As Connecticut, I plan to uphold the values of democracy and liberty while surrounded by different opposing forces.

I woudd like to claim Soviet Union and make it neat

I’m sorry to declaim so soon, but it’s a really intense period in my life and I don’t want to go AFK and stealing a claim. Hope to play with ya all as soon as I’m more free. Thanks you all, and cheers!

The atmosphere was calm near ANI’s headquarters in Rome. The evening brought some fresh air in the small and cramped apartment, where some men were calmly playing cards in a corner :

“I’m telling you, the old bastard is sinking fast, there’s no way he’ll survive another summer”. grumbled Starace, Consul of the Blackshirts, a cigaret in his lips. “We’ll just have to wait the right moment and BAM !” He violently smashed his fist against the table, causing a glance of disapproval from De Vecchi, treasurer of the party, who mumbled : “Sure, the syndies and the army will be watching while you steal power from them. As long as the dwarf sits on the throne…” His speech was brutally interrupted by Grandi, regional secretary of the ANI in Latium, breathless, who slammed the door, and ran inside. “The Krauts !” he screamed. “They bankrupted ! The government just closed the banks …” “What are you talking about ?” asked Starace, putting out his cigarette in a Sicily shaped ashtray. “*The Berlin stock market just crashed today… Government’s bonds interests almost doubled ! Now even Naples own stock exchange is near collapse !” screamed Grandi.

After this last sentence, chaos seized the room. De Vecchi couldn’t believe what he heard and ran towards the phone, Giacomo Acerbo took his pipe and started smoking like a chimney, Captain Junio Valerie Borghese trudged towards a bottle of rhum and Starace simply endlessly sweared.

Only one man remained calmly seated, starring at his glass of whiskey. A smile slowly appeared on Italo Balbo’s bearded face. “Guys, I think this may be our once in a lifetime occasion…”

Black Monday came in February 1936 like a bolt from the blue, when the Berlin’s stock market exchange collapsed. After years of uncontrolled growth of the European economy, sustained by the gigantic German market and by it’s colonies, the system crumbled. Despite quick intervention by the German government and banks bailout, the panic wave spread to all these countries whose economy was connected, no, dependent on Germany’s. It didn’t need long before Black Monday’s effects hit Italian markets. Naples stock exchange was one of the last to be notified about the economic disaster and panic soon reigned. People rushed the banks to collect their savings, adding even more stress to the dire economy. The government soon tried to reassure the market by announcing banks bailouts and a restrictive fiscal policy, but the damage was done.

With most of the US players going inactive, I’m going to claim the Federal Government with the goal of attempting to reduce if not outright avoid the American Civil War.

My plan is to have the Republican US Senator George W. Norris, the famous fighting liberal, last real progressive and declared by historians in 1957 to be the most effective US senator being their top pick out of five senators, as well as being steadfast in his views and leading the bi-partisan progressive bloc in congress of which a Mr. Huey Long otl was a member, run for the Presidency promising massive public works like his Muscle Shoals Bill which was shot down by Hoover for not being built by a private company.

My plan is to try and compromise with the more “sane”, aka reformist elements of the SPA and AFP to try and avoid the civil war, however if that is not possible work with the one most willing to work within the system and not doom the USA.

If everything goes as planned this would culminate in an empowered executive, trust busting, renewed prohibition, establishing a strengthened social security net, reviving the dust belt and a crackdown on the Klan.

(May, 1936)

The Prince sat incognito in the back of the packed union hall. He wore workman's clothes, and has soot smeared on his face; so far no one had recognized him for who he was. His chambermaid back at the palace had been bribed handsomely to cover for him: she was to tell everyone that he was sick in bed and that no one should enter his room for fear that they would come down with the same illness. So far no one had caught on that the Crown Prince's bouts of illness corresponded with speeches by a... certain young firebrand.

Tonight's event was a rally by the Liberal Constitutional Party (more commonly called the Saadist party). While Gamal Abdel Nasser had become a common speaker at the underground rallies of the Arab Nationalist Movement (rallies which Farouk didn't dare attend), this was one of his first appearances at a mainstream political event.

"I would like to thank the Saadist Party for inviting me to speak today," he began. "It is good too see that at least one of the mainstream political parties is beginning to listen to the youth of this great country, and is beginning to take our concerns seriously. For too long have the youth and our ideas been dismissed as products of immaturity. While we may not have the wisdom of our elders, this does not mean we need to be slaves to the ideas of our fathers' time."

"I am here today to speak on the topic of Nationalism. Traditionally, Nationalism has been the purview of the political Right. The Ittihad Party has asked the people to rally behind the Egyptian Nation in order to re-created the Caliphate of the Islamic Golden Age. The Watani Party has rallied the same Nation in order to recreate the Empire of the Pharaohs, the birthplace of civilization. Those on the left of the political spectrum - the Wafd Party and the Saadists assembled here - haven't traditionally called yourselves Nationalists. You have fought for freedom from Ottoman and British Imperialism, not for the sake of creating a strong Egyptian Nation, but simply for.... the sake of a constitution? the sake of individual rights?"

"A fight for freedom on the basis of individual rights will always be doomed to failure. Look at the Wafd Party, which was born out of our independence struggle from Britain, and succeeded at winning our people a constitution and democratic rights. Do the people of Egypt look to the Wafd and say here is a party that has brought greatness to our people? No. They say here is a party that has brought greatness to the well-educated: here is a party that has brought greatness to the Copts. The fact is that individual rights only really benefit those in society who are able to flourish as individuals: the educated professional classes. The peasants only truly flourish when they work together with their village, the workers only truly flourish when they work together with their union. If we are to win freedom for the common people of Egypt, we must do it not on the basis of individual rights, but on the basis of collective strength!"

"So what is the collective whose strength can be built to lift up the common people of Egypt? It is a Nation of course. But is it the nation of the Pharoahs? The Nation whose language is only still spoken by the Copts in their liturgy? No, that Nation does not include us. Is it the Nation of the Caliphates? A Nation led by the clergy who tell us that modern ideas are corrupting? No, membership in such a Nation will only keep our people oppressed by those who embrace modernity. The Nation which we must strive to create in Egypt is not a Nation that looks to the past, it is not a Nation that looks to Islam, it is a Nation formed by a people who speak a common language, who share a common struggle in the present, and who will march into the future together!"

