Why the Chinese play cricket (an Imperial Federation timeline)
- Thread starter Miss Construction
- Start date
Done a little more polishing, almost entirely cosmetic chaanges, better wording a little more background colour. These tweeks to the chapter will have no effects on the TL. However, this does have an impact. The Frans-tireurs do come up again. Any all done polishing this overly rushed chapter,, so back to the next one.
September 1870: The Prussians decisively defeat the French Army at the Battle of Sedan, all but guaranteeing victory in the war. However while Emperor Napoleon III is captured and the Empire overthrown, the Provisional Government of the newly proclaimed Third French Republic totally refuses to contemplate and peace settle which includes ceding Metropolitan French territorial. A feature of this second phase of the war are the Francs-tiruers. Irregular French volunteers, they operate without uniform, conducting a guerilla war against Prussian forces. The Francs-tireurs have an impact out of all proportion to their numbers or actual effect. Their activities terrified the Prussians, effectively paralysing entire units. They created outrage among the Prussian army and wider German public as murders and bandits. Captured Francs-tireurs were summarily executed and brutal reprisals against the nearest French town or village in response to their attacks, resulting in many civilians being killed. This created a lasting legacy of enmity between the French and Germans.
=McUpdate=
September 1870: The Prussians decisively defeat the French Army at the Battle of Sedan, all but guaranteeing victory in the war. However while Emperor Napoleon III is captured and the Empire overthrown, the Provisional Government of the newly proclaimed Third French Republic totally refuses to contemplate and peace settle which includes ceding Metropolitan French territorial. A feature of this second phase of the war are the Francs-tiruers. Irregular French volunteers, they operate without uniform, conducting a guerilla war against Prussian forces. The Francs-tireurs have an impact out of all proportion to their numbers or actual effect. Their activities terrified the Prussians, effectively paralysing entire units. They created outrage among the Prussian army and wider German public as murders and bandits. Captured Francs-tireurs were summarily executed and brutal reprisals against the nearest French town or village in response to their attacks, resulting in many civilians being killed. This created a lasting legacy of enmity between the French and Germans.
=McUpdate=
Last edited:
What exactly is Gaige in Chinese character?And who is the new Emperor/Duke of Zhou?
Been awhile and a little trouble remembering sorry. I think Zhou was me mixing up an older title with Duke Yansheng, a supposed descendant of Confucius and older title. Or it might have been Zhu Yuxan, descendant of the Ming Dynasty. He disappears to history around 1933.
However the entire China situation is in need of an overhaul in this iteration and I doubt the Imperial dynasties will be kept. He was suggested as alternative when the Qing were overthrown.
Gaige I believe means reform. I don't have the Chinese character set installed here, but I think this is it
gaige : reform, CL:次[... : gǎi gé | Definition | Mandarin Chinese Pinyin English Dictionary | Yabla Chinese
gaige definition at Chinese.Yabla.com, a free online dictionary with English, Mandarin Chinese, Pinyin, Strokes & Audio. Look it up now!
chinese.yabla.com
Last edited:
Sorry thought I was finished with this chapter, but seems this is needed to explain the next chapter
November 1873: Radical liberal Joseph Chamberlain is elected Mayor of Birmingham. He will embark on a radical campaign of reform to the city, bringing the city's gas and water supplies under council control via compulsory purchase, resulting in major improvements in both quality and efficiency. Chamberlain's model of “gas and water” municipal socialism will be widely admired and copied throughout the world.
=McUpdate=
November 1873: Radical liberal Joseph Chamberlain is elected Mayor of Birmingham. He will embark on a radical campaign of reform to the city, bringing the city's gas and water supplies under council control via compulsory purchase, resulting in major improvements in both quality and efficiency. Chamberlain's model of “gas and water” municipal socialism will be widely admired and copied throughout the world.
