The march of progress V 0.4

[Tyr]

The Savoy situation is unresolved.
And of course still stuff to do everywhere....
But meh, its becoming slightly more complete.
The POD- Confederate ambassadors to Europe decide to board a French ship instead of a British one.
Its basically a 'what if France wins in Mexico' TL but....with other stuff happening too later on. Pretty damn huge really...

November/December 1861:

America: The Marianne Affair. The US navy breaks maritime law by boarding the French ship Marianne and abducting the would-be confederate ambassadorial teams to the UK and France who were aboard.
The French are outraged at this incident and prepared an ultimatum demanding a formal apology and the release of the Confederate diplomats.
The harshly worded ultimatum from the French puts the U.S government in a difficult position; they fear that if they refuse it then it will lead to war with France- probably not a wise course of action at the best of times never mind in the midst of a civil war. On the other side of things however is the American’s pride and the belief that if they give into a European power on this issue then the Europeans would think they can get away with more in the future- a point which particularly stands out with regards to France and its current interference in Mexico.
The British opinion is that it hopes the incident won’t lead to war however sees little room for mediation: the Americans have broken international law and the only just course of action is to apologise and hand the ambassadors over to French custody.
Eventually after much consideration it is decided that the USA has little choice but to reject the ultimatum hoping that France will not follow through with its threat and that even if it does the possible impact the French can have on the war is minimal.
For the next few months relations between the USA and France nose dive with all concerned hoping cooler heads will prevail.

Britain: In late November Prince Albert contracts typhoid fever, much to the dismay of his family and the country as a whole he does not recover until the new year and plays no part in Christmas and new year celebrations.

January 1862:

America: In Mexico the British, Spanish and French go ahead with their plan to extract loan reparations from the local government despite the developments in Franco-American relations. This draws some criticism from certain quarters in the British government with its potential to draw the UK into the war against the USA however this opposition is muted.
Late in the month it becomes clear that talks with the USA are getting nowhere and France officially declares war.
The naval war starts almost immediately with merchant shipping from both sides being seized by the other.
Not long after the official declaration of war the USA launches the first offensive with the US navy bloodlessly taking over the small French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

February 1862:

America: Britain and Spain decide that it would be wise to withdraw their forces from Mexico ASAP so as to avoid the possibility of being involved in the Franco-American war.
Late in February further ships from the French navy arrive in the Americas. The fleet is relatively small in size compared to the French fleet as a whole with the French still keeping a hefty fleet in Europe in case of a sudden decline in relations with Britain however included in amongst the ships is the pride of the French fleet-La Gloire.
Also included amongst these reinforcements is a substantial increase in troop numbers in Mexico – made possible due to the need to maintain relations with the United States no longer being such a concern.

March-July 1862:

America: Negotiations by the CSA to try and obtain recognition from other countries continue with particular focus being turned to the French to try and gain a formal agreement on how to work together against the USA.
In the gulf of Mexico several minor engagements between the French and American navies take place with no clear advantage being visible as of yet.
Within America itself the civil war continues to rage. Though the battles are different and lady luck smiles on different people the general outcome is similar to OTL with things going only marginally better for the confederates.

In Mexico the French advance is steady with the Mexicans seemingly powerless to do anything but slowly retreat.


July-October 1862:

America: With everything in place the French step up their naval campaign against the Americans successfully removing all vestiges of the union fleet in the Gulf of Mexico.
In August formal recognition of the CSA is finally granted by France after intense talks with British diplomats where the British position is rather complexly made that they will not formally recognise the CSA until its independence was entirely assured so as to avoid antagonising the USA however in many ways they would de-facto recognise the southern states sovereign status and though neutral would somewhat support France’s righteous war effort (though of course they were not happy about France’s other war in Mexico).
An agreement of war goals is reached between the two allies’ shortly after the recognition (it had in fact been under discussion long before) chief of which being the recognition of the Confederacy’s independence and the recognition of the Mexican Empire. These goals are not made public so as to avoid damaging British neutrality.
The Confederates continue to do ever better then OLT, the release of the union blockade on the south coast and recognition by one of the world’s most prominent powers is a major help to them.

In August the French army takes the Mexican capital

November 1862- March 1863:

America: Things are clearly beginning to go better for the confederates now thanks to the release of the blockade on the southern states and the French recognition.
Both sides of the alliance agree that having the French army fighting alongside the Confederacy in its territory would not be a good thing however an agreement is reached whereby a small number of French soldiers will do this in an observation role.
The French continue to clear the sea of American shipping both close to home and abroad, American trade is being severely damaged by the French and largely due to this support for the war is beginning to wane.
The Americans are also managing a fair amount of damage on French shipping with privateering actions however this is far less with most of their attention being turned to maintaining control of their own seas.
In February Emperor Maximillian I of Mexico is crowned.


Egypt: In January Isma'il Pasha takes control of Egypt. Contrary to OTL he is not able to take advantage of high cotton prices caused by the ACW to fund reforms on as huge a scale as he would like.
A more steady, sustainable pace of reform is still embarked upon however and relations with the Ottoman Empire develop similarly.

April 1863:

America: After months of preparation the French invade California by sea. They capture several key positions however hold their advance near to the coast- this is purely intended to be a big diversion to the union and not a actual attempt at take over.

Britain: On a lesser note to events elsewhere, in London a ‘James Edwards’ arrives from the Indian Territory. Edwards is a Native American who is hoping to gain support for the prospect of an independent Native American nation. Edwards makes quite a impact on the London social scene as a ‘civilized injun’ marvelling those he meets with his intelligence and keen wit- more then a match for any English gentleman.

May-December 1863:

America: Things do not look good for the union. Not only are they not advancing any further but the confederates are even beginning to retake lost ground in many places and advancing well into union territory in the east.
On the 4th of July 1863 fully realising just how much things were going against the union (and with a sizeable number of occupation troops removed from their territory) the Mormons declare ‘Deseret’ to have joined the secessionist cause.

A critical blow is struck against the Union in October when Washington D.C is finally over ran by confederate forces, the US government had managed to evacuate everything northwards to Philadelphia long before hand however the moral blow remains enormous.
By the end of the year public support is defiantly beginning to turn against the war with the general companion being one let those damned southerners go.

Europe: Virtually on cue in November King Frederick VII of Denmark dies. He is replaced by Christian IX who is faced with the same constitutional difficulties as OTL and follows the same course of action.

January-February 1864:

America: The downwards trend for the union continues, and the calls for peace ring out from all corners of the country.

Europe: Saxon and Hanoverian troops march into Holstein in mid January (Somewhat later then OTL)

March-May 1864:

America: In March with British mediation a peace agreement is brokered between the United States of America and the alliance of the Confederate States of America, France and Mexico.
Many observers say that the treaty was very lenient towards the USA due to the overwhelming victory their enemies were enjoying at the time.
The treaty roughly follows France and the CSA’s agreement with:
*The CSA is recognised as an independent nation- and its secession ruled completely legal by the laws of the constitution
*Imperial Mexico recognised
*the Border States claimed by the Confederacy are to hold plebiscites to determine if they secede or remain in the union.
*The US allows Deseret to join the CSA- in practice this is most of Utah and not the full originally proposed Mormon state. There are quite a few minor border readjustments, compensation payments and other minor issues.

Europe: In Denmark and Germany events similar to those IOTL have been taking place with regards to Schleswig-Holstein.
Contrary to IOTL there is no cunning Prussian deception to trick the Danes into allowing for hostilities to be opened up and when the Germans invade Schleswig in mid March the Danes withdraw under protest. In the following weeks the situation further deteriorates without direct conflict breaking out. Eventually in April the attention of the great powers of Europe is turned to the situation and it is decided that the binding of Schleswig-Holstein no longer applies and Schleswig will remain an integral part of Denmark. Under threat of war from the United Kingdom, France and Russia the Germans grudgingly agree.

1865:

USA: Debate begins about what to do about the nation’s capital. The government has still not yet moved back to Washington D.C. many parts of which were badly damaged by the Confederate army.
Though most of the general population would like Washington restored many in the government can see the lack of wisdom in such a move- Washington’s position near to a hostile nation does not make defence of it easy.
After a lot of debate the option favoured by the majority is a construction of a new capital in a more centralised position.

1866:

Britain: Under the leadership of the ailing Lord Palmerston (he is so ill he plays very little actual part in parliament) the reform act passes in Britain. This is just a preliminary act that extends to franchise to the middle classes with a £5 householder qualification.

1867:

CSA:The issue of granting the native Americans a state out of the Indian Territory territory is finally raised, debate is long however eventually the more racist faction wins out and the Indian Territory remains a territory.

France: The mitrailleuse begins to be entered into use by the French army. Having obtained experience with modern warfare in the recent North American wars it is decided the weapon would be most useful with standard infantry and not artillery divisions.

Japan: In April the Imperial faction announce the end of the shogunate’s power in the country. The Shogun officially accepts this decision however secretly a build up of forces begins to take place. This build up continues for some time however by the end of the month it is discovered and imperial forces open hostilities.
Though better prepared then OTL the majority of the Bakufu forces are pushed steadily northwards.
By winter the Emperor’s forces securely hold Shikoku and most of Honshu apart from a few Bakufu strongholds mainly in the north east. Ezo and Kyushu remain within the hands of the Shogun however the imperial forces have yet to turn their attention onto these islands.
By the end of the year the messy situation in Japan has began to stabilise into a proper two sided war with the Shogun’s forces consolidating their grip over Ezo (Hokkaido) and northern Honshu abandoning the rest of the country to the emperor (for the time being…)


1868:

Britain: Lord Palmerston finally passes away and the leadership of the Liberal Party is very much up for debate. The position of prime minister passes to William Gladstone however Gladstone’s stance on reform and ‘resultant liberalism’ causes a huge rift in the party between the ‘reformists’ and the Whigs and ‘absolute liberals’.
In the ensuing power struggle the conservatives under the leadership of Benjamin Disraeli manage to take power and the Liberal Party splits in two: The ‘traditionalist’ majority Whig Liberal Party led John Russell and the new majority radical Progressive Party led by Gladstone. The Peelites largely ended up splitting between the two with a stronger tendency towards the progressives.
This splitting of the liberal vote leads to conservative dominance of British politics for many years to come.

Egypt: On the 7th October the Suez Canal is finally opened to traffic.

Japan: In spring the imperial forces in Japan launch a large scale offensive against the north of Honshu rapidly gaining control of the area, the shogun’s mostly medieval army standing no chance against the emperor’s modern forces.
Towards the end of the Honshu campaign realising that they are defeated if they stand alone the Bakufu faction looks abroad for aid and finds it in the guise of the French who, fresh from their victory in Mexico are interested in the possibility of adding Japan to their informal empire.
Building upon the shogunate’s previous use of French officers in modernising their army several ships from the French navy arrive in the area to support the defence of Ezo.
Several naval attacks on the island are attempted by the imperial forces however the addition of the French to the shogun’s side tilts the previously evenly balanced naval forces in his favour and no headway is made.
In October a cease fire of sorts is agreed and the ‘The Republic of Ezo’ is declared on Ezo. Both sides fully intend to fully re-conquer their ‘rightful lands’ in the future however for the immediate future a loose peace is in place.
The French sign a treaty with Ezo which puts it heavily under their sphere of influence in exchange for increased assistance in modernising their military.
Businesses from many other nations (chief amongst them the USA and the UK) also have interests in Japan however all three governments decide against interfering not wanting to risk a full scale war with France over a relatively unimportant country on the far side of the world, there are also some in the American and British camps who hope that this weakening of Japan could force the Imperials ever more into their sphere of influence.

