A Crack at Draka: ME's Attempt at a Better TL

[Mark-ITSOT]

Quick nitpick. If the followers of Munro are named after who I think they're named after they should be called Naphtalites. Not Nephilites

[Municipal Engines]

Originally Posted by Beedok

Leading to them being BFF's with the Draka?

Probably not: "The evil Ruskies are enslaving gorramned white people!"

Not to mention the British are still keeping the Drakans on a (loose) leash and the only thing that's unifying the Drakans and the Russians is a common hatred of the Ottomans.

And the American Civil War's going to start later than when it did in our universe. There's less immigration to the USA than IOTL and the South is relatively more unified on the political scene than IOTL (no split Democrats).

Originally Posted by Mark-ITSOT

Quick nitpick. If the followers of Munro are named after who I think they're named after they should be called Naphtalites. Not Nephilites

I was actually taking the name from the Nephilim. I don't believe I've heard of the Naphtalites.

[iddt3]

Originally Posted by Municipal Engines

Never realised the situation in the antebellum USA was so unstable. No wonder the Europeans sneered at it.

Thanks all, I know what to do now.

Much of the instability was behind the scenes, and most of the Political elite on both sides was committed to Unionism. It was really a small group of southern firebrands who wanted Succession, and being the most motivated party, managed to get it. It was kind of similar in some ways to the Bolsheviks gaining power in Russia; they certainly weren't the most popular group, but they were willing to act first, giving themselves a veneer of Legitimacy and Inevitability. In states like Virginia the Succession was really a close run thing; it could have gone either way, and if Virgina had stayed Union, or even tired to declare neutrality as Kentucky did, it probably would have doomed the south much more quickly.

[Voice of The Empire]

I really like what you've done here; The snakes end up being much more plausible than stirling did, without taking away from what makes them fascinating.

My only problem comes from the realitively quick handling of the Zulu. I would have liked to see the Draka taking a bit of a hit there.

[Mark-ITSOT]

Originally Posted by Municipal Engines

Probably not: "The evil Ruskies are enslaving gorramned white people!"

Not to mention the British are still keeping the Drakans on a (loose) leash and the only thing that's unifying the Drakans and the Russians is a common hatred of the Ottomans.

And the American Civil War's going to start later than when it did in our universe. There's less immigration to the USA than IOTL and the South is relatively more unified on the political scene than IOTL (no split Democrats).



I was actually taking the name from the Nephilim. I don't believe I've heard of the Naphtalites.

The Nephilim are a completely different thing. The Naphtalites are the lost tribe of Israel that descends from Jacob's son Naphtali.

Google the twelve sons of Jacob. You'll see I'm right.

[Municipal Engines]

The Revolutions of 1861

The 1850s saw much large-scale war that left a scar on the West and exacerbated the social and economic strife in Europe. The 1860s would be a time of equal social upheaval, brought about by a revolutionary wave. With bitterness and resentment towards the Austrians rising, and nationalism growing daily, the Hungarians would be the progenitors of this revolution.

The Hungarian Revolution would be felt across Europe. In 1861, the Hungarians rallied at popular call and declared their independence from the Hapsburg monarchy, followed by the Polish in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. The Russians sent troops to assist the Hungarians and, by the end of the year, the war-exhausted and financially unstable Austrians were forced to recognise the new Kingdom of Hungary as independent, at the behest of Russia and its allies. The most powerful and influential nobleman, István Széchenyi, became the new . The Russians annexed Galicia and Lorodmeria - as well as the Austrian-conquered Kraków - to Congress Poland after forgiving the Austrian debts to it and paying a healthy sum to soothe the Austrians' financial woes. The rest of Europe was much too busy to object, and the Austrian government could not prevent aggressive Russian diplomacy while they put down riots and protests in Bohemia and Moravia.

