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The Crumbling Colossus
The Sun Rises Yet Again
Chapter 8: The Crumbling Colossus
January 22, 1925
Some time has passed since Britain secured several allies in the Mediterranean to combat France and, when the time came, Germany. Germany once again demanded that Britain and Italy renounce this alliance as well as their one with Portugal or face their wrath and once again the people of Germany, tired of war, agitated against this. Protests against German action in Italy were especially high as memories of the short but bloody fighting that took place in the Alps were still fresh and the people had no desire to return to that state of affairs again. Thus, Germany was forced to not take any meaningful action as the people, although happy with their victory in the Great War, are still angry at the Kaiser and the military high-command for the food shortages that occurred in 1918 due to the British blockade as well as other things in recent years. His weekly audiences with the King are as miserable as ever.
Mosley has been taking it slow in the recent weeks, passing new legislation through Parliament and modernising the army and developing its tactics. The plebiscite in Gibraltar was held and the people voted in favor of British rule. Franco reluctantly handed control over to Britain and in return, British generals, officers, aircraft, volunteers, and resources, both military and civilian, began flooding into Spain. The aid Britain was supplying to Spain had been kept secret and Mosley had successfully convinced Italy and Portugal to send their own volunteers. After this Mussolini said, "There has never been a more doomed cause then the Republican's one." He had also successfully recruited Thomas Lawrence to SIS and Sinclair reported he was gifted when it came to being an insurgent. Fuller had also recently finished setting up his RTD division and had also reached out to several other experts on modern armored and manoeuvre warfare such as Basil Liddell Hart and George Lindsay as well as some more conventional theorists into a separate department designed to develop new military theories on tactical, strategic and operational levels for the entire army. He had also been in limited contact with several military personnel in Germany who felt frustrated at the complete abhorrence to change in the army. Of course, these contacts would not yield much in terms of usable data but some clues as to where to go next might be found.
His weekly audiences with the King are as miserable as ever however and this week's one is scheduled for today as yesterday was especially hectic. Mosley internally groans and heads to Buckingham Palace, stopping to examine the picture of Queen Victoria he keeps in his office, the namesake of his party and ideology. He feels a sense of somberness and looks down in respect and then leaves his office. He reaches Buckingham Palace and heads up to where they usually meet and waits until he is allowed in. Once he enters, he bows his head to the King and atches him sit down.
Oswald Mosley
"Hello Your Majesty."
King George V
"Hello Prime Minister."
Oswald Mosley
"I am glad to announce that Gibraltar is back under British governance."
King George V
"Truly? Well that is most pleasing news."
Oswald Mosley
"This of course came at a price, the General Staff have begun sending equipment and trainers to the Nationalist cause. I believe that this cost is negligible as it is in our interests to curry favour with the winner of this civil war, which I have full confidence they will, as it will give us an ally in Spain."
The King remains silent, staring past Mosley.
Oswald Mosley
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
He doesn't respond, still staring past Mosley. Mosley looks at what the King is staring at, it is a picture of Queen Victoria, similar to the one Mosley has in his office.
King George V
"Today, 23 years ago, dear Grandmamma died. I wonder what she would have thought of a Victorian Government."
Mosley looks at him, genuinely surprised at his statement. Every part of him wants to tell him how she would be proud, but he knows he shouldn't. He remains quiet and the rest of the 20 minutes pass by in pained silence. Mosley bids his farewell to the King. Mosley ponders on this and finds his thoughts incoherent.
With most major matters at home secured, Mosley decides that it was time to go visit the New World. He packed up just like last time with, Kitson, Joyce, and David joining him. Once ready, they head west. The trip to Canada would take about 4 to 5 days. In the meantime, the three work together on a trade deal with Canadians and possibly a state visit to America.
America is in disarray, the current president, Calvin Coolidge, is trying to fix the situation America is in, to little effect. The fall of both Russia and France to communism had galvanised both pro and anti communist ideologies in America, with the pro-communists seeing this as a sign that they could overthrow the oppressive bourgeoisie while the anti-communists saw it as a threat to America and her way of life. Both sides had grown frustrated with the centrists and drifted to their opposite ends. Communist support had grown in the North Eastern Seaboard and the West Coast. Meanwhile the Great Plains and the Deep South grew to favor a strange mix of feudalism and constitutionalism, which advocated for decentralisation and for domestic power to be taken from Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House and to bring it down to local mayors, judges and governors, making each state act like an independent nation within a union, pooling their resources which would materialise in the form of the federal government which they believed was to only be used for national defense, international diplomacy, mediating between states and protecting Americans abroad. They also held other reactionary views such as reviving slavery and despised communists as well as modern liberals and conservatives and demanded the destruction of several federal bureaus and organisations such as the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Investigation. They referr to themselves as Minimalists.
