บท 106: Victory and Loss (July-September, 1921)
Urals Offensive]
After months, the Ural Offensive of General Aleksey Brusilov and other loyalist commanders against the rebel forces of the Directorate of Admiral (or Supreme Leader) Alexander V. Kolchak, comes to an end on September 4, 1921.
Eventually the loyalist troops (supporting the Premiership of Iosif V. Stalin) overcame the rebel troops, marking their dominance over the eastern parts of the Ural mountain range and a much more favorable border with the Central Siberian Clique.
With this important defeat forcing the reorganization of the Central Asian forces, the detour on the Kolchak Directorate is completely solidified.
Troops from the Far East to the east, troops from Europe to the west, and troops from Central Asia to the south, with no way out through the north.
The Urals Offensive, the Far Eastern campaigns and the conflict in Central Asia resulted in decisive victories for the loyalist forces of the Russian Civil War.
And thus the political center of the Directorate was under siege (even more than before).
It was not yet the end of the Russian civil war, but it was an important step towards the victory of the loyalist forces over the rebels of the Directorate.
The next step in the offensive against the rebels, developed by Brusilov and other members of the government and the General Staff, was the conduct of a series of shorter and faster campaigns on the Tobol, Ishim, Irtysh and Ob rivers.
If the Directorate forces were defeated during their retreat and re-organization in the Robol and Ishim river campaigns, the loyalist forces would gain an important footing for the capture of the city of Omsk (near the Irtysh river).
In the event that Omsk fell but the Directorate forces continued to function, the loyalist forces would carry out a greater campaign between the Irtysh and Ob rivers for the capture of probably the last centers of rebel power (Tomsk and Novosibirsk).
Almost immediately after the end of the Ural Offensive, the Legitimist troops began their campaigns towards the Tobol and Ishim rivers, commanded especially by Brusilov.
Advancing on Siberia had its difficulties for various reasons, such as geography or rebel defense (which although it had its organizational problems, it also had its successes).
However the Loyalist troops were able to successfully march on the tributaries of the Tobol (Tavada, Iset and Miass), capturing the rebel cities of Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen, consuming in the process the western parts of the Ishim River, between the 4th and the 10th. of September.
After this however, the loyalist advance had to stop briefly before restarting operations for numerous reasons.
Strategic reorganization and resource management, among others.
In the Directorate, the approach of loyalist forces so close to the 'capital' and the skirmishes of loyalist forces on the borders were causing notable instability, which Kolchak would have trouble solving in time.
At the end of September and on October 1, the legitimist march towards the city of Omsk would restart.
*[Death of Tsesarevich Nicholas]
Death does not distinguish between socio-economic classes, culture or politics, or on any subject.
Death eventually comes to all humans, and in the Russian Civil War, many people (sons and daughters of Russia, with the 'right' to die for the Motherland) died between both sides, regardless of origin or creed.
Between September 4 and 12, Tsesarevich Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanov was Missing In Action (MIA).
On September 13, shortly before the end of the Tobol and Ishim rivers campaign, it was confirmed that Tsesarevich Nicholas was Assassinated In Action (KIA) in the service of the loyalist forces of the Russian Empire, at the age of 24.
One of the few members of the Romanov dynasty who has died in combat against enemy forces (lesser members of the dynasty had already died before, for example in the Russo-Turkish war of 1876).
The news reached the capital shortly after the end of the offensives of the loyalist forces, who were preparing for the next assault.
After a ceremony in the city of Tyumen (where the body of Tsesarevich was found), the body of the former heir to the Russian Empire was sent to European Russia to receive a state burial according to his position.
The Fifth Unit of Artillery, in the Urals Offensive under the command of officer Konstantin Rokossovsky and of which the Tsesarevich was a part, has a particular monument in the city of Tyumen (the unit had basically been completely annihilated during the offensive, after the death of Tsesarevich).
"Long live the Fifth Unit.
Long live the Fifth Unit.
That will cover us with glories.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
That will cover us with glories.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
We fight against traitors.
We fight against traitors.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
Mercenaries and backstabers.
Mercenaries and backstabers.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
Our army crossed the river the other night.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
Our army crossed the river the other night.
Oh my motherland.
Oh my motherland.
And the treacherous forces were beaten. "
-Short excerpt from a poem in honor of the Fifth Unit and the Tsesarevich, named Oh my Motherland.
MichaelssonGeorge1931.jpg
Photo of the Tsesarevich Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanov in early 1921.
*******
[Imperial House]
*[Perspective]
Tsar Nicholas II had thoroughly cleaned his office.
Looking for belonging after belonging. That fragile thing had been removed, in case the emperor had ... problems (there were already some objects broken by the emotional problems of the emperor at the moment).
Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov, as a person, had already dealt with death and was no stranger to it. He had seen people near and far from him die, his hand could command the death of hundreds of thousands or millions of people.
And on many occasions, the emperor would not hesitate about death.
But similar to the death of Tsar Alexander III, the death of Tsesarevich Nicholas Nikolaevich was ... different.
The emperor had lost his son, his eldest son, and this had left the emperor with a void that was difficult to fill.
Added to his own grief, Emperor Nicholas no longer knew what to say to the Empress Elena about the death of Tsesarevich Nicholas.
The death of King Nikola I of Montenegro seemed simple by comparison...
There was some kind of throbbing pain and aching sound in Nicholas's head.
The emperor was sensitive and easily irritable in this part of his life.
His second son, Mikhail Nikolaevich, was not helping the emperor's mood.
"Now you are my heir, and I hope you act like one!" Tsar Nicholas II yelled at Grand Duke (now Tsesarevich) Mikhail Nikolaevich.
"Calm down old man!" Mikhail yells in response.
Father and son were not happy, the voice was rising and the Tsar had squeezed Grand Duke-Tsesarevich Mikhail's wrist tightly.
"Nicholas, stop." Empress Helena intervened.
For a time the fights between Nicholas II and Mikhail Nikolaevich became more acute and followed, the new Tsesarevich had to remain in Moscow for his safety, but his new position and life went against everything he wanted ( a much more libertine lifestyle).
Fights occasionally led to physical injuries, although generally Empress Helena could stop the fight before this happened.
Mikhail Nikolaevich became an alcoholic as a result of the death of his older brother and problems with his father.
Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duke Cyril were somewhat more mature than young Sergei or even his older brother (Mikhail), premature death in this way was not the end they expected for Nicholas Nikolaevich.
Grand Duke Sergei was 15 years old, the death of Nicholas Nikolaevich was an important event.
*
The death of Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanov meant that Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov, second son of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Helana of Russia, became heir apparent and Tsesarevich.
Which was problematic for a number of reasons, including Tsesarevich's personality and relationship with other parts of the royal family, and the Russian state.
Nicholas Nikolaevich was not a ruler, but he knew how to stay still and let others do the work. The rake Mikhail was much more incompetent, he did not know how to shut his mouth in some moments and he was a nuisance to the Russian state.
The tsar was notably displeased with the unprofessional behavior of his new heir.
Except for the fights, Nicholas Alexandrovich, as a father, tried to give Mikhail some space so that he will heal the loss of his brother, but the Tsar also NEEDED to give him a discipline to mature in his new position.
Contradictory positions in which neither of them were happy.
It was clear that if Mikhail continued like this, something should be done with him and his position as heir to the Russian Empire ...
*[Annex] In terms of the Russian civil war, the loss of the Tsesarevich was a severe blow to both forces, for different reasons.
But it was especially so for the declining Directorate during that time.
*******
[Rocketry: Suborbital Rocket by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]
September 8, 1921.
The Russian Empire launches an important advance in various issues, mainly the field of rocketry. Marking the beginnings of important advances, which would eventually lead man into space.
In his time Tsar Alexander III had begun to promote the factual sciences, and in the process began to promote the work of one of the fathers of international rocketry (and father of Russian rocketry), Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.
After so many years of work in 1921, Tsiolkovsky and various Russian scientists, now supervised by Tsar Nicholas II, launched the first test of the "Kaluga-1" (Калуга-1) rocket.
In essence, the Kaluga-1 rocket is the ancestor of long-range ballistic missiles and space programs (Russian, American, European) that would arrive decades later.
The first flight of a Kaluga-1 turned out ... Positive, but still inconclusive and still too expensive for the time.
It is true that the device took off and produced positive results in its first moments of flight, but there was still much to advance and improve in the design of the Kaluga series (after the Kaluga-1 other rocket models such as the Kaluga-2 or the Kaluga -X).
And even with these failures, it was a historic moment, the first rockets had proven results and would continue to advance remarkably in the period 1921-1931.
Scientific communities in other parts of the world were of notable interest.
Russia kept the Kaluga rocket production facilities and know-how as a top state secret in its Closed Cities. Mostly without leaks to the outside.
However in the mid-20s, foreign countries could start their own rocket programs, seeing the results of the Russian Civil War.
And it is that after the first flight of the Kaluga-1, although there was still work, they had some usefulness.
The legitimist government used them as a weapon of terror or VERY specific, against the rebel forces.
The rockets travel at high speed, hit without audible warning and were proven de-facto unstoppable, as there was no existing defense against them in 1921.
The combat tests were expensive, and served primarily as a propaganda or psychological weapon against the Directorate rebels (from this the Kaluga-1 gets its nickname of "Retribution Weapon").
