Glad to get the heads up on it.
Yeah that is what I thought. I learned about it from a report saying Animal Rights Advocates wanting to get rid of them, when it truth it's THOSE ranches that are helping saving endangered species going extinct.
Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
Glad to get the heads up on it.
Yeah that is what I thought. I learned about it from a report saying Animal Rights Advocates wanting to get rid of them, when it truth it's THOSE ranches that are helping saving endangered species going extinct.
The rcs carnival is good too. It's one of the largest in the world
There's a big one 30 miles from me that's got like 30 or 40 different species on ithe from around the world not including ones native to the area. I'm supposed to get to do any axis hunt sometime on the next few months. I'm real excited haven't got to do it before and probably won't get to do it again
Man that probably makes a trip to the zoo look like watching a plant grow in real time in comparison, so I say go for this opportunity full throttle. I just hope you don't pull a Dick Cheney while out there
You don't normally use shotguns in that type of hunting. It'll be either the 308 or 30-06. Depending if I can get that damn 308 zeroed good enough
I mean you can if you put buck shot or slugs in it but I don't. For slugs its better if you have a slug barrel. Abd I have buck shot but only so I can carry it bird hunting in case hogs come out I have something with enough punch to save my ass lol
Well that makes sense.
Although i'm gonna be honest in saying that I don't really know about how types of guns and ammunition are classified.
Well to each his own. I'm sure you know stiff I have no clue about. I was raised around them out hunting and spending more time on dirt roads but then I ever did on pavement so I just kind of sunk in
Lone Star Special: Independence Day
Independence Day
March 2nd, 1861. Austin, Texas.
It was a relatively warm day in Austin with the temperatures currently at 85 degrees. While this weather would have been scoffed at by any state within America, it was Texan weather and as such the locals just shrugged by and were glad that they could get an early stop on crops this season. Today however was not going to be a day of hard work within the fields or of bustling labor within the city streets. For across the nation celebrations were kicking off for what was to be the most joyous time of year outside of Christmas and Easter, Independence Day. For the 25th time in the past quarter-century, the people of Texas were able to rejoice that their nation was able to survive its separation from Mexico and that they were able to prosper at such a young age compared to the state that America was in at 1801. Out of all these celebrations the one that was perhaps the biggest was taking place at the capitol of Texas, Austin.
For the past two decades Austin had been undergoing an immense amount of growth in order to meet the needs of the Republic. From the sleep countryside collection of farms that it was in 1836, it was now its own full-fledged city with the capitol standing forefrunt in the center, a bustling market district to meet the needs of politicians and tourists within the city, and a diverse array of housing on the outskirts of the city that had a collection of plantation style mansions and classic spanish architecture. While it was no Paris nor London, and certainly couldn't hold a candle to Washington, Austin was a growing city that had much promise for the future. Right now the near entirety of the cities population was up and about in the streets, for they were celebrating the nation's independence that had given way to their town's existence in the first place. While Austin was not an area where the Revolution had taken place like San Antonio or San Jacinto, it was the center of the Republic and as such had to have celebrations in reflection of that. Parades had been ongoing in the morning with veterans of the Revolution along with some performers and livestock making their way down main street to honor the struggles that the nation had to undertake in Independence. Marching down the center of the city there were Texan flags along with flags of the other Commonwealths lying around while the cities people and tourists from both within and outside Texas cheered them on. After the parade ended was the official start of the Austin rodeo next to the capitol where the cities stores and restaurants would serve as venues, Cowboys and Vaqueros entered into multiple events such as cattle wrestling and bull riding, livestock shows were common place, and of course a large gunshow was happening in the center of it all. Thanks to the recent connection of Austin to the growing railroad system and the rising population of Texas with its booming immigration, this year's Independence Day celebrations were the largest yet with over 75,000 people. A truly grand turnout for the 25th anniversary of the Lone Star Republic.
Towards the end of the day crowds were gathering around the steps of the capitol where they would be present for President Juan Seguin's Independence Day speech. Along with the State of the Republic Addresses, the Independence Day speech was a tradition founded by President Houston that served as an annual report on the Republic and outlying of future advances for the country, the main difference from the State of the Republic being that it served a more nationalistic purpose to establish identity. In front of the capitol building, thousands had gathered to listen to the President's address. The President himself looked on inside of the building while Vice President Pease was standing by his side.
"Well Mr. President it looks like we got a full crowd out here today. Getting any stage fright?" asked Pease teasingly.
"No, not really." said Seguin shaking his head. "I've never had a problem with public speaking before and I did well at last year's celebrations. I'm just worried that this could potentially be the last happy occasion for Texas in a while."
"Why would you say that?" asks Pease.
"I don't have any definite proof but it seems to me that North America is slowly heading towards complete implosion this year. To the east we have the idiocy of our Gringo brethren, no offense Elisha, who are about to engage in a civil war over the matter of slavery. To the south we have the Rio Grande, the most unstable nation of all time that should have never existed in any shape or form whatsoever. And then we have Mexico under that man Juarez. While it's true that the Rangers have reported no major border engagements in months, I can't help but feel that that man is up to something. Every day he goes on and on about how we stole Mexico's land and that the Mexican people need to reclaim it back in order to restore their honor. Any day I feel that Jaurez is going to launch an attack on us. But I can't tell when or where."
"Don't worry too much of the matter Juan, you are way too stressed on the matter. As a former Yankee myself I also cannot help but groan at the stupidity of those Dixie who want the United States to collapse just because of slavery. However there's not much we can do about that at the moment as the Confederacy in its current state is more than a match for Texas militarily. Only a fraction of Texans nowadays are Americans so it would be selfish to want to try and intervene for old ties. Let's just observe for now let the cards fall where they may on that one. As for Mexico I'd like to see them try. We still have our alliance with Napoleon in regards to the west and there is no way that an Mexican troop could ever hope to match the quality of a Texan, no offense."
"I suppose you are right. It's just that there always seems to be these certain years in history where the entirety of the world goes crazy. Like remember in 1846 when the Oregon War, the European Revolutions, and the Border Wars all happened at virtually the same time."
"Yes, yes, I too remember how crazy and awful that year was. Look on the brightside though, at least Europe will be at peace. Though then again I have been hearing word from Carl that Germany is going to go to war with Austria any day now soon." said Pease who only darkened the mood a little bit with his foreshadowing. At the same time the crowds outside had begun chanting again for Seguin to come out. "Come on Juan, let's forget about politics for now. Instead go out there and enjoy the sun by talking about politics to the Texan people. After that we can just relax and enjoy the rodeo where I can get to see you fall your ass of a bull this year again." says Pease who was referencing an unfortunate attempt by Seguin last year entering the rodeo to be seen as more of a people's man. He only lasted 1.2 seconds on the bull.
"I thought we made an agreement to NEVER mention such incident again, ever. Oh well, enough dallying around, time to get to work." With that Seguin bid his partner goodbye and was promptly escorted by the Texas Rangers to the capitol steps where they had propped up a podium for the President to speak. Seguin made his way outside the doors where the crowds began cheeing upon seein their nation's leader. Their were currently thousands of people outside and it was so full that all of the seats that had been arranged beforehand were taken and some men had chosen to climb up on trees to see their president, though they had been checked by the Rangers to be clear of firearms so that way there wouldn't be another situation like the Douglas' assassination only a little over a year prior. Seguin slowly walked down the many steps of the capitol as the cheering went on. The man so far being a popular president who could find much cooperation with both sides of the aisle. Eventually Seguin made his way to the podium and after a couple minutes of continued fanfare, the crowds had silenced in order to watch their President begin to speak.
"My fellow Texans, it is a great honor and privilege to be here speaking to you today. On a grand day that few others can eclipse. For today our Republic reaches a milestone by celebrating twenty five years of independence. This is a great sign my fellow Texans, for it is a sign that our nation is that of a prosperous and stable society that was able to meet the challenges and struggles early on, and rise to greatness to stand as an equal to the other nations of the world. While most others have been barely able to come along and survive their times, our nation and people have only prospered for the past generation. Our economy is in constant growth and soon we may become the second largest in North America. Our military while not the largest, is second to none in terms of quality, for there is nowhere else in the world you will find the finest fighters than Texans. Both the state of Texas and the Commonwealths are in rapid development with more and more immigrants arriving by the day and turning even the most backwater parts of our nation into stable and thriving townships. Peace with Indians reigns among the frontier as more and more of their kind decide to throw away their isolationism and integrate fully into Texan society. Trade is at an all time high with new contacts being made in Asia. Immigration is growing now more than ever with many of your present being immigrants who have recently made a name for yourselves in the Republic. In short our nation is at the height of its growth and its all thanks to you, the people, for making this happen. For while myself and the members of congress present may be the ones who create laws for the nation, it is the citizens and immigrants who turn the Texan dream into reality and make our nation a truly great place to live.
I remember several years ago what it was like to grow up in Mexican Texas, or Tejas as some of my Tejano cousins still like to call it. Our country back then was little more than a small and sleepless backwater part of the nation. Little thought and effort had been undergone into its settlement besides that of San Antonio. For while the land was vast and fertile, it was not seen as important to the ruling junta of Mexico City, for we did not have the precious metals that Central Mexico liked to boast. However I knew that these notions were false and Texas was destined for greatness. For it was a land full of ripe oppurtunity where anyone could find success through hard work and dedication. Many of our founding fathers, especially Stephen Austin, proved this to be true by turning Texas into a early hotspot of immigration with the Empressario system. It was only a matter of time until Mexico would acknowledge us as an important part of the nation, and acknowledge us they did.
I remember in 1835 of when the tyrant Santa Anna came to power. While many of those present may not fully remember the atrocities of the dictator or were not present for his tyranny, I can only count that blessing to President Crockett as without his legendary marksmen skills and Santa Anna going unchecked, he truly would've thrown the Southwest into the dark ages for his political repression and cruel acts as a dictator. One only need to look at how he crushed the Zacatecas Rebellion with absolutely no mercy for any of the rebels that had arisen against Mexico. How that madman had put up the red flag against our noble defenders of the Alamo, signifying that absolutely no quarter would have been given to myself or my fellow soldiers in the unfortunate event of a defeat. In a democracy it is the people who are supposed to rule, for they are the one's upon which the power comes from, not from tyrants who would make themselves into kings of nations. That's why in order to protect the same principles that had led to Mexican Independence, I needed to fight for Texas to be free from the failed state that Mexico had become. For our southern neighbors had their chance to prove themselves after throwing away the chains of Spain's colonialism. By failing to meet the needs of their people and suppressing the rights of the American immigrants who had come to Texas seeking a new life, Mexico City had become little more of a copy of their former masters. It was clear that Texas needed to make its own path in order to be have true freedom.
