Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Age of Opulence
1745-1775
The Age of Opulence, while described by some historians as an experiment of peace, was more of an interwar period. Taking place in-between the Carolinian Centennial and the Great Canadian War, the short-lived era was categorized by its boisterous use of treaties and its many refugee-founded nations.
Exploration Beyond the Seas
With Carolina having established a peace with much of Europe, the world focused their attention to scientific advancement. In the late-1740’s, electricity became a common subject of talk around the world, with a man named Warble Pink discovering that lightning used electrical current. The concept of latent heat was discovered in 1748, followed by multiple scientists attempting to use it throughout the 1750’s. In addition to electrical and biological discovery, the concept of industrialism was growing…
Tide of the Rebellion
For centuries, republicanism was one of the taboo subjects of Europe, with only three nations practicing it; the Dutch Republic, a slightly corrupt democracy, the Republic of Venice, an aristocratic oligarchy, and the United Protectorate, a semi-dictatorial republic. The elections for both nations were commonly rigged in one direction or another, but 1760 was arguably the first year that they became truly democratic. There was technically one party in the entirety of England for nearly a century, but in the decade leading up to the election, the new “Demo Party” came into power. Fighting the Protectorate Party’s conservative tactics, the Demo Party (short for True Democratic Party) stood for more peace and rights for all people. By 1760, they held 21 of the 110 seats of the English Branch of Parliament. The leader of the Demo Party, Johannson Wilkes, was great with words and knew how to secure districts for himself. Ridwan Booth, the new Protectorate Party leader, wasn’t used to having anyone to compete against, and was extremely flustered at the first true campaign.
The subject of the first debate, held in London on July 15th, 1760, was mostly centered around foreign policy. Carolina was brought up by the people multiple times, the main question being whether or not it still deserved to be a part of England. The PP (Protectorate Party) claimed that it was rightfully part of the UP, and wished to create a colony out of it once more. The Demos claimed that it was rightfully independent, and saying such blasphemy nearly 120 years after its independence was insane. While most people tended to lean towards the Demo Party, the more complicated question was whether or not to make them an ally. The PP wasn’t allowed to make a true argument, due to them claiming Carolina to be a colony. However, the Demo Party still didn’t believe it was time, but wanted to stay weary of them in the future. Another topic was the expansion of the English colonies, and how they would expand and interact with others. The PP wished to bring British influence to the corners of the earth, claiming that they’d expand as far as the universe was wide. The Demos expressed similar concern, but they were a bit more nationalist, claiming that they’d assure every colony became ethnically English.
After the first debate, the polls wildly fluctuated. The Demos became extremely popular in Strathclyde, Northumbria, and Lincoln, while the PP held ground in the south, hovering with the most support around Wessex and London. Wales and Scotland were both divided, with the more populous areas supporting the Protectorate and the farmers supporting their challenger. By November, the election for Lord Protector was one of the most talked-about things in Europe. With the election coming on December 1st, both parties had to concede some of their arguments in order to gain the middle ground (as well as support from the more pensive voters). Booth proclaimed that he’d change up the terribly created English provinces, while Wilkes took back his stance on giving up non-English land. The competition reigned fierce, with the few pre-voting polls still claiming a slight victory for the PP. By the time the people placed their votes, the results were as follows:
Each province was given ten seats in the English Parliament.
Anglia - 7 Protectorate, 3 True Democrat
Cantia - 9 Protectorate, 1 True Democrat
Dorset - 8 Protectorate, 2 True Democrat
Gloucester - 5 True Democrat, 5 Protectorate
Hampshire - 10 Protectorate, 0 True Democrat
Lincoln - 6 True Democrat, 4 Protectorate
London - 6 Protectorate, 4 True Democrat
Mercia - 6 True Democrat, 4 Protectorate
Middle England - 5 True Democrat, 5 Protectorate
Oxford - 6 Protectorate, 4 True Democrat
Sussex - 7 Protectorate, 3 True Democrat
71 Protectorate, 39 True Democrat
In the end, people became much too optimistic about the outcome of the election.Just because there was a new party didn’t make the UP an automatic democracy. It was still corrupt, and the Protectorate Party would do everything they could to stay in power. After the election, there would be many witnesses who saw Protectorate officials stuff the poll boxes. Booth himself got angry at this, as he believed he could win by the true nature of the UP. The vote probably would have been harder for the PP if the Irish were allowed to place ballots, but the heavily religious tendencies of Cromwell left their mark. The Demo Party was depressed by the large defeat, but continued to use their 39 seats in Parliament to bring greater change than they did with their former nine.
Leaders of the Commonwealth/United Protectorate
Oliver Cromwell (Cromwellian) - 1649-1652
Thomas Fairfax (Anti-Cromwellian) - 1652-1689
John Churchill (Cromwellian) - 1689-1720
Robert Trask (Unaffiliated) - 1720-1759
Parliamentary Rule - 1759-1760
Ridwan Booth (Protectorate) - 1760-1765
The Booth Reforms
After Booth gained the Protectorship of England, he had to become a mediator between the two parties. While his inherent beliefs were to expand and conquer, the plurality who supported the Demos wanted to fix the issues at home. Things put in place by Cromwell and Churchill in their daze needed to be fixed, and domestic issues were the principal focus. The first act Booth did was change up the ten “traditional” provinces of England. Cromwell put them in place earlier, and the strange divisions were begging to be fixed. It quickly turned into a system based on population, where ten provinces quickly multiplied. Booth, while arguably being extremely conservative, was greatly pushed into action by the Democrats. The 1760 election was arguably one of the most influential of all time.