Xen
Banned
Apartheid – Like OTL Apartheid came to dominate South African politics in the mid to late twentieth century and was gradually repealed through a series of laws until the practice was formally ended in 1987.
Asian Tigers – Although traditionally considered to be the recently highly developed nations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Burma, the Republic of China is sometimes also included in this group. The Philippines and Thailand have taken steps in hopes of leading a group of new Asian Tigers.
Banana Republics – Several nations located in the Caribbean and Central America have been dubbed as Banana Republics. These nations are commonly ruled by a strong man or a military junta more often than not supported by the government of the United States.
China – Using the advantage of the Chinese Civil War, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin used the nation as a testing ground for warfare tactics that his forces would use in the Second Great War. With massive Soviet aid the Peoples Liberation Army eventually drove the Kuomintang from mainland China and to the safety of British Hong Kong. During the Second Great War the Socialist Democratic Peoples Republic of China was a staunch Soviet ally, going as far as liberating Korea from the Japanese and Indochina from France. During the Second Great War, the alliance of the United States and Japan dealt a crushing blow to the Peoples Liberation Army resulting in the unconditional surrender of the communist remnants. Chiang Kai-shek was reinstated as President of the restored Chinese Republic, ruling his country for the next thirty years as a despot and claiming responsibility for China’s resurgence as a world power. The Kuomintang continues their dominance of political rule in China.
Christian Left – As opposite of OTL, the Christian Left has become the voice of Christianity in the United States and is less concerned with politics in general as they are with social justice. Charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Habitats for Humanity have benefited greatly from the greater influence of the Christian Left.
Christian Right – Generally shunned by the American public, many have come to view the Christian Right as an overbearing big brother organization run by bigoted preachers that were far more concerned with other peoples personal lives than with spreading the message of the Bible. The Christian Right has all but evaporated and has a small but fanatically devoted following in the southeast.
The Christian Right in this ATL however has been a very vocal and influent group in the restored Russian Empire supported by the devout Empress Olga I and her successors. Much of the damage done to the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet era was reversed and the church was restored to its place of power and prestige within the Empire.
Constitutional Party – Formed in the late 1960’s, the paleoconservative Constitutional Party reached its zenith in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, but began to falter after the death of President Scoop Jackson in 1983. The Constitutional Party has some representation in the US House of Representatives, but has not had a member in the Senate since the defeat of Pat Buchanan in 1997. As membership continues to decline, and fear their message will be lost, party leaders have formed the Constitutional Guardians to picket political events and make their message known to the American public.
Decolonialization – Following the Second Great War the massive French and British Empire’s began a process of decolonialization which in some cases continues to present day. For Britain the former colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa were able to take on more governing responsibility without much turbulence. The India-Pakistan situation spiraled out of control resulting in the assassination of Gandhi in 1952 and a war between the two nations in 1953, 1966 and 1980. British colonies in the Caribbean began governing themselves by the 1980’s however in Africa the process is still ongoing through the process of devolution.
France attempted to hang onto its colonies a while longer resulting in several bitter colonial wars with far flung parts of the Empire resulting in Independence from France including the Syria (1958), Algeria (1962) and the Indochina (1967). By the time of the creation of the Fourth Republic, the French policy of cut and run in North Africa was reversed for a more reasonable process of independence.
Democratic Party – In the years following the Great Depression, and the Second Great War, the Democrats held a wide range of political positions from left to right. During the Presidency of Joseph Kennedy, Jr. however the party took a firm stance on the right when it came to social issues but continued to support government programs such as the New Deal and Great Society. The Democrats are viewed as being more hawkish in foreign relations than their Republican counterparts. In other words the Democrats are very much like the neo-conservatives.
European Union – Following the Soviet defeat in the Second Great War, the foundation of the European Union was formed by the victorious allies including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Yugoslavia as the European Coal and Steel Community. As the continent recovered from the horrors of war, other similar organizations began to merge forming the European Community which by 1975 included Russia and Spain. This alternate European Union is larger, wealthier and sturdier than its OTL counterpart.
Falangism – Is a political philosophy that began in Spain in the 1930’s and spread throughout Europe, Russia and South America in the years after the Second Great War. In recent decades the ideology has been shunned in Europe but continues to persist with little opposition in South America and still has a major influence in Russia.
