The Democritus Gazette (approved participants only)

[The Federal Pacific States of America]

Some month in 1920-something

Politics, How Tiresome: Pacifican Regionalism and Divisions
Due to the nature of its formation, the Pacific States has largely been divided down regional lines; the three principal regions, California, Columbia, and the Inland, are composed of states that are interconnected historically, socio-culturally, and politically. Contrasting somewhat with the state-level loyalty of the Old Union, primary loyalty of Pacificans resides with their respective regions in addition to their home-state, with the nation coming in third. Consequently, Pacifican politics for the majority of its history has largely corresponded to these regional divisions. Politics in the Pacific States is not top-down, where the national politics trickles-down to the states, instead it is bottom-up. Regional politics trickles-up to the national-level, which has made the Senate a particularly important chamber of government; in absence of a separate executive branch, the Senate appointed the head of government. The PSA nationally, tends to default to a two-party system on paper, but in practice it’s two coalitions of regional political parties; regional politics tends to be two-party, but the two-parties in competition never win seats in states outside of their regions---they are region specific and have platforms specific to regional dynamics. This seems like the state-level political parties of the Old Union, but the major contrast is that two similar parties in California and Columbia will never consider themselves part of a greater apparatus nationally, only regionally. A single outlier exists to this, that being the State of Sonora. Since it’s admission into the PSA, Sonora has retained its own distinct culture and political institutions; Sonoran political parties that preceded it’s ascension continue to operate and Sonoran parties continue to represent the state nationally.

These regional divisions made Pacifican national politics chaotic, divisive, and sometimes even unstable. This was especially the case during what Pacificans call “a political threesome”, which is when the PSA is politically dominated by three-parties. The occurrence of a three-way divide was not uncommon, but due to the admission of new states and the unevenness of each region in the amount of states they contain, it became increasingly rarer to achieve. Each occurrence of a three-way divide was unique in their own ways, but the effect was typically consistent: the Senate would be gridlocked, legislation hardly passed, and in some cases the President was never appointed. Ironically, these dysfunctions of the Federal government only increased Pacifican reliance on their State governments, which in-turn only increased the regional divides that results in these vary dysfunctions. In other words, it become a feedback loop. This of course, was all concurrent with other inherent issues in Pacifican governance during the time known as the 'Gilded Age', a time where local governance was corrupt, nepotistic, and party-bosses reigned supreme.



This regional ordeal remained the consistent theme of Pacifican politics from it's foundation up-until the Progressive Era. In the aftermath of the Territorial Wars, new political movements began to emerge which would eventually merge to become the Progressive movement; one of the first movements and political apparatuses to transcend regions was the Populist movement and the People's (or Populist) Party. It was perhaps the first PSA political party to establish a cohesive presence across every region and every state, minus Sonora. The subsequent Progressive movement also transcended regional divides, but politically relied on regional parties (e.g. the Columbian Progressive Party); however, these regional parties coalesced into a greater national apparatus, the National Progressive Party. During the opposition phase of the Progressive movement, such unity was easy to maintain as an opposition force that was fueled by public discontent with the status-quo; now that the Progressives have become the new status-quo, regional cracks are starting to form. The National Progressive Party dissolved in 1918, resulting in the Progressive Party splintering between regional Progressive parties. The People's Party still maintains a presence in most states, but is slowly relegating itself to the Inland states, which was the region where they originated from.

The Progressives themselves are also fracturing ideologically; while most use 'populist' and 'progressive' as interchangeable labels, the two had originally been distinct and these distinctions are becoming more apparent. These distinctions became irrelevant when they were an opposition, and they were quickly lost. However, once in power, each respective party attracted people of specific political dispositions, resulting in a reemergence in these distinctions. Progressives nominally align with Populist economic policies, but overtime they have become more liberal in their orientation, and prioritized social and moral issues they considered important. Populists are frustrated with Progressives' neglect of economic and monetary issues, believing they are hyper-focusing on moral and social issues. However, the divisions between the two blocs of the Progressive government are not comparable to the dysfunctional divide that preceded it, legislation is passed and the Federal government has become far more prominent in the day to day lives of Pacificans.

The initial reforms of the Progressive government also ensure that, in the future, the Pacifican politics will be more stable on the federal-level; this was achieved in a series of amendments that, in essence, rewrote the constitution. Prominent amendments among this 'Grand Reformation' as they called it was an amendment that established a separation of powers, separating the executive from the legislature; amended the Senate to be directly elected as opposed to the previous appointment system; an amendment that established direct-ballot initiatives on the Federal-level. Additionally, the Progressive era brought about a new era of Pacifican nationalism, as the Pacific States became more and more centralized politically and economically, the concept of Pacifican citizenship has expanded beyond a mere semantic label to one that instills a feeling of nationality and loyalty; that is not to say regional identity and loyalty is gone completely, unfortunately Pacifican preference for their region will remain a consistent problem throughout Pacifican history.
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Contemporary Major Events (1930)
Economic
- As a result of market crashes around the world, the speculative bubble that had been brewing the past decades popped, and a massive panic has engulfed the Pacific States as Pacifican investors begin pulling out all investments and assets held in foreign nations.
- Pacifican-owned factories operating in foreign nations are closing down due to the withdrawal of investments.
- Tariffs to be placed on most foreign goods entering the Pacific States of America, with an exception made for AFN members.
- Interest rates to be dramatically raised on all foreign debts owed to Pacifican banks/lenders, may they be private or public; loans issued to AFN members by the Pacifican government will not have interest rates raised.

[Lendenburgh]

1930

The last decade had been the most prosperous in German history, despite being preceded by the most disastrous. The Direktorat under Karl Adenauer, while formally resolved back into the Republic, was able to secure another term of majority in the Reichstag. The State Capitalism driven by Strasser's Board of Industry slowly conglomerated the German economy into the largest economy in Europe, with the Reichsautobahn program slowly unfolding across the center of the country to connect Northern Ports and the Rhur to Silesia. There became a clear class divide in Germany, the national land seized from the Junkers in the Second Revolution was sold off to German investors- The already extremely powerful magnates created by the Board of Industry were forbidden from buying up all the land, so many businessowners and urban bourgeois capitalized on the opportunity. This was a new aristocracy, who would enter the stock market in the later half of the decade and drive heavy speculation. Then, there was the foreign-employed middle class, who could afford fine foreign goods, and drove the culture of the Weimar era. While ironically empowered by the SPD, this demographic steadily became more conservative over the course of the 20's. The rural peasants who migrated into the cities who weren't lucky or skilled enough to get a job at a Pacifican factory would often seek employment in the Board of Industry's work programs. They paid a living wage, and throughout most of the country, organized into unions. This was the core of the Socialist party, which had once again taken dominance over the KPD in the left of the Reichstag. Communist support dwindled rapidly in the times of unprecedented prosperity, with poverty plummeting to the lowest rate in history, and over employment becoming common.

In nominal terms, by 1929, the German economy was second only to China in the world, of course, statistics can be deceiving. This radical prosperity was built with American sand, promisory notes, bonds, and most importantly, the deposits of its citizens. As a result, the German economy was one solely of debt. The German middle class, nearly tripling in size, and massive urbanization lead to overconsumption on never before seen levels. Wages from Pacifican companies were usually paid in Dollars, keeping the exchange rate between the two nations relatively stable, but also enabling the middle class to overspend immensely on consumer products. German banks became extremely loose with their lending practices, with the Reichsbank lowering interest rates to historic lows. However, the Finance Ministry maintained a respectable rate at the National Land Savings Bank, wholly owned by the state, thus paying interest to the population with borrowed money.

On the morning of December 30th, the Austrian Bank Creditanstalt declared bankruptcy, having gone deeply into debt since August of that year. While New Year's Day was a bank holiday, 'Black Thursday' saw the Berlin Stock Exchange crash, and a run on the banks. The state-owned savings bank was ordered to close before it became insolvent, holding the vast majority of middle-class German savings hostage. Almost 10% of the country's private banks were forced to declare bankruptcy as a result of the Creditanstalt failure. A bank holiday was called the next day to prevent the largest insurer in the country- who gauranteed the deposits in many private banks- from failing. Despite being closed, the largest private bank in the country, Dresdner Bank, was forced to declare bankruptcy- with 60% of its deposits being from Pacifican and Virginian investors.

The Conservative government has appointed Hjalmar Schacht to the Reichsbank in order to mitigate the crisis as much as possible, but it is clear the next decade will be much darker than the last. Foreign investment, from both the Entente and Pacifica, has already fallen and will continue to plummet. The breadlines will grow longer as unemployment skyrockets. Most businesses will close, leaving the conglomerates and the state as the only employers. As such, the 1930 election will be pivotal. As the petit bourgeois created by the Pacificans fall into poverty, and the new aristocracy which didn't speculate their money away hordes assets, there's a possibility the SPD could regain popularity. The strong unions representing workers of the state may soon grow as people are forced into their employment, leaving the possibility of their further political involvement.

[Lendenburgh]

January 10

Börse Berlin falls for fifth straight day- Unemployement skyrockets to 4% in one week

Schacht nationalizes the banks, currency exchange suspended
In reaction to the deepening crisis, Reichsbank president Schacht has officially announced the nationalization of all bank assets within the Republic. This includes Deutsche Bank- the largest bank in the country, holding over 60 billion Reichsmark on deposit. The banks will all be folded into the state-owned Land Savings Bank, which once complete will represent the only public financial institution in the country. Further, the Reichsbank has announced a freeze on all conversions from Reichsmark to other currencies- meaning dollars will no longer be widely accepted in the country. Schacht hopes this move will allow the government to centralize it's Dollar-denominated assets to meet repayment calls from the Pacifican government. However, Germany is still able to conduct foreign trade in Saar Francs, which are accepted across France and Germany.