Of course organizing such an undertaking would be easier said than done. While many historians and foreign observers like to liken our struggle to a mere copy of the American Revolution, which in many cases it can be, our path to freedom was in the outset much more difficult than could ever have been hoped. We were only a small state of 50,000 against a nation of 8 million. Santa Anna and his predecessors had crushed numerous rebellions in the past, some of which were helped in part by Austin and even the Texas Rangers. There was no guarantee going in that we could have succeeded. In many ways it was more of a pipe dream than anything. Yet backing down was not an option. For doing so would allow the unchecked growth of autocracy to spread throughout the land and oppress our fellow citizens from the rule of an elite several hundred miles away. Santa Anna claimed that we were no more than American puppets who seeked to install chaos and disorder into Mexico. As a Tejano I knew that this was not the case. The Revolution was a struggle that was necessary for the lives of ALL Texans to finally improve. White, Mexican, Indian, Negro, it made no difference as we had all suffered in the same ways. I knew that while the path to failure was more likely, the choice of lying down in servitude could not be taken. For dying in the name of freedom and liberty is by far the more honorable route to take than living without any hope of freedom. So in defiance of what was looking to be the great regional power of the time, we united. We fought together as one nation, not united by race, religion, creed, or ideology, for every Texan was different in these regards. Rather, we fought for our homes, for our families, for our right to chose our own path, to make a new life that would be better for our descendants. Thus we marched off to the drumbeat of war, not knowing whether or not the possibility of victory or even that of an independence was likely. All we had was faith and trust in God, that our cause was righteous and that by taking this path that we might find true victory in the future.
And succeed we did. Whereas the Mexicans down south thought that they were merely putting down a rabid dog that had gone against their master, they had instead awakened a mighty bull that would give them hell for daring to mess with Texas. In the Revolution, every single battle that we had undertaken with Mexico was a success. Early on this started with the noble defenders of Gonzales who had defied the status quo and proudly stood their ground with their battle flag daring the Mexican menace to come and take their rights away by force. Weeks later the people rose up in unison and forced the Mexican garrison out of San Antonio. I remember being there when Martin Perfecto De Cos surrendered his pitiful force to us at the end of the siege. How this vain man stood in shock as he had and his precious army had lost to a mere group of peasants and settlers. For Cos did not understand the Texan fighting spirit. How in the face of defeat we will continue to fight like hell until the enemy is forced to come crawling to their knees and begging for peace. It was at this point that the people truly began to awaken and realize that their was some hope for victory. That we could defy tyranny and seek the goal of true freedom that lied before us. Then came the Alamo, the ultimate test of the Revolution.
For thirteen days and nights we stood in defiance of Santa Anna and his dogs. For thirteen days and nights the men of the Alamo acted as a proud beacon of defiance to bring light to the people of Texas against the darkness of Mexican tyranny. For while we were outnumbered three to one, we all knew that to surrender now would have been the end of the Revolution and the deaths of all of us. So then we waited, until on the thirteenth day Santa Anna began his attack. For three waves the might of the Texan people showed as we repealed their forces each and every time. I remember the carnage and chaos that took place on those walls. How bullets would fly left and right and the difference between life and death lying in your skill with a knife many times over. It was in many ways a sort of viscous and bloody hell on Earth that can only truly be known by those who experienced it. Yet backing down in cowardice was not an option for me. For while we had started losing our own men, own men the delegates of the first government in the east were signing the deceleration of independence that would start the birth of the Republic. Losing was no longer an option as we were not simply fighting for greater rights or autonomy, we were fighting for a nation, for Texas. Then came the fourth wave, the true test of our resolve as the massive hordes kept on piling on the walls until the courtyards became filled with men, blood, and gunpowder. For a time it looked like all was lost, that we would not be able to see our families when the sun rose. Then Crockett managed to do the unthinkable and kill the dreaded tyrant that had plagued Texas for so long. As the devil took his last breath, the tides turned and my comrades and I rushed forth with an unstoppable and unrelenting fury that would be unleashed upon the fools who dared to follow the madman into crushing our freedoms. Hours later the sun had risen and the battle had won. The day was ours and Texas experienced its first victory as a country, the first of many to come.
The rest of the Revolution as you know is mere history. From there we grouped up with General Houston and managed to drive the last remnants of the Mexican Army out of Texas at the glorious battle of San Jacinto. Where we managed to far surpass even the Alamo in terms of glory. While all this was happening, Austin had managed to achieve the unthinkable and had created our great alliance with the people of France that stands till this day. For Louis Phillipe knew that Texas, like the United States, was a rising nation destined for greatness that would make our own mark on the world like few had ever seen. Already our revolution had inspired the Yucatan and the Rio Grande to rise for independence, for the people of Mexico to erupt into a fury and chose their desired leaders against the ruling junta. These events proved that Texas was not an event, some strange anomaly in the annals of history, rather we were a movement, one that had arisen to spread the sanctity of democracy to the west and show the entire world that nowhere within the Americas would freedom and liberty be overtaken. It was time to show the world that Texas would be the nation to lead the charge, that we were the chosen people upon which the call of freedom would seek its champion. For from Houston to myself has the Republic acted as a true defender of liberty in the west. Just as we shall continue to do so for the rest of the century, and hopefully the next.
After the Revolution of course came the early struggles. The conflicts of creating a nation from the ground up, integrating California into the rest of Texas, having to go out to the great powers and trying to receive recognition, and of course simply surviving for the first years as we struggled to get our economy up and running. Yet throughout it all the Texan people never despaired, never gave up hope in fulfilling this task. We could've chosen the easy way out and gone for annexation into the United States, and in another life that may have very well been a possibility. Yet despite the great risks and challanges that life on the southwest presented, we chose to persevere and stick through it. For that in many ways is the true Texan spirit, to look at an immense challenge straight in the eye and take it upon ourselves to find a solution. Sure enough this resilience was able to pay off as the economy began to stabilize, immigrants came in droves to fill up the lands and create a new life for themselves within the Republic, industries began to take heart in the east, sure enough the Texan image was being imprinted into the countryside so much that today you cannot even look at our country and think of a time before the Revolution. Then of course came the California Gold Rush, an event that in many ways was perhaps Texas' greatest blessing. For the discovery of gold in our pacific commonwealth is what truly began to put Texas down the path of economic independence and greater nationalization. In the past decade alone Texas has been the number one destination for immigration across the world. For the various nations from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, look upon us and see a grand place full of opportunity that was not possible in their previous homeland. A place to start anew and begin to live their lives truly for the first time, to live the Texan dream. That is what makes our nation so great compared to the rest. That anyone, no matter what race, religion, or creed, can come to our country and make a name for themselves and rise above the rest. A lifestyle that in many ways refelcts the policies of the Republic. For we take whatever opportunities and chances that appear on the worldstage, and take it by force until we achieve the desired outcome.
Today our nation is undergoing a time of extreme peril from outside forces. For while we have undergone a time of great growth and prosperity for the Texan people, our neighbors chose to descend into further violence and anarchy not seen in great amounts since the Age of Revolutions. The United States, a place much of you have previously called home, chooses to divide itself over the question of slavery that we have resolved so easily and have taken steps to ensure an peaceful path going forward. The failed state that calls itself the Rio Grande has increasingly become a lawless hellhole in the desert. Its citizens flock to our borders en masse just to live a life where they do not have to fear their children being shot at by rogue outlaws and not receiving any justice. Mexico, our former oppressors, look upon us in greed as the demagogue Juarez inflames the Mexican people with false dreams of greed to put us under the chains of Mexican rule. South America is a place of great disorder as the nations which were previously united for indpendence against Spain, chose instead to quarrel amongst themselves for petty reasons of land and pride. Asia is starting to collapse as the once great empires of the world now start to get into contact with Western ideals and are not able to meet the needs of modernization. Then we have Europe, a continent where each Empire and Kingdom seeks to tear each other apart to meet the cries of nationalism and fulfill the desires of their overlords. For while we have moved on along the path of democracy, these people still cling to the old archaic ways of feudalism which constrict them so. Some like France and Germany have used this to their advantage to become growing empires that meet the needs of its people and lead their nations into the 19th century, while others such as Britain and Russia cling to the glory days of conquest and the rule of the aristocrats against the people. In these dark times Texas must stand above all else to show the world how a nation must meet the needs of its people first and foemost. How democracy shall truly work and that the values of Republicanism shall always triumph over the despotic law of monarchies.
My fellow Texans. Today not only marks our independence day, it also marks a day of destiny. Where Texas shall truly stand independent and walk along the path of nations that shall take us into the greater ranks of the great powers of the world. We have a long way to go if we are to ever make our proud nation into that which would be an equal, if not surpassing the empires of Europe. Some may scoff at this and call us fools. But while others would chose to back down, I choose to take this challenge head on and see it to its completion. For we are the people of Texas, we are the chosen few who shall rise to the occasion and stand above all others. We may face several trials along the way, there may be times when it would seem best just to give up and move on, yet that is not the Texan way, for success is the only acceptable result that shall see us rise to the top and claim our our destiny and the victory that is rightfully ours. After today we shall put those ideals to the test, and we shall prove all our enemies wrong by overcoming such adversities and showing them the true strength of the Texan people. Twenty-five years ago our founding fathers signed the document which shall birthed our country into the greater numbers of nations in the world, and ever since then we have lived up to the call of independence by achieving results that have never been thought of before. We are Texans, and we are the nation which shall stand to the end of time, leaving our mark among history that so few have ever managed to achieve before. May God continue to look favorably upon us so that we may celebrate our independence 25, 50, 100 years from now and forevermore. Civilizations may rise and fall but so long as the Texan ideal stands, then our legacy will forever be absolute. Thank you, and God bless the Republic of Texas!"
A/N: So sorry for the incredible delay. The week has been rather hectic and I am completely ashamed that I managed to miss the glorious 241st anniversary of Texas Independence. Hopefully this chapter will be able to make up for it as we see what kind of a President Seguin is and just how Texas will move forward in these dark times. For what those within Austin don't know is that this is merely the calm before the storm, as the Mexican War looms ever so closer. Tell me what you guys thought of this chapter and if you'd like to see more. The 1860's are going to be a rather exciting time so we'll see plenty of similar narratives moving forward, one such hopefully coming on Monday in order to celebrate the Battle of the Alamo where our TL truly began to diverge. After I update Gihren's Glory then the next chapter will be Chapter 70, covering Mexico, the Rio Grande, Yucatan, and showing just how the Mexican War came to be. Thank you for reading and please stick around for more. Long live the Republic!
March 2nd, 1861. Austin, Texas.
It was a relatively warm day in Austin with the temperatures currently at 85 degrees. While this weather would have been scoffed at by any state within America, it was Texan weather and as such the locals just shrugged by and were glad that they could get an early stop on crops this season. Today however was not going to be a day of hard work within the fields or of bustling labor within the city streets. For across the nation celebrations were kicking off for what was to be the most joyous time of year outside of Christmas and Easter, Independence Day. For the 25th time in the past quarter-century, the people of Texas were able to rejoice that their nation was able to survive its separation from Mexico and that they were able to prosper at such a young age compared to the state that America was in at 1801. Out of all these celebrations the one that was perhaps the biggest was taking place at the capitol of Texas, Austin.
