AHC: Make Africa the most developed and stable region in the world.
- Thread starter LNSS
- Start date
If the slave trade was curtailed, that'd do a lot to help Africa's stability. Add in an early introduction of New World crops, especially maize and cassava, and you'll definitely have a more developed and stable Africa. The only problem is how you'd stop the slave trade. Sugar was becoming massively popular in Europe and would only keep growing in popularity for decades. There were only a few places in Europe that could support sugar growing, which meant tropical islands were the best places to grow sugar. And once sugar shows its profitability, slaves or indentured servants will be needed to grow it. Native Americans die too quickly and can escape back into the (at this time) still large local population, Europeans also die too soon to make sugar cultivation profitable. Only Africans had the right combination factors to make profitable slaves.
Even if you stop the slave trade and introduce New World crops, you're still dealing with a more developed Europe and Asia. At this point in the game, you'd have to massively screw over Eurasia to make Africa the most developed region.
Even if you stop the slave trade and introduce New World crops, you're still dealing with a more developed Europe and Asia. At this point in the game, you'd have to massively screw over Eurasia to make Africa the most developed region.
Why not just grow sugar cane in Africa?
Slave societies tended to be very stable and they were pretty profitable until industrialists invented even more ways to turn a profit.
Maybe the question is: which part of Africa would have industrialized first?
Steel works in Zimbabwe?
Water mills along which major river?
Which tribe was best suited to cottage industry?
Production lines along which populous state?
What new trade routes would more manufactured goods to rural markets?
What was the most efficient way to more crops to market?
Coastal ships?
River boat?
Railway?
Slave societies tended to be very stable and they were pretty profitable until industrialists invented even more ways to turn a profit.
Maybe the question is: which part of Africa would have industrialized first?
Steel works in Zimbabwe?
Water mills along which major river?
Which tribe was best suited to cottage industry?
Production lines along which populous state?
What new trade routes would more manufactured goods to rural markets?
What was the most efficient way to more crops to market?
Coastal ships?
River boat?
Railway?
If sugarcane can be grown effectively for export to Europe early enough it would certainly curtain the Atlantic slave trade (since the slaves will be needed to grow the crop in Africa) and would dramatically increase the infrastructure and wealth of Africa while the sugar trade would give technology a chance to equalize. If they're lucky the same problems like malaria that kept Europe out of Africa in OTL will be present here. By the time Europe grows strong enough to push into Africa, the local nations are well established and technologically equal.
Dirk
Banned
Yeah but there's a big difference between slaves used to develop Africa agriculturally and infrastructure-wise, and the wealth of their physical work being shuttled overseas to benefit the masters of the Americas.
Yuelang
Banned
with earlier POD, screw the spread of Islam in North Africa, have Egypt remain Christian and let the North African Carthago and other Roman cities fluorish... 
Seriously, with the spread of Islam resulting in Nomadic Desert Tribes gaining the upper hand, the educated upper class of North Africa is gone, and thus, gone the chance of them to be the most developed and stable region...
Or at least have the Muslims actually allied themselves with urban dwellers instead of Berbers and Moors, and you could (POTENTIALLY) have the situation in Persia and Mesopotamia, with great bonus that there will be no Mongol hordes to utterly devastate them later.
Seriously, with the spread of Islam resulting in Nomadic Desert Tribes gaining the upper hand, the educated upper class of North Africa is gone, and thus, gone the chance of them to be the most developed and stable region...
Or at least have the Muslims actually allied themselves with urban dwellers instead of Berbers and Moors, and you could (POTENTIALLY) have the situation in Persia and Mesopotamia, with great bonus that there will be no Mongol hordes to utterly devastate them later.
GdwnsnHo
Banned
You could try and "encourage" the area to develop using a plague? If it primarily hurts the poor and enslaved, then there is an incentive to develop new means of production, and would dramatically increase the prices Europeans may need for slaves.
Perhaps one of the African states, be it west african, or Kongolese could actively seek to westernise, or adopt western weaponry.
