take until 1924.

Submachine Gun

The STA and MAS have found more success in their development of a French submachine gun. Firing a ubiquitous 9x19 Luger round, the STA/MAS M1922 will fit nicely into the the modern French infantry doctrine. Petain himself sees the weapon as replacing carbines for tank crews and airmen, where portability is more important. Due to this, the bipod will be dropped form the design. Refinements will be completed and the weapon expected to reach production in 1924.

Heavy Machine Gun

While not actively developing a new heavy machine gun for the French army, we have been approached by Darne with new variants of their earlier weapons. French command is impressed, and has asked Darne to prepare aircraft and anti-aircraft variants running 7.65 Sedan for production. Additionally, they're asked to develop a belt fed, tripod mounted variant for possible competition with Hotchkiss.

Speaking of Hotchkiss, they are tasked with modernizing their namesake heavy machine gun, including adoption of the new 7.65 Sedan, belt feed system, and other improvements made since the M1914.

French ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand, accompanied by finance committee member Henry Bérenger have approached the US Treasury Secretary Calvin Coolidge about France's debt. Massive payments on war loans are due within the next couple years, and the French government believes payment on the original terms will disrupt that process greatly. We seek a consolidation of France's debt(the pragmatic approach) or even outright forgiveness(the popular approach), due to the US and France having been fighting on the same side. Surely some form of agreement can be reached.

[m]: Based off of this agreement.

With the end of the Baltic War, Estonia, and indeed the rest of the Baltics, have been freed. Sweden regrets that its assistance had come too late to be helpful, and wishes to remedy that with their Baltic friends. Sweden is offering each of the Baltic countries a small detachment of 100 Swedish Soldiers. Should they accept, Sweden would pay for these soldiers housing, feeding, and general upkeep, so that the soldiers may help to quell potential unrest and dissuade inversion from other powers. We hope that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania accept.

With the slow collapse of the RSFSR in the East, Estonian and Belarusian troops prepare to turn their attention west, to the Teutonic abomination that infects Latvia and Lithuania.

A defeatist attitude prevails among the Baltic Freikorps; the loss of Vilnius in the previous year, and the events occuring in the home country, leave few Germans enthousiastic about the fight to come. In the north, a frozen front with the Estonian forces and Latvian army remnants had seen the border stripped of defences to aid against the Polish-Belarusian push in Lithuania. Consequently, the Freikorps of Graf Keller and Virlgotisch stand wholly unequipped against the inevitable Estonian offensive, which rapidly advances against collapsing German resistance. Retreating back to the Daugava, much of Graf Keller's disorganised units are trapped on the Livonian coast, and made prisoner by the victorious Estonian 5th Division. Approaching Riga in early March, resistance stiffens, and the Estonian army sets up temporary defensive positions along the Daugava.

To the south, simultaneously, soldiers of the Belarusian Self-Defence Forces move up from Vilnius in a general push to Kaunas. Unlike in Latvia, the Lithuanian frontier is littered with Freikorps units, and the advance begins slow and grinding. As the Entente blockade continues to starve the United Baltic Duchy of supplies, however, many German units start running out of ammunition around February; the Kaunas offensive gains speed, and as the city falls on the 5th of April, various Freikorps units dissolve back across the Prussian border, hoping to use their skills in theatres more close to home. Probing missions into the Lithuanian heartland by Belarusian scouts show there is little standing in the way of a general liberation of the country, and as such, the Self-Defence forces fan out to take control of the larger Lithuanian area.

With their southern force collapsing and their flanks now threatened, the remaining Freikorps in Curland and Riga are caught between a rock and a hard place. Many of them opt to evacuate by sea, others scatter across Memel back to East Prussia. A weakened force of hardline pan-nationalists remain in central Latvia to offer a final stand against the Estonians and Belarusians. As Riga is slowly but surely encircled from all directions, a siege commences which lasts well into June, ending only when the remaining Freikorps soldiers run out of all supplies. The city is officially liberated by a joint force of Belarusians and Estonians on the 16th of June 1920, bringing an end to the short-lived horror that was the United Baltic Duchy.

As the Kuomintang pivots to the rural peasantry it has become abundantly clear that very few of the committee members even understands many of the issues these farmers face. It is because of this unfortunate fact that the Kuomintang Central Committee has decided to organize a new organization through which rural activity and praxis may be enacted!

Named the Republican Agrarian League this new institution is organized in a fashion not dissimilar from a more urban Trade Union, of course much more decentralized and loyal to the KMT but the principle remains.

Mao Zedong has been appointed its first head due to his families background in farming it is hoped that he may understand the plight of these farmers better then perhaps any other in the Central Committee.

!The prime objective of this new organization is in fact not to just promote agriculture and fertilization techniques, but rather to gather and organize support for revolutionary Land Redistribution!<