However, they proved costly and there were several design flaws during the Russian civil war, which made the Kaluga-1 model a long-term failure (or so the Russian authorities considered it).
Even with these major failures of the Kaluga-1 (natural, considering it was the first in the Kaluga rocket series, not yet fully perfected), Tsar Nicholas II continued to invest in rocketry research within the Russian Empire.
Tsiolkovsky was in his 60s and getting old, but he was able to continue minor duties as a teacher and assistant in exchange for a pension for the rest of his life.
Tsiolkovsky in essence, during the period 1921-1935, would be a mentor to future figures in Russian rocketry and the Russian space program.
The main action of Tsar Nicholas II was the founding of the Group for the Study of Reactive Motion (Группа изучения реактивного движения / Gruppa izucheniya reaktivnogo dvizheniya, ГИРД) or also called Group for the study of Rocket Propulsion Systems.
GIRD, for its acronym in Russian.
This GIRD would be under the authority of a new Reaction-Engine Scientific Research Institute (Реактивный научно-исследовательский институт / Reaktivnyy nauchno-issledovatel'skiy institut, РНИИ / RNII development field), and would be dedicated to the field of missiles and development of RNII. mechanics associated with these fields.
Also the GIRD and the RNII would be in charge of the training of scientists for these programs of the Russian Empire.
One of the examples of the successful results of the GIRD would be Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, in the future, one of the main directors of the Russian space program (but we would be getting too far ahead).
*******
[State Duma of the Russian Empire]
September 30, 1921, even though Tsar Nicholas II was wounded by the death of Tsesarevich Nicholas, there was still a lot of work to do.
Even after the death of the Tsesarevich and the official mourning, the state apparatus kept turning. The state had to keep turning, there was a war that continued (for the moment) and many changes that were not going to wait.
Tsar Nicholas II, Premier Iosif Stalin and the Fourth (IV) Duma, formally opened the new Building of the State Duma of the Russian Empire, located in one of the central areas of Moscow (Manezhnaya Square), capital of the Russian Empire.
The design of the building was done mainly by Vladimir Alekseyevich Shchuko and Vladimir Georgievich Helfreich, with a style that mixed various elements ('severity', geometrism, laconic forms and monolithic appearance).
Elements that would be the basis for the theories of architects and artists such as Alexander Alexandrovich Vesnin and Moisey Yakovlevich Ginzburg from 1923 to 1931.
The new building had space for the 2,491 deputies of the State Duma and the 1,222 members of the National Congress of the Russian Citizens, which Tsar Nicholas II and his allies planned to implement in various reforms during the Russian civil war (and immediately after) .
Today the Duma is one of the largest parliaments-legislative assemblies in the world.
* Fun Facts: Architects Iosif Langbard and Boris Mihailovich Iofan worked on the building under orders from Schuko and Helfreich. Langbard and Iofan would achieve national recognition from 1931 onward for their new architectural movements.
Later, the Belarusian-Russian sculptor, Zair Isaakovich Azgur, would add various reliefs and other aesthetic elements to the building.
db6ecadca60af8daab1a42a846f48433.jpg
Building of the State Duma of the Russian Empire in Manezhnaya (Moscow, capital of the Russian Empire), modern times.
*[Perspective]
After a few smiles, Tsar Nicholas II had returned to his frown.
The tsar had never been a particularly festive person, but now his appearance was quite marked by a constant ... severity.
"It was a good first impression." Premier Stalin exclaims, still next to the Tsar outside the building. Journalists and deputies were inside for preliminary examinations and interviews.
"Yes I think so." Tsar Nicholas II indicates calmly, glancing at the front of the building and then descending a few steps.
"Your Highness, I understand that you need your mourning ...". Stalin indicates with some concern.
"Have you ever lost a child?" Nicholas II questions in a brief slip of annoyance.
"No, but I am not exempt from loss. We have all lost family and friends." Stalin responds. "It is not an excuse to forget or a reason to completely let go of the pain, but it shows that there are always alternatives." The Premier indicates, the tsar was silent for a few moments and regained his calm.
"You're right." Tsar Nicholas sighs. "I heard you lost a partner in Latvia."
"Yes, Kirov and I called him Artyom, but his real name was Fyodor Sergeyev. He died fighting alongside the forces of Vācietis" Stalin narrates calmly. "Fyodor had a newborn son named Artyom. I have adopted him."
"I'm sorry for your friend, I'll send a note to his widow later." Tsar Nicholas II tells the Premier. "I hope your family does well."
"I wish you the same. Now we better continue." Premier Stalin exclaims "Would you like to hear a joke?"
"Sure." Tsar Nicholas II accepts, speaking and arguing a little more with Stalin. While he [Stalin] was not always the most sociable, he was very cultured person and capable of giving an excellent talk.