=McUpdate=
Last edited:
So the ‘Duke of Zhou’ is an interim emperor?Been awhile and a little trouble remembering sorry. I think Zhou was me mixing up an older title with Duke Yansheng, a supposed descendant of Confucius and older title. Or it might have been Zhu Yuxan, descendant of the Ming Dynasty. He disappears to history around 1933.
However the entire China situation is in need of an overhaul in this iteration and I doubt the Imperial dynasties will be kept. He was suggested as alternative when the Qing were overthrown.
Gaige I believe means reform. I don't have the Chinese character set installed here, but I think this is it
gaige : reform, CL:次[... : gǎi gé | Definition | Mandarin Chinese Pinyin English Dictionary | Yabla Chinese
gaige definition at Chinese.Yabla.com, a free online dictionary with English, Mandarin Chinese, Pinyin, Strokes & Audio. Look it up now!
Last edited:
I've found my design note. Zhou is actually me confusing the 6th century BC Duke of Zhou with Duke Yansheng. The Chinese split into two in the TL. The second to last Wing Emperor escaped the Dowager Empress's control and started serious reform. He managed to get Sun Yat-sen on his side, well sort of. It was uneasy alliance, Sun Yat-sen wanted a republic but worked with Zaitan for expediency. Then Yuan Shikai staged a coup and put the Marquis of Extended Grace as a puppet emperor, creating the Yao (which I think is meant to mean new, but I didn't write it down). Yuan Shikai eventually died, the area under his control (basically northern China) fell into warlordism until eventually Chang Kai-shek took control with Japanese backing. He kept Yuan Shikai's puppet emperor.
Meanwhile Zaitan and Sun Yat-sen fled to the south (based around Guangzhou) after the coup. Eventually their shaky alliance couldn't hold. So Zaitan stepped down, but as a compromise to keep Zaitan's supporters, Duke Yansheng was installed as a sort of ceremonial figurehead emperor, creating the Gaige dynasty. Zaitan was sent off as ambassador to Britain, the Gaige biggest backer in this compromise.
May I propose to have Gaige/Reform as a colloquial and semi official name to show that it’s a superior to the conservative North, but have it’s official name as something either like Shang or Song Dynasty (given Confucius himself was a well documented documented patrilineal descendent of the Shang Dynasty Kings and the latter Dukes of Song during the Spring and Autumn period).
Last edited:
Thank you, this is incredible helpful. As the Marquis of Extended Grace is a descendant of the final Ming Emperor, would that big Ming again or a new dynastic name?
Also planning on using Kong Fu Tzu ranther than Confusius in the TL, I believe its's more correct.
Last edited:
I would think that they would use Ming Aka Great Ming.
Last edited:
Thank you, sadly my knowledge of Chinese, both language (absolutely no knowledge, I rely entirely on google translate) and history (beeter but nothing more than a skim given its vast depth) is sadly laking.
Also planning on using Kong Fu Tzu rather than Confucius in the TL, I believe its's more correct
Well the next chapter is finally finished yay! It's a dozzy. As I expected, when I dig the ripples spread beyond the Empire much sooner than I allowed for in the third iteration. Nothing major, on its own would have virtually no affect on history, but as it flows down it will.
Also I knew I'd have to break up the chapters, but not sure I've broken them up enough. In the previous iteration the entire 1870-79 period required 1330 words. This time 1870-74 took 2372 and 1875-79 has needed 3048. Might look at breaking up 1880-89 even more. And virtually nothing of the third interation has survived, most everything has needed rewriting.
Well I'll read through a few times to see if any polishing is needed. Then have a smoke and maybe a good stiff Irish Whiskey, read it a few more times and then let all in on it. If people could particularly pay attention to the results of the Congress of Berlin I'd appreciate it. I'm not sure about the results for Serbia there.
Also I knew I'd have to break up the chapters, but not sure I've broken them up enough. In the previous iteration the entire 1870-79 period required 1330 words. This time 1870-74 took 2372 and 1875-79 has needed 3048. Might look at breaking up 1880-89 even more. And virtually nothing of the third interation has survived, most everything has needed rewriting.
