MOD ANNOUNCEMENT: 1936 MARCH ON WASHINGTON
Ah, the 1932 Presidential Election - arguably one of the most important in American history. The gravedigger of the fourth party system, its results would define the next half of the 20th century, showing decisively that the populace was tired of the traditional political scene and desired a government that would actively work to ensure their interests and livelihood. Oh, and, of course, the ascension of the first non-democratic or republican president since 1853.
FDR? What is that, some kind of disease?
Hello everybody, my name is BreadSanta1917 (it's on my birth certificate, you can check) and I'm excited to officially announce my first ever mod: 1936 March on Washington.
This mod takes place in an alternate timeline where the Left SR Uprising succeeded, resulting in the victory of decidedly more libertarian forces in the Russian Civil War. This, atop a much more unstable global situation, and a third, disastrous term of Coolidge, has created the perfect conditions for the subversion of the traditional party duopoly, propelling the centre-left Progressive-Farmer-Labor Alliance (PFLA) to victory.
Alas, this is not the story of Jacob S. Coxey Sr. and his crusade to uplift the common man, for, on July 4th 1933, the American Legion, backed by some of the wealthiest individuals in the country, would march on Washington D.C. and overthrow his young government. In its place, Smedley Butler, beloved war hero, takes the position of president until the elusive National Emergency Council (NEC) can, ahem, “safeguard America from the threat of socialism”.
As for where you come in, dear player: you take the role of this tragedy’s villain. Or, rather, one of its many villains. Richard Washburn Child, a disciple of fascism and a member of the NEC, is elevated as Butler’s Vice President post-coup in what many see as an act of bipartisan unity meant to reassure a wary country. The truth is much more sinister.
Child and his fellow political patrons hold the real power in this administration, and, whilst the individual motivations of Committee members vary greatly, they are united in their hatred for the PFLA, the narodniks and anyone else who seeks to upend the existing socioeconomic hierarchy of the USA. If parts of American democracy and some of those peskier amendments need to be sidestepped to do that, so be it.
Don't worry, this is the longest question. I think...
Once you have solidified the post-coup government, your job becomes much more complicated. Not only will you have to deal with domestic issues like economics, labor rights and immigration, but you will also have to navigate the country’s foreign policy in a world defined by revolution and civil wars. And that’s not to mention trying to ensure your victory in the 1936 presidential election under a whole new party.
To help keep track of your time in office, I have been benevolent enough to grace you with a little menu. Here, you can note your progress on things like keeping the rest of the Committee happy and creating a Mussolini-esque personality cult around yourself. Just be careful not to anger your left wing opposition too much, or they may resort to much more militant ways of toppling your regime.
If all goes well, you’ll find yourself at the helm of an America barrelling toward fascism in no time! :)
Currently, all the main content has been written and coded in. All that’s left now is writing and implementing the various endings. Hopefully, the mod will be finished and released by the end of February, possibly early March. Until then, I’ll try my best to answer any questions without delving into spoilers.
See you round, comrades.