CHARLES E. RUTHENBERG
1931-1934
The father of the Second American Revolution
One cannot discuss the birth of the Federation of American Socialist States without discussing its founder and the circumstances that led him into that position.
Born on July 9, 1882 to a German immigrant family, Charles E. Ruthenberg's political career began in 1909 when he joined the Socialist Party of America. Ruthenberg ran for mayor of Cleveland in 1911; for governor of Ohio in 1912; and for the US Senate in 1914; all without success.
When the United States entered WWI in April 1917, Ruthenberg joined the rest of the Socialist Party in protesting America's involvement, for which he was sentenced to one year's hard labor.
Like all American Marxists, Ruthenberg supported the Boslshevik Revolution in Russia that began in November 1917, having high hopes for the establishment of a socialist state in Russia. These hopes would come to naught, as the initial Bolshevik advantage began to erode after Lenin was assassinated on August 30, 1918, and the Bolsheviks fell to infighting over who to replace him. By 1921, the anti-Bolshevik White faction had managed to establish a constitutional monarchy under Czar Cyril, cousin of the late Nicholas II. The last Bolshevik resistance had finally been crushed by 1923.
Meanwhile back in America, Ruthenberg found himself at odds with the leadership of the Socialist Party, who had begun to expel members who supported the Bolsheviks in an attempt to dodge the Red Scare that was growing in America. Ruthenberg and other like-minded socialists formed the Communist Party of of America in September 1919. The new party quickly attracted people who felt that the old Socialist Party was not radical enough.
At first, the CPA found few receptive ears for its ideology. The rising prosperity of the US after WWI meant that very few paid heed to the CPA's anti-capitalist screeds and promises of a worker's paradise. That all changed on October 29, 1929, the Wall Street Stock Market crashed. Immediately, the American economy went into a tailspin. Employment dropped like a rock as businesses could no longer afford to pay so many workers. The federal government reacted to the crisis by doing nothing, feeling confident that the economy would recover on its own. Many of the newly unemployed gravitated towards the CPA, angry at what they saw as abandonment of the working class by a big business-dominated American government.
On October 29, 1930-the one-year anniversary of the crash-Ruthenberg and other CPA members led a demonstration down Pennsylvania Avenue protesting the inaction of the American government and openly calling for its downfall. The demonstrators were met by armed soldiers, who called for them to disperse "before things got out of hand." Suddenly, a shot rang out, several demonstrators suddenly drew pistols, and a firefight broke out. When it ended, eight demonstrators and two soldiers were dead. Ruthenberg himself got away with a bullet in the right leg. There was no turning back. The Second American Revolution had begun.
Over the next several month, armed workers rose up against the federal and state governments. The federal government under Herbert Hoover did its best to deal with the growing insurrection, declaring martial law and deploying the US Army. But while most of the Army followed the government's will, others defected to the rebels. Also, many WWI veterans joined the uprising. By July 1931, the CPA had managed to unite the rebellion and gain control over much of the US. On August 1, Ruthenberg declared the formation of the Federation of American Socialist States, with himself as the first president. It would take another two years to finally defeat the remaining anti-communist forces. The United States government fled to Hawaii and set up a government-in-exile under Douglas MacArthur in May 1932. The last resistance to the FASS was defeated a year later.
With the old order swept away, Ruthenberg got down to the business of making a socialist state. All businesses that hadn't moved out of the country during the revolution were nationalized and their leaders either imprisoned or forced to submit to the government. The parts of the US Armed Forces that had joined the revolution were made into the American Revolutionary Armed Forces, a single service consisting of army, naval, and air force branches.
Ruthenberg himself would not get to bask in the glory of his victory long. He died on January 29, 1934 of a cerebral hemorrhage. It would be up to his successor to continue his vision and lead the FASS to its role on the global stage...