Strasser orders Steel industry conglomerated
Based on the framework of the IG Farben conglomeration in the early 20's, the Board of Industry has once again mandated the formation of a cartel in the German economy. The two largest steelworks in the country- Vereinigte Stahlwerke and Vereinigte Oberschlesische Hüttenwerke, have been merged with metallurgy companies Krupp AG, Thyssen AG, and Hoesch AG into the Reichsstahlwerke. The government owned conglomerate will have a double profit-sharing agreement both with the Reichsbank and the unions which it employs. This move by Strasser has prevented the closings of many of the steel-mills previously operated with Pacifican capital, and thus nearly 100,000 jobs have been saved- Reichsstahlwerke will be mandated to hire an additional 100,000 employees over the course of the next year. In order to fund massive deficit spending without inflation- the government has authorized these private conglomerates to issue "Stahlmark" promissory notes, which the National Land Savings Bank will be required to purchase. The Reichsbank will then discount these notes for the bank, allowing cash flow to continue in the economy despite the total withdrawal of foreign capital.

Gold for steel- Soviet Union expands purchases
Despite banning foreign currency exchanges, the Reichsbank has begun accepting payment in Soviet Gold-backed Rubles, then distributing Reichsmark internally to industrial conglomerates. Schacht hopes the influx of one gold-backed foreign currency will allow the bank to continue its policies. Though, regardless, the Russian commerce will help to preserve what little life is left in German industry.

[Grandes Terres]

10th January 1930
Mayflower, Federal Capital District

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'THE GREAT DEPRESSION' - WALL STREET CRASHES; FINANCIAL CRISIS ENSUES. PRESIDENT CALLS FOR 'NATIONAL RESET'

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As the global crash looms over Virginia, New York has descended into chaos after share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, leading to angry investors storming Wall Street, engaging in violence with police trying to keep the crowds under control. As the economy has subsequently declined following the crash, further protests have taken place in many large cities across Virginia, some leading to riots that ended in police firing live rounds to subdue the most aggressive rioters. As many of Virginia's smaller banks have already begun to fail, and millions of concerned citizens rush to withdraw their cash, the Federal government has mandated that collapsing major banks and any other major businesses categorised as 'critical national assets' that are facing bankruptcy or failure will be 'temporarily nationalised' with no timeframe currently given for the denationalisation of these assets.

Following the steps taken by the PSA, Virginia has also implemented tariffs on most foreign goods entering the country except those from AFN members as well as raising interest rates. Alongside these financial measures the federal government has confirmed its commitment to widening the social security net and drastically increasing funding to the Bureau of Social Stability & Security.

In a speech broadcast nationwide by President Anderson, he announced the creation of the Bureau of Public Works, stating; "In order to combat this crisis, we will be making the biggest investment in Virginian history into infrastructure and other public works. We will leave no street unpaved and no lane unlit, to power our works we build power plants and dams, bigger than we've seen before. New bridges, roads and railways will crisscross our great nation. Canals from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, from the beaches of Jacksonville to the warm waters of the Gulf. Schools, hospitals, libraries, modern housing for the destitute - we will build it and we will Reset Virginia."

The administration hopes that the emboldened speech of the President will help to restore consumer confidence, but until works start and the unemployed can get to work under the Bureau of Public Works little is likely to change. For the first time in the history of mass public works projects in Virginia, black and other minority Virginians have been given an equal footing in being eligible to work under the scheme, with the President stating "Immigrants and blacks have built this country just as much as whites, and are deserving of just as much government support as anyone else. If you disagree with that, find work elsewhere." The controversial statement has caused anger among some in the older, more traditionally-minded generation, but with the majority of the population having now been brought up in Virginia's multicultural industrial cities, public opinion, and therefore public votes, are now in favour of race equality.

Jack Parker, The Federal Bulletin

[Orostan]

THE SOVIET ECONOMIC REVOLUTION
January 2nd, 1930


Workers in the new Stalingrad Tractor Plant assemble tractors for use on Soviet collective farms.

The industrialization of the USSR that had begun planning in 1928 and implementation in 1929 is picking up pace in its transformation of Soviet society while the Capitalist world seems to be crumbling. The five year plans have directed the entire economy of the USSR towards the expansion of heavy industry, and while countries such as Poland predict a quarter of their economy to possibly disappear soon the USSR predicts its industrial sector to be double in size, villages to be turned into modern towns, and urbanization to pick up its pace. In the ten years since the USSR exited its chaotic revolutionary period Soviet society has been completely transformed, and this transformation continues under the five year plan. The city of Magnitogorsk was a small town only a few years ago, but now some of the largest steel mill complexes based on similar complexes in the American midwest are under construction and the population has multiplied many times over. The men that now work to construct the massive steel mill at the city's center will soon work in it, and the iron filled mountain Magnitogorsk is named for will similarly find itself involved in the production of steel.

The opening of new mines, mills, and factories across the USSR has not been an easy process. The Soviet government struggles with centralization efforts and many parts of the country struggle with good governance. When the Communist party smashes some corrupt official it seems as if two more emerge to replace him. All around the USSR there is a lack of skilled laborers and engineers made all the more impactful by the incredible demand for their skills. Although the Soviet Union no longer needs to rely on the bourgeois specialists that once found important places in its industrial bureaucracy it now finds itself needing foreign experts to train its own people and assist soviet industrialization. German and American experts in particular have been hired to train Soviet workers and to assist in the running of new industries.

Combined with the industrialization effort there is an offensive against all capitalist elements in all parts of the economy. The NEPman who was once tolerated as a necessity has been kicked out of influential positions, and the kulak finds himself being struck down by new polices that stop his exploitation of the poor peasants. The pace of collectivization will only accelerate with the Politburo's recent resolution directing soviet policy to completely liquidate the kulaks as a class", and declining prices overseas help to raise the amount of machines that the USSR can buy. The NEPmen and new direction of the USSR has its own hazards however. In 1928 the Shakhty trial exposed that networks of enemies connected to exiled capitalist elements do exist, and do intend to sabotage the Soviet economy. It may also be that there are political elements connected to these saboteurs that still exist in the Soviet military and political system. Former tsarist officers still hold positions in parts of the Red Army and former tsarist bureaucrats still find employment in Moscow despite the lessening reliance on them.

[The East African Commonwealth]

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Afrika Daily - January 10th, 1930

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Long overview of EAC"s actions during the 1920's, will explain current economic situation.

A New Africa: 1922 to 1929

The 1920's were a period of unrest and crisis for the nations that make up the East African Commonwealth, but ultimately it was a decade that would define the EAC and its position in both Africa and the World. Following the unrest in the Hobyo Sultanate, a large scale series of revolts rocked the Horn of Africa as the Sultans began to use their personal military forces to quell the protests resulting the the Mogadishu Massacre of 1923. This nearly resulted in the collapse of the EAC's northern territories as a series of civil wars began to break out. On top of this, a blockade of the Red Sea was established by the Sultanates to prevent Soviet Arms from reaching the rioters. The Federal Government was forced to call upon General Alake and his Army to prevent the violence from escalating and by 1924 the Sultans had been deposed and new provisional elected governments enstated, however, the damage had been done. The Tribes, seeing the Sultanates removed from power, feared that they would soon meet a similar fate and be forced to give power to the republics. This led to the Spring Revolution of 1925 where the African Tribal Alliance declared independence from the EAC and started the three year long African Civil War. The shining beacon of hope for a stable Africa was plunged into chaos as the nation ripped itself apart in a war reminiscent of the Great War. The Horn of Africa devolved into a massive war of attrition with trenches spread across the region, the Congo Basin became a constant series of guerilla war battles on both sides, and the open plains of Zambia saw the first mass scale combat of mechanized vehicles in Africa

In April of 1928 the final battle of the war, the Battle of Goma, resulted in a clear Victory for the Commonwealth Government. However, this came with a horrible toll. 5.4 million Africans had died in the fighting, 2 million of them civilians. When the guns fell silent, there was no parade of victory, no great cheer, only silence and the cries for those who had been lost. On top of that, the EAC had become diplomatically isolated by Europe following the Red Sea Blockade and reports of sabotage, infiltration, and communist revolutions during the war had led to the EAC becoming almost completely disconnected to Europe nations other then Germany and Poland. Isolated and in mourning, the EAC began to focus on ensuring its long term stability to ensure a war like this could never occur again. In June of 1928 the Commonwealth Charter received its first ever amendments in regards to membership within the Commonwealth to prevent the occurrence of another war due to ideology within the EAC. Three Amendments were added to the Charter to ensure this:

• "Amendment 1 - In order for any present or future member nation to remain in or be accepted into the East African Commonwealth, the citizens of that nation across all races, cultures, and genders must have the equal opportunity to represent, vote for, and directly participate in the legislative functions of the national government."
  
• "Amendment 2 - All member nations of the EAC are subject to the will of all other EAC member states, no single state may put its beliefs above the well being of another state."
  
• "Amendment 3 - The Culture, Religion, and Ideology of each state is to be respected and none shall be either abolished or banned within any EAC member state. However, the government will not give any single culture, religion, or ideology support in any way."

While Amendments 2 and 3 would ensure the long term stability of the Commonwealth, it was Amendment 1 that would have the most drastic affect. Almost overnight, the tribes were forcefully turned into republics and the remaining Kingdoms saw their lords establish representative monarchies in their stead. Several notable politicians preaching for the change of the EAC into a religious state or proposing the idea of becoming a communist or fascist state were forced from office or stepped down voluntarily. The change of the EAC from a diverse multi-governmental states to a republican standard occurred unceremoniously and without resistance. The expected unrest from the change never occurred but some speculate that many just wanted to ensure peace after years of war and unrest. However, as the EAC emerged from this decade of crisis it stood not as a broken nation, but one ready to stand among the major powers of the world.

While the Civil War was raging through the nation and the trade from Europe dried up, the Commonwealth's economy was forced to adapt into a wartime military industrial complex on its own. Factories slated to produce cars were rolling out armored vehicles, canneries were replaced with ammunition factories, and airship yards rolled out the massive aircraft on a near weekly basis. Coastal cities and the Island of Merina were all but untouched by the conflict, leading to a massive industrial build-up never seen within the Commonwealth concentrated along the coastline and boltered by what little trade the EAC still had. The agrarian EAC of the 1910's was now replaced by an industrial modern nation capable of running itself now that it had access to the internal resources of Africa following the end of the war. Food, water, and raw resources flowed from the interior and Lake Victoria to the industrial coastlines via a massive railway network built during the war to aid in troop transport and the communications lines built alongside it allowed the nation to be connected more then ever.

