Did somebody say they wanted to see more about the Nordic Countries?
No? Oh well, too bad
As a confederation, the Nordic Federation is composed of six constituent federated states, which are known collectively as the Nordic countries, that make up the majority of the nation's population and area. The six countries are the kingdoms of Sweden, Finland and Karelia, Denmark, Norway, and Scania, and the republic of Iceland, and are all located in Northern Europe where their territory spans the Fennoscandian Peninsula, the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic. Although the term is used narrowly to refer to these six states, in a broader sense it includes Greenland, Schleswig and the Faroe Islands, which are autonomous regions of Denmark, as well as the Åland and Svalbard archipelagos of Finland and Norway respectively. The modern Finnish region of East Karelia, which also includes the Kola Peninsula, was not historically considered part of the Nordic countries, whilst Greenland is often considered part of the North American continent, but for historical, cultural and political reasons is grouped with European Denmark. Minnesota, a British territory in North America, is sometimes referred to as the seventh Nordic country due to its close relations with the European Nordics, with whom it shares a common language base and culture.
The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history, religion, their use of Scandinavian languages and social structure. The region also has a long history of political unions and close relations, the most recent being the Akershus Union between Sweden, Norway and Scania that dissolved in the early 20th century, but the modern Federation only came into existence in the aftermath of the Second World War, which saw increased cooperation amongst the Nordic countries. Each country has its own economic and social models, sometimes with large differences from its neighbours, but to varying degrees they all share the Nordic model of economy and social structure: where a market economy is combined with strong labour unions and a universal welfare system financed by high taxes. Under the Nordic Federal Constitution, the countries retain their own systems of government, with many domestic matters remaining under the exclusive control of the state governments whilst foreign affairs, defence and international trade are controlled at the federal level, however the federal government is empowered to set minimum standards in all areas of government responsibility, which the countries are required to adhere to.
Was there any chance of OTL Malaysia and Brunei becoming dominions as presented in the ITTL world map, because it would cool to see both a non white sub national hereditary monarch (Brunei) and elective monarch (Malaysia), as part of the United Empire?
Exactly. Each country receives 5 council seats, then the autonomous territories of Greenland, East Karelia, Aland and the Faroe Islands each receive 2 seats each.
Schleswig is a weird one, as it is considered part of Denmark Proper and merely has devolution characteristic of OTL Wales. So it's not considered a separate region by the federal government - hence why it doesn't get its own council seats.
Was there any chance of OTL Malaysia and Brunei becoming dominions as presented in the ITTL world map, because it would cool to see both a non white sub national hereditary monarch (Brunei) and elective monarch (Malaysia), as part of the United Empire?
Before the Second World War there might have been the possibility of the Malay Peninsula and Sarawak joining the United Empire, but given that the United Empire was generally the majority White territories of the wider Empire I doubt it was ever a serious prospect. The fact that both areas are majority Muslim would not have been acceptable to the governing elite at the time. The gradual independence of India, and the occupation of the region by Chinese forces probably prevented any serious consideration of integration, as the territories began to move towards independence.
Sarawak was probably a more serious prospect for integration in the post-war period, as the Rajah actually discussed with the British Imperial Government the possibility of either integration as a dominion or becoming a crown colony. In the end the country remained a protectorate until the 1960s.
As part of my efforts to generate complete facts and world data, I've compiled a full list of each country based on its Human Development Index score. And seen as this is primarily a graphical timeline, I figured I'd share the results in map form.
As you can see, when compared to OTL, Africa and the Middle East are significantly more developed than OTL, with a particular emphasis on a more developed and peaceful Arab world. Generally worldwide life expectancy, education and per capita income are all higher than OTL.
@LeinadB93: You know, it would have been fun if Samnorsk actually happened there. Would mean you would have to redo the Norwegian one, but it's a fun idea
@LeinadB93: You know, it would have been fun if Samnorsk actually happened there. Would mean you would have to redo the Norwegian one, but it's a fun idea
Exactly, in many ways Texas is a very well developed country, with its urban areas being equally as developed as those of California, Britain or Europe. But the rural areas of Texas are poorer, and the states of Sonora and Navajo continue to be significantly underdeveloped compared to the rest of the country.