France – During the initial stages of the Second Great War there was great debate in Paris about how to aid their long time nemesis in Germany against Stalin’s Red Scourge, much of the public was against sending military aid and expressed concerns of Germany becoming powerful again, but were also fearful of a possible Stalin victory. In need of a strong leader, the French turned to Great War hero Philippe Petain. The aging general used the opportunity to rebuild France into his own image for the sake of national defense while granting Germany and Britain financial aid and selling the wartime allies small arms, tanks and air planes. Petain’s hand was forced when Stalin’s Chinese ally invaded Indochina resulting in Petain declaring France an associated power of the Anglo-German alliance. French military presence was welcomed by both of the exhausted German and British Armies.
When the Soviet Union surrendered, Petain remained on as the President of France until his death in 1951. Many of his overly conservative policies remained in place until the massive student and worker protests in 1973 and the subsequent election of the Socialist Francois Mitterrand and the founding of the French Fourth Republic.
Germany – Like OTL, Germany suffered a humiliating defeat in the first Great War and turned to right wing nationalists to secure the German future, however the Nazi Party was dissolved after the assassination of Hitler in 1928 by a frightened German Jew. The German National Peoples Party led Alfred Hugenberg rose to power in the aftermath of the Great Depression and led Germany into rearmament and renewed national pride. Germany took the brunt of the Soviet assault in Europe and its government forced to retreat to Bremerhaven (with plans to retreat to London if German-British defenses fell at the Leine). Ultimately victorious, much of Germany laid in ruins and dependent on loans from the United States to rebuild, the German Republic has once more established its martial strength, often acting as one of the world’s policemen. As expected Germany rebuilt its devastated economy to become the second wealthiest nation in the world behind only the United States.
Great Society – Without the distraction of the Vietnam War, the Great Society programs put forth by President Hubert H. Humphrey in the early 1960’s and continued under his successor Joseph Kennedy, Jr. has been heralded by the American mainstream as examples of American exceptionalism, with many ideals being recycled and altered by later Presidents.
Hitler – Rather than becoming the Fuhrer of Germany or the head of the Nazi Party, Hitler met his end in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme where he was shot in the liver and slowly bled to death. He is buried in an anonymous grave, forgotten by history. Without his leadership, the Nazi Party never became anything more than a regional party in Bavaria and was dismantled completely following the Soviet occupation in the Second Great War.
Indochina – Using the term liberally, Indochina includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Thailand. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have taken their cultural cues from China and for the most part have had governments similar to Thailand in OTL since gaining Independence from France with strong monarchists at the head of democratic, military or nationalist governments. Burma unlike the other countries has developed an exceptionally close relationship with India and has established a stable democratic republican government.
Islamic Extremism – Without the competing influence of the two superpowers and the constant conflict with Israel, the Middle East developed quite peacefully. Absolute Monarchies have become common place and are more than less unquestioned. Democracy in the Middle East is found only in Turkey, Iran and Syria. As a result of this peace and stability, Islamic Extremism never came to the forefront and is very limited to zealots that oppose the secular nature of the Middle East, and are regularly slapped down by their governments when they make too much noise about taking action.
Japan – Although allied with the United States in the Pacific theater of the Second Great War, the Japanese and the US never fully trusted one another. Japan emerged victorious, and in spite of gains made against Russia in Sakhalin and the Kamchatka peninsula in the postwar treaty, Japan was unable to solidify their claims in Korea once more due to US opposition resulting in high tensions between the two nations that continue to persist. The Japanese military government eventually lost control to a civilian one in the late 1960’s, but the Imperial military still has considerable influence seen in the dominance of the surviving warrior culture.
Korea – Like OTL, Korea was brutally occupied by Japan, and then liberated by the Chinese and their puppet dictator in Seoul. After the Chinese surrendered, the Koreans feared the Japanese would return to occupy their nation. Fortunately the U.S. President was distrustful of the Japanese and opted instead to grant independence for Korea. Syngman Rhee became the President of the independent Korean Republic and formed a close military and political alliance with the United States to discourage the return of either the Japanese or the Chinese. The Koreans continue that friendship and alliance with the United States, and is widely seen as America’s closest and most dependable ally in the Pacific.
Mexican Miracle – In this ATL, Mexico experienced an unprecedented economic boom between 1953 and 1968 that was bolstered by reforms introduced by the governments technocrats and aided by US, British and Canadian investments. As of 2009 Mexico has the highest standard of living and the largest GDP per capita in Latin America, but still falling short behind the United States, and Canada.