1869:

Britain/Canada: ‘The British North America Act’ is passed granting Canada its nationhood as the Kingdom of Canada, under the terms of the act Canada is granted self rule on domestic issues and is granted 4 (1 per province) ‘honorary’ seats in the British parliament ‘so that the voice of the British citizen in the Americas may be heard’.
This act proves highly controversial in Britain with its formal tying of colonies to British parliament for the first time (even though only 1 seat per province was in fact a large compromise).
Criticism is also drawn from the colonies- many resenting how only Canada gets this right.
Another important difference in the treaty to OTL is the following of the Durham reports suggestions and the start of the steady removal of special rights granted to the French Canadians- something that is supported from all quarters of the English speaking population, both the right who want the French to assimilate ASAP and the left who believe everyone should have the same rights.

1870:

Britain/Newfoundland: As a continuation of last year's reforms Newfoundland is also granted a parliamentary seat.
CSA: The issue of a native American state rises again. This time around it is defeated fairly rapidly.

1871:

Britain: The two liberal parties temporarily put their differences aside to attempt to force through a parliamentary reform act. The act which is aimed at destroying the ‘tyranny implicit in a two party system’ intends to introduce a Single Transferable Vote system in the country.
The vote fails due to the ‘tyranny’ it is designed to stop being firmly in place with the Tories having a large majority in parliament.

1872:

Britain: In what many call a calculated move by the conservatives to keep the liberals divided (in spite of unrest within their own party) the third reform act is passed through parliament with support from the conservatives and the progressives. The act once more lowering the requirements necessary to be able to vote.

1873:

CSA: Once more the issue of statehood for the native Americans arises. The debate goes on slightly longer then that of three years earlier however it still concludes against the possibility.

Europe: France opens negotiations with the Dutch about the possible purchase of Luxembourg. The Dutch prove receptive to offloading their liability and negotiations initially go well however the Germans were far from happy about the idea of ‘the Gibraltar of the north’ falling into French hands.
With Prussia at the forefront the German Confederation makes it known that they will not tolerate the transfer of Luxembourg into French hands.
In the United Kingdom the conservative government sticks to its policy of staying out of European affairs even despite the possibility of a major war that could seriously upset the balance of power.

March 1874:

Europe: French forces invade Germany. The great fortress of Luxembourg is put under siege by limited forces which the majority of the army advances towards the Rhine hoping to secure the west bank of the river. In the south the Rhine is crossed by the French army who hope to reach the Neckar. Initial skirmishes prove promising for the French, their professional well equipped army far outmatching the mostly conscripted Germans who have yet to bring to bare their advantage: Prussian numbers.

April 1874:
Europe: After considering neglecting its obligations so as to damage Prussian power Austria declares support for its fellow Germans and enters the war.
Things continue to go well for the French who are rapidly achieving their goals.

May 1874:

Europe: The first major setbacks for the French with large Austrian led German forces engaging them in the south forcing a steady retreat back towards the Rhine here.

Japan: Seeing French interest distracted by far more important matters in Europe Imperial Japan restarts the Japanese civil war and invades Ezo. The initial sea battles go very well for Japan with its larger British based navy decisively defeating the small force of rag tag hand-me-downs Ezo can muster. The land invasion however does not go quite so well; Ezo has spent the last five years very well in the modernisation of their army and resistance is fierce.

June 1874:

Europe: A secret agreement having been made prior to the war concerning Austria’s entry Italy invades the Austrian empire to liberate the Italians still under German oppression. The Italian army advances into Venetia where in spite of much of the local population supporting the removal of the Germans Austrian resistance is heavy.
Large portions of the Austrian army in the north are forced to return home allowing for the French forces to stop their retreat and counter-attack. In the north France has gained most of the west bank of the Rhine with the only hope for the Germans seeming to be several cities with decent fortifications forcing the French into a siege.

July 1874:

Europe: Despite heavy fighting Italian forces push on through Austrian Italy. Small amounts of the French army begin arrive in Italy to lend their experience to the Italians who the French leadership do not believe are operating up to scratch.
In a series of minor battles the Austrian navy is effectively destroyed by combined Italian and French forces.
Britain: In Britain the government is becoming deeply unpopular due to its hands off approach leading to what looks set to be an enormous French victory. The British government actively begins looking for a solution to the conflict in Europe.

August 1874:

Europe: A major German offensive in an attempt to relieve the siege of Koblenz meets with much success pushing back the French forces in the area and managing to reclaim a relatively large part of the west bank before meeting stiffer resistance.
In the south however things begin to unravel for the Germans with Venice finally falling into Italian hands and Austrian forces being pushed right back to the mountains where they desperately try to fight an organised retreat back into German lands.
Having secured Venetia the Italians continue their attack into Kustenland and Trentino in the hope of liberating these ‘rightful parts of Italy’ too. Little progress comes from this attack with the Alps standing as perfect natural defences.
Simultaneously to support the war effort minor amphibious landings are made to seize key positions in Dalmatia, this does meet with more substantial success and several towns are gained.


Japan: The Ezo Republic is finally brought to an end with the fall of the fortress of Goryokaku to imperial forces. Much of its leadership decide to kill themselves rather then face the dishonour of capture by the imperials. Many however escape abroad swearing to return to reclaim their land one day, in the years that follow large numbers of the general population (many of whom had originally emigrated to Ezo from mainland Japan over the years of the republic’s existence) also leave Japan, the favoured destination for these Japanese emigrants is Oregon.

October-December 1874:

Europe: In October the Italians withdraw from Dalmatia in the face of massive Austrian reinforcements bringing the Austro-Italian front to a virtual stalemate in the mountains.
In the Rhineland however heavy fighting continues with things eventually turning slightly in the favour of the French.

January-February 1875:

Europe: In mid-January Luxembourg finally falls to the French. Over much of the period there is little fighting going on with winter forcing both armies to stay dug into their bases of operations. In late February however a massive German assault is launched that rapidly pushes back the unprepared French forces

March-May 1875:

Europe: Though the front against the Italians is holding steady the Austrian empire begins to see large scale civil unrest particularly amongst its Magyar population- the simmering Hungarian nationalism that has been building for decades finally being pushed to boiling point with the heavy war taxes levied upon the peoples of the empire.
Though initially just civil unrest amongst the urban areas of Hungary it rapidly grows into a full scale rebellion spreading to the Slavic populations of the empire.
The Italians attempt to take advantage of the unrest in Austria with a major offensive at the end of April however the German defenders hold steady even despite the depletion of their forces to quell the rebellion.
Of particular concern to the British people is the increasing Russian interest in the 'plight of their fellow Slavs' and the increasing likelihood of Russian intervention against the Germans.

In the Rhineland things continue to lean in the favour of the French with the German forces being steadily pushed back towards the river once more.

[Ottoman Empire: [/b] In March the sultan Abdul Aziz is deposed in a military coup and replaced by his nephew Murad V. Abdul Aziz is imprisoned however not long after the coup loyalists rescue the former sultan and escape to Anatolia with him. The dissidents are soon caught and killed however leaving Murad secure in his position as Sultan. A liberal constitution is soon set in place effectively turning the empire into a constitutional monarchy with (theoretically) equal rights for all its peoples.

June 1875:

Europe: Then French too being increasingly worried about the possibility of Russia claiming vast swathes of Eastern Europe for their own grudgingly agree to British proposals for mediation of a peace treaty.
The Treaty of Almelo (named after the Dutch city in which the meeting took place) is signed on the 15th of the month. By the terms of the treaty Venetia is seceded to Italy. Luxembourg goes to France (in exchange for monetary concessions being paid to the Dutch), as well as the Saarland and part of the Palatinate.
The treaty proves deeply unpopular in northern Germany especially in Prussia- the humiliation of defeat not being bad enough, the fact that they were not actually fully defeated brings discontent from all quarters of society even though who realised the likelihood of a imminent Russian invasion.

August 1875:

Austria: The main bulk of the Hungarian rebellion is finally defeated by Austrian forces with most of its leaders tried and executed for treason. Many of the rebels however manage to escape overseas.

1876:
Britain: 1876 proves not to be a good year for the conservative party. Already suffering declining popularity due to its perceived failure over the Franco-German war its attempts to postpone a general election as long as possible leads to massed discontent amongst its members and several defections to the liberals.
When the election does take place it proves a disaster, the conservatives do manage to remain in power however their expansion of the franchise into the poorer reaches of society and the bad press that have suffered of late drastically reduces their majority with the liberals and progressives both making enormous gains- to such a extent that the two liberal parties would actually have a majority if they united. A coalition of liberals does not occur however with the Liberal party placing more stock in its right wing beliefs then those of free trade.

1877:
Britain: After a grand speech from William Gladstone emphasising Britain's role as the defenders of freedom the liberals put aside their differences to once more attempt to pass through a STV system. The bill passes through the commons however is blocked by the more traditionalist Lords.
Also in parliament this year is the passing of the private ballots act- much as in OTL it is introduced due to the belief that the poorer people now able to vote are susceptible to bribery and intimidation- a belief which since their recent defeats has rapidly grown amongst the conservatives almost to the extent of directly blaming the Progressives of rigging the election.

In other news: English engineer Henry Douglas makes his first demonstrations of the 'Autogun' (pretty much a Maxim gun)

France: Napoleon III passes away. His son Eugene takes over from him as Napoleon IV.

1879:
Britain: With most of the outspoken opponents of extending the franchise having defected to the Liberals several years ago a Conservative and Progressive alliance once more pushes through another reform act reducing the franchise requirements even more.

1880:
Britain: The previous year's reforms prove to have backfired on the Conservatives with their loss in this years general election. Though they succeeded in reducing support for the Liberals (the past alliance of upper and working classes against the middle classes being well and truly a thing of the past) the Progressives gain greatly from the poor's ability to vote and William Gladstone becomes the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.
The new government once more attempts to implement a STV system, it passes through the commons easier then ever before (even some conservatives voting in favour of it now they are out of power) however once more the Lord's defeat it. Soon after an appeal is made to the queen to make more left leaning peers, though initially she is reluctant prince Albert convinces her it would be for the good of the people.

1881:
Britain: An act for the implementation of a STV system in Britain is finally passed.

February 1882:

CSA: The issue of a native American state in the Indian Territory arises for the fourth time and once again it is defeated, this time however the inhabitants of the Indian Territories are prepared and they will not take no for a answer.
Soon after news on the congress’ decision reaches the Native Americans an ultimatum is sent out demanding statehood or else they would secede.
The CSA rebuffs their demands and discretely dispatches substantial troop numbers to the area, it does not entirely believe the native Americans will go through with their threat however remains cautious all the same.
On the 27th of February The United Indian Peoples declares its independence under its westernised Cherokee president James Edwards.

March 1882:

America: The first shots of the war are fired early in the month with government property in the Indian Territory and loyalist settlements being seized by rebel forces. Initial fears amongst white settlers in the area of the savages being on the rampage quickly prove unfounded with the bare minimum of civilian casualties occurring.
The native Americans in the Indian Territories do not all agree with the uprising however and many declare their allegiance to the government such as many of the Shawnee.
Upon prior agreement the United States is quick to recognise the independence of the new nation and begin to channel aid towards it. Despite many calling for direct intervention they decide not to follow such a drastic course of action- the CSA seems a much more powerful nation these days then that which had seceded two decades ago and the fear of French intervention is overriding.
The British though officially neutral to the conflict choose to subtly aid the natives via the USA.

France: On a unrelated matter to events elsewhere in the world Benjamin Roy makes (what becomes generally recognised as) the first powered flight in Normandy. It attracts significant attention from newspapers from all around Europe and subsequent flights are soon to take place with the design of the flying machine being rapidly refined.

