Map for Fleetlord's Election Map Thread. I couldn't help myself and butterflied the states in the west a bit. but I assure people that it was cleverly done
so all the elections came out just the same. Really. Would I lie?
A bit of background:
In this world, the US political party system early on developed into a more complex and fluid one, with multiple parties coming and going over the years, and politics often going in directions far more radical than OTL. An earlier *Confederate rebellion was temporarily successful, only to be reconquered soon after: a longer, more drawn-out and often brutal Reconstruction eventually left African Americans in a stronger position than OTL. A bloody Red rebellion almost took control of the country, and an underground hard-right movement put two would-be tyrants in the white house, and brought the US into a war which concluded with New Orleans, Norfolk, New York, Los Angeles and Columbia (this worlds Washington DC equivalent) in radioactive ruin.
A Grossdeutsche German unification under the Habsburgs led to a German-dominated Europe with the US and UK distracted by America’s red rebellion: they have never lost their leading position, although the costs of two massive wars (known as the Global War and the Madness War, when the US went wacky) have led to a Europe far more an alliance of equals. France had a bad 20th century, as did the UK, which suffered a successful left-wing Syndicalist revolt. Syndicalism, however, failed to catch on globally, with Integralism, a more fascism-like (but non-racist) movement originating in Brazil came to dominate much of OTL’s “third world” and most of Asia. Integralist Japan grasped at superpower status, failed to quite make it, and jumped ship on the Integralist Alliance when it became clear that it’s long-term destiny was “Chinese sidekick.”
Italian unification was delayed, with the Kingdom (later Republic) of the Two Sicilies remaining outside, and Rome is a Free City reigned over (but not ruled by) the Pope. The Ottoman Empire fell apart when Islamic union was replaced by a Turkish nationalism which put Arabs firmly in the Number Two spot. The non-British parts of the no-longer-British empire tried to keep the show on the road after the Syndicalists took the UK, but really didn’t have the heart to keep calling it the Empire after India and Australia broke off.
The Syndicalist regime in the UK fell in the 1970s after half a century in power due to US nuclear bombardment during the Madness War, and in a struggle to return to “national roots” one of the more personable members of the royal family in exile was called back to add some luster to the new state and provide a link between Scotland and England (the government at the time sitting in Glasgow as the largest non-radioactive urban center in the isle).
The end of the last pseudo-Integralist regime in Brazil and the socialist, democratic revolution has unfortunately ended in a military regime, but they’re cooperative with US efforts to maintain the peace in South America. Most of the world’s nations have joined the League of Nations by this point, although some still grumble that it is a German Plot.
The US was in the doghouse for a while after the Madness War and surrender to the European coalition, but is once again a respected part of the global community and in any event too big economically to do without. The New Cities built to rehouse survivors of the nuclear bombings are finally doing well economically, while at the same time those residents which did _not_ flee [1] are trying to redeem the reputations of their home towns as something other than radioactive wastelands probably inhabited by mutants or something. The Democracy party tries to move the US in the direction of less socialism and more unfettered capitalism (admittedly from a starting point well to the left of OTL) while the Progressive (bland, centrist), Green (what it says), Rebirth (New Left idealists) and New Union (Old Left) parties grumble and bide their time for the 1994 election. An American will walk on the Moon next year, but a certain degree of panic is starting to spread through the national space agency as rumors spread of a really fancy new German rocket.
Meanwhile, Integralist China [2] broods. Japanese defection from the block, India’s “we’re going to concentrate on our problems, ‘mm ok?” attitude, and a humiliation over Korea have weakened the Integralist block and China’s leadership role within it. Largely unbeknownst to the outside world, a seemingly inward-turned China has seen since the Unfortunately and Purely Accidental Death of Premier Soong during the Korean crisis an intensified struggle between radical and moderate factions: and if the radicals win, they have plans. Big plans. Plans which will involve, among other things, a lot of digging. And fire. Can’t forget the fire.
[1] With pre-fusion tech nukes, the greater parts of the cities hit weren’t completely wrecked, and whille fears of radiation let to people departing from areas still relatively safe, more “spread” cities retained more residents: Old Los Angeles is in fact rather larger than New Angeles, occupying nearly half of the pre-war cities area, while New York City was largely reduced to Queens and Staten Island.
[2] Although China’s economy is more left-wing than OTL 2015, it’s never been through the unpleasantness of Maoism, and is rich enough to be considered a major power, if not quite on the same level as the US or the European Accord.
