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KFC’s chairman (secretary-general) Lev Trotsky.

When the Great Depression hit, he cleverly marketed KFC under the name Leon to escape the Okhrana, attracting those suffering during the Great Depression to KFC.

He especially rallied the Black community, who faced even more discrimination during the Great Depression, gathering all those barely surviving.

“Comrades of KFC, look at the current reality! That so-called great United States is now a candle in the wind! The streets are filled with countless unemployed souls wandering like the dead, and crops are rotting away! Yet, the White House, claiming to be the government, has prepared no substantial response! How ridiculous is that?”

Trotsky delivered a speech to the countless Black individuals and American workers gathered under the KFC banner.

The White House is inept. People are dying, yet it’s the citizens’ fault, not the government’s intent. Everything just rolls on without accountability.

Trotsky learned how to incite under the bald head of Lenin and made good use of it.

“Comrade Leon is absolutely right!”

“They’re telling us to fend for ourselves! Where is the government in all of this?”

The dazzling rhetoric of the Communist idol, bald Lenin, who lured the subjects of the Russian Empire with promises, was now outshone by Trotsky’s tongue during the Great Depression in America.

Many American citizens were entranced and bewitched by Trotsky’s eloquence.

“Now, let’s all rise up! It’s time for us to change things ourselves! Let’s drag down that incompetent President Herbert Hoover and Andrew Mellon and hang them from the White House roof! A worker’s country, free from the shackles of race, where we can escape the clutches of the Great Depression! Let’s establish a new government!”

Trotsky scratched the long-held grievances building up in the hearts of Americans.

Indeed. Why should we suffer due to the collapse of the stock market?

Where does the cause of this economic crisis lie?

It was said that Communists were behind the chaos in Europe, but the situation on the American mainland was different.

Trotsky’s KFC, based on the ideology of racial equality, was on another level compared to the usual insect-like Communism known until now.

“The economic crisis was predicted long ago by many economists and socialists! Yet, the White House laughed it off and treated it lightly without any countermeasures! The ones suffering the most from this crisis are none other than workers like you and me! We must not let this pass any longer! It’s time to rise up!”

“KFC! KFC! KFC!”

The Americans brainwashed by KFC were chanting its name, even though they hadn’t bled themselves red yet.

“KFC, rise up! From Alaska to New York! Raise the flag of the workers, unbound by race!”

Until now, KFC had been deceiving people with its Kentucky Fried Chicken label, but it finally raised the flag of the workers instead of chicken.

While the White House was out of sorts during the Great Depression, KFC began its takeover in Kentucky.

The tantalizing aroma of fried chicken still surrounded Trotsky, yet his eyes were sharper than ever.

The more the American government stumbled, the closer the day of revolution approached.

At first, it wasn’t about armed conflict, but after persuading the governor centered around Kentucky, they truly began to expand their influence.

The United States, having inherited hegemony from Britain after the Great War, was trembling.

* * *

After the outbreak of the Great Depression, Russia had no significant issues.

Thanks to the faith in me, the people complied unconditionally with what I did and the directives of the National Duma, which meant the unity of the nation to deal with the Great Depression.

And the united Russians, following Gastev’s mechanization of labor, worked harder than ever, growing even as other countries spiraled down.

The National Duma had requested me to assess their detailed investigations of both Russia’s situation amid the Great Depression and foreign circumstances.

As expected, the conditions in other countries were dismal.

It’s quite ironic; it seems the era of the Great Depression is better than the time of Nicholas II.

“Fortunately, there are no unemployed people.”

At least our situation isn’t bad.

After investigating the domestic state during the Great Depression, I found that there were no unemployed people, meaning no one was left to die on the streets.

At least there wasn’t a shortage of jobs.

“Isn’t it thanks to the reforms you prepared, Your Majesty? The zemstvos across the regions guarantee the rights and interests of workers, and these social policies are saving Russia from the swamp of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, the United States has over ten million unemployed! Truly, Your Majesty is remarkable!”

