Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes V (Do Not Post Current Politics Here)
- Status
Basically the POD is Malcolm Turnbull loses his 2004 Liberal pre-selection challenge against Peter King in Wentworth. Miffed at his loss, he runs as an Independent at that years election and wins, largely thanks to his wealth bankrolling significant ad space. The next year Turnbull joins the struggling Australian Democrats, effectively taking it over and becoming its leader. In the following two years he would pour significant money into it, again largely through advertising. Meanwhile, Kevin Rudd's challenge against Kim Beasley does not succeed and Beasley leads Labor to the 2007 election. The Kevin '07 effect does not occur, and with both major parties proving unpopular to varying degrees the Dems surge to 10 seats, as well as the Greens picking up their first seat, in Melbourne.
Was there an OTL proposal to make the Duke of Wellington king of Sweden? It sounds vaguely familiar but I feel like it shouldn't. It seems like an interesting idea though. Is this the main POD of the TL or is this just a byproduct?
Game Grumps is a Let's Play web series hosted by Jon Jarfari and Dan Avidan. Created in 2012 by co-hosts Jarfari and Arin Hanson, the series centers around its hosts playing video games while adding comedic commentary. After Hanson left in 2013 to focus on his own YouTube channel Egoraptor and the his webseries entitled Sequelitis, he was succeeded by Avidan. Fans praised the show for the chemistry of the hosts, both the "Egoraptor era" and "Dan era" as fans have come to describe it. The show's longest play through was Sonic The Hedgehog (dubbed Sonic '06) which ran for 110 episodes but was beaten by Super Mario Maker which ran for 164 episodes. (But with the release of the sequel this may as well be beaten)
(from this post I did)
I don't believe so, it's mainly a parallel to how some random French marshal was made King of Sweden IOTL
It's a byproduct
The referendum was approved by the Parliament of Ireland following the passing of the Referendum Act 2018, which legislated for the holding of the referendum and stated that the result of the referendum – either approving or rejecting independence – would be binding with a simple majority, with no additional requirements turnout requirements imposed. Following an application from the federal government to the Supreme Court, the law was declared null and void on 19 November 2018.
The referendum question asked whether Ireland should become an independent country, with voters answering yes or no. The yes side won, with 2.15 million votes in favour of independence, compared to 127,000 votes against, on a turnout of 49.46%. The Irish Government subsequently estimated that a large number of votes were not cast nor counted due to polling stations being closed by police and argued that turnout would have been higher were it not for police suppression of the vote. On the other hand, many voters who did not support Irish independence did not turn out to vote, with the Commonwealth Government and pro-union political parties arguing that the referendum was illegal. This is evidenced by counties that are traditionally dominated by unionist communities, such as Antrim and Down in the north of Ireland, voted in favour of independence.
On the day of the referendum, many polling stations did open, although some were closed during the day by police. Violent outbreaks between supporters of independence and police (and some scattered clashes between unionists and supporters of independence) led to over 1,000 reports of civilians and police officers being injured on election day. The most violent clashes took place in Londonderry in County Derry, which saw bouts of rioting throughout the afternoon and into the evening of election day.
In the aftermath of the election, the Irish Government and Irish Premier Micheál Martin both said they believed the results of the referendum to be valid. Despite warnings from the Commonwealth Government that direct rule would be imposed if independence was declared, Martin's administration issued a unilateral declaration of independence from the Commonwealth of Great Britain and Ireland on 3 December 2018, with the declaration narrowly being approved by the Irish Parliament. Hours later, the Commonwealth Government suspended the Irish Parliament and assumed direct control over most of Ireland's autonomous powers. Fresh elections to the Parliament were scheduled for 14 March 2019.
Charges were brought against Premier Micheál Martin and several other members of his cabinet, including rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds (for the costs of holding the referendum). Martin fled to the United States, where he presently remains in exile, while a number of his cabinet colleagues were arrested and charged.
I really like this. Alternate history with occult/magical elements isn't nearly as explored as it should be. Lol at "The Squids". Could they be more obvious?
Ireland as Catalonia, with Northern Ireland sans Fermanagh as Tabarnia.
