TheLoneAmigo
Donor
With all these rosy threads about a "velvet divorce" and peaceful secession, I thought a little bit of pessimism wouldn't hurt. The world could have had it a lot worse.
PART I:
POD: 1861
The Confederate troops near Fort Sumter remain calm, and do not fire at the fort. Two weeks later, the Fort is evacuated and the Civil War is averted.
During the next two months, Virginia see-saws back and forth on the issue of secession, and eventually joins the CSA in early August. America teeters on the brink of civil war. On September 7, 1861, a West Virginian pro-Union militia attacks a Confederate position, and is captured and charged with treason.
Lincoln is outraged, and calls on Congress for a call to war. The month of October flys by with endless debate in the Capitol. The issue comes to a vote on the 2nd of November. The final vote is decided in favor of peace by only 3 votes.
The CSA peacefully splits from the Union, in return for granting the US the Florida Keys as a naval base.
In the next 3 years, the Republican Party is hit badly, and the Whig(formerly Union) candidate John C. Bell is victorious in the 1864 election. The Whigs also gain the largest amount of seats in the 1864 Congress, but not a majority. The Reps are split about 40% Whig, 30% Democrat and 30% Republican, while the Senate is 45% Whigh 40% Democrate 15% Republican.
The Confederate elections are completely dominated by the Confederation Party, with only the Democrats winning three seats in the new House of Reps, all from pro-union regions. The first President of the CSA is John Breckinridge, a former Democrat.
Over the next decade, the Confederacy tries to industrialize, but only really succeeds in creating a military-industrial complex. The Confederate army is made stronger over the years, as the Confederacy cracks down on several slave rebellions and Unionist militias during the next decade. The Bureau of Internal Protection, a federal force designed to fight insurrection and rebellion, is formed in 1869. It will become more than its mandate over the life of the Confederacy.
In the US, life seems rosier. The Transcontinental Railroad is completed in 1867, with much fanfare and celebration in the press. Industrial progress is rapid, and urban life is improved slowly. An American Central Bank is established, and funds a variety of business programs.John Bell is politically untouchable in the '68 elections, with a 70% majority in the electoral vote.
Under the surface, however, corruption swells. The American Central Bank's director, Alfred Smallhouse, accepts several large contributions in return for favorable loans to various groups. The Union Pacific Credit League, a company designed to maximize profits for its shareholders, is granted several large contracts by the Federal Government, aiding in a large part by the sixteen Representatives and two Sentators with large holdings in the company. A New York Times reporter about to scoop the story suddenly retires to a large estate in Maine.
The corruption erupts to the surface in the 1872 election, when the Boston Herald reveals the extent of the Credit League's corruption. The events traumatize the Whig party, leading to a Republican victory under James Blaine. But the new Republican-dominated House of Representatives and the Democrat-dominated Senate are both far from honest. Several other corrupt deals are kept under the surface and away from the press.
In the CSA, increasing crackdowns on anti-government militias and slave rebellions leads to the banning of the abolitionist Democrat party, enforced by the Bureau of Internal Protection, which has been swelling in size for the past few years. The 1872 election is uncontested, with a 100% victory for the Confederate Party and Alexander H. Stephens, the new president. In Richmond, participants in an abolitionist march are arrested and charged with treason. Under the new Social Preservation Act, the trial is closed to reporters and the result is life imprisonment for over 100 protestors.
In Europe, events have continued as OTL up until the establishment of the Third Republic. A French Commune attempts to seize power, leading to a three-way civil war between the Communists, the Republicans and the Imperialists. The Republicans seize control in 1875, but only through questionable tactics. France becomes a dictatorship under Andre Montage.
In the CSA, the form
PART I:
POD: 1861
The Confederate troops near Fort Sumter remain calm, and do not fire at the fort. Two weeks later, the Fort is evacuated and the Civil War is averted.
During the next two months, Virginia see-saws back and forth on the issue of secession, and eventually joins the CSA in early August. America teeters on the brink of civil war. On September 7, 1861, a West Virginian pro-Union militia attacks a Confederate position, and is captured and charged with treason.
Lincoln is outraged, and calls on Congress for a call to war. The month of October flys by with endless debate in the Capitol. The issue comes to a vote on the 2nd of November. The final vote is decided in favor of peace by only 3 votes.
The CSA peacefully splits from the Union, in return for granting the US the Florida Keys as a naval base.
In the next 3 years, the Republican Party is hit badly, and the Whig(formerly Union) candidate John C. Bell is victorious in the 1864 election. The Whigs also gain the largest amount of seats in the 1864 Congress, but not a majority. The Reps are split about 40% Whig, 30% Democrat and 30% Republican, while the Senate is 45% Whigh 40% Democrate 15% Republican.
The Confederate elections are completely dominated by the Confederation Party, with only the Democrats winning three seats in the new House of Reps, all from pro-union regions. The first President of the CSA is John Breckinridge, a former Democrat.
Over the next decade, the Confederacy tries to industrialize, but only really succeeds in creating a military-industrial complex. The Confederate army is made stronger over the years, as the Confederacy cracks down on several slave rebellions and Unionist militias during the next decade. The Bureau of Internal Protection, a federal force designed to fight insurrection and rebellion, is formed in 1869. It will become more than its mandate over the life of the Confederacy.
In the US, life seems rosier. The Transcontinental Railroad is completed in 1867, with much fanfare and celebration in the press. Industrial progress is rapid, and urban life is improved slowly. An American Central Bank is established, and funds a variety of business programs.John Bell is politically untouchable in the '68 elections, with a 70% majority in the electoral vote.
Under the surface, however, corruption swells. The American Central Bank's director, Alfred Smallhouse, accepts several large contributions in return for favorable loans to various groups. The Union Pacific Credit League, a company designed to maximize profits for its shareholders, is granted several large contracts by the Federal Government, aiding in a large part by the sixteen Representatives and two Sentators with large holdings in the company. A New York Times reporter about to scoop the story suddenly retires to a large estate in Maine.
The corruption erupts to the surface in the 1872 election, when the Boston Herald reveals the extent of the Credit League's corruption. The events traumatize the Whig party, leading to a Republican victory under James Blaine. But the new Republican-dominated House of Representatives and the Democrat-dominated Senate are both far from honest. Several other corrupt deals are kept under the surface and away from the press.
In the CSA, increasing crackdowns on anti-government militias and slave rebellions leads to the banning of the abolitionist Democrat party, enforced by the Bureau of Internal Protection, which has been swelling in size for the past few years. The 1872 election is uncontested, with a 100% victory for the Confederate Party and Alexander H. Stephens, the new president. In Richmond, participants in an abolitionist march are arrested and charged with treason. Under the new Social Preservation Act, the trial is closed to reporters and the result is life imprisonment for over 100 protestors.
In Europe, events have continued as OTL up until the establishment of the Third Republic. A French Commune attempts to seize power, leading to a three-way civil war between the Communists, the Republicans and the Imperialists. The Republicans seize control in 1875, but only through questionable tactics. France becomes a dictatorship under Andre Montage.
In the CSA, the form