April 1882:

America: Throughout much of the Confederacy a backlash against native Americans takes place even though many tribes had nothing to do with the rebellion. This pushes many native Americans onto the side of the UIP with sporadic guerilla campaigns starting up all over the country.

May-June 1882:

America: Battle wages between the rebel native American’s and the Confederate government forces. The natives with their years of preparation and US aid exceed all expectations and are rapidly able to secure the Indian Territory and even expand into Texas- finding allies in the Comanche and other tribes of the region who have suffered greatly at the hands of white settlers.
Attempts to advance into Arkansas do not meet with quit the same success though still have a major impact on Confederate moral and fighting ability

July 1882

America: The Navajo decide to use the impetus established by the tribes in the east to rise up and attempt to establish their formal independence.
This uprising proves to be just in the nick of time as far as the UIP is concerned as it is also in July that they begin to suffer their first major defeats on the battlefield and are steadily pushed back towards their core territories.
On the 29th of July the United States formally enters the war confident that French neutrality has been assured (and Britain promising to intervene should the French threaten to enter the war)

August-September 1882:

America: The United States' invasion of the Confederacy goes far better then they could have possibly hoped for with massive gains on all fronts.
In the west the only ground the CSA still holds is in parts Deseret where the defenders fight the invaders with everything they can- even after the defeat of regular forces guerilla fighters continue to be a major menace.
In the east large inroads are made into the northernmost states of the Confederacy and in the UIP the bolstering of the rebel lines allows for a counter-attack pushing the front line back in the Confederacy.
The naval campaign is not quite so successful for the US with the modern, well equipped navies of both sides each securing some minor victories.

October 1882-January 1883:

America: In the face of the US assault into Texas from the west and north the Confederate military makes the decision to virtually abandon most of the state in mid October so as to 'live to fight another day'. Tactically the withdrawal eastward goes well and the joint USA/UIP advance begins to stall somewhat however the Confederacy is still well and truly on the defensive and even a draw is often as good as a loss as far as they are concerned.
At sea however the superior numbers of the US navy is beginning to have a impact.
The abandoning of Texas in favour of what is seen as 'defending the CSA proper' is (quite obviously) not a well regarded move in the Lone Star State and coupled with the suffering it endures under 'Yankee/Injun' oppression (mostly brought on as a result of guerilla fighters) creates a genuine large-scale resentment for the Confederacy in Texas.

February 1883:

b]America:[/b] The US advance into the CSA once more picks up pace with a series of crushing victories across the nation resulting in much of the northern and westernmost states being totally overran.

March 1883:

America: The second CS-US war comes to a end with a peace treaty signed between the warring states with French and British 'observation'. Though many in the US push for a total annexation of the CSA- seeing the war as nothing more then a continuation of the first war in which the Confederacy unlawfully seceded. Foreign influence ,cooler heads within the US and then fact that the Confederacy would still have quite a lot of fight in it if its survival was at stake quash such viewpoints.
Also called for from many sectors chief amongst which is the British is the demand that the Confederacy abolishes slavery. This is proposed at first however the Confederate diplomats make clear that such a move would be treat by their nation as bad as a attempt at total annexation. Eventually a compromise is reached much to the disdain of the Confederates whereby the slave trade is outlawed however.
Territory wise the US annexes the territories of New Mexico and Arizona as well as the state of Deseret- most of the Christian world (including many within the Confederacy) being happy to see the end of the Mormon nation.
Several small scale border readjustments are also made amongst the eastern states- nowhere near as many as most American citizens would have liked however.
The citizens of Texas suffer another affront from the Confederacy in the peace treaty when they are required to give a relatively large amount of their territory including the pan handle to the US and the newly recognised United Indian Peoples.

April-December 1883:

America: As a matter of course not long after the war is over the UIP abolishes slavery. Even though many (particularly the slaves and slave holders themselves) see this as a action undertaken at the 'request' of the United States and the United Kingdom in fact it has several sound economic reasons- slavery not being as big a part of the economy in the area as in the Confederate States, slavery becoming increasingly uneconomic, the influx of native Americans immigrants from elsewhere looking for work, etc...
In Deseret the loss of their status as a independent state of the Confederacy does not go down well and the guerilla campaign against the US occupiers continues. Though eventually the largest bands of former Confederate military soldiers are eventually stopped constant uprisings in the area will continue to be a major problem for years to come.
Rapidly realising their chances of becoming a fully independent people (and being able to prosper as such) is degrading the Navajo attempt to have their unrecognised nation in Arizona and New Mexico become a state of the United States. Their attempts remain largely ignored by the government as a whole almost prompting a armed uprising amongst the riled up Navajo (many of whom did not actually see much fighting during their breakaway from the Confederacy) however they eventually are convinced to wait until the post-war upheaval is settled down and the area is firmly under US control.

1884:

America: Things having settled down after the war the US attempts to get the UIP to join them as a full state. This proposal attracts great support from many in the former Indian territory as it is after all what they wished for to begin with and ensures their future stability and prosperity.
The government of the UIP decides against such a action however preferring to remain independent- the fledgling nation having begun to attract enormous interest (and subsequently investment) from abroad.
In the United States too the move was not universally popular with people from many different sections of the political spectrum disagreeing with it: the anti-imperialists who see it as nothing but a attempt to expand American territory, the racists who like their southern brethren do not want the native Americans being put on equal footing to whites and even many capitalists who see the potential in this small, friendly independent state next to, but not part of the USA.
Mainly under the influence of the latter group the proposal quietly slips off the political agenda.

Britain: The first general election using a STV system takes place. The election proves to be a lively affair with several unusual independents getting into power (largely on the money of critic's of the new system).
The election proves to be a relatively comfortable victory for the progressives. In response to this the Conservatives reach out to the Liberals to attempt a temporary coalition, after much discussion the Liberal leaders decide that their liberal values would be compromised too far as the weaker partner in such a coalition and reject the offer, many members of the party however a critical of this decision and a split in the party forms with many defecting to the Conservatives- enough to make them the ruling party and their leader Arthur Duncombe prime minister.

1885:
Britain: Prime Minister Duncombe dies before spending even one full year in office. The deputy Prime Minister Thomas Taylor temporarily takes his position however the democratic election of a new leader amongst the Torys soon follows.
The leadership vote proves to be a very messy affair with three main candidates: Mainly supported by the former Liberals and those Conservatives who still see a hope of the rest of the Liberal party joining them is Edward Stanley, a former Whig and the unofficial leader of the Liberal defectors.
Supported by the far right of the party and those who are staunchly anti-Liberal is the young David Muller- quite an infamous racist and imperialist.
Thomas Taylor is the third major option- mostly supported by the moderates.
Eventually it is Muller who comes out victorious and becomes the new prime minister; something that does not sit well with most of the former Liberals.
Muller is only in power for four months before they decide they have had enough and defect back to the Liberal party ruining the Conservatives majority.
In the election that follows the Progressives once more take power under William Gladstone.

1887:

America: Texas institutes its right as a state to secede from the Confederacy peacefully.
Many doubt the wisdom of this move- the Confederacy together couldn't stop the Union so Texas alone would stand no chance in a future conflict however the fact that the Confederacy didn't even try to defend Texas is still a major point of annoyance to many Texans.
The leaders of the secession movement (mostly capitalists) however see the future safety and freedom of their land in neutrality and friendship to the United Kingdom.

South Africa: Britain formally establishes a protectorate over Bechuanaland at request of the Tswana chiefs so as to defend the land against Afrikaner encroachment. The British government is at first reluctant to do this however they too are worried about the detrimental effect further Boer expansionism could have over the region.

1888:

Britain: After victory in another election giving the Progressives a rather large majority the First Irish Home Rule bill is introduced and successfully passes through the Commons but is narrowly defeated in the Lords.

1889:

Mexico: On the 16th of November the Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico passes away and his adopted son Augusten II takes the throne.
This sparks off a dramatic resurgence of Republican rebellion- the biggest impact coming in the north where large numbers of rebels are based in American territory.

Europe: Eccentric Scottish nobleman the Earl of Seafield becomes the first person to successfully fly across the English channel (after one disastrous earlier attempt which resulted in a premature landing in the sea)

Britain: In another round of drastic reforms by Gladstone’s government the power of the Lords is drastically reduced with it loosing the power to totally veto bills.

February 1890:

Mexico: The Otero affair- Mexican government soldiers perusing rebel forces inadvertently cross into New Mexico where they become entangled in a fight with US citizens. (who most likely were part of the rebel group themselves) The Mexican soldiers kill 25 ‘US civilians’ before they realise they have crossed into American territory and withdraw.
Though officially the US had been working to stop the cross-border criminals in reality they all but encouraged the rebels and this invasion of their territory proves the perfect excuse for them to declare war on Mexico.
The French are soon to make preparations for a formal declaration of war on the United States and the dispatch of more of their military to Mexico however the British also have a keen interest in events in the Americas- they have never been happy with the French influence over Mexico and the further gains the French could make if left to their own devices in the west are too great to ignore.
British and French diplomats work frantically to try and avoid a war however neither side will budge from their position.
It is Britain which eventually makes the declaration- Gladstone decreeing that the UK is acting for the freedom of the Mexican people and the defence against tyranny.
Almost as soon as news of the official declaration of war is made British forces rapidly seize French India and the pitiful remnants of ‘French Canada’.

March 1890:

Europe: The war between the French and British rapidly picks up pace with a large-scale naval clash in the western mouth of the channel opening up the month. Due to poor visibility and well armoured ships on both sides neither side makes much impact on the other however the press on both sides is quick to claim a great victory.

America: The American invasion of Mexico does not go as well as hoped- the Americans having gravely underestimated the fighting capacity of the Mexican army whom, after decades of fighting rebels utilising French training and equipment have managed to grow into a competent fighting force.
The invasion meets with little success outside of Baja California where with navy assistance the US army is able to seize a sizable amount of the peninsula.

In the south meanwhile Mexican forces invade Belize where despite putting up a good fight the small British garrison is soon overwhelmed and the British colony occupied by the Mexicans.

April 1890:

America: Baja California is the only part of Mexico where the American’s plans go entirely according to plan with the last government resistance finally defeated this month.
It is inn Sonora that the heaviest fighting persists with the general pattern being of a heavy American attack gaining a few miles of land followed by a Mexican counter attack which does not quite gain back all the Americans have taken.
The Mexican military is only too aware that they are steadily being pushed back and prepares fortifications several miles north of the city of Hermosillo.
By the end of the month the front line has settled at these new fortifications with massive American attack after attack failing to dislodge the Mexicans.

Egypt: The battle of Suez takes place on the Mediterranean side of the canal between the British and French. Up until now the canal had remained a fairly demilitarised zone with commercial shipping of both sides venturing through it despite the risk of running into enemy fleets in the Mediterranean (a danger which early in the war led to a lot of companies choosing to favour the longer southern routes).
Early in April however a French fleet moved to secure the area- a move which was drawn to the attention of the British Mediterranean fleet at Malta long before the French were in place.
The battle would prove to be the fiercest sea battle of the war (the inferior French fleet generally avoiding being drawn into massed battles) with many losses on both sides, the turning point came with the arrival of a British cruiser squadron from Aiden on the Red Sea side of the canal.
Though the canal authorities oppose the passage of these ships they attempt a crossing nonetheless. The French soon become aware of this and sends ships to intercept- something that is protested even more vocally by canal authorities.
A skirmish within the canal soon follows with a indecisive victor, the main result of this action is the closing of the canal for the immediate future due to collapsed banks and ruined ships.
The main battle ends as a British victory due to the French decision to withdraw, the survivors of the French fleet being pursued across the Mediterranean.
The battle creates a diplomatic incident with Egypt for both of the protagonist nations with Egypt (quite pointlessly) banning the shipping of both ships from the canal area for the duration of the war- a demand soon rescinded due to the canal being the property mainly of British and French nationals.

