In 1928 Portugal was on the verge of bankruptcy. Desparate they tried to pawn off their African colonies on the British, however the UK had little interest (purchasing the interior regions to bail out Portugal had proven a drain on British accounts already). Instead, as Portugal's government slashed government spending left and right, they announced their intentions of selling their colonies to the world. Response was quite swift, with a consortium of Brazilian corporations pushing their government into purchasing Angola, Japan moved to purchase Mozambique, the Netherlands moved to purchase East Timor, China was after Macau, and Spain declared interest in Portugal's various West African colonies (hoping to rebuild their colonial empire). Various parties made initial payments as part of an 8 year transition process. Unfortunately for all involved these payments were announced they would be sent directly to creditors, rather than relieving the current austerity measures. The Prime Minister attempt to assure the masses that it would mean a shorter period of intensse austerity instead of over austrerity a longer period, but the average man on the street (and there were a lot of those due to a shakey economy) wasn't having it. An angry mob descended upon the Parliament and soon seized control of Lisbon waving the red flag.
The rest of the Entente was shocked. Spain immediately demanded intervention to put down the socialist rebellion, but the rest of the Entente was more cautious. France and Britain remained certain that Portuguese authorities could handle the crisis, and knew any military endevours would be unpopular with their populace. Japan and China meanwhile, needing to play a delicate balancing game with the Worker's Federation, hoped that the Entente showing an acceptance of socialism in her member states would make the WF more willing to work with them (and against the militant xenophobes ravaging the Chinese interior). As the Entente argued the Portuguese countryside was swept up in socialist rebellion far faster than anyone had expected (in truth a massive over-extension by the socialists, but they hoped that moving quickly to secure land could gain them recognition). Meanwhile the anti-socialist forces were sharply divided, many soldiers had little loyalty to the King and a government that often missed paychecks, though they did fear the idea of a socialist state. Desertion and a descent into banditry massively weakened the military. Seizing on Entente inaction Italy secretly contacted non-socialist republican factions in the Portuguese army with an offer of assistance. Bolstered these elements staged a coup within the counter revolutionary force, capturing the Royal Family and forcing them to request Italian aid. The Italian response was swift and decisive as they bolstered the new government with fresh supplies and funds to pay the soldiers. Within a few months the socialists were all but wiped out and Lisbon secured. At this point the military government shocked the world by defaulting on their debts, declaring the Portuguese Republic, and executing the King for crimes against the Portuguese people.
The economic impacts were felt instantly. Brazil's stock markets in Rio and Sao Paulo collapsed overnight (they'd dropped massively during the initial socialist rebellion, but had been recovering as the military had retaken the nation). The Japanese ruling coalition was overthrown and the Anarchist Party swept into power, resulting in massive military cutbacks and a slew of questionable economic reforms. Spain's government was similarly overthrown, though the difference between parties there was less extreme. Within a month Buenos Ares, Bogata, and Mexico City had seen their stock markets collapse as well. The sudden economic depression sweeping Latin America (and Canada) meant the end the the weak recovery that had begun in Europe and the United States. The Netherlands and Republican China both chose to seize the territories they had planned to purchase (initially having occupied them during Portugal's brief civil war). Lisbon was outraged and Rome soon began to side with the Dignified Chinese State in the aftermath.
With the economic collapse came political fallout. Colombia would see a coup and the military government would support the Venezuelans against the United State's ill planned effort to counter Entente power in Latin America. The US public, seeing their recent slight economic fortunes reverse and now their military struggling against Latin American states lost trust in the existing political establishment (as well as general distaste for the way the rest of the world paid them little respect). 1930 would see a wave of independents and third parties take seats in congress and the senate. The two most successful third parties would be the Communists and National Coalition. Germany would see an abortive communist rebellion that never quite reached the level of success seen in Portugal, but allowed military hardliners to push for a wide range of emergency laws that the Entente was willing to turn a blind eye to. Citing the disaster debt had caused in Portugal and their own hyper inflation issues that rose up every few years Berlin was able to negotiate a temporary freeze on reparation payments until 'the risk of communist rebellion was averted'. Germany then moved to strengthen relations with Italy, copying a number of the populist policies set up by the Fascists to relieve public pressure.