The Hungarian Revolution would inspire a wave of revolutions and rebellions throughout the continent. Liberal agitators would take this opportunity to rebel and call for massive change. This occurred all throughout Germany and other Western European countries.

The Prussians had been fighting their own war in the 40s against the Danish for control of Schleswig-Holstein, known now as the Scandinavian War, after the Danish adopted a liberal constitution similar to that of Britain and a reactionary German rebellion in Schleswig-Holstein occurred as a result.

The Prussians called upon their allies in the German Confederation to assist them in "defending" and "retaking" the disputed province. Conversely, throughout the first half of the 19th Century, the governments of Denmark and Sweden-Norway had grown increasingly close, forming a tight-knit military and trade alliance.

The Scandinavian and German forces clashed and struggled for a few years until the eventual Prussian defeat. This touched of a rapidly growing interest in the prospect of a Pan-Scandinavian Union. The massive liberal elements of society took hold of the public and government, walking hand-in-hand with Pan-Scandinavianism. Eventually, after much preparation and deliberation, the three countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark came together in confederation, organising a new union that gave each monarch and government powers for their own internal affairs. A new federal capital at Malmö handled the government of the entire Scandinavian state.

In Germany, a large-scale liberal pan-nationalist revolt occurred against the traditional, largely autocratic political structure of the thirty-nine independent states of the German Confederation. While ultimately unsuccessful, it did leave a lasting imprint of German pan-nationalism in the Confederation. It becomes especially popular in Austria and the north of Germany. Even Prussian politicians found the idea enticing.

In France, the revolutions took the form of democratic liberals attempting to overthrow Emperor Napoleon's autocratic, conservative rule, hoping to use the defeat by the Russians as a catalyst for wider public support. However, Napoleon's army is strong and he rallies the populace against them, calling the revolutionaries "anarchists" and "Russian-backed traitors". The revolutionaries are crushed and Napoleon pledges to revitalise France, starting with a colonial empire and international power to rival that of Britain.

The United Kingdom in 1861

The United Kingdom also felt the wave of revolution. Ever since the Chartist Revolution in the 1830s, the Radical Party dominated British government over the next few decades. Led by Thomas Brennan, they adopted a policy of "reconciliation" between Ireland and Britain that was especially shown by the building of infrastructure and the steady re-enfranchisement of the previously second-class Irish Catholics. When a potato blight destroyed Ireland's food crops in 1845, the Radical government and Anglo-Irish Prime Minister were quick to respond.

Ports were closed to exports and public works were commissioned to build roads and housing for the country. Relief efforts were championed by the government and independent charities and in many cases the government bypassed the wishes of the absentee landlords of Ireland in order to feed the populace. In the end, the great lengths to which the Radical Party went to ensure the health and survival of Ireland paid off, with the vast majority of the almost 8 million Irish people voting for them in the elections after the famine. Nevertheless, deaths from the famine and emigration from Ireland did occur, though not in as great a number as otherwise could have been. For the most part, the Irish emigrants touched off a trend of emigration to the USA and British colonies that would last for a decade, despite the rapidly improving situation in Ireland. The population of Ireland stabilised, for the most part, but was large enough to play a significant part in British politics thereafter.

But there was still the view that reform was not complete; that too much land was still in the hands of powerful landlords. These issues dominated the Radical Party, along with other social and economic reforms in Britain. As a result of the reforms, the Revolutions of 1861 failed to gain much popular hold in the UK, except in the form of a small, unpopular Irish nationalist rebellion. The advent of the Radical Party and numerous reforms and the rapidly changing attitude of the British public to Ireland rendered most nationalist causes undesirable to the majority of Irish people, who are now facing more prosperity and freedom than they have ever had before.

A New Rome

The real success story of 1861 was the Roman Republic. Liberals flooded the streets of Rome, demanding social and political reform and a democratically elected government. Ministers are assassinated and paramilitaries led by - among others - Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi seized Rome, disbanded the Swiss Guard and made Pope Pius IX a prisoner within his own palace. Pious soon exiled himself from the city and condemned the revolutionaries, excommunicating those involved. The revolutionaries declared a new Roman Republic and set about controlling the new state.