Maria, who now worshipped me by default, was in awe.

Caught off guard, my face involuntarily flushed with embarrassment.

“Now then, that matter is settled. What report has come from the Okhrana’s American branch?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Here is the Okhrana report.”

They’re monitoring not just the current situation in America but also KFC. What’s brewing on that side?

Yes, Trotsky.

With the Great Depression, Trotsky must have done something.

Reading the report, things seem rather peculiar.

They should be focusing on tackling the Great Depression centered in Kentucky, yet the populace is almost on the verge of uprising, declaring that the government is incompetent.

Is it a result of the Great Depression? The report is almost a mountain of documents.

“Hmm, to put it simply, America is in shambles, right?”

“Yes. It’s said America is nearly falling apart. The organization KFC is rapidly expanding, primarily in Kentucky.”

“KFC is stirring up rebellion?”

Could they be genuinely starting a revolt?

It would be entertaining if Trotsky instigated a rebellion.

“It seems not yet to the scale of full rebellion, but there are many cities showing solidarity with KFC. According to Okhrana, a rebellion may happen within three years.”

“Three years? Hmm, perhaps they estimated that time considering the U.S. could respond.”

What would happen if KFC rose up? Would Roosevelt become President as history dictates?

If Roosevelt were to die somehow, delaying the New Deal policies, it might be exciting.

Russia would effectively have a program similar to the New Deal. No, we’re already enacting things we’d been preparing since before the Great Depression, so eventually, America would adopt our methods.

The question is how long that will take.

It depends on how Trotsky leverages it.

So, envision Trotsky offering solutions for the Great Depression.

Then if Roosevelt were to adopt Trotsky’s methods into the New Deal, KFC would become extraordinarily influential.

Oh, could it be that I’ve stumbled upon something bigger than I thought?

If this goes on, other countries might have to intervene.

“Yes. The once soaring heights of the United States are now crashing down.”

So, has it come to this state?

But if the rebellion ends quickly, America might regain its sanity.

Just because Trotsky causes a big shake-up doesn’t mean it’ll be as significant as it seems.

For now, there exists the demographic of Black people rallying behind KFC.

Even if whites join KFC, can they ignore that ingrained discrimination against Blacks? Is that even feasible?

Even today, there’s discrimination against Blacks in America.

No matter how desperate they may be, can they work alongside Black people under KFC?

Even if the civil war drags on, they’ve got the upper hand in the game. Reconstruction of the state should be quick.

Then we can just do what needs to be done during that time.

While America digs its own grave, Russia must soar with resource and talent absorption.

“Your Majesty, it’s time.”

“It’s that time, already?”

Come to think of it, it’s probably time to head to the Duma.

* * *

The state of the National Duma was terrible.

Why?

“Cheers! Here’s a bowl of vodka!”

They were off their rockers from national euphoria.

During the Great Depression, with the exception of the Communist state, only Russia avoided falling into recession.

Naturally, under the Roman Nationalist Party, they indulged in nationalistic fervor.

Even during the Russian Civil War and efforts for national reconstruction, it was said that “the Communist states are following our lead”, implying that Russia was the first to unveil countermeasures against the Great Depression.

“The British Empire is suffering as the effects of the Great Depression spread to their colonies, while France is so devastated from the Great War that it almost seems to be faring better, and Japan, which enjoyed a boom based on exports, is also heavily affected. Divided China isn’t doing too badly, but it’s not a great power, so it hardly matters.”

So Japan was significantly impacted too.

Ah, that makes sense. They’re likely going to have a rough time over there.

They haven’t even warned about the perils of the gold standard.

Of course, while it wouldn’t be bad to do some nice deeds over in Japan to win some favor, it’s getting a bit sketchy to inform them of such matters.

History is twisting.

In the midst of it all, I can’t help them overcome the Great Depression even a little. After all, they wouldn’t listen anyway, and Japan had already been suffering from a quake crisis prior.

