John Maclean, born on this day in 1879, was a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary Marxist, sometimes referred to as "Scotland's Lenin". His Marxist evening-classes produced many of the activists who became instrumental in the Clyde revolts during and after WWI. MacLean was appointed both an Honorary President of the first Congress of Soviets and Soviet Consul to Scotland in recognition of his consistent socialist position on the imperialist war and his tireless work in support of the Bolshevik revolution.
Maclean's revolutionary politics were well-known, and in 1915, he was arrested under the Defence of the Realm Act and fired from his job as a primary school teacher. As a consequence, he became a full-time Marxist lecturer and organizer, educating other Glaswegian workers in Marxist theory.
Maclean supported Irish independence on an anti-imperialist basis, describing the Irish War of Independence as "The Irish fight for freedom" and even condoning the assassination of a magistrate, Alan Bell. He saw the war in Ireland as strengthening the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, arguing that "Irish Sinn Féiners, who make no profession of socialism or communism...are doing more to help Russia and the revolution than all we professed Marxian Bolsheviks in Britain".
MacLean was at odds with much of the British left and dismissive of the newly-formed Communist Party of Great Britain. He had already turned his back on economism and the syndicalism favoured by the Clyde Workers’ Committee, had recognised the nature of British imperialism and come to the conclusion that revolution could only come about through the destruction of the British Empire.
Maclean was also noted for his outspoken opposition to World War I, and, in 1918, he was arrested for sedition. During the trial, Maclean gave the now legendary "speech from the dock", expounding on his position. He was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, but was released after the November armistice.
In captivity, Maclean had been on hunger strike, and prolonged force-feeding had permanently affected his health. He collapsed during a speech and died of pneumonia, aged forty-four.
"I have taken up unconstitutional action at this time because of the abnormal circumstances and because precedent has been given by the British government. I am a socialist, and have been fighting and will fight for an absolute reconstruction of society for the benefit of all. I am proud of my conduct. I have squared my conduct with my intellect, and if everyone had done so this war would not have taken place...
...I appeal exclusively to [the working class] because they and they only can bring about the time when the whole world will be in one brotherhood, on a sound economic foundation. That, and that alone, can be the means of bringing about a re-organisation of society. That can only be obtained when the people of the world get the world, and retain the world." -
--John MacLean, from the "Dock Speech"
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Victoria 3 having every country start out with a base of 10 construction is just fucking stupid. The game would be 10x more fun if it were doubled from the start.
I downloaded a 3x mod and it is still super frustrating. I can't figure out the goddamn economy
There's a mod that does 3x base construction?
The economy loop is easy to figure out imo, what're you having trouble with
Basically you want to start off building up your wood economy, build logging camps, build tooling workshops, then switch your logging to use tools, then start building a few iron mines to switch your tool production to iron, then build a few coal mines to prepare to switch to atmospheric engines. Usually when you can switch to that you can produce enough iron that you can switch to iron construction. Then it's kinda just like going threw a loop of more of all that, then building steel, motors, railways so you can keep building buildings without ffucking up market access
Other than that I just build shit like textile mills and furniture when it's expensive, exporting luxury goods seems to help keep it profitable if your pops can't afford them
Stealing gold mines and anywhere with opium is also a money printer unless China bans opium
The main difficulties imo is sometimes your petite bourgeoisie starts to hate you and it randomly kills your bureaucracy and then all of a sudden you make no money, etc. Same with landowners and their plantation tax penalty
begging paradox to come up with literally any kind of system that doesn't inflict rsi on players