For the past two decades Austin had been undergoing an immense amount of growth in order to meet the needs of the Republic. From the sleep countryside collection of farms that it was in 1836, it was now its own full-fledged city with the capitol standing forefrunt in the center, a bustling market district to meet the needs of politicians and tourists within the city, and a diverse array of housing on the outskirts of the city that had a collection of plantation style mansions and classic spanish architecture. While it was no Paris nor London, and certainly couldn't hold a candle to Washington, Austin was a growing city that had much promise for the future. Right now the near entirety of the cities population was up and about in the streets, for they were celebrating the nation's independence that had given way to their town's existence in the first place. While Austin was not an area where the Revolution had taken place like San Antonio or San Jacinto, it was the center of the Republic and as such had to have celebrations in reflection of that. Parades had been ongoing in the morning with veterans of the Revolution along with some performers and livestock making their way down main street to honor the struggles that the nation had to undertake in Independence. Marching down the center of the city there were Texan flags along with flags of the other Commonwealths lying around while the cities people and tourists from both within and outside Texas cheered them on. After the parade ended was the official start of the Austin rodeo next to the capitol where the cities stores and restaurants would serve as venues, Cowboys and Vaqueros entered into multiple events such as cattle wrestling and bull riding, livestock shows were common place, and of course a large gunshow was happening in the center of it all. Thanks to the recent connection of Austin to the growing railroad system and the rising population of Texas with its booming immigration, this year's Independence Day celebrations were the largest yet with over 75,000 people. A truly grand turnout for the 25th anniversary of the Lone Star Republic.
Towards the end of the day crowds were gathering around the steps of the capitol where they would be present for President Juan Seguin's Independence Day speech. Along with the State of the Republic Addresses, the Independence Day speech was a tradition founded by President Houston that served as an annual report on the Republic and outlying of future advances for the country, the main difference from the State of the Republic being that it served a more nationalistic purpose to establish identity. In front of the capitol building, thousands had gathered to listen to the President's address. The President himself looked on inside of the building while Vice President Pease was standing by his side.
"Well Mr. President it looks like we got a full crowd out here today. Getting any stage fright?" asked Pease teasingly.
"No, not really." said Seguin shaking his head. "I've never had a problem with public speaking before and I did well at last year's celebrations. I'm just worried that this could potentially be the last happy occasion for Texas in a while."
"Why would you say that?" asks Pease.
"I don't have any definite proof but it seems to me that North America is slowly heading towards complete implosion this year. To the east we have the idiocy of our Gringo brethren, no offense Elisha, who are about to engage in a civil war over the matter of slavery. To the south we have the Rio Grande, the most unstable nation of all time that should have never existed in any shape or form whatsoever. And then we have Mexico under that man Juarez. While it's true that the Rangers have reported no major border engagements in months, I can't help but feel that that man is up to something. Every day he goes on and on about how we stole Mexico's land and that the Mexican people need to reclaim it back in order to restore their honor. Any day I feel that Jaurez is going to launch an attack on us. But I can't tell when or where."
"Don't worry too much of the matter Juan, you are way too stressed on the matter. As a former Yankee myself I also cannot help but groan at the stupidity of those Dixie who want the United States to collapse just because of slavery. However there's not much we can do about that at the moment as the Confederacy in its current state is more than a match for Texas militarily. Only a fraction of Texans nowadays are Americans so it would be selfish to want to try and intervene for old ties. Let's just observe for now let the cards fall where they may on that one. As for Mexico I'd like to see them try. We still have our alliance with Napoleon in regards to the west and there is no way that an Mexican troop could ever hope to match the quality of a Texan, no offense."
"I suppose you are right. It's just that there always seems to be these certain years in history where the entirety of the world goes crazy. Like remember in 1846 when the Oregon War, the European Revolutions, and the Border Wars all happened at virtually the same time."
"Yes, yes, I too remember how crazy and awful that year was. Look on the brightside though, at least Europe will be at peace. Though then again I have been hearing word from Carl that Germany is going to go to war with Austria any day now soon." said Pease who only darkened the mood a little bit with his foreshadowing. At the same time the crowds outside had begun chanting again for Seguin to come out. "Come on Juan, let's forget about politics for now. Instead go out there and enjoy the sun by talking about politics to the Texan people. After that we can just relax and enjoy the rodeo where I can get to see you fall your ass of a bull this year again." says Pease who was referencing an unfortunate attempt by Seguin last year entering the rodeo to be seen as more of a people's man. He only lasted 1.2 seconds on the bull.
"I thought we made an agreement to NEVER mention such incident again, ever. Oh well, enough dallying around, time to get to work." With that Seguin bid his partner goodbye and was promptly escorted by the Texas Rangers to the capitol steps where they had propped up a podium for the President to speak. Seguin made his way outside the doors where the crowds began cheeing upon seein their nation's leader. Their were currently thousands of people outside and it was so full that all of the seats that had been arranged beforehand were taken and some men had chosen to climb up on trees to see their president, though they had been checked by the Rangers to be clear of firearms so that way there wouldn't be another situation like the Douglas' assassination only a little over a year prior. Seguin slowly walked down the many steps of the capitol as the cheering went on. The man so far being a popular president who could find much cooperation with both sides of the aisle. Eventually Seguin made his way to the podium and after a couple minutes of continued fanfare, the crowds had silenced in order to watch their President begin to speak.
"My fellow Texans, it is a great honor and privilege to be here speaking to you today. On a grand day that few others can eclipse. For today our Republic reaches a milestone by celebrating twenty five years of independence. This is a great sign my fellow Texans, for it is a sign that our nation is that of a prosperous and stable society that was able to meet the challenges and struggles early on, and rise to greatness to stand as an equal to the other nations of the world. While most others have been barely able to come along and survive their times, our nation and people have only prospered for the past generation. Our economy is in constant growth and soon we may become the second largest in North America. Our military while not the largest, is second to none in terms of quality, for there is nowhere else in the world you will find the finest fighters than Texans. Both the state of Texas and the Commonwealths are in rapid development with more and more immigrants arriving by the day and turning even the most backwater parts of our nation into stable and thriving townships. Peace with Indians reigns among the frontier as more and more of their kind decide to throw away their isolationism and integrate fully into Texan society. Trade is at an all time high with new contacts being made in Asia. Immigration is growing now more than ever with many of your present being immigrants who have recently made a name for yourselves in the Republic. In short our nation is at the height of its growth and its all thanks to you, the people, for making this happen. For while myself and the members of congress present may be the ones who create laws for the nation, it is the citizens and immigrants who turn the Texan dream into reality and make our nation a truly great place to live.
I remember several years ago what it was like to grow up in Mexican Texas, or Tejas as some of my Tejano cousins still like to call it. Our country back then was little more than a small and sleepless backwater part of the nation. Little thought and effort had been undergone into its settlement besides that of San Antonio. For while the land was vast and fertile, it was not seen as important to the ruling junta of Mexico City, for we did not have the precious metals that Central Mexico liked to boast. However I knew that these notions were false and Texas was destined for greatness. For it was a land full of ripe oppurtunity where anyone could find success through hard work and dedication. Many of our founding fathers, especially Stephen Austin, proved this to be true by turning Texas into a early hotspot of immigration with the Empressario system. It was only a matter of time until Mexico would acknowledge us as an important part of the nation, and acknowledge us they did.
I remember in 1835 of when the tyrant Santa Anna came to power. While many of those present may not fully remember the atrocities of the dictator or were not present for his tyranny, I can only count that blessing to President Crockett as without his legendary marksmen skills and Santa Anna going unchecked, he truly would've thrown the Southwest into the dark ages for his political repression and cruel acts as a dictator. One only need to look at how he crushed the Zacatecas Rebellion with absolutely no mercy for any of the rebels that had arisen against Mexico. How that madman had put up the red flag against our noble defenders of the Alamo, signifying that absolutely no quarter would have been given to myself or my fellow soldiers in the unfortunate event of a defeat. In a democracy it is the people who are supposed to rule, for they are the one's upon which the power comes from, not from tyrants who would make themselves into kings of nations. That's why in order to protect the same principles that had led to Mexican Independence, I needed to fight for Texas to be free from the failed state that Mexico had become. For our southern neighbors had their chance to prove themselves after throwing away the chains of Spain's colonialism. By failing to meet the needs of their people and suppressing the rights of the American immigrants who had come to Texas seeking a new life, Mexico City had become little more of a copy of their former masters. It was clear that Texas needed to make its own path in order to be have true freedom.
Of course organizing such an undertaking would be easier said than done. While many historians and foreign observers like to liken our struggle to a mere copy of the American Revolution, which in many cases it can be, our path to freedom was in the outset much more difficult than could ever have been hoped. We were only a small state of 50,000 against a nation of 8 million. Santa Anna and his predecessors had crushed numerous rebellions in the past, some of which were helped in part by Austin and even the Texas Rangers. There was no guarantee going in that we could have succeeded. In many ways it was more of a pipe dream than anything. Yet backing down was not an option. For doing so would allow the unchecked growth of autocracy to spread throughout the land and oppress our fellow citizens from the rule of an elite several hundred miles away. Santa Anna claimed that we were no more than American puppets who seeked to install chaos and disorder into Mexico. As a Tejano I knew that this was not the case. The Revolution was a struggle that was necessary for the lives of ALL Texans to finally improve. White, Mexican, Indian, Negro, it made no difference as we had all suffered in the same ways. I knew that while the path to failure was more likely, the choice of lying down in servitude could not be taken. For dying in the name of freedom and liberty is by far the more honorable route to take than living without any hope of freedom. So in defiance of what was looking to be the great regional power of the time, we united. We fought together as one nation, not united by race, religion, creed, or ideology, for every Texan was different in these regards. Rather, we fought for our homes, for our families, for our right to chose our own path, to make a new life that would be better for our descendants. Thus we marched off to the drumbeat of war, not knowing whether or not the possibility of victory or even that of an independence was likely. All we had was faith and trust in God, that our cause was righteous and that by taking this path that we might find true victory in the future.
And succeed we did. Whereas the Mexicans down south thought that they were merely putting down a rabid dog that had gone against their master, they had instead awakened a mighty bull that would give them hell for daring to mess with Texas. In the Revolution, every single battle that we had undertaken with Mexico was a success. Early on this started with the noble defenders of Gonzales who had defied the status quo and proudly stood their ground with their battle flag daring the Mexican menace to come and take their rights away by force. Weeks later the people rose up in unison and forced the Mexican garrison out of San Antonio. I remember being there when Martin Perfecto De Cos surrendered his pitiful force to us at the end of the siege. How this vain man stood in shock as he had and his precious army had lost to a mere group of peasants and settlers. For Cos did not understand the Texan fighting spirit. How in the face of defeat we will continue to fight like hell until the enemy is forced to come crawling to their knees and begging for peace. It was at this point that the people truly began to awaken and realize that their was some hope for victory. That we could defy tyranny and seek the goal of true freedom that lied before us. Then came the Alamo, the ultimate test of the Revolution.
