The World That Pyotr Wrangel Made
The Third Weltkri-... oh. Apparently we now call it the Third Mirovaya Voyna, is over. Nuclear sunshine over Paris ended the Third Internationale's faltering dreams of a world revolution a few years ago, and in the resulting treaty Russia became master of Europe. But it is now 1953, and the Black Baron is at death's door at the ripe age of 74. Who will take over for him in this new, Russian world and stand against the reds of the West?
Russian Empire
Despite being a monarchist, Wrangel took until 1948 to restore the monarchy, judging that the time was not right for such a restoration when he was in seemingly constant war. Much to the discontent of many of his allies, many expect his last will and testament to contain the wish that Russia transition to a civilian democracy. Of course, he would be dead by then, and there are a lot of vultures circling for power in this new age of Russia...
- Supreme Leader Pyotr Wrangel: The greatest Russian leader of all time, the Black Baron and the "Master of Europe", this many-labelled man is now on his death-bed. His last activities seem to be mainly conferring with his closest confidantes and there's floated ideas of a 'succession' or heaven forfeit a 'transition', but nothing has been made clear yet. Still, his word holds great sway and it remains to be seen if it holds strong after he no longer utters it.
- Emperor Vladimir III: The imperial court seems to be aligned with Wrangel here, and the Emperor has talked vaguely of democracy. The two seem to be on the same page here, albeit there was that tension a decade and a bit ago between Wrangel and Vladimir's father Kirill once the later realised Wrangel did not plan on a quick restoration. Who knows. Still, if the Emperor gets his way, the Duma will be relevant once more.
- General Evgeny Messner: One of the 'Old Guard' who was with Wrangel the longest, he is mostly known as the 'innovator' of the Russian military, and the one (after Wrangel) credited to the defeat of Germany in the Second Mirovaya Voyna. He's associated with the more overt authoritarian and ethnic-nationalist faction (The 'Savinkovites', in other words, although their founder has seen his wings be 'clipped' with a reassignment from Wrangel himself who realised Savinkov was too dangerous a man to keep close).
- General Aleksandr Vasilevsky: Widely regarded as a talented leader, he is known for being relatively non-political by the standards of the Russian military. But his skill is without doubt, the Hsuantung Emperor holds nothing but the highest praise for him for turning the tide against Japan for one. However, Vasilevsky is hardly a man with much ambitions to lead Russia, so who is pushing his name? It remains a mystery.
- General Nikolai Vatutin: The youngest of the four floated names (he's only 54!), he has the most... unusual base of supporters. Mostly young soldiers, rural peasants, Russian 'integralists' and what counts for 'liberal' those days outside the royal court, there are sparks of whispers here and there that he has certain leftist sympathies and all. Still, he's hardly a friend of the regions, being known for his harsh defeat of the Ukraine.
Moscow Accord
Once they said all roads lead to Rome. Well, now all roads lead to Moscow. At least in Eastern Europe.
- Grand Duchy of Finland: Still independent and all, but they're definitely under the Russian heel.
- Polish Republic: Despite worries of a Russian-imposed king, the hastily-established pro-Moscow regime has been more or less left alone as long as they bow firmly to their new masters. General Józef Haller is firmly in charge, and as long as he keeps Poland on the Russian side, he seems to be secure.
- Kingdom of Bulgaria: Mostly in it to guarantee some sort of stability after the Fifth Balkan War.
- Kingdom of Romania: The Iron Guard is out, but Carol struggles to rule. Meanwhile Russian influence grows and grows.
- Republic of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia: A rather haphazard union, truth be told.
- Austrian Empire: Not much of an empire any longer, to be honest. It's just Austria proper. Talk of an union with Germany by some nationalists has been greatly disapproved by Moscow as they wish to not empower the Entente any more than they already have.
- State of Hungary: Officially the Austrian Emperor rules, but it has been under a 'regency' for those last few years much to the objections of Austria.
- Illyrian State: A confusing mess, with Croats, Slovenians and Bosnians jostling for influence, it's made even more complicated by the fact that when the 3I took over it in the Second Mirovaya Voyna, the three got independent workers' states and now separatists are seen to be 'socialist'.
- Republic of Turkey: Very nationalistic, quite right-wing, but rejects 'Ottomanism' in all its forms due to the Ottoman Empire falling first to the Arabs and Iran, then to the Russians and Greeks. Hardly a legacy anyone wants to champion.
- Italian Federation: The Socialists, Republicans, Sicilians and Pope fought, and Russia just bulldozed them all and set up a puppet Federation. Technically led by the restored Sardinian King of Italy, but he has absolutely no say beyond symbolism. A gilded cage for the new prisoner of Rome.
- State of Japan: Broken, defeated, humiliated. And now the Russians have a military strongman there acting like he's a new shogun.
- Republic of Korea: Kim Koo's three wishes to God were fulfilled and he now sits as the first President of an independent Korea. Well, 'independent'.