While the national economy was supercharged by the war, the true strength of the EAC was now visible in its tried and tested armed forces. On land the EAC's Army now boast over 1 million men and another 2 million in reserve, though much of this is still mobilized from the war. Home designed and combat tested armored vehicles also make up 30% of the military, making it a surprisingly mobile and effective force. At sea the EAC's fleet has changed little with almost all of the combat occurring on land, however, the completion of the 1920's Naval Plan means that this force is still extremely effective and modern. Lastly, and most notably, is the Air Service which was renamed the Air Fleet in 1927. The force consists of over 400 aircraft including 53 airships which were mass produced during the war on both sides. Just as the navy patrol the seas, airship formations became a common sight over the skies of Africa during the war and unlike their great war counterparts which were filled with hydrogen, they were filled with helium creating a new type of aerial combat. The Air Fleet has become the pride of the armed forces and their use during the Civil War highlighted the importance of air superiority in any future conflict.

While the Military and Economy have become Africa's greatest assets, these have come at a cost. In order to fund the EAC's wartime efforts, the Federal Government took out billions of shillings in loans out from the Bank of Africa as well as banks in Poland and the Pacific Sates. This has put the Federal Government in a very dangerous situation as it needed to pay off these loans soon or risk bankrupting the nation. Further, with rumors coming out of the US and Europe that banks may be collapsing many are fearful that this new prosperity may be short lived.

However, if there is one major impact from this decade to take note of, its the people of the EAC. Once they considered the EAC as an alliance of nations and felt allegiance to their nation of residence rather then to the Commonwealth and their prosperity was ensuring that their way of life stayed intact. Today, that has changed. Citizens do not refer to themselves by nation, but as Africans and identify the Commonwealth itself as their nation. In addition, the prominence of ideologies, religion, and culture has greatly diminished as citizens put ensuring the prosperity of the people of the nation over their own views. This has directly translated to the government which puts the rights of the individual before all else, ensuring everyone has the freedom to live as they please.

Africa may still be picking up the pieces from war and unrest, but it stands ready to face the next challenge that comes its way.

Economic Crisis Shakes World, Africa in Crisis

As the word reels from the crashing Global Economy, the EAC has been able to weather the storm relatively well thanks to unique state of its decoupled economy and its self sufficiency in many key sectors. However, its major exports have reported massive devaluation in their products leading to mass layoffs in industrialized portions of the nation. The island of Merina, untouched by the African Civil War, has been hit especially hard as it relies on its rubber and iron exports to the Pacific States to fuel its economy. Additionally, companies that were relying on funds from Poland and Germany are seeing their funding cut off and many people suddenly have found themselves unemployed. However, the largest concern is due to the Federal Government's massive debts to the African Banks. While these banks have not yet collapsed thanks to an independence from their European and American counterparts, they are under immense strain and are likely to collapse due to consumer panic, leading to a possible bankruptcy crisis in the government if the banks demand repayment on loans from the Civil War. The African Congress and Rais Jotu have called an emergency session to address the current crisis before it spreads inland from the coastlines to the farms and mines which would paralyze the economy. Many Africans are looking at Europe and America and there is a growing panic that the same collapse could occur in the EAC as well. Currently, Afrika Daily has no reports on what exactly the government is planning on doing, however, many speculate that the armed forces may see a reduction in operational hours and size to cut costs or an increase in the number of public works projects to address the unemployment issues. Only time will tell how we all weather the storm.

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| 1st Air Fleet Halts Exercises | Unemployment in Cities Rises to 13% in Two Weeks | Dockyards see Shipments of Materials Stockpile as Orders are Cancelled |
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[The East African Commonwealth]

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Afrika Daily - January 15th, 1930

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Soviet-African Deal Alleviates Economic Woes

After several days of negotiations between the Soviet and Commonwealth Governments, a series of trade deals has been established to both help the EAC's ailing economy and the USSR's material shortages. While the deal includes a number of agreements there are two notable deals involving the creation of an airship trade network reaching as far as Moscow and a deal involving the mass sale of agricultural products. This deal helps prevent the economic woes on the Commonwealth's coast from reach the interior of the nation and allowing the agricultural workforce to retain both their jobs and income. These agricultural exports also allows for the retention of maritime jobs both on ships and in ports as all of this cargo will be transported by EAC vessels to the USSR. The Airship transport network also keeps the fledgling air transportation network from collapsing under the economic strain as much of the business for the network came from the urban regions. However, while this deal was extremely helpful to the EAC it has been unable to address urban unemployment and the mining industry which is one of the most lucrative businesses in the EAC. Cities such as Zanzibar and Mombasa have seen unemployment double within a week and expecting even more unemployment in the near future. The government has stated that it is looking to increase foreign trade and sales to alleviate this issue but as of now there appears to be little chance of foreign intervention.

Mernia Turns to Air Fleet for Economic Support

The island nation of Mernia is regarded as one of the most prosperous in the EAC with a bounty of natural resources, a large industrial base, and a lack of conflict since 1880 allowing for uninterrupted economic growth. However, the nation mainly relies on exports and maritime trade for the continuation of this prosperity which has now been thrown into disarray. The rubber and mineral goods which normally are sent to North America are sitting in port as there are no buyers for the materials. This has sent the Mernian economy into a tailspin that could send shock-waves across the rest of the EAC. To try and halt this economic downturn and sell the materials both to keep jobs intact and the prices stable the member nation has reached out to the Air Fleet. In 1927 the Air Fleet switched its vessels to a new aluminum alloy frame design that was coupled with reinforced bracing to support the added armaments on cruiser airships. The prior year the fleet also opted to switch out the leather and fabric based hull of the ships with a rubberized alternative that, while heavier, proved to be far more durable in combat. Half the fleet is currently fielding the newer ships meaning that the remaining ship are outdated and in need of replacement. Mernia has approached the Air Fleet with the offer of supplying the materials needed to construct the new modern airships at a reduced cost as well as helping fund the development of the next-generation fighter the Air Fleet has been working to design. The Air Fleet seems to be open to the idea and thanks to funds from the war and the mothballing of several aircraft, however, the final approval needs to come from the Federal Government who may be looking to allocate the funds for other projects. Currently, leadership for both the Air Fleet and the African Congress are discussing the status of these funds.

Government Begins Organizing Public Works Projects

In an attempt to alleviate the unemployment in the nation, the African Congress is putting forward a bill called the Public Works Act which will start a series of large scale projects across the nation to provide jobs in every walk of life. These projects include programs ranging from road modernization and expanding rail lines to the construction of new schools and hospitals. The most ambitious plan presented is the construction of a large monument in Zanzibar to honor those who lost their lives in the recent Civil War which will be the largest in Africa. The public has shown support for these plans as it provides an immediate source of income to the unemployed, however, what has not been stated is where the funding for this plan will come from. With the banks unstable as it is and the EAC just scrapping by thanks to this recent trade deal, many are wondering where the capital will be acquired from as the nations normal income sources will not be adequate. There has been discussions about taking out a foreign loan but many feel that this would make the EAC too dependent on other nations for its own well being. Regardless of where the funding comes from, the EAC will likely start these projects within the next month to alleviate the economic crisis currently gripping the nation.

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| Navy Sees Ships Put into Reserve to Reduce Maintenance Costs | Food Prices Stabilize Thanks to USSR Deal | Oil Shortages Result in Blackouts in Major Cities |
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[Fregantes Empire]

Date: 18/01/1930

The Republic of Turkey in 1930

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Borders of the Republic of Turkey, in 1930 AC

Unimaginable just a few decades ago, for some the work of the devil, for some the long awaited victory of reason and democracy. Türkiye Cumhuriyeti/The Republic of Turkey still stands as the only beacon of enlightenment and progress in the Muslim world. A country that rose from the rotten corpse of an empire, now in the quest to become a nation state modeled after the European example, Turkey of 1930 is nothing like what it was ten years ago, and completely unrecognizable compared to what it was more than fifteen years ago.

After the end of the bloody War of Indepedence in 1922, Turkey was technically still a Constitutional Monarchy with the Ottoman Padishah also holding the title of the Caliph of all Muslims. The swift abolition of the Sultanate in 1922 and that pf the Caliphate in 1924 would send shockwaves throughout the Turkish society and the Muslim world in general. The declaration of the Republic in 1923 was welcomed in the urban centres of Istanbul, Izmir and so on; yet it meant little for the Anatolian population. Some even thought that they were going back to the time of the Rashidun Caliphs.

The CHP (Republican People's Party) dominated government in Ankara, headed by the President of the Republic Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Prime Minister Ismet Inönü, would commence a monumental programme of rapid modernization and social reform. "The Turkish Revolution" as it was called, began with the its first objective: Crushing the Ulema and the influence of Islam. The Ulema were the Sunni Muslim clergymen in the Ottoman Empire, a poweful social class with considerable influence over the Sunni Muslim Turks. For centuries they had dominated all aspects of life, from education to marital affairs, from minor legal disputes to traditional medicine. Unimaginably corrupt and the major source of superstition within the Turkish society, the Ulema, along with other religious organisations such as covenants and dervish lodges were seen as the primary roadblock for the Republican government. After the Abolition of the Caliphate, the office of the Sheik ul-Islam would also be abolished, with its functions transferred to a state body with civilian oversight. The Hat Reform, which outlawed the traditional Islamic clothing and the classic Ottoman headwear Fez would diminish the ability of the Ulema to stand out, and with the covenants and the dervish lodges also being outlawed and forcibly closed, their connection to the wider community would diminish rapidly. Another reform would change the call to prayer from Classical Arabic to Turkish, and all religious sermons was to be given in Turkish. Islam itself was removed from the Constitution as the state religion, with many speculating a French style of secularism "Laicité" being introduced in the future.