The crowd erupted in cheers at this point. It was the energy of that spread through the crowd that got the Prince’s heart beating faster. This young man - Gamal Abdel Nasser – had quite such the presence that Farouk found himself nodding along with the crowd, even when Nasser spouted explicitly anti-Royal ideas. It was clear, for example, that the Nationalism that Nasser was espousing was Arab Nationalism, despite the fact that Arab Nationalism was strictly banned by King Fuad’s decree. After all, he spoke of a Nation based upon a common language, a language which notably was not the first language of Egypt’s royal family, but which was the language in which Prince Farouk had been raised.

“We must remember,” Nasser continued, “that we in Egypt are not the only ones who speak the Arabic language, and we are not the only ones who share in a common Arab culture. While we here in Egypt have been able to win our freedom from the colonial grip of the British Empire, there are others who share in our language and culture who still live under colonial rule. It is our duty, as those who are already free, to help those of our brothers and sisters who are not yet free. It is our duty to fight for their freedom just as we fought for our own, because as long as one of our brothers and sisters is subject to colonialism, none of us can be free.”

“You have heard many in the Saadist party condemn militarism. In particular, the current military buildup has been much decried by your party leaders. However, we must understand that it is not militarism in general but the motive and means for the current buildup that must be condemned. We must condemn the ambitions of King Fuad not because of who or what he sees as Egypt’s enemies, but because of why he would have us fight those enemies. He would have us go to war to recreated the Empire of his forefathers – to re-establish Egyptian colonial rule on the lands around us. We must remember that no war which seeks to enslave others can every be just. We must go to war not to subjugate our neighbours but to free them, not to increase the power of our King but to increase that of our people!”

Another round of cheers burst out. Part of Farouk was uncomfortable with the brazen way in which Nasser was criticizing the King, but Farouk couldn’t help but cheer along…

“Really, what we must criticize should not be the military buildup, but the taxes the King has levied to pay for this buildup. He has chosen to increase the tax burden on the working people of this country, on the poor and middle classes, who can little afford to pay more tax. Rather than tax those who have money, he has chosen to tax those who have none. With many of us trying to survive on less than we have in the past due to the fall of cotton prices, we must stand up to the government’s attempts to bleed us dry! We must say no to increased taxes, and demand that instead the government tax the rich and powerful who do not yet pay their fair share!”

It was clear at this point that Nasser was trying to set things up for the next speaker on the program, someone who would speak about the Saadist’s tax policy. Farouk would take this opportunity to slip out the back of the room. The sooner he got back to the palace, the less suspicious he would likely arouse….

Following the massive reforms undertaken by Adolhossein, the time has come for the rapid expansion of the Iranian Economy.

The plan is two-fold:

First, the expansion of strategic industry under state control which would in turn cause a increase in small businesses to support the worker and industry

Second, improving communication throughout Iran, be it roads, telephone or telegraph lines to improve central government control of the nation and thereby undermining local elites before direct action will be taken.

This combination it is hoped will see exponential growth of Iran’s underdeveloped economy and create even greater revenue for the government in the long-run.

The first part of our plan shall see the creation of 200 new industrial plants by the government. These plants are to be made interdependent with some producing the machinery for the other factories, equipment for workers, and in some cases the necessary equipment to maintain and even upgrade Iran’s oil wells. This investment in capital goods is expected to benefit Iran substantially and reduce our reliance on imports. Albeit for this to work we would need to import Machinery from Russia and some experts to train our workers.

The promise of the plan has seen wide support from the general public with increased Iranian Independence, increased support from the intellectuals with the promise of a growing economy meaning that they could focus more on their work than the world around them, and for the worker employment.

The National Syndicates would be given a limited role in management as the workers are as patriotic as any other member of the state apparatus however due to the government still not trusting them to be devoid of syndicalist elements, being forbidden from sabotaging production and the constant investigations thereafter this factor is expected to remain more so on a case by case basis than a matter of life, however the workers would still have greater control of the situation than they would under an outright capitalist system.

The Iran-E-No has today announced the Young Iranian League, whose membership is voluntary.

The structure of the organization is as follows:

Its main grouping of members for the national organization would be the "Young Iranian Platoon," which would typically consist of children belonging to the same secondary school.

The squad, is to be the most common unit of organization was made up of children belonging to the same class within a school.

The age groups would be split for initial induction into the following for children exhibiting some intellectual or leadership capability this early on, we would have their age minimum for induction set to 8 years of age. For the average Iranian 9 years and for those exhibiting lower than average intelligence 10 years. Evidence would be provided off of grades, and their participation in clubs. They cannot be recommended by their parents.

The leader for these Platoons would be appointed by the Provincial Force commander of the province for the Republican Guard.

Members when they at 13 would undergo training(paramilitary-style)and be introduced to political activism. Member would be allowed to leave the organization without parental consent at that point as well.

For those prior, it would be modeled on the American Boyscouts, however with an emphasis on improved academics and Democratic Participation.

With the recent constitutional shakeup of Iran, Adolhossein has turned his attention towards Iran’s Army. The Iranian Army, is the force fighting insurgents and the force to reunite Iran and the pan-Iranist dream.

However, the force leaves much to be desired. Several officers during the civil war stood by the Qajars, others with unproven loyalty and incompetent. It is in dire need of reform. Sadly, reform is even harder with the near feudal structure of some units, with most having greater loyalty to their region than a Iranian State.

It as such has fallen to Adolhossein to fix this issue, which he has turned to with great energy and vigor.

Units under direct central government control would be the first to undergo this reform, followed by the provincial forces.

Adolhossein’s reform is as follows:

-Brigades would have a ratio of 7.5 soldiers to an officer modeled on the successful Persian Cossack Brigade

-Units will be composed of a mixture of volunteers and conscripts with volunteers either becoming NCOs, commisioned officers or members of the logistical corp. excess men would be either used to aid in the formation of more brigades or used to challenge existing officers position if they prove themselves skilled enough. If unskilled they would be dismissed.

-In peacetime units would be reduced to their volunteer component, however conscripts would be called up occasionally to conduct their mandatory training, improving discipline, training and temporarily strengthening these units.

-Officers led by Defense Minister Brigadier General Reza Khan would be sent to Russia to undergo training and lay the foundations for a professional Iranian Military

-The Russian Advisory Staff would be expanded and used to aid in the establishment of the Tehran Military Academy

-Establishing a standard wage for the armed forces with the Military budget expanded to 3.8% of Iran’s GDP with the new Oil revenue.

-Establishing a common payroll, to be under national government supervision

-Mixing Units with groups of different ethnicity and regionality to break the hold of local or ethnic loyalty amongst the troops

-Restricting military recruitment to Shiite Muslims, to maintain a sense of unity formed from Islam

-Establishment of a single national bootcamp in Iranshahr, where all troops shall be required to run through the same training regimen to last two months before being able to move to their NCO, CO or other training. All troops are required to go through this regardless of status.