The Punjabi Premier League (PPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Punjab contested during March and April of every year by eight teams representing eight different cities in Punjab. The league was founded by the Punjabi Cricket Association in 2008. The PPL is one of the richest and most prestigious franchise leagues in the world, along with the Indian Cricket League, the KFC International Cup, the West Indies Championship, Twenty20 Bengal, the Madras Super League, and the T20 Blast.
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Devolution of power to a secondary level began when Ireland was granted self-government in 1912 by the Lloyd George government in Westminster, establishing the Parliament of Ireland. This remained the status quo until 1960, when Scotland was granted a similar level of self-government following a referendum, and the same was then granted to Wales in 1963. Seeking an answer to what England's place was in this new system, the government of Harold Wilson introduced the model that exists today, creating nine English states and reforming the UK into the United Commonwealth in 1973. The newly-created county of Greater London remained under direct rule from Westminster until 1994, when the autonomous county of Greater London was established in its place. Following a referendum in 1998, the State of Cornwall was established, splitting from Wessex and becoming the Commonwealth's thirteenth state.
United Commonwealth of Great Britain and Ireland
2018 Irish independence referendum
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Pretty cool! However, seems kinda weird that Wales, Scotland, and Ireland would have a supermajority of seats (136 versus 48 for the rest of the Commonwealth).
It's to keep to try and keep the nations balanced, and symbolise that Ireland, Wales and Scotland are equal to England, despite the huge variation in population. And it's only in terms of Senate seats, the Senate is very much the weaker chamber of Parliament, and in the more powerful House of Commons there are far more English MPs than Irish, Scottish and Welsh MPs.
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LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
A little something I've been working in for my X-in-Y series - Corsica-in-the Commonwealth:
The 2017 Corsican general election was held on 3 December 2017 to elect, under the d'hondt method of proportional representation in 5 multi-member divisions [1], the 66 members of the Corsican House of Assembly, the only chamber of the unicameral Corsican Parliament. This was the 24th general election on the island since the granting of responsible government in 1921, and the 12th since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 [2].
The incumbent centre-right national conservative Renewal Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Camille de Rocca Serra [3], had been in office since the 2012 election, and had won reelection in 2015 with a majority. His government had presided over a period of unprecedented economic growth for the island, eliminating Corsica's national deficit, decreasing unemployment to historic lows, and the successful adoption of the Euro in 2015. Beginning in 2016, Rocca Serra and his cabinet began to be accused of political opportunism as well as corruption allegations and the announcement of investigations by the Corsican National Police, leading to the threat of a vote of no confidence in the house. Rocca Serra called for the dissolution of parliament and a snap election on 1 November 2017. The opposition centre-left social democratic Nationals went into the election with high approval ratings, especially with new leader Gilles Simeoni's public attacks on the government, and their opposition to corruption and cronyism.
On election day, Renewal lost 10 seats while the Nationals surged ahead, winning 33 seats, with a surprise victory in the Calvi constituency winning them all 6 of its seats. Despite a strong performance, the Nationals failed to secure a majority of the popular vote and fell 1 seat short of a majority in the house. The left-wing democratic socialist Labour Party, once a major party in Corsican politics, rebounded slightly by gaining two seats in Bastia and Ajaccio following a strong campaign by leader Simon Renucci. Rocca Serra, seeing the writing on the wall, announced his resignation on election night, and Simeoni was invited to form a government and sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of Corsica. Despite lacking a majority, Renucci and the Labour Party agreed to support the government on confidence and budget motions, in exchange for some concessions on workers' rights and environmental protections.
LeinadB93's X-in-Y series
The 2017 Corsican general election was held on 3 December 2017 to elect, under the d'hondt method of proportional representation in 5 multi-member divisions [1], the 66 members of the Corsican House of Assembly, the only chamber of the unicameral Corsican Parliament. This was the 24th general election on the island since the granting of responsible government in 1921, and the 12th since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 [2].
The incumbent centre-right national conservative Renewal Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Camille de Rocca Serra [3], had been in office since the 2012 election, and had won reelection in 2015 with a majority. His government had presided over a period of unprecedented economic growth for the island, eliminating Corsica's national deficit, decreasing unemployment to historic lows, and the successful adoption of the Euro in 2015. Beginning in 2016, Rocca Serra and his cabinet began to be accused of political opportunism as well as corruption allegations and the announcement of investigations by the Corsican National Police, leading to the threat of a vote of no confidence in the house. Rocca Serra called for the dissolution of parliament and a snap election on 1 November 2017. The opposition centre-left social democratic Nationals went into the election with high approval ratings, especially with new leader Gilles Simeoni's public attacks on the government, and their opposition to corruption and cronyism.