The Positivist nature of Kemalism led to the opening of new schools across the country, their curriculum devoid of any religious content. With a staggering 90% illiteracy rate in 1922, the new schools would be essential in the Republican literacy campaign. The different schools of all religious communities were put under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, all to follow the same national curriculum. Taking advantage of the lack of literacy, the Arabic - Persian script of Ottoman Turkish was dropped in favour of a modified version of the Latin Alphabet. The reform many scholars believed would require at least a decade was pushed forward in less than a year. All written documents, newspapers and bulletins were switched to the new Turkish Latin Alphabet, and the 90% of the population would be taught to read and write in the new alphabet (a gargantuan work-in-progress task). The newly created Turkish Language Association was also tasked with purifying the Turkish language from Arabic and Persian influences as much as possible and inventing new Turkish neologisms to take their place. In addition to that, the work week was modified, with the Islamic workweek scrapped and the European workweek being adopted. The calendar was changed, with the Islamic Lunar Calendar giving its place to the Gregorian Calendar. In fact, the use of the Islamic Lunar Calendar and the Julian Calendar was banned altogether.

In ideological matters, the late Ottoman Empire was dominated by the Turanist Turkic nationalism of the CUP. The Kemalists would reject this, and centre the new Turkish Nationalism in Anatolia. Rather than promoting bonds with the Turkic peoples of Central Asia or the with the Muslim Ummah, the new Republic would follow a Turkish Nationalism based on an Anatolian identity, one aiming to discover a new relationship and parallels with the Anatolian civilizations and societies of old. The crackdown of religious institutions, the loss of the Arabic speaking territories and the general purification of the Turkish language and social life from Arabic and Persian influences will most ccertainly provide a vacuum that the new Trukish Nationalism can fit in. Not to mention any notion of Turanism means an unconditional hostility towards the USSR, a policy the Turkish government cannot afford to follow in any means. Renegade elements of the CUP are still active however, and they are still promoting a Turanist, expansionist and proto-fascistic ideology, though their audiance is nearly non-existent for the time being. Time will tell whether the new Anatolia based Secular Turkish identity will persist and become the foundation of the new Republic.

A heavy emphasis was placed on the positive sciences and fine arts, with new schools of medicine, engineering, military cadets and artist opened. Reflecting the "Turn Towards Europe", museums of science and arts were also opened, and students were sent to Europe to learn the modern trends. Similarly, the Sharia Law was banned in its totality, with the new Turkish legal acquis being redesigned with a heavy Western inspiration and in the spirit of Enlightenment. The most notable example would be the Swiss Civil Code, which was used as the basis of the new Turkish Civil Code while being subjected to minimal change. Further in the legal reforms, the separate and distinct code of laws used by the different religious groups and entities within the old Ottoman Empire were all scrapped in the favour of the new code of law, one that defined a nation consisted of citizens with equal rights and responsibilities and not an amalgamation of different religious communities with different privileges and disadvantages.

Aside form social, educational and legal reforms; the Turkish govenrment would also undertake economic reforms. The authority exerted by local land owners and community leaders, called "Agha", were dismantled with land reform bills. Investments were directed to developing towns in Anatolia instead of well established urban centres in the Western coastline. Pacifican investments and Soviet technical knowledge would combine in constructing new model farms and the first heavy industry in hitherto agrarian Anatolia. Asia Minor, once of the most prosperous regions in human history was poised to reestablish itself as a land rich in economic activity. In order to finance and organise the local industrialization effort, a new banking system was put in place, and a new railway system recieved the green light. A nascent military industry was equally created, with military factories and dockyards still under construction. A Turkish-Anatolan Middle Class supporting the economic reforms with private capital and businesses, to complement the existing cosmopolitan Turkish/Minority Middle Class, is the ultimate objective of these reforms.

Turkey stands as a nation that speaks the same language, follows the same religion and lives in the same region as its predecessor. Yet, institutionally and socially, it is reshaping itself as a European nation, and the reforms guided by the Kemalist vision based on the Enlightenment and Positivism seem to have no end. Even the new capital, Ankara was rebuilt as a new city with a modernist architectural style coupled with Hittite symbolism.

Despite the relative success of the reforms, Turkey in 1930 stands before an uncertain future. The rural communities in Anatolia, while generally accepting of the reforms, are opposing the marginalization of religion and the vehement implementation of the Positivist views. The ruling party, CHP, is also the only party represented in the Grand National Assembly, and holds absolute power over the political scene thanks to the immense powers bestowed upon the parliament. Ironically, despite its dominance, the CHP is on the brink of division. The Kemalists are the core element of the party, unconditionally supporting the reform's of Mustafa Kemal and the new Turkish Nationalism. The Cosmopolitan Secularists represent the educated urban population, who is in support of the reforms but upset to see their cities being sidelined for the moment. A new faction, named the "Anatolianists", is becoming visible as well. They don't represent a coherent group, but rather individuals who are also in support of the reforms and the Positivist view, yet are sceptical of the new Nationalism. They wish to avoid an "ethno-Republic", and they see the power being concentrated in the hands of the Assembly and the Armed Forces as a key problem for the implementation of Democratic ideals. For now, the promise of reform and the charisma of Mustafa Kemal keeps these groups together, yet should he lose control of them the Islamic Conservatives might find their perfect opportunity to pounce.

The challenges of this young Republic are fierce. The reforms are succesful yet resistance is present, the Separation of Powers is yet to be secured, peace and stability in the Middle East has to be achieved and the cascade of economic collapse has already taken its toll over the nascent Turkish economy. With the volume of trade shrinking, foreign investment rapidly drying up and the new banking system unable to handle a stock exchange collapse of monumental proportions; the central government is preparing to step in and act as the main engine of economy and the ongoing reforms through a series of Etatist policies inspired by the seemingly unaffacted Soviet Union. In the meantime, bank accounts are frozen and tariffs on imported goods are introduced.

The Turkish quest for modernization and the fight against superstition and ignorance is in full force, and the new Republican Regime is posied to prove its worth.

“The biggest battle is the war against ignorance.”
― Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

[Nowa Polonie]

President Luxemburg announces 1930 ''January Plan'' - Forms Poznańska Korporacja Publiczna (Posnan Public Corporation)

Pictured at an iron-works in Poznan purchased over from Pacifican investors at a fraction of its initial investment value, the first board of directors of the recently founded, and massively expanding ''Posnan Public Corporation'', a massive state-corporation who's purpose will be to consolidate collapsing industries, ranging from primarily former Pacifican joint-stock companies, to smaller domestic companies. The immediate sale of the majority of the corporation stocks to the public will begin immediately, with investors being enticed to invest capital with a promise of a cooperative monthly profit-sharing program, and promissory notes for a lump-sum payments, offered for five, eight and twelve years - with investors who are willing to wait longer for repayment being offered dramatically more favourable rates of interest. The extent to which promissory notes are being promised to insolvent businesses is such that some former business owners have accepted payment for their business for next to nothing in actual currency.

After a period of near-silence from the Polish Government, as it has for several weeks now sought to compose a plan going forward to address the economic crisis that has seized the country, President Luksemburg of Poland has presented and passed plans through the Sejm for a 'January Plan', even more ambitious than the 'March Plan' of the early 1920s. In what will see Poland accumulate for the first time a large reserve of internal debt through the wide-spread sale of stocks in several large new state corporations, promissory notes and state bonds, the Polish Government hopes not to attract foreign capital, but to draw from the capital potential of its own population, reinvesting in what will be huge programs of construction.

Central to the plan will be the construction of over 600,000 miles of modern highway not only along traditional main transit routes, but reaching smaller provincial towns, while additional plans for the construction of an estimated ~30,000 miles in new irrigation and drainage canals, with an ambitious plan to drain huge sections of the Pinsk Marshlands in Polish Belarus and Ukraine to create thousands of new acres of arable land. Plans for the construction of new, modern infrastructure will generate an estimate 200,000 jobs until 1934, primarily for the rural unemployed. Running alongside a program of industrial consolidation, the Polish Government has also announced, after the suggestions of 'Bolshevik' PPS member Bolesław Limanowski, the creation of a 'Polska Spółdzielnia Rolnicza' (Polish Agricultural Collective), a voluntary collectivist alternative for Polish small-holders, whereby those willing to sell their land to the state will receive not only a small immediate payment, promissory notes of payment for the future but also a grant for an equivalent amount of now state-run land for them to manage.



Drainage of marshes has been identified as a crucial part of the development of a new, parallel system of Polish voluntary collective farming, with the potential to reclaim tens of thousands of acres of perfectly usable agriculture from former wilderness. Unemployed Belarussians, Poles and Ukrainians from all parts of the country are pictured here, employed to drain and reclaim the land that they may one day work on as state farmers.

Notably, in comparison to European contemporaries, the plan was also incredibly focused on pursuing the continued cultural and social health of the country - plans for a massive overhaul of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association to massively expand its organisation, and to allow it to reach an unprecedented number of children across the country have been announced, with new programs offering vocational training for older members. Likewise, through a system of covering operational costs for theatres and other public venues, the Polish state intends to offer cheap subscriptions for those wishing to buy tickets to see live performances of dance, theatre and music, and while many formally profitable venues will now operate on the margin, they will still provide affordable entertainment to a great number of the public.



An extensive program of ticket subscriptions to keep theatres and other live entertainment venues affordable to the average Pole on the street will play a part in ensuring that while the crisis will have its time, the spiritual and social health of the public will be just as high in the priorities of the government as merely ensuring economic recovery - ''It is not enough for us to guarantee a full stomach, if the heart is in misery'', declared President Luksemburg, impressing upon the Sejm the necessity of ensuring the opportunities for people to live fulfillingly, even amidst hardship.