Entente
An independent force in the wo-hahahahaha. This is basically just the western half of the Moscow Accord, with their economies so destroyed by two Mirovaya Voynas in short succession they've became extremely dependent on Russia for a lot of stuff.
- United Kingdom of Great Britain: Despite Ludovici's rantings having more influence on Russian policy than people think, Britain has vaguely returned to some form of 'democracy'. Clement Attlee is Prime Minister. But still, it can't be denied that this is a state mostly created by Russian victory, and that has led a fair few nationalists to turn to the thought of a third republic, decrying the new Queen as a 'Russian puppet'.
- Kingdom of France: "The Kings made France, and the King saved her!" the chant goes. The Orléanists finally returned to power off the back of far-right integralism and Russia electing to not expend time setting up new regimes to the west of Poland. Still, they're seen as Wrangel's lackeys by a lot of people, especially those on the left that are really quite narked by how France was brought down by its own.
- Kingdom of Spain: The 'Johnny-come-latelies', they came to power by a long and brutal multi-sided civil war only to jump into the Third Mirovaya Voyna in what was widely considered a suicidal move by King Alfonso Carlos and yet has paid off handsomely against all expectations. It cannot be denied, however, that Spain still has a lot of wartime wounds, and is by far the country most likely to remain isolationist for now. But hey, they have Roussillon!
- Kingdom of the Netherlands: Once exiled to Insulindia, that is an experience they do not wish to repeat.
- Kingdom of Belgium: Tried to be neutral in the Second Mirovaya Voyna. Didn't work.
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: Oh yeah. They exist.
- Kingdom of Norway: Haakon VII was brought back after the syndies removed him, which did a lot to appeal to Norwegian people.
- German Empire: A sullen, destroyed nation. The deeply unpopular Kaiser Wilhelm III (remembered as the 'Kaiser Who Flew' for his fleeing to Africa) passed away two years ago, underlining the whole lack of legitimacy this restored Empire has. His son Wilhelm IV is ironically probably the most popular person in the entire regime, with his marriage to a 'commoner' and his military service and wounds in the Second Mirovaya Voyna (leading him to have a serious limp requiring a cane) making a lot of Germans think their Emperor suffered like them. However, the popularity of the person wearing the crown can be painfully not enough, and calls for a republic increase daily.
- Kingdom of Portugal: The country that was integralist before it was 'cool', they've more or less consigned the 3I's Portuguese Socialist Republic to history after a few years reduced to just the Azores. Currently trying to ensure such a 'riot' never happens ever again. How unpleasant of them.
- Kingdom of Greece: The King enjoys Constantinople once more as the Turk has been driven out of Europe. But despite what some madmen say, there is absolutely no demand for some sort of weird 'Byzantine restoration'. This is a Greek monarchy, not a Roman one.
- Australasian Confederation: Once occupied by the Japanese, and is now somehow even more racist than before.
- Kingdom of Hawai'i: Let us recount their factional allegiance since they broke off America in the civil war. First the Republic joined the Reichspakt. Then when the Reichspakt fell, there was a socialist revolution and they went 3I. But Japan overthrew that and incorporated them into the Sphere as a puppet state. When Japan fell, the Entente grabbed Hawai'i, but it's more Moscow Accord in reality. Hawai'i really can't decide, huh.
Socialist Commonwealth of America
The main competitor to the Russian Empire, they're now led by President Elizabeth Nord of the Socialist Labor Party and is at this point shifting slowly from rebuilding after the civil war and working with Brazil to becoming the main opponent against Russian imperialism. However, there are those who are still doubting the shift to 'red internationalism', preferring a form of 'socialism in one country'. The President goes back and forth on the issue.
- "Unionists" (Socialist Labor): The dominant party in the SCA for quite a while, as the successor to the Unionist Faction they are the 'Party of Reed' and this has led them to a clear lead in American politics after the revolution. It was President Cannon after all, who liberated Canada from the accursed forces of monarchism (and threw America into conflict with the wider Entente, and thus the Moscow Accord, but shush). They support orthodox syndicalism, generally distrusting more of the 'cultural revolution' sort such as homosexual rights.
- "Federalists" (Socialist): Not to be confused with Socialist Labor [most people just call them Unionists and Federalists, tbh], this is the more cultural-revolution sort that advocates more power be given to the 'civic state' to legislate, and away from the workers' syndicates, pointing out that the syndicates tend to prioritise the working people over the 'other America', so to speak. Die-hard Unionists think this is betraying the Revolution.
- "Vanguardists": In full the Revolutionary Worker's Vanguard Party, but damn that is a mouthful. They're essentially the American equivalent of the Totalists that saw their final days in Europe at the hands of Russian sunshine. But they are very keen to emphasise that they are distinct from Mosley, Valois and Mussolini, with Browder preferring to emphasise less, well, 'failed' countries. Even in socialist America, nobody likes a loser.
- "Canadians": Not particularly ideological beyond an acceptance of syndicalism and the Revolution, they mostly lobby in favour of an independent Canadian socialist republic (and has the American public broadly sympathetic) but the government remains deeply unconvinced.
