Siberian Black Army

The Siberian Black Army is a Russian warlord state located in Central Siberia. It borders the Unorganized Siberian Territories to the north, Irkutsk to the east, the People's Revolutionary Council to the south and Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk to the west.

Siberian Black Army Сибирская Черная Армия - Sibirskaya Chernaya Armiya
Flag of the Siberian Black Army
The SBA in Light Green TAG = SBA
Politics
Capital	Kansk
Ruling Party	Siberian Anarchist Council
Head of State	Siberian Soviet
Head of Government	Pyotr Suida
Diplomacy
Sphere	N/A
Foreign Alignment	N/A
Economy
GDP	$0.33B
Credit Rating	Disabled
Market Type	Anarchist Communism

The Black Army itself is an anarchist organization that took control of the area around the town of Kansk following the Siberian Wars. As the Black Army are anarchists, their realm is not operated by a traditional government, but rather on militarist, anarchic fundamentals. The 'state' is governed by the General Assembly and Security Council. Whilst the 'state' is officially anarchic and total power technically rests in the communes, the army and the Security Council wields large amounts of influence, with them being the nominal administrators of the 'state'.

In-Game Description

The Siberian Black Army rose in the bleak days of the Siberian War. As the Central Siberian Republic's authority withered and decayed, the Black Army was created by men like Pyotr Siuda and Ivan Stepanov, formed from Soviet defectors, simple peasants and rogue army officers. The newly formed army managed to repeal the Republic and take the area surrounding the city of Kansk. Forming a 'state' based around the principles of militarized anarchism. Inspired by men such as Nestor Makhno, the Siberian Black Army is a society dedicated to freedom and self defense, the army itself asserting little authority beyond what is needed for self defense and membership is a choice, the people are largely free to do as they please. Even still the Black Army's influence grows more with each passing season and many worry it may soon dominate the communes, creating a military dictatorship in all but name.

History

Sons of Anarchy

The Revolt

Crushed between the Eagle and Hammer, the people of the borderlands between Central Siberia and the Far East suffered as yet more men were sent to die for the visions of their leaders. As the war dragged on between these two behemoths, whispers of an alternative began to be heard. Pyotr Siuda, an anarchist and skilled orator, made impassioned speeches before his countrymen, calling for freedom from war and those who send men off to die in it. These words soon found a vast audience, and the war-weary people began chanting for an end to all forms of oppression

The pieces were set in place and with a final act of rebellion, the people stood up against their oppressors and shook off their chains. But zeal alone would not win them freedom; without sufficient weapons and manpower, the rebellion was unlikely to succeed...

An Unlikely Alliance

Fate works in strange ways. In another life General Ivan Stepanov, of the Central Siberian Republic's army, would have most likely only seen Siuda from the end of a long rifle. Yet, by pure chance, the two were able to strike a deal; Stepanov would provide the military power and Siuda would bring his popular support to the table. Stepanov's soldiers would form the backbone of the new Black Army, a force that could defend the communes from the aggression of surrounding states.

Empowered by the general's military power, the Free Territory at last established itself as an independent land, far from the grip of any state. As the great states of the east and west fell into warlordism, the people of Kansk and the surrounding communes at last found peace and prosperity. It is the job of the Free Territory's military and ideological leaders to ensure that this lasts.

An Uncertain Path

A Contradictory Territory

Born from the alliance of a general and anarchist, the Free Territory is naturally filled with contradictions. This anarchist territory follows the authority of the Security Council, a body comprised of the chief members of the Black Army and most respected ideologues of the General Assembly. The Council is viewed by most as a necessary evil, one which is preferable to the invasion of the communes by an outside force. The Assembly, by contrast, is an organization much more compatible with anarchism, primarily serving the role of a forum through which representatives of the communes may freely debate issues and propose motions.

It is clear that such a system cannot remain forever. Anarchists recognize the Security Council as a hierarchical organization that must be done away with eventually, and plotters within the Black Army grow weary of the General Assembly's inefficiency.

Pyotr Suida

Pyotr Siuda was nothing more than a student when his life was ripped away from him. Growing up in Bukharin's Russia, Pyotr saw the failures of the state on a daily basis, but it was his father who had instilled in him the disdain for not just the Tsar or the fascist, but for oppression in any form, in any clothes it may try to disguise itself in. With the two Siberian states killing thousands to keep the people suppressed and expand their power, it was clear to Pyotr that only through the destruction of both could the people thrive.