Another route could be Ethiopia, or Somali assisted by the Chinese Sino-fying
The issue is that "Africa" Is a freaking huge region to have be the most developed and stable - in fact, if it was, it'd be more successful than any area of the world in our timeline. I can't see how ALL if it could be stable and developed, neither Europe, China or N.America can claim all of those IOTL at any point, and they're significantly smaller.
Perhaps one of the African states, be it west african, or Kongolese could actively seek to westernise, or adopt western weaponry.
Another route could be Ethiopia, or Somali assisted by the Chinese Sino-fying
The issue is that "Africa" Is a freaking huge region to have be the most developed and stable - in fact, if it was, it'd be more successful than any area of the world in our timeline. I can't see how ALL if it could be stable and developed, neither Europe, China or N.America can claim all of those IOTL at any point, and they're significantly smaller.
Swiss Confederation model for West Africa
To discuss Africa competently one must acknowledge the Elephant in the room: that African societies are tribal-centric.
A major reason for internal conflict is either Region (tribe) A is looting Regions (tribes) B, C, and D or the perception that A is looting B, C, and D.
Solution? A greatly decentralized structure providing each tribe with virtually total local autonomy. Virtually all taxes go to the tribe. Only foreign relations, national defense and currency are retained at the central government level.
In effect, the intent is to encourage a Pan-African identity without trying to pretend you can just wish away the underlying tribal basis of society.
To discuss Africa competently one must acknowledge the Elephant in the room: that African societies are tribal-centric.
A major reason for internal conflict is either Region (tribe) A is looting Regions (tribes) B, C, and D or the perception that A is looting B, C, and D.
Solution? A greatly decentralized structure providing each tribe with virtually total local autonomy. Virtually all taxes go to the tribe. Only foreign relations, national defense and currency are retained at the central government level.
In effect, the intent is to encourage a Pan-African identity without trying to pretend you can just wish away the underlying tribal basis of society.
Deleted member 67076
What about having the West African Sahelian Empires develop the financial institutions that the Dutch and the Italians did? The Malians and Songhai were dependent on commercial activity for the bulk of their income.
Dirk
Banned
I don't see what this would do other than make European penetration into the area even easier. West Africans had been naturally selected to adapt to the Tse-tse fly by the 1600's.
Africa at this point is really no more "tribal-centric" than Europe or really any other place. Europeans and Asians warred with each other for centuries and various families and clans (tribes) struggled for supremacy. I would say Africa's relative lack of development is more to blame on the lack of domesticated animals, harsh diseases, infertile soils, and the centuries of a traumatic slave trade and colonization.
Don't you think they tried that?
The soil is just too poor. The only suitable places in Africa to grow cash crops were the Islands (Madeira, Canary and Fernando Poo in the Atlantic and the Réunion in the Indian Ocean) and isolated highlands. Moreover, even these places were not able to sustain the same productivity that the Americas or Asia has because of 1) lack of new land in the islands and 2) the isolation of the highlands.
This is sadly deterministic, but the soil of most of the continent is just not fertile for agriculture that we can develop until this very day.
This. More particularly, the natural conditions of the continent. Slavery and colonization is pretty much a consequence of that.
Only plausible answer so far.
-September 26, 1983: Cold War goes hot, northern hemisphere devastated by USSR/China/NATO nuclear spasm. 72 hours later half the world's population is dead. 72 days later, it's 75%
-October 1983: With the death of Joao Figeureido, Brazil sees President Aureliano Chaves come to power. He begins a bid to take over the whole of South America and unite the continent which creates massive destruction for the region
-December 1983: Riots break out in Zone 5, Camp 3 ten miles east of Darwin, Australia where illegal refugees are housed by the thousands. Australia and New Zealand are inundated by Americans and British refugees who seek to flee the starvation and radiation of their apocalyptic homelands. This begins what is later termed "The Reaping" by historians. New Zealand announces a policy of total isolation to be enforced militarily, they choose to turn inwards rather than deal with the outside world. India and Pakistan begin a horrific war of attrition later known as "The Lottery" as anyone chosen for military service is not expected to return alive.
-May 1984: Despite many near-misses, South Africa weathers the post-apocalyptic storm and emerges largely intact as a dominant power in the world. The Krugerand, not the dollar, will become the global bedrock of future financial markets. Apartheid continues and racial tensions, which neared an all-time high after the war, are abated somewhat as those Boer minorities consumed with racism retreat into their own homeland in the westernmost area of the country.