Indian Ocean: Britain invades and occupies Reunion. Despite the loss of this critical base however, French warships in the area continue to be a major threat to British shipping for the rest of the war.

Africa: As they do elsewhere in the world Britain steadily seizes minor French possessions and erodes French power in the area.

May 1890:

America: The exhausted American forces finally begin to dig in opposite the Mexicans beginning a protracted period of trench warfare in the desert of Sonara.
To the east its Mexican forces that open the major fighting invading New Mexico from Chihuahua. Up until now this area has largely escaped the war aside from minor skirmishes due to the new territories lacking the infrastructure necessary for the US to launch a offensive as it had from California. For the Mexicans however this problem is not so critical and they follow the age old logic of 'attack is the best form of defence' knowing it far more wise to fight on American territory rather then their own (something that strikes even closer to home with the damage inflicted by the heavy fighting in Sonara).
The attack advances some way into the state before the US can intercept it and begin to slowly push back the Mexicans.


June 1890:

America: As they did in Sonora the Mexican forces establish fortifications in the south of New Mexico then slowly withdraw to them establishing another line of trench warfare which both sides rapidly begin to link up.

The battle of Veracruz takes place on the 8/6/1889. A joint British/American fleet attacks the bulk of the French fleet in the Americas trapped in the port of Veracruz. The attack does not go entirely according to plan however with the effectiveness of shore batteries against ships being gravely underestimated leading to the loss of many vessels.
Despite the enormous losses suffered the fleet presses on regardless however and serious damage is inflicted upon the French fleet.

As part of the plan under which the Veracruz attack took place this month British forces invade French Guiana by sea. The small ill supplied French garrisons of the scattered settlements there can offer little resistance and the area is occupied by the British.
The occupation of French Guiana is soon painted as a liberation by British politicians and the press due to the 'immense suffering' of much of the population of the area (which as IOTL is a penal colony the French are attempting to create a 'Australia' out of).

The French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and St.Martin are also attacked by British forces this month, the tiny St.Martin surrenders without a fight however in Guadeloupe British forces continue fighting sporadic French resistance for months to come.

July 1890:

America: By the end of the month the trench works between the Mexicans and Americans is pretty much one continuous line. Though in reality much of this line sees little fighting and contains only a token watch force.

Martinique is invaded by Britain and after a brief period of heavy fighting surrenders, it's fall to the British eliminates the last French possession in the Americas.

August-December 1890:

America/Open Ocean: The war continues on all fronts with little new happening. There are several attempts at an offensive in America however the other side always sees the attack coming and is able to stop it.
At sea the fighting is mostly kept to skirmishes, the French fleet purposefully avoiding being caught up in a pitched battle.

January 1891:

Europe: After months of diplomatic moves by both the French and British on the 27th Prussia finally enters the war on the British side with a full scale invasion of the French occupied south Rhineland.
The French had been expecting such a attack for some time however their initial defensive positions are still rapidly overwhelmed by the strength of the attack.

February 1891:

Europe: Even though the majority of the states of the German Confederation have followed Prussia into its war against France, Austria is the main exception.
Its official excuse to the allied nations is that it needs time to prepare however the reality of the situation is that Austria is simply incapable of fighting off the probable Italian invasion which would occur soon after its declaration of war. Austria is by now well and truly being 'the sick man of Europe' with its constant struggles against simmering nationalism.

Even without Austrian help the German attack against France goes very well with the French occupied former Prussian territories and much of eastern Lorraine and Alsace over ran. By the end of the month however much as in America a front line of trench works eventually forms running from the Belgian border just to the east of Luxembourg to the Swiss border in Franche-Comte.

March 1891:

Europe: A major French counter-attack in the south meets with failure whilst in the north British forces begin to take their positions in the lines.

America: Following up on fears of the British friendly government of Guatemala is about to let British forces land there Mexico invades and quickly occupies the small central American nation.

April 1891:

Europe: The Treaty of Venice is signed between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. The treaty is in essence a non-aggression pact with the promise of population exchanges and the sale of some of the contested ethnically Italian parts of the Austrian empire to Italy at a reasonable price.
An agreement having being reached with Italy Austria is now finally able to safely declare war on France.
The treaty goes down relatively well with all but the most extremist of the Italians and in Austria it does not go down as badly as could be expected- many realising Austria's dire situation or and seeing the country as better off without the Italians.
It is in France where the main opponents of the treaty arise denouncing it as open treachery.

September 1891:

Europe: Relations with France in ruins, on the 6th Italy invades and after three days of light fighting annexes the Papal States, confident that France has too much on its plate with the war in the north to respond with much more then sabre rattling.
In France too, many warn against pushing the Italians further away, however the death of many members of the token French garrison in Rome and the Pope's insistence that this is a act of aggression cause a rapid decline in relations.
At first the French try and send a naval expedition to Rome to help solve the 'civil unrest' the Italians had used as their cassus beli, the Italian military refuses to let the French land however - after ten days of tense stand off cool heads do not prevail and shots are fired resulting in deaths on both sides including many Italian civilians.
Italy formally declares war soon after and immediately invades France on the 30th.

October 1891:

Europe: The Italian invasion of France is a failure with French forces rapidly beating back the Italians and counter-attacking deep into Italian territory, by the end of the month the front line stands in eastern Piedmont and Liguria.

Britain: Prince Albert finally passes away. Though all evidence says it was entirely of natural courses there are still quite a few conspiracy theorists who say it was the work of a French agent.

November 1891:

Europe: The French attack on Italy continues to push on into Lombardy and northern Bologna showing no sign of stopping.

December 1891-March 1892:

Europe: Over winter Italy launches a massive counter attack in co-ordination with the British navy hoping the French forces will be weakened via their supply lines having to cross the Alps. The French are beaten back somewhat out of Bologna and eastern Lombardy however defensive positions are soon established by the French.
Contrary to all advice from their allies the Italians are adamant they will liberate their nation by the end of winter however and continue to attempt attacks upon the French lines.

Simultaneously with the offensive in Italy German and British forces in France also launch a major offensive. This attack proves quite successful, on the flanks the front line is pushed slightly forward hitting Luxembourg in the north. In the centre however the line is pushed forward into Champagne before being brought to a halt by heavy resistance and stretched supply lines.

America: In America the US forces attempt to take advantage of winter for the opposite reason to the Italians and starting in January launch a major offensive against the Mexicans in key positions all along the front.
In Sonora the Mexicans hold fast however in New Mexico the US successfully breaks the Mexican lines in several places allowing for the encirclement and destruction of much of the front.
The Mexicans had planned for such an occurrence earlier and they have already prepared fortifications in the north of Chihuahua thus stopping the American advance from going too forever however it is still an enormous defeat which puts the fighting totally within their country.

April 1892:

Europe: Despite strong criticism from the general population due to a large part of the east of the country being in enemy hands the major French effort goes into Italy- the hope being it can be eliminated as a threat and the occupation of the Papal States ceased freeing up all forces there for the north.
The French attack against the Italians (who are in terrible condition after their failed offensive over winter) goes very well with all official resistance in the north of the country crushed and the Italian army forced southwards; a cohesive defence is only set up across the peninsula in Tuscany.

America: Radical Navajo launch a revolt hoping to use the US’ pre-occupation with Mexico to try and force concessions for freedom.
They make a critical mistake however in attacking areas critical for supplying the front line prompting speedy retribution from the American military.

May 1892:

Europe: French forces sweep across the defenceless northern Italy and into the Austrian empire. At first resistance in the mountains is heavy however after several days of fighting the Austrian defences begin to be breached.
The Austrian forces in many places are discovered to be critically under supplied , often being forced to surrender due to being completely out of ammunition.
As the French advance into the Austrian empire massed revolts on a huge scale break out amongst many of the peoples of the nation- the Hungarians in particular seeing this as their chance to finally gain freedom.

June 1892:

Europe: The Austrian Empire is in anarchy with much of the country around the Italian border in French hands and rebel forces running rampant.
The Danube is being held as the front line by allied forces rerouted from the French front- largely consisting of Austrian and other German soldiers.
Hungary is under the control of the United Hungarian People’s Front- a unstable coalition of all the various Hungarian independence groups ranging from traditionalists in favour of re-establishing the Hungarian monarchy to hardcore communists.
At the beginning of the month Dalmatia is quite a mess with a four way campaign being waged between the Hungarians, Croatian nationalists, the French and loyalists. By the end however a cease-fire has been agreed between the French and the independence groups to defeat government forces first and then to sort out the future status of the various regions of the empire.
Galacia is another area of interest, though it is heavily under contention like the rest of the country the major groups here are radical Poles and Ukrainians- both of which are drawing heavy attention from Russia in case one should become established.

July 1892:

Europe: With the radical nationalism of the Ukrainians and (to a greater extent) the Poles beginning to spread into Russian lands Russian forces move into Galicia to ‘restore order’.
Many Germans complain vocally about this infringement on their sovereign territory however their leaders and the British have more tact and though they don’t encourage it they at least tolerate (for the time being) Russia’s restoration of order to the province in anarchy for fear of pushing Russia onto the French side.

August 1892:

Europe: In Hungary things do not go well for the French. Though practically the entire population of Hungary is in favour of independence the majority is not so sure about taking their treachery all the way into war against Germany.
The French however though they wish to see a independent Hungary after the war for the time being want to occupy the area so as to assist in the offensive against northern Germany.

In the north another major offensive is launched by allied forces, this time it proves to be a complete failure with very little land gained.

America: Via skilfully masking and planting fake troop movements the Mexicans are able to launch a small scale offensive on the far east of the front that quickly over runs the skeleton US defence forces in several quadrants allowing for the front to be pushed back towards the border once more.

September 1892:

Europe: With Austrian power decimated Britain and the Prussia led German confederation recognise the independence of a Hungarian state: Pan-Germanism, the de-facto status of the new nation and (mainly amongst the British) a genuine desire to see a independent Hungary prompt the move.
British forces are quick to move into Hungary (the Hungarians refusing to allow their ‘German occupiers’ back in) where together with rebel forces they take the offensive to the French.

America: The trench works in the east having being abandoned with the Mexicans offensive last month heavy fighting continues across the Chichuauan Desert.

November 1892:

Europe: Heavy offensives are launched by the Italians and allied forces in Austria forcing back French lines on all fronts concerned.
In Italy the French are forced out of the Italian peninsula, just barely hanging onto northern Bologna.
In Austria they are almost totally forced out of the empire only managing to stop the allied advance at the Alps.

Cuba: Though Spain is playing no actual part of the war it is still having major effects on them playing havoc with their economy and drastically upsetting communications with the Americans.
On November 18th 1892 following on-going revolts for the past several decades Cuba is finally granted its independence with the standard conditions of guaranteeing the rights of Spanish citizens.

December 1893:

America: In Chihuahua the front line finally settles down once more ending up several miles north of the former front.

Europe: The allies attempt to continue their advance in Austria and Italy.
In Italy progress is slow but steady with the French only holding onto the north and east of the country- Genoa being in Italian hands by the end of the month.
In the Austrian Alps however progress is not so good with the mountains proving the perfect defensive position for the French forces.

January 1893:

America: A major American offensive in the west finally overruns Hermosillo. The Mexicans manage to form another line of fortifications several miles south of the city however.

Europe: The Italians score a decisive victory in the north of their country most of Lombardy falling into their hands- almost cutting the French in two aside from a small corridor in the far north.

French commanders in the north tired of sitting around whilst part of their country is in enemy hands launch a major offensive in Champagne pushing the allies out of all but the easternmost points of the province.

