Bundschuh

The Bundschuh are a populist political faction that has been declared "enemy of the State" by the Rheinland Reichstag. Attempts to gain amnesty from Chancellor Steller after the Nomad War have failed, and while many Bundschuh are still faithful to their political goals and ideas, others have turned to piracy or contract jobs provided by their Red Hessian allies.

Synopsis
A populist left-wing Rheinland political party, they are currently outlawed and seek to overthrow the corrupt regime of the “Gottkanzler.” Large amounts of the Rheinland population are sympathetic to the well-educated organization, and donations mean that the Bundschuh focus on political targets, rather than distasteful piracy. Recruiting members from mainstream society, as well as numerous pirate “organizations” the Bundschuh are a corps of ideologically motivated activists.

Founding
The Bundschuh were founded, several decades before the actual revolution of 700AS that ended the 80-years war, by young visionaries in a basement of the first Mitte-Stadt University on Planet New Berlin. The well-read and well-educated citizens were well aware of the crimes of their government and could no longer tolerate the circumstances the people of Rheinland lived in. Their goal was nothing less than to change the society that made the rich richer and the poor even poorer - the society that dictated one’s status as a rich and educated aristocrat or a poor and exploited worker from the moment of birth It is a common fact though, that the only thing intellectuals without influence do is discuss the atrocities rather than act to change them with valiant deeds. But over the decades, the Bundschuh turned out to become a disciplined and efficient socialist organization that gained more and more influence with propaganda that was passed under the hands of labourers. Financed by a large and sympathetic Berlin intelligentsia, the Bundschuh became a party operating in secrecy, preparing for the day when the people of Rheinland would finally rise. And their day came.

The Popular Revolution
On Von Rohe’s day in 700AS, they initiated their opening salvo when raging workers, carrying weapons and ideology brought to them by the Bundschuh movement, revolted in Dresden. They could no longer maintain the war-machine that was fuelled with the labourers’ blood - the blood of those who worked for more than 16 hours per day with no payment for months. A group of brave revolutionaries refused to keep the burned out economy going that backed up the useless efforts in Sigma 13. For 70 years the sons and daughters of Rheinland had fallen; on this day, the people said, “No more!” Throughout the revolution, the Bundschuh played a key part by coordinating all the actions needed to bring down the tyrannical imperial regime. Whether whipping people into a frenzy with nationalistic propaganda, or running guns and supplies to would-be revolutionaries, the Bundschuh performed many actions and grew greatly during this time. For five bloody years, the revolutionaries fought in what became known as “The Popular Revolution.” Eventually, the emperor was overthrown, and a democratic people’s coalition was established. What followed were 15 years of the people’s coalition ruling Rheinland that consisted of the aristocratic, the conservative, the liberal democratic and the Bundschuh Party. This short period of time wasn't used to consolidate the people’s coalition and to finally establish a strong and free republic, instead, those who fought for justice had to witness their young democracy becoming corrupted. While the Bundschuh initially pushed for a full investigation into the activities of companies such as Kruger Minerals and Daumann Heavy Construction, more pragmatic elements within the government decided that for the newly formed Rheinland Republic to succeed, it needed the support of the aristocrats who controlled those and other major companies. Both Kruger and Daumann were eventually required to pay substantial reparations intended to "improve the Rheinland Republic for the good of all people," and all Rheinland companies were forced to comply with a newly ratified Workers' Rights Convention.