*******
[International]
* [Chinese Civil War]
Since its founding, the Republic of China has never been a particularly stable country, politically, economically or socially speaking, as a result of various factors (mainly around the decline and fall of the Qing dynasty, plus a notable sum of foreign intervention, such as the Russian invasion-intervention in northern China).
Because of this it is not surprising that there was a lot of civil conflict within the ROC, especially after it lost traditional power centers like Beijing.
The civil war that was being lived at this time was rooted in ideological and personal conflicts, of the remnants of the Kuomintang (KMT) or groups formerly affiliated with the Kuomintang, who had united against the Qing dynasty:
* Wang Jingwei headed the Center-Right KMT, based in the city of Nanking.
* Chen Jiongming led the nicknamed 'Black KMT' or Anarchist KMT, essentially anarchist troops.
* Liao Zhongkai headed the Left KMT, based in the city of Wuhan.
On July 1, 1921 there is an important development in this conflict, which went a bit unnoticed in its beginnings. The Communist Party of China (CPC) is founded.
The CPC is the result of the convergence of Chinese Marxists and foreign aid, more specifically Hendricus Josephus Franciscus Marie Sneevliet (usually better known as Henk Sneevliet) from Indonesia and other efforts of the international communist movement.
The main leaders of the CPC were Chen Duxiu (co-founder and First Secretary General of the CPC) and Li Dazhao (co-founder and notable organizer).
Soon thanks to the efforts of Li Dazhao and Liao Zhongkai, the CPC-Left KMT alliance was formed, a leftist front against the rest of the factions of the Chinese civil war.
In response, Wang Jingwei bet even more on right-wing politics, and Chen Jiongming tried to get federalists to join his anarchist faction (with some limited success).
The Left KMT alliance with the CPC would be an important point in the history of the Republic. Similar to the old civil wars, alliances are always useful, but there is always the question of what will happen next ...
*******
July 6, during this complicated interwar period, the civil war in the Philippines finally comes to a 'satisfactory' end, at least for one side.
The dictator Gregorio del Pilar and the nationalist armed forces have managed to capture much of the leadership and common members of the rival factions (such as Isabelo de los Reyes's socialist-syndicalists, Muslim separatists, etc.).
With this de-facto guerrilla activity ends, and power is consolidated around the 45-46-year-old dictator. Gregorio del Pilar proceeds to a plan to rebuild and modernize the country, which will later receive strong help from the British sphere and American capitalists.
* In the process there are massacres against many Japanese still present in the Philippines.
Paramilitary groups led by the New Order (an Italian organization led by Togliatti, Mussolini and Gramsci) continue to form, with the aim of forming a militant civil organization against President Amadeo Bordiga.
July 10, the Iberian anarchists try to organize demonstrations against the new government of the Union of Iberian Socialist Republics, however it does not turn out particularly well due to the history of defeat after defeat of the Iberian anarchists.
July 11, the money the United States spends on its navy during the Ford administration increases under a new law.
By the end of America's 'Fordist' period, US government spending on its navy had doubled, from $ 496 million to $ 992 million.
Not always money well spent but at least it was something.
July 17, in the Chinese civil war the anarchist forces of Chen Jiongming take control of the southern provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong.
Unfortunately this "Free Territory" of the Anarchists does not last long together. Anarchist control over Guangxi falls shortly thereafter and Chen Jiongming only maintains Guangdong (for the time being).
Chen Jiongming's Black KMT is mainly engaged in warfare, carrying out border skirmishes against its neighbors (other factions of the civil war or neutrals), in addition to other actions such as looting and pseudo-slavery (forced labor camps and other activities that use the local population under the control of anarchist groups that have replaced the old local landowners).
And in essence it is as if this part of the Republic of China is kept under a feudal system that claims to be 'Anarchist'.
During this time, with the founding of the CPC, the various factions clashed not only in a military career, but also in an ideological career.
Most of the factions involved are declaring themselves as the legitimate heirs of Sun Yat-sen and the republican revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty.
July 18, new vaccine programs are remarkably successful in the People's Republic of France, whose medical development begins to attack diseases such as tuberculosis.
July 21, the popularity of a political union (unification of both countries) between Serbia and Montenegro is on the rise after the death of King Nikola I of Montenegro and the abdication of his successor, Prince Danilo (who left his young nephew Michael as king).
July 23, President Henry Ford goes on a camping trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains with great business-political leaders of the United States (such as Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, members of the Rockefeller family, Prescott Bush and others).
This with the purpose of discussing economic proposals for the United States of America.
July 25, the European Socialist Union continues to deepen its cooperation and economic-political association.
* [Succession in the People's Republic of France]
July 28, 1921, the President of the People's Republic of France, Jules Guesde (birth name Jules Bazile) dies as a result of a stroke.