On election day, Renewal lost 10 seats while the Nationals surged ahead, winning 33 seats, with a surprise victory in the Calvi constituency winning them all 6 of its seats. Despite a strong performance, the Nationals failed to secure a majority of the popular vote and fell 1 seat short of a majority in the house. The left-wing democratic socialist Labour Party, once a major party in Corsican politics, rebounded slightly by gaining two seats in Bastia and Ajaccio following a strong campaign by leader Simon Renucci. Rocca Serra, seeing the writing on the wall, announced his resignation on election night, and Simeoni was invited to form a government and sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of Corsica. Despite lacking a majority, Renucci and the Labour Party agreed to support the government on confidence and budget motions, in exchange for some concessions on workers' rights and environmental protections.
[1] - The constituency boundaries and populations are the OTL Corsican arrondissements.
[2] - A deliberate parallel to OTL Malta. ITTL Corsica is either retained by Britain from the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom or is somehow acquired during the Napoleonic Wars. Occupied during the Second World War but liberated in late 1943.
[3] - The son of former prime minister John-Paul de Rocca Serra.
[2] - A deliberate parallel to OTL Malta. ITTL Corsica is either retained by Britain from the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom or is somehow acquired during the Napoleonic Wars. Occupied during the Second World War but liberated in late 1943.
[3] - The son of former prime minister John-Paul de Rocca Serra.
LeinadB93's X-in-Y series
March Madness-style single elimination tournament for an Olympic cricket tournament in T20 format.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
+10 Federal Great Britain and Ireland
+5 balanced upper house representation
+5 sensible English federalism
Well done
unfortunately as a proud Yorkshireman:-1000 for Yorkshire borders (http://county-wise.org.uk/counties/yorkshire/)
Looking forward to the rest of the series
What is probably more shameful is I actually live in Yorkshire, so I should know better+10 Federal Great Britain and Ireland
+5 balanced upper house representation
+5 sensible English federalism
Well done
-1000 for Yorkshire borders (http://county-wise.org.uk/counties/yorkshire/)
Looking forward to the rest of the series
I may retcon this and give North Lincolnshire back to East MerciaA prequel/sequel/companion to The Second Sino-Japanese War
Liao Zhongkai was a Chinese politician and leader of the Kuomintang. In 1905, he first became involved with political activism, joining the Tongmenghui engaging in opposition to the Qing Dynasty. Later, after the Republic of China was established, he joined Sun Yat Sen's Kuomintang, and by the 1920s rose to the rank of Minister of Finance. During the warlord era, he was an advocate for maintaining close relations and cooperation with the Soviet Union and Chinese Communist Party. When Sun Yat Sen died in 1925, Zhongkai succeeded him as Chairman of the Kuomintang, leader of the party. His continued advocacy for cooperation with the communists generated some opposition from the right of the Kuomintang, - the implication of major right-wing factional leader Hu Hanmin in the failed assassination attempt on Zhongkai in 1925, however, helped Zhongkai and the left-wing faction strengthen their position at the expense of the right-wing faction in the latter half of the 20s
Under Zhongkai, the territory under the control of the Kuomintang and allies saw the beginning of political and social reforms, as well as economic development, in part supported by the USSR. Zhongkai's primary focus, however, was on the building of the National Republican Army, with cooperation from the Soviets and Chinese Communists. The Kuomintang at this time was confined to territory in the south of China, with the Zhili and Fengtian warlord factions vying for power in the central and northern regions of power. Zhongkai and the Kuomintang sought to change this, and in 1926 initiated the Northern Expedition, with the National Republican Army, Communist forces, and some allied warlords like the Kuominchun joining forces to defeat the Zhili and Fengtian. By the start of fall, 1926, Zhongkai's United Front had captured Wuhan, by early 1927 Nanjing and Shanghai had been captured, and by late 1927 Beijing had fallen to the coalition, with Fengtian warlord Zhang Xueliang accepting the overlordship of the new central government
