In His Own Right, Part V

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by Michael Canaris

Bombay has funny borders.

In what way? I took it off some 1909 maps and included some princely states that would lose self-government until this reorganisation, but unless you're more specific, I don't know what the problem is.

[Wendell]

One thing that I would question about the map is your East Bengal.

[LacheyS]

Feel free to alter it however you see fit, and resubmit it to the thread along with a justification as to why you think the old borders were wrong. I have never claimed to be infallible (at least not publicly ) so I am quite happy to look at any changes. However, same thing applies to you, Wendell, as Michael. I've done the best I can, but I don't know what to change and why unless you let me know where my mistake has been.

[LacheyS]

Sultan Mehmed VI had, since his ascension, been under pressure to modernise the Ottoman state. With the assistance of his new Grand Vizier, the former Governor of Syria, he felt that he had achieved his plan. The Sultanate had become a federal representative democracy, with the Grand Vizier acting as Chairman of the Executive Council. The Grand Assembly of the re-named Ottoman Federation would sit in Beirut with powers that matched the 1911 constitutional arrangements of Great Britain. After all, if it had worked for the British for so long and so well, why not imitate?

The Grand Vizier, 42-year-old Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, had been born in Greece, the son of a customs officer and moved into the army. His loyalty to Prince Sabaheddin during the Jonturkler resistance and his defeat of the General of the Third Army, Ahmed Djemal Pasha, had made him a name and, shortly thereafter, he had been made Sub-Governor of Damascus, where he earnt a reputation for successful work with minorities. He led the campaign in the northwest during the Persian War, becoming the hero of Mahabad and earning himself the rank of Brigadier General in 1911, at the age of only thirty and a position in the inner circle of power in Beirut.

He had been appointed as the military representative on the negotiating team that won back Cyprus, moving easily into the diplomatic world and took leave from the army shortly thereafter to become Ambassador to Germany. He was recalled in 1916 to prosecute the Arabian War and bring to an end the dreams of the Saud dynasty. Retiring from military service at the rank of Lieutenant General, he stood as a candidate for the Party of Union and Progress to stand for political office and was elected as the representative for Samsun in 1919. He immediately took on two ministries: defence and regional development.

After just a year, he challenged for the leadership of the PUP and became Grand Vizier at just thirty-nine. Mustafa Kemal Pasha would continue to serve the Sultanate in that capacity until his death in November, 1938. This made him the longest-serving Grand Vizier in five centuries and earnt him the nickname "The Bismarck of the East". On his death, the position would pass to his long-designated successor, Ismet Inonu.

One of the priorities of the new Grand Vizier had been a treaty of friendship and cooperation with the USSR. On 24 July, 1923, Mustafa Kemal Pasha met with the Chairman of the Caucasian Sejm, Nikoloz Chkheidze, to sign that treaty. There had been discussions over the remaining unsettled issue between the two countries - East Armenia. The USSR claimed the region on behalf of the Kingdom of the Caucasus. The Ottoman Federation claimed it on behalf of the Kingdom of Armenia. It was agreed that the matter of Armenia should be referred to the International Court of Justice and that both countries should sign a treaty of assent to join the Strasbourg Commission. The ICJ eventually ruled in Russia's favour, stating that, on the basis of the Hamidian massacres, the Ottoman Federation had lost all moral claims to East Armenia.

[G.Bone]

Good stuff although it took me a while to figure out how long he served.

What's up with the partition of Armenia? Is one bigger than the other or is it just in the case of Samoa/W. Samoa where there's no real difference in gov't/root culture*....?

*I.E. they are Samoan except with American influences, blah blah blah

[Wendell]

Originally Posted by LacheyS

Feel free to alter it however you see fit, and resubmit it to the thread along with a justification as to why you think the old borders were wrong. I have never claimed to be infallible (at least not publicly ) so I am quite happy to look at any changes. However, same thing applies to you, Wendell, as Michael. I've done the best I can, but I don't know what to change and why unless you let me know where my mistake has been.

I think that there are two things that I would change, at the very least. While they had been united under the British for a time, Sindh and Bombay should be separated. Also, it is unfair to make Baroda so arbitrary. Instead, I propose that Gujarati Confederation be formed there, similar in structure to the Malay Federation.

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by G.Bone

Good stuff although it took me a while to figure out how long he served.

