Dead by Dawn: The Road to Revolution

[Enigmajones]

Okay so at this point I am torn between what to write my next update about. So I figured I might let you guys decide. Choices being updates about

- America under the Dewey Administration.
- The Polish Uprising
- Algerian Independence
- The Great Indochinese War
- Post-War Japan and Korea

[glenn67]

America under the Dewey administration

[Enigmajones]

Dewey it is. Have to stop covering Europe. So much.

[Enigmajones]

Wow almost 23,000 views! Thanks for the support.

I'll get to work on the Dewey Update.

[Enigmajones]

Dewey, Dewey, Dewey, Dewey, Dewey!

The election of 1944, was considered in many ways to be a lame duck election. After years of Republican administration, the people of the United States were ready for a change in Washignton, and that change, almost certainly meant Thomas Dewey. Dewey, as a famed prosecutor in New York, became Governor of New York in 1942, on the Republican ticket. The Republicans in New York had yet to shift to the left like much of the Republican parties and remained the conservative party. When Dewey put his name forward for the Presidential election of 1944, he switched parties, causing a minor scandal in Albany. Dewey ran a lightning campaign and used the threat of communism as his main issue in the election. After winning the Democratic nomination, Dewey debated President Landon in Chicago Stadium, in front of a solidly Republican audience. And yet, when Dewey diplayed large pictures of the harsh treatment of Turkish civilians by Soviet forces, he received the shock he needed. Dewey began to bombard President Landon with accusations, calling him a communist and a war criminal for allowing these acts to go on during his presidency. Landon attempted to rebuttal with sanity, but he was to late, the crowd had turned, and with the crowd the election was lost. On March 4th, 1945, Thomas Edmund Dewey was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States of America.

Following the Chicago debate, a Red Scare had swept across America. The actions of Soviet soldiers resulted in protests outside the Soviet embassy in Washington and the Consulate-General in New York. By the time Dewey was elected, the average American was being swept up in a frenzy of anti-communist activities. One of Deweys first acts as President was to withdraw recognition of the Soviet Union and put the military on high alert. The hysteria of anti-communism was ridiculous. Under the new government in Moscow, communism had been placed on the back burner. While officially communism was still the ideology of the state, it was more propaganda then anything by 1945, with the party losing all power after the Red Army coup in 1943. Tukhachevsky was rather surprised by the sudden change in attitude by the Americans, but adapted rather quickly, using the American hysteria as proof of the failure of capitalism.

Dewey, taking advantage of the Red Scare, pushed for large scale intervention in Central America, South America and the Carribean, ostensibly to stop the growth of communism, but actually to force American influence on those nations who would rather assert their independence. In an effort to establish American dominance peacefully, he established the Pan-American Union, with the help of President Vargas of Brazil and President Luis Miguel Sanchez of Peru, both of whom represented anti-communist strongholds in South America. President Juan Pablo Bennett of Chile responded positively to the concept and had been suppressing resistance in Chile since the failed coup d'etat in 1925. Likewise, with these three in tow, Argentina nad the Central American nations followed. The only nation to reply in the negative was Colombia.

In 1932, Peru had invaded the Colombian town of Leticia and in a surge of patriotism annexed the territory. The Colombians at first attempted to defeat the Peruvians in Leticia, but during the attempt to capture the city, fired on Brazilian merchant ships. Vargas, in Brazil, used the attack, as an excuse for Brazil to enter the conflict. With Brazilian support, the Peruvians forced a humiliating peace upon the Colombians, limiting their military to almost nothing and forcing them to recognize Leticia as rightfully Peruvian territory. This humilating result, lead to the assassination of President Enrique O. Herrera in Bogota, and lead to a more fervently socialist program for the Colombian Liberals. Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo became the new President and pursued a very anti-American agenda, as well as promoting relations with the Soviet Union. Pumarejo would remain in power, with the army being purged of non-socialists in 1937. The aging Pumarejo remained in power in 1945 and Dewey intended to push against the Colombians.

In August of 1945, America discovered that the USSR had begun funding projects within Colombia to rebuild their military. The United States demanded that these projects cease. When Colombia refused, the United States declared war on Colombia, followed by similar declarations from Brazil and Peru.

[Enigmajones]

By the way if my changes are to unrealistic in regards to South American history, I would like to know. Just trying to avoid the butterfly net for South America cliche.