The Polish Scouting and Guiding Organisation is composed of nearly 300,000 of Poland's youths, and they themselves make up a huge reserve of potential labour for the government. Offering a wide variety of programs of personal enrichment, the Scouts, according to their traditionally patriotic character, are now the most visible aspect of the early stages of the 'January Plan', going door-to-door to offer the sale of everything from stakes in local branches of new state corporations, subscriptions for cheap theatre tickets, or donations for a planned 'Winter Relief Fund' for the provision of fuel and food to the poor and elderly.

But, in what may come to be the most important step in Poland's desired economic recovery, President Luksemburg has authorized the formation of a special diplomatic and economic mission to a country that has never in its modern history received such a delegation from Poland; the Republic of Germany. Headed up by Chief of Staff for the Foreign Ministry, Jozef Beck, the trade mission's goals will be to pursue the creation of the only Coal-Steel compact in the world that may save the Polish and German iron, coal and steel industries in their current forms - one which a decade prior was as likely as a Coal-Steel compact between Poland and the Moon; one of Poland and Germany.



Standing amidst the German General Staff, Jozef Beck hopes to market a history of Polish pragmatism to German Conservatives, her humanitarian and Socialist credentials to Socialists, and even an appeal to those German nationalists who would view the current Polish-German border as illegitimate to swallow pride for the sake of preventing a second 'Red Wave' of revolts, as had occurred in the earlier 1920s. Only time will tell if the Polish offer is one that Germany can swallow...

[Lendenburgh]

January 23, 1930

'The Flying Breslauer' - The first streamlined diesel train in passenger service,
makes journey from Berlin to Breslau in just 140 minutes.

Deutsche Reichsbahn, the largest public company in the world, offers profit shares as incentives for promissory note purchase
Yet another move in coordination with the Reichsbank's Stahlmark scheme, the national railroad, one of the few industries still profitable in the wake of the economic turmoil sweeping the nation, is issuing debt for expansion. A new rail connection halving the time of travel between Dresden and Breslau, as well as the purchase of dozens of new DRG Class SVT 877 trains from Henschel, will allow the express passenger network to be of the highest speed and efficiency in the world, while adding more track capacity for freight. Especially in Silesia, the railroad plans to re-activate cross border services into Posen and Upper Silesia, linking the Steel-processing heartland of Lower Silesia to the Polish coal mines and the Baltic ports of Rostock, Stettin, and Gdansk.

Accordingly, Reichsstahlwerke AG will be concentrating all of its expansion within Lower Silesia, shifting away from the abandoned Pacifican factories in the Rhur to the stable sources of State labor in the East. The infrastructure projects will generate thousands of tonnes of extra export capacity from the Baltic ports. An expansion of the Oder-Spree canal has also been outlined to allow larger cargo vessels to travel directly from Silesia to the port of Hamburg. While cargo will be routed around the city of Berlin, new express passenger lines will be added to the Ostbanhof, with the consolidation of services from the Lichtenberg station.

Trade agreement signed with the East African Commonwealth, Poland
In order to keep the export market of the German economy afloat, trade deals have also been signed with the Poles and EAC. This deal will see food imports to the country shift from American and French Colonial products to primarily Belorussian grain and Ethiopian coffees. Instead of accepting these imports with capital payments, they will be reciprocated with German industrial goods, whose price has tumbled on the market from oversupply. Deep discounts will be entailed by this exchange of course, but the Board of Industry seeks to maintain a flow of goods even if it must be subsidized.

The Luftschiffbau Zeppelin will also resume passenger airship routes to Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam, while cutting back on trans-atlantic routes to New York in the wake of decreased travel demand from the Americas.

[The East African Commonwealth]

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Afrika Daily - January 23rd, 1930

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Mass Disarmament of Armed Forces, Funds Diverted to Public Works

After nearly two weeks of debate between the Military Council and the African Congress it was finally decided to scale back military operations, cut back funding, and decrease the size of the military. One of the major changes that was approved by both the military and the congress was the repeal of the Regional Military Act, abolishing the individual military forces of each member state and consolidating all forces under the Defense Forces of the Federal Government. While the Regional Military Forces were all but absorbed during the Civil War, this repeal removes the clunky military command structure the system set and consolidates funding to a single military service instead of seven different funds. Federal funds for every service have been frozen and are being diverted to help with the unemployment crisis, meaning that each branch must operate using the funding present from the prior fiscal year. For the Air Fleet, which has a stockpile of funds in reserve for modernization, this is not an issue, but the Army and Navy have been forced to begin mothballing their forces and halting operations. The Army has already set 500,000 troops into reserve status meaning a reduction in pay for every soldier now set on reserve. The Navy has seen a similar reduction in forces, halving the number of ships deployed. While this has saved funds, it may inadvertently have made the unemployment crisis worse as soldiers and sailors are now going to be joining those in search of work.

DATE: 01/22/1930
REPORTING OFFICER: Lt. Christopher Dkana
SUBJECT: The Operations of the African Air Fleet During the Commonwealth's Civil War

--------REPORT START--------

Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, the Commonwealth was aware of the importance of air power thanks to the Great War, but the tactical value of controlling the skies did not become apparent until the first major battle of the war outside the city of Goma in May of 1925. The EAC's Federal Garrison in the area of 10,000 was the only force present to stop the 100,000 strong force sent by the African Tribal Alliance. With the majority of the EAC Defense Forces and Regional Military forces engaged across the Commonwealth no ground forces could be sent to aid the garrison. If Goma were to fall the EAC's Great Lakes region and the Capitol would be exposed to direct attack. The defenders called for any aid possible to help shore up defenses, but the only help available came from the untested 1st Air Squadron based in Kampala. The squadron launched with 14 fighters, 8 bombers, and 5 airships, two being transport airships loaded with ammunition. The squadron deployed with the assumption that the airplanes would have minimal effect due to their low numbers and minimal weapon count and that the airships would likely be downed by enemy fire based on the reports of airship combat on the Western Front. Fully aware of this, the 1st Squadron departed Kampala and prepared to aid the garrison however they could. Seven days later, military command was stunned not only to see that the garrison forces had held, but the enemy operation had been outright cancelled thanks to both the tenacity of the ground forces and the aid of the 1st Squadron.

During the battle the Airships proved to be significantly more durable then their German counterparts in the Great War due to their aluminum frames, helium lifting gas, and trained damage control teams. Due to this, the ships could stay on station and act as floating pillboxes for the defenders below. They would be subject to heavy fire from machine-guns below and several small artillery pieces, but due to the ATA forces only having small arms and minimal heavy weapons they could not bring down the ships. During the week long battle, the airplanes conducted a constant series of bombing runs to and from Kampala allowing them to target supply lines, command centers, and artillery emplacements while the airships and garrisons held off the main force. At the end of the battle, two of the airship were lost, twelve planes were destroyed, and 7,000 men had died, but the line had held and the ATA lost over 40,000 men in the assault. This early fight would collapse the ATA's entire central offensive and allow the EAC's Horn of Africa Army under General Alake to relieve the beleaguered Garrison forces. The Battle of Goma was the Air Fleet's trial by fire and it would mark the start of the service's wider use within the war.

Following the battle, the Army decided to use the Airships as mobile pillboxes much in the way that they had at Goma but this proved disastrous with half of the Service's airships being lost in combat over a month long period. The ATA, learning their lessons from Goma, concentrated all their fire on the airships the moment one was spotted, taking out their engine cars and causing them to loose mobility. While airplanes were used during this time as well, their few number and low weapon count made them undesirable for long engagements, especially in regions like the Congo where targets were obscured by jungle canopy. Losses for the Air Fleet mounted in what is called Bloody July by the service with missions seeing 50 to 75% casualty rates due to poor tactics. To make matters worse, by mid-July the ATA had secured their own small air force which was challenging the EAC's air superiority surprisingly well. By August, the service only had three airships left along with 28 aircraft to support the EAC's forces in the war and the war had not even reached its six month mark yet.

At the next major battle in November of 1925 the Air service changed tactics when the ATA forces advanced on Juba, the capitol of Equitoria, in an attempt to strike the EAC's capitol region from the northern flank. General Alake and his army of 300,000 clashed with an ATA force of 450,000 troops just west of the city limits. The Air Service consolidated their forces over Alake's lines with the three airships conducting mobile pillbox operation, but this time ensuring fighter support was present for the entire operation via the use of an airstrip on the eastern edge of Juba. This proved effective until the ATA's fighter forces arrived en-mass and began to challenge the EAC's forces in the air. While the EAC's fighter faced heavy resistance and their losses mounted, all three airships were able to conduct operations without sustaining major damage. After a month long siege and tens of thousands of casualties, the ATA's forces withdrew from combat. The Air Fleet had another victory under its belt. However, losses were mounting and while the airships and aircraft they had could support the troops on the ground, the craft were unable to take the offensive. In the Battles of Kibira, Bambo, and Mbala from November of 1925 to April of 1926 the combat played out the same as Juba with the airships taking damage, fighter taking heavy losses, and the Air Fleet only able to offer defensive support. In June of 1926 this would change with the introduction of the F-1 Buzzard.

The F-1 was the first domestic built and designed aircraft by the EAC and its introduction into the Air Service would finally allow the force to take the offensive. The craft was faster, tougher, and more heavily armed compared to anything the ATA had. The new planes also had bomb racks on their wings, allowing them to fill the role of a fighter bomber and take the fight to the ATA from the air. Shortly after the first squadron was delivered, the Buzzards conducted their first attack on the ATA airbase at Aru just north of Uganda, which had been housing planes that would harass Airships during combat in the Great Lakes Region. The strike took the ATA by surprise and the few Great War fighters that were in the air found themselves outmatched by the new craft. This would be the first of a series of raids launched by the Air Fleet meant to cripple the fledgling ATA Air Force that would occur from April to December of 1926. In that time there would be 207 raids that would destroy 112 enemy craft on the ground, 73 in the sky, and damage or destroy runways and hangers. Only 26 F-1's were lost during this campaign, marking an end to the majority of the ATA's airplane operations.