-October 1984: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda form an economic alliance under the East African Union. This is shortly met by the South African government working closely with Southwest Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique to form the Southern African Alliance.
-March 1985: Survivor governments begin to form in the former United States, USSR, China, and Europe. China becomes a playground for warlords while most of the former USSR has lost its taste for Communism. The largest Russian warlord state is a Communist holdover, however, based out of Sverdlosk which survived the war largely intact. Perhaps a thousand governments of various sizes exist in the former US (the largest covering much of the old state of Montana as a neo-feudal survivor commune) while the Europeans ironically return to their city-state roots
-May 1986: Brazil and Argentina continue to turn South America into a battleground and wear themselves out doing so. With over half their populations and many in neighboring countries reduced substantially, ironically Chile becomes the dominant economic power on the continent for the next decade. Paraguay and Uruguay join Argentina as it is a democratic state while Bolivia stays out of the fighting.
-August 1986: Mexico begins reclaiming parts of its former territory in the former United States while Cuba begins to establish permanent settlements in the Florida Keys and southern peninsula. Central America writhes in revolution as different parties with little to lose war with each other over little to gain. Colombia reclaims Panama after it sufficiently weakens itself and Presidente Pablo Escobar completes his take over the country officially.
-April 1987: Somalia and Ethiopea join the East African Union as Angolan rebels make a hard-dealt peace before joining the Southern African Alliance alongside Zimbabwe and Malawi. South Africa continues to run a functional economy even if much of it is on the barter system, refugees from Brazil settle in Angola while Argentineans and Europeans settle in the still-large cities of Cape Town and Jo-berg.
-September 1987: Nigeria leads a coalition of African states in coordination of a Western African League as an Arab Confederacy emerges along the southern Mediterranean. While not overtly Islamic this Confederacy is led by Tunisia recently liberated from its former dictatorship. Trade talks between the EAU and SAA lead to the largest trade treaty since the war.
-March 1988: After years of stalemate the recent gains of India into Pakistan and its siege of Karachi cause a nightmare to emerge as nuclear warfare erupts between the two archenemies. When the dust settles a dozen major cities are gone (including Dacca and Colombo due to faulty intelligence) and the Indian government, now operating out of Chennai, soon unites the region (Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan) under a new federal system.
-October 1988: Thanks to acquired skills, technology, and development of new resources South Africa launches its first Space Launch System (SLS) in the "Hyena" class of RSA-3 derived technologies. This permits the first space launch since the war and begins a space race across Africa over the next 5 years. Australia is in the throes of a civil war as forces loyal to Canberra are fighting near Townsville against a massive influx of refugees who are led to believe the Australians wish to kill them (if only by deporting them back to their home nations). Despite widespread use of napalm with other anti-personnel devices and massive casualties the refugees have little to lose so they push onwards. Without fuel or widespread resources, oil and other industrial prerequisites ran out shortly after the war, preventing the few organized forces left on either side from holding a distinct advantage. Rebels control northern Queensland, the whole Northern Territory, and northern Western Australia with fighting continent-wide beginning to show as both side are reduced to melee weapons and gasoline becomes a precious, rare commodity.
-May 1989: North American survivalist nations continue consolidation under new governments though several dozen remain. The three largest are the Empire of Sam out of Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Washington, and most of Idaho; the State of Deseret out of Provo (Utah, southern Idaho, western Colorado, northern Arizona, and most of Nevada); and the Federation of North American States out of Johnson City, Tennessee. The latter is an Appalachian survivor state that promoted very efficient use of green resources like biofuels and pre-transistor machinery to rebuild an industrial base in Eastern Tennessee. With the survival of about half the TVA dams, their acquisition of the last one east of the Mississippi at this point marks the beginning of transition from a large local state to a truly regional one. As the State of Deseret and Empire of Sam fight amongst themselves the rest of the continent tries to rebuild and ward off raiders and roving gangs on motorcycles (including slavers and cannibals). Much of North America above the Rio Grande knows no government beyond the local level.