February 1893:

America: On the 25th Britain launches a invasion of Belize and with its naval superiority quickly liberates Belize City and the surrounding area

Europe: The Italians complete their encirclement of French forces in Venetia, Trentino and the Austrian alps with managing to push their area of control up to the Swiss border.
The French are quick to launch a counter-offensive and succeed in undoing some of the Italians hard work in the north recreating a corridor of escape for some of their forces in the east. They also manage to advance quite some way into eastern Liguria cutting off Italian forces in Genoa- they fail to take advantage of this however with the southern attack intending to just be a diversion.

March 1893:

Europe: The Italians once more manage to retake the French corridor.

In Austria allied forces once more launch a major offensive on French forces in the Alps. They succeed in gaining only two miles before the French are able to reform defensive positions deeper in the mountains.

April 1893:

America: British forces in Belize steadily fight their way out from Belize City into the interior. Fighting proves difficult with the majority of troops on both sides being unused to the jungle conditions however the support of the civilian population and the superior forces the British can bring to bare steadily prevail and push out through Belize and beyond- launching offensives into Guatemala and Mexico proper by the end of the month.

Europe: After a brief spell of heavy fighting the Italians manage to obtain the surrender of French forces in Venetia.
In the mountains however the French forces are determined to fight until they are no longer able- proudly boasting they have enough supplies to last for years.

April marks the start of a diplomatic incident between Switzerland and France over French forces in Italy trying to retreat back to France via Switzerland- few of them manage to make it the whole way however it is quite a large strain on police resources.

Algeria: So far in the war campaigns against French North Africa have been restricted to relatively small scale naval operations due to the area having little strategic value. Now that victories are beginning to be secured in Europe British forces make several small scale landings across the French province seizing several key coastal cities.
This attack is intended purely as a further demoraliser for the French with it still not being deemed worthwhile to engage the heavy French forces stranded in the area by British naval supremacy.

May 1893:

America: After a rather stirring speech by US president John McDohl on the nature of freedom US forces land on the east coast of Guatemala and steadily advance inland meeting minimal resistance (most Mexican forces in the area being pre-occupied with fighting the British)

In the north US forces once more launch a major offensive successfully pushing back the Mexicans a few miles in most areas.

Europe: Allied forces on either side of the Austrian/Italian alps launch a major attempt to dislodge French strongholds there. The attack proves unsuccessful with huge casualties and very little land gained.

Also this month a joint British-Italian attack on Corsica occurs quickly taking the island- poorly defended and cut off from the outside world for years by the allied fleets.

June 1893:

America: Combined with amphibious landings British forces having secured Belize and Guatemala strike into Yucatan. As in Belize the fighting is heavy however as in Belize the British find large segments of the population willing to support them.

Egypt: The newly repaired Suez Canal fully opens to traffic once more

July 1893:

America: Crushing British victories in Yucatan bring the entirety of the peninsula under their control aside from a few small pockets of resistance.
Likewise in the south American forces from Guatemala advance into Chiapas.
A cohesive line of defence organised along the same lines as those in the north is eventually organised by the Mexicans across eastern Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Europe: The French once more launch a major offensive in the east of their country suffering heavy casualties for the gain of only a few miles in the centre.

August 1893:

Europe: On the 13/8/93 a cease fire is called. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties and can see no end in sight for the fighting.
There is heavy opposition to the cease fire on both sides of course- the French wanting to retake their country and deeply unhappy about the cease fire only being signed during a period of the balance being against them.
Many on the allied side likewise want to totally destroy French power whilst they have the advantage, more astute commanders on the allied side can’t see their winning ways going on for much longer; the effect of three years of war wrecking havoc on all their economies.

America: Just prior to events in Europe the Americans launch yet another major offensive in the north. Critics for years after will suggest that this was the attack that finally broke the Mexican lines for good however the reality is more likely that it would be only moderately successful if allowed to run its course- the Mexicans having already prepared another line of defences in many sectors.

October- December 1893:

America: ‘The long peace’- With a cease fire in effect and the peace talks under way it soon becomes apparent to the world that all is not as it seems with Mexico. Though over the course of the war they earned the respect of the world with the way they stood up to the United States the human cost of the war on Mexico was huge.
Their economy in tatters and what little there is given over to keeping the military going the people of the country have suffered greatly.
Over the course of the cease fire in their hundreds of thousands Mexican civilians cross the front lines into the American held part of the country taking advantage of laws passed during the war to aid the republican rebels in Mexico.
On both sides opinion is divided over what to do with them.
In Mexico many want them stopped- shot on site in many cases. They see them as traitors of the worst kind and the cause of the problems developing in Mexico. The side that wins out however is the idea of Mexico being better off without these traitors and to a lesser extent the humanitarian concerns that Mexico truly can’t afford to look after all its people.
In the US likewise most want the immigrants stopped however the matter of HOW they can be stopped is something no one can agree on- the only sure way is to shoot them on site which obviously goes against everything they see themselves as standing for. Many however welcome the immigrants with open arms saying that America’s fame for taking the world’s unwanted should not just extend to white people.

1894:

Europe/World: The signing of the Treaty of Basel is concluded in Switzerland on the 15th of January.
The treaty clearly spells out that the French and Mexicans have been beaten however proves not to be as bad as it could have been. Major points are:

• The French return of the lower Rhineland to Prussia
• A referendum in Corsica over whether to remain part of France or join Italy
• The secession of the cities of French India to Britain
• The secession of French Guiana to Britain (in light of the humanitarian concerns found there)
• The USA is granted land in the north west of Mexico (more or less what it occupied by the end of the war)
• A referendum in Yucatan over whether to remain part of Mexico or to form an independent nation under ‘joint’ British/American supervision.
• France pledges to remain out of American affairs which don’t explicitly involve it.

The treaty of Munich follows soon after which covers the collapse of the Austrian empire.

• The Habsburgs will effectively be kept as rulers of the western German (and Bohemia) parts of the country with a new constitution based upon the British system implemented.
• The Kingdom of Jugoslavia will be formed out of Dalmatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in personal union with Austria but with its own free parliament.
• The Hungarian Republic will be formed out of the east of the Austrian empire (including many areas with very few Hungarians…)
• A referendum will be held on those regions the Italians claim on whether they join Italy or not

Neither side is entirely happy with the treaty, the winners want far more then they get, and the losers upset that they will go down in history as the losers in the first place.
When the various votes outlined eventually do take place later in the year Corsica largely chooses to remain with France however Italy does gain some of the Italian fringes of the Austrian empire.
The Yucatan also votes to remain with Mexico- something which proves a huge surprise to the world.

Britain: In the post war general election the progressives are ousted from power. This is commonly seen to be as a result of their leading Britain into such a bloody war however in reality the recent formation of the ‘British Workers Party’ also plays a large part in reducing their votes.
The conservative party wins the election with their leader Montagu Corry appointed new prime minister.

1895:

America: An investigation by a independent international committee in Yucatan shows evidence of vote fixing with many of the majority Mayan peasants not being able to vote. Another plebiscite is soon assembled under British/American supervision which achieves independence- suffice to say the Mexicans accuse this one as having been a fix.

Australia/Britain Partly in recognition of their courage during the war Australia (including New Zealand) is made a kingdom and granted honorary seats on parliament in much the same fashion as the Canadians with each province obtaining a honorary seat.

Ottoman Empire: Major rebellions in the Christian Slavic parts of the empire break out
mostly due to the emergence of independent Jugoslavia. The governments response is relatively well measured with the government recognising there is no point in being too harsh or else they would just create future generations of rebels. Also there is the simple fact increasingly left leaning Turkish population would not tolerate harsh actions on innocents, there are even many rebel sympathisers within Turkey.
The main force of the rebellion is soon defeated however smaller scale unrest and terrorist actions continue.

1896:

Britain: Queen Victoria passes away sending the nation into a state of mourning. It is popularly said that it was a broken heart that finally killed her and that she had never gotten over the death of her husband five years earlier.
Her eldest son takes the throne as Edward VII.

Britain/Canada: In light of the increasing strength of Canada and the shortened travel journey between the two Kingdoms Canada’s allocation of seats is increased to two per province

Australasia: Queensland formally annexes eastern New Guinea.

1897:

America: Under heavy pressure from Britain and the US (and with the fact that it doesn’t play a large part in their economy) Texas finally abolishes slavery.

Britain/Newfoundland: Newfoundland is made the fourth British Kingdom and granted a honorary seat in parliament.

Jugoslavia/Serbia: The majority Serbian areas of Jugoslavia secede and declare their allegiance to the state of Serbia. Naturally this causes enormous unrest amongst all concerned- The Austrians don’t like the idea of loosing their land to the Ottomans, the Jugoslavians just plain don’t like loosing their land and the Serbians aren’t keen on the prospect of a war being fought in their domain.
Eventually an agreement is worked out which everyone but the Jugoslavians is willingly to accept- Serbia will become a totally independent kingdom incorporating the former ‘Ottoman Puppet’ (which by now was in fact anything but) and large parts of the Serbian lands from the old Austrian Empire.

1899:

South Africa: The Afrikaansche Vry Republiek is founded in OTL Rhodesia by a migration of hard-line Boers from Oranje and the Transvaal worried about the increasing power of the ethnically British population.

1901:

Britain: Partly as a result of the lobbying of the Australians and Newfoundlander in parliament the two kingdoms have their seats on parliament doubled to make them equal with Canada.

Nicaragua: The Nicaragua Canal company acquires the co-operation of the Nicaraguan government and work begins on a canal to link the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The company is based in London though has investors from all over the world.

1902:

Britain: The second Irish home rule bill successfully passes through both the Commons and the Lords. Much like the OTL home rule act Northern Ireland is ‘temporarily’ excluded with the rest of the island gaining home rule. Also much as OTL there are those who oppose the act for not going far enough and those who think it goes too far.
Irish home rule has far greater consequences then those intended across the other British kingdoms with many in those regions arguing that they should have far greater representation in the British parliament as the Irish do- their status does go quite some way beyond mere home rule however the issue remains a major point of contention.

1903:

Britain/The world: Mid October sees the occurrence of Black Thursday on the London stock exchange and the world entering into a deep depression. The situation is largely due to the economic effects of the Great War finally catching up with Britain; due to Britain’s place at the centre of the world economy however the shockwaves are felt across the world.
It is also in 1903 that the conception that the era of Pax Britania is dead well and truly sets in.

1904:

Britain/South Africa: Giving into pressure from the South Africans the Kingdom of South Africa is formed out of the Cape Colony and Natal with each province having two parliamentary seats

Ottoman Empire: Heavily influenced by British dealings with Ireland Serbia is granted home rule. Many in Serbia embrace the development as a move in the right direction however there is still relatively large support for groups demanding nothing less then total independence.

1905:

China: Massed rebellions begin to break out across the country. The various rebel groups take many forms- there are some much like the Boxers upset about foreign influence in China, some who want to embrace the modern influence and speed up China’s slow modernisation and many who just plain don’t like the government.
Western powers are quick to dispatch military forces to protect their interests across China.

1906:

China: Events in China continue to worsen with much of the country under the control of various rebel groups.
In March Russia begins to move south and occupies Manchuria and Mongolia and under strong Russian prompting in July Korea declares itself totally free of its Chinese overlords.
The other nations of the world are obviously not best pleased about Russian expansionism and frantic diplomatic moves attempt to secure a Russian guarantee of withdrawal when security is established- as they had done in Hungary during the Great War.
It eventually becomes clear however that any chance of the Chinese government regaining control of the country is rapidly slipping away and the world’s powers begin to step up their operations in China.

Britain: King Edward VII of the British Kingdoms dies of natural causes passing the crown to his son George V.