Union of Brazil
The unlikely superpower, they're the second-most influential country in the Pact and top dog in South America. However, as much as the Brazilians desire otherwise, America still has far more industry than they do, and most of their recent prominence comes from filling in the shoes the more reluctant America has vacated as 'prominent anti-Russian and socialist power'. Still, it cannot be denied that Brazil stands tall those days.
- "Ortodoxos" (Syndicalist): Russia has made hay out of the fact that America and Brazil are both led by women. However, Elizabeth Nord and Eugênia Álvaro Moreyra has not a lot in common. Nord comes out of the trade union movement and is allied with more moderate forces on the 'cultural revolution', while Eugênia comes from journalism and is the peak of cultural revolution. The Federalists often call for 'Brazilisation' for one, taking inspiration from Brazil's rapid social liberalisation. However, on economic and structural matters, the governing factions are in accord - syndicates in charge.
- "Autonomistas" (CGT-FAB): Despite the Ortodoxos being pro-syndicate, they prefer to reject the idea of further autonomy than to the broad syndicates. That is where the Autonomistas, the CGT-FAB, comes in. They push hard the idea of more power to the lowest possible (aka a sort of anarchism), and are often united by seemingly simple demands for workers' rights, contrasting with the Ortodoxos' more... intellectual pursuits.
- "Maximalistas" (MMN): The National Maximalist Movement, they're the Totalists of Brazil, and by far the most internationalist despite their oft-nationalistic rhetoric. They call for a true cleansing of all capitalist residue in Brazil and the Americas, and for spreading the revolution to the world.
Washington Pact
The rump of the 3I, mostly in the Americas, but now firmly under the American thumb. Well, the Brazilians take the lead when America has its isolationist moments, but mostly America is in charge. There's a reason why sometimes it's called the 'Washington-Rio de Janeiro Pact'.
- Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela: Mostly follows Brazil's lead, due to Brazilian forces all but conquering Latin America after a long slog in the 40s, or in the case of Chile, has no authority to oppose Brazil.
- Mexico: Tries to carve itself out as a distinct 'third power' between America and Brazil, but every time it tries, it gets ignored.
- West Indies Federation: Mostly stays to itself, often ignoring calls from Washington or Rio de Janeiro unless it's urgent.
- Icelandic Union: The only part of the Washington Pact that's technically in Europe.
Asian Socialist Union
The Americans and Brazilians say they're the bastion of socialism, but India would disagree. The dominant force in South Asia, it has its own alliance, united around a sort of Third World anti-colonial socialism, and often disagrees with the Americans and Brazilians.
- Republic of India: Led by Chairman Subhas Chandra Bose, his meteoric rise in the Indian civil war, taking over the anti-colonial 'Free India' movement to deliver it to final victory over the British colonists, has made him a much-respected and admired man with anti-colonialists and socialists everywhere. However, his refusal to get India into a wider socialist alliance with the Western Hemisphere as well as his invasion of Burma and Pakistan has coloured that view somewhat. Doubtlessly a controversial figure.
- Socialist Republic of Iran: Not as powerful, not as loud, not as well-known, but still influential all the same when it can be.
- Indochinese Federation: The legacy of Hồ Chí Minh still looms large as his ally Nguyễn An Ninh continues to labour to make Indochina just.
- Nepalese Socialist Republic, Socialist State of Siam: Indian puppet regimes.
- Kurdish Socialist Republic: An Iranian puppet regime.
Cairo Pact
Yes, another "name after city" alliance. How original.
- Sultanate of Egypt: The good Sultan Farouk's power and influence is at its height with him as undisputed 'leader' of the Middle East, and constitutional reforms seem to have staved off any murmurs of republicanism. A republic? In Egypt? How absurd.
- Hashemite Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Syria, Tripolitania, Yemen: Has their own regional tensions, but overall recognises Egypt as big dog.
Other Significant Countries
There are countries not aligned to Moscow, Washington/Rio de Janeiro, Calcutta or Cairo!
- Ching Empire: The Hsuantung Emperor has a charmed life, that everyone can agree on. But as he enjoys his second decade of his reign, can he maintain his independence from Moscow as that country undergoes a change in leadership? And can he deliver on the promises of reform he made to seize power from the Chih-li Clique? And can his rule last? Or will history repeat? So much questions for a regime still cementing itself.
- Serb Republic: Surrounded on all sides by Moscow's allies, Serbia is very very isolated.
- Swiss Confederation: Do not ask where they got all the gold stamped 'property of the French workers' from.
- Republic of Ireland: Keeps its head down and tries to not get noticed, mostly.
- Kingdom of Denmark: Bailed on the Reichspakt once the Second Mirovaya Voyna started, and has managed to stay neutral since.
- Kingdom of Sweden: Never got involved despite their King's wishes otherwise. But it's painfully obvious that it and Denmark are Moscow-aligned.
- Kingdom of Bhutan: Apparently they now have some sort of legislative council?