With this, elections are held within the People's Republic of France for the election of a successor.
Among the main candidates were Albert Thomas (Director of the Economic Planning Commission of the People's Republic of France), Pierre Semard (President of the state unions of the People's Republic of France) and Paul Faure (for years, minister and secretary of the administration Guesde).
Finally Paul Faure was victorious.
Soon Paul Faure gave certain turns to the Guesde administration, promoting various political and economic reforms.
* Weakening of the Economic Planning Commission of the People's Republic of France, causing state supervision of the economy to weaken.
* Thousands of political prisoners and people serving time in forced labor camps were released, and some of these were even re-enabled within the institutions of the Communist Party of France.
Most notable was André Léon Blum, who became an ally of Faure in this period of 'Liberalization' of the People's Republic of France.
* Although Faure sold himself as less authoritarian than Guesde, he quickly attacked or imprisoned his opponents, such as Albert Thomas (sent to a mental asylum, essentially a confinement).
He mainly targeted the hardliners of the Guesde administration, Syndicalists and the like.
* Faure also promoted moderate-nationalist policies, under a mild Marxist rhetoric. He attacking for example old Guesde policies such as the 'revival of native cultures' or nativization, on the territory of the People's Republic of France.
* Faure also promoted better relations with Bordiga's Italy, while being cold to most of the European Socialist Union and its performance.
He soon encountered criticism from hard-line communists from all parts of Red Europe.
This change of government was a headache in Red Europe, with important consequences.
The Free Republic of Germany, the New Order of Italy and various parts of the Iberian Union harshly criticized Faure, who now a moderate-nationalist could no longer bear the communists so much and was approaching the reformist Bordiga.
Various groups inside and outside France planned how to get Faure and Blum out of the People's Republic of France.
*******
July 29, Anton Drexler joins the Red-Black Front of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen and the Strasser brothers (Gregor and Otto Strasser).
July 30, after their camping trip, private pressure groups (think tanks) such as the Council on Foreign Relations (organization dedicated to American foreign relations) continue to gain popularity and influence in Fordist America, especially among non-Democrats. -reformists and parts of the National Republican Party.
In general, because the American oligarchy of Fordist America begins to gain more ground than they already had in the political arena, and because of Ford's attacks on American traditional-democratic institutions.
August 1, the underground communist and anti-colonialist movement in South Africa (Imperial Federation), concludes its first congress, leading to the founding of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).
While White Labor in South Africa and other states of the Imperial Federation have been seriously wounded or completely defeated, South Africa has peculiarities that allow for a longer-lived underground native resistance movement.
Despite this, the history of the struggle in South Africa is very long and the suffering is remarkable until the late 20th century.
The number of Imperial Federation troops in Morocco and Algeria increases considerably, and with this the preparation of British North Africa for WW3.
President Henry Ford officiates the 300th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims in North America in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
On the same day the Ford administration gives a loan of 5 million dollars to Liberia.
August 3, the harvest in the American High Plains worsens as a result of the Dust Bowl in the region, the United States Department of Agriculture does not have many solutions at the moment.
In general, due to the administration's strong urban and industrial focus, the rural and agricultural environment was largely ignored (attempts at improvements in agriculture generally did not go too far or did not yield results fast enough).
The agricultural sector was stagnant and high prices hit the market hard. The food situation in parts of the United States became problematic.
President Amadeo Bordiga of the Federative Socialist Republic of Italy tries to negotiate with L'Ordine Nuovo of Togliatti, Mussolini and Gramsci.
Gramsci was a delegate to the talks, but the schism between the groups was very notable. L'Ordine Nuovo was uncompromising and demanded concessions that the reformists did not want to give.
So the talks led to nothing, and the troubles within the Italian parliament continued.
August 4, there is the first sending of a message by fax between the United States and the Home Islands of the Imperial Federation.
The technology, although novel, would take a while to become popular or mainstream (around the late 1940s and early 1950s).
August 6, Mosfilm releases the film King Kong during the Russian Civil War.
August 7, due to the civil war in the Home Islands and the establishment of martial law, the number of political prisoners and 'hostages' under the authority of the State Council increases considerably.
Opponents of the British regime, specifically the British National Liberation Army, carry out 'Operation Little Bird' and 'Operation Star'.
* Operation Pajarito: Operation Pajarito was a BNLA operation for the kidnapping of servers and public figures of all kinds, reaching so high as to be able to capture large corporate bosses or service directors in the country.
For months, BNLA members managed to avoid the authorities and keep these hostages hidden.
* Operation Star: Operation Star was a BNLA operation for the release of more than 100 prisoners from the custody of the British authorities, engineered by a civil engineer allied to the movement and other militants.