Siuda is now looked up to by many, yet he rejects the privileges of leadership, knowing that power is what breeds parasites. Playing the role of ideological leader for the Free Territory, Siuda whips up the revolutionary fervor of the people, while avoiding giving orders or commands. But can conviction to his ideals alone ensure that what he has fought so hard to establish will remain?

Ivan Stepanov

General Ivan Stepanov is, above all else, an opportunist. It was opportunism that got him transferred out of the western front. It was opportunism that got him within the highest echelons of the Central Siberian Republic. When Stepanov looked out to his weary troops on the day of the final assault towards Irkutsk, he saw a decade of war and people yearning for peace, but more so, he saw an opportunity. Allying with Siuda's rebellion, Stepanov was able to escape the dying Republic and establish himself among the de-facto leadership of the Free Territory, his Black Army standing alongside the free communes.

Yet dual power never lasts long in Russia, and Stepanov has grander ambitions than merely being a piece of a whole. While the Free Territory may be equipped to deal with external threats, Siuda and his fellow ideologues will soon find that the greatest threats are the ones that come from within...

Gameplay

The Siberian Black Army starts with the following national spirits:

Name	In-Game Description	Effects
The Siberian Free Territory	Our little patch of land is one of the few places on this downtrodden Earth where the ideals of anarchism can thrive without the threat of revisionists or counter-revolutionaries. However, our little commune, as spirited as it is, needs more than just revolutionary spirit; it needs a purpose and unity of direction; without these, our experiment will collapse.	Political Power Gain: -10% Resource Gain Efficiency: -15.00% Division Organization: -20.0% Stability: +25.00% Debt Ceiling: +90.00% Military Spending Factor: -20.00% Needed Consumer Goods: +10.00%
Militarized Society	We are not the weak and defenseless communes spread throughout Russia - secure in our ideals, and confident that the forces of reaction and the tyrannical outside world shall not conspire to destroy us. No, we are far more enlightened than that. The Revolution shall always have enemies, and so, our guns shall not rest until every corner of our land has been touched by the benevolent hand of Mother Anarchy.	Recruitable Population Factor: 25% War Support: +15.00% Division Attack: -5.0% Division Attack on Core Territory: +10.0% Division Defense on Core Territory: +10.0%
Black Army Adminstration - Moderate	In order to bring the Revolution to all of Siberia, and ensure our freedom is protected from those who would destroy us, we must ensure that we are well-practiced in self-defense. The Black Army, thus, ensures that there truly is a rifle behind every blade of grass, and the natural administrative shortcomings of anarchism are compensated for by giving militia commanders and the overall leaders of the Black Army a form of overall control.	Division Recovery Rate: +5.0% Division Attack: +5.0% Daily Despotism Support: +0.04
The Flight East	Though the West Russian War ended almost a decade ago, Western Russia has never known peace with the Germans. Instead, life has been punctuated by regular bombings from the Luftwaffe, an unending campaign of terror meant to permanently hobble a one-time adversary. Though many Russians have found ways to live amid this violence, others have tried to escape it by fleeing east. This steady stream of refugees has permanently altered the distribution of Russia's population, with many migrating to the far reaches of the country that remain untouched by the Nazi war machine.	Monthly Population: +5.0%
Legacy of the Siberian Plan	Our statelet lies in a unique region of Russia - the former area that Bukharin's, and later the Central Siberian Republic's, grand industrial project was sited. Securing machinery and infrastructure and rebuilding sectors of the Siberian Plan will provide great boons to our statelet.	(No effects at game start)

Quotes

Capitulation quote

"And onwards ran the River of Anarchy."

Origins: This quote is original to The New Order.

Trivia

• If the Siberian Black Army decides to develop a nuclear arsenal through the expertise of the communes and not scientists, they can trigger one of the only on-map nuclear detonations in the game, when transportation of one of the bombs goes wrong.
• The image in the Russian Unification event for both paths is a slightly edited picture of the Wehrmacht's 1st Cossack Cavalry Division.