What's up with the partition of Armenia? Is one bigger than the other or is it just in the case of Samoa/W. Samoa where there's no real difference in gov't/root culture*....?

*I.E. they are Samoan except with American influences, blah blah blah

As I understand it, Armenia was a nation that emerged out of the collapse of the Greek Empire and were then incorporated into the Roman Empire. It was at various times also in the hands of the Sassanids, Byzantines, Mongols and Arabs, but retained occasional sovereignty and a strong cultural identity. They came eventually under Ottoman rule and apparently had significant problems due to their retention of Christianity. Other parts remained under Persian rule, but, in this timeline, were returned to the Ottomans after the Persian War.

The part of the history with which I am more familiar follows the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29 in which Armenia was partitioned between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. Whenever the Armenians and Ottomans didn't see eye to eye, the Ottomans did what they did to rebels - crushed them absolutely. It is in this context that the Armenian genocide was believed to have occurred, though not in this timeline.

What the Ottomans were attempting to do with the ICJ case is get the part of Armenia given to Russia in 1829 brought back into the Ottoman Empire. They failed. Due to the sympathy of the judges with Armenia for the abuses conducted by Sultan Abdulhamid II during his reign, they were not inclined to grant Gazi Mustafa Kemal's request.

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by Wendell

I think that there are two things that I would change, at the very least. While they had been united under the British for a time, Sindh and Bombay should be separated. Also, it is unfair to make Baroda so arbitrary. Instead, I propose that Gujarati Confederation be formed there, similar in structure to the Malay Federation.

Better? Any other suggestions? You mentioned East Bengal?

[M.Passit]

O.K. I'm admit that I think that East Bengal look a bit odd to me, but since I have no knowledge about this so......

Anyway, how many countries will end up in the S Comm? Will it turn into U.N.?

Great map. Will we see the world map soon? I think it's time since the borders and colors on it will change a lot. Or maybe we can wait until after the conclusion of the Great War of the Americans.

[Wendell]

Originally Posted by LacheyS

Better? Any other suggestions? You mentioned East Bengal?

Why not unite the Bengals, and split Cochin off of Madras?

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by M.Passit

O.K. I'm admit that I think that East Bengal look a bit odd to me, but since I have no knowledge about this so......

Anyway, how many countries will end up in the S Comm? Will it turn into U.N.?

Great map. Will we see the world map soon? I think it's time since the borders and colors on it will change a lot. Or maybe we can wait until after the conclusion of the Great War of the Americans.

The Strasbourg Commission will change its name in the not-too-distant future (1926) to reflect that it has become an international organisation and there will be an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of the treaty.

I have been lazy when it comes to world maps, simply because I don't like operating on that grand a scale. I recognise the need to redo some of my regional maps - unless anyone objects, I think that I may put all the regional maps out there and see if someone feels like volunteering to do a global map for me.

[Wendell]

Originally Posted by LacheyS

The Strasbourg Commission will change its name in the not-too-distant future (1926) to reflect that it has become an international organisation and there will be an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of the treaty.

I have been lazy when it comes to world maps, simply because I don't like operating on that grand a scale. I recognise the need to redo some of my regional maps - unless anyone objects, I think that I may put all the regional maps out there and see if someone feels like volunteering to do a global map for me.

Maps are easier to edit in PNG format

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by Wendell

Why not unite the Bengals, and split Cochin off of Madras?

The problem is that the Indian Mutiny of 1911-14 was fought primarily over the issue of the partition of Bengal, because the Brits and Muslims wanted it and the Hindus didn't. The defence of the partition by the British on behalf of the Muslims made them feel like they had a more equal voice and ensured the rise of Jinnah to the Prime Ministership.

Cochin is actually part of Tranvacore on this map, unless I have completely misunderstood its location.

[LacheyS]

Originally Posted by Wendell

Maps are easier to edit in PNG format

Yeah, found that one out after a few months. Again, another part of the ongoing education that is this experience. Tried to paint over saved maps and found myself left with a ring of the old colours, if you understand what I mean. I won't do it today, though, as I have half an hour before my dinner guests arrive and I am feeling lazier than normal (took a couple of sedatives this morning after a person driving down the other side of the highway lost control of her vehicle and came within centimetres of hitting me head on as she veered across my side of the road and went flying off the edge - it shook me up).