-Establishing markings for volunteer and conscript troops. A small red thread under the rank designation on dress uniforms would mark one a volunteer. A small light green thread would mark one a conscript. The designation would serve to establish an unofficial seniority amongst the troops

-Uniforms would be based upon the standard Russian Uniform with a tan coloration. Dress uniforms would see a headgear differing by ethnicity to emphasize one’s origins.

-Literacy and Language courses would be implemented with Farsi to be enforced as the language of the Military

The Iran-E-No Party at a recent rally has unveiled its new paramilitary to the horror of several republicans. Many republicans have began to espouse fears if the emergence of a Totalitarian state and have went into hiding.

However, the Iran-E-No has officially declared the organization to be a vanguard of Republicanism and Democracy.

The position of General-Captain of the Republican Guard falls to Ali-Akbar Dāvar, a renowned and popular Iranian former Justice Minister, known for his efficiency and capability. Dāvar is also a close political ally of Teymourtash.

The Paramilitary is to be organized as follows:

-Provincial Force: Forced within a province to be supervised by a paramilitary leader charged with overseeing the province as a whole. To be composed of at least one brigades. Commander is appointed by the General-Captain of the Guard.

-Brigade: 12,000 men supervised by a senior member of the Iran-E-No. Appointed by the Provincial Force Commander

-Battalion: 1,000 men supervised by an elected member of the Iran-E-No

-Company: 250 men led by an elected officer

-Platoon: 50 men led by an officer appointed by the company commander

In regards to these units, all men must be registered members of the Iran-E-No and shown to have no criminal record. An age restriction is set at 30-60 years of age for its membership as well. If a member commits a crime, he shall be brought before a civil court, and if he shows ill discipline his own colleagues shall decide his fate(of course not a death sentence).

The president can remove the leader of a provincial force with the consent of the General-Captain of the Republican Guard.

The force’s official mission is to support the development of Iranian Republicanism and Democracy.

Its uniform is to be a light green shirt, darker green pant with a green officers cap. Equipment would be provided via military surplus and are to undergo the training provided to conscripts for a duration of two months.

The men who have run through it would form the nucleus in the establishment of a central paramilitary bootcamp in Tehran.

Following the announcement of the new constitution, Adolhossein had been approached by citizens in the street, most notable of which was a former MP, Mohammad Mosaddegh on the issue of no rights and protections being provided for the people in the constitution. Despite having been in the opposition to the Iran-E-No, observers reported genuine shock in Adolhossein's face before he stormed away.

​

Adolhossein was expected by many to abuse his position, which following the approaches he indeed did. However, contrary to expectations, it was to fix the outright weakness, he had been approached on. Utilizing a technical loophole, that allowed the President to have the same powers as Parliament, Adolhossein has today announced the new Iranian Declaration of Fundamental Human Rights, as the first amendment.

​

The Declaration of Fundamental Rights is listed below:

-Guarantee of freedom of speech, assembly, and religion

-The Iranian Tradition of Bast will be guaranteed and protected

-Right to Property

-Right to Citizenship

-Right to Education

-Right to trial by Jury, informed of charges, confront witnesses, speedy trial, and forbidding cruel and unusual punishments

-Right to Travel

​

The result of this has seen even larger support of Adolhossein Teymourtash despite the seeming overreach by the Presidency with the reassurance that the President genuinely did desire to maintain Democratic rights and protections. Some have however protests amongst the intelligensia grown fearful of the precedent of giving the president unilateral powers to edit the constiution without either Parliament's or a referendum's consent.

17th of March

Inspired by the riots against germans in the north of the former Lep provinces people began their own demonstrations in Guangzhou.

Emboldened by the lep fragmenting and believing that the germans cant protect their puppets anymore the demonstrations quickly turned into riots.

The rioters soon began to rush into the german parts of Guangzhou attacking german businesses and homes attacking the germans inside.

Sympathetic police officers turned a blind eye to the entire matter.

The merchant corps soon intervened to squash the riots

the people productive party under the leadership of Chen Mingshu Soon announced their support for the Demonstrations their members began arriving soon when they heard of the merchant corps preparing to intervene.

The tension kept increasing and it looked like a fight was going to break out till Chen Jiongmin arrived on the scene delivering a speech calling for calm and for the people to go back to their homes.

Chen Mingshu in response made a speech on his own criticising the unequal treaties and Beijing inaction and the need to enact the reforms espoused by sun yat-sen.

His speech got great popular support.

Only time will tell if Germany starts a reprisal.

Behbud Khan Javanshir, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, has died of a heart attack in his sleep. He will be provided with a state funeral. Javanshir placed high value on establishing and maintaining the oil industry in Azerbaijan, which led to the prosperity we have seen since then, and perhaps due to being a German-educated engineer, he advocated for closer ties with Germany as opposed to the Ottoman Empire in recent disputes over control of oil. He also advocated for the use of automoblies, in fact he was the first person to bring an automobile into Karabakh, and modernizing farming. His replacement will be Khalil bey Khasmammadov, who had been Minister of Internal Affairs for a brief period in 1918. Khasmammadov argued in favor of equality of Muslims during the Russian Empire, and when Azerbaijan gained independence he wanted public education, closer ties with other Muslim people of the Caucasus, and close ties between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the military to supress resistance to the government. This could represent a shift in Azerbaijani politics from Germany to the Ottoman Empire.

With the Liberals having secured their power, the Prime Minister must respond to both Black Monday and the Entente's preparation for war. In order to do that, the Liberals begun drafting a bill in Parliament in order to address Canada's myriad of issues. Named Bill C-7, the Liberal Party hopes to fix Canada in one years long plan of economical buildup.

Cabinet Minister C.D. Howe presented his plan of the economy, a thoroughly liberal one. His plan focuses on letting the currency float and providing the civilian industry in the country with generous grants and bailouts. In addition to that plan, a focus is being put n the nation's Crown Corporations, key industries ranging from infrastructure to radio to consumer goods. The idea will be to provide jobs and lift Canada out of its current predicament in the most efficient and beneficial way possible. The Tories in the Opposition suggested the plan focus more on the nationalisation of key industires, but eventually it was decided that that would be a matter for another time. The civilian economy had to be helped onto its feet first so that all of Canada might prosper.

The matter of conscription came up several times during the debates regarding bill C-7. One again, the Conservatives pushed for full conscription of able bodied males. It was pointed out many times by Quebecqois MPs and CCF party members that they could not condone such a provision. Eventually it was decided that the Liberals would stick to their promises, and that no conscription would come, relying instead on volunteers. This would mean an intensification of the propaganda campaigns in order to make Canadian WANT to enlist for King and Country.