Japan should necessarily see an escalation of militarism due to the Great Depression per historical precedent.

Only then will it spark a war.

Though there’s still Southern Manchuria, they might try to take advantage of that.

Meanwhile, we are overflowing with resources and have increased agricultural production.

Whether it’s exports or imports, we have the state regulating the economy, so there’s nothing that will change.

“Only Russia is thriving amidst the Great Depression; the day when Russia’s double-headed eagle dominates all of Europe is not far away, Your Majesty!”

Ungern was bouncing with excitement over this.

Indeed, such a sight could very well represent today’s Russia.

“France might be faring better than other nations, but the Commune has begun to go wild.”

“I’ve been hearing talk that Britain needs to squeeze its colonies even more.”

“Countries like Poland and Turkey, which are under our influence, seem to be faring somewhat better.”

France is what I expected, while Britain is being very British about it.

Honestly, it’s not incorrect.

From the current perspective, Russia does seem to be soaring as if it’s about to take off.

“Why such extremity? We still have a long way to go. We need to build schools, hospitals, and so on. Let’s keep outsourcing to construction companies and continue to encourage heavy industry.”

The Soviet Union’s heavy industry grew fivefold during the Great Depression.

We’ve already been pushing that forward, and Russia’s national power is rising vertically by the day.

“Your Majesty, aren’t you overdoing it?”

Prime Minister Krivoshein was quite worried.

Well, the National Duma’s popularity, built during the Civil War, is maintaining the Krivoshein Cabinet for now.

It would be troublesome if support diminished due to failure in the Great Depression.

“In times like this, we must keep pushing forward. Just look at America; crops are rotting while unemployed people litter the streets. As we reform, the population continues to grow, and the cities in each region are increasingly expanding thanks to the city Dumas. Expanding infrastructure is only logical.”

This might be slightly overstated, but it emphasizes how earnestly we need to create jobs.

“Your Majesty, then we should indeed focus on internal management.”

“Yes. The great powers have also taken a considerable hit. The fledgling state that is America is now seeing its investors dying off, while a grotesque form of Communism, like KFC, spreads. On the other hand, we’ve minimized damage, and Russia is a nation capable of self-sufficiency. During this time, we must tighten our belts.”

Let’s not be complacent during this period.

Public works initiatives are by no means a reckless act during the Great Depression.

When the overwhelming majority of citizens are following the Tsar’s authority, this is precisely the time such endeavors represent a viable gamble and solution to the Great Depression.

“As Your Majesty said, the farmers in Eastern Ukraine, as well as in Russia, are using tractors to increase agricultural productivity.”

Yes, they need to.

No intention of exporting grain while failing at collective farming like in the Soviet Union.

“We are no longer living in the days of the Russian Empire when Bloody Sunday erupted. Now is the time for Russia to rise anew.”

Using the Great Depression to catch up to other countries.

As America teeters from the Great Depression and KFC, Britain is shackled by its colonies, and France is in disarray due to the Commune, Russia will prosper and overturn all the setbacks accumulated against other nations.

And that also involves preparing for a new war.

Communist Germany must share similar thoughts, right?

After all, having been isolated and adhering to communism, they’re probably teaming up with Italy, promoting communism amongst themselves while strengthening military power while others suffer through the Great Depression.

Hence, we must act too.

We must constantly keep in mind the possibility that France, which is in turmoil with the Commune, might be red.

“So, next is military enhancement.”

“Communist Germany and Italy will probably also be diligently strengthening their military during this time. How is our weapon development going?”

We must continue to develop the latest weaponry.

At least we shouldn’t fall behind either Communist Germany or Italy. We must persist in developing cutting-edge weapons.

“Though it’s amidst the Great Depression, we established a submarine command and have produced quite a few U-boats.”

“Oh really? That’s good news.”

So we’re heading towards submarine advancements, then.

Is it too ambitious to think of establishing a large fleet with battleships or aircraft carriers?

 

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