For thirteen days and nights we stood in defiance of Santa Anna and his dogs. For thirteen days and nights the men of the Alamo acted as a proud beacon of defiance to bring light to the people of Texas against the darkness of Mexican tyranny. For while we were outnumbered three to one, we all knew that to surrender now would have been the end of the Revolution and the deaths of all of us. So then we waited, until on the thirteenth day Santa Anna began his attack. For three waves the might of the Texan people showed as we repealed their forces each and every time. I remember the carnage and chaos that took place on those walls. How bullets would fly left and right and the difference between life and death lying in your skill with a knife many times over. It was in many ways a sort of viscous and bloody hell on Earth that can only truly be known by those who experienced it. Yet backing down in cowardice was not an option for me. For while we had started losing our own men, own men the delegates of the first government in the east were signing the deceleration of independence that would start the birth of the Republic. Losing was no longer an option as we were not simply fighting for greater rights or autonomy, we were fighting for a nation, for Texas. Then came the fourth wave, the true test of our resolve as the massive hordes kept on piling on the walls until the courtyards became filled with men, blood, and gunpowder. For a time it looked like all was lost, that we would not be able to see our families when the sun rose. Then Crockett managed to do the unthinkable and kill the dreaded tyrant that had plagued Texas for so long. As the devil took his last breath, the tides turned and my comrades and I rushed forth with an unstoppable and unrelenting fury that would be unleashed upon the fools who dared to follow the madman into crushing our freedoms. Hours later the sun had risen and the battle had won. The day was ours and Texas experienced its first victory as a country, the first of many to come.
The rest of the Revolution as you know is mere history. From there we grouped up with General Houston and managed to drive the last remnants of the Mexican Army out of Texas at the glorious battle of San Jacinto. Where we managed to far surpass even the Alamo in terms of glory. While all this was happening, Austin had managed to achieve the unthinkable and had created our great alliance with the people of France that stands till this day. For Louis Phillipe knew that Texas, like the United States, was a rising nation destined for greatness that would make our own mark on the world like few had ever seen. Already our revolution had inspired the Yucatan and the Rio Grande to rise for independence, for the people of Mexico to erupt into a fury and chose their desired leaders against the ruling junta. These events proved that Texas was not an event, some strange anomaly in the annals of history, rather we were a movement, one that had arisen to spread the sanctity of democracy to the west and show the entire world that nowhere within the Americas would freedom and liberty be overtaken. It was time to show the world that Texas would be the nation to lead the charge, that we were the chosen people upon which the call of freedom would seek its champion. For from Houston to myself has the Republic acted as a true defender of liberty in the west. Just as we shall continue to do so for the rest of the century, and hopefully the next.
After the Revolution of course came the early struggles. The conflicts of creating a nation from the ground up, integrating California into the rest of Texas, having to go out to the great powers and trying to receive recognition, and of course simply surviving for the first years as we struggled to get our economy up and running. Yet throughout it all the Texan people never despaired, never gave up hope in fulfilling this task. We could've chosen the easy way out and gone for annexation into the United States, and in another life that may have very well been a possibility. Yet despite the great risks and challanges that life on the southwest presented, we chose to persevere and stick through it. For that in many ways is the true Texan spirit, to look at an immense challenge straight in the eye and take it upon ourselves to find a solution. Sure enough this resilience was able to pay off as the economy began to stabilize, immigrants came in droves to fill up the lands and create a new life for themselves within the Republic, industries began to take heart in the east, sure enough the Texan image was being imprinted into the countryside so much that today you cannot even look at our country and think of a time before the Revolution. Then of course came the California Gold Rush, an event that in many ways was perhaps Texas' greatest blessing. For the discovery of gold in our pacific commonwealth is what truly began to put Texas down the path of economic independence and greater nationalization. In the past decade alone Texas has been the number one destination for immigration across the world. For the various nations from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, look upon us and see a grand place full of opportunity that was not possible in their previous homeland. A place to start anew and begin to live their lives truly for the first time, to live the Texan dream. That is what makes our nation so great compared to the rest. That anyone, no matter what race, religion, or creed, can come to our country and make a name for themselves and rise above the rest. A lifestyle that in many ways refelcts the policies of the Republic. For we take whatever opportunities and chances that appear on the worldstage, and take it by force until we achieve the desired outcome.
Today our nation is undergoing a time of extreme peril from outside forces. For while we have undergone a time of great growth and prosperity for the Texan people, our neighbors chose to descend into further violence and anarchy not seen in great amounts since the Age of Revolutions. The United States, a place much of you have previously called home, chooses to divide itself over the question of slavery that we have resolved so easily and have taken steps to ensure an peaceful path going forward. The failed state that calls itself the Rio Grande has increasingly become a lawless hellhole in the desert. Its citizens flock to our borders en masse just to live a life where they do not have to fear their children being shot at by rogue outlaws and not receiving any justice. Mexico, our former oppressors, look upon us in greed as the demagogue Juarez inflames the Mexican people with false dreams of greed to put us under the chains of Mexican rule. South America is a place of great disorder as the nations which were previously united for indpendence against Spain, chose instead to quarrel amongst themselves for petty reasons of land and pride. Asia is starting to collapse as the once great empires of the world now start to get into contact with Western ideals and are not able to meet the needs of modernization. Then we have Europe, a continent where each Empire and Kingdom seeks to tear each other apart to meet the cries of nationalism and fulfill the desires of their overlords. For while we have moved on along the path of democracy, these people still cling to the old archaic ways of feudalism which constrict them so. Some like France and Germany have used this to their advantage to become growing empires that meet the needs of its people and lead their nations into the 19th century, while others such as Britain and Russia cling to the glory days of conquest and the rule of the aristocrats against the people. In these dark times Texas must stand above all else to show the world how a nation must meet the needs of its people first and foemost. How democracy shall truly work and that the values of Republicanism shall always triumph over the despotic law of monarchies.
My fellow Texans. Today not only marks our independence day, it also marks a day of destiny. Where Texas shall truly stand independent and walk along the path of nations that shall take us into the greater ranks of the great powers of the world. We have a long way to go if we are to ever make our proud nation into that which would be an equal, if not surpassing the empires of Europe. Some may scoff at this and call us fools. But while others would chose to back down, I choose to take this challenge head on and see it to its completion. For we are the people of Texas, we are the chosen few who shall rise to the occasion and stand above all others. We may face several trials along the way, there may be times when it would seem best just to give up and move on, yet that is not the Texan way, for success is the only acceptable result that shall see us rise to the top and claim our our destiny and the victory that is rightfully ours. After today we shall put those ideals to the test, and we shall prove all our enemies wrong by overcoming such adversities and showing them the true strength of the Texan people. Twenty-five years ago our founding fathers signed the document which shall birthed our country into the greater numbers of nations in the world, and ever since then we have lived up to the call of independence by achieving results that have never been thought of before. We are Texans, and we are the nation which shall stand to the end of time, leaving our mark among history that so few have ever managed to achieve before. May God continue to look favorably upon us so that we may celebrate our independence 25, 50, 100 years from now and forevermore. Civilizations may rise and fall but so long as the Texan ideal stands, then our legacy will forever be absolute. Thank you, and God bless the Republic of Texas!"
A/N: So sorry for the incredible delay. The week has been rather hectic and I am completely ashamed that I managed to miss the glorious 241st anniversary of Texas Independence. Hopefully this chapter will be able to make up for it as we see what kind of a President Seguin is and just how Texas will move forward in these dark times. For what those within Austin don't know is that this is merely the calm before the storm, as the Mexican War looms ever so closer. Tell me what you guys thought of this chapter and if you'd like to see more. The 1860's are going to be a rather exciting time so we'll see plenty of similar narratives moving forward, one such hopefully coming on Monday in order to celebrate the Battle of the Alamo where our TL truly began to diverge. After I update Gihren's Glory then the next chapter will be Chapter 70, covering Mexico, the Rio Grande, Yucatan, and showing just how the Mexican War came to be. Thank you for reading and please stick around for more. Long live the Republic!
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Great speech. I'm loving this TL.
I would have thought that by this time, the Texas Dialect of English would have incorporated more Spanish, German, French, etc. expressions, due to the number of immigrants speaking those languages. As great as the is, I think it sounded too "American", I think it should have sounded more "Texan".
Thank you,
MrBill
Thanks. I look forward to seeing more of your comments on future chapters for Texas.
As for the Texan dialect itself, it's important to remember that Texan culture is just now forming and Juan has been a native Texan his whole life. So he would only speak in the more Tejano sense with heavy use of Spanish words and phrases. Honestly the reason that I had made the speech "American" was that I was writing the chapter very early in the morning and was trying my best to rush it to completion in order not to completely miss the deadline for Texas independence. So I didn't really have time to worry about dialects and accents. I'll go back at a later date and do my best to "Texanize" the speech and future chapters involving Texans, including the Titanic one.
Hello everyone, Kaiser Chris here. While Chapter 70 still isn't ready yet I'd like to make an important announcement in that the official list of the 2017 Turtledove Awards was released yesterday. And among those list was Lone Star Republic which officially won the 2017 Best Colonization and Revolutions Timeline! While I have already made my official thanks in previous pages for being able to win such an award, I just once again like to say Thank You for all the kind support that you have given to this timeline for the past six months. I truly can't stress enough how grateful I am to receive such a prestigious award for my first work on the site, and its all thanks to you guys who got curious one day and decided to click on the thread to see just how far this crazy idea would go. Thank you so much and stay tuned for more as we will soon be having the Mexican War come into play with Texas facing its greatest trial yet. God Bless the Republic of Texas!
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Chapter 70 Mexico's Revanchism
Chapter 70 Mexico's Revanchism
"It is time to take back Mexico for the people! Drive the gringos out and make our nation whole again"- President Benito Juarez 1858
"The people of the Rio Grande are little more than wild dogs that have forgotten their masters. They shall be put down."- General Ignacio Zaragoza 1861
"Mexico is on the rise. We must hurry and take as many preparations as possible or we'll lose all that the Republic has gained for the past twenty-five years"- Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnson 1860
In modern political science exists the term Revanchism, a political term used to described the national psyche and will to regain lost territories, honor, and prestige following a large national crises, most prominently through war. The term was created in 1933 by French political scientist Joseph Clouseau as a means to categorize the rise of Nazism within Europe and Asia following the large amounts of dissatisfaction with the multiple nations who either lost the Great War or did not receive the desired outcome in its aftermath. Revanchism itself comes from the French word for revenge, revanche. Since the end of the Second Great War and the rise and fall of many Nazi and far-Populist governments throughout the world, Revanchism has entered mainstream politics as a general term not just for a national state following a destructive war, but as a means to describe a large movement that goes against the former establishment or those in power as a means of backlash for policies that had led to a time of crisis. Within Texas and much of Latin America, this term is instead used by the word Venganism, based off the Spanish word for revenge venganza. Venganism in the 2017 Havanna Latin Spanish Dictionary, has the same exact definition as Revanchism with the literal translation being nearly identical in words when translated to English. The reason for the word change in Latin America is due to the fact that early Revanchism was in its existence throughout most of the 1800's due to the large periods of instability that took place throughout much of the Americas following the Latin American Revolutions that lead to the overthrow of the Spanish. In North America the word Venganism is applied in historical terms mainly to the state of Mexico in the 1850's and beyond after the Mexican Civil War and the Border Wars. For Los Estados Unidos de Mexico were tired of losing pride and land with each passing year, the people demanding for change to take place to bring honor to their country. Their prayers would soon be answered in 1861, with the start of the Mexican War.
