English Canada/French Carolina: A Timeline
- Thread starter Gabingston
- Start date
I've thought of some sort of Greco-Ottoman war being a possibility (or more accurately, a war between the Ottomans and all of their revanchist neighbors), so that might be in the books. As for a continent-wide European war, I think a war in Europe in the Mid-Late 20th Century (60s-80s) would be interesting, although I haven't decided on that yet.
Same. Both you and the TL. It's almost been a month on my end but still...
Hey guys, I'm starting to think about a Maps & Graphics series based off of the world of EC/FC. It'd keep the general gist and story of this TL while including some differences here and there (some small to moderate changes to the map included, and tweaks to the timeline in order to lessen some elements that I feel like were too much paralleling OTL). I might even want to do a planning Conversation or thread. As for the update, I'm working on it, and it should be out soon.
Part 109: Moving Forward
Part 109: Moving Forward
I’ve been stuck around 1930 for a good 30 updates now, so I think it’s about time we move on in the timeline. The 1930s, while not the scene of many major wars and conflicts, was still quite an interesting time on a global scale. To begin, how about the economic crisis? Well, the Panic of 1928 that ended the golden years in the victorious countries hit hard in the first half of the decade, but began to clear up towards the latter part of the ‘30s. Labor and Left-leaning parties saw a tremendous boost during the Panic years, although the hard left was still largely locked out. Social programs like pensions, a medical service and public works jobs were established across the industrialized world during this era, reshaping the political sphere in the process. While it’s debated by economists as to how effective the programs really were, they were wildly popular with the average citizen, which led to the center-left dominating the decade. Private and religious charities also played a huge role in keeping people afloat in the hard times, with churches holding free soup kitchens and homeless shelters being supported by charities.
Geopolitically, this era saw some interesting shifts as well. For example, the Anglo-French rapprochement continued to develop, with trade between the two countries increasing dramatically and the relations between Prussia/North Germany and Britain souring. On the other side of Eurasia, Japan seeked to gain the recognition it was due as a legitimate great power, and thus expanded its sphere of influence across East Asia. The Japanese made Korea and the rump Qing state in Manchuria into effective clients, sent advisors to Southeast Asia and tried to further their interests in the behemoth that was the newly revived Ming China.
Speaking of Ming China, I think I should give that a bit of airtime as well. For most of its history, China was the world’s most powerful nation, but the 19th and Early 20th Century was not kind to The Middle Kingdom (I’ve gone over it in previous updates, so I’ll spare you the details). Needless to say, the Ming 2.0 were out to Make China Great Again (or MCGA for short).
Now, the original Ming dynasty was very conservative and traditional (Chinese culture in general was very steeped in traditional values), and to be clear, Ming 2.0 was still going to stick to their Confucian guns. However, the new Ming emperor did see the need to incorporate Western and modern elements. For example, the Ming established a new Imperial Legislature, although a lot of power remained in the hands of the Emperor. Faster transport and communication via railway, telegram and the rising transportation methods of automobiles and aircraft allowed for the Legislature to be based in Nanjing. The Ming brought in advisors to help modernize the military and to aid in China’s nascent industrialization, which if successful would make the Ming one of the world’s great powers very quickly. They also built a modernized navy, in order to expand their reach into the Pacific and compete with the Japanese and Anglos on the high seas, with cities like Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Xiamen and Guangzhou becoming home to large shipyards, as well as upgrading their ports to become major trade centers.
Further north in the rump Qing Manchuria, the dynasty’s credibility was shaken to the core. While the concept of the Mandate of Heaven didn’t hold as much weight as it used to, losing the vast majority of their territory to a dynasty that had fallen centuries ago was a humiliation to say the least. The Qing emperor had to trade the forbidden city for a still comfy but much less grand palace in Changchun (not to be confused with Wang Chung), which became the new Qing capital. Being severely weakened and racked with distrust, The Qing ultimately came under heavy Japanese influence. For example, the Qing ceded the port city/peninsula of Dalian to Japan, in return for heavy Japanese investment in the country. Railways were constructed, industries established and the Qing military revamped, in case of any future conflict with either Russia or the Ming. The Qing hadn’t renounced their claims to the rest of China, and the Ming claimed Manchuria as a rightful part of their domain, so both sides viewed a future conflict as a likelihood, if not an inevitability.
In other parts of Asia, the independence movements continued to grow. I’ve already gone over this, but the colonial populations in South and Southeast Asia were getting increasingly restless, especially due to the weakening of the European powers during the war and the rise of Japan showing that the White man’s game could be played by anyone. Meanwhile, the discovery of Oil in the Middle East began to enrich the monarchs of the area, particularly the Ottomans, who began a period of resurgence after the war (as I’ve already covered). In Africa, European colonies remained mainly on the coast, while native states like Toucouleur, Kanem-Bornu, Ashanti (no, not that one) and especially Ethiopia began a process of incorporating Western influence and technology, while simultaneously keeping much of their native identity. African states, like the Asian states before them, began hiring advisors to upgrade their militaries, building railways and oftentimes adopting legislatures. In other parts of the continent like the Sahara, Congo Jungle and East African savanna, the various populations mostly maintained their traditional ways of life, for the most part untouched by modernity (that may or may not change in the future, though).