An army of "Legions" was established by Garibaldi and, under Mazzini's elected role as Consul, diplomatic relations were made - especially important were the relations with the United Kingdom. Control over the rest of the former Papal States was tenuous for the first few years, especially after an attempted French invasion on behalf of the Pope, where the French backed down after Britain sent in military units to assist the Romans. The new nation underwent radical reform, with many liberal policies such as freedom of religion, freedom of press and secular education. A senate similar in many ways to the ancient Roman Republic senate was established, mutated and shaped to fit in with the modern, democratic principles of the new state. The aristocracy was represented by a prince, six marquises, fifteen counts and three other nobles and the Senate was dominated by the bourgeoisie, the affluent, professionals and employees.

The Roman Republic managed to survive the turmoil that followed 1861, modelling itself on democratic principles and classical governments in a result that was akin to a more liberal, Roman-flavoured version of the Hellenic Republic.

[thekingsguard]

Great update! Two questions:

When will the updates about the American Civil War come in?

With a lot of the Irish staying in Ireland, will the USA be less Catholic than in the Draka TL?

[willbell]

I was wondering (since I only have some basic knowledge of what actually happened in the time period), what happened in the real revolution in this time period? Specifically to the UK/Irish.

[casval]

A mormon analogue in the draka series hmmmm ...

if you were to wank this analogue, and let the south have support from the draka, the US might split into three

US, CSA and "devoret"

[JSmith]

We are so close to the American Civil War arent we?

[Municipal Engines]

I'll be updating soon. I think after this initial TL is completed, I'll do a "Crack at Draka 2.0" that'll go more in depth in these things I mentioned; exploring the butterflies more and not just glossing over the radically different American Revolution and the slightly different Napoleonic Wars.

[thekingsguard]

Originally Posted by Municipal Engines

I'll be updating soon. I think after this initial TL is completed, I'll do a "Crack at Draka 2.0" that'll go more in depth in these things I mentioned; exploring the butterflies more and not just glossing over the radically different American Revolution and the slightly different Napoleonic Wars.

Looking forward to the update!

[farwalker]

Just found this, a very interesting take on the Draka. I look forward to more!

[Municipal Engines]

A Company, a Tiger and Two Cranes: Asia by 1870

The Company and the Tiger

In the 1860s, the Company found it increasingly difficult to manage their massive Asian holdings, with a combined population of over 300 million and growing. Though the Company was keen on following the model of governance espoused by the executives running India in the late 19th Century – taking care to balance profits and the welfare of the people in order to prevent agitation and rebellion – there were still many unhappy voices. The Doctrine of Lapse had been used for a short while and was vehemently opposed by the ruling classes of Indians. In many cases, the attempts to phase out the caste system were not subtle enough and caused resentment. Bitterness mounted ever so slowly.

By the 60s, a rebellion had broken out in Delhi, with the king of the city attempting to re-establish the Mughal Empire. While the outlying regions and a not insignificant number of soldiers and Indians rose up, there was no all-India rebellion as the King of Delhi and the few princes that were allied with him hoped. The Consortium had exploited the ethnicity and language divides, using geography and age-old community ties to weaken any sense of national "India-ness". The rebellion was crushed and the King of Delhi was exiled and replaced with a British-friendly prince. The Delhi Rebellion gave the Consortium pause for thought, on the future of the Indian holdings. Surmising that continuing to manage the entire Subcontinent would quickly become costly and perhaps even the death of the Company (looking to the Mediterranean War as an example) and looking at their own dwindling share prices, the Consortium voted narrowly to cede half of the Subcontinent to government rule.