Several clashes have taken place in big cities around the country and although a slim majority of Americans still favored the status quo, the number who did not grew rapidly and soon the man in the White House would not have a D or R next to his name.
Eventually they reached Canada and were met by Mackenzie King and several other officials. The air is tense as media personnel stand waiting to see how they would first greet each other. To their surprise, Mosley extends his hand out to King and they shake in a most courteous manner. All fears of British aggression against Canada have been dispelled. They drive to Ottawa and begin their negotiations for a trade deal. The British negotiate fron a position of strength as their economy is better than the Canadian's. It isn't at pre-depression levels, but it is strong enough to get a favorable trade deal. In order to convince the Canadians, Britain promises to use the Royal Navy to defend the North Atlantic however they stipulated that if they traded with Germany or France, Britain will refuse to let those ships dock in their ports. Canada, desperate for any income, agrees as the deal will help both of their economies. With this done Mosley, decides a visit to America could yield good things for Britain and so sent a telegram to the White House, asking if they could visit. The White House responds with a yes.
With this, they enter their cars and head south, stopping in New York City to rest. While there, they see massive labor riots by communist partisans, with police beginning to violently crack down on them. The city seems to be teetering on the edge of a full blown rebellion. David also meets a woman named Wallis Spencer, an American socialite. David and her hit it off. David has had Freda Ward, a married woman, as his mistress since 1918. Although it wasn't official it is known to almost everyone with two eyes. However, it seems that David enjoys her company far more. It doesn't help that she is in the process of being divorced from her current husband, Earl Spencer Jr.
They rest for several days, leaving as soon as they are ready and arrive in D.C. within hours. In Washington, there are massive protests in the capital over the state of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. Two Italian-born immigrants who held anarchist views. Anarchists and Minimalists are not the same however they worked together when it was convenient, therefore Minimalists across the country took to protest the sentencing of these 2 men to death, as did many communist groups as they also worked with anarchists and also see it as workers being oppressed by the capitalist government. It is one of the rare issues that they agree on, although this does not ease tensions. Their protests, riots and strikes are crippling an already battered America. They meet Coolidge in the White House and eat. Mosley and Joyce speak to Coolidge about American support, even if it was just selling weapon and resources, if another war were to take place in Europe. Coolidge, having been quiet and reserved the whole time, stands up and exclaims that America would not support any European nation at war. This startles all at the meeting and Mosley reassures him that Britain would go her own way, with or without American assistance. This did nothing to relax Coolidge and he asks Mosley and his men to leave immediately, stating that he is a fool to try and do what had ended so disastrously for Britain again. This angers Mosley to the nth degree and he leaves with a choleric temper. They board their ships, head back to Britain, and within 5 days they set foot on the isles once more.
Mosley returns to his quarters to dwell on his next move. The trip to America still angered him. Whatever may come, he believed America was on her way out. They call America "The New Colossus", he found it much more fitting to call her a crumbling one.
The Statue of Liberty, Also Known as the New Colossus, 1925
View attachment 381243
Nicola Sacco(right) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti at Their Trial
View attachment 381244
One of the Many Protests Against Ruling of the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial, 1923
View attachment 381247
An I.W.W Recruiting Poster in New York City, These Posters Are How the Communists Parties in America Gained Members, 1923
View attachment 381245
A Communist Labor Rally, These Strikes Crippled American Industry, 1923
View attachment 381241
A Trio of Minimalist recruits, These Heavily Armed and Well-Trained Militias Are Located Throughout the South and the Great Plains, 1924
View attachment 381246
Calvin Coolidge Meeting a Group of Minimalist Police Officers On Strike, Coolidge Advocated For A Policy of Compromise, 1924
View attachment 381242
Bessie Wallis Spencer, 1925
View attachment 391337
Crown Prince David of Windsor, 1925
View attachment 391335
Chapter 8: The Crumbling Colossus
January 22, 1925
Some time has passed since Britain secured several allies in the Mediterranean to combat France and, when the time came, Germany. Germany once again demanded that Britain and Italy renounce this alliance as well as their one with Portugal or face their wrath and once again the people of Germany, tired of war, agitated against this. Protests against German action in Italy were especially high as memories of the short but bloody fighting that took place in the Alps were still fresh and the people had no desire to return to that state of affairs again. Thus, Germany was forced to not take any meaningful action as the people, although happy with their victory in the Great War, are still angry at the Kaiser and the military high-command for the food shortages that occurred in 1918 due to the British blockade as well as other things in recent years. His weekly audiences with the King are as miserable as ever.