With the end of the Northern Expedition, China was unified on paper. But in reality, much of China was under the control of warlords who swore allegiance to the central government but had some degree of autonomy in theory in practice, with the central government having varying degrees of authority and influence over the warlords depending on various different circumstances. Even in the territory under the control of the central government (initially Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Hubei, as well as some parts of neighboring provinces), authority was somewhat muddled, with Zhongkai and the Kuomintang being the leaders in Najing on paper and often in practice too, but with the Communist Party often acting as something of a state within a state and also extending growing influence inside the Kuomintang as well as more directly in the cities and countryside of both the territories of the central government and areas among some warlords' territories. Nonetheless, despite the awkwardness of the United Front and matters of the warlords, China was in a much more peaceful and stable state than it had been in for the past decade and a half, and saw significant developments in economic growth, construction of infrastructure, building of institutions, improvements in education, and political and social reform, as well as further growth and improvement of the military forces, and continued cooperation with and aid from the Soviet Union, as well as investment and economic involvement with other European countries and the United States
The assassination attempt on Liao Zhongkai in 1925 failed, but did seriously wound him, and leave him with chronic pain for the rest of his life. Largely due to this, he would step down from his position as head of the Kuomintang in early 1929, at which point Wang Jingwei succeeded him as Chairman
By that time, the left wing faction of the Kuomintang had solidly cemented itself in control of the party, in part with help from the Communist party. After the imprisonment of Hu Hanmin, there had been some speculation that the NRA general Chiang Kai Shek, another prominent leader of the right wing faction of the Kuomintang, might eventually try to take control of the Party, and this speculation elevated during the initial stages of the Northern Expedition, with his command of the armies that took Nanjing. This speculation was silenced, however, shortly after the capture of Nanjing, when a Zhili agent managed to assassinate Chiang. With the death of their most prominent leader, the right wing faction of the Party went into terminal decline, remaining a force, but increasingly falling into factional struggles among itself without a clear leader. So when Zhongkai stepped down, there was little doubt that Jingwei would succeed him
The early years of Wang Jingwei's Chairmanship were not a marked departure from the governance of Liao Zhongkai. Jingwei was himself of the left wing of the party, and his early sympathies towards communism and communists were strengthened during and after the Northern Expedition, due to his appreciation of the communist military aid, and the successes of cooperation with the Communist Party as well as Soviet developmental aid and advisors after the Northern Expedition. As such, Jingwei continued the policy of the United Front. Even as the Communist Party grew in influence and eventually became the dominant power in China, Jingwei largely remained on cordial terms, there is some scholarly debate regarding the extent that these cordial relations in the middle and latter parts of his Chairmanship were due to genuine ideological shifts on the part of Jingwei vs pragmatism and political calculation
Eugene Chen was a Chinese Trinidadian lawyer and politician. Born in Trinidad, the child of immigrants, he became a prominent lawyer in the Islands. He later moved to London, where he met Sun Yat Sen, and was eventually convinced by him to move to China, to contribute his legal skills to the newly declared Republic of China. There, he became involved in politics, becoming a close advisor to Sun on foreign policy issues as well as a prominent diplomat, and taking a strong anti-imperialist stance
In 1927, as part of the reforms enacted after the end of the Northern Expedition, the position of President of the Republic of China was established/re-established/made official [idk, wikipedia has a list of presidents of the republic of China, but the ones before Chiang Kai-Shek are listed as "provisional" or "acting"]. There was some debate, between the Communists and Kuomintang, on who would be President, as well as to what the powers of the President would be - in the end, Eugene Chen was chosen for President, though with little established powers by this point (indeed, at this point, the broader scope and form of the Nanjing Government, even inside the central government territory, was more de facto than de jure, a matter under discussion but not decided on). Eugene Chen would ultimately be something of a figurehead as President, though a respected one, and is remembered for his role in diplomacy with negotiating for an end to foreign concessions
Chen Duxiu was a Chinese revolutionary and politician, the first leader of the Communist Party of China, and the first President of the Socialist Republic of China. During the nearly two decades of his Party leadership, China underwent major changes, in which he played a major role