Well I'll read through a few times to see if any polishing is needed. Then have a smoke and maybe a good stiff Irish Whiskey, read it a few more times and then let all in on it. If people could particularly pay attention to the results of the Congress of Berlin I'd appreciate it. I'm not sure about the results for Serbia there.
Last edited:
Well read, edited, reread, edited again, reread, edited again, reread, edited again, etc you get the idea. Then took a break. Back to read, edited, reread, edited again, etc. However I finally think it's okay. so...
1872-1873: That's depressing
~1872-1873: That's depressing
February 1872: A small breeding heard of three males and ten female Quagga are established by the London Zoological Society in an attempt to ensure the sub species survival. The Quagga will join the Tarpans at Woburn Abbey.
February 1872: Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India is assassinated by an Afghan convict during a visit to a convict settlement in the Andaman Islands. His death sends shock-waves throughout Britain and India, even raising fears of another rebellion. However an investigation proves the assassin acted alone and from religious motivations. The radical members of the Liberal Party prompt Gladstone to appoint a committee under senior Indian civil servant John Strachey to investigate social conditions in India.
March 1872: In a major step forwards in conversation, US president Ulysses Grant signs the Act of Declaration creating Yellowstone as the world's first national park. Despite local opposition, the act sets aside nearly 9,000km² as a natural reserve.
April 1872: Since the mid 1840s, a trade in pacific Islanders for labour in the US and Pacific Dominions has developed, usually referred to as Blackbirding. While technically called 'Indentured labour' the practice amounts to slavery, with the victims obtained by deception, coercion or violence. As many as one third of the victims die with three years of being taken. Several attempts have been made to curb the worse excesses through licensing. In the latest effort, the Pacific Islanders Protection Act is passed, yet again tightening up licensing of ships transporting labourers and enabling the Royal Navy to intercept and inspect vessels suspected of engaging in the practice. However Blackbirding will continue, only finally being stamped out in the 20th century.
May 1872: Māori leader and founder of the Ringatū religious movement of the Rongowhakaata, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, crosses the Waikato river to seek sanctuary in the King County. King Matutaera Tāwhiao grants him asylum, finally bringing an end to the New Zealand Land Wars, restoring peace to the Dominion. However the King Country in the central North Island remains closed to Europeans.
May 1872: Gladstone appoints Thomas Baring to replace the assassinated Lord Mayo as Viceroy of India. Baring embarks on an ambitious program of reform in India, seeking to reduce taxation and improve the distribution of food to tackle widespread starvation.
May 1872: In response to their defeat by the Prussians, the French begin an extensive program of reform in banking and education, coupled with massive investment in infrastructure and industry. This program is funded by heavy government borrowing, primarily from Britain and will transform the nation.
August 1872: The Education (Scotland) Act is passed. Very similar to the 1870 act covering England and Wales. However it makes elementary education compulsory and includes provision for secondary education, though no provision for funding of such education is included. The act however requires the sole use of the English language in schools, leading to a similar effect on Scots Gaelic to the 1870 act's on Welsh.
September 1872: The Fifth Congress of the International Workingmen's Association will see a bitter fight between the anarchist headed by Mikhail Bakunin and the communists led by Karl Marx. After the failure of the Paris Commune the communists argue for the necessity to create a socialist state before a true socialist society can be established. The anarchist reject this, arguing the leaders of such a state would end up being just as bad as the previous capitalist ruling class. This dispute will result in the anarchist leaving the IWA setting up the rival International Working People's Association, or Black International in 1881. The IWA itself will eventually disband in 1876.
September 1872: After two and a half years work, the Australian Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin is completed. Stretching 3,200km across desert and barren grassland, the line is a triumph of engineering. At Darwin the line joins with the British Australian Telegraph Company's undersea cable to Java, thus connecting Australia with the rest of the world. The improvement in communications will lead to a significant and lasting increase in the Australian economy.
