Could be a option, but they are rather non influential in the colonies, especialy the Italian ones, while the French are mainly strong in French West Africa (Senegal/ Guinea and nearby areas).
Our Soviet Union (USSR)
- Thread starter CountofDooku
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Ah ok but we still need to find a way of influencing Ethiopia without raising suspicion on us and the like.
At least, we may be able to aid the people of Ethiopia against foreign imperialism.
That is a valid point, which connects two things: Soviet operations in Africa and need to have an access to the Indian Ocean, or in other words old geopolitical ambition of both Russian Empire and USSR - a drive for warm water ports. So this is my third and final initiative for this week, similar to initiatives in Balkans - establishing and expanding economic and industrial relations with Persia and Afghanistan - 2 countries strategically located in the south separating USSR from India and the Indian Ocean.
On the topic of warm-water ports, a control of such a port is a vital for national interest of USSR, as Soviet naval and commerical shipping are limited by geography and climate. Free access to the sea is a vital requisite for a modern state, so the quest for an ice-free port is an inevitable part of Soviet foreign policy, geopolitical and economic independence and security will be always depended upon access to the seas.
Warm water outlet to the Indian Ocean is a prerequisite for capturing a fair share of trade with India and the Orient, thereby creating markets essential to the industrial and commercial development of Central Asia. Breaking thorough the southern barrier (Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan) is important because it will allow the USSR to establish a presence in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East area, and from there to project the power throughout the hemisphere. Because the Persian Gulf area is a bridge between Africa and the Indian Ocean basin, establishing a secure foothold there is a critical to the overall improvement of the Soviet global strategic posture.
And the first steps to achieve our geopolitical goals would be as in cases of other states, to establish commercial and economic relations with both Persia and Afghanistan, by modernising and developing both agriculture and industry. But our main goal will always remain the same - to create the co-dependencies between USSR and other countries. As those economic co-dependencies we will sooner or later turn into a political capital, and it will enable to control the fear of losing source of income to allow us to control given country internal and external policies. What is more the whole region, from Turkey to India is more or less controlled by the British Imperial Federation, so it is most imperative for USSR, to establish its own commercial, political and diplomatic presence in the region.
The problem is that there is nowhere in the Indian Ocean that is not either controlled by an imperial power, or is a place of interest to an imperial power.
Expanding our interests there risks drawing the ire of Britain, France or both.
Even if we were to attempt to secure a port in Persia - would they even agree to it?
And even if we were successful, the Gulf of Hormuz is easily blocked by Britain.
Expanding our interests there risks drawing the ire of Britain, France or both.
Even if we were to attempt to secure a port in Persia - would they even agree to it?
And even if we were successful, the Gulf of Hormuz is easily blocked by Britain.
Of course there are valid points, but for now I'm talking only about establishing commercial relations. Gaining a foothold in the Indian ocean is our long time strategy, designed to achieve its goals not right now, but in next 10-15 years, when the balance of power between USSR and the West would be much more favourable to us.
@panpiotr Honestly I'd hold off on looking for warm water ports and going after the Indian Ocean would be a good strategic location but it'll cause us problems than help us as Britain still has it's interest in Persia/Iran for their oil and India being slightly more important for them as well, at least for now.
Also didn't we already promise to British that we'll leave Iran, Afghanistan and India (for now) during one of our previously...?
Also didn't we already promise to British that we'll leave Iran, Afghanistan and India (for now) during one of our previously...?
Spreading Communism
Like with pan-Slavism and other local Nationalist Movements, the Soviet Union attempted their best to also rally the Nordic Scandinavian Unionism behind the banner of Socialism and Communism. The idea of a rebirth of the Kalmar Union, the Scandinavian Unification of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as maybe even Estonia, Latvia and Finland under their banners into a new Scandinavian People's Union was therefore attempted. Other socialists, communists and left-leaning parties/partisans in their respective nations At the same time it was agreed upon finally, that the term limits for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union should be 5 years in total, with the option of a skilled and by the population majority agreed upon candidate to be re-elected as often as the citizens wished to do so and the Soviet People would support them doing so. At the very same time the Soviet Union tried to build up relations and anti-Colonial, anti-Imperial ambitions with nation states in Africa and Asia alike, targeting especially Ethiopia, were they supported local groups who disliked centralization and the ruling kingdom’s monarchy at the same time and hoped for a Democratic People’s Republic of Ethiopia. As a result of Ethiopia lacking any direct access to the Indian Ocean, most trade and supplies had to go trough French Somaliland and the harbor of Djibouti, from were a railroad connected these transports with Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ehiopia. The problem was that beside Guinea the French Left was not participial strong inside the colonies and any trade therefore had to go trough Britain or France, a situation not well suited for long-term independence and security. The problem however was not only an Ethiopian one, as the Soviet Union wished it’s very own access to the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, or Pacific Ocean with an ice-free port for themselves as well. One from where their civil and military fleets could operate the whole year around, but most major ports fitting their needs would also bring them into direct conflicts with other nearby major global powers controlling them. At the same time the Soviet Union tried to economically, as well as later diplomatically and military gain influence in some of the smaller neighboring nation states with access to a warm-water port, to either lease those directly, or gain access by allying them. Especially the region around Persia, Afghanistan and neighboring country states while not officially part of the British Empire was for economic and strategic reasons still part of the Sphere of Influence of the British Imperial Federation.
Isolationism is still strong without Pearl Harbour the Americans might be much less willing to go to war overseas, unless some other power majorly threatens them otherwise.
So... we're gonna need to deal with the militarism in Germany and Japan before they cause problems for us...
@CountofDooku So what is the current stance and atitude of Britain towards recent Soviet expansion on several fronts: Northern and Southeastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and Horn of Africa?
I don't know if we can do anything about Japan, but sure we can influence Germany as their only ally and most important trade partner. We could try to mediate between France and Germany (of course without any British involvement), as we also seem to be closer to France recently, as our foreign diplomatic focus shifted to France from Italy, after what Mussolini did to Italian communists.
True but we should make sure that Japan doesn't attack the US, I'm all for mending wounds between France and Germany like reduce the war reparation as it'll counter the right wing parties in both sides but we should secretly return or support anti-British sentiment both Germany and France as it'll weaken British influence and chance of gaining allies in mainland Europe.
Very good points, as for Japan I think that the US is not their main priority anymore, as united China under Wang is much bigger threat to Japan in my opinion. So I would expect 2nd Sino-Japanese war to happen, which would leave no resources for Japan to fight USA and TTL's China at the same time.
bob e
Banned
Stalin's politics are basically the exact same as Lenin's. Lenin even started to think about the divide between third world nations and first world nations that would inform the focus of Stalin's development on building the USSR up from a backwards country into a modern industrial nation.
That could help us quite a lot as we already signed a sort of guarantee agreement with Wang's China so we could get* revenge for 1905 and with our Japanese socialist/communist hidden bases in Northern Japan (which grew from former Japanese immigrants returned from our nation) to sabotage their industry.
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They are suspicious/ nervous and keep a close eye on that, but as long as it is between sovereign nations not much they can do so far.
Japan wasn't hellbent on going fascist and nationalist either, had the military for it's taking action recieved shamefull losses and defeats instead of gaining Manchuria and other regions the elected government might have had a chance to reign them in again especialy if their actions were not very benefitial to Japan and it's people overall. With a united China the military might be more inklined to strike South, North or destabilize China from inside again instead of taking to direct actions against China alone (as long as it is to united behind one banner that is).
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germany is mostly our aly at this point and japan is neuterd by its defeet in china