In order to understand the Mexican situation as it was in 1860, we must first understand the domestic events that lead to the rise of Juarez and the rise of the National Populists. In 1837 after the end of the Mexican Civil War came a large period of shock and disillusionment in the Mexican national psyche, called the Generation of '36. For while the country had not been the most stable or progressive of nations prior to the Texas Revolution, it was on the track to national economic growth and in many ways could be considered a continental power that would one day be able to rival the United States or the Empire of Brazil. With the loss of over half the nation's territory due to the secessionists, domestic infighting, and the French, came a sort of rude wake up call to the Mexican people over the state of their nation. The dream of a strong united Mexico that would lead Latin America as advocated by Father Hidalgo, was no more as the nation started to collapse from class divisions, ideological disputes, and the inability of the government to defend the people from threats both within and outside the borders of the nation. The years after 1837-1846 were a sort of uneasy period of reconstruction for Mexico as the country struggled to gain a sense of stability and normalcy in the aftermath of the destructive civil war. The tensions that had caused the Civil War after Santa Anna's death were unfortunately still there as it was not a decisive victory that had won the Liberals the day, but rather intervention by France where they just decided the Liberals would get them the better deal. The Conservative wing of the Mexican Congress called the Liberals "foreign dogs" for having conspired with France in the wake of the Civil War and so willingly giving up large stretches of Mexican land that they had paid for with blood in the Revolution from Spain. The Liberals in the meantime fired back that the Conservatives were the route of the problem as it was Santa Anna who started the whole crises with the suspending of the Constitution and turning himself into a dictator. In the middle of this all were the Mexican people who were starting to become politically apathetic to the wishes of both sides and merely wished for a return to normalcy so that their families could live in peace. Due to the large amount of division the 1840's would be a time where the central government could hardly get anything done as the Conservative/Liberal divide as so fierce that no representative on either side would vote for the others agreement while each party had a multitude of factions that made even passing bills by a party majority to be impossible. At the same time more power was given exclusively to the state governments as demanded by the Liberals in the Mexican Civil War, so as to prevent a rise of another Santa Anna. For nearly ten years the situation looked to be okay as while Mexico City could get hardly any action done, the state governments had taken charge and were meeting the needs of their people individually by starting to reform and being limited amounts of modernization. While Mexico was in no state of an economic boom, the economy had returned to equilibrium by 1845 and conditions in the countryside were once again peaceful. The Mexican people were also not politically radicalized at this time unlike the previous years as they were content with the vast amounts of liberal reforms under the Farias government and had no desire to return to another Civil War, with most of the Conservatives even decrying political violence. It looked that over time Mexico could recover, then the Border Wars happened.
The general consensus among most historians of the Border Wars is that had they gone in Mexico's favor by only attacking the Rio Grande and no intervention by either Texas or the Yucatan, then Mexico would've had their national pride restored and the Mexican War been avoided in its entirety, Mexico having gotten its Venganism fulfilled and would've been on the path to recovery. Unfortunately the loss of Mexico against their rebel nations had only caused the Mexican people to be infuriated and filled with a vast amount of hatred and anger to all of their neighbors. The fact that Mexico not only lost to its former states a second time, but had to lose even more territory when the Rio Grande looked to have potentially come into reach, was the last straw that broke the metaphorical camel's back for the nation of Mexico. In the immediate aftermath lots of blaming and insults had come from all sides of the political spectrum over the reasons for their lost with the governors of the states that had launched the Border Wars being the first one to go as they were often forced to resign or faced being overthrown by violent mobs who were joined frequently by the state militia. What most parties agreed to on the issue was that President Farias and the Liberals in charge were to blame as they had not united the country in its time of crises, stopped the governors before going on their expeditions, or bothered to support any of them once the wars had started. The fall of the Confederado government began with Farias' assassination on February 17th of 1847 and soon extended to the entirety of the Mexican Liberals of the Confederate government as Liberal politicians were either killed, resigned, or driven out of office at the national level. This was not to say though that the Liberal cause was gone as Liberals still had control over half the state legislatures and many important municipalities within Mexico. In the 1847 Elections, Conservative Valentin Canalizo was elected as President as he was seen as a strongman among the Party and had many close ties to the Pro-Santa Anna supporters still in power. Whatever hopes the Conservative side may have had for Canalizo had vanished though as the man had died of Pneumonia on October 13th, 1848. Vice President Mariano Paredes was supposed to succeed Canalizo there according to the 1837 Constitution, however the Liberals rejected Paredes and demanded that a new vote take place for the Presidency. Paredes and the Conservatives chastised the Liberals for their apparent hypocrisy however neither side could come with a clear solution and because of this the Liberals proclaimed Jose Joaquin de Herrera as President and established the capitol in the city of Zacatecas. What began afterwords would be known as the Second Mexican Civil War. Unlike the first civil war however, the Second Mexican Civil War is not a conflict of two clear sides pitted against each other, but rather of multiple factions across the nation that proclaimed their own presidencies and would often try and assert dominance over Mexico. While multiple factions had coalesced under the traditional Conservative and Liberal divides, these groups were more coalitions of benefit than anything as the real power in Mexico laid in the states who were now acting as near independent nations. This period of unrest went on for two years until 1851, with frequent border conflicts between the states and large amounts of insurrection and rebellion throughout the countryside. Had the process continued indefinitely then Mexico would've broken up into multiple independent nations in the 1850's and the near entirety of the region delving into a lawless wasteland of sorts. Fortunately for the Mexican people, one brave patriot would rise up in the time of crises and take power back for the Mexican people. Benito Juarez.
General makeup of the Second Mexican Civil War before the Juarez Phase. Red states are Liberal while Blue Conservative.
Benito Juarez, known throughout Mexico today as "The Redeemer" was born on March 21st, 1806 to Indian peasants in the city of Oaxaca in the state of the same name. Juarez had lost much of his family in his early years and having been raised by his uncles was forced to act independent for much of his youth. Because of this Juarez strove to become an intellectual through his hard work and merit as he saw it as the only way to succeed in life and move beyond his current station as a peasant farmer. Juarez traveled to the city in 1818 in search of a new life where he was taken under the wing of a group of Franciscans who recognized his natural intelligence. From their Juarez would be educated in Latin and much of Mexican law as over the years he moved through the ranks of the Oaxacan intellegista and became further indoctrinated in the philosophy of liberalism due to Oaxaca being a hotbed for Liberals within Mexico. For the first twenty years of his adult life, Juarez served as an attorney within the state of Oaxaca and became widely known for his success in the court and high understanding of the law, something that impressed many of the Creole Mexicans as they did not expect much of a Zapotecan. After the Mexican Civil War, Juarez became intensely involved within the Liberal party due to his self-perceived patriotic need to reform Mexico at its weakest in order to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. In 1841 Juarez was appointed as State Attorney General of Oaxaca by Governor Antonio Leon, cementing his position within the Liberal Party. In the aftermath of the Border Wars with Oaxaca's embarrassing loss to the Yucatan, Juarez was elected to power as Governor of Oaxaca and took control of it for the four years after Farias' assassination. Unlike other governors who choose to wage war within Mexico over petty land disputes and power plays for the presidency, Juarez chose to stick to neutrality in that while he sided with the Liberal Coalition, he would not actively take part in the power struggles of Mexico. Instead Juarez focused on continued internal development of his home state and providing stability for his people. In 1849 Juarez established a coalition known as the Oaxaca group which was an alliance with the liberal states of Veracruz and Jalisco. Together these three states dominated much of the remaining Mexico coast, Veracruz in particular, and would form a trade cartel that basically ran all imports and exports in and out of Mexico, officially establishing these states as the bulk of the Mexican economy. During the next couple of years due to the relative stability of these states, the Oaxaca group had obtained the highest standard of living and economic growth within Mexico during this dark time. However, none of the states were willing to involve themselves in national politics as they did not want to ruin their prosperity over the civil war. Due to this the status quo would remain for the next two years until the British came.
Benito Juarez, "El Redentor". Considered by many within Mexico today as one of its greatest presidents.
In 1851 Great Britain was still licking its wounds from the bitter defeat that they had suffered in the Oregon War and the high costs of involvement in the First War of German Unification. At the time Queen Victoria was noticing a disturbing trend within the Americas in that the United Kingdom was beginning to lose its economic and political influence all around. The Southwestern Union and France's involvement in the Filibuster War five years later, would mark an extensive rise of French influence in North America with their stable relations with the United States and very high relations with Quebec, Texas, Yucatan, and Central America. The South American nations while still importing British goods, were beginning to take independent routes in the notable cases of Brazil and Peru-Bolivia, while all the states of South America (with the exception of isolationist Paraguay) were beginning to diversify their trade with German, French, and Italian goods. This was not well in the eyes of the United Kingdom as they were slowly losing their hegemony in the region that they had established following the Napoleonic Wars. Thus a client state had to be made that would be dependent on British trade and serve their interests to counteract the United States and France. Since the Crimean War had not begun yet, the British Foreign Ministry had begun looking extensively for potential client states and found such as situation in Mexico. While it was true that Mexico was nearing a failed state, at the same time it was also a ripe opportunity to come in and establish a new government just as the French had done prior. Of the states within Mexico the Conservative states were immediately rejected as their extensive pro-Catholic agenda did not suit well with the British, so they began to look within the Liberal candidates for a new central government. Instead of supporting the "legitimate" government of Zacatecas as many within the Foreign Ministry were wanting, Victoria instead chose the Oaxaca group as they could immediately establish their trade foothold with these states and they were the likeliest targets for a successful war. Contact was made with the Veracruz government in the fall of 1850 and soon representatives from Oaxaca and Jalisco were sent to deal with the British as well. At the negotiating table the British made extensive offers to the alliance in order to get them to join the Civil War and reclaim the country. These offers included large amounts of financial aid, investment in the Mexican economy, tens of thousands of arms and artillery, "volunteer" regiments that would join the cause, intervention by the Royal Navy, and recognition as the legitimate government of Mexico. In return once in power, the Oaxaca group had to buy foreign goods almost exclusively from Great Britain and had to align themselves with the United Kingdom in foreign affairs. These demands were rather easy to meet as the enemies of Britain were the United States and France, two nations that Mexico loathed, and British goods were still seen in that day and age as top quality within Western Europe. When receiving the offers Veracruz went for British support while a slight majority of the Jalisco congress were also in favor. The key reaction though would be taht of Juarez's as he was the leader of the coalition and head of the most powerful state. Initially Juarez was against the idea as he saw it as little more than a betrayal to Mexico just as Farias did with the French. However, upon intense reflection of the matter Juarez soon came to a realization that while this would be essentially "selling his soul to the limey devils" it would be the only realistic way to ever gain control of Mexico and turn the country back around. Juarez agreed to the term and on January of 1851, the Veracruz Compact was signed between Great Britain and the Oaxaca group. In it Benito Juarez was proclaimed as the legitimate President of Mexico and Great Britain would recognize it with an alliance. The reactions across the continent were near universal in condemning the Veracruz Compact as both Conservatives and Liberals lambasted Juarez for selling to the foreign dogs while the United States, Texas, France, Quebec, and Yucatan all made joint statements condemning the treaty as British aggression into the region. However no side took action as the United States and Quebec were still recovering from the Oregon War and the populace of the nation's did not see Mexico as important enough to go to war over. Texas and Yucatan while both concerned of the British move, did not think it would affect Mexico that much and wanted to focus on the current domestic prosperity. Lastly Napoleon was still consolidating his reign and the people of Fracne did not see Mexico as an important enough nation to go to war over unless the Southwestern Union was attacked. Thus Juarez was given free reign to take control over the country.