In the early 1920s, Chen was able to secure cooperation with the Kuomintang, led by Sun Yat Sen (himself a revolutionary with socialistic ideals that didn't quite veer into Marxism but nonetheless helped establish an ideological common ground). This cooperation would continue after the death of Sun, and was an opportunity for the Communist Party to expand its influence (both in China as a whole and among the Kuomintang itself, which had a large left-wing faction with many who had at least some degree of sympathy with the communists, if not outright agreement), an opportunity Chen was eager to take. As the 20s progressed, the Communist Party expanded its influence in both the urban and rural areas of China, growing popular with its calls for societal change and anti-imperialism, and also gradually increasing its military wing, which was outnumbered by the National Republican Army but nonetheless would perform to distinction in the Northern Expedition. The Northern Expedition also saw instances like the Shanghai Commune, where a worker's uprising resulted in effective Communist Party control over much of the city, a situation which was tolerated (albeit with some complaints and right-wing opposition) by the Kuomintang after the completion of the Northern Expedition
By the start of the 1930s, Chen Duxiu had established the Communist Party as a competent and capable force in China, and sought to further expand, among other things managing to ascend after some political maneuvering to the position of President in early 1931, succeeding Eugene Chen. At the same time, Japan was increasing their interest in China, being rather disturbed first by the relative unity and development that China was undergoing, and then with the rise of the Communist Party in China, and with an open communist having such a prominent role in the Chinese government. In September, the Japanese military began operations in Manchuria, seeking to expand their influence and bring the Fengtian warlords back into alignment with Japan. But Japan had underestimated China, and overestimated the ability for the right-wing opposition they funded to put up a credible fight against the left-wing Nanjing government - the few right-wing KMT uprisings that occured largely fizzled out, having little success competing with the communists for rural support, and being quickly beaten down by the central government forces. The Japanese forces in the north were initially able to make large gains in Manchuria, but the arrival of the National Republican Army, the Red Army, and the forces of various warlords allowed the Chinese forces to stabilize the front in Manchuria. The Japanese forces tended to be better trained and equipped than the Chinese forces, but the Chinese forces had strength on their side, as well as some decently experienced forces from the Northern Expedition, and were also aided first by significant material support from the Soviet Union, and then by direct intervention. Japan had bitten off more than it could chew - in 1934 the Chinese forces captured Pusan, and pushed the Japanese forces off the continent altogether. The political shock of defeat triggered a coup in Japan - the new pro-peace government would not last long, falling to a militarist coup itself by the end of the 1930s, but nonetheless sued for peace with China and the USSR, granting China all territories lost since the Treaty of Shimonoseki, granting the USSR Sakhalin and the Kuriles, and giving up control of Korea. In the aftermath of the victory, and with the public support that came from it, Chen Duxiu and the Communist Party took more direct control, declaring the Socialist Republic of China, and establishing the client Socialist Republic of Korea as well
Now in control, Chen Duxiu broadly pursued a pragmatic agenda that left him at odds with some among his party as well as with the Soviet Union. He sought to expand the central government's control over China at the expense of the warlords, but despite the wishes of some among the Communists (and some among the Kuomintang), he took a gradual approach to this, using diplomacy more than force, and offering generous pensions and estates for warlords who agreed to surrender more quickly, or allowing them different roles in the new government, in cases like Yan Xishan of Shanxi and Feng Yuxiang of the Guominjun, neither of whom were doctrinaire Marxists but both of whom were broadly socialistic in ideals. Chen himself was committed to Marxism, but saw a gradual approach as being necessary, agreeing with Lenin's reasoning for the "New Economic Policy" (NEP) and pursuing similar policy during his leadership of China in the hopes of establishing a more sturdy foundation for future development of socialism, disagreeing with Stalin's abandonment of the NEP and more rapid collectivization which he considered to have contributed to avoidable famines in the USSR. Furthermore, while Chen and the Chinese Communist Party were more than willing to use authority in the name of revolution, establishing the Party as a vanguard privileged with power and excluding opposition from access to power, Chen was critical of the excesses of Soviet authority under Stalin as well as Stalin's backsliding on issues like patriarchy, and Chen and the Party would take a rather softer and more cautious approach to authority, allowing a rather more free and open society, even allowing the Kuomintang to exist as a separate party (albeit as something of a semi-autonomous satellite party rather than anything that had any ability to take power itself).