Yes and no. Texas was “part” of the British Empire since independence as a protectorate, so there we no real barriers to people moving in from British America. Settlers would probably have been actively encouraged by early Texan governments.
So massive credit must to go to @TPL99 for the insane levels of work put into this part of the project!!
Seriously, the amount of local knowledge he brought to this is overwhelming, and to be honest this is almost entirely his contribution, I just made a few tweaks and amendments to fit established canon.
Hope you enjoy
The Empire of Brazil is a transcontinental sovereign state located in South America and southern Africa. With a total land of area of 10 million square kilometres (3.8 million square miles), and a combined population of over 230 million, Brazil is the largest country in Latin America by area and population, and globally is the third largest by area and the sixth most populous. Bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Metropolitan Brazil shares a land border with every other South American country or territory except Ecuador, Chile and Patagonia. The semi-autonomous Viceroyalty of Benguela, located on the west coast of Africa, shares land borders with the United Provinces of the Cape to the south, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia to the southeast, Zambia to the east, and Angola to the north. Brazil’s Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of the world’s “megadiverse countries”, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection.
The territory that today makes up metropolitan Brazil had been inhabited by numerous indigenous American nations for millennia prior to the first landing of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, who claimed the coastal areas for the Portuguese Crown. However settlement did not begin until the 1530s, and Brazil was only formally established as a crown colony in 1549. Numerous claims and border adjustments between Portugal and Spain during the colonial period saw Brazil expand to claim most of its modern borders, and unlike the neighbouring Spanish colonies, the Portuguese colony would remain under a single administration. Brazil remained a colony of Portugal until 1808 when, during the Napoleonic Wars, the capital of the Portuguese Empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro and Queen Maria I took up residence in the country. In 1816 the colony was elevated to the rank of Kingdom, as a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The 1820 Liberal Revolution in Portugal led to the return of the Portuguese King João VI and his family to the now-liberated Portugal, while his eldest son and heir, Dom Pedro, remained in Brazil as regent.
On 7 September 1822, amidst an ongoing political crisis between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro, Pedro declared the independence of Brazil and was acclaimed the first Emperor of Brazil after waging a successful war of independence against Portugal. The new empire’s first constitution, which was widely considered to be one of the most liberal of the times, was adopted and ratified on 25 March 1824, establishing Brazil as a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliamentary system. The Pacto Imperial between the Emperor, Congress and the provincial governments would grant Brazil political stability over its Hispanic neighbours, and would last until the death of Pedro I in 1844. The Cisplatine Uprising of 1826 established Brazil’s influence as the pre-eminent power on the continent, with the attempted secession of the province of Cisplatina prevented and the neighbouring United Provinces of the Río de la Plata dissolved and replaced with a monarchy under King Pedro V, brother-in-law of the emperor. During the 1830s and 40s, Brazil experienced several minor regional revolts, most notably the Second Pernambuco Revolt (1836-38) and the Farroupilha Revolution (1835-41), but by the mid-1840s the threat to the empire from internal revolt had ended. The death of Emperor Pedro I in 1844 brought the Pacto Imperial period to a close, and led to widespread mourning across the country.
In the 1860s, Brazil would strengthen its relations with the British Empire, as the two countries intervened in the Granadine Civil War to end the bloody conflict. British investment would play a large role in the rapid industrialisation throughout Brazil’s coastal cities, and the resulting prosperity and economic development led to an influx of immigration from Europe. Slavery was gradually restricted and finally abolished in 1867, largely as a result of economic pressure applied by the abolitionist British Empire and the actions of the Prime Minister, Evangelista de Sousa, who assured the loyalty of rural land owners by promising investment in labour and machinery. This led to a significant boost for Brazilian agriculture, and by the end of the century Brazil accounted for almost 80% of the global production of coffee. The short-lived Second Cisplatine Uprising (1864-65) was a period of civil unrest in the Empire’s southernmost province, as insurrectionists, backed by Paraguay, attempted to break away from the imperial monarchy. Paraguay’s intervention in the uprising led directly to the outbreak of the Paraguayan War (1864-70), when the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina and the Kingdom of Peru, invaded the country. The war resulted in Brazil acquiring the modern provinces of Beni and Manuripi, whilst most of Paraguay and Upper Peru was divided between Argentina and Peru, although the borders in the area were disputed. Arbitration by the British government of Joseph Chamberlain would establish the modern borders when the three countries signed the Treaty of Tampa on 16 July 1899.