In South America, the 30s continued to be a time of growth, both politically and demographically. All of South America (aside from Dutch Suriname) was politically independent at this point, albeit still connected diplomatically and royally to their former European overlords. This European connection continued throughout the 1930s, as millions of Europeans (especially Iberians and Italians) immigrated to South America, which the South American elites were all in favor of. Apart from some fighting in Guyana and the Pampas (both of which were draws), South America was spared from the destruction of the war, thus making the continent look like an island of stability when compared to Europe (not a sentence you get to say everyday). Now, to be clear, South America is still much poorer than most of Europe at this point, but the future looked promising for the continent at this point in time.
Finally, it’s time to move on to North America. Due to the economic crisis, population growth slowed down greatly in the Commonwealth of America, as immigration was halted and birth rates plunged. Still, the population of the Commonwealth grew from 170 million in 1930 to 190 million in 1940. This growth was not evenly distributed, as the population of the east coast cities began to stagnate while the west coast surged, in large part because of migrants from out east, and this trend saw no signs of slowing down or stopping. In La Floride, debates and conflicts over the direction the country should take (particularly in terms of the economy, the relationship with the commonwealth and the status of the large Afro-Floridian and Mixed Race minorities) continued to rage, while in Mexico, the massive regional and ethnic divisions began to be more noticeable now that the country was independent. As per usual, I’m not sure how to end this long overdue update, so I’ll see you guys next time.
I'll have to do that at some point, likely in a future Maps & Graphics series.
What's the name of currency of Florida?
Also, level of development of Florida per capita in comparison with the Commonwealth of America?
Also, level of development of Florida per capita in comparison with the Commonwealth of America?
Part 110: Some Damned Foolish Thing In The Balkans
Part 110: Some Damned Foolish Thing In The Balkans
After the end of the Second Global War in 1916, Europe was exhausted from all the fighting. For as bitter as the losing countries were, they were too war weary to attempt a rematch with the victors, while said victors were content with what they got and needed time to recuperate from the conflict. Some of said losers were the Balkan countries of Illyria, Greece and Bulgaria, who had lost territory to Venice, Hungary, Austro-Bavaria, Albania and, most humiliatingly, The Ottomans. Losing territory to the Turk embittered the Greeks, Bulgarians and Dacians, all of whom had once been under the heel of the Ottomans, and didn’t want to see their fellow countrymen back under Turkish rule. Meanwhile, The Ottomans knew that their neighbors were resentful of them, and thus invested their newfound oil wealth into upgrading their military and infrastructure, in case war were to break out. Over the course of the 1920s and 1930s, the defeated countries began to rebuild, hoping to get a chance for revenge. The Balkans were a powderkeg, only needing a single spark to ignite into flames…Well, in the autumn of 1942, we got our flashpoint. You see, the parts of Macedonia and Thrace that the Ottomans had reconquered during the Second Global War had seen a good degree of (re)Turkification. Many Turks had set up shop in the area and now made up a sizable minority in the area that was still majority Greek. While the Greeks living under Ottoman rule weren’t exactly happy to be under the heel of the Turk again, The Ottomans didn’t go too hard on them at first. However, in 1942, the Ottoman administration announced new changes to the governance of Macedonia and Thrace. These measures were meant to further integrate the conquered territories into the Ottoman Empire, and some of them were quite… contentious to say the least. The most unpopular of these proposals was to forbid the teaching of Greek in schools, in order to Turkify the population. A similar thing applied in the ethnically Bulgarian territories that the Ottomans had reconquered. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the Greeks, who went out en masse to protest the policy. In the coastal city of Kavala, things took a dark turn. Greek protesters got into conflicts with the Ottoman police, things got violent, and the Ottoman police ended up opening fire on the rowdy crowd. Over a dozen people were left dead with many more injured, and people were outraged. Mass rallies of hundreds of thousands occurred in Athens and Thessaloniki demanding vengeance, while the Ottoman government put the Greek regions of their empire under military occupation. The surrounding countries of Bulgaria, Dacia and Armenia all threw their support behind the Greeks, as their own grievances with the Ottomans now had the opportunity to be resolved, thus forming the Balkan League. Meanwhile, the Albanians decided to back the Turks, fearing future retribution from their neighbors, while Illyria backed the Greeks in order to get some of their land back. Despite attempts at a diplomatic solution to the crisis, no solution was found, and by the end of 1942 the Great Balkan War had begun…
Factions of the Great Balkan War:
Turko-Albanian Alliance: Ottomans and Albania
Balkan League: Greece, Bulgaria, Dacia, Armenia and Illyria
Who wins the Great Balkan War?
strawpoll.com
Who wins the Great Balkan War? - Online Poll - StrawPoll
What's your opinion? Vote now: Decisive Turko-Albanian Victory, Slight Turko-Albanian Victory, Draw, Slight Balkan League Victory, Decisive Balkan League Victory...
strawpoll.com
The vote totals as of now are this:
- Decisive Balkan League Victory: 6 Votes
- Slight Turko-Albanian Victory: 4 Votes
- Draw: 2 Votes
- Slight Balkan League Victory: 2 Votes
- Decisive Turko-Albanian Victory: 1 Vote