Finally there was the matter of internal unrest caused by syndicalist and socialist agitators. Although many did not want a secret service, stating that Canada was all in it together, the truth was that Canada would need a secret service if it would ever hope to stem of internal dissent and one day promote dissent in the Union of Britain. A provision was made to bill C-7, providing the Royal Mounties with extended rights, turning it into the defacto successor of MI5 and 6. The 'agency' was placed under the directorship of Maxwell Knight, formerly a spymaster of that organisation.

The Bill was eventually put to vote, and the modd certainly was tense in Parliament for a few moments. But eventually, thanks to the Liberal majority and partial support from certain Conservaties, who believed that 'a' plan was better than 'no' plan, Bill C-7 was put into law.

The second major event of this period was the Imperial Conference of 1936. The British dominions sent delegates to Ottawa to discuss the state of the Empire and the trials that were yet to come. All knew that was was inevitable in the future. There were discussions on the the status of the US, the turbulations in India (where it was agreed that the Muslims in Karachi had to be supported, lest their allegiance fall to someone other than the British), and economical commitments to strengthen eachother's economies. A Canadian initiave mentioned at the conference was the formaiton of the ISAC, where all British domnions but also the Entente Cordiale at large would be able to pool their resources when it comes to the development of technology, somewhat similar to the syndicalist Phalanstere International or the Kaiser Wilhelm society. The same would be true of its economical equivalent, the Imperial Economic Development Council, or IEDC, where members can once again pooll their funds and resources to build up the Entente at large.

Finally, the Liberal Party also caved to a demand for work, which pending the creaton of new jobs, is still a huge issue. Though we may not like it, the Liberals intended to create a sort of 'new deal' for the downtrodden, creating camps where the jobless would be able to work in projects that would aid the state at large, main infrastructural projects such as the creation of new railroads. Thoroughly temporary in nature, let us hope this will not stay too long.

The President has invoked Article 6 of the constitution, which grants him the power of intervene in the provinces when they are deemed incapable of ruling. All northern provinces of Argentina have been targeted by this declaration, and an intervention force will be sent to these provinces in order to restore order and arrest the contra revolutionaries.

May 1st, 1936,

Mexico was remarkably home to one of the global battlefield's most prestigious inventions.

This, of course, was the semi-automatic rifle.

Known then as the M1908, the invention had a gas-operated system and was seen as the most advanced weapon in the world at the time of its deployment. Times change, however, and the world has caught up to Mondragón's legacy.

To avoid this great nation's intellect from being swallowed by irrelevancy, the PPM will issue the first factory of its kind in Mexico City dedicated to improving semi-automatic rifles in the Mexican Military. This new "M1929" will attempt to streamline the process of creating a unit as well as work out any reliability quirks that may not have aged well since the Great War.

Competition Time: September

This content has been removed from reddit in protest of their recent API changes and monetization of my user data. If you are interested in reading a certain comment or post please visit my github page (user Iceblade02). The public github repo reddit-u-iceblade02 contains most of my reddit activity up until june 1st of 2023.

To view any comment/post, download the appropriate .csv file and open it in a notepad/spreadsheet program. Copy the permalink of the content you wish to view and use the "find" function to navigate to it.

Hope you enjoy the time you had on reddit!

/Ice

This content has been removed from reddit in protest of their recent API changes and monetization of my user data. If you are interested in reading a certain comment or post please visit my github page (user Iceblade02). The public github repo reddit-u-iceblade02 contains most of my reddit activity up until june 1st of 2023.

To view any comment/post, download the appropriate .csv file and open it in a notepad/spreadsheet program. Copy the permalink of the content you wish to view and use the "find" function to navigate to it.

Hope you enjoy the time you had on reddit!

/Ice

“THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED, GERMANY NEEDS CHANGE”

The people of Germany were not satisfied with the government. Anyone could see that. Protests by the SPD and the unions had become weekly occurrences, and showed no signs of stopping. Crime is rampant, jobs are needed. A speech in Berlin on May 1 by a local SPD member ignited a riot, before it was quelled by the police.

Yet it is not just the SPD, anarchists and syndicalists roamed the streets as well, looking for trouble. Hooligans waving black and red flags have been spotted across western Prussia in the Rhineland, particularly in Cologne, Essen, and Dortmund.

Karl Helfferich, State Secretary for Economic Affairs and a member of the DVLP, has resigned from the cabinet. Disappointed with conflict within the cabinet and the inaction of the Chancellor, the resignation deals another blow to the government. The Chancellor quickly replaced him with Zentrum member Matthias Erzberger.

"It seems that every week there is a new rumor and new issues," says Helmuth Bergner, the owner of a local Berlin newspaper, Der Vaterlandspost. "The only thing certain is that this country needs stability more than ever. The workers need jobs, we need a solid government who will not let anything stand in the way of prosperity and stability for our nation."

Meanwhile, SPD members Carl Severing and Otto Braun, some of the SPD big wigs in Prussia, have been in talks with Wilhelm Külz and Walther Rathenau, members of the Progressive People’s Party (Fortschrittliche Volkspartei/FVP), seeking to form a solid alliance between their parties similar to 1918. While the conclusions of these talks are still unknown, this has surprisingly worried the right-wing more than they already are.

April 1936.

With the party's power consolidated, Savinkov quickly moved to addressing the issues of Black Monday. Announcing to the nation that the Party would undertake a massive, multi-pronged program to no just allow Russia to recover, but to rapidly industrialize and modernize and emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. Russia shall be thoroughly transformed for the better.

"Russia's natural wealth will be extracted, and used for the betterment of itself."- Savinkov addressing iron mine workers in the Urals.

The initial hurdle and cause of Russia's economic woes was the collapse of the German market. Which such a large market gone, Russia vast reserves of raw resources could not be turned into capital and in addition these industries were forced to lay off a large swath of Russia's workforce. Luckily for Russia, the tireless efforts of the government have secured new markets aboard, these being the Entente and Third Internationale, among other individual nations. These newfound trade connections shall more than make up for the loss of the German market, allowing for accelerated industrial growth and additional capital for the state to fund further economic schemes. Sizeable quantities of ore, coal, timber and other mineral wealth flow outward, while industrial tooling and machinery, tractors, trucks, and precious metals flow into Russia's ports.

"You cannot put a price on power" -Felix Yusupov, shortly before becoming economic minister.

