Syndicalist States/Paths

## Political overview

With President William Z. Foster having been in power for sixteen years and increasingly aging after an era of postwar reconstruction, he has announced his intention to retire in 1956, sparking internal tensions consistent with the ongoing syndicalist schisms worldwide. Though much of the syndicalists have pragmatically aligned with Foster out of his popularity and ability to reign in discontent, factions remain outraged at the strong centralization of power over the anarcho-syndicalist movement, and have campaigned in a broad coalition between those in support of national democratization and and those in support of economic liberalization.

Alexander Bittelman, an independent with a Foster loyalist bias, will assume the mantle as the interim president between The major voting factions of the 1956 election are:

* **Anarchist Coalition:**
* **Reformist Coalition**:
* **Centralist Opposition:**

### **Centralist Opposition**

The Centralist Opposition, also called the Third Camp, are the most divided, most informal, and most fringe opposition coalition, with heavy influence among the political elite but little influence among the populace. They are the most friendly towards Fosterists among the opposition, united in their content attitude towards the centralized nature of the government, with even. Where they differ from Fosterists, however, is in their opposition to the economic policy and control of Foster, which they see as an inefficient collective bureaucracy.

The Centralist Opposition is divided into three main personalist camps between those of Jay Lovestone, Max Shachtman, and James P. Cannon.

* **Jay Lovestone** leads the right wing of the Centralists, being a supporter of the exiled Nikolai Bukharin and a promoter of the strategy of "exceptionalist pragmatism", holding strong executive power to keep the country stable, but avoiding making rapid and sweeping changes to keep that stability in check, ensuring a stable transition of the old US. While this makes him excel at dealing with Fosterists, his
* **Max Shachtman** leads the centre-left wing of the Centralists, and is a loose ally and close friend of James P. Cannon, having split with him on the Britain issue, with Shachtman being a stark opponent of closer ties to Britain due to the nature of the Mosley dictatorship. Shachtman is often the arbiter between Lovestone and Cannon, who both hate each other, and has the advantage in dealing with the Reformists, particularly those aligned with the AFL-CIO, due to his mentorship of George Meany.
* **James P. Cannon** leads the left wing of the Centralists,

## John Gates - Eternal Liberty

John Gates is a former lawyer and businessman and a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, who became the top political commissar for his unit in the war. When the Second American Civil War broke out, he gained notability as one of the few American volunteers who did not return home, and chose to continue leading the Abraham Lincoln Brigades. By the time the Spanish Civil War was over, he had returned home as a hero among volunteers, redeeming his previous mistakes, and began working with Gil Green as one of the heads of the Young Workers' League. When the Continental War broke out, he joined the Red Guard and quickly became a lieutenant general in the New England front. Gates's experience in both wars as a political commissar turned lieutenant general significantly changed his political positions. Initially a strict disciplinarian and advocate for the British model, his regret for supporting the execution of deserter Paul White only deepened upon his return to America, and he gradually began supporting the Centre Opposition, becoming one of its newest reformed leaders.

To become the next President, John Gates will face an uphill battle attempting to unify the whole of the opposition into one ticket, ultimately hinging on whether Max Schachtman, the respected broker between the Centralists, decides to sway his swing voting bloc towards Gates or Dennis, choosing between an opportunity to court the elite, or to be able to change the political dynamic in a narrow vote.

If John Gates secures enough votes to win the election, his administration will