OTMA – The Four Grand Duchesses of Russia and the daughters of Nikolai II were not brutally murdered with their family in TTL, but instead exiled from Russia to live with their grandmother in Denmark. Their presence became a thorn in the side of Stalin who became paranoid about the girls, even contemplating murdering them. During the Second Great War, Denmark was occupied by the Red Army but OTMA had already fled the nation on a submarine of the Royal Navy for a safe house in Scotland. After the war the oldest daughter, Olga was crowned the Empress of Russia.
Republican Party – Like the Democrats, the Republican Party held a wide range of political philosophies but has seemed to settle on a socially libertarian stance while having become comfortable with the notion of a welfare state. In foreign policy, the GOP tends to be on the non-interventionist side (outside of Latin America of course) and preferring multi-lateral diplomacy in the form of the United Nations as opposed to military action.
Russia – Rather than purging the Army in fits of paranoia, Joseph Stalin began to believe the Soviet Union was being surrounded by the capitalist powers and saw it as writing on the wall that an attack was imminent. Stalin rapidly built an industrial base and gradually expanded the Army and Navy for a pre-emptive attack on the capitalist powers before they could hit him. The invasion of Poland in the spring of 1942 returned the world to another horrible war, more destructive than the previous. After the Luftwaffe dropped a nuclear weapon on Stalingrad in 1947 and the fall of Moscow and Leningrad to the allies in 1946, the Red Army turned on Stalin and the politburo and arranged for a surrender to Supreme Allied Commander Field Marshall Walther von Brauchitsch in occupied Moscow.
After the war Russia was divided into several occupation zones and Grand Duchess Olga, the oldest daughter of Tsar Nikolai II was crowned Empress of the Second Russian Empire in an elaborate ceremony in St Petersburg. A new constitution was drafting assuring Russia’s future would be safe for democracy. Conservative parties immediately came to influence the new Empire’s formative years and were heavily inspired by Spanish Falangism. In recent decades the country has shifted from a staunch conservative outlook to a more moderate one.
Somalia – Having broken away from Fascist Italy after the death of Mussolini in 1955, Italian Somaliland became the independent Republic of Somalia and was mostly secular in nature, after numerous charges of corruption and an economic meltdown in the mid 1960’s, the Somali people threw their support behind the clergy in establishing the world’s first Islamic Republic. Somalia is ruled by the laws of Sharia, but is relatively peaceful, stable and enjoys decent relations with other countries in the world.
Somaliland – Is a small East African Republic, and former colony of the British Empire successfully achieving its independence in 1993. Unlike its southern neighbor in Somalia, Somaliland is secular and promotes a strong democratic tradition (though not a liberal democracy). Somaliland retains ties with the United Kingdom and is a member of the Commonwealth, enjoying the financial rewards and protection that is provided.
Space Race – Like OTL there was a space race between the United States and the German Republic, unlike in established history, this space race seen a greater deal of cooperation and rapid advancement. The US beat Germany to space in 1958 by launching the first man made object into orbit, and put the first man (John Glenn) into space in 1960, the Germans however beat the US to the moon in 1967.
Special Relationship – Is a term used to describe the exceptionally close, historical, political and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and Canada. While the relationship has been mutually beneficial to both nations, critics mostly in the US have derided Canada for being the lapdog of London, and believe the relationship more directly benefits Britain than it does Canada.
United Kingdom – Was a principal player in the allied effort in the Second Great War and closely allied with Germany. The British were spared the bombing of their nation in TTL with much of the Red Air Force destroyed by the RAF and Luftwaffe in Germany which helped ease the postwar financial burden. After the war, the Conservative Party was voted out in favor of the Labour Party which introduced sweeping reforms to the war weary country.
United Nations – One of the pet projects of President Franklin Roosevelt, the United Nations was founded during the war as an umbrella for all allied belligerent powers struggling in the war against the communist aggressors. The UN headquarters has been built in New York City and has representation from nearly every nation on Earth. The Security Council is the most powerful organs of the UN with the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan serving as permanent members to the UNSC.
United States – The United States emerged from the Second Great War as a Superpower but unlike OTL allowed its military strength to deteriorate by putting its defense stock in the development of a nuclear arsenal and counter intelligence. The United States government instead invested in domestic infrastructure and federal programs resulting in the nation having the highest standard of living in the world and making the most GDP. Political strife is rare but not unheard of, reaching a critical point in the 1970’s and 1980’s with the Civil Rights Movement.
