The Gathering Storm, Redux - Gameplay Thread (WW2 - Early 1940)

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The Kingfish Speaks!

When we elected Mr. Roosevelt to be President we did so because he said he understood the problem that afflicts this country today. And it is not a difficult problem to understand! Had he worked from the start of his term in office towards the decentralization of wealth as he said he would, we probably would have solved all of the problems that affect the country by now. But instead, he has done nothing. No, worse than nothing. 20 million American men sit on the dole, worse than we have ever before. What does he do? He sends millions of the American working man’s tax dollars overseas. Any man who would help the poor people of this country by sending money overseas should have his head examined.

The Rockefellers and the Astors and the Morgans are laughing at us. They realize that Mr. Roosevelt’s plans aren’t costing them anything, which is the same as saying that they are no relief to the poor. He makes every kind of move showing he is creating this program and that; that he wants to appropriate a little money-so much for this and so much for that, but when you really look at it you see that he is simply taxing poor people to give things back to poor people, when he isn’t giving things to foreign kings. Mr. Roosevelt isn’t even willing to let foreign merchants contribute to our government; now, when our government debt is more than we owed at the end of the World War, he demands that the working man bear even more of the burden of paying it.

The big men of Wall Street were initially afraid of Mr. Roosevelt. When he closed down the banks, they were apprehensive that he would actually provide debt relief for the common man. That he would follow the Lord’s law. That "every seventh year there shall be a remission of debts; there will be no debts after 7 years." That was His law. But they had nothing to fear, for Mr. Roosevelt was not following the Lord’s law. He wasn’t doing much of anything for the people of this country. Because even though the banks were closed, he didn’t stop their debt collectors from coming, no sir. But the ultra rich didn’t need to worry about the banks being closed because they had enough wealth to do as they pleased, banks or no banks. And now, thanks to the bank closure they probably have a little bit more.

So now we have moved past the Hoover Depression. We’re past it. Where do we find this country in the Roosevelt Depression? We find ourselves a billion dollars more in debt with nothing to show for it. More men on the dole. The fortunes of the rich becoming bigger and the fortunes of the average and little men getting less and less. Mr. Roosevelt does nothing to address the problem. Mr. Roosevelt only needs to listen to God, the philosophers, and the great American statemen whose shoes he desperately tries to fill to know the real problem. When one man owns more than 100,000 people, or a million people, and when you have a country where there are four men, as in America, that have got more control over things than all the 120,000,000 people together, any sane man knows what the problem in this country is. And until Mr. Roosevelt does what needs to be done and scatters the wealth of this country to its people, the trouble he faces will never, ever go away.

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On the Crisis Facing the Spanish Republic

The Spanish Republic was birthed as a means to renew the nation and to safeguard the liberty of its people. From its foundation, the Republic has been the representative of ALL Spaniards. It was never meant to act solely as a vehicle for revolution; the PSOE canard that “the Republic is accidental and only Socialism fundamental” is not and has never been true. This is not a Republic only for the left, only for the atheist, or only for the revolutionary. The Republic represents all Spaniards and is the only vehicle for liberty; true liberty, that the nation has ever seen. However, that liberty can only exist so long as the Republic maintains its solemn responsibility to maintain order.  We cannot and will not tolerate a separate Socialist order exist within the current State and so will take action under the law. Under the Law of Public Order, passed by the Socialist government of Azana, a state of alarm exists. Indeed, a state of war exists against the Spanish nation.

We will treat those who rebel against the Republic with neither cruelty nor impunity. However, we will not hesitate to make full use of the law to punish the guilty lest they be tempted to again take arms against the Republic. Accordingly, the Minister of the Interior is empowered by the Law of Public Order to suppress any strike activity of the UGT or the CNT. The printing right of those newspapers which have expressed opinions favorable to acts of violence against the Republic or are owned by individuals who have done the same until further notice. The Esquerra and its leader Companys, in promoting and supporting the Balkanization of Spain, have committed an act of unacceptable treason against the nation. One needs only look at the chaos and bloodshed of Yugoslavia to understand the vile results of such antics. Thae rights of that party are immediately and permanently suspended. The government also intends to introduce new legislation to suspend any member of the Cortes who fails to attend any session for six months. The work of the Republic to ensure peace and prosperity to the Spanish people will not end with these measures; this government will guarantee to the nation that the Republic will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.

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The Prime Minister will table an advisory motion in the House of Commons seeking authorization to pursue League of Nations membership for the Dominion. The Prime Minister will declare this a vote on conscience for all members with no whip.

Canada was a founding member of the League of Nations.

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Anti-Bolshevik Pact

The Government of the Kingdom of Italy and the Spanish Republic, recognizing that the aim of the Bolshevik ideology, known as well as Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, communism, is to disintegrate and subdue existing States by all means at its command; convinced that the toleration of interference by the Bolshevik menace in the internal affairs of the nations not only endangers their internal peace and social well being, but is also a menace to the peace of the world; desirous of cooperating in the defense against Communist subversion; have agreed as follows

Article 1: The High Contracting States agree to inform one another of the activities of Bolshevik factions, to consult with one another on the necessary preventive measures and to carry these through in close collaboration.

Article 2: The High Contracting Parties will jointly invite third States whose internal peace is threatened by the subversive activities of the Bolshevists to adopt defensive measures in the spirit of this agreement or to take part in the present agreement.

Article 3: The High Contracting Parties recognize that the USSR is the headquarters of the international Bolshevik menace, which directs and commands communist organizations worldwide, and that it is the premier threat to civilized nations.

Spain is proud to join other civilized nations in recognizing Articles 1-3 of this pact.

x Alejandro Lerroux, Prime Minister of the Spanish Republic

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An Announcement from the Office of the Prime Minister

It is with deepest sorrow that I must reveal to Parliament and Nation the truth of what has taken place over the past several months. My predecessor, The Right Honourable Neville Chamberlain, is a man well-known by all who have met him to be zealous, dedicated, and industrious to a fault. Over the past year, out of pure devotion to his duties and the Empire, he was seen and observed working all hours of the night and every day of the week without a single word of complaint. Sadly, those of us closest to him failed to see that as he nobly worked himself to the bone, the stress and sheer weight of his duties had begun to cloud his judgment. Even as he continued to take on more responsibilities, conducting negotiations entirely alone, it is now clear that for the last several months Mr. Chamberlain was unfortunately not capable of exercising the sound judgment required for his high office. This government will endeavor to ensure all lapses in judgment made by the former prime minister are swiftly and decisively corrected. At this time I withdraw from Parliamentary consideration the so-called "Treaty of Istanbul" and apologize on behalf of His Majesty's Government for submitting to them such a document which was so clearly forced by duress on a deeply suffering man to begin with. Further negotiations to ensure the proper enforcement of British treaties and property rights will begin immediately.

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Excerpt of Foreign Secretary's Speech to Parliament on the Baltic Situation

...In the event of any action which clearly threatened Latvian independence, and which the Latvian Government accordingly considered it vital to resist with their national forces and expressed such to His Majesty’s Government, His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Latvian Government all support in their power. They have given the President of Latvia an assurance to this effect. I may add that the French Government have authorized me to make it plain that they stand in the same position in this matter as do His Majesty's Government.

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His Majesty's Government congratulates Prime Minister Syrovy on his successful defense of Czechoslovakian sovereignty and calls for a peaceful restoration of proper parliamentary government once order has been restored.

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His Majesty's Government is closely monitoring the rapidly developing situation on the continent. Due to the recent aggressive actions taken by the Kaiser, the Turks, and the Russians the government will introduce legislation to immediately reintroduce conscription and to triple the size of the Territorial Army.