1907-1908:

China: In June,1907 all pretence of China still being a stable sovereign state finally breaks down with a full scale foreign invasion of the country.
France invading from Indochina, Russia from the north and even to a lesser extent Italy, Prussia, Japan and Sweden from the sea quickly set about carving out an area of control for themselves.
The UK and the USA are the only nations who are really set upon maintaining China and though they too participate in seizing areas of the country they also work with surviving imperial forces to attempt the restoration of central rule.
Officially over this period there is no conflict between the nations of the world with all combat taking place against rebel forces however there is a definite spirit of hostility in the competition to claim the most valuable parts of the country first.
As 1908 draws to a close the situation in China begins to calm. Northern China is entirely in Russian hands including Beijing- the new border of Russia in the east mostly following the yellow river (aside from the point where it heads dramatically northwards).
The French are the nation who has managed to claim the next most land expanding out of Indochina to the Yangtze.
The British gains are not to be underestimated either despite most of the British forces in the area working in conjunction with the Chinese government in securing the emperor’s rule at Nanjing. Hong Kong is expanded however to cover the whole of Guangzhou, a base established at Taiwan (in conjunction with the United States) and Tibet moves even more towards being a full independent country under heavy British influence.

1909:

Italy: The Da-Vinci: The world’s first purpose built aircraft carrier, is launched

USA:
Seeing the success such a system has had in the UK a STV system is implemented in the US.

1910:

Russia: On the 5th of March Tsar Alexander III passes away and is seceded by his son Nicholas II. This Nicholas though he shares the same title is a very different man to that of OTL however and his succession is not looked upon well by much of the world…


Europe:

On Russian prompting Romania declares its official independence from the Ottoman Empire (long since de facto established).
The Ottoman government seeing the lack of wisdom in going to war with Russia over something so trivial accepts this move.

France:

On the 8th of November Napoleon IV is assassinated via high explosives thrown into his car as it drove through the streets of Orleans.
His son Napoleon assumes the throne as Napoleon V and orders a immediate crackdown on democratic elements: particularly republicans (who are blamed for the attack)

1911:

Ottoman Empire/Greece:
In light of it being ‘the right thing to do’ and with the need to make allies due to the recent increase in Russian sabre rattling a vote is held in Thesselay over whether to remain with the Ottomans or join Greece. They choose the latter and the handover goes peacefully.
As part of the agreement however Greece opens its borders to Greek immigrants from the empire- the hope amongst the Turks being that the Greeks within its border would move to Greece thus decreasing the chance of further land falling into Greek hands.

Nicaragua: The Nicaragua canal opens to traffic.

1912:
Ottoman Empire: Evidence begins to surface within the Ottoman Empire that Russia is funding rebel groups amongst the major minorities.
This primarily manifests itself in major unrest amongst Bulgarians, Armenians and Greeks (on Crete and Cyprus) however the unrest also crosses religious lines with increased unrest amongst large segments of the Arabic population.


Britain:
The conservative government doubles the number of seats granted to the overseas Kingdoms- ruining its popularity amongst the increasingly xenophobic right wing voters in Britain.

South Africa: Civil war breaks out in the Oranje Free State when the government attempts to extend equal rights to the non-white population.
The situation in the small ‘Boer’ Republic had been simmering for sometime with the British steadily overtaking the Dutch as the majority white group.
As time went by large segments of the Afrikaners population also steadily liberalised becoming more British in their world outlook- which had the unfortunate side effect of pushing the Afrikaner nationalists further and further to the right.
Things go very well for the government forces in the war with the rebels launching several attacks on major governmental targets early on killing many civilians- allowing the world’s press to paint them as nothing more then murdering, terrorists.
The still Boer dominated Transvaal comes close to assisting the rebels mostly out of fear of the same happening to them a decade or two down the line however British threats of becoming involved if they do force them to back down.

1913:
China: The emperor of China passes away leaving a secession crisis which rapidly becomes the subject of major foreign interest.
The British prefer the emperor’s six year old son; the hope being that he can be controlled by British friendly courtiers and ultimately transform China into a more democratic nation.
The Russians and French on the other hand prefer the emperor’s brother; who everyone agrees with be a far more traditional authoritarian monarch.
The situation rapidly deteriorates looking set to send the rump China into yet another civil war. At the height of unrest however the former emperor’s son is involved in an ‘unfortunate sailing accident’.
Most suspicion for this event falls on the Russians however any hope of finding proof is dashed when the new emperor decrees not to dishonour his nephew by stringing out his death with unnecessary investigation into the accident.

Ottoman Empire: A particularly large Russian weapons shipment is seized by Ottoman officials in Armenia.
Though such events have became increasingly common in recent years the sheer size of this shipment and the presence of several Russian agents mixed in with the Armenian rebels is unprecedented.
Most of the world joins the Ottomans in the condemning of the Russians actions however the Russians are completely unapologetic.

1915:

Europe: In mid March Russia and their Romanian allies officially declare war on the Ottoman Empire.

In Britain the government is torn over what to do. On the one hand the fears about Russian expansionism to the south remain an ever present threat however on the other the Ottomans are a lot more capable of defending themselves then they were during the Crimean war and they are not the most pro-British country in the world. Also the economy has yet to entirely recover from the Great War.
In France the same anti-Russian fears also apply however the effects of the Great War are felt even harder dashing any serious hope of helping.

The Russian offensive does not entirely go to plan at first with the opinion that the Ottomans are able to defend themselves seeming valid. The small but highly trained and well armed Turkish army easily holding back the Slavic hordes.

Early 1916:
Europe/Middle East: At first things seem to continue to go exceedingly well for the Ottomans on the field of battle- which does not spell good news for the Ottoman’s future fate.
The Ottomans know that it is only a matter of time before the Russians manage to break their front line and from there easily overrun the country however since they are doing so well the various anti-Russian foreign powers which could possibly have came to the Turk’s aid see no need – and of course the Ottoman government is not going to reveal the truth about their weaknesses.

By April the first cracks begin to appear in the Ottoman defence with minor Russian breakthroughs occurring in the east. As predicted these minor breakthroughs quickly allow for bigger gaps to form and a massed forward movement for the Russians. The going is still tough for them- Anatolia being excellent defensive terrain. But there is a definite forward movement.
In Europe the Turks hold out for longer keeping a steady line until June however as soon as the line is broken the whole of the European half of the empire aside from a small area around Constantinople rapidly falls out of government hands.

Late 1916:
Europe/Middle East:
By Autumn the Ottomans are in a dire situation. The only areas fully under the control of the government are western Anatolia, Thrace and its Mediterranean Islands.
In the north Russian forces are continuously pressing the assault whilst in the Arabic lands anarchy reigns with Russian prompted mass rebellions amongst the populace.

The government in both France and Britain by now is in full emergency mode totally unsure how the handle the situation.
The prevalent belief is it would be futile to join in the war at this late stage however something must be done all the same lest the whole empire- Middle East oil, warm water ports galore and close proximity to the Suez canal- fall into Russian hands.

In early September a massive Russian offensive finally removes the Ottomans from Europe; completely overrunning Thrace and Constantinople itself.
Soon after on the 24th of September a peace treaty is signed between Russia and ‘the rightful Turkish government’ based in Ankara- which has only just fallen into Russian hands (most of the ‘real’ government having escaped to Izmir).

The treaty is extremely harsh on the empire and few nations recognise its legitimacy however the fact of Russian troops occupying the greater part of the empire ensure its enforcement in most areas. Main points of the treaty include:
• Minor Russian territorial gains in the Caucasus and a Russian Thrace (including the Asian side of Constantinople)
• ‘Independent’ (Russian puppet) Mesopotamia, Bulgaria, Albania, Armenia, Hedjaz and Levant
• ‘Full independence’ of the various Ottoman client states.

The actual Ottoman government is chief amongst the critics of this treaty however by now there is little they can do. Several resign to the fate of the empire however many escape to Cyprus where they set to work forming a ‘government in exile’.
Though some see the best way of doing this being to just continue the fight from the new capital at Nicosia saner minds see that this is a impossible task and realise they must ‘cheat’ to retain at least part of the empire.

With Egyptian, British and French assistance (of varying levels and with varying motivations from each) landings are made in the Levant. The various local rebel groups and Russian collaborators are quickly defeated and Damascus secured.
On the 6th of December Sultan Murad IV (who fled Anatolia along with the old government and is already being declared a traitor by the new government -mostly at the Russians request) is declared the Sultan of Syria – a nation covering Crete, Cyprus, the Levant and Hedjaz (all the parts of the empire not under Russian occupation), the government of the new nation makes a big song and dance about their freedom from Turkish rule- quite a confusing state of affairs really considering the government of this new nation is in fact the ‘actual’ Turkish government.

Though it is clear to anyone who pays the slightest bit of notice to events that this is just a ‘Ottoman Empire in exile’ and not a development of the new independent Arab states the Russians nonetheless hold off on attacking- they have secured everything they wanted from the war and have their hands full incorporating their new possessions. They have no desire to go to war with Britain and France over the fate of a few irrelevant Arabs and traitorous Greeks.
If they had gone to war at this time they probably would have won- none of the allies of the new nation were entirely happy to the prospect of another great war.

1919:
Britain:
The number of seats granted to Australia and Canada (as the largest of the over seas kingdoms) is again doubled.
Once again this proves to be the undoing of the conservative government with it being clear that the OSK’s seats are now anything but honorary.
The proposal for a true Imperial Federation that has been floating about for over 30 years now begins to achieve large-scale support.

Austria:
Home rule is granted to the kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia.

1920:

America:

For uncertain reasons republican rebellion on a scale not seen since the Great War breaks out in Mexico.
In the US many (mainly amongst the Mexican population of the south west) call for the immediate invasion of Mexico to finish what was started in the Great War and restore democratic republican rule to the country.
The government however is not so sure- there is a election due next year and for the past one hundred years any American president which has gone to war did not gain re-election (the lack of popularity in the SW is not a concern as he was not expected to win there anyway).
Despite the lack of support many in the area still support the rebellion including some who choose to directly intervene.
The situation gradually escalates into a major diplomatic incident between Mexico and the US, and so between the Hispanic majority states of the south west and the US government.

France:

Early in March massed rioting breaks out across mainland France and soon develops into full scale civil war.
Though they initially have the upper hand government forces soon attract most of the blame for the chaos engulfing the country (quite unjustly in many cases) and the population steadily turns against them.
In November British landings take place in the pas-de-Calais which prove to be uncontested by any serious opposition. The British soon make their way to Paris escorting several prominent government opponents with them.
On Christmas Day all arrangements having been made Henry V is crowned king of France with its new constitutional monarchy government system.
All is not well in France right away however- in June Italian forces had invaded and occupied the areas previously part of Savoy in mainland France. Also Napoleon V still holds French North Africa supported by a sizable amount of the French navy and of course various radical groups are still rampaging around the country trying to make themselves felt.


1921:

America:

When the election takes place most of the representatives chosen from the Hispanic states prove to have played some part in the events of the previous year and in Baja California they go as far as nigh on declaring war on Mexico with government aid to America based Mexican Republican groups.
The US government is quick to intervene demanding the immediate stopping of these actions, demands which are rejected. When the troops move into restore order the other Hispanic states rally around Baja California.
Things degenerate quickly with the Hispanic states de-facto going to war with the Federal government. After months of skirmishing heavy forces move in prompting the declaration of independence of the Republic of California.
No one recognises its independence at first with its status being far more tenuous then that of the CSA during its secession.