October 1872: The game of Cricket has been steadily losing popularity in North America in favour of the faster paced US game of baseball. In an effort to revive the game, English cricketer William Gilbert Grace organises an All England team to tour Canada and the US. The team includes many of England's top players, including John Lillywhite and Edgar Willsher. In an effort to increase public interest in the game, Lillywhite comes up with a radical new format to take advantage of the still new overarm style of bowling. Two 'six day' matches of two innings will be played, one in Canada and one in the US. While the All England team defeats the US by four wickets, the Canadians will win a nail biting match by just four runs, dismissing the final English batsman late on the sixth day. Lillywhite's new format will become increasingly popular, later being termed test matches due to their gruelling nature. The new format will be repeated in a return tour of England by the Canadians next year. While the game's popularity in the US continues to decline in favour of baseball, the tour at least slows the spread of baseball in Canada.
October 1872: The arbitration tribunal of Swedish, Swiss, and Chilean jurists established by King Christian of Denmark after the Treaty of Washington releases it decisions. Regarding the Alabama Claims it finds by at two to one majority Britain was in error regarding international law covering the conduct of neutrals when it failed to prevent the delivery of the Alabama, due to the fact the US had presented evidence it was probably destined for the Confederacy. As a result they award the US $15,5000,000 {£2,835,330} in damages. Against this, the British are awarded $2,000,000 {£365,849} damages for illegal blockade practices during the Civil War. While neither side is required to 'apologise,' both choose to express 'regret.' On the matter of the San Juan border dispute, the tribunal finds in favour of the Canadians, establishing the Rosario Strait as the border. This immediately raises concerns in the US regarding Seattle's access to the sea, leading to their ambassador in Britain, Robert Schenk, raising the matter with Lord Granville, British Foreign Secretary. Lord Granville defers the matter until he has consulted with Canadian Premier, John MacDonald. MacDonald clearly states his very strong opinion that any course of action other than guaranteeing the US unrestricted access to the seaway would be an extremely grave mistake. The matter is initially settle by an exchange of notes between the three governments, but the agreement will be formalised in the Treaty of Ottawa the next year which additionally permanently demilitarises the San Juan Islands.
December 1872: After years of agitation, the Cape Colony achieves responsible government. The new government continues the policies of not restricting the franchise along racial lines and avoiding Imperial involvement in the Cape.
May 1873: The Canadian government forms the North-West Mounted Police to maintain order in the newly acquired Rupert's Land territories, purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870.
May 1873: The Vienna stock market crashes, triggering the first wave of the Long Depression. The crash will rapidly spread to Germany, causing the collapse of a speculative investment bubble in industry and transportation created in the wake of the the influx of capital due to the French war indemnity. The collapse results in substantial contraction the German economy and fall in industrial output, which spreads throughout most of Europe. However in Britain, the effects of the crash are muted, as experience with financial crises in the 1840s and 50s had prepared the British banking system for such events. As result, British industrial output does not decline, but rather stagnates.
July 1873: The Strachey report into social conditions in India is released. The report finds many Indians are dissatisfied with their participation in the administration of the sub continent. The report recommends increased Indian representation on the provincial legislative councils, opening the senior levels of the Imperial Civil Service to 'suitable' Indian candidates, reforming the Indian Imperial Police and allowing Indian officers to advance to senior levels, the inclusion of an Indian representative on the Council of India in London.
June 1873: The Irish University Bill that would remove the requirement for faculty members of Trinity College in Dublin to be Anglicans passes it's second reading by two votes. The bill will eventually be defeated at it's third reading. The lengthy struggle over the bill further deepens the rift between the radical and Whig factions in the Liberal Party.
August 1873: Chancellor Bismarck of Germany negotiates the League of Three Emperors with Austro-Hungary and Russia to ensure France's diplomatic isolation.
September 1873: France repays its war indemnity to Germany two years early, adding to the ongoing deterioration of the German economy.