[Enigmajones]

Just a little retcon, in post #148, I claimed that self rule had been enacted in India in 1938, that is being changed to never. Although the self-rule of both Pakistan and Burma are earlier.

Update about the background of India forthcoming.

[Enigmajones]

India: Before the War

The British Empire first established its presence in India when Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor, allowed the English East India Company to establish a factory at the western port of Surat in 1612. From there, the British would expand until they had established control over all of India, with Queen Victoria being crowned the first Empress of India in 1858. The Raj, as the British regime in India was referred to, was divided into 13 Provinces, and 4 nominally sovereign Princely states, which had their own royal head of state while remaining subservient to the British Raj. In the 1920's, following the Great War, the people of India began to push for self rule, and an increasing group began to push for independence. One such early leader was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a Bombay born barrister who had worked in both Britain and the Natal before returning to India as a leading nationalist. His time in South Africa had molded him into a leader, and upon his return to India, he worked his way to the head of the Indian National Congress, a political party dedicated to the freedom of India from British rule. In 1921, he gained control of the INC, and began to push forward the role of non-cooperation and non-violence that would be his legacy. This tactic was successful, but as a result of a violent clash in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi was imprisoned. Although released two years later, to be given treatment for his appendicitis, the popular Gandhi would die in surgery, at the age of 55.

The death of Gandhi, would result in the splintering of the Indian National Congress, or INC, into several smaller groups all seemingly dedicated to the concept of Independence. One of the prominent groups to come to the forefront after the death of Gandhi, was the All-India Muslim League. Lead by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and bolstered by the failed Khaliafat Movement, the Muslim League became a leading figure in the Independence Movement. Jinnah also became a member of the Central Legislative Assembly, the legislature used by the Raj to meet the needs of self governance. Jinnah showed his talent as a politician and was offered a Knighthood by the Viceroy of India, only to decline. In the late 1920’s, the British sent a commission to deal with the concept of Indian independence, which was met with massive protests, lead by nationalist Lala Lajpat Rai, who was martyred by a police charge while leading a non-violent protest in Lahore. This death would lead to the bombing on the Central Legislative Assembly in late 1929, by Bhagat Singh and Butukeswara Datta, which was a nonviolent bombing, as neither bombs contained shrapnel. Singh and Datta were arrested, tried and executed at the gallows in New Delhi, causing an uproar amongst the population. The reaction to this, was a mass General strike, organized and influenced by the Indian Communist Party, lead by Shripad Amrit Dange, who, backed by heavy support from the Trotsky government in Moscow, began to arm Socialist vanguards in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, where they received shipments from the USSR via Mongolian based Chinese Communist Party members.

This massive strike caused Prime Minister MacDonald began legislation to institute self rule in India. This accompanied with the flow of Jewish refugees into England, following the outbreak of civil war in Germany, caused MacDonald and Labour to be voted out of power for the next 8 years. But in India, the promise of self rule did much to quell the public anger. The Communist Party of India began to garner a power base in Agra and Oudh, as well as in the cities of India, Bombay and New Delhi being large centers of Communist support. The rise of the Communists in India, especially amongst the Independence movement, caused the All-Indian Muslim League to gain a powerful position in India entering the 1930’s.

Dange and his followers were being funded largely by the Soviet government, while Muhammad Ali Jinnah began receiving support from the Islamic citizens of India. Jinnah began to advocate the separation between the largely Hindi portion of India and the smaller Islamic portions. The nation was to be called Pakistan, and comprise the regions of Baluchistan, Sind, Punjab, Kashmir, the Northwest Frontier Province, Eastern Bengal and Hyderabad. Much of Jinnah’s support was from the Nizams of Hyderabad, who ruled over a princely state, where the vast majority of its citizens were Hindu. The ruling Islamic class wished to retain its status, and pushed for the success of the Pakistani movement.

This caused Hyderabad to become a hotbed of Communist activity amongst the Hindi community. By 1932, hope for the passage of home rule laws for India, had been lost. After Prime Minister Baldwin and the Conservatives had voted down the law, skirmishes began to occur throughout India. Groups of young and angry Communists throughout India’s cities began to attack police officers. In Lucknow, a riot broke out when a rally was attempted to be broken up. These riots and the rising tensions caused the government to crack down on the Communist Party of India and arrest S.A. Dange.