While the Air Service turned the tide in the skies, the ground war had devolved into a stalemate by January of 1927 with the exception of the Southern Front thanks to the Zambezi Offensive. While the EAC had the technological edge the ATA simply had more troops with commanders skilled in jungle and mountain combat. Further, in a strange sense of irony the ATA was now industrializing to produce their own weapons to match the EAC. While their fighter use was lowed and restricted by the F-1 attacks, the use of anti-aircraft weaponry became extremely common in major engagements. In the 2nd Battle of Goma this became apparent as 37 F-1s were lost on bombing missions during the three days of combat. However, it was the sighting of the first ATA Airship that started causing major troubles for the Air Fleet. The ATA's Chieftain Class airships were unique for two reasons being their rubberized hulls which allowed for easy repair and increased durability and the placement of the ships engines inside the hull so they could not be targeted. The addition of the improved anti-aircraft guns and bomb bays made the craft extremely dangerous to approach by air and capable of inflicting damage deep inside the EAC.

On the night of May 8th, 1927 the first ATA airship raid occurred on Kampala. While the Air Service was able to shoot down much of the fighter escort the airships themselves were able to escape. On May 17th a second raid occurred, this time on the front in the Congo. By June 15th there was almost a raid every 24 hours spread out across the entire border. Since the Air Service had been primarily focused on defense in the Great Lakes region and the Army investing little into Anti-Aircraft weapons thanks to air cover, the F-1 squadrons suddenly found themselves spread thin across the entire front. Cities and military bases alike were targeted but thanks to the lack of industry present in the ATA, only 8 of the Chieftain class airships were built meaning the damage done was restricted. However, by September despite all efforts by the Air Fleet, and a substantial number of bullet holes in airship hulls, all 8 airships were still in the air. The Military Council, wanting to end all of the ATA's air operations, ordered the Air Service to strike the ATA's heavily defended airship yard in Kidu and cripple the nations ability to build and maintain their air force.

The problem was that Kidu lay beyond the range of the F-1 and only airships would be able to reach the site. Airships operating without an escort was seen as an unacceptable risk to the Air Fleet so at first they denied the request for a strike, but by December they had no other choice. The fleet of 12 airships were sent out to strike the facility and were intercepted by all 8 ATA airships and their fighter escorts. 7 out of the 12 ships were lost in whats called The Battle of Elilia with the ATA losing most of their fighter fleet. With the loss of the air support from the fleet, the ATA began to make a renewed push on all front, causing pressure on EAC lines. With support for the war waning on both sides, the ATA making gains both in the skies and on land, and the recent passing of Rais Kutan the nation needed a rallying cry or the war would likely end in a ceasefire and the dissolution of the EAC. The Air Fleet had to regain command of the skies for the army to turn the tide, but to do that Kidu had to be destroyed. So the Fleet launched Operation Kilimanjaro, one last attempt to turn the tide using a new weapon that the operation was named after: the EAAF Kilimanjaro.

The airship Kilimanjaro was the EAC's answer to Kidu. Unlike the rest of the fleet which was based upon a German design, the KJ (as it became known) was designed for war from the ground up. It had a triple keel to increase stability, a series of machine gun batteries on all sides of the ship giving it 360 degrees of fire, internally mounted engines like its rivals in the ATA, a rubberized hull for durability, and two bomb bays capable of hold more ordinance then any bomber. Most importantly, the ship was armed with two new weapons, 5 inch guns mounted in the nose and tail of the craft to reduce weight and solve stability issues, and quad mounts for new liquid propelled missile based on a design from a Russian scientist. This ship was not just a bomber or pillbox, it was built to hunt and kill other airships. On the morning of December 25th, 1927, the KJ and three other 'Air Cruisers' took off from Kampala toward Kidu with four other airships armed to the teeth.

The fleet like last time was intercepted by the 8 airships and what remained of the ATAs fighter fleet. Unlike last time, the EAC's fleet had a very different type of combat in mind. The moment the ATA's fleet was in range, the Air Cruisers began to engage with their bow mounted 5 inch guns firing flak shells. The explosions caused the front of one of the ATA airships to collapse completely sending it into a dive toward the ground. ATA fighter also found themselves engaged at an extreme range, unable to intercept the threat to the fleet. The fighters charged forward toward the fleet to try and take down the Air Cruisers before they caused more damage and try to use their seed to get in the ships blind spots. The conventional airships turned so the ship's sides were shown to the fighters and began to let loose a broadside of machine-gun fire while the air cruisers continued to fire flak rounds from their main guns. The ATA's escort fighters were torn to pieces, leaving the airships alone. The air cruisers accelerated closing the distance between them and the Chieftain airships which were desperately trying to pull back and regroup. Once in range, the ships turned and fired a salvo of unguided missiles into the fleet. While most missed their targets, the few that did impact caused total structural collapse, leading to an almost instant kill. In three hours, the Air Fleet had reduced the ATA's air force to three fighters and a single limping airship. The following week Kidu was bombed from the same ships that had sunk their fleet, ending any air threat from the Alliance.

In what is called the Christmas Day Flight the EAC ended all air opposition by the Alliance and was able to once again concentrate their F-1s in specific regions to support ground operations. In addition, the Air Cruisers proved extremely effective in CAS operations and resilient against anti-aircraft fire, making them commonly used across the front. For the rest of the conflict, the Air Fleet would be used for bombing and CAS operations to aid the army as they pushed through the Congo region. When the war ended in April of 1928 the Air Service was almost unrecognizable to its former self, with F-1's escorting massive airships across every field of combat in Africa. The use of both the airship and the airplane in this war has shown that both currently have their merits for use with the Airship showing use for long term mission with heavier weapons and the airplane showing use for short term and interception missions. The combination of these two into one force has allowed the EAC's air force to not only be one of the most unique air forces in the world, but one of the most effective. However, many within the service, myself included, wonder how the fleet would fare against a modern European Power. While I am sure we would be able to combat any colonial African forces, it remains to be seen if the successes seen in our Civil War can be mirrored against a more heavily armed enemy with modern weapons. I hope that we never have an answer to that question, but if we do, I and every African hope that we will be able to hold the fragile new front in the sky.

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| Ships For Steel - Polish and German Deal Supports Mining Industry | Air Service Between Europe and Africa Established | Increase in Domestic Oil Drilling Due to Shortage |
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[Arela]

World - Andea - Politics - Business - Opinion - Science - Health - Sports - Other

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Andea bails out the plantations

January 23, 1930

The 1920s was an era of relative prosperity for Andeans. Soaring commodity prices led to an economic boom, which allowed the government to pursue large-scale infrastructure projects financed by cheap interest rates. The boom allowed many campesinos (peasant farmers) to escape to the cities, which led to the creation of a fledgling middle farm. Yet, many decry on how the boom has exacerbated inequality, which was already amongst the highest in the world.

The coastal hubs have been the main beneficiaries of the economic boom, embracing free trade and decentralization. On the other hand, living standards in the interior, have barely changed over the past decade. The interior remains dominated by well-connected families who own mega-plantations. Over the years, the plantations have been increasingly industrialized, now often featuring tractors, harvesters, and other labor-saving machinery.

However, following the economic crash, international demand for agricultural goods has plummeted, and the plantations faced bankruptcy. Unable to pay their laborers, many farmworkers have fled to the cities in search of work. However, they have only added to the hoards of destitute beggars that roam the cities, which has also been hard hit by the crisis. Faced with the crisis, the Liberals and Conservatives chose to bail out the plantations as a "job creation program."

The move to bail out some of the wealthiest families in Andea immediately led to a storm of backlash. The Socialists, in particular, took much distaste to this measure, and condemned it as a "declaration of war on the working class." Following the plantation bill, the ranks of the Socialist Party swelled to record levels, with their party offices struggling to process all the new applicants. These developments risk ending the era of Liberal-Conservative rule, which has lasted over a century.

[Orostan]

COFFEE AND INDUSTRY: THE TWO PRINCIPLE COMPONENTS OF CIVILIZATION
February 11th, 1930


A ship carrying East African coffee at Sevastopol.

An East African passenger airship touches down outside Kiev, a symbol of increasing economic relations between East Africa and the USSR.

The collapse in global trade caused by the chaos in the capitalist economies has already been of great benefit to the USSR. East African coffee and tobacco once out of the price range of most Soviet citizens has now become popular in certain groups of Soviet urban workers due to the already severe fall in its price amplified by a 25% cut to import prices on the condition of Soviet bulk purchases. East Africa has begun an economic strategy of dumping goods into Soviet markets at extremely low prices. Although the country is essentially even with the USSR economically its firms are competing to sell to the USSR at the lowest price. Trade arrangements have already knocked a quarter off of the prices of almost any good from East Africa and as the economic crisis worsens prices will continue to decrease. In response to the changing economic conditions the USSR has begun a strategy of attempting to make deals with foreign business to buy in bulk capital goods at ten percent or more below the rapidly falling market price in bulk. The general decline in international trade caused by entire countries implementing strict tariffs and the beginnings of a trade war in North America may make that strategy more difficult, but for now the purchase of large amounts of industrial equipment proceeds. The changes in the world market and the requirement that the USSR adapt to such changes have showcased the adaptability of the State Planning Committee in their new(ish) roles as economic planners for the whole of the USSR. This is not to say that there are not challenges - productivity in mines struggles to increase due to many new workers lacking experience and continued skilled labor and equipment issues. One gold mine in siberia suffered a cave in on the 10th of February that killed three miners due to a lack of safety measures taken during excavations. Some difficulty has been attributed to industrial sabotage by some comrades who are perhaps over-eager to seek out enemies of the people. It is still possible that conspiracies do exist such as that one uncovered in 1928 in the town of Shakhty, but it is much more reasonable to assume that the bulk of the difficulties we will encounter during our process of industrialization will be due to the underdeveloped state of the country.

[Orostan]

DIZZY WITH SUCCESS
BY J. STALIN
March 2nd, 1930


Tractors prepared for use in a collective farm.

The Soviet government’s successes in the sphere of the collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone. Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantial. And they really are very great.

