Leaders of ATL European Soviet Satellite States

Let's say we butterfly far greater Soviet gains from WWII into existence. The discussion of how is for another thread (and has been very well debated on these boards already), so for the purposes of this one let's just say they managed to somehow 'liberate' all of Europe from the Nazis, and then made a protective invasion of the British Isles (alternately, that Sea Mammal thing works and the USSR lands in early 1946 to destroy the last holdouts of Nazi Europe). However implausible, let's accept that it happened.

Now, who would be the leaders of these new states? For that matter, in the case of Britain and the low countries, would new states take different shapes to the old ones? I can't imagine a Soviet backed country being called the United Kingdom - People's Republic of Britain, perhaps?

'too long, didn't read':

- Applying knowledge of how the Soviets operated in choosing new leaders for their satellites in Eastern Europe, come up with leaders of Soviet satellite states we never saw in OTL
- Eg a French Honecker or British Ceauşescu
- Speculation about names or flags of these states also welcome
- Eg 'People's Republic of Flanders'? 'Socialist Republic of France'?

My own two penneth, on the subject of Britain as that's where my knowledge of Cold War era politicians and figures starts and ends: the Labour Party wouldn't get a look-in. IOTL they were on dangerous ground when it came to Stalin so we can expect Comrades Attlee, Bevan and most certainly Gaitskell to be liquidated or 're-educated' immediately. I think the strong trade union movement and the Communist Party would take over in their stead - Rajani Palme Dutt was a staunch Stalinist who would make an ideal leader, were he not of Indian descent - I think it's stretching the credibility of a Soviet-British regime too far to expect the British worker of the 1940s (however much more enlightened he may be now) to accept such a man in charge. Then again, Stalin was a Georgian...

Other figures I can see gaining prominence as potential leaders are Harry Pollitt (though his breaking of Party line re: the USSR might just make sure he gets an appointment with Dr Beria as soon as the Commissars get off the ferries) and Jack Jones (in OTL a man of fanatical leftist drive and devotion to the power of workers - whatever you might think of the virtue of such qualities - so it's a decent guess that he'd end up working his way through the ranks at some point).

As for my own last question about how states would come about, I honestly wouldn't like to make the call as to whether the British Isles would remain intact. Scotland, Wales and England (and let's not forget Ulster - for the purposes of this thread we can say Ireland is under Soviet rule as well) might be 'liberated' and given separate governments. Feel free to play around with the scenario as much as you like.
 
If there were to be a takeover of all of Ireland, expect them to be sympathetic to the nationalist cause, possibly creating an All-Ireland state and an Ulster Autonomous Whatever.
 
Yes, I imagine the Soviets wouldn't want to fall foul of... well, the whole damned situation. Then again, what if every time there were sectarian clashes the Soviets, 'Republican British' and 'Socialist Irish' simply rolled the tanks in a la Prague or Hungary? Probably a debate for another thread but IMO it might have driven things underground but it wouldn't have solved anything.

Any more candidates for a Soviet satellite Britain? What about as time went on to the 80s, 90s etc?
 
Top