Reds fanfic
- Thread starter E. Burke
- Start date
So, this was a small idea, I got out of a longer piece (most of which I lost due to complication).
Excerpt from "Edward Teller: Doomsday Architect" by Leonard Grayson (2009)
.... "In addition to his role as adviser for a number of military projects springing up during the 80's, he also took another role for the government: defender of the military build-up policy (unofficially, of course). He made regular appearances on EBC talk shows and political debate programs, to advocate the need for nuclear build-up to fight the "Communist menace," and fought the idea of any disarmament. He soon began to target the growing disarmament campaign, painting them as communist-sympathizers. As it did during the 50's, his tireless advocacy for government nuclear policy earned him the ire of fellow scientists, and Teller had similar disdain for them. When Stephen Hawking was arrested for protesting nuclear weapons in 1984, Teller blasted Hawking, and applauded the government response as "measured" and "respectful". Teller and Hawking would later have an tense televised debate on the uses of nuclear weapons in Cambridge in 1987. Teller also had a long-running feud with space scientist James Lovelock, who had developed the "Gaia Hypothesis", stating the entire Earth was a self-regulating, homeostatic ecosystem[1] , and a strong antinuclear advocate. The two had three televised debates on the BBC between 1987 and 1990, with Lovelock pressuring Teller on some of his statements. In one of the more bizarre episodes of advocacy, he sued the BBC in 1988, claiming that the long delayed anti-nuclear tv film Threads[2] had given him a heart attack.[3]
His activities didn't go unnoticed by his opponents. As Lion rule let up in the late 80's, his public interviews and debates were besieged by protesters, as were his lectures in universities. This emboldened more Franco-British scientists to come out against Teller. The left-wing press dubbed him "Dr. Doomsday", and his opponents only grew stronger, with nuclear winter gaining traction. He also became a target of ridicule in some Franco-British media. He was portrayed by Stephen Fry in The Rowan Atkinson Show, as a man who made outlandish, overly militaristic statements, while satirizing his promotion of non-military uses of nuclear weapons. He was also brutally satirized in Spitting Image, where he is portrayed as thin-skinned and overly emotional. Even the Red sphere was getting in on the act. The 1987 satirical teleplay A Game of War (a look into the Prime Minister (a thinly veiled parody of David Owen[4]and his cabinet during a crisis with the UASR), shows a Teller analogue (called "Dr. Doomsday", appropriately enough as a nickname) as a Dr.Strangelove style eccentric, who speaks cryptically of nuclear war.
[1] I think, my grasp of that particular theory is tenuous.
[2] The delay of that film was actually the focus of that longer piece I mentioned
[3] This is based on him blaming a heart attack on the film The China Syndrome OTL, both because of the film itself and star Jane Fonda's advocacy outside it.
[4] Thanks to @Bulldoggus ' for this list:https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/reds-fanfic.341837/page-267#post-15696046
Excerpt from "Edward Teller: Doomsday Architect" by Leonard Grayson (2009)
.... "In addition to his role as adviser for a number of military projects springing up during the 80's, he also took another role for the government: defender of the military build-up policy (unofficially, of course). He made regular appearances on EBC talk shows and political debate programs, to advocate the need for nuclear build-up to fight the "Communist menace," and fought the idea of any disarmament. He soon began to target the growing disarmament campaign, painting them as communist-sympathizers. As it did during the 50's, his tireless advocacy for government nuclear policy earned him the ire of fellow scientists, and Teller had similar disdain for them. When Stephen Hawking was arrested for protesting nuclear weapons in 1984, Teller blasted Hawking, and applauded the government response as "measured" and "respectful". Teller and Hawking would later have an tense televised debate on the uses of nuclear weapons in Cambridge in 1987. Teller also had a long-running feud with space scientist James Lovelock, who had developed the "Gaia Hypothesis", stating the entire Earth was a self-regulating, homeostatic ecosystem[1] , and a strong antinuclear advocate. The two had three televised debates on the BBC between 1987 and 1990, with Lovelock pressuring Teller on some of his statements. In one of the more bizarre episodes of advocacy, he sued the BBC in 1988, claiming that the long delayed anti-nuclear tv film Threads[2] had given him a heart attack.[3]
His activities didn't go unnoticed by his opponents. As Lion rule let up in the late 80's, his public interviews and debates were besieged by protesters, as were his lectures in universities. This emboldened more Franco-British scientists to come out against Teller. The left-wing press dubbed him "Dr. Doomsday", and his opponents only grew stronger, with nuclear winter gaining traction. He also became a target of ridicule in some Franco-British media. He was portrayed by Stephen Fry in The Rowan Atkinson Show, as a man who made outlandish, overly militaristic statements, while satirizing his promotion of non-military uses of nuclear weapons. He was also brutally satirized in Spitting Image, where he is portrayed as thin-skinned and overly emotional. Even the Red sphere was getting in on the act. The 1987 satirical teleplay A Game of War (a look into the Prime Minister (a thinly veiled parody of David Owen[4]and his cabinet during a crisis with the UASR), shows a Teller analogue (called "Dr. Doomsday", appropriately enough as a nickname) as a Dr.Strangelove style eccentric, who speaks cryptically of nuclear war.