[Wendell]

Originally Posted by LacheyS

The problem is that the Indian Mutiny of 1911-14 was fought primarily over the issue of the partition of Bengal, because the Brits and Muslims wanted it and the Hindus didn't. The defence of the partition by the British on behalf of the Muslims made them feel like they had a more equal voice and ensured the rise of Jinnah to the Prime Ministership.

So, why is your East Bengal crammed with Muslim and non-Muslim alike?

Cochin is actually part of Tranvacore on this map, unless I have completely misunderstood its location.

The map is in Spanish, but it may clarify the issue:

[LacheyS]

Filler text to fulfill post requirements.

[LacheyS]

With the rise of a new German Chancellor came the rise of a new style of government in Germany. Rosa Luxemburg had a new vision for the German people. "Our social democracy is only the advance guard," she said. "We must find a new path forward to continue the process of development, to advance the interests of the enlightened masses and to be the agents of change." Responding to accusations of extremism, the Chancellor said, "I am not working from some book or theory, laudable though they might be in our social progress. I am working to the development of a new conciousness, a new view of freedom, a new epoch in German philosophy. Capital has a part in any society; it just cannot rule it."

One element in her plan for Germany came on 6 August, 1923, when she announced the foundation of the Gdansk Bay Project. It would be financed by reductions in military expenditure, but would allow for the creation of massive amounts of employment. Ports, steel mills, rubber factories, aircraft and artillery manufacture, even hydroelectric plants further inland - all were designed to significantly invest in areas of high unemployment, to reduce social tensions and to strengthen the economy. They had other side effects. The high levels of immigration to the German colonies, which had marked most of the previous decade, began to decline markedly. Loyalty by Polish nationals to the Polish state followed a similar path.

At the time of the announcement, urbanisation in this area of Germany was 13% below average despite fairly high population density, and it had been marked by low investment and high unemployment due to the uncertainties of sovereignty. Not only were these situations improved significantly, but the project created and strengthened markets elsewhere in Germany at a time that it was experiencing the costs of economic divorce from Bavaria. Over a period of four years, the project consumed 60% of the national funding on investment, but by the conclusion of the project, Gdansk was the largest and most modern port on the Baltic Sea, carrying 8.7 million tonnes of goods and a partner city of Kiel.

The other factor in the fall in unemployment was Germany's attendance to and agreement at the International Conference on Labour. The Convention of Pittsburgh standardised international working hours, instituting a maximum eight-hour day and five-day week, just six years after Beveridge had become the first leader of note to institute the practice.

[LacheyS]

Two minutes before noon, on 1 September, 1923, an earthquake registering 7.9 on the Richter scale hit the densely populated cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. Many of the poorer sections of Tokyo were still using charcoal cooking stoves and there were light winds on the day in question. Both contributed to terrible fires which took over two days to contain. By the end, the death toll stood at nearly 150,000.

The growing prosperity of Japan had, in turn, led to increasing urbanisation, with many houses no more than flammable shanties that provided additional fuel to the flames. This was particularly so in the Asakura and Honjo areas of Tokyo. It was the worst earthquake in the history of Japan and one of the worst natural disasters in history. The situation was compounded by the shattering of water mains, preventing firemen from responding to alarms, and the firestorm created cyclones.

The following day, Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi, already suffering in ill health and widely predicted to be close to retirement, declared a state of emergency. The size of the damage soon became clear. Seventy percent of Tokyo and eighty-five percent of Yokohama, two significant cities, lay in utter ruin with the cost of damage almost inestimable.

An international outpouring of sympathy for Japan followed the disaster, with the Grand Duke of Baden-Wurttemberg (formally Kaiser Wilhelm II) chairing the International Relief Effort. However, monies also came across from other areas of Japan, particularly from Joseon. King Michi, Prince Regent of Japan and his betrothed wife, Queen Myeongseong of Joseon, left Kyoto Gosho and toured the damaged areas.

It quickly became apparent that Japan would need a new capital, at least until the destroyed cities could be reconstructed. Kyoto was clearly the ceremonial centre of the Empire, but Tokyo could no longer conduct the administrative affairs. At the suggestion of his future daughter-in-law, Emperor Taisho decreed that the Japanese government would move across the sea to the city of Hanseong.

[Neroon]

Nice update. Just one small nitpick:
I think in your TL Gdansk would still be called Danzig.

[Neroon]

And another update while i was typing!
Good stuff.