Mosley has been taking it slow in the recent weeks, passing new legislation through Parliament and modernising the army and developing its tactics. The plebiscite in Gibraltar was held and the people voted in favor of British rule. Franco reluctantly handed control over to Britain and in return, British generals, officers, aircraft, volunteers, and resources, both military and civilian, began flooding into Spain. The aid Britain was supplying to Spain had been kept secret and Mosley had successfully convinced Italy and Portugal to send their own volunteers. After this Mussolini said, "There has never been a more doomed cause then the Republican's one." He had also successfully recruited Thomas Lawrence to SIS and Sinclair reported he was gifted when it came to being an insurgent. Fuller had also recently finished setting up his RTD division and had also reached out to several other experts on modern armored and manoeuvre warfare such as Basil Liddell Hart and George Lindsay as well as some more conventional theorists into a separate department designed to develop new military theories on tactical, strategic and operational levels for the entire army. He had also been in limited contact with several military personnel in Germany who felt frustrated at the complete abhorrence to change in the army. Of course, these contacts would not yield much in terms of usable data but some clues as to where to go next might be found.
His weekly audiences with the King are as miserable as ever however and this week's one is scheduled for today as yesterday was especially hectic. Mosley internally groans and heads to Buckingham Palace, stopping to examine the picture of Queen Victoria he keeps in his office, the namesake of his party and ideology. He feels a sense of somberness and looks down in respect and then leaves his office. He reaches Buckingham Palace and heads up to where they usually meet and waits until he is allowed in. Once he enters, he bows his head to the King and atches him sit down.
Oswald Mosley
"Hello Your Majesty."
King George V
"Hello Prime Minister."
Oswald Mosley
"I am glad to announce that Gibraltar is back under British governance."
King George V
"Truly? Well that is most pleasing news."
Oswald Mosley
"This of course came at a price, the General Staff have begun sending equipment and trainers to the Nationalist cause. I believe that this cost is negligible as it is in our interests to curry favour with the winner of this civil war, which I have full confidence they will, as it will give us an ally in Spain."
The King remains silent, staring past Mosley.
Oswald Mosley
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
He doesn't respond, still staring past Mosley. Mosley looks at what the King is staring at, it is a picture of Queen Victoria, similar to the one Mosley has in his office.
King George V
"Today, 23 years ago, dear Grandmamma died. I wonder what she would have thought of a Victorian Government."
Mosley looks at him, genuinely surprised at his statement. Every part of him wants to tell him how she would be proud, but he knows he shouldn't. He remains quiet and the rest of the 20 minutes pass by in pained silence. Mosley bids his farewell to the King. Mosley ponders on this and finds his thoughts incoherent.
With most major matters at home secured, Mosley decides that it was time to go visit the New World. He packed up just like last time with, Kitson, Joyce, and David joining him. Once ready, they head west. The trip to Canada would take about 4 to 5 days. In the meantime, the three work together on a trade deal with Canadians and possibly a state visit to America.
America is in disarray, the current president, Calvin Coolidge, is trying to fix the situation America is in, to little effect. The fall of both Russia and France to communism had galvanised both pro and anti communist ideologies in America, with the pro-communists seeing this as a sign that they could overthrow the oppressive bourgeoisie while the anti-communists saw it as a threat to America and her way of life. Both sides had grown frustrated with the centrists and drifted to their opposite ends. Communist support had grown in the North Eastern Seaboard and the West Coast. Meanwhile the Great Plains and the Deep South grew to favor a strange mix of feudalism and constitutionalism, which advocated for decentralisation and for domestic power to be taken from Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House and to bring it down to local mayors, judges and governors, making each state act like an independent nation within a union, pooling their resources which would materialise in the form of the federal government which they believed was to only be used for national defense, international diplomacy, mediating between states and protecting Americans abroad. They also held other reactionary views such as reviving slavery and despised communists as well as modern liberals and conservatives and demanded the destruction of several federal bureaus and organisations such as the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Investigation. They referr to themselves as Minimalists.