The HMS King George in the Gulf of Mexico (Left) British Advisors in Veracruz (Right)
1851-1853 would then be considered to be the "Juarez War" of the Mexican Civil War as the latter half of the conflict is usually given focus to the rise of Juarez. The first year would see the states of the Oaxaca group come under attack from all sides for their initiative, however all offensives into Juarez's territory were easily repulsed as the state militias of these states were as professional as the Mexican Army before the Texan Revolution and did not suffer the large amounts of corruption and informality that plagued most of Mexico. British economic and military aid also began to arrive in droves as tens of thousands of pounds and an equal amount of muskets were pored into the states to arm what would be known as the Republican Army. Great Britain also sent 1,000 professional advisors of the British Army to train the troops along with 15,000 "volunteer" regiments which in reality were just British mercenaries. During this time Jalisco also conquered Colima and the states of Michoacan and Guerrero freely joined the Juarez bloc, pledging allegiance to him as the official President of Mexico. Uprisings all across Mexico took place in 1851 in support of Juarez as many peasants saw him as the man who could save the country from its dire straits due to his high success in the south and liberal leanings. Many Indian tribes would also revolt in favor of Juarez as they saw him as a kindred spirit who could finally represent the repressed Indian population just as how it was in Texas. With preparations having been completed, 1852 marked the start of the first offensives to retake Mexico as Juarez and his army began marching across the nation to retake Mexico from the tyrants and despots that plagued it for so many years. Nearly all the battles in the rest of the Civil War would go to Juarez's favor as the Republican Army turned into one of high quality with British troops and ammunition while the state militias of the rest of the country were nothing more than armed thugs as the last soldiers of the professional forces were either dead, corrupt, or too incompetent to provide any clear opposition. On September 16th, 1852, the 42nd anniversary of Mexican independence, Mexico City fell to the Republican Army as the cities populace rose up in support of Juarez and overthrew the Conservative government while opening the gates for the Republican Army to waltz right in. The next day Juarez would come riding in on a white steed while the Mexican crowds would cheer in unity for the man who had saved their nation from extinction. Mopup operations would take place for the rest of the year and it wasn't until February 2nd of 1853 that the war would be officially declared over with Sonora surrendering as the last bastion of resistance. Mexico was united, and under Juarez's plan they would become whole again.
Mural of Benito Juarez leading the Republican Army in the Second Mexican Civil War.
Upon the end of the Civil War, Juarez arrested all the congressmen who had survived the war for treason against the country by failing to prevent its disorder. No one within the Mexican populace seemed to care at this authoritarian move as those politicians arrested were people who had held onto power since the days of Santa Anna. New elections were then declared in 1853, however unlike what most people predicted, Juarez refused to side with the Liberal Party. Over the years Juarez had come to view the Liberals as an utter failure as they were just as responsible for the country's mess as the Conservatives were. While still containing many liberal values, Juarez had drifted to the early roots of Populism as he saw it as the most effective way to keep power from the elites of Mexico who had plagued the nation since Augistin Iturbide. Thus, Juarez would found the National Populist party who won an intense supermajority in the elections, all of whom were close political allies of Juarez or former Liberals who had been elected on Juarez's coattails. While Juarez would keep many of the personal freedoms created under Farias and still kept to the same law that would limit the Catholic Church's and nobles power, Juarez would discard with the main tenets of the 1837 Constitution and instead create a new one, La Reforma Constitucion. This document was exclusively designed to retain large amounts of governance and autonomy within the states, however, the central government would take back the powers of lawmaking for legislation applying to the nation as a whole and the president was given extraordinary powers to intervene in the affairs of the states as he saw fit to prevent a time of crises (Leading to the Diaz regime in the latter half of the 19th century). Under Juarez's direction, early forms of socialism were taken as much of the economy was nationalized and high taxes were given to the rich in order to kickstart the economy. With large amounts of economic aid from the British, Mexico finally began its first steps of modernization with factories and railroads beginning to appear within Southern Mexico. Trade had increased greatly as Mexican raw materials were sold to Britain en masse for finished goods in return, heavy tariffs being placed on all non-British goods to keep with the agreement. Infrastructure was rebuilt across the country while farms were given large subsidies to provide new incomes for impoverished families. These moves were seen as the most radical of the Juarez administration as it had involved massive amounts of land distribution with the government forcefully taking land away from the Mexican nobles, Catholic Church, and the plantation families in the nation. Any and all resistance to these moves were met with bayonets by the Republican Army. Finally, the rights of the indigenous were finally recognized as Juarez took massive steps to classify them as citizens within Mexico. Though hostile tribes like the Apache were met with extreme prejudice in retaliation. For the first time in decades the Mexican people could once again have pride in their nation with the nation finally achieving a high level of stability and prosperity not seen since the New Spain Era. Although he was widely hailed throughout the country as the greatest president in Mexican history, this was not enough for Juarez who saw his mission to be completed with one final task, the reunification of Mexico in its entirety.
When the Mexican Civil War officially broke out, Juarez had held some sympathies for the Texan rebels along with the Yucatan. For Texas he saw them as an oppressed people breaking free from Santa Anna while in the Yucatan he saw a common cause with the Mayan peoples who had joined the Revolution. Over time any feelings that Juarez had for these nations turned into hatred and disgust as he saw these nations as the root of Mexico's problems with the Civil Wars and anarchy that took place after independence. With Texas Juarez saw a Gringo state that was bent on destroying Mexico as they were the ones to start the process with the Alamo and Santa Anna's death. For Yucatan, Juarez developed a personal grudge as it was Oaxaca who suffered in the many conflicts of the Border Wars and the Yucatan was in Juarez's eyes an aggressive state for their actions in Central America. The Rio Grande was the one nation that Juarez held zero empathy for as they were an utterly failed state an abomination in the man's eyes to the nations of the world with their "sovereignty". Within all three Republics were 11 former Mexican states and territories that once were a vital part of Mexico but were suddenly stripped away by the secessionists. The existence of 7 of said states and territories not seen as legitimate to the eyes of the Mexicans as they were obtained in greed at the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. While Mexico was recovering from its wars, its people still held a large amount of trauma from their defeats against the Republics and were ashamed of the losses that took place in the First Mexican Civil War. No matter what steps Juarez took, Mexico would never achieve the prominence it once had without the return of these states to the mother country. In order to do that Juarez had to take them by force. Over the rest of the 1850's, Juarez and the rest of the National Populists began a Pan-Mexican Venganist campaign aimed at directed the hearts and minds of the Mexican people against their neighbors. Propaganda flooded Mexico telling of how the Gringo Texans and the Mayans would come in and ruin all that had been accomplished under Juarez. Tales spread of the anarchy of the Rio Grande and how its people were suffering under the rule of warlords. Literature was published all across the country in the form of textbooks, novels, poems, and essays that decried the Republics for causing the ruin of Mexico and how its prestige could only be restored with absolute unification. While the populace began to become riled with hatred of Texas and the other Republics, the Army received an increased amount of power and volunteers as it swelled to the numbers of 45,000 men in 1860 and soon became an integral part of the state and Juarez's law. The Republican Guard as a byproduct of this was founded in 1853 as a means of keeping succession in check, acting as secret police, and serving as elite shock troops against hostile Indians to prepare for the coming war. With the Mexican economy geared to the production of military arms and the Mexican people set for total war, the stage was set for what would soon be the most climatic conflict in Southwestern North America of the century. The first shots fired in 1861 as Mexican troops crossed the border into the Rio Grande to reclaim what's rightfully theirs.
The Mexican Army marching into the Rio Grande in 1861.
A/N: For those of you confused about the first paragraph and my inclusion of Nazism, the Nazis TTL are just another name for the fascist movement which will take place after the Great War. It will all start with Mosley's movement as Nazism TTL is the German word for National Socialism which is the official alternate term for Fascism since due to the butterflies and Papal Italy, the Fascist Party of Mussolini does not come to power. The term Nazism will begin to rise in the 1920's as a popular term to describe all National Socialists. An important thing to remind the readers is that Nazism TTL will be known as a form of authoritarian government that is reliant on the power of the state and heavy populist support from the people in the form of Nationalism. Hitler's OTL Nazis do not rise to power as I said that the alternate to WWII is vastly different, so Nazism is NOT a racial ideology of Aryan supremacy. Indeed multiple "Nazi" governments will be set up worldwide and if Israel existed TTL then there could very well be "Jewish Nazis" as a form of the nation's far right. More about Nazism will be revealed in the coming decades of the story with its impact on the world taking shape immediate after the Great War.
Well that's my plans for Facism in Lone Star Republic. Along with that we get a taste of what Juarez and Mexico have been up to during this time. What did you guys think? Leave a comment below as I'd like to hear your thoughts on these developments. Next chapter will be Fort Sumter and the beginning of the American Civil War while the Mexican War should begin next week as I have Spring Break. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for more.
"It is time to take back Mexico for the people! Drive the gringos out and make our nation whole again"- President Benito Juarez 1858
"The people of the Rio Grande are little more than wild dogs that have forgotten their masters. They shall be put down."- General Ignacio Zaragoza 1861
"Mexico is on the rise. We must hurry and take as many preparations as possible or we'll lose all that the Republic has gained for the past twenty-five years"- Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnson 1860
In modern political science exists the term Revanchism, a political term used to described the national psyche and will to regain lost territories, honor, and prestige following a large national crises, most prominently through war. The term was created in 1933 by French political scientist Joseph Clouseau as a means to categorize the rise of Nazism within Europe and Asia following the large amounts of dissatisfaction with the multiple nations who either lost the Great War or did not receive the desired outcome in its aftermath. Revanchism itself comes from the French word for revenge, revanche. Since the end of the Second Great War and the rise and fall of many Nazi and far-Populist governments throughout the world, Revanchism has entered mainstream politics as a general term not just for a national state following a destructive war, but as a means to describe a large movement that goes against the former establishment or those in power as a means of backlash for policies that had led to a time of crisis. Within Texas and much of Latin America, this term is instead used by the word Venganism, based off the Spanish word for revenge venganza. Venganism in the 2017 Havanna Latin Spanish Dictionary, has the same exact definition as Revanchism with the literal translation being nearly identical in words when translated to English. The reason for the word change in Latin America is due to the fact that early Revanchism was in its existence throughout most of the 1800's due to the large periods of instability that took place throughout much of the Americas following the Latin American Revolutions that lead to the overthrow of the Spanish. In North America the word Venganism is applied in historical terms mainly to the state of Mexico in the 1850's and beyond after the Mexican Civil War and the Border Wars. For Los Estados Unidos de Mexico were tired of losing pride and land with each passing year, the people demanding for change to take place to bring honor to their country. Their prayers would soon be answered in 1861, with the start of the Mexican War.