1931 saw the overthrow of the Abyssinian King, with his younger brother and the parliament moving against the corrupt ruler. Their position was legally questionable within Entente regulations (Portugal had been kicked out for their reckless behaviour, the Ottomans only just returned from supsension, while the Military Juntas in Ecuador and Colombia sat in suspension), which allowed the Italians to act, throwing their support behind the overthrown King and launching a full scale military intervention at his request. The London elite were outraged. Ethiopia sat squarely in 'their' sphere of influence, and Prime Minister pushed for the Entente to act. France however refused to risk a war with Italy, fearing they would be left to do the bulk of the fighting trying to push through the Alps and dreading the deathtoll. Mexico, Argentina, and the Central American League were more focused on protesting the suspension of Ecuador and Colombia (and lack of admittance for Venezuela) and could not be relied upon to assist either side of the debate. Japan's government was indecisive, knowing war would be unpopular, but also not wanting to see a non-white member of the Entente abandoned. As the British finally convinced China to at least back the idea (even if they had no real ability to assist in any such war, or perhaps because of that) protests broke out in London. The average citizen was against risking a war for a nation no one could even agree on the name of (both Abyssinia and Ethiopia were in use depending on whom you asked). Britain instead backed out of military action and attempted to talk Italy into some sort of ceasefire with minor territorial gains. Rome laughed offed the proposal and continued their conquest of the the nation (er, 'restoration of the rightful king to Gondar...').
With that Turkey, Thailand, and Persia departed the Entente in protest over it's inaction, while the Latin American states departed over a clear 'European Focus' of the alliance. The latter forming the Latin League, incorporating Venezuela, and focusing on a Pan-Latin American identity and alliance to counter the United States'. Austria soon found it's government out of office as a Pan-Germanist party was elected and pushed for unification with the more prosperous regime in Berlin. The rump Entente fumed, but many in the general public saw it as removing states that should have never been in the alliance.
In 1932 the US presidential election was a rude awakening for the National Coalition (Natcos). While they could win State Legislatures and seats in Congress or the Senate with their populist anti-black rhetoric the ideals didn't really give them a shot at the presidency. A new tactic was needed for 1936, and the upcoming charismatic duo of Alfred Moore and John Polzul (the son of Austrian immigrants), offered a solution. Firstly there was simple charisma, but they had also chosen additional foes for populous appeal, most noticably Finns and Russians ('notorious' for communist sympathies) and the Jewish population (notable for having largely escaped the post-war depression as most well to do American Jews had backed the Entente and given loans appropriatly, disliking Russian levels of anti-semitism). The National Coalition would get an extra boost as the Latin League began supporting rebel groups in Cuba and Costa Rica, gaining a chance to claim that Latin America lacked respect for the USA, and that it was because existing parties were 'weak'. The 1936 election would be notable for political violence, not just between Natcos and Communists, but also Democrats and Republicans as the United States had been teatering on hyper-partisan issues almost since the Civil War had ended (and certainly had it before the war). A lackluster Republican candidate and a very Southern Democrat allowed the Natcos to slide up the middle. The Natcos came in third, but close enough behind the other two parties to throw the election to the house. After fierce debate Alfred Moore gained the Presidency as an effort of by the two 'main' parties to deny the office to the other, though the Republics secured the Vice Presidency. Left leaning groups panicked immediately, and violence broke out in a number of communist voting regions fearing pro-Natco militias would attack them first.
The rest of the world had their eyes elsewhere though. In 1935 the confused Czech parliament saw the German Unity Party secure a majority of 1 seat due to vote splitting and the following of the Westminster FPTP system (with 6 significant parties small changes in support had frequently led to massive swings in government make up). The GUP initiated it's platform of requestin unification with Berlin, a move which resulted in riots across the nation. Citing the chaos the Entente attempted to push for a plebiscite to see which regions would join Germany, but a Berlin unimpressed by Entente disunity ignored the request and occupied the Czech state. Berlin then expressed their 'concern' for German minorities in Poland, to which Poland responded with mass arrests, convinced Germans were planning some sort of fifth column. Berlin demanded that Polish Germans be released less Warsaw wished to risk a war. The Entente announced their full support for Polish autonomy, leaders seeing public outrage over innaction when it came to the Czech Crisis and the fact that the public wasn't about to 'let Germany win in peace what she failed to take in war'. In June of 1936 German forces rolled into Poland, liberating Germans in internment camps, and instead rounding up Polish government officials to replace them. Within the following hours two events occured which shocked the world: The Entente actually declared war against Germany and the Worker's Federation invaded Eastern Poland as part of a pre-existing deal to secure that and the Baltics for Moscow while Germany had a free hand in Europe.