Due to these disagreements and others, Soviet accusations of Chinese 'deviationism', and vice versa, were not uncommon in the 1930s, though the rise of fascism in Europe and resurgence of Japanese militarism ensured that the USSR and China, even with stormy relations, remained somewhat cooperative and at least on speaking terms, with relations improving as the two countries saw things deteriorate elsewhere. Communist opinions on Chen Duxiu in his own time were rather divided, with some considering him to be a deviationist while others considered him to be a more proper predecessor to Lenin than Stalin was. In the modern era, in light of the differing ways that China and the USSR evolved, leftist opinions tend considerably towards the latter
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(I had initially intended this to be a rather shorter thing, and also less complicated, just going off suggestions from the earlier post to have Wang Jingwei be the leader after Sun Yat Sen died and then having Chen Duxiu become leader sometime before the Second Sino-Japanese War of this scenario. Also I didn't expect to make nearly as much write-up. But then I did a bit of looking into the Chinese politicians of the time, and found that the guy who was leader of the Kuomintang right after Sun OTL (Zhongkai) was himself a leftist who supported cooperation with the USSR and CPC, who just happened to be assassinated shortly after he became leader. So I changed things up a bit, just having him not die in the assassination, and went from there. I am by no means an expert on warlord era Chinese politics, so I can't really say that this scenario is necessarily the most plausible, but I enjoyed making it nonetheless)
Liao Zhongkai was a Chinese politician and leader of the Kuomintang. In 1905, he first became involved with political activism, joining the Tongmenghui engaging in opposition to the Qing Dynasty. Later, after the Republic of China was established, he joined Sun Yat Sen's Kuomintang, and by the 1920s rose to the rank of Minister of Finance. During the warlord era, he was an advocate for maintaining close relations and cooperation with the Soviet Union and Chinese Communist Party. When Sun Yat Sen died in 1925, Zhongkai succeeded him as Chairman of the Kuomintang, leader of the party. His continued advocacy for cooperation with the communists generated some opposition from the right of the Kuomintang, - the implication of major right-wing factional leader Hu Hanmin in the failed assassination attempt on Zhongkai in 1925, however, helped Zhongkai and the left-wing faction strengthen their position at the expense of the right-wing faction in the latter half of the 20s
Under Zhongkai, the territory under the control of the Kuomintang and allies saw the beginning of political and social reforms, as well as economic development, in part supported by the USSR. Zhongkai's primary focus, however, was on the building of the National Republican Army, with cooperation from the Soviets and Chinese Communists. The Kuomintang at this time was confined to territory in the south of China, with the Zhili and Fengtian warlord factions vying for power in the central and northern regions of power. Zhongkai and the Kuomintang sought to change this, and in 1926 initiated the Northern Expedition, with the National Republican Army, Communist forces, and some allied warlords like the Kuominchun joining forces to defeat the Zhili and Fengtian. By the start of fall, 1926, Zhongkai's United Front had captured Wuhan, by early 1927 Nanjing and Shanghai had been captured, and by late 1927 Beijing had fallen to the coalition, with Fengtian warlord Zhang Xueliang accepting the overlordship of the new central government
With the end of the Northern Expedition, China was unified on paper. But in reality, much of China was under the control of warlords who swore allegiance to the central government but had some degree of autonomy in theory in practice, with the central government having varying degrees of authority and influence over the warlords depending on various different circumstances. Even in the territory under the control of the central government (initially Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Hubei, as well as some parts of neighboring provinces), authority was somewhat muddled, with Zhongkai and the Kuomintang being the leaders in Najing on paper and often in practice too, but with the Communist Party often acting as something of a state within a state and also extending growing influence inside the Kuomintang as well as more directly in the cities and countryside of both the territories of the central government and areas among some warlords' territories. Nonetheless, despite the awkwardness of the United Front and matters of the warlords, China was in a much more peaceful and stable state than it had been in for the past decade and a half, and saw significant developments in economic growth, construction of infrastructure, building of institutions, improvements in education, and political and social reform, as well as further growth and improvement of the military forces, and continued cooperation with and aid from the Soviet Union, as well as investment and economic involvement with other European countries and the United States
The assassination attempt on Liao Zhongkai in 1925 failed, but did seriously wound him, and leave him with chronic pain for the rest of his life. Largely due to this, he would step down from his position as head of the Kuomintang in early 1929, at which point Wang Jingwei succeeded him as Chairman