The expansion of industry led to the rapid development of Brazil, and for the last few decades of the 19th century the country enjoyed internal stability and economic prosperity, with the expansion of the railroads and electric telegraph systems. The accession of Afonso I to the imperial throne in 1891, upon the death of his father, solidified the country’s transformation into a true constitutional monarchy, as the new monarch was devoutly religious and delegated much of his power to his ministers. The last major constitutional change in Metropolitan Brazil were the 1903 Petrópolis Accords, which came about through discussions with the Imperial Congress and the provincial governments to formally amend the constitution to establish the federal system in law. By 1910, the Empire of Brazil was a recognised global power, and despite remaining neutral at the beginning of the First World War, Brazil would unofficially support Britain and the Entente until formally declaring war on Germany in early-1915. In the post-war treaties, Brazil would gain part of German West Africa, a territory they had occupied with the British since July 1915. In 1919 the Kavango would be annexed to Brazilian West Africa, which had been ceded to Brazil by Portugal in 1826.
During the inter-war period, Brazil’s economy suffered from the Great Depression and the labour movement grew in strength with the country’s first socialist government in 1929. Successive governments would see the establishment of the Brazilian welfare state, along with the creation of the Brás’ public companies system, such as Petrobrás, Eletrobrás, Construbrás, and Siderbrás. During the Second World War, Brazil remained neutral but actively supported the Allies until the 1941 invasion of Portugal by Francoist Spain, after which the country declared war on the Axis. Brazilian forces would serve in the North African theatre, and play crucial roles in the Allied invasions of Spain and the Italian Peninsula, and Brazil was recognised as one of the “Big Three” allied powers during the conflict. The immediate post-war period saw Brazil emerge as a major player on the world stage, with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and occupation zones in Allied-occupied Germany and Spain. The colony of Benguela began the transition to autonomy in 1947, with the granting of indirect home rule, although the establishment of a fully autonomous viceroyalty would not occur until 1987.
In the 1950s the new capital of Brasília, which had been planned since 1887, was completed and inaugurated. The 1970s and 80s saw Brazil experience a second industrial boom, and successive governments pursued a process of “strategic modernisation” to boost economic growth and strength Brazil’s position as a great power and emerging superpower. On 27 April 1987, Brazil successfully tested a nuclear weapon in the Emperor Afonso Test Range in Pernambuco, becoming the seventh country with confirmed nuclear weapons. Brazil is the last member of Security Council to become a nuclear weapons state, having maintained an option to pursue nuclear weapons under the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, however the country maintains the world’s smallest stockpile, which is estimated to be fewer than 100 warheads as of 2015.
Modern Brazil has one of the world’s largest economies and is a major breadbasket as well as the largest producer of coffee. As a great power and potential superpower, Brazil wields considerable influence in international politics, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the only member from the Americas, and is a major contributor to the UN budget and peacekeeping operations. The country has international recognition and influence, being a leading member of the G10 and the Union of Latin American Nations, a customs union and common market zone between most Latin American countries.
The 2016 Brazilian federal election was held on 28 August 2016 to elect, under the mixed member majoritarian system, the 603 members of Imperial Chamber of Deputies, 402 of which are elected under the first-past-the-post system from single-member constituencies, whilst the other 201 are elected from proportional party lists in each province. The First Minister of Benguela is also ex officio a non-voting member of the chamber. It was the first time since 1940 when only the lower house was dissolved, due to the Senate having a minimum term of four years between elections.