September 1873: A drought in the Indian region of Bihar lead to crop failures. Richard Temple, Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, fearing the possibility of widespread famine quickly organises an effective relief program, importing and distributing large quantities of rice from Burma as well as extensive public works programs to provide employment. Temple's program is a huge success, with virtually no excess mortality due to the famine, plus major improvements to infrastructure as a result of the public works program. The ration provided also allows all workers to remain sufficiently healthy to immediately return to the fields when the rains finally arrive. Despite his success, Temple is heavily criticised for the expense involved, with the relief efforts costing over 36 million rupee {£2,201,066} though his timely actions are praised by the radicals in parliament.
September 1873: The demonetisation of silver in the US, following a similar move by Germany in 1871, leads to a collapse in the price of silver. Coupled with major losses in the Chicago fire of 1871 and Boston fire of 1872, this leads to a financial crisis in the US. Jay Cooke & Co, one of the major US banks is unable to market a large bond issue, resulting in it's collapse. This collapse sets off a cascade of bank failures causing the New York stock market to crash. There has been massive speculative investment in the US following the Civil War, primarily in railways. Thus the impact of this collapse on the US economy is devastating, with the global flow on effects significantly worsening the worldwide impact of the Long Depression.
October 1873: The first concrete measure from the Strachey report is passed into law with the Indian Councils Act. The act is an attempt to increase the scope of the legislative bodies in India. The act increases each of the councils from twelve to twenty members and requires that all legislative bodies in India “include suitable representatives of native opinion.” Despite the vague wording, the act will ensure that between 35-45% of the members of Indian provincial legislative councils are in fact, Indians. It also for the first time allows the councils to discuss, though not vote on, budgetary matters and transfers authority over labour affairs to the councils.
November 1873: Radical Liberal Joseph Chamberlain is elected Mayor of Birmingham. He will embark on a radical campaign of reform to the city, bringing the city's gas and water supplies under council control via compulsory purchase, resulting in major improvements in both quality and efficiency. Chamberlain's model of 'gas and water' municipal socialism will be widely admired and copied throughout the world.
December 1873: Vishvanath Mandlik becomes the first Indian appointed to the Council of India in London. Highly conservative in outlook, he only supports limited and gradual reform in India.
February 1872: A small breeding heard of three males and ten female Quagga are established by the London Zoological Society in an attempt to ensure the sub species survival. The Quagga will join the Tarpans at Woburn Abbey.
February 1872: Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India is assassinated by an Afghan convict during a visit to a convict settlement in the Andaman Islands. His death sends shock-waves throughout Britain and India, even raising fears of another rebellion. However an investigation proves the assassin acted alone and from religious motivations. The radical members of the Liberal Party prompt Gladstone to appoint a committee under senior Indian civil servant John Strachey to investigate social conditions in India.
March 1872: In a major step forwards in conversation, US president Ulysses Grant signs the Act of Declaration creating Yellowstone as the world's first national park. Despite local opposition, the act sets aside nearly 9,000km² as a natural reserve.
April 1872: Since the mid 1840s, a trade in pacific Islanders for labour in the US and Pacific Dominions has developed, usually referred to as Blackbirding. While technically called 'Indentured labour' the practice amounts to slavery, with the victims obtained by deception, coercion or violence. As many as one third of the victims die with three years of being taken. Several attempts have been made to curb the worse excesses through licensing. In the latest effort, the Pacific Islanders Protection Act is passed, yet again tightening up licensing of ships transporting labourers and enabling the Royal Navy to intercept and inspect vessels suspected of engaging in the practice. However Blackbirding will continue, only finally being stamped out in the 20th century.
May 1872: Māori leader and founder of the Ringatū religious movement of the Rongowhakaata, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, crosses the Waikato river to seek sanctuary in the King County. King Matutaera Tāwhiao grants him asylum, finally bringing an end to the New Zealand Land Wars, restoring peace to the Dominion. However the King Country in the central North Island remains closed to Europeans.