The operation was a success, but the 106-111 released fell back into the hands of the authorities shortly thereafter.
August 11, after a conflict with the traditional conservative-liberal wings of the Democratic Party (which promote the alliance with the National Republican Party), the politician Theodore Roosevelt III (son of the American writer and adventurer Theodore Roosevelt) and his followers of the reformist faction, they leave the Democratic party.
Roosevelt III joins the moderate wing of the S-CPUSA (Socialist-Communist Party of United States of America), where he becomes one of its most notorious politicians, being more of a Social Democrat than a Socialist or Communist.
August 13, alcohol-related crime continues to increase in the United States of America.
We speak especially of the smuggling of alcohol into or into the USA, after the law that prohibits the production-sale of alcohol began.
August 14, earthquake in Massawa (Eritrea, Ethiopia Empire) with a magnitude of 6.1.
The first reports give surprising results, the cultural projects of the Free Republic of Mexico have had remarkable results in the protection and expansion of endangered Native American languages and cultures.
The autonomy that these tribes have in the Mexican federal system is also remarkable.
The vice president (and for now heir apparent) of Pancho Villa, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, celebrates this date by giving a speech in the Yucatec Maya language.
August 16, King Peter I of Serbia dies, which means the rise of his son, Prince Alexander, as Alexander I of Serbia.
Alexander I had problems attending the same funeral of his father, due to complications in his recovery related to an operation for appendicitis.
Alexander I can only give his oath of ascension to the throne on August 22, and he does it from a hospital bed.
August 19, around this time, in the United States of America, almost all the railroads in the country are owned by only 4 large companies and a few dozen medium-sized companies.
Unrelated public transportation to private hands is almost non-existent in the country.
Death of Prime Minister Dimitrios Rallis, who is succeeded in his position in the Greek Dictatorship of the Peloponnese by his son Ioannis Rallis.
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry is born.
* [Battle of Blair Mountain]
The American workers had it quite difficult during these times, the United States was very polarized and there were political, economic and social problems that made the situation in the region very difficult.
An example of this was the Coal Wars, between workers and companies, which struck mainly regions near the Appalachians.
One of the great examples of the struggle between different classes in the United States occurs on August 25, 1921, which begins the Battle of Blair Mountain.
Charles Francis "Frank" Keeney Jr, Fred Mooney, and William H. Blizzard (better known as Bill Blizzard) became leaders of the pro-syndicalist miners of Logan County, West Virginia.
And they actively fought to end the anti-union laws and methods that governed the region, mainly due to the influence of the companies that ran the coal industry.
Bill Blizzard in particular (since Keeney and Mooney had to leave the county under pressure), led and organized the armed march of 20,000 pro-Unionist miners from the region, doing what would become the Battle of Blair Mountain.
On one side were the more than 10,000 miners under Blizzard (known as 'rednecks', left-leaning militants) and on the other side were the private forces of the region's coal operators, which numbered between 3,000 and 6,000 men and collaborators ( anti-unionization workers).
These private-collaborationist forces hired planes to drop homemade bombs on the miners and their positions, dropping a combination of poison gas and explosive bombs left over from the Second Great War.
One of the most forgotten crimes committed on American soil in history.
And this occurred in practically the largest uprising in the United States since the civil war of 1861-1865, and one of the largest labor uprisings before 1924-1933.
This had a huge impact on his time, and to some extent continues to influence culture today.
Militant S-CPUSA forces mobilized or supported the miners from the Battle of Blair Mountain during the brief conflict, many of them trained by veterans like Smedley Butler himself.
Liberals and conservatives in American politics, the Democrats and National Republicans, increased their reactionism like never before.
Many thought that this was the possible start of a socialist-communist revolution in the United States.
On September 2, President Henry Ford sent more than 27,000 federal troops to quell the workers' uprising, and increase repressive measures against the syndicalist proletariat and the S-CPUSA.
The battle between the operators and the federal troops against the Rednecks lasted until September 7, with more than 200 miners killed and around 2,000 incarcerated, including Bill Blizzard.
The Ford administration was furious, and used this to escalate repressive policies that ultimately attacked the political success of the S-CPUSA in the period 1924-1932.
The control and influence of the FBI in political matters against internal problems increased considerably, under the leadership of John Edgar Hoover, who would be an important piece in the Democratic-NatRepublican apparatus against certain threats.
It was clear that Blair Mountain was another important division in the United States of America, there was support and public anger against the Ford presidency and the S-CPUSA.
Some abandoned ship, while others radicalized further to the right or to the left.
Bill Blizzard was put in prison in federal custody for "treason."
Smedley Butler and other Rednecks militants would create in 1924, in response to the Redneck Justice Army, an army for 'social justice', which became very popular for its support of syndicalization, civil rights and the Second Great War Veteran's benefits (after the presidency of Champ Clark, the situation of these veterans was quite negative).