The snap election was called less than a year after the previous one, as the incumbent Brazil Forward alliance minority government of Prime Minister Aécio Neves, leader of the Democratic Party (Partido Democrático), sought to secure a majority government. The minority alliance was formed by the Democrats, the centre-right Renewal Party (Partido da Renovação), the religious right Christian League (Liga Cristã), and the centrist United for Change (Unidos pela Mudança), held 254 seats, 48 less than a majority. The election was also an effort to appease the country’s political mood after Emperor Pedro V refused the request by former Prime Minister Lula da Silva, leader of the centre-left Socialist Democratic Federation (Federação Socialista Democrática; SDF), to form a minority government after the 2015 election saw their “Social Progress” alliance partner, the Green-Left Alliance (Aliança Verde-Esquerda), reduced to sixth place.
The key issues of the electoral campaign were the ongoing fight against corruption (with minor allegations of bribery reaching multiple SDF and Democrats politicians in the provincial sphere), Brazil’s future economic growth, actions to combat global warming and climate change, the reduction of Brazil’s armed forces and nuclear weapons, and social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights. Many of the leaders debates were fiery and the most prominent featured sexist declarations by Jair Bolsonaro, leader of the far-right populist Moral and Civic (Moral e Cívica), who accused Kátia Abreu, leader of the big-tent centrist Liberal Party (Partido liberal), of being “naturally unprepared to lead men”.
As the polls closed narrowly on election day, neither alliance reached the required number of 302 seats. The Democrats remained the largest party in the chamber, whilst the SDF lost 19 seats, and in the final result the “Brazil Forward” alliance had 276 seats to 190 seats for “Social Progress”. Lula da Silva, the former prime minister and SDF leader for sixteen years, announced his resignation as leader on election night. The broad-tent Uruguayan regionalist party, Libertade Uruguaya, won the popular vote at the provincial level and secured majorities in all but one of Uruguay’s constituencies. With no alliance securing a majority, negotiations lasted for several days, and resulted in “Brazil Forward” securing a confidence and supply agreement with Bolsonaro and his Moral and Civic party. The confirmation vote on 9 September 2016 saw Neves elected as prime minister, with the Emperor accepting the formation of the government, and the following day the prime minister and his ministry swore loyalty to the Emperor and the Constitution in the Imperial Congress.
And of course, the required follow up listing the historic Brazilian Prime Ministers. Again massive credit to @TPL99 for all his work on this.
Prime Ministers of the Empire of Brazil (1824–)[1]
11. 1824–1836 Nicolau Vergueiro (Crossbencher majority) 12. 1836–1841 Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo (Liberal majority, then Liberal–Mason majority coalition) 13. 1841–1851 Aureliano Coutinho†, 1st Viscount of Sepetiba (Moderate–Conservative majority coalition, then Moderate minority with Conservative support) 14. 1851–1856 Lucas de Barros (Moderate minority with Conservative support) 15. 1856–1868 Evangelista de Sousa (Liberal majority, then Liberal minority, then Liberal–Progressivemajority coalition, then Liberal majority) 16. 1868–1871 Camilo Armond (Liberal majority) 17. 1871–1876 Maurício Vanderleij (Democratic majority)(1st)[2] 18. 1876–1881 Brás da Costa e Gama, 2nd Marquis of Baependi (Liberal majority) 17. 1881–1884 Maurício Vanderleij, 1st Baron Cotegipe† (Democratic majority)(2nd) 19. 1884–1886 Manuel Vieira Tosta (Democratic majority)
10. 1886–1893 Silveira Martins (Liberal majority)
11. 1893–1896 Sousa Dantas† (Liberal majority)
12. 1896–1902 Henrique de Lucena, 1st Baron Lucena (Democratic majority, then Democratic minority)
13. 1902–1906 Francisco Glicério (Liberal–Liberator–Uruguayo majority coalition)[3]