By that time, the left wing faction of the Kuomintang had solidly cemented itself in control of the party, in part with help from the Communist party. After the imprisonment of Hu Hanmin, there had been some speculation that the NRA general Chiang Kai Shek, another prominent leader of the right wing faction of the Kuomintang, might eventually try to take control of the Party, and this speculation elevated during the initial stages of the Northern Expedition, with his command of the armies that took Nanjing. This speculation was silenced, however, shortly after the capture of Nanjing, when a Zhili agent managed to assassinate Chiang. With the death of their most prominent leader, the right wing faction of the Party went into terminal decline, remaining a force, but increasingly falling into factional struggles among itself without a clear leader. So when Zhongkai stepped down, there was little doubt that Jingwei would succeed him
The early years of Wang Jingwei's Chairmanship were not a marked departure from the governance of Liao Zhongkai. Jingwei was himself of the left wing of the party, and his early sympathies towards communism and communists were strengthened during and after the Northern Expedition, due to his appreciation of the communist military aid, and the successes of cooperation with the Communist Party as well as Soviet developmental aid and advisors after the Northern Expedition. As such, Jingwei continued the policy of the United Front. Even as the Communist Party grew in influence and eventually became the dominant power in China, Jingwei largely remained on cordial terms, there is some scholarly debate regarding the extent that these cordial relations in the middle and latter parts of his Chairmanship were due to genuine ideological shifts on the part of Jingwei vs pragmatism and political calculation
Eugene Chen was a Chinese Trinidadian lawyer and politician. Born in Trinidad, the child of immigrants, he became a prominent lawyer in the Islands. He later moved to London, where he met Sun Yat Sen, and was eventually convinced by him to move to China, to contribute his legal skills to the newly declared Republic of China. There, he became involved in politics, becoming a close advisor to Sun on foreign policy issues as well as a prominent diplomat, and taking a strong anti-imperialist stance
In 1927, as part of the reforms enacted after the end of the Northern Expedition, the position of President of the Republic of China was established/re-established/made official [idk, wikipedia has a list of presidents of the republic of China, but the ones before Chiang Kai-Shek are listed as "provisional" or "acting"]. There was some debate, between the Communists and Kuomintang, on who would be President, as well as to what the powers of the President would be - in the end, Eugene Chen was chosen for President, though with little established powers by this point (indeed, at this point, the broader scope and form of the Nanjing Government, even inside the central government territory, was more de facto than de jure, a matter under discussion but not decided on). Eugene Chen would ultimately be something of a figurehead as President, though a respected one, and is remembered for his role in diplomacy with negotiating for an end to foreign concessions
Chen Duxiu was a Chinese revolutionary and politician, the first leader of the Communist Party of China, and the first President of the Socialist Republic of China. During the nearly two decades of his Party leadership, China underwent major changes, in which he played a major role
In the early 1920s, Chen was able to secure cooperation with the Kuomintang, led by Sun Yat Sen (himself a revolutionary with socialistic ideals that didn't quite veer into Marxism but nonetheless helped establish an ideological common ground). This cooperation would continue after the death of Sun, and was an opportunity for the Communist Party to expand its influence (both in China as a whole and among the Kuomintang itself, which had a large left-wing faction with many who had at least some degree of sympathy with the communists, if not outright agreement), an opportunity Chen was eager to take. As the 20s progressed, the Communist Party expanded its influence in both the urban and rural areas of China, growing popular with its calls for societal change and anti-imperialism, and also gradually increasing its military wing, which was outnumbered by the National Republican Army but nonetheless would perform to distinction in the Northern Expedition. The Northern Expedition also saw instances like the Shanghai Commune, where a worker's uprising resulted in effective Communist Party control over much of the city, a situation which was tolerated (albeit with some complaints and right-wing opposition) by the Kuomintang after the completion of the Northern Expedition
