WI: A Cold War between the British Empire and a Far-Eastern former Russian Colony

[Fardell]

A Scenario for pondering.

The scene is the late 20th Century and the world is largely divided into 2 different 'camps' between which there is a Cold War over ideology.

On one side is a group of nations lead by a British Empire which includes most of North America.

On the other is a group of nations lead by a nation in the Far East of Asia, that had been a colony of Russia sometime in the past (with the Russian Language still a major language in the nation in question).

How could such a scenario come about.
(The ideologies in question are up to you)

[Grey Wolf]

Nuclear war on a limited scale wipes out European Russia ? Perhaps in the early 1950s ?

Or of course a German Reich conquers Russia W of the Urals, leaving the rest to go its own way. The Reich then collapses into its own juices, whilst the British Empire square off against the rump of Russia ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[Zajir]

The Russian Far East has a Revolution and becomes a USA analogue?

[Shadow Knight]

Well for starters you're going to need this Russian Far Eastern state to have the population to be able to compete with the British Empire (and if it is one that has control over most of North America the BE's population is going to be huge).

You'd probably need the RFE state to include Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, and northeastern China (say the areas around Beijing), and perhaps Korea too. Now you could get a major Russian population say in Manchuria due to say a war that devastates Russia west of the Urals. Say a war against a Prussian dominated Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire (maybe through in a strong vital Ottoman Empire to boot).

This state might not control all of Siberia east of the Urals but a good enough portion of it should yield up significant resources to be competitive.

[David S Poepoe]

Russian expansion in the early 19th century blankets across Siberia, down the Korean peninsula and leaps the sea to the Japanese home islands. Manchuria and portions of Mongolia are added later. Russia still owns Alaska and down towards northern California, tho maybe not as far as the Columbia River. Revolution finally breaks out in Russia in 1906 and the Asian portion breaks off and forms its own empire, as in Pashawar Lancers.

The British Act of North America forms the North American Kingdom out of the various British colonies in 1890. Formerly HBC station of Vancouver Island is the 'thorn in the side' of the Pan-Asian Empire [insert better name here] in North America.

[Shadow Knight]

Originally Posted by David S Poepoe

Russian expansion in the early 19th century blankets across Siberia, down the Korean peninsula and leaps the sea to the Japanese home islands. Manchuria and portions of Mongolia are added later. Russia still owns Alaska and down towards northern California, tho maybe not as far as the Columbia River. Revolution finally breaks out in Russia in 1906 and the Asian portion breaks off and forms its own empire, as in Pashawar Lancers.

The British Act of North America forms the North American Kingdom out of the various British colonies in 1890. Formerly HBC station of Vancouver Island is the 'thorn in the side' of the Pan-Asian Empire [insert better name here] in North America.

Uh why would Russia undergo a Revolution in 1906 when there would be no Russo-Japanese War?

[Fardell]

Originally Posted by Zajir

The Russian Far East has a Revolution and becomes a USA analogue?

That is essentially it.

[Fardell]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

Nuclear war on a limited scale wipes out European Russia ? Perhaps in the early 1950s ?

Or of course a German Reich conquers Russia W of the Urals, leaving the rest to go its own way. The Reich then collapses into its own juices, whilst the British Empire square off against the rump of Russia ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Possible happenings...

[Tobit]

Here is what I suppose:
1881: The Tsar gets the wild need to build a railroad across siberia a decade earlier than OTL he puts all of the nations power behind it and gets it done alot faster. In the Mean time he kills a lot more peasants and moves a lot of people east more so than in the past. This overall makes European russia worse off but somewhat improves the Far east.

1917-1923: Russian civil war goes on a lot longer and bloodier Bolsheviks completely overturned half way through because of sectarianism, so instead we have a Democratic Socialist European Russia and its supposed control of a confederation of statelets in the east.

1934: because of the destruction of the bolsheviks and the general greater secure feelings of the German electorate Hitler never takes power, instead WWII is avoided and in general Europe is richer.

1937: Japanese feel more belligerent without a strong russia to check them and go hog crazy in this timelines second Sino-japanese war, This gets on the British empire's nerves so they decide to act in a more forthright manner and arm many of the Russians and Chinese to fight the Japanese.

1944: The Japanese war effort is totally depleted total victory is never achieved and they give up their empire completely. (This is not an absolute surrender so their army and Empire are in place, but the Japanese working class are close to total revolution).

1945: The British for their aid to China and the Far East basically supplant the imperial ambition Japan for their own designs. The British are largely successful due to their experience of conquest by dominating markets and free trade. This domination of the Far East puts Britain back on the top of the world, while the US dwells in isolationism.

1950's: The Peoples Technate of Vladivostock has gone through a tiger like economic transformation and are also turning the rest of the Far Eastern Statelets into a new supranational bloc called the "Avtonom-Krais"

1957: General Samsa of the Republic of Amuria proclaims his intention of further conquest of Manchuria. This is supported by some elements of the Vladivostock Central Commitee but overall the citystate is divided.

later that year Britain reacts with full scale protectionist economic action against Vladivostock and acts to close Korean markets to the Avtonom-Krais.

The battle lines of the Cold War are drawn, the full might of Britain and her Empire plus her protectorates versus the upstart and confusing Avtonom-Krais who are fighting to uphold the ideals of their maximization of profit for the united working class.

This is not quite a global cold war like OTL but it certainly is full of intrigue and diplomacy. Neither is willing to directly confront the because it would accomplish very little. This a cold war in every sense diplomatic disagreements over seemingly pityful gains and losses. But I think it does fit all the criteria presented.