Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Reality Rosa: A world where Communism works

sn0wball · 10-15-2008, 12:07 AM

A really interesting read. Congrats. Compared to the pseudo-German often used in roleplaying texts, you obviously did your homework on this. I have only two nitpicks. It would be a Räterepublik, not a Rätenrepuplik. Also, Ostanhebung sounds a bit weird. Ostaufbau might be a better term, at least that was the one being used after the reunification to describe transfers to the former GDR.

If you can read German, Das Luxemburg-Komplott by Christian von Ditfurth should interest you. This a novel set in an alternate history by a German historian, where Rosa Luxemburg survives, too, although with completely different consequences.

As far as the question why communism is working in that timeline, I don´t think that is a proper question to ask. Why is Nazism working in some many timelines ? Why did ancient civilisations survive against all odds in others ? Alternate timelines do not seem to need answers to these questions. They do not follow the socio-economic assumptions of our timeline. Is communism not working in our timeline ? It is not like we have somehow scientific proof in our timeline that communism cannot work. I don´t think that sociologists would honestly attest that a timeline such as this is outright impossible.

10-15-2008, 12:07 AM	#20
sn0wball Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Schleswig, Germany	Re: Reality Rosa: A world where Communism works A really interesting read. Congrats. Compared to the pseudo-German often used in roleplaying texts, you obviously did your homework on this. I have only two nitpicks. It would be a Räterepublik, not a Rätenrepuplik. Also, Ostanhebung sounds a bit weird. Ostaufbau might be a better term, at least that was the one being used after the reunification to describe transfers to the former GDR. If you can read German, Das Luxemburg-Komplott by Christian von Ditfurth should interest you. This a novel set in an alternate history by a German historian, where Rosa Luxemburg survives, too, although with completely different consequences. As far as the question why communism is working in that timeline, I don´t think that is a proper question to ask. Why is Nazism working in some many timelines ? Why did ancient civilisations survive against all odds in others ? Alternate timelines do not seem to need answers to these questions. They do not follow the socio-economic assumptions of our timeline. Is communism not working in our timeline ? It is not like we have somehow scientific proof in our timeline that communism cannot work. I don´t think that sociologists would honestly attest that a timeline such as this is outright impossible. __________________ No unconsenting english phrases were harmed during the writing of this post.