[1] I think, my grasp of that particular theory is tenuous.
[2] The delay of that film was actually the focus of that longer piece I mentioned
[3] This is based on him blaming a heart attack on the film The China Syndrome OTL, both because of the film itself and star Jane Fonda's advocacy outside it.
[4] Thanks to @Bulldoggus ' for this list:https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/reds-fanfic.341837/page-267#post-15696046
Even many frankly reactionary historians admit that the USSR was analogous to the Italian revival for Russia. This all doesn't boil down to the bureaucrat and the 37th.
- His release as we say in Russia - Filkin diploma (something that doesn't matter). The situation of the peasants did not improve, but at the end of the reign began to fight with their own supporters.
- This drunkard shot the parliament, established a presidential dictatorship in Russia, robbed my compatriots and gave the country to the Semibank (the largest oligarchs). Because of him, my brother and I did not go to kindergarten, because they were closed and my parents didn't have money. Yeltsin's cops beat my father was half dead, many of his friends were shot. Do you even know that Yeltsin has one of the lowest ratings among all historical figures in the history of Russia !?
- Here everything is ambiguous. He is the hero of endless anecdotes. At the same time Napoleon of the Russian Revolution, minesteries grew as mushrooms. The bureaucratization of society has reached the maximum possible limits. People have lost all interest in public life. Communism has lost all meaning.
- Don't trust her "enlightenment" - with her the peasants lost all rights.
- Rogue, tyrant and thief. Who already got everyone.
Bookmark1995
Banned
Is there ANY Russian leader who unambiguously brought improvement to the lives of Russians?
As the song says: "Only grandfather Lenin was a good leader, and all the rest are shit, and all the other enemies and such assholes."
With regards to Labour and the monarchy, I think that the Labour mainstream ITTL is probably fairly analogous to the party left IOTL as in the party opposes the existence of the monarchy but doesn't consider it a priority, while the party left considers it a feudal institution that needs to go ASAP whereas while the party right is okay-ish with the institution but wants it reformed as a 'citizen monarchy' or something along those lines.
In other news...
I have arrived in the Franco-British Union... the food is still terrible.
teg
In other news...
I have arrived in the Franco-British Union... the food is still terrible.
teg
Bookmark1995
Banned
I've spoken about this with my contemporaries: Russians have achieved great things (Google, Helicopters, Vodka, Space Travel) but they've never had sane or good leadership. I don't know whether I should respect Russians or just feel sorry for them.
Forced labor in prisons. That sure sounds like my kind of socialism.
Well I mean when you say he was forced to work in projects like construction I don't know any other way to read it.
Bookmark1995
Banned
Well, we have yet to see what prisons are like in the modern day UASR, except references to "rehabilitative kibbutzes". So my guess is the work there is meant to be "rehabilitative" and not for exploitation.
Forgive me if I'm a bit leery of the concept of "rehabilitative" labor for criminals. This is no way an attack against you, I'm just fairly sensitive to the subject.
Bookmark1995
Banned
Oh I am too. But the UASR seems like it would avoid such abuses. I'm not saying they wouldn't do that.
The point of my article was to show how a true socialist society could treat a prisoner better than a capitalist would treat a member of the middle class.
I agree that a real socialist society would, but I'm also pretty sceptical that the systems described in this TL would truly bring communism. Much of it seems like social democracy on steroids. But I feel like I've derailed this thread enough already and I'll save it for the soapbox.
Still love this TL and would prefer to live in the UASR than USA. Love the community around it too.
Lenin - for a catastrophic situation he was a sensible person.
It's not "forced labour" the same way it is in a capitalist system. They are not exploited for their labor (it's even mentioned that there is a paid prison job that he has), but it is meant simply to alleviate and treat the problems, which could've lead them to commit crimes of this sort. It seemed more humane than the current prison system.
Redshank Galloglass
Banned
I realized that I havent exactly been honest with you all. That's mainly because I have a pretty private personal life and I didnt want anybody finding out, but after the whole death and rebirth debacle, I figured it was time to be square with everybody. I also figired some of my stories were unbeleivable for a college age kid.
One, I'm not in college, I'm currently 27. I figured that was pretty obvious since I talked about my cooking career a lot.
Two, the reason I know a bit about modern day military operations is because I was a United States Marine. I was a member of an M1A1 Abrams tank crew.
So that's it. That's what I was secretive about. If anybody is doing a contribution with modern day military stuff and have questions, feel free to ask me.
One, I'm not in college, I'm currently 27. I figured that was pretty obvious since I talked about my cooking career a lot.
Two, the reason I know a bit about modern day military operations is because I was a United States Marine. I was a member of an M1A1 Abrams tank crew.
So that's it. That's what I was secretive about. If anybody is doing a contribution with modern day military stuff and have questions, feel free to ask me.
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Redshank Galloglass
Banned
I have? When did I do that? I dont remember that. I was pretty sure I had bulshitted about being college age to keep my personal life private.
Redshank Galloglass
Banned
TBH I'm pretty wary of forced labor as well, but I cpuld be open to it if it was tested.