It is a fact that by February 20 of this year 50 per cent of the peasant farms throughout the U.S.S.R. had been collectivised. That means that by February 20, 1930, we had overfulfilled the five-year plan of collectivisation by more than 100 per cent.

It is a fact that on February 28 of this year the collective farms had already succeeded in stocking upwards of 36,000,000 centners, i.e., about 220,000,000 poods, of seed for the spring sowing, which is more than 90 per cent of the plan. It must be admitted that the accumulation of 220,000,000 poods of seed by the collective farms alone — after the successful fulfilment of the grain-procurement plan — is a tremendous achievement.

What does all this show?

That a radical turn of the countryside towards socialism may be considered as already achieved.

There is no need to prove that these successes are of supreme importance for the fate of our country, for the whole of the working class, which is the directing force of our country, and, lastly for the Party itself. To say nothing of the direct practical results, these successes are of immense value for the internal life of the Party itself, for the education of our Party. They imbue our Party with a spirit of cheerfulness and confidence in its strength. They arm the working class with confidence in the victory of our cause. They bring forward additional millions of reserves for our Party.

Hence the party’s task is to consolidate the successes achieved and to utilise them systematically for our further advancement.

But the successes have their seamy side, especially when they are attained with comparative “ease” — “unexpectedly” so to speak. Such successes sometimes induce a spirit of vanity and conceit: “We can achieve anything!”, “There is nothing we can’t do!” People not infrequently become intoxicated by such successes; they become dizzy with success, loose all sense of proportion and the capacity to understand realities; they show a tendency to overrate their own strength and to underrate the strength of the enemy; adventurist attempts are made to solve all questions of socialist construction “in a trice.” In such a case, there is no room for concern to consolidate the successes achieved and to utilise them systematically for further advancement. Why should we consolidate the successes achieved when, as it is, we can dash to the full victory of socialism “in a trice”: “We can achieve anything!”, “There is nothing we can’t do!”

Hence the Party’s task is to wage a determined struggle against these sentiments, which are dangerous and harmful to our cause, and to drive them out of the Party.

It cannot be said that these dangerous and harmful sentiments are widespread in the ranks of our Party. But they do exist in our Party, and there are no grounds for asserting that they will not become stronger. And if they should be allowed free scope, there can be no doubt that the collective-farm movement will be considerably weakened and the danger of its breaking down may become a reality.

Hence the task of our press is: systematically to denounce these and similar anti-Leninist sentiments.

A few facts.

1. The successes of our collective-farm policy are due, among other things, to the fact that it rests on the voluntary character of the collective-farm movement and on taking into account the diversity of conditions in the various regions of the U.S.S.R. Collective farms must not be established by force. That would be foolish and reactionary. The collective-farm movement must rest on the active support of the main mass of the peasantry. Examples of the formation of collective farms in the developed areas must not be mechanically transplanted to underdeveloped areas. That would be foolish and reactionary. Such a “policy” would discredit the collectivisation idea at one stroke. In determining the speed and methods of collective-farm development, careful consideration must be given to the diversity of conditions in the various regions of the U.S.S.R.

Our grain-growing areas are ahead of all others in the collective-farm movement. Why is this?

Firstly, because in these areas we have the largest number of already firmly-established state farms and collective farms, thanks to which the peasants have had the opportunity to convince themselves of the power and importance of the new technical equipment, of the power and importance of the new, collective organisation of farming.

Secondly, because these areas have had two years’ schooling in the fight against the kulaks during the grain-procurement campaigns, and this could not but facilitate the development of the collective-farm movement.

Lastly, because these areas in recent years have been extensively supplied with the best cadres from the industrial centres.

Can it be said that these especially favourable conditions also exist in other areas, the consuming areas, for example, such as our northern regions, or in areas where there are still backward nationalities, such as Turkestan, say?

No, it cannot be said.

Clearly, the principle of taking into account the diversity of conditions in the various regions of the U.S.S.R. is, together with the voluntary principle, one of the most important prerequisites for a sound collective-farm movement.

But what actually happens sometimes? Can it be said that the voluntary principle and the principle of taking local peculiarities into account are not violated in a number of areas? No, that cannot be said, unfortunately. We know, for example, that in a number of the northern areas of the consuming zone, where the conditions for the immediate organisation of collective farms are comparatively less favourable than in the grain-growing areas, attempts are not infrequently made to replace preparatory work for the organisation of collective farms by bureaucratic decreeing of the collective-farm movement, paper resolutions on the growth of collective farms, organisation of collective farms on paper — collective farms which have as yet no reality, but whose “existence” is proclaimed in a heap of boastful resolutions.

Or take certain areas in Turkestan, where conditions for the immediate organisation of collective farms are even less favourable than in the northern regions of the consuming zone. We know that in a number of areas of Turkestan there have already been attempts to “overtake and outstrip” the advanced areas of the U.S.S.R. by threatening to use armed force, by threatening that peasants who are not yet ready to join the collective farms will be deprived of irrigation water and manufactured goods.

What can there be in common between this Sergeant Prishibeyev “policy” and the Party’s policy of relying on the voluntary principle and of taking local peculiarities into account in collective-farm development? Clearly, there is not and cannot be anything in common between them.

Who benefits by these distortions, this bureaucratic decreeing of the collective-farm movement, these unworthy threats against the peasants? Nobody, except our enemies!

What may these distortions lead to? To strengthening our enemies and to discrediting the idea of the collective-farm movement.

Is it not clear that the authors of these distortions who imagine themselves to be “Leftists,” are in reality bringing grist to the mill of Right opportunism?

2. One of the greatest merits of our Party’s political strategy is that it is able at any given moment to pick out the main link in the movement, by grasping which the Party draws the whole chain towards one common goal in order to achieve the solution of the problem. Can it be said that the Party has already picked out the main link of the collective-farm movement in the system of collective-farm development? Yes, this can and should be said.

What is this chief link?

Is it perhaps, association for joint cultivation of the land? No, it is not that. Associations for the joint cultivation of the land, in which the means of production are not yet socialised, are already a past stage of the collective farm movement.

Is it, perhaps the agricultural commune? No, it is not that, Communes are still of isolated occurrence in the collective-farm movement. The conditions are not yet ripe for agricultural communes — in which not only production, but also distribution is socialised — to be the predominant from

The main link of the collective-farm movement, its predominate form at the present moment, the link which has to be grasped now, is the agricultural artel

In the agricultural artel, the basic means of production, primarily for grain-farming — labour, use of the land, machines and other implements, draught animals and farm buildings — are socialised. In the artel, the house-hold plots (small vegetable gardens, small orchards) the dwelling houses, a part of the dairy cattle, small livestock, poultry, etc., are not socialised.

The artel is the main link of the collective-farm movement because it is the form best adapted for solving the grain problem. And the grain problem is the main link in the whole system of agriculture because, if it is not solved, it will be impossible to solve either the problem of stock-breeding (small and large), or the problem of the industrial and special crops that provide the principal raw materials for industry. That is why the agricultural artel is the main link in the system of the collective-farm movement at the present moment.

That is the point of departure of the “Model Rules” for collective farms, the final text of which is published today.1

And that should be the point of departure of our Party and Soviet workers, one of whose duties is to make a thorough study of these Rules and carry them out down to the last detail.

Such is the line of the Party at the present moment.

Can it be said that this line of the Party is being carried out without violation or distortion? No, it cannot, unfortunately. We know that in a number of areas of the U.S.S.R. , where the struggle for the existence of the collective farms is still far from over, and where artels are not yet consolidated, attempts are being made to skip the artel framework and to leap straight away into the agricultural commune. The artel is still not consolidated, but they are already “socialising” dwelling houses, small livestock and poultry; moreover, this “socialisation” is degenerating into bureaucratic decreeing on paper, because the conditions which would make such socialisation necessary do not yet exist. One might think that the grain problem has already been solved in the collective farms, that it is already a past stage, that the principal task at the present moment is not solution of the grain problem, but solution of the problem of livestock and poultry-breeding. Who, we may ask, benefits from this blockheaded “work” of lumping together different forms of the collective-farm movement? Who benefits from this running too far ahead, which is stupid and harmful to our cause? Irritating the collective-farm peasant by “socialising” dwelling houses, all dairy cattle, all small livestock and poultry, when the grain problem is still unsolved, when the artel form of collective farming is not yet consolidated — is it not obvious that such a “policy” can be to the satisfaction and advantage only of our sworn enemies?

One such overzealous “socialiser” even goes so far as to issue an order to an artel containing the following instructions: “within three days, register all the poultry of every household,” establish posts of special “commanders” for registration and supervision; “occupy the key positions in the artel”, “command the socialist battle without quitting your posts” and — of course — get a tight grip on the whole life of the artel.

What is this — a policy of directing the collective farms, or a policy of disrupting and discrediting them?

I say nothing of those “revolutionaries” — save the mark! — who begin the work of organising artels by removing the bells from the churches. Just imaging removing the church bells — how r-r-revolutionary!

How could there have arisen in our midst such blockheaded exercises in “socialisation,” such ludicrous attempts to overleap oneself, attempts which aim at bypassing classes and the class struggle, and which in fact bring grist to the mill of our class enemies?

They could have arisen only in the atmosphere of our “easy” and “unexpected” successes on the front of collective-farm development.

They could have arisen only as a result of the blockheaded belief of a section of our Party: “We can achieve anything!”, “There’s nothing we can’ do!”

They could have arisen only because some of our comrades have become dizzy with success and for the moment have lost clearness of mind an sobriety of vision.

To correct the line of our work in the sphere of collective-farm development, we must put an end to these sentiments.

That is now one of the immediate tasks of the Party.

The art of leadership is a serious matter. One must not lag behind the movement, because to do so is to loose contact with the masses. But neither must one run too far ahead, because to run too far ahead is to loose the masses and to isolate oneself. He who wants to lead a movement and at the same time keep in touch with the vast masses must wage a fight on two fronts — against those who lag behind and against those who run too far ahead.