The result was the division of India between the Indian Raj, governed by the British Crown, and the East Indian Combine, governed by the Honourable East India Company. The Combine was made up of the "Ceylon Presidency", the reduced Madras Presidency, the "Western Provinces" (shorn off of the previous United Provinces of the former Indian holdings), the newly-repositioned Bengal Presidency, the "Bhutan Presidency" and the "Burma Presidency".

The Consortium's agreement with the British government gave them some further powers and they set about restructuring their new territory. The few Princely States were broken up and absorbed directly into the Presidencies over the next ten years.

The Old Crane of China

By 1870, China had been forever altered. The "Trade Wars" throughout the early 19th Century against the British opened the mightiest native nation in Asia up to commerce with the rest of the world and ceded the port of Hong Kong. This led to other influences to seep in.

Chinese political and religious speakers influenced by Western culture began rise and to gain support, their followers swelling in ranks. Three particularly large movements were the Movement for a Unified Chinese Republic - a nascent nationalist republican entity modelled on the USA; the God Worshippers - a dangerous radical Christian sect led by a self-proclaimed prophet and representative of Christ; and a fractioned, disorganised conglomeration of anti-Qing dissidents in the north. Seeking to make China ripe for corporate exploitation, the Consortium supported these groups; selling them arms and giving their backers loans.

The first of the rebellions began in the 1850s, following the rise and militarisation of the God Worshippers. With a goal of creating a new theocratic Christian state that would rule China until Judgement Day, the God Worshippers began a bloody, costly conflict. The Qing failed to stop them and provinces in the south-east began to fall to the Christian rebels. While at first popular with the peasantry for their radical notions of class and anti-feudalism, it became apparent that the "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace" was neither heavenly nor particularly inclined to great peace. Its brutality and massacres became infamous.

With the ineffectiveness of the Qing government in dealing with the "Taiping" God Worshippers, militias sprung up - supported by meddling Consortium agents - in the countryside whilst in the more populated urban areas, hundreds of thousands of people who were both anti-Qing and anti-Taiping flocked to liberal republican leaders in order to form their own independent defence against the Taiping.

All this sectarianism was encouraged by the Inner Circle Consortium secret society who called themselves the Fraternal Order of the Red Dragon. Made up of wealthy Drakans, they spearheaded the Consortium's affairs in China with the goal of furthering British Imperial and Consortium rule in Asia. Using Drakan mercenaries as filibusters and continually playing off the factions against one another, they sought to create - as member Gordon Drake said - "Chaos, pure chaos. Plunge the land into darkness and make it so that whatever emerges will be solely to our benefit". Considered one of the darkest consequences of European imperialism, what the Chinese called the "Great Terror" cost the lives of tens of millions of people and divided a nation that had been unified for hundreds of years.

In the 60s, the Taiping military leader Shi Dakai defected to the Republican forces, disgusted by the behaviour of the armies and leaders of the Taiping Kingdom and incensed by the murder of his family by rivals. His strong, modernised loyal army and military brilliance tipped the balance of the power in the south in the Republicans' favour. They steadily began to gain against the Taiping.

Meanwhile, in the north, the Qing were suffering sporadic revolts from anti-Manchu elements, independent militias and rising warlords, and from the Muslim Hui people. They were unable to make progress against the Taiping or the Republicans while they faced potential revolution in the northern heartlands.

This is ratified in the Treaty of Peking; whereby the British agree to police Westerners in China to ensure they do not take part in trading with the rebels, though the British do no such thing for the south of China where most of the land is effectively controlled by rebellious groups. However, the British government does not intervene in the civil war, although many British citizens do begin to fight for the Republicans or the Qing by the mid-to-late 1860s.

The Consortium occupy Shanghai "on behalf of the Qing" during the war, repelling the Taiping who conquered it 1861. Despite being nominally part of the Qing, it is run effectively as a city-state by Consortium commanders and used as a meeting-place for numerous rebel leaders when they want to contact the Consortium.

