Hi all:
After long time of thinking (and tinkering with some details), I'm finally starting this TL. Given that it's my first REAL experiment with Alternate History, I'm being (hopefully) very cautious on some details (Especially on the PoD).
All insights and opinions are welcome. As always, normal letter is for me speaking, italics are for the story unfolding. Well, the Introduction will have only normal letters.
Hope you like it and don't be shy about commenting about what you find. I'll be happy to research that for you
<bilingual_bonus>No siendo más, ¡bienvenidos a Los Estados Unidos de Colombia!</bilingual_bonus>
Introduction
The United States of Colombia (USofC, for short) were an entity that resulted from the Granadine Confederation, which was in short, the Vicekingdom of New Granada.
Before getting inside that, I'm going to say, that IOTL (and ITTL) what would be known as Colombia has always been a conflictive nation. Conflicts are roughly the 60% of Colombian history has from small conflicts to big ones. In short, the independent life resulting from the Independence Wars would bring more struggles. Normally, these struggles are part of a nation's growth, but in the Colombian case... it only served to further divide them.
Well, the USofC were born as the final consequence of the Colombian Civil War (more info here), and with them, some measures had to be taken, being the secularization of the State and a Federalist stance, which converted the old Federal States on Sovereign States (this was more than a "name change", specially regarding armies. To avoid situations like the ones who led to the Civil War, there would be no National Army and each Sovereign State would have their own armies and police forces).
Colombia has always been bipartisan: The two parties that dominated the political scene were the Liberals and Conservatives (believe me, is as rough as it sounds). These parties had years after years of wars and bitter encounters. Specially since the Conservatives were backed by the Catholic church, and the Liberals had landowners and industrialists by their side.
This led to small conflicts, which allowed the Conservatives to take a new impulse at the voting booths, postulating Rafael Núñez as a candidate to the Presidency. OTL, that would lead to the creation of the actual Republic of Colombia (in what was called "The Regeneration")... but ITTL, this would be wildly different...
Finally, the PoD!
The campaign between the candidates (Núñez, for the Conservatives, and Solón Wilches for the Liberals) was tough: OTL, Wilches only could gain the support of three Sovereign States, and Núñez gained the support of the other six Sovereign States. Everything happened because of the intricated network of contacts that Núñez had and the different ways to manage the campaign at the Liberal States: well, the PoD is produced by a better knowledge about the progresses that Wilches did in the Sovereign State of Santander, the success of the partnership with Geo von Lengerke to trace the pathways of the State and the focus in Science and Technology in general (In short, more publicity by the possible means).
Granted time, the facts about the success of the Sovereign State of Santander would resonate in all the other states, leading to the support from a moderate group of Conservatives in other states which wanted more technological advances in exchange for some more Catholic influence. This being politics, Wilches accepted the deal, and proposed state schools for every cult or religion under the condition of taxes and control from the Government.
Finally, Wilches won Santander, Boyacá, Magdalena, Tolima and Cauca. Núñez, won Panamá, Antioquia, Bolívar and Cundinamarca.
The liberal victory allowed for the mentioned changes... and the United States of Colombia would survive for another day...
End of the Introduction
I hope you like it and once more, all opinions are welcome.
Regards,
Fernando.
After long time of thinking (and tinkering with some details), I'm finally starting this TL. Given that it's my first REAL experiment with Alternate History, I'm being (hopefully) very cautious on some details (Especially on the PoD).
All insights and opinions are welcome. As always, normal letter is for me speaking, italics are for the story unfolding. Well, the Introduction will have only normal letters.
Hope you like it and don't be shy about commenting about what you find. I'll be happy to research that for you
<bilingual_bonus>No siendo más, ¡bienvenidos a Los Estados Unidos de Colombia!</bilingual_bonus>
Introduction
The United States of Colombia (USofC, for short) were an entity that resulted from the Granadine Confederation, which was in short, the Vicekingdom of New Granada.
Before getting inside that, I'm going to say, that IOTL (and ITTL) what would be known as Colombia has always been a conflictive nation. Conflicts are roughly the 60% of Colombian history has from small conflicts to big ones. In short, the independent life resulting from the Independence Wars would bring more struggles. Normally, these struggles are part of a nation's growth, but in the Colombian case... it only served to further divide them.
Well, the USofC were born as the final consequence of the Colombian Civil War (more info here), and with them, some measures had to be taken, being the secularization of the State and a Federalist stance, which converted the old Federal States on Sovereign States (this was more than a "name change", specially regarding armies. To avoid situations like the ones who led to the Civil War, there would be no National Army and each Sovereign State would have their own armies and police forces).
Colombia has always been bipartisan: The two parties that dominated the political scene were the Liberals and Conservatives (believe me, is as rough as it sounds). These parties had years after years of wars and bitter encounters. Specially since the Conservatives were backed by the Catholic church, and the Liberals had landowners and industrialists by their side.
This led to small conflicts, which allowed the Conservatives to take a new impulse at the voting booths, postulating Rafael Núñez as a candidate to the Presidency. OTL, that would lead to the creation of the actual Republic of Colombia (in what was called "The Regeneration")... but ITTL, this would be wildly different...
Finally, the PoD!
The campaign between the candidates (Núñez, for the Conservatives, and Solón Wilches for the Liberals) was tough: OTL, Wilches only could gain the support of three Sovereign States, and Núñez gained the support of the other six Sovereign States. Everything happened because of the intricated network of contacts that Núñez had and the different ways to manage the campaign at the Liberal States: well, the PoD is produced by a better knowledge about the progresses that Wilches did in the Sovereign State of Santander, the success of the partnership with Geo von Lengerke to trace the pathways of the State and the focus in Science and Technology in general (In short, more publicity by the possible means).
Granted time, the facts about the success of the Sovereign State of Santander would resonate in all the other states, leading to the support from a moderate group of Conservatives in other states which wanted more technological advances in exchange for some more Catholic influence. This being politics, Wilches accepted the deal, and proposed state schools for every cult or religion under the condition of taxes and control from the Government.
Finally, Wilches won Santander, Boyacá, Magdalena, Tolima and Cauca. Núñez, won Panamá, Antioquia, Bolívar and Cundinamarca.
The liberal victory allowed for the mentioned changes... and the United States of Colombia would survive for another day...
End of the Introduction
I hope you like it and once more, all opinions are welcome.
Regards,
Fernando.
