Alternative History

Confederation of American Socialist States
Csaflagbymug
1941–1978 Flag of The United States (Differently)
 
Csaflagbymug
CASS Flag Communist star
Flag Coat of arms
Motto
Sic semper tyrannis (Latin)
"Thus Always to Tyrants"
Anthem
This Land Is Your Land
CASS Map
Maximum extent of Confederation of American Socialist States
Capital Richmond (1943–61)
Atlanta (1961–64)
None (1964–78)
Largest city Houston
Languages English
Government Federal Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic
Chairman
 -  1941–1947 Clifford Durr
 -  1947–1952 Earl Long
 -  1952–1963 Charles Arthur Floyd
 -  1963–1970 Walter Reuther
 -  1970–1978 Fidel Castro
Secretary of the Popular Front
 -  1944–1950 (first) Max Yergan
 -  1963–1964 (last) Russell Long
Legislature National Congress
History
 -  Confederate Civil War September 28, 1935
 -  Proclaimed April 22, 1941
 -  Capture of Richmond June 16, 1943
 -  Dissolution April 26, 1978
Currency Confederate Dollar

The Confederation of American Socialist States (CASS), also known colloquially as the Socialist Confederacy, was a socialist nation that existed from 1941 to 1978. Its de jure capital was Richmond, though Atlanta, Havana, and others were used as the de facto capital while Richmond was under US occupation during the American War. The Confederation was bordered by the United States to the north, and Mexico to the south.

The Confederation's origins can be traced to the assassination of Confederate President Huey Long in 1935, which led to the Confederate Civil War. The Confederation of American Socialist States government was proclaimed on April 22, 1941, with civil rights lawyer Clifford Durr serving as its first president. Its sovereignty was recognized by the Soviet Union and by the global community after communist forces captured the city of Richmond on 1943.

Following Chairman Durr's term as Chairman (1941-1947), he would stepped down from the post and Earl Long was elected his successor by the National Congress.

In 1952, Charles Arthur Floyd used the Bureau of National Security to remove Earl Long as Chairman of the Confederation and appoint himself in the post. He would begin a period of totalitarian rule which led to a purge of Chairman Floyd's opponents within and outside of the popular front via arbitrary arrests and persecutions. These political purges resulted in over 30,000 deaths. This and the growing tension of the Cold War period led to the United States to adopt anti-communist policies and begin financially supporting the Confederate States government-in-exile.

On April 17 1961, following a scare that the Soviets were planning to arm the Confederation with nuclear weapons, the United States of America launched the largest invasion in the history of the New World against the CASS with the support of their international allies and the Confederate Loyalists Army.

Richmond fell on May 29 and the Confederation's government was moved to Atlanta. The war would favor the US and their allies and this would lead the Confederate Marine Lee Oswald to assassinate the US President Kennedy during his visit to the occupied city of Dallas. Following the assassination of Kennedy, the American people would call for blood, which lead to President Rockefeller order carpet bombing of the remaining Confederacy-loyal cities.

By 1965, the Confederate regular army had suffered major loses and many of their units have dissolved. In response, the newly appointed Chairman Reuther would give the order that the Confederation forces adopt guerrilla warfare tactics against the invaders.

April 26, 1978 - Following the death of Chairman Reuther in 1970 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1982, most of the communist forces had lost hope. Chairman Fidel Castro would call for the end of the violence that had destroyed the homeland, and would surrender to the United States and Confederate States forces - officially ending the American War.

Carter and Castro

Former Confederate President Jimmy Carter with former Confederation Chairman Fidel Castro in 2002

Since the turn of the century, communist support has begun to regain strength in the Confederate States, which has led to many hoping or fearing a possible return of the CASS.

History[]

The seeds of the CASS can traced back to Confederacy founding as it struggled with major racial and economic inequality. These inequalities and social struggles would only become worse with the nation's expansions in the Caribbean, and as it began to try to switched it's economy, from a agricultural one to a more Resource and industrial based one during the Second Industrial Revolution. The Communist Party of the Confederacy would be founded in 1919. The CPC had trouble getting support among voters who were untrusting of the new party from the propaganda against it by the pre-established Dixiecrats and Readjusters.

The seeds of the CASS would begin to take root and sprout out following the Anglo American War and Confederate President Robert Latham Owen agreed to peace in which all territories gained in the war would be returned to the United States, sending the nation back to the status quo and the nation's first defeat. This unpopular treaty would anger the majority of the nation's population and lead to mass discontent in the nation. Following this the Confederacy entered what is commonly know as the Rebel Rabbling Years in which along with dissatisfaction with the establishment and the elite lead to the rise in membership for the Confederate Communist Party.