Partly in response, militant right-wing groups such as William Dudley Pelley's Silver Legion, the KKK, radical conservative Christians such as Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (also part of the Silver Legion), and other groups increased.
There was also growing conservatism in parts of the military, such as that of a young Harry S. Truman (Army), Charles Augustus Lindbergh (Air Force) and allies. After the Blair Mountain incident, Truman would pursue a deeper military career due to the impact of the battle in the nation (Truman's talent led him to being coronel in 1925, and from there, onwards).
*******
August 31, large numbers of Australians get involved in the Home Islands conflict on the side of the State Council (dominated by the Social Aristocracy) and King-Emperor Edward VIII.
September 2, the first female diplomatic ambassadors in modern history take office during this decade.
Russia, Red Europe, and the Free Republic of Mexico continue to advance these feminist aspects of the time.
September 4, the population of semi-wild and wild elephants in the United States continues to grow considerably.
With the civil war in the Home Islands, the Third Anglo-Afghan War reaches an uncomfortable point, British troops continue to fight against tribal forces, candidates for monarchs and Islamists, but with problems their capital is complicated.
The Afghan forces make some progress, but the war is not yet close to over (especially with the British Raj remarkably close to supporting the British forces against the Afghans).
September 5, the central government of the Imperial Federation (now de-facto the State Council, the Prime Minister and the King-Emperor) attacked the rebels, comparing them to the followers of Oliver Cromwell and socialists.
It has some success, in the mentality of the time.
September 8, problems of access to fuel and food occur for ordinary civilians during the civil war in the Home Islands, Imperial Federation.
The central government receives supplies from the other states of the country and British colonies, but the logistics chains are in trouble and the anti-dictatorship groups do not have this help from abroad.
September 9, the National Republican Party's alliance with far-right groups solidifies, one of the most scandalous acts for modern sensibilities would be its defense of the KKK and increased public censorship (intended to harm opponents of the political order created by the alliance of the National Republican Party and the Democrats with anti-communist groups).
September 10, 38 people die in the Hippo Wars (USA).
Thanks to the Ford administration and its anti-leftist measures, the foundation is created for the solidification of the American 'aristocracy', the capitalist class of big businessmen and investors.
As a curious fact, in truth this is quite literal in some cases, capitalist companies like J.P. Morgan & Co acquired many aristocratic artifacts from Europe and the colonial legacy in Latin America ...
For some reason.
(OOC: Based on that on this day Archduke Friedrich of Austria, the Duke of Teschen, sold almost all of his estates in Austria - Including castles, apartment buildings, mining operations, the Albertina Museum in Vienna and one million acres / 3,900 km2 of Austrian land - to an American business syndicate of investors, headed by JP Morgan & Co).
September 11, death of Louis Alexander Mountbatten, Prime Minister of the Imperial Federation and King-Emperor Edward VIII.
Winston Churhill is appointed by Edward VIII and the State Council of the Imperial Federation, as Mountbatten's successor.
As Prime Minister, Churchill defends the Social Aristocracy, with associated conservative, repressive and militaristic policies.
Churchill also promotes some personalities and particular groups, such as right-wing militants and paramilitaries, or politicians belonging to the Social Aristocracy, such as his protégé Oswald Mosley.
September 15, attempts at diplomacy in the civil war of the Republic of China are ineffective, the situation of a state of civil war with warlords and political cliques solidifies for the moment.
September 18, several Berber revolutionaries escape from British Morocco to the Union of Iberian Socialist Republics.
September 20, philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Jr gains some notoriety for his support of medical groups working in troubled areas such as Latin America, Asia and Africa (also helping in areas with civil problems such as Russia and the Home Islands).
Through jobs like these, in the future the Rockefellers not only have economic power, but also a growing social-media and political power in the United States.
September 24, the second International Eugenics Conference takes place in the Imperial Federation (the first was in 1912), more specifically in Ottawa (capital of Canada, since London is indisposed for obvious reasons).
The conference is closed with a speech by Leonard Darwin, son of Charles Darwin, Imperial Federation Army Major, politician and pro-Eugenecist.
Major Darwin commented to the delegates: "It is the patriotic duty of "better class" families to propagate, because the persons with "superior" genetic traits are disappearing while "inferior" citizens are rapidly multiplying."
The racist programs, theories of racial superiority and other atrocities or crimes made by the British during the period of the Imperial Federation are based, in part, on many of the ideas of eugenics (and other ideas of the time such as the White Man's Burden , Arianism, European supremacism, etc).
Almost no one was safe, the Social Aristocracy attacked along lines of class, sexual identity, race and cultural identity.