-November 1989: With Switzerland now governing an area inclusive of northern Italy, southern Germany, eastern France, and much of Austria, the formerly neutral nation becomes the dominant power in Europe. New nation-states are rising slowly as global radiation has steadily decreased in the northern hemisphere. Civil war rages in the former USSR but the old Eastern European satellites begin to successfully reform without their Russian masters. China appears to settle into a half-dozen nations while the first signs of recovery in Japan make themselves known after half a decade of isolation. Korea is severely depopulated by famine in the North and radiation in the South, a united Republic emerges out of Haesong that declares permanent neutrality in world affairs.
By 1990 it is southern and eastern Africa that lead the way back to global commerce over the next 25 years. As the population plateaus from its initial fall the global concensus is that less than 1 billion people are alive five years after the war is over. Following "The Reaping" and the decade of isolation afterward, a charismatic "Road Warrior" begins to unite Australia and does so officially in 2015, New Zealand emerges from its isolation rather poor in the same year and joins Australasia along with Papua New guinea and most of the Pacific Islands. Following a nuclear conflict between Argentina and Brazil in 1990, Colombia and Mexico become the dominant powers in the Americas although the Federation of North American States and State of Deseret are in talks to merge to become the successor state to the United States and covering even more territory once Canada is accounted for. Europe will writhe in conflict until 2004 when Geneva becomes site of a Council to decide the outcomes of local conflicts but local ethnic tension will continue for another half-century. China ironically does well as it rebuilds quickly with only 180 million people where over six times that once lived. Although internal disputes continue to threaten the unity of the "Raj" as the Republic of Chennai is called, it eventually becomes one of the dominant three economic powers of the early 21st century. With the emergence of the SLS system by the SAA, its return to manned spaceflight in 1995 and moon landing in 2010 mark the beginnings of the Second Race to Space capped by an EAU flag on Mars in 2024. Until the Victoria Crisis of 2056, southern and eastern Africa become the new "First World" and lead the globe for technological innovation, biotechnology research, computer technology, financial stability, and luxury goods.
-October 1983: With the death of Joao Figeureido, Brazil sees President Aureliano Chaves come to power. He begins a bid to take over the whole of South America and unite the continent which creates massive destruction for the region
-December 1983: Riots break out in Zone 5, Camp 3 ten miles east of Darwin, Australia where illegal refugees are housed by the thousands. Australia and New Zealand are inundated by Americans and British refugees who seek to flee the starvation and radiation of their apocalyptic homelands. This begins what is later termed "The Reaping" by historians. New Zealand announces a policy of total isolation to be enforced militarily, they choose to turn inwards rather than deal with the outside world. India and Pakistan begin a horrific war of attrition later known as "The Lottery" as anyone chosen for military service is not expected to return alive.
-May 1984: Despite many near-misses, South Africa weathers the post-apocalyptic storm and emerges largely intact as a dominant power in the world. The Krugerand, not the dollar, will become the global bedrock of future financial markets. Apartheid continues and racial tensions, which neared an all-time high after the war, are abated somewhat as those Boer minorities consumed with racism retreat into their own homeland in the westernmost area of the country.
-October 1984: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda form an economic alliance under the East African Union. This is shortly met by the South African government working closely with Southwest Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique to form the Southern African Alliance.
-March 1985: Survivor governments begin to form in the former United States, USSR, China, and Europe. China becomes a playground for warlords while most of the former USSR has lost its taste for Communism. The largest Russian warlord state is a Communist holdover, however, based out of Sverdlosk which survived the war largely intact. Perhaps a thousand governments of various sizes exist in the former US (the largest covering much of the old state of Montana as a neo-feudal survivor commune) while the Europeans ironically return to their city-state roots
-May 1986: Brazil and Argentina continue to turn South America into a battleground and wear themselves out doing so. With over half their populations and many in neighboring countries reduced substantially, ironically Chile becomes the dominant economic power on the continent for the next decade. Paraguay and Uruguay join Argentina as it is a democratic state while Bolivia stays out of the fighting.