France/Italy:

Negotiations for the return of Savoy do not go well for the French.
With the co-operation of the British, Germans and Hungarians the initial diplomatic push is to hold a plebiscite in the region to determine who should rule it. Italy knows that France would almost certainly win such a vote however as it did in the wake of the Great War and remains defiant that the area is rightfully Italian territory.
Negotiations continue over much of the year with little resolution. France is severely weakened by its internal disputes and Italy does not believe Britain would be willing to go to war with them (Italy being a relatively powerful nation in its own right and British military strength being on the wane) over France.
Though neither side actually wants war both recognising that it would be a very difficult fight many in Britain believe Italy does in fact desire a war so it can make further gains from France- principally Corsica.

North Africa/France:

In late March the stand-off with the mainland having lasted for well over half a year something finally cracks in Napoleon’s navy with a massed organised mutiny taking place across much of the fleet.
Though the leaders were loyal to Napoleon and were willing to stick by him indefinitely until he was restored to his throne the lower level officers saw their first loyalty as being to France itself- whom they now found themselves fighting against.
Amongst the common sailors too the unease at fighting against France was building and even more critical was the fact that they were well overdue for leave to return home and see their families.
After a night consisting of several murders, men thrown overboard and brigs filled to the brim just over 80% of the fleet heads north towards France.
In mid July confident that Italy will not invade further French forces attack North Africa and after a period of heavy fighting soon reclaim their lost territory.
Napoleon V himself escapes into the desert though in October is captured by desert nomads and sold into government hands.
The issue of what to do with him is a subject of much debate; many desire to see him executed for the ‘atrocities’ committed by his soldiers against republicans.
By the end of 1922 the decision is finally reached to exile him to the small island of Mayotte off Madagascar.

1922:

America:

California finally achieves recognition from the CSA. Harsh words are quick to come from the United States however few want to go to war over it- indeed the fighting in California is still not yet classed as a ‘war’.
By the middle of the year the fighting has stopped, the American public not being prepared to have US soldiers murder their fellow Americans.
Seeing this as the recognition of Californian independence Mexico considers a invasion however the lack of de jure recognition of California’s separation from the US stops them.
On Christmas day the Republic of California is finally recognised as independent by the US government with the rest of the world following soon after. The majority of the American people are against of the idea of engaging in a war especially one fought purely for the purpose of imperialism. There is however a sizable population in favour of just such a war.

1923:

America: The leaders in California much to the disdain of most of the population tone down their full scale support for republicans in Mexico due to no longer having the full military might of the US on their side.
California remains a haven for republican minded Mexicans nevertheless.

1923:

Britain:

Though the Progressives are traditionally the most anti-empire of the major political parties it is under their tenure that the first sitting of the Parliament of All Britons takes place.
Often jokingly referred to as the ‘British Home Rule Act’ the expulsion of overseas MPs from Westminster and the creation of a new Federal parliament proves very popular amongst large segments of the population empire wide.

1925:

Britain: Ties between Britain and Ireland are further loosened with the last Irish MPs removed from Westminster and its formal ‘promotion’ to a free nation on a par with the rest of the British kingdoms.
The only major opposition comes from Northern Ireland with mention of the northern counties eventually joining Ireland prompting Unionist terrorists to become a far greater problem then ever before in Ireland.

1928:

Britain: Donald Smith becomes the first British prime minister representing the British Workers Party. Many see this as a landmark event displaying the mobilisation of the working classes.

1936:

India:
Bombay Presidency becomes the first part of British India to be granted independence.
Many in both Britain and India press for its inclusion as a equal member of the British Federation however strong opposition arises from the current members of the Federation due to the size of the population in India meaning Indians could dominate the Federation.
Nonetheless the conservatives push for Bombay's inclusion into the federation believing that just openly granting it total independence would mark the beginning of the end for Britain.
The decision is eventually reached that Bombay will not join the Federation mainly due to the fact that its inhabitants just aren't British. The only formal link remaining with Britain is that King Edward VIII retains his Kingship over India.
Despite the conservative parties worst fears the split goes amicably with Britain and Bombay retaining a strong friendship and trade relations post-independence.

1937:
Austria:
Home rule is granted to Bohemia.

1938:
India: In the wake of the success Bombay is enjoying the Indian independence plan is stepped up with Orissa and the central provinces (as ‘Hindichal’) granted independence.
There is a degree of unrest in Hindichal upon independence; the main reason for this is put down to segments of the population becoming overly eager to annex certain princely states into their territory however a variety of factors in fact contributed.
The unrest in Hindichal is paraded around by the Conservatives as a prime example that the Indians are not yet able to rule themselves.

1940:
USA:
Terrance Andrews of the American People’s Party becomes the new president of the United States.
The APP though founded in 1915 has only recently begun to pick up in popularity over the past decade. Lying staunchly on the far right of the political spectrum the primary issue from which it derives its popularity is in the massed immigration of blacks from the CSA stealing the jobs of 'true Americans'.
The APP also follows other standard far right practices such as pledging to 'regain the American empire' and general purpose racism.

1944:

India: Punjab becomes the fourth of the areas formerly under British control to attain its independence.
As part of Punjab’s independence Britain steadily begins to hand over management of the North West frontier to the Punjabis.
This act does not go down entirely well with many in Punjab- previously the British organised defence of the frontier had drawn upon funds from across India, now however the entire burden looks set to fall upon them.
It is argued that this is no ones fault but just a natural result of geography and where in the world Punjab is located, nonetheless a resentment of the other free Indian states steadily builds in Punjab.

1945:
Jugoslavia/Austria: The personal union between the two nations is formally ended. The agreement to do so had been made in 1919 under Emperor Ferdinand II- following his death (which is what causes the split in 1945) his Austrian titles would go to his eldest son Ferdinand whilst his titles in Jugoslavia would go to his second son Karl.

India:
Civil war erupts in Madras province in reaction to the British attempts to move the province towards independence.
The fighting is mainly as a result of the Tamil push for their own state separate from the rest of Madras and the violent backlash from powerful figures in Madras who seek to turn the large province into the major power of independent India. Also taking part in the fighting are those who do not wish for independence at all- Madras province proving to have a large number of pro-British citizens.

1946:
Texas:
As the result of a ‘joint project’ by the government and the Thompson-Heller group (a large multi-national corporation which holds a large degree of control over the government) the world’s first artificial satellite is launched.
The incident though undertaken for purely commercial purposes provokes enormous public interest the world over.

India:

The civil war in Madras dies down to a state of unrest thanks to major intervention by British forces.
The decision is reached that a small Tamil state will be created in the far south of the province- nowhere near the size of what the Tamils wanted which angers the hard liners though it satisfies most.
The rest of Madras is granted independence along the same lines as the earlier Indian states. To satisfy the pro-British population however its constitution has Madras’ special relations with Britain made explicitly clear.

1948:
Britain:
Newton 2 becomes the first British launched satellite.
The Newton project is a source of much debate in Britain; many see it as a grand example of Britain pushing forward the frontiers of civilization and fully back the Progressive party’s bold space initiative. On the other hand however many see it nothing but as a waste of money.

USA:
Unrest in the US reach a new high with the APP’s victory in the presidential elections leading to Andrews’ third term.
Accusations of vote rigging become even more pronounced as do complaints over the ‘backwards movement’ of civil rights in the country.

[Tyr]

The after effects of the Great War:
The ‘Great War’ here though taking place in a somewhat more advanced TL then our own nonetheless had a lower technology level then our WW1.
That trench warfare develops on a scale it does is as a result of industrialised nations armed with machine guns fighting each other however it isn’t quite as bad and static as WW1- aside from the big movements made clear in the TL minor attacks on enemy lines and all that do take place on a regular basis.
The cultural effect of the war (in Britain anyway) likewise isn’t as big as WW1, there aren’t as many casualties and it isn’t as ‘senseless’ a war- progress is made.
In France and Mexico though it somewhat cements militarism; though they are beaten the fact that they stood against the world and remained largely intact does wonders for their egos.

Also something that I don’t know how to make clear is the way Germany is developing- with no formation of the German empire and its earlier defeat by France the liberals are emerging as the dominant force in the area with large-scale support for solidifying the existing German confederation into a united Germany.




This world though not too dissimilar to ours in terms of what countries are where and all that but looking more indepth then just glancing at a map and it has turned into a very different place. Here I’ll try and outline the way things are in some of countries:

Japan

Japan as per OTL is a very traditional country. However this manifests itself in a very different way to how it did IOTL with the focus of the country being far more on artistic and religious pursuits then bushido. This came about via the Ezo Republic being a much more well established, major threat to Japan which attracted many more traitors onto the side of the Shogunate.
This effectively discredited the samurai class in the eyes of the people.
Another effect of the events surrounding Ezo is that they considerably weakened Japan’s growth into a regional power and as such it never really got off the ground in this way, it has however managed to develop into a decent, modern nation in its own right and gradual evolution with prompts from Britain and America has also democratised it somewhat with its level of democracy as of the 1940s being roughly equivalent to 18th century Britain.

America:

Of course America is where the real differences are…
The Confederacy is pretty much nothing here. It made a good show of progress for the first few decades but then the US slapped it down and its never really recovered. It is a immensely poor nation stuck in the past.
Though slavery is still legal it has long since stopped being in practical use- the slowness in transference to more efficient methods being a major blow to the Confederate economy. Slaves are however still kept by the middle classes and up; owning slaves being seen as a status symbol, practically a fashion accessory.
With mass slavery dying out a lot of blacks were left jobless and stuck in a land ran by people who hated their guts. Things are really bad here for them, apartheid ^3. As such a major problem for the US is massed immigration from the Confederacy- the masses of cheap, black labourers swarming into the northern cities being seen as stealing the jobs that belong to US citizens.
The US on the other hand is doing fine. Its economy is somewhat less powerful then OTL and its military/place in world affairs far more prominent then the OTL US pre-WW2 but on the face of things its not too dissimilar.
Texas is a ‘corporate dictatorship’. In theory it’s a full democracy but in practice British and US big business runs the place. As a result its not a very ‘nice’ country to have to live in but the economy is excellent.
The UIP is doing quite well. It has its problems with the various tribes rarely agreeing on everything and the constant influx of immigrants they don’t know what to do with (large minority populations of blacks and natives of tribes that aren’t officially resident in the area) but these don’t hamper progress too much.
Canada is Canada. Well sort of. The French Canadians are a declining group being steadily assimilated into mainstream Canadian culture. As a whole the nation is also far more British leaning due to having a role in imperial government and a weaker but more aggressive US on the border.

Germany:
As mentioned last time Germany is a very different place.
Rather then turning into a Prussian Empire it is instead evolving towards a liberal democratic united Germany on all fronts.

Ottoman Empire:
Utterly unlike OTL the Ottomans are actually doing pretty good.
They are steadily reforming themselves into a constitutional monarchy based somewhat off the British system.
They do have problems with nationalism amongst the non-Turks of course- the official government line is nice on them but the saying of ‘give them a penny and they demand a pound’ is holding pretty true. As a result many regular Turks are also becoming steadily more racist.


___

Not forgetting:

British PMs


-1868: Lord Palmerston Liberal
1868: William Gladstone (1st) Liberal
1868-1880: Benjamin Disraeli Conservative
1880-1884 William Gladstone (2nd) Progressive
1884-1885: Arthur Duncombe Conservative
1885: Thomas Taylor Conservative
1885: Daivd Muller Conservative
1885-1894: William Gladstone (3rd) Progressive
1894-1898: Montagu Corry Conservative
1898-1906: Michael Beach (1st) Liberal
1906-1911: Craig McDonald Conservative
1911-1915: Michael Beach (2nd) Liberal
1915-1922: Glenn Jones Conservative
1922-1928: Percival Balfour Progressive
1928-1932: Donald Smith Workers
1933-1935: Thomas Percy (1st) Liberal
1935-1938: Harold Gravenberg Progressive
1938-1940: Thomas Percy (2nd) Liberal
1940-1946: Arthur Curtis Workers

British monarchs

1837-1896: Victoria I
1896-1906: Edward VII
1906-1928: George V
1928-1967: Edward VIII

[Tyr]

Questions? Mistakes? Complaints? Pies?