* An example is that at least 6000 Scottish mothers (usually single) lost their babies, who were abducted or taken (in case the mother had died during hostilities with the government) by the authorities and sent to other families (generally English families).
A completely unknown exchange for the receiving English families, since it was not the 'official story' behind the babies.
Some mothers of these kidnapped babies and relatives of babies taken would make claims for the next decades.
September 30, human trafficking (in essence, modern-world slavery) has a high point around the World during the 1920s.
*******
[King Kong]
5e79935c85600a3c170155f9.jpg
Illustration from "The Crocodile/Krokodil" (this one from 1927) and one of the first concepts for the first King Kong movie of 1921.
Between 1915 and 1917, the Russian poet Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (born Nikolay Vasilyevich Korneychukov) first published his fairy tale 'Krokodil', which literally means The Crocodile (as it is better known abroad, although the tale itself has had numerous names such as "Vanya and Krokodil", "The Adventures of the Crocodile Krokodilovich" and "The Old Old Tale").
The verse version of the fairy tale, which includes sections of a Wild Gorilla capturing a girl and carrying her to the roof of a tall building, was one of the mild inspirations for what would later become King Kong (Кинг конг ).
Of course Krokodil was not the only inspiration, but it is one of the most interesting as a curiosity, since usually Kong films are not exactly fairy tales.
We also have to take into account other events and cultural inspirations of the time, such as public interest in this genre or types of films after the premiere of Tarzan of the Apes (1918).
In addition, the public of this time supported the presentation of a film about a primate (interest in zoos and such).
But the concept took certainly unpredictable turns for the public of the time, dealing with a giant gorilla that arrived from a mysterious island to Petrograd, the Russian Empire.
*[Plot]: In the city of Petrograd, the frustrated Polish filmmaker Napoleon Dylewski gets a ship and a crew of Cossacks for a new project, which involves making a film in a remote direction.
Before leaving Dylewski recruits Galina "Galya" Pavlovna Korotkova, an actress from the city of Petrograd (who is not always as glamorous to artists as she seems).
In the process of the trip towards the South Pacific (after a passage through the Russian Indonesia), Galina begins to befriend the commander of the Cossacks, Georgiy "Jora" Timofeyevich Russkikh.
But soon the group's ship finds itself stranded on its destination, Skull Island, a little-explored region inhabited mainly by a tribe related to the inhabitants of Polynesia. The natives are generally isolationists, but they soon interact with the foreign crew as they are searching for Kong (the objective of this trip planned by Dylewski).
Dylewski's recklessness and ambition causes problems with the megafauna of the place (mainly dinosaurs), but it also brings the attention of Kong, who after having faced some dinosaurs takes Galina away.
Because of this, Jora along with his companions (Yuliy Kuzkin, Ippolit Solodskikh, Isaak Sukhikh, Vissarion Kutyakov and Aleksandr 'Sasha' Spravtsev, and Dylewski also helps to repair his first mistake) set up an expedition to recover Galina. Meanwhile, the woman manages to form a friendly relationship with Kong (capable of intelligence and emotion) thanks to her artistic abilities.
After a few adventures on the island, Jora and Dylewski manage to knock Kong out with a trap, and they take him to the Russian Empire. Where the ambitious Dylewski presents him as the Eighth Wonder of the World ... which turns out fine, until Kong breaks free and starts causing trouble for the city of Petrograd.
Kong meets Galina again, whom he leads to the Tower of the Sun. The Russian air force begins to act to take care of Kong while Jora returns to save Galina, when Kong finally falls dead from the tower.
Among the crowd, Dylewski learns his last lesson from him and closes the film with an iconic phrase to this day. When a policeman remarks that the planes got Kong, Dylewski tells him: "No, it wasn't the airplanes. Beauty killed the Beast"
(OOC: Yeah, I know is not exactly the same quote)
* Fun fact: The location and nature of Skull Island has changed remarkably over time, some versions make the island close to the African continent, others in Indonesia or Southeast Asia, others in the South Pacific and others maintain it as a mystery.
* [Special Effects]: The special effects in Kong were noticeable in several scenes, initially expensive but that have become relatively cheaper over time.
The Lost World of 1925 came out shortly after the first King Kong film, and had similar special effects, effectively consolidating major advances in film around the world.
We talk about detailed models (based on art team designs) that produced some of the most recognizable stop-motion scenes in cinema.
Many of these models featured a rubber skin, which was used on complex, articulated metal frames. In addition to the fact that these models had a kind of bladder inside their skeleton, so that when they inflated and deflated they gave a 'breathing' effect.
Really revolutionary in its time. And we had not yet seen everything that Russian or world cinema could offer, there was still a little bit left for the generalization of color cinema, audio and other advances in special effects.
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