After Dange’s imprisonment, the Communist attacks continued throughout India. A new front for the Indian Communist Party was formed, the Socialist Action Party, was formed and garnered more support as the events reached a fever pitch in 1933. As the Communists under Dange became seen as a larger threat, the Conservative government began to enter into discussion with Muhammad Ali Jinnah about the possibility of greater autonomy for a Pakistan region, within the Commonwealth. The concept was expected to gain a loyal portion of the Indian populace, and so when it came to a vote in Parliament, the Conservatives approved the formation of a separate Commonwealth of Pakistan, with it’s devolved government being placed in Karachi. In the first meeting of the Pakistani government, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was selected as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Pakistani separation only further served to fuel the divide between Muslim and Hindu in India, with the population of Hyderabad especially growing restless, with several attempts on the life of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the Nizam of Hyderabad.

While the new Pakistani government abolished much of the former administrations of the Raj, the Nizams of Hyderabad were allowed to retain their system of rule, and as result, Pakistan was allowed access to the Nizams personal treasury, and along with support from the British government, developed the new Pakistani military. The Pakistani military gained their first action after being dispatched to deal with communist instigated riots in Hyderabad, in 1935. The harsh treatment of Pakistani citizens in Hyderabad, caused famed Muslim leader, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, to protest against the continued rule of the British in Pakistan, advocating complete and total independence for Pakistan. The Pakistani government was also worried about the growth of Communism in the Eastern Bengal province, which became palpable.

With the success of the Pakistani movement and Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s success, people throughout India began to campaign for more control. After the splintering of the Indian National Congress, one movement to gain a large share of support from non-Communists in support of independence, was the Indian Independence League, who, with substantial foreign support, happened to gain a lions share of the attention in the foreign press. Its leader, Rash Behari Bose, gained significant funding from both the French and Japanese, eager to see the monopoly of British power in the region come to an end.

The often forgotten component of the Indian independence movement, were the Anglo-Indians. Although small in populace, they did gain a large share of control in the government in certain parts of Indian life, and with the growth of Communist aggression, many began to relocate to relatively peaceful Burma. Rangoon became a very well known city to British intellectuals, and its large Anglo-Burmese community held a high position in the government of Burma. In 1936, a delegation of Anglo-Burmese merchants, along with the head of the Burmese police, Eric A. Blair, pushed for the separation of Burma from India. This was granted, but during the creation of the Burmese government, the power of the government was largely restricted to that of the British and Anglo-Burmese. Blair, having joined the Burmese Police Service in 1924, was elected as the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Burma, much to the chagrin of the native Burmese people, whose attempts to protest were cut down.

As Burma and Pakistan developed their own autonomy, the Raj was suffocating from the tight grip of British control. Communist violence continued throughout the 1930’s, limiting their appeal to a small portion of the population, while maintaining their position through intimidation. In 1939, Attlee gained power in Britain, prompting hopes of liberalization from the more moderate masses of India, who merely wished for some reform and home rule. However, Attlee was unfortunate to be elected into power during a crisis in Europe, and would be replaced by Winston Churchill before the end of 1940. The Churchill Ministry was particularly harsh, in direct opposition to the push for independence. After allowing Dange to lounge in prison for 7 years, Churchill had the communist leader executed in New Delhi for crimes against the Raj.

With the execution of Dange, the hope was that the independence movement would flounder. The opposite occurred with support for the Communists growing within India, as many began to see the party as the only viable option for Indian independence. After short struggle, Puran Chand Joshi was able to establish himself as the head of the Socialist Action Party and Communist forces throughout India, thanks to the aid of the Tukhachevsky regime in Russia. Joshi would flee India for Tashkent, where the Indian Communist Party was reformed after the Socialist Action Party was banned by the Raj.

With the abolishment of the communists as a political force, while their presence remained palpable, the Indian Republican Party was formed in the United Provinces under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, who gained a large amount of support, evoking the memory of Gandhi and the former Indian National Congress. With Nehru’s support of independence, came some anger from the British government. Churchill attempted to push for a cancellation of Pakistani and Burmese autonomy, only to be met with a ultimatum from Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who point blank stated that any cancellation of Pakistani autonomy would be met with secession. Churchill found a large base of support amongst the Burmese ruling class, while Communism began to spread to the Burmese populace. As a result, Churchill retained Pakistan and Burma as separate entities and continued to crackdown on Indian attempts for independence. The 1940’s remained a very tense period, but it wasn’t until 1949 that the threat of war faced the Indian subcontinent.

