Faeelin
Banned
I think it works well, tbh, in conveying the domination of Germany in this TTL. Nothing says Alsace-Lorraine is mine better than a Straßburg
Now show the map after the USA creates the German Union as an entente member.
Map Thread XIII
- Thread starter Pragmatic Progressive
- Start date
- Status
Now show the map after the USA creates the German Union as an entente member.
Just tired, which sometimes acts on me like being drunk.
I'll have a genuine map up later tonight, promise.
OK, here's something else.
To briefly recap for those who don’t know the original story: this is a world where Carthage destroyed Rome. The Carthaginian Empire hung around for a while, and gave the Celts their writing system and enough political clues to organize against the Germanic peoples. Christianity never arose, nor did Islam. The Germans in central Europe were smashed by a series of invasions from the east, starting with the Huns, driving many of them south into Italy. Lots of things happened, until in what OTL would be the 1950s a World War broke out between a Hindu empire and a South American Inca-expy state, with a North American Celtic-Indian confederation caught in the middle…
It’s been nearly a century since war broke out between the Empires of Hinduraj and Huy Braseal (not what those nations actually call themselves, but who want to take the trouble to learn to pronounce what those foreigners call themselves, amiright?) , the world’s two strongest powers by most people’s estimations, a clash not merely of gross national interest but also political ideology (traditional monarchy vs. theocracy). Huy Braseal had advantages of more efficient administration, a positively Communist system of economic control, an almost inaccessible mountain core, and good old fanaticism, while Hinduraj had superior resources and numbers: and as they say, numbers do provide their own form of quality. After an extended struggle, the armies of Hinduraj, at terrible cost, fought their way up onto the Altiplano, executed the Son of the Sun, and looted the great temples.
Although the costs, human and otherwise, of fighting the war exhausted Hinduraj for a generation, today the Hindu-and-some-Buddhists monarchy is the world’s dominant power, ruling directly or indirectly what it’s rulers boastfully and not too inaccurately call “half and one fifth of the world”, and feared and respected by all others. Centralizing monarchy is in, theocracy (never that popular anyway outside of Amerindian imitators and some parts of Africa) is out. Trade flows freely through a vast area spanning both the Indian and Pacific oceans, and art and literature flourish. The eastern half of South America, whether or not officially vassals of the Indians, are also within the sphere of Hinduraj. (The area is mostly other, lesser Amerindian states, aside from some vestigial Gallic colonies).
Admittedly, it’s not all roses and saffron. Ruling the Altiplano has proven rather difficult in the long run due to the local’s fanatic adherence to their religion, and every twenty years or so another army has to be dispatched when a new prophet proclaiming himself to be the returned Son of the Sun raises a rebellion. Much of the area is under military administration again, and the current Rajah of Rajahs is carrying out a rather ruthless new policy of ethnic replacement, killing or exiling rebel populations to the toxic jungles of their coreligionists to the east, and replacing them with settlers drawn from the highland populations in the north of India and even Tibet. (There is some hope that the inexhaustibly preachy Dharmic sect of Tibet may win over the locals from their rather anti-Indian faith).
Bigger troubles are brewing back in Asia. The Han Empire, largely a non-factor in Hinduraj considerations due to its isolationist attitudes, crumbled thirty years ago in the usual dynastic end-cycle brought on by Emperors no longer interested in ruling, spectacular corruption, and peasant impoverishment caused by overpopulation. The father of the current Rajah decided that the emergence of a new, vigorous Han dynasty might create uncomfortable neighbor, after annexing or making puppets of those SE Asian nations historically marked “property of China – keep off” set to work keeping the warlord pot boiling. Unfortunately, this had the medium-term effect of causing various factions to unite against the foreign pests, and now Hinduraj’s situation in China is made tolerable only by the fact the apocalyptic *Buddhists (not our bunch by a long stretch) and the Neo-Legalists hate each other even more than they hate the Indians – their south Chinese “ally” is looking more like OTL South Vietnam all the time…
(Although China as OTL developed into a centralized bureaucratic absolutism, there are a lot of differences in the details. For one thing, Confucianism never became as dominant and continued to coexist and content with other schools of thought on how to organize government and society. And Buddhism in China evolved into something rich and strange).
Of course, everybody has troubles. Ask the High King of Ynys Yr Affalon. Much of the Indian-Celtic –odds and ends federation became a battle ground in the war between Hinduraj and Huy Braseal, and while the Andean fanatics eventually went away, the Indians came to stay: Affalon is another part of the Hinduraj sphere. His ancestors efforts to create a stronger, more centralized state led to rebellions which their Indian overlords often weren’t too helpful with: they were flattered that the north Affalonians (read “Americans” in this world) were imitating their form of government, but weren’t too interested in their becoming too powerful, and indeed sometimes intervened to “help out” when _not_ wanted, leading to popular unrest against the High King. The current monarch has for now given up on reconquering the lost bits of eastern Ynys Yr Affalon and concentrating on strengthening his grip on the lands between *Utah and *New England.