May 1872: Gladstone appoints Thomas Baring to replace the assassinated Lord Mayo as Viceroy of India. Baring embarks on an ambitious program of reform in India, seeking to reduce taxation and improve the distribution of food to tackle widespread starvation.
May 1872: In response to their defeat by the Prussians, the French begin an extensive program of reform in banking and education, coupled with massive investment in infrastructure and industry. This program is funded by heavy government borrowing, primarily from Britain and will transform the nation.
August 1872: The Education (Scotland) Act is passed. Very similar to the 1870 act covering England and Wales. However it makes elementary education compulsory and includes provision for secondary education, though no provision for funding of such education is included. The act however requires the sole use of the English language in schools, leading to a similar effect on Scots Gaelic to the 1870 act's on Welsh.
September 1872: The Fifth Congress of the International Workingmen's Association will see a bitter fight between the anarchist headed by Mikhail Bakunin and the communists led by Karl Marx. After the failure of the Paris Commune the communists argue for the necessity to create a socialist state before a true socialist society can be established. The anarchist reject this, arguing the leaders of such a state would end up being just as bad as the previous capitalist ruling class. This dispute will result in the anarchist leaving the IWA setting up the rival International Working People's Association, or Black International in 1881. The IWA itself will eventually disband in 1876.
September 1872: After two and a half years work, the Australian Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin is completed. Stretching 3,200km across desert and barren grassland, the line is a triumph of engineering. At Darwin the line joins with the British Australian Telegraph Company's undersea cable to Java, thus connecting Australia with the rest of the world. The improvement in communications will lead to a significant and lasting increase in the Australian economy.
October 1872: The game of Cricket has been steadily losing popularity in North America in favour of the faster paced US game of baseball. In an effort to revive the game, English cricketer William Gilbert Grace organises an All England team to tour Canada and the US. The team includes many of England's top players, including John Lillywhite and Edgar Willsher. In an effort to increase public interest in the game, Lillywhite comes up with a radical new format to take advantage of the still new overarm style of bowling. Two 'six day' matches of two innings will be played, one in Canada and one in the US. While the All England team defeats the US by four wickets, the Canadians will win a nail biting match by just four runs, dismissing the final English batsman late on the sixth day. Lillywhite's new format will become increasingly popular, later being termed test matches due to their gruelling nature. The new format will be repeated in a return tour of England by the Canadians next year. While the game's popularity in the US continues to decline in favour of baseball, the tour at least slows the spread of baseball in Canada.
October 1872: The arbitration tribunal of Swedish, Swiss, and Chilean jurists established by King Christian of Denmark after the Treaty of Washington releases it decisions. Regarding the Alabama Claims it finds by at two to one majority Britain was in error regarding international law covering the conduct of neutrals when it failed to prevent the delivery of the Alabama, due to the fact the US had presented evidence it was probably destined for the Confederacy. As a result they award the US $15,5000,000 {£2,835,330} in damages. Against this, the British are awarded $2,000,000 {£365,849} damages for illegal blockade practices during the Civil War. While neither side is required to 'apologise,' both choose to express 'regret.' On the matter of the San Juan border dispute, the tribunal finds in favour of the Canadians, establishing the Rosario Strait as the border. This immediately raises concerns in the US regarding Seattle's access to the sea, leading to their ambassador in Britain, Robert Schenk, raising the matter with Lord Granville, British Foreign Secretary. Lord Granville defers the matter until he has consulted with Canadian Premier, John MacDonald. MacDonald clearly states his very strong opinion that any course of action other than guaranteeing the US unrestricted access to the seaway would be an extremely grave mistake. The matter is initially settle by an exchange of notes between the three governments, but the agreement will be formalised in the Treaty of Ottawa the next year which additionally permanently demilitarises the San Juan Islands.
December 1872: After years of agitation, the Cape Colony achieves responsible government. The new government continues the policies of not restricting the franchise along racial lines and avoiding Imperial involvement in the Cape.
May 1873: The Canadian government forms the North-West Mounted Police to maintain order in the newly acquired Rupert's Land territories, purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870.
