So less outright murderous for its own sake, more iron-fisted line-toeing for the Party at all costs? That seems fair enough. Besides, forced industrialization (while not bloodless) is necessary for the CSSA to survive on its own, just like any other nation. ISTR a figure stating that, for a modern and prosperous state to exist, its urban population must AT LEAST be about 30-35% of the national total; this would be a good way to make it happen and fast.
As an aside, I'm honestly surprised (not in a bad way) that Texas and Louisiana both get thrown in with the USA and not the Red South, since as I mentioned before it helps take the "wholly North-wholly South" wartime paradigm out of the equation AND keeps the USA from being what is IMHO a nation dominated by stodgy, nasal-voiced Yankees (
). Seriously though, instead of being seen as "universally Southern", would that mean that states like Virginia, Kentucky, et al. tend to see themselves as unique on an individual basis compared to the rest of the nation? Because USA or no, they'd have plenty of cultural and historical reasons to see themselves as a singular people (much the same way that New Yorkers are different from Michiganites).Richmond is doing okay, be reccesion standards, and Glen Allen/Henrico is booming - Hanover though it whithering in the vine, and if we get that double dip, I expect it to go belly up real fast. I-95 and Route 1 are the only things keeping Ashland alive at this point.
As for the role Ashland plays in the story, for the WWI analogue, it serves as a Somme/Stalingrad esque battle, the Union having pushed the lines this far South before the trenches started solidifying, and the CSA pushing this as the major defense of Richmond, especially as Ashland serves as a rail line/supply depot for the capital - with Fredericksberg in Union hands post-Civil War, it is the largest major town between the border and Richmond, something I expect would make Ashland more important strategically.
The other reason I picked it is, as a local of sorts, I am familiar with local terrain, so I can plot the battlelines better, allowing for more realism - trust me, the battle will be a doozy once I finish.
I could see Lee getting set up as a Martyr of sorts - I do need to work on slang terms though. One in particular is Redneck, which is a Union term for a Southern Communist, given the red bandanas used to mark party membership. Let no one say I have no sense of historical irony, given that is the origin of the term OTL
From what you're telling me, it sounds like the front lines will mold pretty close to OTL's I-64/295, wrapping around Richmond; I can definitely see it, especially given how wooded many of the spots in that area are (shades of Cold Harbor, anybody?).
"Rednecks"! I love it! And indeed, irony just got thrown on the train tracks. I imagine most slang regarding the environment/local wilderness won't be any different, but most political/national stuff would. I could see "Cohee" meaning either a white Party member (given its Appalachian connotation), or negatively as a term for mountain folks who display "Counterrevolutionary" sentiments (if one wants to stick with the derogatory message of the word, unless "hillbilly" works instead). One negative term I don't usually hear outside the sticks is "buckra", which used to be a label given to white people by blacks back in the Antebellum times; perhaps here, it can be used as an Afro-Confederate Communist term on the same level as "damnyankee"? And instead of Red Guards, perhaps working in the word "Partisan" would work in the title, as a symbol of "fighting" the reactionary establishment?Well, group-think is group-think after all. I imagine the "style" of Gospel would be one of those "enjoy but don't talk or think about too much" kind of practices, with the religious message being exchanged with a political one like you say. Of course, this means that some country music might well be seen as left-leaning overall