Still, despite this this new found trade, additional capital was was needed due to the sheer scale of the effort. Luckily, there was one such man who could be of assistance. Felix Yusupov, the richest man in all of Russia, approached the Savinkov government with an offer. He would use his massive amount to purchase an astronomical amount of Russian governmental bonds to provide Russia will liquidity. In exchange for this, he was granted a great deal of political power, including the ministry of the economy, and a place within the informal ruling circle that now dominate the republic. Early attempts to buy political influence had failed him, with only a handful of members of the senate owing him loyalty. With the current ruling clique, he now has the influence he always desired. Effectively, his wealth would be that of the Russian state. Supplementing this scheme was the government encouraging the Russian people to purchase bonds. Peddled as a way for the average Russian to both contribute and benefit from Russia's inevitable rise, this should bring some supplemental income into the treasury.

"The more money there is to spend, the more people can buy bread." -attributed to Boris Savinkov, published in the party newspaper The Pale Horse Courier.

In order to combat the weakness of the gold standard, and to improve the attractiveness of Russian goods abroad, the treasury has announced that it was going to devalue the Russian ruble by 40%. Still pegged to the Russian gold reserves, the amount in circulations would be increased by that amount. In addition, more gold entering the gold reserves will further increase the monetary supply of the country. Efforts to increase excavation of gold and silver have also been emphasized. Silver will also be used as a currency reserve to further increase the amount of rubles in circulation without them becoming worthless. The addition of so much money will be initially utilized for capital for the ambitious ventures to come.

"A committee that speaks with one voice. -unknown, attributed to some member of the Supreme Economic Council.

The significant question that presents itself is where and when will this money would be spent? The government cannot afford ad hoc decisions in these matters, and must make the most of its limited funds. As such, after conversing together Yusupov, Denikin and Savinkov, have decided to establish the Supreme Economic Council. It would contain the triumvirate along with other economic officials. This council would be responsible for assessing local conditions, resources, and other factors to streamline economic development and ensure efficiency. Additional lesser economic councils will exist in different zones in Russia to carry out the directives of the Supreme council, as well as to petition it to prioritize certain important projects. A centralized directorate will surely be able to more efficiently organize the mass mobilization required to transform Russia.

"Plug the Holes in the boat if you wish not to sink." -Admiral Alexander Kolchak, Arctic Explorer.

In response to the German blunder that was Black Monday, and salvage what we can from the crisis, the Russian government is forced to take action in order to secure it's economic well-being. To stabilize the economy, as much of the ailing German owned industries possible will be purchased at cheap prices caused by Black Monday, many are failing or already bankrupt. This will at least keep many employed reduce the effects of crisis. These will be subsidized and supported by the government for the time being to help employment numbers. Heavy Industry is prioritized.

Furthermore, those who have been arrested and charged with treason, or have fled the country will have all of their property seized in their absence. All closed Factories will be immediately reopened and in some cases repurposed to produce industrial tooling, weapons manufacture, munitions, or civilian goods. Smelters and mines will be reopened as well, as well as any other enterprise. Other foreign assets, mainly American, that have gone bankrupt will also be nationalized, and their owners payed a 'fair' sum (probably quite low considering no one else would be willing to buy them).

"For too long have the peasantry languished in the status quo, land reform is necessary for that vitalization of Russia, the betterment of her people, and prosperity. What has long been promises shall now be delivered!" -Savinkov unveiling the first Agricultural Co-Op.

Land reform has always been a huge political concern for Russia, and up to this point, no government has had the political capital to carry out any effective measure of this much needed reform. Fulfilling his promise to his most important base, the peasantry, the following measures were taken in the land reform legislation. First, major land holders were 'encouraged to sell their lands to the government for a 'fair price.' They are allowed to keep their palaces, homes, fortunes and other properties if they comply (Yusupov is exempt). These were then organized into formal Agricultural Co-ops organized of local peasant populations. Each peasant family would receive decent amount of acreage of their own based on fertility and valuation undertaken by the ministry of agriculture. However, 60 percent of the land of the Co-op would belong to the Co-op itself, and all members were obliged to work that land together. They would then share in the overall profit, with the state taking a percentage for itself. The advantages of this system would remove the abusive rents of land lords, foster a communal sentiment among the people, and allow for a more effective usage of Russia's limited resources. The individual ownership of certain plots will also encourage increased output and work on the part of their owners, boosting productivity.

Mechanization is also the order of the day. Each Co-op will be provided by the state a small fleet of tractors, and modern harvesting equipment. It shall be shared among the members. Co-ops will have a local doctor, as well as a communal cultural center, school, and radio. Efforts to improve hygiene and electrification campaigns will be undertaken to provide rural communities with modern amenities. In the future, these co-ops will serve as a basis for future reforms, and a modern agricultural society.

For those more daring Russians who wish to strike out on their own, an old policy of Stolypin will be revived. Russia has no shortage of land. Much of it is empty and useless. Any Russian is able to stake a claim in Siberia. After working the land for a year, if there is no dispute, their claim will be recognized as their property by the Ministry of Agriculture. It is hoped that such a policy will create a class of middle class farmers in Russia's interior, and ease the need for food imports there. Tax breaks for these individuals will be offered, or they will be given a tractor for agricultural purposes. The peopling of the interior will also help Russia increase its population and make the most of its territory.

"Russia now fuels the world's many workshops. From Ottowa to Paris to Berlin, Russian iron ore and coal fuel industry. It is time for Russia to use its own resources to enrich itself, to build itself a better future." -Savinkov at the opening of the Tsaritsyn State small arms factory.

It is known to all that Russia lags far behind the rest of the developed world in terms of industrial capacity. But those who were around before the Weltkrieg recall the speed at which Russia was developing. It was said that if unchecked it would have even surpassed Germany. This was accomplished through the usage of French financing. One can only imagine what Russia is capable of if its entire populace was mobilized and put to a single effort. Russia is currently importing a great deal of industrial tooling and machines. It is the intent of the government to leverage its massive resource pool to quickly develop its industrial base. As such, these many machines will be installed in many factories, both new and expanding. These then will be utilized to manufacture more goods to boost the Russian economy further. Ultimately this cycle will cause the Russian economy to develop exponentially. The prioritizes will be placed on tractor factories dotted in and around the Urals due to their proximity to the great iron deposits and Steel mills in the area. Additionally, new factories will be established in Petrograd, Moscow, Kazan and Volgograd (Renamed from Tsartsyn). They will produce war material, primarily rifles, ammunition, and shells. Factories producing civilian goods like cigarettes, vodka, clothing, and other goods will be established in Orel, Pskov, Tula, Orenberg, and Nizhy Novgorod and Novgorod.