Asian Tigers – Although traditionally considered to be the recently highly developed nations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Burma, the Republic of China is sometimes also included in this group. The Philippines and Thailand have taken steps in hopes of leading a group of new Asian Tigers.
Banana Republics – Several nations located in the Caribbean and Central America have been dubbed as Banana Republics. These nations are commonly ruled by a strong man or a military junta more often than not supported by the government of the United States.
China – Using the advantage of the Chinese Civil War, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin used the nation as a testing ground for warfare tactics that his forces would use in the Second Great War. With massive Soviet aid the Peoples Liberation Army eventually drove the Kuomintang from mainland China and to the safety of British Hong Kong. During the Second Great War the Socialist Democratic Peoples Republic of China was a staunch Soviet ally, going as far as liberating Korea from the Japanese and Indochina from France. During the Second Great War, the alliance of the United States and Japan dealt a crushing blow to the Peoples Liberation Army resulting in the unconditional surrender of the communist remnants. Chiang Kai-shek was reinstated as President of the restored Chinese Republic, ruling his country for the next thirty years as a despot and claiming responsibility for China’s resurgence as a world power. The Kuomintang continues their dominance of political rule in China.
Christian Left – As opposite of OTL, the Christian Left has become the voice of Christianity in the United States and is less concerned with politics in general as they are with social justice. Charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Habitats for Humanity have benefited greatly from the greater influence of the Christian Left.
Christian Right – Generally shunned by the American public, many have come to view the Christian Right as an overbearing big brother organization run by bigoted preachers that were far more concerned with other peoples personal lives than with spreading the message of the Bible. The Christian Right has all but evaporated and has a small but fanatically devoted following in the southeast.
The Christian Right in this ATL however has been a very vocal and influent group in the restored Russian Empire supported by the devout Empress Olga I and her successors. Much of the damage done to the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet era was reversed and the church was restored to its place of power and prestige within the Empire.
Constitutional Party – Formed in the late 1960’s, the paleoconservative Constitutional Party reached its zenith in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, but began to falter after the death of President Scoop Jackson in 1983. The Constitutional Party has some representation in the US House of Representatives, but has not had a member in the Senate since the defeat of Pat Buchanan in 1997. As membership continues to decline, and fear their message will be lost, party leaders have formed the Constitutional Guardians to picket political events and make their message known to the American public.
Decolonialization – Following the Second Great War the massive French and British Empire’s began a process of decolonialization which in some cases continues to present day. For Britain the former colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa were able to take on more governing responsibility without much turbulence. The India-Pakistan situation spiraled out of control resulting in the assassination of Gandhi in 1952 and a war between the two nations in 1953, 1966 and 1980. British colonies in the Caribbean began governing themselves by the 1980’s however in Africa the process is still ongoing through the process of devolution.
France attempted to hang onto its colonies a while longer resulting in several bitter colonial wars with far flung parts of the Empire resulting in Independence from France including the Syria (1958), Algeria (1962) and the Indochina (1967). By the time of the creation of the Fourth Republic, the French policy of cut and run in North Africa was reversed for a more reasonable process of independence.
Democratic Party – In the years following the Great Depression, and the Second Great War, the Democrats held a wide range of political positions from left to right. During the Presidency of Joseph Kennedy, Jr. however the party took a firm stance on the right when it came to social issues but continued to support government programs such as the New Deal and Great Society. The Democrats are viewed as being more hawkish in foreign relations than their Republican counterparts. In other words the Democrats are very much like the neo-conservatives.
European Union – Following the Soviet defeat in the Second Great War, the foundation of the European Union was formed by the victorious allies including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Yugoslavia as the European Coal and Steel Community. As the continent recovered from the horrors of war, other similar organizations began to merge forming the European Community which by 1975 included Russia and Spain. This alternate European Union is larger, wealthier and sturdier than its OTL counterpart.
Falangism – Is a political philosophy that began in Spain in the 1930’s and spread throughout Europe, Russia and South America in the years after the Second Great War. In recent decades the ideology has been shunned in Europe but continues to persist with little opposition in South America and still has a major influence in Russia.