By 715 AS business in Dresden had more or less resumed as usual. Once again outlawed, the Bundschuh were driven underground, an impractical brand of idealism ill-suited to building a consensus among the many different government factions and the aristocrats who controlled the purse strings. The Bundschuh took the ideological high route, attracting the purists dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt Rheinland regime represented by the government, Daumann, and Republican. The Red Hessians adapted the more pragmatic approach of stealing and plundering in the guise of fighting the powers that be. As a result, the ranks of the Red Hessians swelled, and the Bundschuh dwindled. Shortly after the Bundschuh got forced into the underground again, the Volksfront was founded. Tactics and organization from the revolution were revitalized, and Bruchsal Base, initially a supply depot from the gunrunning days of the Bundschuh, was hollowed out and became home. Previously, the Bundschuh had worked from within the system to reform it. As they failed every time, the party members realized that they had to fight for the people's rights by using force. Striking against political institutions and military installations with hit and run tactics, the party was supported by the old party members who had stayed loyal and supported the Bundschuh with vocal or financial support. But over time, they lost more and more influence with the common people of Rheinland, fed with opinions delivered by a censored and lying media. By the time of the Nomad War, the Bundschuh movement had been marginalized by a desensitization of the people. Planet-side operations had to be scaled-down as low sympathy levels made it difficult to coordinate operations. The Bundschuh operated in space more and more, and their idealistic membership included more former pirates than the students who had founded the party.

The Present
The Nomad War was a defining moment in the history of the Bundschuh. Playing a pivotal role in the defeat of the Nomads, the Bundschuh leveraged all of their remaining resources in a final public relations campaign. Showcasing both their role as “the people’s protector” and of the government and military’s rampant infection rate, a whole new generation was exposed to the Bundschuh. While many of the media that the Bundschuh used were quickly shut down, the people did not forget what they heard. Membership among the everyday people of Rheinland swelled, and credits raised revitalized a dwindling organization. The Bundschuh now face an era of national crisis, where an insane chancellor has imposed his own self-worship upon the people of Rheinland. Assaulted from all sides, the Bundschuh seek to rescue a floundering Rheinland.

Goals
The goals of the Bundschuh are simple, overthrow the government, institute a democracy, kick out the aristocrats, and bring equality to the average man. To bring these goals about, the Bundschuh are working on three fronts. First, they bombard the Rheinland people with much propaganda and information, hoping to win the popularity contest before the war has even begun. Secondly, surgical strikes against government offices weaken infrastructure and pave the way for larger actions. Thirdly, there is diplomacy. The Bundschuh attempt to keep strong ties with many unlawful and revolutionary groups in order to unite them to fight against a common cause. Were the Bundschuh to come to power, they would immediately impose basic democratic and economic freedoms that the average Rheinlander and nationalize large portions of the corporations that currently control Rheinland.

Enemies
As dissidents seeking to turn the Rheinland government into upheaval, the natural enemies of the Bundschuh are the Rheinland Military and the Federal Police. Less well armed than some of their counterparts, most of the dirty work for dealing with the Bundschuh is handled by the Feds. The Bundschuh do not have any particular animosity for these forces, rather they regard them as the blind minions of a corrupt regime. The Büro der Marineintelligenz however, is another matter. Responsible for the censoring of materials deemed “inflammatory” and rounding up those dissidents who are deemed “detrimental” to the people, the BDM will receive no mercy from the Bundschuh. Apart from planned raids, the Bundschuh will rarely resort to openly attacking the Military, as such actions are ineffectual for an organization their size. Large corporations such as Daumann and Kruger receive no love from the Bundschuh, but are rarely attacked, as doing so would only harm the every day workers who are indentured to the corporations.

Allies
Partners in crime for over a hundred years, the Bundschuh’s closest allies are the Red Hessians. While the Hessians have developed into a less morally oriented pirate organization, the Bundschuh remain quite close to them. The Hessians often provide support in the form of munitions, while the Bundschuh will allow Hessians to base raids off of their outposts. The next closest organization to the Bundschuh are the Landwirtrechtbewegung. A true representation of the people in revolt, they are held in the highest esteem. However, the LWB are more focussed on Stuttgart and on attacking corporations, and thus their paths cross those of the Bundschuh rarely. Nevertheless, they are firm allies, and will commonly share information. The final group that the Bundschuh come into regular contact with are the Unioners. While supportive of their actions to “stick it” to Republican and the Gottkanzler, the Unioners have become a piracy-centric organization, and the Bundschuh eye them carefully. While there are tentative ties between the factions, it is the general consensus that they are too dangerous and too unreliable to work with.

Known Bases

 * Bruchsal Base, Frankfurt
 * Cloppenburg Base, Bremen
 * Eltmann Outpost, Munich