"We can rebuild her, we have the technology. Bigger, faster, stronger." Felix Yusupov regarding infrastructure development in Russia.

If Russia is to be the power its destined to be, it needs to update its infrastructure. Too much of the nation relies on dirt roads that become a muddy mess during the spring rains. Whats more, Russian railroad construction stalled with the outbreak of the Weltkrieg, and never again approached prewar levels. It is time to reverse this. Russia produces the great amounts of steel and timber needed for railway expansion. Now, with so many out of work, labor is no issue. The state will begin construction on expanding and updating the Russian rail system. To facilitate this, all privately owned railroads have been nationalized. Connections between major cities, industrial hubs, extraction sites and ports will be prioritized. Similarly, a network of modern highways will be ordered following similar routes. To supplement the labor force, many of those arrested for treason will be organized and used as penal labor battalions. They have the privilege to strengthen Russia even as traitors. These units will have the honor of constructing both the newly approved Volga-Don Canal, and Northern White Sea canal. These waterways will serve as future industrial hubs and shipping lanes. To provide Russia with more electrical power and to further its infrastructure and electrification campaign, additional coal powered plants will be placed in budding industrial towns. To serve more rural areas, Hydro-electric dams will be created wear possible to make use of Russia's many rivers.

"... you must speak to the soul, in order to electrify him." -Napoleon Bonaparte.

As a man of literature and the arts, Savinkov rightfully recognizes the importance of culture and the arts. These things are the cornerstone of identity, and Russia has a strong tradition in this regard. Historically Russian writers, artists and musicians are some of the best the world has ever known. Yet despite all of this, only a small fraction of the population could enjoy such luxuries. These cultural heirlooms must be made available to all. As such, the state shall promote Russian music on all of its radio stations, as well as expanding the coverage of said stations around Russia. Musicians will be given patronage to produce works of particular Russian characteristics. Similarly, artists will be commissioned to produce distinctly Russian pieces, such as paintings, sculptures and architecture. These will promote Russian heroism, and take influence from futurist, art deco, and Neo-classical works, also implementing traditional Russian characteristics in a fusion of old and new. The new City hall of Nizhny Novgorod would be one such building constructed in the new style now dubbed Neo-Russoclassical. This would make use of epic sized architecture to inspire awe, making use of classical pillars and Russian Onion domes. Lastly, Russia has been late to join the world of cinematography. Its entry has been long over due. The president himself opened the Moscow Film institute, which would be the nucleus of a Russian cinema industry. The first movie slated for filming will be about the hero Aleksander Nevsky and his victory over the Swedes. All of this will be done under the watchful eye of a newly created Ministry of Culture, which will have the power to approve works, or censor them if they are not compatible with the new Russia that is being created.

"Russia can into space." -quote unattributed.

The future of Russia lies in technological progress. In its more glorious past, Russia has made great contributions to the various fields of science. Our temporary weakness halted such innovations, but no longer! Russian scientists and scholars are some of the finest in the world. As such, they must be given the funding they need in order to be on the forefront of discovery. Universities will be given increased funding, as well as grants to expand their facilities and capacity. Furthermore, increased graduation rates from these institutions will see them rewarded. Such graduates will be examined by the ministry of education and economy, before being approved and released to the workforce. In order to make the most of our brightest minds, gifted individuals from poorer elements of the country will be provided with scholarships from the government to pursue areas of study. In exchange, they will work a number of years in the government's employ, or on certain projects. This will increase the overall amount of specialists needed for Russia's resurgence in the modern world. Finally, an emphasis will be placed on electronic computation, and the Universities of Moscow and Petrograd found cryptologist departments and expand their mathematics and physic departments.

To ensure the primacy of the army, and that the armed forces have adequate officers of all ranks, additional military colleges will be opened to train Commissioned officers, engineers, and other essential professionals for the army and navy.

"No comment." -Government official when asked about the Voskhod Project

The Crux of Russia's economic woes, is that there are too many men, and not enough jobs. Should these idle hands find productive work, one can only imagine the progress that could be made! To combat mass unemployment, the government has announced the 'Sunrise' Project. Landless farmers, unemployed laborers, and vagrants will be enlisted in the new Russian labor army. While pay might not be good, they will be provided with food and shelter to prevent the worst. These patriots will be the army that will fight for the future of Russia, transforming it from a backward laughing stock, to a world power. They will build dams, roads, rails, factories, mines, canals, ports, mills, farms, Industry, Towns, Cities! Whats more, those experienced in engineering and farming, as well as pioneering will be dispatched East into Siberia. Here these brave men will scout the wastes, and prepare it for settlement and agricultural cultivation. Many men will soon be able to move west and have their own independent farm to show for all their work and effort. These Russians will be considered Heroes of the Nation!

All of these reforms are under the control of the Supreme Economic Council, and will be enacted in steps, first dealing with the depression, and moving on to development. Much of this will be paid for with loans, Bonds, and the money raised from selling our oil shares in Iran, (Swiss Bribes), and through the export of massive amounts of Russian Raw Resources.

"As I swore to all Russians that I would protect the our people from our enemies, I do so now. At this very moment we sweep the streets of the rats that gnaw at the foundations of the nation." - President Savinkov addressing the nation.

The ascension of Savinkov's new regime was initially silent and unchanging. For the first few weeks, there was little sign of the coming storm. The first was easy to miss, a rider on an agricultural relief bill. In it was the reorganization of the old Tsarist secret police, the Department for Protecting the Public Security and Order. Many of the old agents were rehired and reactivated, and their contacts put at the disposal of the government. They were granted modern equipment and made answerable to the Presidency

Then police began small scale arrests for political dissents, far left syndicalists. Then rumors of army units being shifted around for unknown reasons.

Quickly following was a swift and decisive campaign to consolidate the political position of Russia's new masters. Army units and SZRS combat squads quickly stormed cities, implementing mass arrests of political opponents and those deemed as subversive elements. Communist, Syndicalists, Socialists and Social Democrats were either rounded up or completely vanished. The remaining free personal enemies of Savinkov and that of his allies such as Wrangel and Denikin have also gone missing in these mass arrests. The biggest enemy of Savinkov, Maria Spiridonova and her conspirators, were captured and brought to the Lubyanka in Moscow. Radio stations, printing presses, and other known centers of resistance and dissent against the government were similarly raided and brought under control.

These events were justified using Article 48 of the Russian Constitution. The Supreme Court had easily ruled that the current emergency was more than enough grounds for the usage of emergency powers. There was no dispute, as no one in the Duma or Senate were willing to do so. Those that might have knew better. Many of the leftist elements of the Senate were arrested for treason against the republic. Those who voiced protest against this were also brought up on treason charges.