The rest of the Entente was shocked. Spain immediately demanded intervention to put down the socialist rebellion, but the rest of the Entente was more cautious. France and Britain remained certain that Portuguese authorities could handle the crisis, and knew any military endevours would be unpopular with their populace. Japan and China meanwhile, needing to play a delicate balancing game with the Worker's Federation, hoped that the Entente showing an acceptance of socialism in her member states would make the WF more willing to work with them (and against the militant xenophobes ravaging the Chinese interior). As the Entente argued the Portuguese countryside was swept up in socialist rebellion far faster than anyone had expected (in truth a massive over-extension by the socialists, but they hoped that moving quickly to secure land could gain them recognition). Meanwhile the anti-socialist forces were sharply divided, many soldiers had little loyalty to the King and a government that often missed paychecks, though they did fear the idea of a socialist state. Desertion and a descent into banditry massively weakened the military. Seizing on Entente inaction Italy secretly contacted non-socialist republican factions in the Portuguese army with an offer of assistance. Bolstered these elements staged a coup within the counter revolutionary force, capturing the Royal Family and forcing them to request Italian aid. The Italian response was swift and decisive as they bolstered the new government with fresh supplies and funds to pay the soldiers. Within a few months the socialists were all but wiped out and Lisbon secured. At this point the military government shocked the world by defaulting on their debts, declaring the Portuguese Republic, and executing the King for crimes against the Portuguese people.
The economic impacts were felt instantly. Brazil's stock markets in Rio and Sao Paulo collapsed overnight (they'd dropped massively during the initial socialist rebellion, but had been recovering as the military had retaken the nation). The Japanese ruling coalition was overthrown and the Anarchist Party swept into power, resulting in massive military cutbacks and a slew of questionable economic reforms. Spain's government was similarly overthrown, though the difference between parties there was less extreme. Within a month Buenos Ares, Bogata, and Mexico City had seen their stock markets collapse as well. The sudden economic depression sweeping Latin America (and Canada) meant the end the the weak recovery that had begun in Europe and the United States. The Netherlands and Republican China both chose to seize the territories they had planned to purchase (initially having occupied them during Portugal's brief civil war). Lisbon was outraged and Rome soon began to side with the Dignified Chinese State in the aftermath.
With the economic collapse came political fallout. Colombia would see a coup and the military government would support the Venezuelans against the United State's ill planned effort to counter Entente power in Latin America. The US public, seeing their recent slight economic fortunes reverse and now their military struggling against Latin American states lost trust in the existing political establishment (as well as general distaste for the way the rest of the world paid them little respect). 1930 would see a wave of independents and third parties take seats in congress and the senate. The two most successful third parties would be the Communists and National Coalition. Germany would see an abortive communist rebellion that never quite reached the level of success seen in Portugal, but allowed military hardliners to push for a wide range of emergency laws that the Entente was willing to turn a blind eye to. Citing the disaster debt had caused in Portugal and their own hyper inflation issues that rose up every few years Berlin was able to negotiate a temporary freeze on reparation payments until 'the risk of communist rebellion was averted'. Germany then moved to strengthen relations with Italy, copying a number of the populist policies set up by the Fascists to relieve public pressure.