Our Party is strong and invincible because, when leading a movement, it is able to preserve and multiply its contacts with the vast masses of the workers and peasants.

[The East African Commonwealth]

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Afrika Daily - March 15th, 1930

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Economic Free Fall Ends - Widespread Stabilization of Economy

Thanks to quick action by the government, a series of international deals, and the mothballing of much of the military, the EAC's economic slump appears to finally be stabilizing. While by no means is the economic crisis over, the entire country has begun to take a deep sigh of relief as it seems like the nation has made it through the worst of it. However, the millions of shillings lost, rampant unemployment, and extremely fragile banking network are just a few of the major concerns of the nation moving forward that need to be addressed. The Rais and the African Assembly have both made strides in stabilizing all of these issues, but it could be years before the EAC's economy returns to its former level. Until this occurs, the EAC has begun funding public works projects across the nation to address unemployment, specifically for energy and transportation modernization. Several dams, radio towers, and road networks have begun to see renovation or construction to provide a source of income for an estimated 8.9% of the population (10 million people). Investors have been encouraged to direct funds toward the EAC's industries that have remained relatively intact such as agriculture, arms, and mining to make up for their lost shillings. Lastly, Banks are starting to consolidate themselves as the dozens of smaller banks across the EAC realize that they currently lack the capital needed in order to operate in the green. The government has decided to let the banks try and recover on their own instead of stimulating them as many other nations have done. This hopefully will allow the banks to have a stronger foundation should a crisis like this occur again, however, this also means that banks may collapse if another economic crisis occurs before the centralization is completed.

EAC Airfleet Arrives in USSR

This morning, the people of Moscow woke up to a sight that had not been seen in the city since the flight of the Graf Zeppelin three years earlier, an airship passing over the spires of the Kremlin. However, unlike its German counterpart which passed above Moscow alone, three other ships accompany it across the skies of the Soviet Capital, military ships. The four airships, including the air cruiser EAAF Kingdom, are part of a EAC training and testing mission meant to test the operational capacity of these airships in Arctic environments as well as train crews on situations that occur in sub-zero environments. The four ships will be based in Moscow and will be flying as far as the Arctic Ocean to test the fleet. The newly formed Arctic Training Fleet will also be testing African Made F-1 Buzzard Fighters in Arctic conditions. This is part of a joint agreement with the Soviet Government where troops from both nations will be training in environments very different from their home nations to improve operational integrity, flexibility of forces, and equipment designs. It is also notably the first joint military agreement between the EAC and USSR, indicating that a thaw in relations may be occurring. While much of Europe may be concerned about this, the opinion of the USSR has been increasing in the EAC following the increase of trade between the two nations. If this will evolve into anything more depends on both the actions of the Soviets in the coming years and the success of the Air Fleet in the USSR.

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| Air Routes from Moscow, Warsaw, and Berlin Begin Full Operations | Public Works Project to Overhaul Zanzibar's Docks Begins | Oil Shortage Causing Blackouts in Major Cities |
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[Nowa Polonie]

March 20th, 1930

Poland celebrates 10th Anniversary of the 'March Constitution'

Marching in lock-step to the tattoo of military music, old traditions and histories are worn in uniform by younger men, as the torch is passed from the generation of Poles who shaped the Republic, to the generation who will inherit it. Despite a spectrum of cultures and political outlooks, in the Second Polish Republic, from both the Left and Right, patriotism is very much in vogue, and the notion that this entails a national pursuit of martial excellence is taken for granted as the consensus. Amid economic troubles and uncertainty for the future, Poland's politicians, ever with one eye looking towards the past, resurrect that most ancient of mass opiates - the sight of marching legions of men, displaying victorious arms.

If economic woes have rocked the young nation of Poland, then the displays made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the writing of its constitution betrayed no strain of will, effort or budget - across the country, public crowds were delighted to see several days of celebrations, marked most prominently by a mass demonstration of the Polish Armed Services, with larger cities like Warsaw, Minsk and Posnan seeing formation fly-by salutes from the Air Force, while coastal cities saw shoreline salutes from the Navy, while practically every town and city across the Republic saw some form of demonstration by the Army, with a discipline and morale from troops, which, joined by a domestic media blitz to reassure the public, sends to the people of Poland, and perhaps to Europe and abroad, that in spite of economic troubles, and the uncertainty of the future, one truth is self-evident; Poland stands united and ready. A noble ideal for a government to pursue, if it is, in truth, still an ideal - but Poland is a land where ideals are carried out, in spite of reality, and if the actions, as well as the words, of the Polish Government, are to be taken at face value, this is indeed an ideal they will try to bring into being.

Amidst emerging rumours of his ailing health, Poland's First Marshal, the venerable Pilsudksi, made a rare public appearance in Warsaw to inspect the presented troops of the Polish Armed Services - the Marshal personally awarded several dozen military and civil awards, most notably several military awards given to women who had taken part in the so-called 'Wars for the Establishment of the Republic', marking the conflicts from the period of 1917-1921. This has come as the first official recognition by the Army in regards to the participation of the nation's women in its military affairs. Though there are several notable women already in service by the Armed Forces, alongside addresses in public from public figures and politicians for an 'All-Nation' effort to overcome the challenges facing the country, encompassing the entire population, man or woman, Pole, Balt or Ruthenian, Catholic, Orthodox or Jewish, man or woman, many now expect that it is only a matter of time before the Polish Armed Services began, like its Police Forces, to recruit in earnest from the female populace.

April 4th, 1930

Poland's 'New Town' Projects

Fuelled by the tail-end of the prosperity brought about by the construction of the so-called ''Polish Coal Trunk Line'', which had been constructed continually throughout the 1920s, and which is now undergoing substantial renovation to continue to feed the continental demand for coal, the port town of Gdynie, the most modern, fastest growing town on Poland's Baltic coast, represents a newer kind of town in Poland, where the buildings are younger than the people who live in them, where stone and cobble have given way to steel and tarmac, and where the pedestrian street gives way to the tramcar and the automobile. Gdynie is not an isolated case - in Belarus, yesterdays villages, with access to modern agricultural tools, infrastructure and methods, have turned into prosperous agricultural boom-towns, where subsistence farming has given way to the cultivation of the cash-crop - if there is a sign of Poland's pursuit of national 'robustness', it is the Polish consumer seeing sugar once again upon his table, as expensive foreign sugar-cane moves over for domestically produced sugar, made by the grace of Belarussian sugar-beets.

For many countries, a large population would come as a blessing - in many ways, in the early days of the Second Polish Republic, it was a curse - a huge,largely illiterate, largely Eastern rural population, living almost as a 'hump' upon the backs of a smaller, urbanised, literate, practically Western cruft. From such conditions, the social plagues of ignorance, intolerance, and animosity between the peoples, arise. However, despite, or perhaps because of this, the triumph of the factions within Polish politics earlier in the decade had lent itself to the pursuit of turning two disparate populations, living in two worlds within one country, into a single population, united in one common national identity.

In the prior decade, the brute-force tool of the Polish Government in bringing this about came in the form of resettlement - taking dispossessed, rural labourers from the East, to repopulate the cities and towns of the reclaimed territories in the West, filling foundries and mills emptied of German workers, and so, over the course of a generation or so, they would become broadly Polonised, urbanised, and literate. In this the Government has been largely successful - though with the unexpected consequence that in many of Poland's Western cities, an emergent dialect of Ruthenian, Polish, German and even older Wendish/Sorbian words has begun to become the lingua franca in those cities most affected by these demographic shifts.

But, with a new decade, a new approach has been adopted to continue to tackle the still on-going issue of rural over-population, though it is not resettlement, but rather re-development; alongside its already significant grants to the development of rural agricultural infrastructure, the Polish Government is now pouring a substantial degree of its budget into the development of emergent towns and cities throughout the country, with particular emphasis on towns both near and connecting pre-existing major cities, in a drive to create a more broad demographic profile across the country, rather than one dominated by the contrast of the much more massively urbanised West, to the rural and rugged East.

[Lendenburgh]

May 20th

Holsteiner man confronts a British solider in the Kiel Canal zone (Pole observes)

Landsvolk movements begin to sweep the country
The life of the German peasantry has not been easy over the last decade. Through the Great War and into 1920, when the first trade links were established and the British blockade lifted, the entire agricultural sector was devoted to the war effort. Even as the revolution swept the nation, and the Junkers land was confiscated, the government opened its borders to cheap foreign food imports and priortized industrial development. Though the Leftist moments following the revolution saw the promotion of peasants councils in the state Landtags, and the issuance of subsidies to the large peasant class, the profitability of the German farming sector, combined with its ruined state from the war, meant that peasants became poorer while the rest of Germany flourished.

Certainly, a great many have moved into the cities and gotten jobs in the factories, mines, or services, but what of those left behind? Since the crash, agricultural prices have plummeted across the board. Even being subsidized in ideal conditions, many of the small peasant farmers in less productive areas simply could not turn a profit. Anything left over from good years was wiped out by the poor harvests and cold seasons of the last two years, meaning many rural Germans have been left destitute and strangled by debt. Farm foreclosures have increased fifty-fold since this time last year, and the trend doesn't seem to be abating. This has lead many of the peasant farmers, or Landsvolk, to organize politically. These Landsvolkbewegungs have been elected to the majority in three state Landtags over the past two years, and it seems the political influence they have been silently accruing is coming to fruition.

Today, the Schleiswig Landvolkbewegung set up barricades on the major roadways and rail lines running into the state, and declared a tax strike. A further 50 farms foreclosed on by banks have been seized by the Landvolkbewegung, with the clear message that any further foreclosures would not be tolerated. The Reichsministerium für Wirtschaft has declined to meet with the protestors in Schleiswig, yet, with tension being observed between the foreign soldiers in the Kiel Canal Zone (The only military personnel allowed in the state), the government may soon be forced to act. Additionally, the decrease in tax revenue from the province will do nothing to alleviate the continuing economic depression, and may serve to weaken confidence in the government's new financial initiatives such as the Stahlmark.