After the chaos, the brutality, the storm, all was once again quiet in Russia. Too quiet for its own good. The Terror was only beginning.

Russian diplomats have approached various governments in order to jump start trade relations, and to mutually improve economic growth.

To the Kingdom of Egypt: Russia has a great deal of mineral resources as well as oil and coal at our disposal and ready to trade. We would be very interested to sell this to you in exchange for Wheat, Cotton, and other cash crops grown on the Nile.

To the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Russia has a great deal of mineral resources as well and coal at our disposal and ready to trade. We would be very interested to sell this to you in exchange for goods such as rubber, and manufactured goods, primarily tractors and industrial tooling. We hope this is of interest to you.

To the Nation of Canada: Russia has a great deal of mineral resources as well as oil and coal at our disposal and ready to trade. We would be very interested to sell this to you in exchange for manufactured goods, primarily tractors and industrial tooling, we are also interested in agricultural imports. We hope this is of interest to you. We are also interested in industrial and technical expertise, if possible.

To the Kingdom of Italy: Russia has a great deal of mineral resources as well as oil and coal at our disposal and ready to trade. We would be very interested to sell this to you in exchange for manufactured goods, primarily tractors and industrial tooling, we are also interested in agricultural imports such as wheat and cash crops like citrus. We hope this is of interest to you. We are also interested in industrial and technical expertise, if possible.

March 1936

In 1935, constitutional reforms aimed at expanding the power of the Duma allowed for a vote of no confidence for judges within the supreme court of Russia. For too long, Justice Vladimir Nabokov as leader of the court has rallied it against the Savinkov administration and his coalition. A staunch ally of the late Chernov, Nabokov has allowed his personal dislike for the president sully the reputation of the court by denying policy on the grounds of it being constitutional.

It is ironic then, that the these obstructionists are removed by the very apparatus they claim to defend. The SZRS-SOR majority now in the Duma has voted to remove 4 out of the 7 judges on the court, and replace them with nominees selected by the president. The final institutional obstacle to Savinkov's, and Russia, rise has been put to rest, and the court is now finally in the hands of the people once again.

Following the intense confusion and rumors earlier, today Adolhossein has revealed the new Iranian Constiution. In a public address and print copy that he has distributed as follows:

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Article I: Declaration of Intent

The Republic of Iran is a Unicameral Islamic Republic rooted in the principles of Islam, with there being no shahs, and noble titles recognized within the state. The Republic's goal is to be a strong Democratic Iranian Republic able to defend its people, unhindered by the weaknesses of western Democracies or developing into an autocratic state.

We hope to hand our people to a bright democratic future.

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Article II: The Parliament

The Parliament shall be directly elected by the people, with the Parliamentarian able to be recalled if over half of the turnout votes to recall the individual, whereupon a recall election shall take place.

There shall be 290 seats in the Iranian Parliament, with 5 seats allocated to minorities as follows: Two seats for Armenians, one seat for Assyrians, one seat for Jews, and one seat for Zoroastrians. Individuals of these faiths may run for election elsewhere but these remain their only guaranteed seats. All remaining seats shall be directly elected by the people, with candidates approved by a board of electors before being listed on the ballot. These individuals are appointed by the governor in line with the provincial constitution.

Parliament shall elect the President of Iran, and be able to recall the President with a vote of no-confidence. The Vote, if undertaken by an individual against the government shall result in their resignation, as they had failed their duty as a legislator to keep the presidency in check and properly fight partisanship within the government. Upon the Presidency's vacation, Parliament shall be required to regardless of size following the vote-of-no-confidence, be required to immediately elect the next President.

Parliament shall be able to pass any legislation with a simple majority excluding constitutional amendments which shall require a 2/3 majority. All legislation passed by Parliament shall be subject to Presidential veto.

If the Speaker of the Assembly and his two vice speaker positions are vacated simultaneously or is deemed a rump parliament with less than 3/4 of its members attending its sessions, the Presidency may take action to dissolve Parliament. As such action is sabotaging the state and serves little more than aid partisanship and weaken Iran, by making it virtually impossible for significant legislation to pass, and in the case of the former, evidence of a major political crisis.

The President, in no other conditions, will be allowed to dissolve Parliament. Parliament is required to reconvene two months after its dissolution, following new elections, and may not be dissolved for another 4 months.

Article III: The Presidency of Iran

The President is as aforementioned elect by the Parliament of Iran and is subject to restrictions and powers as imposed prior in Article II. The President can be only recalled however with a 2/3 vote and the remaining required to elect the new President. The former President is not barred from running again for any political office. The President is elected by a simple majority of Parliament.

The President has the same powers as Parliament in regards to issuing legislation, however, his prior edicts shall require ratification by Parliament upon expiry of his term or his death.

The President may retain office for life if not removed by Parliament. The President will only run for a future election if removed by Parliament prior or upon having resigned.

The President shall be granted absolute veto powers.

Article IV: The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President and be appointed by him. The Court shall have 9 seats, 1 of which shall be the Chief Justice.

The supreme court can force a president's barring from office if the President is found to have betrayed Iran or having committed a major crime while in office.

The Supreme Court shall maintain their term for life unless they have died or resigned. The Supreme Court Justice's seat can then be appointed by the current Presidency.

The Supreme Court also shall handle the entire court system of Iran, be it Provincial, National or Local. The Provincial Supreme Courts shall be appointed by the National Supreme Court in consultation with the sitting governor.

Article V: Chamber of Corporations and Cooperatives:

Suggests to the President items to help grow the Iranian Industrial Economy and Agricultural base. Its membership shall be determined via census, with the top three of each sector of the economy being granted a seat.

It shall only be granted the authority to advise the Presidency and Parliament on matters of the economy.

Article VI: Union of National Syndicates:

Represents the workers within the Iranian state, to enfranchise the workers. Improving their conditions and acting to balance the Chamber of Corporations and Cooperatives.

The National Syndicates unlike the Chamber can propose legislation to improve the conditions of the workers, thereby their morale and their productivity. However, the Union instead represents the workers within National Syndicates and may carry out strikes of its own, provided these strikes do not work against the interests of the state and are controlled to prevent the outbreak of violence.

Individuals may be evicted from these Syndicates and thereby the union if deemed subversives.

Article VII: Ulema Council

Represents the religious officials of Iran. The Representatives are to be elected from amongst the Ulema. However, those elected must be approved by the President. The council shall set the laws and regulations for the Ulema to follow and licenses shall be required of the Ulema, which will be handled by this entity. The President shall name the Grand Ayatollah who shall head the committee and can veto laws by Parliament if deemed unhalal, the Grand Ayatollah cannot veto the election of any official, changes to seats in Parliament, pre-existing constitutional law, and finally the election of any member of the Ulema to the Council.