With tensions rising between the British and French in Belgium, the communists began to be bolstered by the flow of support from French officials in Pondichery. As 1950 began, it became very clear, if France and Britain were to go to war, India would be drawn in as well.

[Enigmajones]

Hate to ask but, any feedback?

[Life In Black]

Sorry I didn't reply before, but I've been dealing with some shit lately. Anyway, looking good man.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Life In Black

Sorry I didn't reply before, but I've been dealing with some shit lately. Anyway, looking good man.

LIB, you're one of my biggest readers, I have no problem if you take a break from commenting, heck you have the second most posts in the thread, I was just looking for some insight into whether or not this is getting to unrealistic. You know, what with an earlier Pakistan, George Orwell becoming the leader of Burma, etc.

[Life In Black]

Originally Posted by Enigmajones

LIB, you're one of my biggest readers, I have no problem if you take a break from commenting, heck you have the second most posts in the thread, I was just looking for some insight into whether or not this is getting to unrealistic. You know, what with an earlier Pakistan, George Orwell becoming the leader of Burma, etc.

Be glad I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to politics and Europe, so it all sounds very plausible to me.

And thank you for understanding. There are times when I log on here and wonder why I even bother, aside from a few people and stories/TLs. It seems nobody (almost nobody, )here pays any attention to what I have to say, or even cares, ya know? If I wanted to be ignored, I'd spend time with my family and most of my friends. Anyway, like I said before, keep up the good work!

[Enigmajones]

I'll try to update this soon.

[Enigmajones]

Major players in the Indian War

Eric Blair, 1st Prime Minister of Burma



Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan



S.A. Dange, Original leader of the Indian Communists

[Benjamin XVIII]

Hey great timeline man!

I must say, your butterflies have wings! I find it interesting to contemplate a world where National Socialism isn't discredited by a disastrous world war.
I like how you've made a Europe less ideological and more in the spirit of the pre-great war Europe; with wars mostly resulting in border corrections and the vassalization of smaller states.
I like that Europe has sort of "reverted" to it's old self in a TL with no Hitler and widespread destruction from OTL's WWII.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Benjamin XVIII

Hey great timeline man!

I must say, your butterflies have wings! I find it interesting to contemplate a world where National Socialism isn't discredited by a disastrous world war.
I like how you've made a Europe less ideological and more in the spirit of the pre-great war Europe; with wars mostly resulting in border corrections and the vassalization of smaller states.
I like that Europe has sort of "reverted" to it's old self in a TL with no Hitler and widespread destruction from OTL's WWII.

Thanks! Its always great to hear from a reader.

[Life In Black]

Originally Posted by Enigmajones

Thanks! Its always great to hear from a reader.

Especially when it's not the same one over and over again.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Life In Black

Especially when it's not the same one over and over again.

Read me like a book.

[Enigmajones]

Obituary Notice- January, 1950: Rangoon Times

Today, Burma's greatest politician has died. Eric Arthur Blair, Prime Minister of Burma, and champion of the Imperial Commonwealth, succumbed to a bout of malaria in his family's estate in Moulmein. Although born in India, and raised in England, Blair has been an integral part of the landscape since his arrival in 1922. After a short period of doubt, Blair returned to Burma in 1926, married to his lifelong friend, Jacintha Buddicom. His work in the Imperial Police became well noted, and by 1934, he was promoted to the head of Burma's newly separate police force. In 1936, Blair was a leading member of the assorted patriots who gathered in London to plead for independence. As a result of his passion, Burma gained its rightful freedom. He then served as the Prime Minister from 1936 until his death at this point. He is succeeded by the honorable Gregory Kirkham, as the new leader of the Conservative Party.

Eric Blair is survived by his wife Jacintha, aged 49, as well as his children, Richard, aged 23, Julia, aged 20 and his youngest, Charles, 17. His wake will be held to the public at the Strand Hotel in Rangoon on Sunday. He was 46.

[Enigmajones]

I'd like to thank all my readers for helping me hit 30,000 views!