To my esteemed comrade, █████████████████,
It has been brought to my attention, the debate which even now rages in the halls of your noble parliament. No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen and women who speak of their belief in peace, in their desire of an alliance with the Prussians and the Hansa to restore the status quo of Europe. I should hope that you do not find it disrespectful of me if, entertaining opinions very opposite to theirs and living an entire continent apart, I set forth my opinions freely as the elected ruler of a free people. This is no time for ceremony. The question before your people now is of awful moment to your country, and to the entire world. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; it is not a matter of who began the war, but whether freeing a people from their imprisonment is worth the chaos.
It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I know of no way of judging the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know the reason for the Hansa to arm and fortify their borders, for Prussian and French alike to do the same lest it was to conquer the free peoples of the world, to enslave more than they already have. I wish to know why the dictatorships of Europe and the false, capitalist democracy of Scandinavia prepare their armies of oppressors lest it was to end the grand freedom and equality of our socialist experiment, or divide the autonomous territories of the Holy Roman Empire--by the law, the land of a dangerous autocrat, but in truth no less free than you or I--amongst themselves, conscripting their people for war and enslaving them in their factories.
I know of the lies whispered by the Hansa, the pleas for a false-peace by the Prussians. I understand how they must tempt you and brothers and sisters amongst the British people. Trust them not; their words are but a snare to trap your feet. Do not suffer to be betrayed with a honeyed kiss. Ask yourselves how well these petitions comport with their war-like preparations which have darkened the lands of Europe in the past months. Were fleets and armies necessary for a work of love and order? No. Theirs were but tools of subjugation, the weapons of kings and dictators, meant to bring the whole of the world under their heel. I would ask your people, what purpose was it for them to build their armies if not to subdue our own? Had they any enemies in this part of the world, amongst the monarchs and dictators of the continent, save the free people of the Socialist Republic? Any enemies, but the encouragement to rise against oppression, to free themselves from the shackles of capitalism and join their fellow workers in egalitarian utopia?
No.
Could our people have resorted to negotiations, to requests to remove their troops from our borders? Let us not deceive ourselves, my comrade. Even if they had heeded our requests, they would only return to oppressing their people with greater fervor to extract more of their beloved wealth from the already breaking backs of their workers. Or they would do as Prussia has proven they planned all along, seizing the territories of a once fair land, born from the ancient republic of Rome to which we all owe much. And in the likely cases where they had ignored us? We would have been unprepared for their powerful assault, for their seizing of our home, the burning of our towns, the enslavement of our people. In vain, perhaps, we may hope we would have fought them off in time, and that in our victory we could seek reconciliation. But there was never any room for hope, and with the actions of Prussia that has become clear.
If the people of the USSR wish and the people of the world wish to be free, they must preserve those rights for which they have fought for so long. For too long, we had been enslaved, under steppe tyrant, under the autocracy of the czars. They can not abandon the struggle for which they had so long engaged under their monstrous tormentors, leaving them free to ravage the land. No, the only option left was to fight. The only option left to all the free people of the world was to fight, for you and us alike!
They tell us that our actions in attacking the Hansa are evil, that in freeing the people they imprisoned under the system of the bourgeoisie we are in the wrong. They tell us, too, that we are weak, that the armies of Prussia and the Hanseatic Capitalists combined will crush us. Perhaps they are correct. The workers of Russia stand alone against the might of the autocrats of Europe, fighting for the liberation of all. But if the free peoples of the world were to unite, all would change. If the people of Britain and the people of the Soviet Republic were to join their forces and push back the black tide of the capitalist oppressors, the whole of the world could be formed into a grand democracy the likes of which we have never known! All the free peoples of the world, in all their millions, armed with the strength of their cause and the power of their arms are invincible to any force our enemies can send against us!
It is pointless, then, to continue the discussion. Men may cry for peace, but there will be no peace, so long as the cruel autocrats of our world remain in power. The war for our Earth's freedom is begun! The next wind that blows from the north will bring the crash of thundering arms, the cry of the proletariat and the democrat rising against their oppressors and throwing off their chains! The people of the USSR, the brethren of the British, already stand in the field to fight for their liberation! So I ask your people, why do you stand there idle? What do they want? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? For they will come to you, too, in the end. The autocrats will not rest until all free men are chained once more, and yours are no exception no matter how much they may wish.
As for my own people, there is but one path we are willing to take, and but one choice after that we are going to make. The death of the Russian people, or the liberty of the world.
"The USSR's intent? They see the Hanseatic as...something lesser? You believe they're an extremist faction?"
"Rather misguided--who could say. This is what I'm pointing at. The uncertainty of the intent, and as to the extend of how far this intent is valid. For the moment, we shall render aid to everyone present. I am unsure who exactly sent this as it was unsigned, though they are a charismatic group, or daresay the work of one person."
"True, the USSR did rise from...a splintered past. This must be validated and not taken at face value."
The maneuvers of War was left in the War Minister's hands, obviously. Something detached and yet attached to the state's affairs.[/i]
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Topic: Era of Diesel: War of Europeia, Game Thread! (Read 12548 times)