Article VIII: Provincial Governments

Provincial Law, must recognize the rights of citizens of other provinces while providing them equal standing as if they are citizens of the province in question and vice versa.

Each Province shall have a unicameral assembly and governor, as long as it does not run contradictory to the national constitution, provincial law, or other national laws, a provincial convention may be held to determine the new constitution of a province.

The Governor shall be elected by the people but shall require confirmation by the Presidency.

National Law shall always be superior to provincial law in cases of contradiction.

Article IX: Religions recognized by the Iranian State

Religion: Islam, Christianity, Assyrians, Jews, Zoroastrians

​

Despite some confusion, the constitution has received widespread support from the populace, however many intellectuals warn of the authoritarianism hidden in the constitution and many wonder what shall come from this. The Bright and Democratic Future, that is promised in the constitution or the onset of a Presidential Dictatorship, especially with several notable loopholes in Presidential powers.

With Frunze claiming Germany, I plan on swapping claims with him to head over to my traditional homeland of Algeria. The main goal, of course, is to liberate the French mainland from the dastardly communards occupying it for almost two decades. I will definitely make some changes to the "Third Republic", and will work together with my Entente-Cordiale allies. Vive La France Libre!

From the Kaiser:

(To the heads of government of Bohemia, Illyria and Galicia Lodomeria)

Grüß Gott,

I hope you are doing well despite the uncertain times facing our countries.

Prime Minister Gasperi has directed me to invite you to Vienna for talks regarding a unified response to Black Monday with input from every nation of Cisleithania.

We look forward to seeing you and hope to overcome this dark period in history together.

A Detailed Analysis on the Lessons Learned From the Great War

By The Onderzoekscommissie Grote Oorlog

The firepower concentrated in the Battle of Jutland (1916) was the most amount of naval firepower brought to bear in naval history so far. This is, of course, due to the dreadnaught present in the battle. Additionally, the Scharnhorst-class cruisers produced by Germany were able to score a victory over the Royal Navy early in the war. This was thanks in large part to their higher speed relative to their opponents. It is obviously not within the Netherlands production capabilities to make the amount of dreadnaughts, however the Netherlands has had the ability to produce cruisers for some time now.

In order to give the Koninklijke Marine additional firepower while remaining within both its budget and shipbuilding capabilities, a possible course of action would be to make a class of heavily armed heavy cruisers. These super heavy cruisers, or alternatively Zak Slagschips (Pocket Battleships), would have the armament to deal with lighter classes of ship quite easily. An additional benefit of these ships could also possibly be the tying down of heavier hostile ships due to these Zak Slagschips mere presence.

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The Wilhelmina-class Heavy Cruiser

The Wilhelmina-class Heavy Cruiser will be designed to combine both the speed of a cruiser and the firepower of a ship. Once completed, these ships will be deployed to the Dutch East Indies in order to dissuade from a Japanese attack. 3 ships of this class will be created: the HNLMS Wilhelmina, the HNLMS William III, and the HNLMS Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The HNLMS Wilhelmina and HNLMS William III are planned to be laid down in 1938 and completed by 1941, while the HNLMS HNLMS Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin will be laid down in 1939 and completed by 1942. The German Empire will be asked for the procurement of the guns.

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In response to the economic crisis and the need for jobs, the Pacific state governors and senators have come up with a solution, the formation of a construction pact. Much like what New England has done with its interstate pact, this is of similar nature. The states that we wish to be involved is California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. The purpose for this pact is to bring much needed jobs in all of our countries, building roads and factories, cutting down trees when needed, in all of the states, creating not only jobs in construction, but when the factories are finished being built giving jobs in the forms of that as well. The construction pact will also plant and build parks in cities, and overall give much needed jobs to recover from the grave economic situation that has struck all of the USA. We will also be forming a subset of associated states, that will work exactly like the New England assoicated states for their interstate pact.

To the Canadian intelligence main office,

Dear Minister,

As you surely know, the crash of the Berlin stock market has lead to growing instability within the German sphere of influence, including the kingdom of Flanders-Wallonia. We hope to exploit this moment of weakness to support rebel groups inside the country to possibly topple the government. However, for this to succeed, we need first to determine the loyalty of those resistance groups. We believe that such an operation would be more effective with your material support, which is the reason I am writing this letter. We do not ask for much, just whatever equipment you are willing to spare, as well as your expertise.

With this in mind, I hope that you will accept my request

Prime minister of the kingdom of Belgium, Paul Berryer

A Detailed Analysis on the Lessons Learned From the Great War

By The Onderzoekscommissie Grote Oorlog

On the outset of the Great War, the British Royal Navy would put the German Empire under blockade. As the British Empire had concentrated much of it's naval power into maintaining this blockade, the German Kaiserliche Marine was much too small to stop it. This blockade would have profound impacts on both German civilian life and on the German military throughout the war. It is not outrageous to suggest that if the Netherlands were to get involved in a war on a similar scale, it too would most likely be put under blockade with little avenue to retaliate. The question then becomes, how does one deal with a blockade if it is unable to break it?

One answer could be through the use of specialized "cargo-submarines", that would be used as blockade runners. These submarines, if of sufficient construction and operated by a sufficiently trained crew, could quite literally slip under the nose of any blockading forces. These submarines could then be used to both bring men and material to and from the Dutch East Indies, as well as to bring relief to the blockaded populace.
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Baleinwalvis Class Cargo Submarine

The Baleinwalvis Class Cargo Ships are to be an experimental class of ships, meant to circumvent a possible blockade of the Netherland or her Indonesian holdings by using the stealth and speed that a submersible grants. The Dutch Admiralty has approved for 3 of these to be built as an experiment, and these ships will be given the hull classification numbers ASSA I, ASSA II, and ASSA III.

While the Netherlands will be able to draw on past submarine designs for this project, the Baleinwalvis Class will be remarkably different in several ways from traditional vessels of this type. The most noticeable difference, aside from the lack of any armaments, will be bridge located farther towards the back of the ship. This is to make room for both the watertight upwards opening cargo doors as well as the deck mounted cargo crane. Both of these additions will increase the loading efficiency of the vessel. The lack of any weapons will cut down on needed crew, as well as provide space for cargo. In order to dive and surface with cargo at full capacity, additional ballast tanks will be added. These ballast tanks will be filled and unfilled as needed depending on the load size.

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Design work should be ended in late 1936, and production is planned to begin in early-mid 1937.