1931 saw the overthrow of the Abyssinian King, with his younger brother and the parliament moving against the corrupt ruler. Their position was legally questionable within Entente regulations (Portugal had been kicked out for their reckless behaviour, the Ottomans only just returned from supsension, while the Military Juntas in Ecuador and Colombia sat in suspension), which allowed the Italians to act, throwing their support behind the overthrown King and launching a full scale military intervention at his request. The London elite were outraged. Ethiopia sat squarely in 'their' sphere of influence, and Prime Minister pushed for the Entente to act. France however refused to risk a war with Italy, fearing they would be left to do the bulk of the fighting trying to push through the Alps and dreading the deathtoll. Mexico, Argentina, and the Central American League were more focused on protesting the suspension of Ecuador and Colombia (and lack of admittance for Venezuela) and could not be relied upon to assist either side of the debate. Japan's government was indecisive, knowing war would be unpopular, but also not wanting to see a non-white member of the Entente abandoned. As the British finally convinced China to at least back the idea (even if they had no real ability to assist in any such war, or perhaps because of that) protests broke out in London. The average citizen was against risking a war for a nation no one could even agree on the name of (both Abyssinia and Ethiopia were in use depending on whom you asked). Britain instead backed out of military action and attempted to talk Italy into some sort of ceasefire with minor territorial gains. Rome laughed offed the proposal and continued their conquest of the the nation (er, 'restoration of the rightful king to Gondar...').
With that Turkey, Thailand, and Persia departed the Entente in protest over it's inaction, while the Latin American states departed over a clear 'European Focus' of the alliance. The latter forming the Latin League, incorporating Venezuela, and focusing on a Pan-Latin American identity and alliance to counter the United States'. Austria soon found it's government out of office as a Pan-Germanist party was elected and pushed for unification with the more prosperous regime in Berlin. The rump Entente fumed, but many in the general public saw it as removing states that should have never been in the alliance.
In 1932 the US presidential election was a rude awakening for the National Coalition (Natcos). While they could win State Legislatures and seats in Congress or the Senate with their populist anti-black rhetoric the ideals didn't really give them a shot at the presidency. A new tactic was needed for 1936, and the upcoming charismatic duo of Alfred Moore and John Polzul (the son of Austrian immigrants), offered a solution. Firstly there was simple charisma, but they had also chosen additional foes for populous appeal, most noticably Finns and Russians ('notorious' for communist sympathies) and the Jewish population (notable for having largely escaped the post-war depression as most well to do American Jews had backed the Entente and given loans appropriatly, disliking Russian levels of anti-semitism). The National Coalition would get an extra boost as the Latin League began supporting rebel groups in Cuba and Costa Rica, gaining a chance to claim that Latin America lacked respect for the USA, and that it was because existing parties were 'weak'. The 1936 election would be notable for political violence, not just between Natcos and Communists, but also Democrats and Republicans as the United States had been teatering on hyper-partisan issues almost since the Civil War had ended (and certainly had it before the war). A lackluster Republican candidate and a very Southern Democrat allowed the Natcos to slide up the middle. The Natcos came in third, but close enough behind the other two parties to throw the election to the house. After fierce debate Alfred Moore gained the Presidency as an effort of by the two 'main' parties to deny the office to the other, though the Republics secured the Vice Presidency. Left leaning groups panicked immediately, and violence broke out in a number of communist voting regions fearing pro-Natco militias would attack them first.
The rest of the world had their eyes elsewhere though. In 1935 the confused Czech parliament saw the German Unity Party secure a majority of 1 seat due to vote splitting and the following of the Westminster FPTP system (with 6 significant parties small changes in support had frequently led to massive swings in government make up). The GUP initiated it's platform of requestin unification with Berlin, a move which resulted in riots across the nation. Citing the chaos the Entente attempted to push for a plebiscite to see which regions would join Germany, but a Berlin unimpressed by Entente disunity ignored the request and occupied the Czech state. Berlin then expressed their 'concern' for German minorities in Poland, to which Poland responded with mass arrests, convinced Germans were planning some sort of fifth column. Berlin demanded that Polish Germans be released less Warsaw wished to risk a war. The Entente announced their full support for Polish autonomy, leaders seeing public outrage over innaction when it came to the Czech Crisis and the fact that the public wasn't about to 'let Germany win in peace what she failed to take in war'. In June of 1936 German forces rolled into Poland, liberating Germans in internment camps, and instead rounding up Polish government officials to replace them. Within the following hours two events occured which shocked the world: The Entente actually declared war against Germany and the Worker's Federation invaded Eastern Poland as part of a pre-existing deal to secure that and the Baltics for Moscow while Germany had a free hand in Europe.
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