The dissatisfaction in the Confederacy would only be strengthen by the stock market crash in October 1929 sent the already divided people into a worst state. As many Confederates across the nation lost their jobs and homes. The communist movement began taking advantage of the people's increasing anger as rioting become more common place as Communist and the Knights of the Burning Cross began to add to the nations instability.

In June 1932, Louisiana's liberal governor Huey Long won the Dixiecrat nomination of president. Long had made a platform known as Share Our Wealth, which was designed to give benefits to the poor of the South, bring the nation out of the great depression, and close the economy gap between it's citizens. Governor Long would be elected president in a landslide victory in 1932.

Long would begin pushing his liberal policies through the Congress as he attempted to lead Dixie out of the Depression. Though many of the communist leadership felt he was not a true friend of the working man, most of their rank and file supported him as they saw the benefits of his policies. Long's legislation made him many enemies which would lead to his assassination on September 10, 1935. Though the assassin was known to be Carl Weiss who was killed moments after shooting Long, the people of Confederacy felt that this had been the work of the conservative members of the Dixiecrats.

The nation would enter a period of mourning, but it would soon turn violent as the people began to blame the Garner administration for the death of his predecessor. On September 28, 1935, riots took place across the country as the Confederate Communist Party began to spread the demand for blood and revolution. The CSA was in crisis as labor leader Bill Blizzard of Virginia organized his supporters into the freshly minted Worker's Army. This Militia would begin striking conservative supporters and government facilities across the Appalachian Mountains.

As the CSA began to focus on Blizzard other minor groups would rise up across the nations including the Everglade revolt in Florida, the citizen revolt of Athens and Etowah, Tennessee which would form the short lived Republic of Athens. The Black Worker groups lead by Claude Lightfoot in Lake Village, Arkansas and Oliver Law's South Texas Brigade.

Havana Capitolio under construction

Cuba State Capital days before revolutionary force stormed it.

In Cuba group of sergeants began meeting at the Columbia barracks in Havana to form the Columbia Military Union. Their ambition was to decide what the Cuban Militia's stance would be in the case the rebellion would take place in the state, quickly expanded to a plan to create an independent state of Cuba.. This group, later called the Junta of the Eight (despite uncertainty about numbers) included Fulgencio Batista and other members of his ABC cell, as well as Pablo Rodríguez, whom some perceived to be the group's leader.

On October 30th the CMU would remove all senior officers in the Cuban State Militia, before storm the state's capital building arresting many of it's legislation. Batista would decline over the radio that Cuban national guard no recognized the authority of Richmond and that Cuba was now an independent nation. The CMU would have must of the support of the Cuban citizens and the military rank and file. On November 1st CMU members would enter the governor's palace and remove Governor Céspedes, replacing him with acting president Ramón Grau.

Militia 1930

Louisianan Militiamen

Despite rebellions across the nation, the Cuban and Communist forces were not taken seriously until January 26, 1936. On the 26th Governor Oscar K. Allen and the liberal Long supporters of Louisiana declared it's an independent nation. The Louisiana Militia would seize control of government and military facilities to the state, and close of it's borders.

Over the next few weeks, the border was expanded beyond its original borders as communist and other independent movements from South Arkansas (including Claude Lightfoot's Lake Village), parts of Mississippi, and West Florida.

Subdivision[]

State Area (sq mi) Area (km²) Capital Largest city Last Governor
Flag of Communist Arizona Arizona (AZ) 105,498 273,239 Mesilla Phoenix Raúl Héctor Castro
Flag of Communist Alabama Alabama (AL) 52,420 135,765 Montgomery Birmingham Kay Ivey
Flag of Arkansas Arkansas (AK) 53,178 137,732 Little Rock TBA
Flag of Communist Cuba (Differently) Cuba (CB) 42,426 109,884 Havana TBA
Flag of Communist Florida Florida (FL) 65,757 170,312 Tallahassee Jacksonville TBA
Flag of Communist Georgia State Georgia (GA) 59,425 153,910 Atlanta TBA
Flag of Communist Louisiana Louisiana (LA) 52,378 135,659 Baton Rouge New Orleans TBA
Flag of Communist Mississippi Mississippi (MS) 48,431 125,438 Jackson TBA
Flag of Communist North Carolina North Carolina (NC) 53,819 139,391 Raleigh Charlotte TBA
Hn60ge7uze161 Puerto Rico (PR) 5,324 13,791 San Juan TBA
Flag of Communist Oklahoma Sequoyah (SH) 62,191 161,074 None Oklahoma TBA
Flag of Communist South Carolina South Carolina (SC) 32,020 82,933 Columbia Charleston TBA
Flag of Communist Tennessee Tennessee (TN) 42,144 109,153 Nashville TBA
Red Star State Texas (TX) 274,304 710,444 Austin Houston TBA
Flag of Communist Virginia Virginia (VA) 42,774 110,787 Richmond Virginia Beach TBA