Part 37: Fleeting Socialism and A New Hero
Chapter 26: Fleeting Socialism and A New Hero
Russia carves the nations of Romania and Bulgaria out of the Balkan territory taken from the Ottomans.
New Zealand declares their independence from Britain, becoming a Dominion of the British Commonwealth.
The United States settles with France for nothing! After all the trouble they went through! I bet they couldn't get those French assholes to sign anything away.
We offer the Americans an alliance, as a Texan-American alliance at this point could conquer the whole hemisphere and none would dare declare war, but the fools reject the offer (or maybe I just forgot how high my badboy is).
Industry is booming in the conquered territories. We are growing tired of lumber based products, but at least furniture fetches a good price. (when I reloaded this save yesterday to take that screenshot of the ledger, the capitalists built Electric Gear and Automobile factories instead. why the hell couldn't they do that the first time around)
The new Integrated Rail is spreading throughout the Republic, already present in all of California and most of Texas.
The next election cycle begins. The current Party leading in the polls is the Socialist Party, and some explanation is due as to why.
President Ashby was a fiery orator but also a drunkard. Unlike our first President, Ashby's drunkenness was not admirable, for he lacked the character and personality of Houston. In a drunken stupor, he and the Populists, who had won a majority in Congress, passed a bill that raised taxes on the lower class to 100% while eliminating any taxation for the upper class. This produced a huge income for the Republic (£150-200 per day) but angered the populace greatly. Not only have the Populists the most regressive taxation system in the world, but President Ashby has done nothing with the amassed money (at least £80000) aside from keeping it all in a vault labeled "Booze Money".
The first two pre-dreadnoughts put to sea, and whoever is in charge of their names deserves to be President. The other four are on the way and have already been assigned great names.
The Socialists win the election. The new President is Thomas "Red Tom" Hickey. President Hickey is an Irish immigrant to the Republic and a champion of the labor unions. He is the editor of the most popular Socialist journal, The Rebel, and also an oilman. He is known for his evangelican rhetoric in his speeches about the coming of a "cooperative commonwealth", as if the socialist utopia is going to descend from the heavens any day now. But the way he says it makes the people want to believe him.
The peace treaty with Mexico expires without occasion. Mexico knows that another war would mean its annihilation, and the Hickey Administration has no interest in another war against the debilitated nation.
Brazil has declared war on Venezuala, citing Brazilian claims on Venezualan land. The Brazilian army is small but growing, and Venezuala's is smaller, but the terrain on their border is very harsh.
Four days later Colombia signs a treaty of alliance with Venezuala and declares war on Brazil in support of their neighbor and friend.
The current population statistics are showing a return to normalcy in the Republic. Conservativism is again the the largest ideology, and Texans now have a 1% edge on Mexicans as the highest polling nationality.
The Socialists, upon assuming power, had done a good job. They put taxes back to the flat tax that has been standard in the Republic for some time, and the lower classes were able to return to their regular lives. But the Socialists have been losing power in Congress ever since, and nowadays could hardly get anything passed. President Ashby's hoard of money has been the subject of many debates: most agree that the continued fortification of our long border with the US should draw funds from it, but there was much uproar in Congress when a Democrat pointed out that President Hickey had replaced the "Booze Money" label with one that said "Money for the Coming of the Cooperative Commonwealth (Very Soon!)".
The Socialists, realizing their power in government is gone and even the people do not want them in power any longer, announce in mid-1910 (roughly 2 years into the term) that President Hickey is going to resign and a new election will be held in nine months. The Party Polls are showing a strong resurgence in support for the Nationalists, who have chosen a very charismatic and gregarious Mexican as their candidate. The Populist Party, however, is polling at only 5%; it seems Ashby's drunkeness has driven the party into the ground for good.
South Africa declares their independence from Britain, joining Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the British Commonwealth as a Dominion. The Boers were annexed nearly a year ago, and the British have only recently defeated the Boer guerrilas.
Brazil, in an odd twist, turned their attention away from their original opponent of Venezuala (white peace) and achieved a great victory against Colombia, taking more than half of the nation in a peace settlement.
In a move that brings up bad memories for the Republic, France declares war on Brazil. France seems to think itself as some twisted force of balance or justice, even though it has failed in that endeavour more than once already.
The special election is over, and the result great victory and revival for the Nationalists.
Their candidate, the first non-anglo to be elected President, was born with the name Doroteo Arango Arámbula. But he is better known under the name he took when he was a vigilante (or outlaw, depending on which side of the border you were on) in the Mexican mountainside:
Francisco "Pancho" Villa