Several clashes have taken place in big cities around the country and although a slim majority of Americans still favored the status quo, the number who did not grew rapidly and soon the man in the White House would not have a D or R next to his name.
Eventually they reached Canada and were met by Mackenzie King and several other officials. The air is tense as media personnel stand waiting to see how they would first greet each other. To their surprise, Mosley extends his hand out to King and they shake in a most courteous manner. All fears of British aggression against Canada have been dispelled. They drive to Ottawa and begin their negotiations for a trade deal. The British negotiate fron a position of strength as their economy is better than the Canadian's. It isn't at pre-depression levels, but it is strong enough to get a favorable trade deal. In order to convince the Canadians, Britain promises to use the Royal Navy to defend the North Atlantic however they stipulated that if they traded with Germany or France, Britain will refuse to let those ships dock in their ports. Canada, desperate for any income, agrees as the deal will help both of their economies. With this done Mosley, decides a visit to America could yield good things for Britain and so sent a telegram to the White House, asking if they could visit. The White House responds with a yes.
With this, they enter their cars and head south, stopping in New York City to rest. While there, they see massive labor riots by communist partisans, with police beginning to violently crack down on them. The city seems to be teetering on the edge of a full blown rebellion. David also meets a woman named Wallis Spencer, an American socialite. David and her hit it off. David has had Freda Ward, a married woman, as his mistress since 1918. Although it wasn't official it is known to almost everyone with two eyes. However, it seems that David enjoys her company far more. It doesn't help that she is in the process of being divorced from her current husband, Earl Spencer Jr.
They rest for several days, leaving as soon as they are ready and arrive in D.C. within hours. In Washington, there are massive protests in the capital over the state of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. Two Italian-born immigrants who held anarchist views. Anarchists and Minimalists are not the same however they worked together when it was convenient, therefore Minimalists across the country took to protest the sentencing of these 2 men to death, as did many communist groups as they also worked with anarchists and also see it as workers being oppressed by the capitalist government. It is one of the rare issues that they agree on, although this does not ease tensions. Their protests, riots and strikes are crippling an already battered America. They meet Coolidge in the White House and eat. Mosley and Joyce speak to Coolidge about American support, even if it was just selling weapon and resources, if another war were to take place in Europe. Coolidge, having been quiet and reserved the whole time, stands up and exclaims that America would not support any European nation at war. This startles all at the meeting and Mosley reassures him that Britain would go her own way, with or without American assistance. This did nothing to relax Coolidge and he asks Mosley and his men to leave immediately, stating that he is a fool to try and do what had ended so disastrously for Britain again. This angers Mosley to the nth degree and he leaves with a choleric temper. They board their ships, head back to Britain, and within 5 days they set foot on the isles once more.
Mosley returns to his quarters to dwell on his next move. The trip to America still angered him. Whatever may come, he believed America was on her way out. They call America "The New Colossus", he found it much more fitting to call her a crumbling one.
The Statue of Liberty, Also Known as the New Colossus, 1925
View attachment 381243
Nicola Sacco(right) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti at Their Trial
View attachment 381244
One of the Many Protests Against Ruling of the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial, 1923
View attachment 381247
An I.W.W Recruiting Poster in New York City, These Posters Are How the Communists Parties in America Gained Members, 1923
View attachment 381245
A Communist Labor Rally, These Strikes Crippled American Industry, 1923
View attachment 381241
A Trio of Minimalist recruits, These Heavily Armed and Well-Trained Militias Are Located Throughout the South and the Great Plains, 1924
View attachment 381246
Calvin Coolidge Meeting a Group of Minimalist Police Officers On Strike, Coolidge Advocated For A Policy of Compromise, 1924
View attachment 381242
Bessie Wallis Spencer, 1925
View attachment 391337
Crown Prince David of Windsor, 1925
View attachment 391335
- Lord_Vespasian
- Word Count: 1.8k