14. 1906–1910 Antônio da Silva Prado (Democratic majority)
15. 1910–1918 Ruy Barbosa, 2nd Baron Mucuri (Liberal majority, then Liberal minority, then Wartime Coalition)
16. 1918–1919 Albuquerque Lins (Liberal majority)
17. 1919–1924 Alaor Prata (Democratic majority)
18. 1924–1929 João Pessoa, 1st Viscount of Campina Grande (Liberal majority)
19. 1929–1930 Benedito Valadares (SDF minority)(1st)
20. 1930–1931 Feliciano Sodré (Democratic–Liberalmajority coalition, then Democratic minority) 19. 1931–1938 Benedito Valadares (SDF majority)(2nd)
21. 1938–1940 Pedro Ludovico (Liberal minority) 19. 1940–1946 Benedito Valadares (SDF majority, then Wartime Coalition, then SDF majority)(3rd)
22. 1946–1948 Alberto Pasqualini (SDF majority)
23. 1948–1953 Filinto Müller (Democratic majority)
24. 1953–1963 Rui Carneiro (Liberal–SDFmajority coalition, then Liberal majority)
25. 1963–1968 Roberto Campos (Democratic majority)
26. 1968–1977 Líbero Seregni (SDF majority)[4]
27. 1977–1982 Jarbas Passarinho (Democratic majority)
28. 1982–1987 Saturnino Braga (National Mobilization Pact coalition | SDF–Liberal–Communist) [5]
29. 1987–1992 José Eymael (Brazil Forward majority | Democratic–Renewal–CL)
30. 1992–2000 Luiza Erundina (Social Progress majority | SDF–Communist–Greenbefore 1996, SDF–GLAafter 1996) [6]
31. 2000–2003 Lula da Silva (Social Progress majority, then Social Progress minority | SDF–GLA) (1st)
32. 2003–2011 Roberto Requião (National Unity majority | Liberal–UfC–Libertade Uruguayabefore 2009 | Liberal–UfCafter 2009) 31. 2011–2015 Lula da Silva (Social Progress majority | SDF–GLA) (2nd)
33. 2015–2018 Aécio Neves (Brazil Forward minority | Democratic–Renewal–CL–UfC, supported by Moral & Civic)
34. 2018–2021Geraldo Alckmin (Brazil Forward minority | Democratic–Renewal–CL–UfC, supported by Moral & Civic)
[1] - Official title is the "President of the Council of Ministers". The 1824 Constitutional Assembly is not dissolved by Emperor Pedro I after being convinced by José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. Also, the Moderator Power ("the fourth power") was approved with less power than OTL, creating something similar to a modern semi-presidential system, with the Emperor sharing power with a Prime Minister.
[2] - Only Dutch–speaking Prime Minister (as of June 2018). First to hold office more than one time non–consecutively.
[3] - Glicério started devolution to the provincial governments in 1903 with the Petrópolis Accords. Renamed Cisplatina as thee Província do Uruguai and installed Lourenço Latorre as provisional Governor after revolts there.
[4] - Only Oriental Portuguese–speaker Prime Minister (as of June 2018).
[5] - First Prime Minister elected under the modern alliance system.
[6] - First and only female Prime Minister (as of June 2018).
I need to genuinely thank @LeinadB93 to give me the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful universe what is Hail, Britannia (I write bold because it's that, really). It's amazing to have a well built and non-stereotyped main history, which many times not by own will, but unintentional lack of knowledge about our South American and Brazilian reality in both TLs. I spent nights, a lot of a damned time to do each constituency and the result it's great (I've a constituency and MICDs list too btw!) and this SDF-ite ITTL only can say it's truly flattered with each like you guys are putting in these posts.
I need to genuinely thank @LeinadB93 to give me the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful universe what is Hail, Britannia (I write bold because it's that, really). It's amazing to have a well built and non-stereotyped main history, which many times not by own will, but unintentional lack of knowledge about our South American and Brazilian reality in both TLs. I spent nights, a lot of a damned time to do each constituency and the result it's great (I've a constituency and MICDs list too btw!) and this SDF-ite ITTL only can say it's truly flattered with each like you guys are putting in these posts.