May 1873: The Vienna stock market crashes, triggering the first wave of the Long Depression. The crash will rapidly spread to Germany, causing the collapse of a speculative investment bubble in industry and transportation created in the wake of the the influx of capital due to the French war indemnity. The collapse results in substantial contraction the German economy and fall in industrial output, which spreads throughout most of Europe. However in Britain, the effects of the crash are muted, as experience with financial crises in the 1840s and 50s had prepared the British banking system for such events. As result, British industrial output does not decline, but rather stagnates.
July 1873: The Strachey report into social conditions in India is released. The report finds many Indians are dissatisfied with their participation in the administration of the sub continent. The report recommends increased Indian representation on the provincial legislative councils, opening the senior levels of the Imperial Civil Service to 'suitable' Indian candidates, reforming the Indian Imperial Police and allowing Indian officers to advance to senior levels, the inclusion of an Indian representative on the Council of India in London.
June 1873: The Irish University Bill that would remove the requirement for faculty members of Trinity College in Dublin to be Anglicans passes it's second reading by two votes. The bill will eventually be defeated at it's third reading. The lengthy struggle over the bill further deepens the rift between the radical and Whig factions in the Liberal Party.
August 1873: Chancellor Bismarck of Germany negotiates the League of Three Emperors with Austro-Hungary and Russia to ensure France's diplomatic isolation.
September 1873: France repays its war indemnity to Germany two years early, adding to the ongoing deterioration of the German economy.
September 1873: A drought in the Indian region of Bihar lead to crop failures. Richard Temple, Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, fearing the possibility of widespread famine quickly organises an effective relief program, importing and distributing large quantities of rice from Burma as well as extensive public works programs to provide employment. Temple's program is a huge success, with virtually no excess mortality due to the famine, plus major improvements to infrastructure as a result of the public works program. The ration provided also allows all workers to remain sufficiently healthy to immediately return to the fields when the rains finally arrive. Despite his success, Temple is heavily criticised for the expense involved, with the relief efforts costing over 36 million rupee {£2,201,066} though his timely actions are praised by the radicals in parliament.
September 1873: The demonetisation of silver in the US, following a similar move by Germany in 1871, leads to a collapse in the price of silver. Coupled with major losses in the Chicago fire of 1871 and Boston fire of 1872, this leads to a financial crisis in the US. Jay Cooke & Co, one of the major US banks is unable to market a large bond issue, resulting in it's collapse. This collapse sets off a cascade of bank failures causing the New York stock market to crash. There has been massive speculative investment in the US following the Civil War, primarily in railways. Thus the impact of this collapse on the US economy is devastating, with the global flow on effects significantly worsening the worldwide impact of the Long Depression.
October 1873: The first concrete measure from the Strachey report is passed into law with the Indian Councils Act. The act is an attempt to increase the scope of the legislative bodies in India. The act increases each of the councils from twelve to twenty members and requires that all legislative bodies in India “include suitable representatives of native opinion.” Despite the vague wording, the act will ensure that between 35-45% of the members of Indian provincial legislative councils are in fact, Indians. It also for the first time allows the councils to discuss, though not vote on, budgetary matters and transfers authority over labour affairs to the councils.
November 1873: Radical Liberal Joseph Chamberlain is elected Mayor of Birmingham. He will embark on a radical campaign of reform to the city, bringing the city's gas and water supplies under council control via compulsory purchase, resulting in major improvements in both quality and efficiency. Chamberlain's model of 'gas and water' municipal socialism will be widely admired and copied throughout the world.
December 1873: Vishvanath Mandlik becomes the first Indian appointed to the Council of India in London. Highly conservative in outlook, he only supports limited and gradual reform in India.
Last edited:
Thank you. You have no idea how much my dyslexia pisses me off lol. I caught a few more myself.
Duplicate.
I'm enjoying this very much. You make me think of all sorts of things I miss while trying to construct my own timelines