-August 1986: Mexico begins reclaiming parts of its former territory in the former United States while Cuba begins to establish permanent settlements in the Florida Keys and southern peninsula. Central America writhes in revolution as different parties with little to lose war with each other over little to gain. Colombia reclaims Panama after it sufficiently weakens itself and Presidente Pablo Escobar completes his take over the country officially.
-April 1987: Somalia and Ethiopea join the East African Union as Angolan rebels make a hard-dealt peace before joining the Southern African Alliance alongside Zimbabwe and Malawi. South Africa continues to run a functional economy even if much of it is on the barter system, refugees from Brazil settle in Angola while Argentineans and Europeans settle in the still-large cities of Cape Town and Jo-berg.
-September 1987: Nigeria leads a coalition of African states in coordination of a Western African League as an Arab Confederacy emerges along the southern Mediterranean. While not overtly Islamic this Confederacy is led by Tunisia recently liberated from its former dictatorship. Trade talks between the EAU and SAA lead to the largest trade treaty since the war.
-March 1988: After years of stalemate the recent gains of India into Pakistan and its siege of Karachi cause a nightmare to emerge as nuclear warfare erupts between the two archenemies. When the dust settles a dozen major cities are gone (including Dacca and Colombo due to faulty intelligence) and the Indian government, now operating out of Chennai, soon unites the region (Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan) under a new federal system.
-October 1988: Thanks to acquired skills, technology, and development of new resources South Africa launches its first Space Launch System (SLS) in the "Hyena" class of RSA-3 derived technologies. This permits the first space launch since the war and begins a space race across Africa over the next 5 years. Australia is in the throes of a civil war as forces loyal to Canberra are fighting near Townsville against a massive influx of refugees who are led to believe the Australians wish to kill them (if only by deporting them back to their home nations). Despite widespread use of napalm with other anti-personnel devices and massive casualties the refugees have little to lose so they push onwards. Without fuel or widespread resources, oil and other industrial prerequisites ran out shortly after the war, preventing the few organized forces left on either side from holding a distinct advantage. Rebels control northern Queensland, the whole Northern Territory, and northern Western Australia with fighting continent-wide beginning to show as both side are reduced to melee weapons and gasoline becomes a precious, rare commodity.
-May 1989: North American survivalist nations continue consolidation under new governments though several dozen remain. The three largest are the Empire of Sam out of Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Washington, and most of Idaho; the State of Deseret out of Provo (Utah, southern Idaho, western Colorado, northern Arizona, and most of Nevada); and the Federation of North American States out of Johnson City, Tennessee. The latter is an Appalachian survivor state that promoted very efficient use of green resources like biofuels and pre-transistor machinery to rebuild an industrial base in Eastern Tennessee. With the survival of about half the TVA dams, their acquisition of the last one east of the Mississippi at this point marks the beginning of transition from a large local state to a truly regional one. As the State of Deseret and Empire of Sam fight amongst themselves the rest of the continent tries to rebuild and ward off raiders and roving gangs on motorcycles (including slavers and cannibals). Much of North America above the Rio Grande knows no government beyond the local level.
-November 1989: With Switzerland now governing an area inclusive of northern Italy, southern Germany, eastern France, and much of Austria, the formerly neutral nation becomes the dominant power in Europe. New nation-states are rising slowly as global radiation has steadily decreased in the northern hemisphere. Civil war rages in the former USSR but the old Eastern European satellites begin to successfully reform without their Russian masters. China appears to settle into a half-dozen nations while the first signs of recovery in Japan make themselves known after half a decade of isolation. Korea is severely depopulated by famine in the North and radiation in the South, a united Republic emerges out of Haesong that declares permanent neutrality in world affairs.