By the start of the 1930s, Chen Duxiu had established the Communist Party as a competent and capable force in China, and sought to further expand, among other things managing to ascend after some political maneuvering to the position of President in early 1931, succeeding Eugene Chen. At the same time, Japan was increasing their interest in China, being rather disturbed first by the relative unity and development that China was undergoing, and then with the rise of the Communist Party in China, and with an open communist having such a prominent role in the Chinese government. In September, the Japanese military began operations in Manchuria, seeking to expand their influence and bring the Fengtian warlords back into alignment with Japan. But Japan had underestimated China, and overestimated the ability for the right-wing opposition they funded to put up a credible fight against the left-wing Nanjing government - the few right-wing KMT uprisings that occured largely fizzled out, having little success competing with the communists for rural support, and being quickly beaten down by the central government forces. The Japanese forces in the north were initially able to make large gains in Manchuria, but the arrival of the National Republican Army, the Red Army, and the forces of various warlords allowed the Chinese forces to stabilize the front in Manchuria. The Japanese forces tended to be better trained and equipped than the Chinese forces, but the Chinese forces had strength on their side, as well as some decently experienced forces from the Northern Expedition, and were also aided first by significant material support from the Soviet Union, and then by direct intervention. Japan had bitten off more than it could chew - in 1934 the Chinese forces captured Pusan, and pushed the Japanese forces off the continent altogether. The political shock of defeat triggered a coup in Japan - the new pro-peace government would not last long, falling to a militarist coup itself by the end of the 1930s, but nonetheless sued for peace with China and the USSR, granting China all territories lost since the Treaty of Shimonoseki, granting the USSR Sakhalin and the Kuriles, and giving up control of Korea. In the aftermath of the victory, and with the public support that came from it, Chen Duxiu and the Communist Party took more direct control, declaring the Socialist Republic of China, and establishing the client Socialist Republic of Korea as well
Now in control, Chen Duxiu broadly pursued a pragmatic agenda that left him at odds with some among his party as well as with the Soviet Union. He sought to expand the central government's control over China at the expense of the warlords, but despite the wishes of some among the Communists (and some among the Kuomintang), he took a gradual approach to this, using diplomacy more than force, and offering generous pensions and estates for warlords who agreed to surrender more quickly, or allowing them different roles in the new government, in cases like Yan Xishan of Shanxi and Feng Yuxiang of the Guominjun, neither of whom were doctrinaire Marxists but both of whom were broadly socialistic in ideals. Chen himself was committed to Marxism, but saw a gradual approach as being necessary, agreeing with Lenin's reasoning for the "New Economic Policy" (NEP) and pursuing similar policy during his leadership of China in the hopes of establishing a more sturdy foundation for future development of socialism, disagreeing with Stalin's abandonment of the NEP and more rapid collectivization which he considered to have contributed to avoidable famines in the USSR. Furthermore, while Chen and the Chinese Communist Party were more than willing to use authority in the name of revolution, establishing the Party as a vanguard privileged with power and excluding opposition from access to power, Chen was critical of the excesses of Soviet authority under Stalin as well as Stalin's backsliding on issues like patriarchy, and Chen and the Party would take a rather softer and more cautious approach to authority, allowing a rather more free and open society, even allowing the Kuomintang to exist as a separate party (albeit as something of a semi-autonomous satellite party rather than anything that had any ability to take power itself).
Due to these disagreements and others, Soviet accusations of Chinese 'deviationism', and vice versa, were not uncommon in the 1930s, though the rise of fascism in Europe and resurgence of Japanese militarism ensured that the USSR and China, even with stormy relations, remained somewhat cooperative and at least on speaking terms, with relations improving as the two countries saw things deteriorate elsewhere. Communist opinions on Chen Duxiu in his own time were rather divided, with some considering him to be a deviationist while others considered him to be a more proper predecessor to Lenin than Stalin was. In the modern era, in light of the differing ways that China and the USSR evolved, leftist opinions tend considerably towards the latter
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(I had initially intended this to be a rather shorter thing, and also less complicated, just going off suggestions from the earlier post to have Wang Jingwei be the leader after Sun Yat Sen died and then having Chen Duxiu become leader sometime before the Second Sino-Japanese War of this scenario. Also I didn't expect to make nearly as much write-up. But then I did a bit of looking into the Chinese politicians of the time, and found that the guy who was leader of the Kuomintang right after Sun OTL (Zhongkai) was himself a leftist who supported cooperation with the USSR and CPC, who just happened to be assassinated shortly after he became leader. So I changed things up a bit, just having him not die in the assassination, and went from there. I am by no means an expert on warlord era Chinese politics, so I can't really say that this scenario is necessarily the most plausible, but I enjoyed making it nonetheless)
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