France – During the initial stages of the Second Great War there was great debate in Paris about how to aid their long time nemesis in Germany against Stalin’s Red Scourge, much of the public was against sending military aid and expressed concerns of Germany becoming powerful again, but were also fearful of a possible Stalin victory. In need of a strong leader, the French turned to Great War hero Philippe Petain. The aging general used the opportunity to rebuild France into his own image for the sake of national defense while granting Germany and Britain financial aid and selling the wartime allies small arms, tanks and air planes. Petain’s hand was forced when Stalin’s Chinese ally invaded Indochina resulting in Petain declaring France an associated power of the Anglo-German alliance. French military presence was welcomed by both of the exhausted German and British Armies.
When the Soviet Union surrendered, Petain remained on as the President of France until his death in 1951. Many of his overly conservative policies remained in place until the massive student and worker protests in 1973 and the subsequent election of the Socialist Francois Mitterrand and the founding of the French Fourth Republic.
Germany – Like OTL, Germany suffered a humiliating defeat in the first Great War and turned to right wing nationalists to secure the German future, however the Nazi Party was dissolved after the assassination of Hitler in 1928 by a frightened German Jew. The German National Peoples Party led Alfred Hugenberg rose to power in the aftermath of the Great Depression and led Germany into rearmament and renewed national pride. Germany took the brunt of the Soviet assault in Europe and its government forced to retreat to Bremerhaven (with plans to retreat to London if German-British defenses fell at the Leine). Ultimately victorious, much of Germany laid in ruins and dependent on loans from the United States to rebuild, the German Republic has once more established its martial strength, often acting as one of the world’s policemen. As expected Germany rebuilt its devastated economy to become the second wealthiest nation in the world behind only the United States.
Great Society – Without the distraction of the Vietnam War, the Great Society programs put forth by President Hubert H. Humphrey in the early 1960’s and continued under his successor Joseph Kennedy, Jr. has been heralded by the American mainstream as examples of American exceptionalism, with many ideals being recycled and altered by later Presidents.
Hitler – Rather than becoming the Fuhrer of Germany or the head of the Nazi Party, Hitler met his end in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme where he was shot in the liver and slowly bled to death. He is buried in an anonymous grave, forgotten by history. Without his leadership, the Nazi Party never became anything more than a regional party in Bavaria and was dismantled completely following the Soviet occupation in the Second Great War.
Indochina – Using the term liberally, Indochina includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Thailand. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have taken their cultural cues from China and for the most part have had governments similar to Thailand in OTL since gaining Independence from France with strong monarchists at the head of democratic, military or nationalist governments. Burma unlike the other countries has developed an exceptionally close relationship with India and has established a stable democratic republican government.
Islamic Extremism – Without the competing influence of the two superpowers and the constant conflict with Israel, the Middle East developed quite peacefully. Absolute Monarchies have become common place and are more than less unquestioned. Democracy in the Middle East is found only in Turkey, Iran and Syria. As a result of this peace and stability, Islamic Extremism never came to the forefront and is very limited to zealots that oppose the secular nature of the Middle East, and are regularly slapped down by their governments when they make too much noise about taking action.
Japan – Although allied with the United States in the Pacific theater of the Second Great War, the Japanese and the US never fully trusted one another. Japan emerged victorious, and in spite of gains made against Russia in Sakhalin and the Kamchatka peninsula in the postwar treaty, Japan was unable to solidify their claims in Korea once more due to US opposition resulting in high tensions between the two nations that continue to persist. The Japanese military government eventually lost control to a civilian one in the late 1960’s, but the Imperial military still has considerable influence seen in the dominance of the surviving warrior culture.
Korea – Like OTL, Korea was brutally occupied by Japan, and then liberated by the Chinese and their puppet dictator in Seoul. After the Chinese surrendered, the Koreans feared the Japanese would return to occupy their nation. Fortunately the U.S. President was distrustful of the Japanese and opted instead to grant independence for Korea. Syngman Rhee became the President of the independent Korean Republic and formed a close military and political alliance with the United States to discourage the return of either the Japanese or the Chinese. The Koreans continue that friendship and alliance with the United States, and is widely seen as America’s closest and most dependable ally in the Pacific.
Mexican Miracle – In this ATL, Mexico experienced an unprecedented economic boom between 1953 and 1968 that was bolstered by reforms introduced by the governments technocrats and aided by US, British and Canadian investments. As of 2009 Mexico has the highest standard of living and the largest GDP per capita in Latin America, but still falling short behind the United States, and Canada.