In order to understand the Mexican situation as it was in 1860, we must first understand the domestic events that lead to the rise of Juarez and the rise of the National Populists. In 1837 after the end of the Mexican Civil War came a large period of shock and disillusionment in the Mexican national psyche, called the Generation of '36. For while the country had not been the most stable or progressive of nations prior to the Texas Revolution, it was on the track to national economic growth and in many ways could be considered a continental power that would one day be able to rival the United States or the Empire of Brazil. With the loss of over half the nation's territory due to the secessionists, domestic infighting, and the French, came a sort of rude wake up call to the Mexican people over the state of their nation. The dream of a strong united Mexico that would lead Latin America as advocated by Father Hidalgo, was no more as the nation started to collapse from class divisions, ideological disputes, and the inability of the government to defend the people from threats both within and outside the borders of the nation. The years after 1837-1846 were a sort of uneasy period of reconstruction for Mexico as the country struggled to gain a sense of stability and normalcy in the aftermath of the destructive civil war. The tensions that had caused the Civil War after Santa Anna's death were unfortunately still there as it was not a decisive victory that had won the Liberals the day, but rather intervention by France where they just decided the Liberals would get them the better deal. The Conservative wing of the Mexican Congress called the Liberals "foreign dogs" for having conspired with France in the wake of the Civil War and so willingly giving up large stretches of Mexican land that they had paid for with blood in the Revolution from Spain. The Liberals in the meantime fired back that the Conservatives were the route of the problem as it was Santa Anna who started the whole crises with the suspending of the Constitution and turning himself into a dictator. In the middle of this all were the Mexican people who were starting to become politically apathetic to the wishes of both sides and merely wished for a return to normalcy so that their families could live in peace. Due to the large amount of division the 1840's would be a time where the central government could hardly get anything done as the Conservative/Liberal divide as so fierce that no representative on either side would vote for the others agreement while each party had a multitude of factions that made even passing bills by a party majority to be impossible. At the same time more power was given exclusively to the state governments as demanded by the Liberals in the Mexican Civil War, so as to prevent a rise of another Santa Anna. For nearly ten years the situation looked to be okay as while Mexico City could get hardly any action done, the state governments had taken charge and were meeting the needs of their people individually by starting to reform and being limited amounts of modernization. While Mexico was in no state of an economic boom, the economy had returned to equilibrium by 1845 and conditions in the countryside were once again peaceful. The Mexican people were also not politically radicalized at this time unlike the previous years as they were content with the vast amounts of liberal reforms under the Farias government and had no desire to return to another Civil War, with most of the Conservatives even decrying political violence. It looked that over time Mexico could recover, then the Border Wars happened.
The general consensus among most historians of the Border Wars is that had they gone in Mexico's favor by only attacking the Rio Grande and no intervention by either Texas or the Yucatan, then Mexico would've had their national pride restored and the Mexican War been avoided in its entirety, Mexico having gotten its Venganism fulfilled and would've been on the path to recovery. Unfortunately the loss of Mexico against their rebel nations had only caused the Mexican people to be infuriated and filled with a vast amount of hatred and anger to all of their neighbors. The fact that Mexico not only lost to its former states a second time, but had to lose even more territory when the Rio Grande looked to have potentially come into reach, was the last straw that broke the metaphorical camel's back for the nation of Mexico. In the immediate aftermath lots of blaming and insults had come from all sides of the political spectrum over the reasons for their lost with the governors of the states that had launched the Border Wars being the first one to go as they were often forced to resign or faced being overthrown by violent mobs who were joined frequently by the state militia. What most parties agreed to on the issue was that President Farias and the Liberals in charge were to blame as they had not united the country in its time of crises, stopped the governors before going on their expeditions, or bothered to support any of them once the wars had started. The fall of the Confederado government began with Farias' assassination on February 17th of 1847 and soon extended to the entirety of the Mexican Liberals of the Confederate government as Liberal politicians were either killed, resigned, or driven out of office at the national level. This was not to say though that the Liberal cause was gone as Liberals still had control over half the state legislatures and many important municipalities within Mexico. In the 1847 Elections, Conservative Valentin Canalizo was elected as President as he was seen as a strongman among the Party and had many close ties to the Pro-Santa Anna supporters still in power. Whatever hopes the Conservative side may have had for Canalizo had vanished though as the man had died of Pneumonia on October 13th, 1848. Vice President Mariano Paredes was supposed to succeed Canalizo there according to the 1837 Constitution, however the Liberals rejected Paredes and demanded that a new vote take place for the Presidency. Paredes and the Conservatives chastised the Liberals for their apparent hypocrisy however neither side could come with a clear solution and because of this the Liberals proclaimed Jose Joaquin de Herrera as President and established the capitol in the city of Zacatecas. What began afterwords would be known as the Second Mexican Civil War. Unlike the first civil war however, the Second Mexican Civil War is not a conflict of two clear sides pitted against each other, but rather of multiple factions across the nation that proclaimed their own presidencies and would often try and assert dominance over Mexico. While multiple factions had coalesced under the traditional Conservative and Liberal divides, these groups were more coalitions of benefit than anything as the real power in Mexico laid in the states who were now acting as near independent nations. This period of unrest went on for two years until 1851, with frequent border conflicts between the states and large amounts of insurrection and rebellion throughout the countryside. Had the process continued indefinitely then Mexico would've broken up into multiple independent nations in the 1850's and the near entirety of the region delving into a lawless wasteland of sorts. Fortunately for the Mexican people, one brave patriot would rise up in the time of crises and take power back for the Mexican people. Benito Juarez.
General makeup of the Second Mexican Civil War before the Juarez Phase. Red states are Liberal while Blue Conservative.
Benito Juarez, known throughout Mexico today as "The Redeemer" was born on March 21st, 1806 to Indian peasants in the city of Oaxaca in the state of the same name. Juarez had lost much of his family in his early years and having been raised by his uncles was forced to act independent for much of his youth. Because of this Juarez strove to become an intellectual through his hard work and merit as he saw it as the only way to succeed in life and move beyond his current station as a peasant farmer. Juarez traveled to the city in 1818 in search of a new life where he was taken under the wing of a group of Franciscans who recognized his natural intelligence. From their Juarez would be educated in Latin and much of Mexican law as over the years he moved through the ranks of the Oaxacan intellegista and became further indoctrinated in the philosophy of liberalism due to Oaxaca being a hotbed for Liberals within Mexico. For the first twenty years of his adult life, Juarez served as an attorney within the state of Oaxaca and became widely known for his success in the court and high understanding of the law, something that impressed many of the Creole Mexicans as they did not expect much of a Zapotecan. After the Mexican Civil War, Juarez became intensely involved within the Liberal party due to his self-perceived patriotic need to reform Mexico at its weakest in order to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. In 1841 Juarez was appointed as State Attorney General of Oaxaca by Governor Antonio Leon, cementing his position within the Liberal Party. In the aftermath of the Border Wars with Oaxaca's embarrassing loss to the Yucatan, Juarez was elected to power as Governor of Oaxaca and took control of it for the four years after Farias' assassination. Unlike other governors who choose to wage war within Mexico over petty land disputes and power plays for the presidency, Juarez chose to stick to neutrality in that while he sided with the Liberal Coalition, he would not actively take part in the power struggles of Mexico. Instead Juarez focused on continued internal development of his home state and providing stability for his people. In 1849 Juarez established a coalition known as the Oaxaca group which was an alliance with the liberal states of Veracruz and Jalisco. Together these three states dominated much of the remaining Mexico coast, Veracruz in particular, and would form a trade cartel that basically ran all imports and exports in and out of Mexico, officially establishing these states as the bulk of the Mexican economy. During the next couple of years due to the relative stability of these states, the Oaxaca group had obtained the highest standard of living and economic growth within Mexico during this dark time. However, none of the states were willing to involve themselves in national politics as they did not want to ruin their prosperity over the civil war. Due to this the status quo would remain for the next two years until the British came.
Benito Juarez, "El Redentor". Considered by many within Mexico today as one of its greatest presidents.
In 1851 Great Britain was still licking its wounds from the bitter defeat that they had suffered in the Oregon War and the high costs of involvement in the First War of German Unification. At the time Queen Victoria was noticing a disturbing trend within the Americas in that the United Kingdom was beginning to lose its economic and political influence all around. The Southwestern Union and France's involvement in the Filibuster War five years later, would mark an extensive rise of French influence in North America with their stable relations with the United States and very high relations with Quebec, Texas, Yucatan, and Central America. The South American nations while still importing British goods, were beginning to take independent routes in the notable cases of Brazil and Peru-Bolivia, while all the states of South America (with the exception of isolationist Paraguay) were beginning to diversify their trade with German, French, and Italian goods. This was not well in the eyes of the United Kingdom as they were slowly losing their hegemony in the region that they had established following the Napoleonic Wars. Thus a client state had to be made that would be dependent on British trade and serve their interests to counteract the United States and France. Since the Crimean War had not begun yet, the British Foreign Ministry had begun looking extensively for potential client states and found such as situation in Mexico. While it was true that Mexico was nearing a failed state, at the same time it was also a ripe opportunity to come in and establish a new government just as the French had done prior. Of the states within Mexico the Conservative states were immediately rejected as their extensive pro-Catholic agenda did not suit well with the British, so they began to look within the Liberal candidates for a new central government. Instead of supporting the "legitimate" government of Zacatecas as many within the Foreign Ministry were wanting, Victoria instead chose the Oaxaca group as they could immediately establish their trade foothold with these states and they were the likeliest targets for a successful war. Contact was made with the Veracruz government in the fall of 1850 and soon representatives from Oaxaca and Jalisco were sent to deal with the British as well. At the negotiating table the British made extensive offers to the alliance in order to get them to join the Civil War and reclaim the country. These offers included large amounts of financial aid, investment in the Mexican economy, tens of thousands of arms and artillery, "volunteer" regiments that would join the cause, intervention by the Royal Navy, and recognition as the legitimate government of Mexico. In return once in power, the Oaxaca group had to buy foreign goods almost exclusively from Great Britain and had to align themselves with the United Kingdom in foreign affairs. These demands were rather easy to meet as the enemies of Britain were the United States and France, two nations that Mexico loathed, and British goods were still seen in that day and age as top quality within Western Europe. When receiving the offers Veracruz went for British support while a slight majority of the Jalisco congress were also in favor. The key reaction though would be taht of Juarez's as he was the leader of the coalition and head of the most powerful state. Initially Juarez was against the idea as he saw it as little more than a betrayal to Mexico just as Farias did with the French. However, upon intense reflection of the matter Juarez soon came to a realization that while this would be essentially "selling his soul to the limey devils" it would be the only realistic way to ever gain control of Mexico and turn the country back around. Juarez agreed to the term and on January of 1851, the Veracruz Compact was signed between Great Britain and the Oaxaca group. In it Benito Juarez was proclaimed as the legitimate President of Mexico and Great Britain would recognize it with an alliance. The reactions across the continent were near universal in condemning the Veracruz Compact as both Conservatives and Liberals lambasted Juarez for selling to the foreign dogs while the United States, Texas, France, Quebec, and Yucatan all made joint statements condemning the treaty as British aggression into the region. However no side took action as the United States and Quebec were still recovering from the Oregon War and the populace of the nation's did not see Mexico as important enough to go to war over. Texas and Yucatan while both concerned of the British move, did not think it would affect Mexico that much and wanted to focus on the current domestic prosperity. Lastly Napoleon was still consolidating his reign and the people of Fracne did not see Mexico as an important enough nation to go to war over unless the Southwestern Union was attacked. Thus Juarez was given free reign to take control over the country.