By 1990 it is southern and eastern Africa that lead the way back to global commerce over the next 25 years. As the population plateaus from its initial fall the global concensus is that less than 1 billion people are alive five years after the war is over. Following "The Reaping" and the decade of isolation afterward, a charismatic "Road Warrior" begins to unite Australia and does so officially in 2015, New Zealand emerges from its isolation rather poor in the same year and joins Australasia along with Papua New guinea and most of the Pacific Islands. Following a nuclear conflict between Argentina and Brazil in 1990, Colombia and Mexico become the dominant powers in the Americas although the Federation of North American States and State of Deseret are in talks to merge to become the successor state to the United States and covering even more territory once Canada is accounted for. Europe will writhe in conflict until 2004 when Geneva becomes site of a Council to decide the outcomes of local conflicts but local ethnic tension will continue for another half-century. China ironically does well as it rebuilds quickly with only 180 million people where over six times that once lived. Although internal disputes continue to threaten the unity of the "Raj" as the Republic of Chennai is called, it eventually becomes one of the dominant three economic powers of the early 21st century. With the emergence of the SLS system by the SAA, its return to manned spaceflight in 1995 and moon landing in 2010 mark the beginnings of the Second Race to Space capped by an EAU flag on Mars in 2024. Until the Victoria Crisis of 2056, southern and eastern Africa become the new "First World" and lead the globe for technological innovation, biotechnology research, computer technology, financial stability, and luxury goods.
I'm not sure if any POD can have 'Africa' become the most developed and stable continent.
For a start, Africa is as varied as Eurasia in climate, culture, language, etc etc. You could have one part of Africa vastly different to another - a really poor Congo and a really rich Mali, for example.
I am not sure that, since the fall of Axum, there has been a sub-Saharan African kingdom or state on par with those in Europe, the Middle East, India or East Asia, and since the fall of the Mamluks, there has been no non-colonial power in Africa equal to those elsewhere in development and stability.
I just cannot see it being possible with an earlier POD, let alone this one. I feel like you'd need a prehistoric POD to curb the development of civilization in Europe, Middle East, the Indus and China to allow Africa to outdo them. The main issues are geographic - Africa, whilst very varied, has few regions that are hospitable enough for the development of early civilization in the same way it developed elsewhere. Think about how the steppes remained nomadic for millennia whilst areas around rivers (Nile, Yangtse, Tigris etc) and temperate/Mediterranean zones (Greece, Italy, Anatolia etc) developed incredibly.
Not to mention that Africa severely lacks the population throughout most of its history to develop the same level of society. It wasn't until the 15th century that the entire continent of Africa had a population equal to that of Europe - but Africa is 6 times the size of Europe, and many of that population of around 70 million would have been living in Egypt and the Maghreb, and the rest scattered all over Africa, from the Sahel to the Cape.
I just can't see it happening, honestly, without some sort of POD that sees humans migrate more around Africa than outside Africa. Africa just isn't geographically, climatically etc suitable for being the leading powerhouse of the world throughout history. Sure, it might be in the future, but I can't see it being possible in the past.
For a start, Africa is as varied as Eurasia in climate, culture, language, etc etc. You could have one part of Africa vastly different to another - a really poor Congo and a really rich Mali, for example.
I am not sure that, since the fall of Axum, there has been a sub-Saharan African kingdom or state on par with those in Europe, the Middle East, India or East Asia, and since the fall of the Mamluks, there has been no non-colonial power in Africa equal to those elsewhere in development and stability.
I just cannot see it being possible with an earlier POD, let alone this one. I feel like you'd need a prehistoric POD to curb the development of civilization in Europe, Middle East, the Indus and China to allow Africa to outdo them. The main issues are geographic - Africa, whilst very varied, has few regions that are hospitable enough for the development of early civilization in the same way it developed elsewhere. Think about how the steppes remained nomadic for millennia whilst areas around rivers (Nile, Yangtse, Tigris etc) and temperate/Mediterranean zones (Greece, Italy, Anatolia etc) developed incredibly.
Not to mention that Africa severely lacks the population throughout most of its history to develop the same level of society. It wasn't until the 15th century that the entire continent of Africa had a population equal to that of Europe - but Africa is 6 times the size of Europe, and many of that population of around 70 million would have been living in Egypt and the Maghreb, and the rest scattered all over Africa, from the Sahel to the Cape.
I just can't see it happening, honestly, without some sort of POD that sees humans migrate more around Africa than outside Africa. Africa just isn't geographically, climatically etc suitable for being the leading powerhouse of the world throughout history. Sure, it might be in the future, but I can't see it being possible in the past.
Shameless plug, but the TL in my sig tries to have a much earlier plausible development of Africa. Africa's not on the road to being the most developed continent by any means but it will be on a different path than its OTL counterpart.