OTMA – The Four Grand Duchesses of Russia and the daughters of Nikolai II were not brutally murdered with their family in TTL, but instead exiled from Russia to live with their grandmother in Denmark. Their presence became a thorn in the side of Stalin who became paranoid about the girls, even contemplating murdering them. During the Second Great War, Denmark was occupied by the Red Army but OTMA had already fled the nation on a submarine of the Royal Navy for a safe house in Scotland. After the war the oldest daughter, Olga was crowned the Empress of Russia.
Republican Party – Like the Democrats, the Republican Party held a wide range of political philosophies but has seemed to settle on a socially libertarian stance while having become comfortable with the notion of a welfare state. In foreign policy, the GOP tends to be on the non-interventionist side (outside of Latin America of course) and preferring multi-lateral diplomacy in the form of the United Nations as opposed to military action.
Russia – Rather than purging the Army in fits of paranoia, Joseph Stalin began to believe the Soviet Union was being surrounded by the capitalist powers and saw it as writing on the wall that an attack was imminent. Stalin rapidly built an industrial base and gradually expanded the Army and Navy for a pre-emptive attack on the capitalist powers before they could hit him. The invasion of Poland in the spring of 1942 returned the world to another horrible war, more destructive than the previous. After the Luftwaffe dropped a nuclear weapon on Stalingrad in 1947 and the fall of Moscow and Leningrad to the allies in 1946, the Red Army turned on Stalin and the politburo and arranged for a surrender to Supreme Allied Commander Field Marshall Walther von Brauchitsch in occupied Moscow.
After the war Russia was divided into several occupation zones and Grand Duchess Olga, the oldest daughter of Tsar Nikolai II was crowned Empress of the Second Russian Empire in an elaborate ceremony in St Petersburg. A new constitution was drafting assuring Russia’s future would be safe for democracy. Conservative parties immediately came to influence the new Empire’s formative years and were heavily inspired by Spanish Falangism. In recent decades the country has shifted from a staunch conservative outlook to a more moderate one.
Somalia – Having broken away from Fascist Italy after the death of Mussolini in 1955, Italian Somaliland became the independent Republic of Somalia and was mostly secular in nature, after numerous charges of corruption and an economic meltdown in the mid 1960’s, the Somali people threw their support behind the clergy in establishing the world’s first Islamic Republic. Somalia is ruled by the laws of Sharia, but is relatively peaceful, stable and enjoys decent relations with other countries in the world.
Somaliland – Is a small East African Republic, and former colony of the British Empire successfully achieving its independence in 1993. Unlike its southern neighbor in Somalia, Somaliland is secular and promotes a strong democratic tradition (though not a liberal democracy). Somaliland retains ties with the United Kingdom and is a member of the Commonwealth, enjoying the financial rewards and protection that is provided.
Space Race – Like OTL there was a space race between the United States and the German Republic, unlike in established history, this space race seen a greater deal of cooperation and rapid advancement. The US beat Germany to space in 1958 by launching the first man made object into orbit, and put the first man (John Glenn) into space in 1960, the Germans however beat the US to the moon in 1967.
Special Relationship – Is a term used to describe the exceptionally close, historical, political and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and Canada. While the relationship has been mutually beneficial to both nations, critics mostly in the US have derided Canada for being the lapdog of London, and believe the relationship more directly benefits Britain than it does Canada.
United Kingdom – Was a principal player in the allied effort in the Second Great War and closely allied with Germany. The British were spared the bombing of their nation in TTL with much of the Red Air Force destroyed by the RAF and Luftwaffe in Germany which helped ease the postwar financial burden. After the war, the Conservative Party was voted out in favor of the Labour Party which introduced sweeping reforms to the war weary country.
United Nations – One of the pet projects of President Franklin Roosevelt, the United Nations was founded during the war as an umbrella for all allied belligerent powers struggling in the war against the communist aggressors. The UN headquarters has been built in New York City and has representation from nearly every nation on Earth. The Security Council is the most powerful organs of the UN with the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan serving as permanent members to the UNSC.
United States – The United States emerged from the Second Great War as a Superpower but unlike OTL allowed its military strength to deteriorate by putting its defense stock in the development of a nuclear arsenal and counter intelligence. The United States government instead invested in domestic infrastructure and federal programs resulting in the nation having the highest standard of living in the world and making the most GDP. Political strife is rare but not unheard of, reaching a critical point in the 1970’s and 1980’s with the Civil Rights Movement.