The HMS King George in the Gulf of Mexico (Left) British Advisors in Veracruz (Right)
1851-1853 would then be considered to be the "Juarez War" of the Mexican Civil War as the latter half of the conflict is usually given focus to the rise of Juarez. The first year would see the states of the Oaxaca group come under attack from all sides for their initiative, however all offensives into Juarez's territory were easily repulsed as the state militias of these states were as professional as the Mexican Army before the Texan Revolution and did not suffer the large amounts of corruption and informality that plagued most of Mexico. British economic and military aid also began to arrive in droves as tens of thousands of pounds and an equal amount of muskets were pored into the states to arm what would be known as the Republican Army. Great Britain also sent 1,000 professional advisors of the British Army to train the troops along with 15,000 "volunteer" regiments which in reality were just British mercenaries. During this time Jalisco also conquered Colima and the states of Michoacan and Guerrero freely joined the Juarez bloc, pledging allegiance to him as the official President of Mexico. Uprisings all across Mexico took place in 1851 in support of Juarez as many peasants saw him as the man who could save the country from its dire straits due to his high success in the south and liberal leanings. Many Indian tribes would also revolt in favor of Juarez as they saw him as a kindred spirit who could finally represent the repressed Indian population just as how it was in Texas. With preparations having been completed, 1852 marked the start of the first offensives to retake Mexico as Juarez and his army began marching across the nation to retake Mexico from the tyrants and despots that plagued it for so many years. Nearly all the battles in the rest of the Civil War would go to Juarez's favor as the Republican Army turned into one of high quality with British troops and ammunition while the state militias of the rest of the country were nothing more than armed thugs as the last soldiers of the professional forces were either dead, corrupt, or too incompetent to provide any clear opposition. On September 16th, 1852, the 42nd anniversary of Mexican independence, Mexico City fell to the Republican Army as the cities populace rose up in support of Juarez and overthrew the Conservative government while opening the gates for the Republican Army to waltz right in. The next day Juarez would come riding in on a white steed while the Mexican crowds would cheer in unity for the man who had saved their nation from extinction. Mopup operations would take place for the rest of the year and it wasn't until February 2nd of 1853 that the war would be officially declared over with Sonora surrendering as the last bastion of resistance. Mexico was united, and under Juarez's plan they would become whole again.
Mural of Benito Juarez leading the Republican Army in the Second Mexican Civil War.
Upon the end of the Civil War, Juarez arrested all the congressmen who had survived the war for treason against the country by failing to prevent its disorder. No one within the Mexican populace seemed to care at this authoritarian move as those politicians arrested were people who had held onto power since the days of Santa Anna. New elections were then declared in 1853, however unlike what most people predicted, Juarez refused to side with the Liberal Party. Over the years Juarez had come to view the Liberals as an utter failure as they were just as responsible for the country's mess as the Conservatives were. While still containing many liberal values, Juarez had drifted to the early roots of Populism as he saw it as the most effective way to keep power from the elites of Mexico who had plagued the nation since Augistin Iturbide. Thus, Juarez would found the National Populist party who won an intense supermajority in the elections, all of whom were close political allies of Juarez or former Liberals who had been elected on Juarez's coattails. While Juarez would keep many of the personal freedoms created under Farias and still kept to the same law that would limit the Catholic Church's and nobles power, Juarez would discard with the main tenets of the 1837 Constitution and instead create a new one, La Reforma Constitucion. This document was exclusively designed to retain large amounts of governance and autonomy within the states, however, the central government would take back the powers of lawmaking for legislation applying to the nation as a whole and the president was given extraordinary powers to intervene in the affairs of the states as he saw fit to prevent a time of crises (Leading to the Diaz regime in the latter half of the 19th century). Under Juarez's direction, early forms of socialism were taken as much of the economy was nationalized and high taxes were given to the rich in order to kickstart the economy. With large amounts of economic aid from the British, Mexico finally began its first steps of modernization with factories and railroads beginning to appear within Southern Mexico. Trade had increased greatly as Mexican raw materials were sold to Britain en masse for finished goods in return, heavy tariffs being placed on all non-British goods to keep with the agreement. Infrastructure was rebuilt across the country while farms were given large subsidies to provide new incomes for impoverished families. These moves were seen as the most radical of the Juarez administration as it had involved massive amounts of land distribution with the government forcefully taking land away from the Mexican nobles, Catholic Church, and the plantation families in the nation. Any and all resistance to these moves were met with bayonets by the Republican Army. Finally, the rights of the indigenous were finally recognized as Juarez took massive steps to classify them as citizens within Mexico. Though hostile tribes like the Apache were met with extreme prejudice in retaliation. For the first time in decades the Mexican people could once again have pride in their nation with the nation finally achieving a high level of stability and prosperity not seen since the New Spain Era. Although he was widely hailed throughout the country as the greatest president in Mexican history, this was not enough for Juarez who saw his mission to be completed with one final task, the reunification of Mexico in its entirety.
When the Mexican Civil War officially broke out, Juarez had held some sympathies for the Texan rebels along with the Yucatan. For Texas he saw them as an oppressed people breaking free from Santa Anna while in the Yucatan he saw a common cause with the Mayan peoples who had joined the Revolution. Over time any feelings that Juarez had for these nations turned into hatred and disgust as he saw these nations as the root of Mexico's problems with the Civil Wars and anarchy that took place after independence. With Texas Juarez saw a Gringo state that was bent on destroying Mexico as they were the ones to start the process with the Alamo and Santa Anna's death. For Yucatan, Juarez developed a personal grudge as it was Oaxaca who suffered in the many conflicts of the Border Wars and the Yucatan was in Juarez's eyes an aggressive state for their actions in Central America. The Rio Grande was the one nation that Juarez held zero empathy for as they were an utterly failed state an abomination in the man's eyes to the nations of the world with their "sovereignty". Within all three Republics were 11 former Mexican states and territories that once were a vital part of Mexico but were suddenly stripped away by the secessionists. The existence of 7 of said states and territories not seen as legitimate to the eyes of the Mexicans as they were obtained in greed at the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. While Mexico was recovering from its wars, its people still held a large amount of trauma from their defeats against the Republics and were ashamed of the losses that took place in the First Mexican Civil War. No matter what steps Juarez took, Mexico would never achieve the prominence it once had without the return of these states to the mother country. In order to do that Juarez had to take them by force. Over the rest of the 1850's, Juarez and the rest of the National Populists began a Pan-Mexican Venganist campaign aimed at directed the hearts and minds of the Mexican people against their neighbors. Propaganda flooded Mexico telling of how the Gringo Texans and the Mayans would come in and ruin all that had been accomplished under Juarez. Tales spread of the anarchy of the Rio Grande and how its people were suffering under the rule of warlords. Literature was published all across the country in the form of textbooks, novels, poems, and essays that decried the Republics for causing the ruin of Mexico and how its prestige could only be restored with absolute unification. While the populace began to become riled with hatred of Texas and the other Republics, the Army received an increased amount of power and volunteers as it swelled to the numbers of 45,000 men in 1860 and soon became an integral part of the state and Juarez's law. The Republican Guard as a byproduct of this was founded in 1853 as a means of keeping succession in check, acting as secret police, and serving as elite shock troops against hostile Indians to prepare for the coming war. With the Mexican economy geared to the production of military arms and the Mexican people set for total war, the stage was set for what would soon be the most climatic conflict in Southwestern North America of the century. The first shots fired in 1861 as Mexican troops crossed the border into the Rio Grande to reclaim what's rightfully theirs.
The Mexican Army marching into the Rio Grande in 1861.
A/N: For those of you confused about the first paragraph and my inclusion of Nazism, the Nazis TTL are just another name for the fascist movement which will take place after the Great War. It will all start with Mosley's movement as Nazism TTL is the German word for National Socialism which is the official alternate term for Fascism since due to the butterflies and Papal Italy, the Fascist Party of Mussolini does not come to power. The term Nazism will begin to rise in the 1920's as a popular term to describe all National Socialists. An important thing to remind the readers is that Nazism TTL will be known as a form of authoritarian government that is reliant on the power of the state and heavy populist support from the people in the form of Nationalism. Hitler's OTL Nazis do not rise to power as I said that the alternate to WWII is vastly different, so Nazism is NOT a racial ideology of Aryan supremacy. Indeed multiple "Nazi" governments will be set up worldwide and if Israel existed TTL then there could very well be "Jewish Nazis" as a form of the nation's far right. More about Nazism will be revealed in the coming decades of the story with its impact on the world taking shape immediate after the Great War.
Well that's my plans for Facism in Lone Star Republic. Along with that we get a taste of what Juarez and Mexico have been up to during this time. What did you guys think? Leave a comment below as I'd like to hear your thoughts on these developments. Next chapter will be Fort Sumter and the beginning of the American Civil War while the Mexican War should begin next week as I have Spring Break. Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for more.
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I like the twist on the word Nazi this world will have.
Anywho, enjoyed the update about Mexico. The rise of Juarez, the slow and steady slide into authoritarianism, and the coming war are all well done, but it is a bit like watching a train wreck and the only question left is where the rolling stock ends up once the dust has settled and the fires are out. That hint at a future dictatorship under Diaz is also a bit concerning, but a bridge to be crossed at a later date. For now we have the twin North American tragedies to watch.
Anywho, enjoyed the update about Mexico. The rise of Juarez, the slow and steady slide into authoritarianism, and the coming war are all well done, but it is a bit like watching a train wreck and the only question left is where the rolling stock ends up once the dust has settled and the fires are out. That hint at a future dictatorship under Diaz is also a bit concerning, but a bridge to be crossed at a later date. For now we have the twin North American tragedies to watch.
As an avid Texas history buff, the last time that I visited the San Jacinto monument, I noticed the same thing, but did some checking on it and found that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department actually is controlling what you could term as restoration back to natural habitat.
Here's an interesting link from their website, where it discusses the department's efforts to restore much of the park back to what it looked like in 1836:
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/san-jacinto-battleground/nature
I do second Kaiser Chris's encouragement for any of us that make the pilgrimage to San Jacinto to drop some dollar bills in the collection box at the monument/museum or pay to ride up to the observation deck (nearly 500 feet above the museum) or pay for access the interactive experience.