In reaction to the events in China, the Russians occupy Xinjiang and Mongolia to secure their borders and establish a foothold into the country, coming to a deal with the Qing, giving them weapons and loans in exchange for pushing the western border further east. The French respond by signing a deal with the Qing to provide coastal support and defend/occupy the islands of Taiwan and Hainan. The British government puts its foot down after this and, despite protesting from the Consortium ("We have it all under control; the France and Russia's positions are negligible") decides to intervene in late 1868, setting up the Peking Conference.

The Europeans gang together and force the Chinese into treaty after treaty whilst arguing how to divide the influence amongst themselves. Debates almost turn hot when France sends a group of warships to the Yellow Sea in order to "protect the independence of the Qing Empire from interfering British agency" and Britain responds in kind. After a tense stare-down and much anti-French and anti-British rhetoric in their respective countries, cooler heads prevail and the warships are send back to their ports. Though there is no divvying up of China into spheres of influence or colonies, the Europeans do agree amongst themselves to leave the status quo as is, lest they break out into full-scale war. Minor assistance is given to the Qing in the Chinese Civil War against the Taiping and the more northerly warlords, though it is forced to leave the Republicans alone as they make gains against the Taiping.

Most minor warlords and independent militia-held lands are gone by 1870, but the major warlords are split between viciously neutral and those allied and bending knees to European powers. As a result of Consortium meddling[1], Britain is the dominating power of the region and the Republicans consider themselves allies to the British government, being fellow liberals and all[2].

The Young Crane of Japan

The British began meddling in Japan towards the end of the 1840s, sending warships to force Japan to open itself up to trade. This event shook the shogunate to its core, leading to the eventual ousting of the Tokugawa by nationalistic daimyos in 1858 after inspiration from the uprisings in China and acting under the cultural influence of the influx of Westerners.

The Emperor was restored to a position of power and a constitution was drafted, creating a parliament called the Diet, a cabinet and a Prime Minister. However, this constitution was far from liberal and the entire system eventually evolved into something of a meritocracy.

By 1870, the Japanese had drastically transformed their nation from an unindustrialised, stagnant, isolationist nation to what was rapidly becoming a rising power in Asia. The Empire of Japan expanded in this period to conquer Hokkaido and Okinawa, though it was not powerful enough to try its hand at dabbling in China.

__________________________________

[1]: If the Great Terror/Chinese Civil War proved anything, it was that the Consortium still had considerable power and influence. While most people couldn't give a damn about China as long as they could still trade (and thanks to Consortium ships, they could), those few who wanted Britain to intervene on moral, ideological grounds found it impossible due to the Consortium lobby, who were firmly allied with the Conservatives and with whom the Radicals needed to give concessions for practical reasons. It was mostly a Consortium affair, with minimal involvement from the government until European Great Powers started dipping their fingers into the Chinese pie.

[2]: Ironically, the British government was controlled by the Conservatives at this point in time, though Britain was a largely liberal country compared to most (even its own conservatives had to adapt to the rapidly changing nation they were in). Though Consortium agents provided clandestine support and supplies to all rebels, including the Taiping, the Republicans could only see these charming, polite "British" people with whom they could gush about liberal ideas (the conservative Drakans forced a smile as they held meetings) and receive healthy loans and cheap supplies from. On the face of it, British imperial citizens were all too happy to support the revolution. Underneath that, the Drakans were rubbing their hands with glee at duping the Republicans so badly.

[MerryPrankster]

Good update, but I'd object to the "forever destroying the idea of a unified China" thing.

The Mandate of Heaven is a pretty strong thing in Chinese culture.

[Municipal Engines]

The Rest of the World by the 1870s

The world had changed significantly since the beginning of the 1850s. The face of Europe was never to be the same; the Ottoman Empire had disappeared from the Balkans and the Austrian Empire had split. In its wake, the Russians held sway over Eastern Europe and the Prussians dominated the German Confederation, which was rapidly forming tight bonds and slowly moving along the path to unity.