[Atom]

Nice job Leej I really like it. Oh yeah is there any possibility of a map?

[Grand Prince Paul II.]

What is the status of Russia after the successful wars?

[Jammy]

Originally Posted by Atom

Nice job Leej I really like it. Oh yeah is there any possibility of a map?

same for me, really well thought out

[Tyr]

Originally Posted by Atom

Nice job Leej I really like it. Oh yeah is there any possibility of a map?

There's a few knocking about all over the place. Will have to try and gather them up...

What is the status of Russia after the successful wars?

In the Balkans things look like they do today somewhat- the same nations more or less just different borders (i.e. Greece is still smaller). The Russians only directly took over roughly what is OTL European Turkey to rule directly.
In the east they directly rule over a lot of northern China (its mostly the sparsly inhabited bits though so...meh).
The balkan states are of course mostly Russian puppets, as is Korea.
Its a fairly traditional totalitarian monarchy still, very militaristic and rather powerful, we've got a bit of a non-nuclear cold war going on between Russia and the west after they beat up the Turks (or rather more of one then there already was between Britain and Russia IOTL.)

Thanks for the positive feedback.

[Dave Howery]

everything in this scenario depends on the French navy. Just how big and bad was it back then? Everyone agrees that the RN would have wiped the seas clean of American shipping, but were the French as capable of doing that?

[Tyr]

Originally Posted by Dave Howery

everything in this scenario depends on the French navy. Just how big and bad was it back then? Everyone agrees that the RN would have wiped the seas clean of American shipping, but were the French as capable of doing that?

Well it had the royal navy pretty worried a few years previously.
There was still a arms race going on with the British.
It wasn't the 'Americans don't stand a chance navy' of the British but it was certainly superior to the Americans.
It doesn't totally dominate the seas and utterly blockade the US but it does manage to get rid of the blockade of the CSA and seriously damage American shipping.


Map of the Americas. I think the Texas and California borders could be somewhat fucked up but...They should be OTLish except where they are radically different (i.e. Texas does loose land in the north and west)
Can't find my Europe one and I've yet to do a China one.

[Grand Prince Paul II.]

Originally Posted by Leej

The Russians only directly took over roughly what is OTL European Turkey to rule directly.

Also Constantinople?

Originally Posted by Leej

Minor Russian territorial gains in the Caucasus

Including the greek Pontus?

Originally Posted by Leej

In the east they directly rule over a lot of northern China (its mostly the sparsly inhabited bits though so...meh).

In compare to the southern China the northern China has a smaller population. But not in compare to the Russian Far East.

[Earling]

I liked most of the timeline.

Although I can't see how the USA can crush the CSA in 9 months yet fail to do likewise to Mexico. (That and why does Mexico not aid the CSA and vice versa in their wars.)

Britains justification for declaring war on France just didn't wash in my oppinion. If you hadn't expanded the franchise I could see it possibly working, but I can't see the public supporting the right of Mexico to be invaded by the USA. Infact Britain seems a bit confused from the outset. They aid in the construction of a CSA setting up the situation where there could be a balance of power in the western Hemisphere, always a joy for the British and yet they then set the conditions for the Union to effectively subdue all potential opponents.

I can't see how France can effectively wage war against Britain, Germany, Austria and Italy for such a long period. The losses in blood and money (and the obvious fact they could never win such a war) should have brought them to the table much sooner in my oppinion. That and I can't see how France (and then Britain) end up in Hungary. If the main fighting seems to be on the Rhine (or actually nearer to Paris!) and south of Bologna in Italy why force your way through Vienna into Hungary? Then theres the question of how on earth the British move into occupy the area. I mean.. why are their sizable British forces anywhere near the area?

What Russia is doing in this scenario for the entire of it is beyond me. You give them a passing comment about occupying Galicia but why are they not doing so much more if Austria is in such a state of chaos. Then theres the fact they just rumble in the background in the first war between France/Italy and Germany/Austria.

There then just seems to be this strange "back from the dead" feature. Italy and Austria are defeated and in a shambles.. and yet come back to defeat the French within a year without any real explanation how.

But for the rest of it I thought it was pretty good. I just found many parts of that war impossible to understand/agree with.

[Tyr]

Originally Posted by Earling

I liked most of the timeline.

Ta

Although I can't see how the USA can crush the CSA in 9 months yet fail to do likewise to Mexico. (That and why does Mexico not aid the CSA and vice versa in their wars.)

The Great War involves more advanced machine guns et al then the CSA war. Also the US has quite a large front to attack the CSA on so it can just storm in from all over the place- in Mexico the front isn't too narrow but a lot of it is desert.
Also the Confederate economy isn't good here, its too conservative sticking to slavery where its becoming obsolete and other issues. Mexico on the other hand is doing relatively well.
Why don't they aid each other...
Well in the Great War the CSA was even weaker then it was the last time America kicked its arse. Its wisely decided to just stick with its independance and be happy with it.
When the US attacked the CSA- why should Mexico help?

Britains justification for declaring war on France just didn't wash in my oppinion. If you hadn't expanded the franchise I could see it possibly working, but I can't see the public supporting the right of Mexico to be invaded by the USA.

That's the excuse.
The justification is far more to do with the potential for French domination of the western hemisphere.
US domination- fine we can work with that. Its never going to happen anyway.
French domination- we don't like that idea...

Infact Britain seems a bit confused from the outset. They aid in the construction of a CSA setting up the situation where there could be a balance of power in the western Hemisphere, always a joy for the British and yet they then set the conditions for the Union to effectively subdue all potential opponents.

The British don't help the CSA. They just don't try to hinder it.
And confusion in foreign policy is the hallmark of a demomcracy.
The British people like the US. They see it as a good thing that they 'fight against evil'.

I can't see how France can effectively wage war against Britain, Germany, Austria and Italy for such a long period. The losses in blood and money (and the obvious fact they could never win such a war) should have brought them to the table much sooner in my oppinion.

This isn't Germany as we know it, it's the old German Confederation further weakened from its loss in the 'Franco-Prussian war' equivalent and steadily becoming less militaristic of its own accord.
France too has done quite the opposite and is more powerful then OTL, Napoleon III continued his industrialisation and its still considered a major rival to Britain here.

That and I can't see how France (and then Britain) end up in Hungary. If the main fighting seems to be on the Rhine (or actually nearer to Paris!) and south of Bologna in Italy why force your way through Vienna into Hungary?

They don't very much. They just send a few thousand people there Laurence of Arabia style to help the rebels.
The attacks into Austria...Well they weren't in the war plan, they just happened with Italy being on the allied side. They thought it was only a matter of time before Italy fell (over-estimating how much their fighting capability had been damaged) and seeing Austria as the easy way into Germany- at the very least taking allied forces away from the French front so they could advance there.

Then theres the question of how on earth the British move into occupy the area. I mean.. why are their sizable British forces anywhere near the area?

When Austria begins to fall to pieces allied forces from the north are sent down there to help out.

What Russia is doing in this scenario for the entire of it is beyond me. You give them a passing comment about occupying Galicia but why are they not doing so much more if Austria is in such a state of chaos.

Yeah I didn't know what to do with Russia.
Having them enter the war...Franco-Russian alliances are overdone and it would be far from in-keeping with the feel of the time: France and Russia don't have great relations.
I thought of having them make a go for Constantinople but there would be no way of doing this without totally changing the direction of the TL. If they win then it makes Russia the power far earlier. If they loose then its doubtful they ever will get to where they want to be and it'd mean the Ottomans are getting too powerful.
Maybe I could have some sort of internal trouble?

Then theres the fact they just rumble in the background in the first war between France/Italy and Germany/Austria.

As they did in the Franco-Prussian war.

There then just seems to be this strange "back from the dead" feature. Italy and Austria are defeated and in a shambles.. and yet come back to defeat the French within a year without any real explanation how.

Italy is never deafeated/in a shambles.
France manage to overrun northern Italy however much of the Italian army manages to fall back to the south and British aid comes in too.
Austria never comes back. It is defeated its just everyone else fighting in its place.


Sorry if it seems I'm bitching at you here, criticism is appreciated, I'm just saying there are other reasons.

Also Constantinople?

Yep.

Including the greek Pontus?

Its not Greek, the Greeks are (or were rather) just a significant minority.

[Earling]

The Great War involves more advanced machine guns et al then the CSA war. Also the US has quite a large front to attack the CSA on so it can just storm in from all over the place- in Mexico the front isn't too narrow but a lot of it is desert.
Also the Confederate economy isn't good here, its too conservative sticking to slavery where its becoming obsolete and other issues. Mexico on the other hand is doing relatively well.
Why don't they aid each other...
Well in the Great War the CSA was even weaker then it was the last time America kicked its arse. Its wisely decided to just stick with its independance and be happy with it.
When the US attacked the CSA- why should Mexico help?

Well I suspected that would be the answer. As to why Mexico should help the CSA I was under the impression they were allies in the Civil War (if only due to the French link) and as such Maximillian (or his government) has to expect the US to come knocking once the CSA has been reduced. Then again that might be expecting too much foresight on their part.

As for the issue of British politics well I can certainly see the point about the danger of French influence in the western hemisphere. I can see British support for the USA, however going to war with the second most powerful nation seems a bit of a stretch given that nation hasn't even managed to get a declaration of war on the US out. But then wars have been declared for far less sensible things in OTL so I guess I can accept it.

When Austria begins to fall to pieces allied forces from the north are sent down there to help out.

It seems a bit out of the way. I just wander why a British army is camped in Bohemia when the fighting on that front is across the Rhine. Still I suppose they could just be transported south from anywhere given enough time. How are rail networks in Germany/Austria in this period?

Yeah I didn't know what to do with Russia.
Having them enter the war...Franco-Russian alliances are overdone and it would be far from in-keeping with the feel of the time: France and Russia don't have great relations.
I thought of having them make a go for Constantinople but there would be no way of doing this without totally changing the direction of the TL. If they win then it makes Russia the power far earlier. If they loose then its doubtful they ever will get to where they want to be and it'd mean the Ottomans are getting too powerful.
Maybe I could have some sort of internal trouble?

Well I can agree here. Internal trouble seems the best option.

The issue is that its the second war they have sat out thats a long period to have internal troubles. Also your Franco-Prussian war is quite a bit more interesting (for Russia anyway) than OTL. Germany/Prussia appears weak (rather than strong) and Austria has a full on rebellion to deal with. The situation looks significantly more balanced rather than what occured inviting some kind of intervention. Still, if Russia's hands are tied what can they do?

Italy is never deafeated/in a shambles.
France manage to overrun northern Italy however much of the Italian army manages to fall back to the south and British aid comes in too.
Austria never comes back. It is defeated its just everyone else fighting in its place.

Well the thing is isn't practically all of Italy's industy located in the north? As such with it lost.. are they not in serious difficulties in regards to getting the arms, ammunition barbed wire and so on nessasary in the waging of war?

I guess if Britain supports them to the hilt they could fight on. On the otherhand Britain does have to support her own sizable forces on the continent and presumerably back up the less militarized Germany. Still the French are likely at the end of their financial and industrial resources, especially considering the blockade so I suppose this balances out.

Sorry if it seems I'm bitching at you here, criticism is appreciated, I'm just saying there are other reasons.

Not a problem. I was concerned I was being too critical about the war.