Glen
Moderator
The concern over a looming Malthusian crash in population due to the successes of modern sanitation and science were manifold, and not all were in the political realm. A number of apocalyptic cults sprang up throughout the world, such as the well-known Nostradamans, who interpreted the ancient quatrains of Michel de Nostradamus as predicting looming famine and cannibalism due to a Malthusian crisis in the making.
We're back in action!
Cracking stuff, as always. It'll be interesting to see how India develops. I don't want to spoiler any future updates, but how is the new UNI being run? Is Mysore dominant? Is there some sort of fragile coalition? Do tell!
The UNI flag, by the way, is absolutely superb. I thought you'd like to know that about six months ago, I managed to impress one of my university lecturers with my knowledge of Malthusian ideas. Ironically enough, it was a lecture on the Bengali famines of the 1880s, so India was involved there too. He asked where I'd read about it, and said I'd seen a passing reference online, and read up on it as a result. I didn't know how he'd react if I told him the online reference that prompted the research was a work of AH!
Cracking stuff, as always. It'll be interesting to see how India develops. I don't want to spoiler any future updates, but how is the new UNI being run? Is Mysore dominant? Is there some sort of fragile coalition? Do tell!
The UNI flag, by the way, is absolutely superb. I thought you'd like to know that about six months ago, I managed to impress one of my university lecturers with my knowledge of Malthusian ideas. Ironically enough, it was a lecture on the Bengali famines of the 1880s, so India was involved there too. He asked where I'd read about it, and said I'd seen a passing reference online, and read up on it as a result. I didn't know how he'd react if I told him the online reference that prompted the research was a work of AH!
Glen
Moderator
We're back in action!
Cracking stuff, as always. It'll be interesting to see how India develops. I don't want to spoiler any future updates, but how is the new UNI being run? Is Mysore dominant? Is there some sort of fragile coalition? Do tell!
The UNI flag, by the way, is absolutely superb. I thought you'd like to know that about six months ago, I managed to impress one of my university lecturers with my knowledge of Malthusian ideas. Ironically enough, it was a lecture on the Bengali famines of the 1880s, so India was involved there too. He asked where I'd read about it, and said I'd seen a passing reference online, and read up on it as a result. I didn't know how he'd react if I told him the online reference that prompted the research was a work of AH!
Yes we are Geordie!
Thank you
More on India later...
That was awesome with your university lecturer! Glad I can both entertain and educate!!
Glen
Moderator
One of the most stunning reactions to the fears of Malthusian overpopulation was the revival of the Thuggies. Suppressed by the British in the early 19th century, most believed them extinct (some even claimed the whole Thuggie movement to be a British invention). However, in the late 20s it was revealed that a Neo-Thuggie cult had sprung up, this time straddling the globe. Their leader in hiding, Kala Phansigar, began issuing manifestos stating that the Thuggies would usher in the Age of Kali by sacrificing the excess population of the world. Phansigar claimed that the Thuggies had never been fully extinguished and had only gone into hiding until the world was in need of a full cleansing (most experts scoff at this claim to continuity with the original Thuggies). The Neo-Thuggies began to leave strangling victims in public places to announce the return of the Thuggie terror. This was followed by a series of bombings and shootings perpetrated in the name of Kali. Most of the atrocities were committed in the Indian subcontinent but could be found wherever significant Hindoo populations occurred throughout the British Empire, including the Dominion of Southern America, contributing significantly to discrimination of the Hindoo peoples out of fear for the Thuggies hiding in their midst. The DSA's neighbor to the North, the USA, wasn't immune from such panic, and the US Congress in 1933 passed the Thuggie Suppression Act, which among other things closed the US borders to immigration by Hindoos, whether from UNI, the DSA, or other parts of the British Empire.
Not only that, but it seems that there's quite a diaspora of stranglists worshiping Kali the world over, and methinks have become an early terrorist group. And of course, there's the backlash, including a rise in discrimination within both North American nations (come to think of it, I don't recall if the DSA ever targeted an ethnic group to the same degree as OTL's Dixie ITTL so far...although I might've missed something beforehand).
Glen
Moderator
Yep. Their numbers aren't actually that great, but are magnified by fear and sensationalism.
The DSA has not, not since slavery days. 'Hindoos' - those from subcontinental India, have never really fit in in the DSA, and are easy targets for prejudice and discrimination. The Civilized Tribes, the Blacks, they have always been part of the Southern culture, and indeed they share a culture with the Whites of the DSA, but those brought in a indentureds after slavery really are a world apart. They've thus been marginalized in DSA society, and now the Neo-Thuggies are making it easy to demonize them.
Glen
Moderator
They fill similar niches in society on the West Coast, though the status of Chinese in the USA is actually better than it was in the OTL USA, and better than that of those from the East Indies in the DSA. Most of the 'Chinese' in the USA are from the United States of China, and share similar views on Liberalism, which gives them a bit more sympathy in the US than Chinese received IOTL from our USA.
Makes sense about Civilized Tribes and Blacks, given the parallelism the country shares with much of Latin America in ethno-racial terms and coming to terms with those groups. However, as Trinidad's example IOTL shows, the "Hindoos" are a bit of an odd man out given their recent arrival to the land and non-Anglo culture. Not helping matters is the rash of violence carried out by the terrorists, of course. Do you think there'll be an effort to find Phansigar and make him answer for the Thuggees' crimes? If so, I find myself spookily reminded of OTL's War on Terror, only several decades ahead of schedule
.I finished Part 1 and am reading Part 2 right now. Just skimming through the parts, do you think you might wanna redo the map of Africa? Something bothers me about France only having Dakar and not settling ANY of west Africa, with the British having all of the Sudan Region. It just looks off.
Glen
Moderator
Yes, quite - the DSA has a much more Latin American pattern to its race relations, in part because they do in fact include Caribbean regions with that sort of ethos.
Oh very much so!
If so, I find myself spookily reminded of OTL's War on Terror, only several decades ahead of schedule
Interesting what you take from this...time will tell...
Glen
Moderator
Its not OTL, it's not gonna look right to OTL eyes...surprised that's what bugs you as opposed to the USA/DSA map! <wink>
Glen
Moderator
True, Glen. I find that anything with a pod before 1800 usually has a map that bothers me
indeed indeed
Glen
Moderator
My beloved USA has become discriminatory - alas, America!
No nation is perfect, Umbric Man. Not all the time. Just hold in there and let's see how it plays out....
I'm liking the new updates, Glen. This trouble with the neo-Thuggees looks like it turning into a handful! I can imagine this working itself into the Southern Gothic novels you mentioned if those are still popular.
Also, how different/similar is the TTL US constitution from the OTL Constitution? I know that iTTL there's 3 senators per state instead of two. Are the difference mostly like this where they are mainly relatively small, or are there some major differences? I personally would enjoy an update on the constitution, but whatever.
Also, how different/similar is the TTL US constitution from the OTL Constitution? I know that iTTL there's 3 senators per state instead of two. Are the difference mostly like this where they are mainly relatively small, or are there some major differences? I personally would enjoy an update on the constitution, but whatever.