Under Napoleon, the French were committed to a new policy of revitalisation; expansion of the navy and army, the acquisition of colonies and the securing of French influence abroad. They became the benefactors of the Republic of Quebec and sought to expand their influence in the American Hemisphere. A colony in the Horn of Africa was established and France set its sight on controlling the rest of the region. Equatorial Africa also became a target for France, with incursions into the interior and an increasing presence further inland.

From this French expansion of influence, coupled with their resentment of Britain's power, Napoleon III abandoned his pro-British leanings; determined to build a strong French Empire not reliant on Britain's concent to exert international influence. The Emperor held personal bitterness towards British apathy and their "betrayal" during the Black Sea War, a view shared by many of his fellow countrymen. Their closest allies were the Spanish, who had fallen on very hard times throughout the first half of the 19th Century. Often violent internal power struggles and economic crises continually bit at Spain's heels, and French intervention in the 1860s during a near-successful coup d'etat by radically liberal republican officers gave way a reactionary, conservative government firmly associating with the French.

The primary ally of the French in the Western Hemisphere was the Republic of Quebec. Democracy had been effectively discredited in this nation with the loss of the Louisiana War and the coup d'etat of the popular war hero Pierre Vernes established a tradition of a caste of leaders who ruled as oligarchies of intellectuals and military men led by a powerful Consul. They were all too keen to receive assistance from Napoleon, seeing the French as brothers-in-arms against the "Contemptuous English"; used to mean the English-speaking nations that were so at odds with the French-speaking ones. Quebec had become what many referred to as a "Prussia of the Americas"; highly militarised with high-quality professionals in the army. With Quebec as a close ally, France could stage its operations to spread its influence throughout the Americas.

In the 1860s, the Radicals decided to do away with the unproductive, unimportant continental holdings in British North America. Contacting the USA, they were about to sell all of the territory (minus Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) until Quebecois diplomats posited a bid. A small bidding war played out until, seeing that they were going to lose, the Quebecois put forth the idea of dividing the land between the USA and Quebec and paying less money individually for it; "splitting the bill" as it were. The British and Americans accepted this and Quebec was ceded the eastern territories whilst the Americans were ceded the western territories.

South America, though so divorced from global international politics, was a tumultous place to live in. Monolithic states in the form of the Empire of Brazil, the United Provinces of South America and Gran Colombia all were seen as a threat by each other and, especially, the smaller states. The devastating Paraguay War in the 1850s resulted in a massive death toll for Paraguay and its subsequent annexation by Brazil, much to the protest of the UPSA. Bolivia and Peru both formed a defensive alliance in response to the growing might of Brazil.

[Municipal Engines]

There will be (finally) some posts on Draka before we get to the big event everyone's been waiting for. I can guarantee that the *ACW will be a spectacular sight.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by Municipal Engines

There will be (finally) some posts on Draka before we get to the big event everyone's been waiting for. I can guarantee that the *ACW will be a spectacular sight.

I want to see Quebec make a mad grab.

[MerryPrankster]

I'm thinking in TTL the Union will be in a bit of trouble--i.e. a two-front war with the Confederates and the Quebecois, the latter with French backing.

However, Britain isn't really a big fan of slavery or Napoleon III, so they might back the Union. And France's enemies in Europe might be willing to jump on Napoleon III's back too.

Oh boy. WWI in the 1870s?

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by MerryPrankster

I'm thinking in TTL the Union will be in a bit of trouble--i.e. a two-front war with the Confederates and the Quebecois, the latter with French backing.

However, Britain isn't really a big fan of slavery or Napoleon III, so they might back the Union. And France's enemies in Europe might be willing to jump on Napoleon III's back too.

Oh boy. WWI in the 1870s?

If Britain backs the Union, what do the Draka do? (They do sort of like that slavery stuff afterall.)