He can’t hope for help from his Celtic brethren in Europe, since they have their own problems – once the Hinduraj/Huy Braseal war had landed Ynys Yr Affalon truly in the soup, the Baltic-Slavic empire of Littorn tried to reestablish its former frontier on the Seine and nearly succeeded: even the Celtic nations were a bit surprised at the time they managed to get their crap together in time to stop them short of the Rhine. A cold war interrupted by occasional outbreaks of violent fighting hasn’t changed borders much since then: the invention of barbed wire by a Celtic Druid has helped in that. (Its ally of convenience Cimberland, in spite of being Germanic due to different early migrations, still found itself playing the part of Mussolini’s Italy: their attempt to reconquer their former colony of Egypt didn’t go well at all).
The European Celts have been trying to go the Centralized Monarchy route and away from their “squabbling elite democracy” model, with more success than the far larger and more ethnically varied north Affalonians. Gallia has probably done best, although Louis XIV would probably think the nobility-equivalent requires further neutering: Brittys, away from the front lines and less of a national mood of “hang together or hang separately”, worst. (See, the Irish). Kilts of a sort are still In as male fashion, while Ynys Yr Affalon has gone to Indian-style baggy trousers.
Dynasties have come and gone (the current ruling family is of what we would call Afghan origin, and there was a Turkish interlude), but Parthia remains: some sort of Iranian state between Europe and India has been one of the fixed norms of this world in the absence of Mongol or Islamic invasions. Parthia is currently one of the more peaceful spots on the globe, aside from the occasional mess spilling over the border from Arabia. The Punjabi Empire used to be unified with it a while back, but they’re their own thing now: a densely populated nation of tough warriors, they have a “don’t bug us and we won’t bug you” relationship with Hinduraj (which the Raj tends to interpret as a form of vassalage if others don’t).
Northern Africa is Carthagalaan, a loose federation centered on the old core of Carthage, which retains still some of its ancient glamour. North Africa is mostly oligarchic led by Suffetes with limited powers, although some of the southern states have fairly strong monarchies (Egypt is theocratic, but lacks a single God-king). It’s an economically bustling place, with elites more united than those in North Affalon, and surprisingly capable at mobilizing military forces for common defense (as Cimberland found to its distress), thanks in part to a fairly advanced banking system. It could play at least on Littorn’s level if it centralized more, but since that would upset too many applecarts, the inhabitants of Cathagalaan are happy enough to be Africa’s big dog.
Thanks to a fairly primitive medicine (although the virtues of quinine have been discovered) Central Africa avoided colonialism, although there are still a lot of trading posts and in more ambitious times there were efforts to rule through local proxies. The cape, where as OTL Europeans established a waystation to the markets of India, is a bit of an exception. There has been considerable cultural exchange south from Carthage and west from India (much of the east coast of Africa is Hindu or Hindu-local religion syncretic ), along with a transfer of weapons tech which has encouraged state building: the last true tribals, in the central jungles, are being energetically exploited to civilization, or death, whichever takes first.
Slavery is widespread, but generally of a non-racist type with multiple possibilities for manumission. Democracy isn’t widespread, and outside of North Africa not well regarded, considered as leading to decentralization, internal conflict, and weakness. It has never been universal even among males, slaves and the poor usually being excluded, and often narrowed to the wealthy and noblemen, and is being eroded by a move towards stronger, bureaucratized monarchy on the Indian model through the Celtic world.
Religion is mostly tolerant and polytheist (“we have our Gods, but you should respect other people’s”), with a few important exceptions such as the Sun God followers of the Andes, and the worshippers of the Lord of Life and Death in much of central Africa, in which other faiths get the dhimmi treatment at best. (There are also some fairly intolerant Buddhists, but they’re a minor factor as long as China doesn’t go that route, and what passes for Zoroastrianism nowadays takes other Gods as servants of Ahura Mazda.) Baalists also believe the Supreme Baal created the other Gods, and scholarly types often suggest a single unified Godhead of which lesser Gods are just emanations, but genuine monotheism is almost unheard of, almost as rare as atheism. (There are a few minor Judaism-derived cults, but even these tend to think of their God as First Among Equals). There have been some odd mixes, with north African Baalism mixing with elements of the traditional faiths in the Celtic lands, and the long Cimberlandish period of rule over Egypt has left the *Italian peninsula with a faith that syncretizes the Nordic and Egyptian Gods.
Technology is pretty widely variable, being based on rule of thumb engineering, although the spread of the printing press to all major nations in the last three centuries has systematized things somewhat. The steam engine has been around for a while, and there are steam powered trains, cars, and ships at sea. Smallpox vaccines and the use of quinine are widespread. Surgery is quite sophisticated, and some fairly potent anesthetic drugs have been developed from the New World’s formidable pharmacopeia, although, alas, notions of a germ theory remain vague at best, although the practice of quarantine in the case of plague is well known. Guns and cannon are up to OTL mid 19th century levels, supplemented by armored trains and crude, slow wheeled “tanks.” Hot air balloons are widely used, and gliders capable of carrying multiple arms troops exist. (The rocket-boosted ones are particularly dangerous). Some people are fiddling with what might be an internal combustion engine. Batteries have been a scholar’s toy for a while, and used for electroplating and inflicting amusing shocks on friends, but in a North African town the idea of sending an electric signal along a loooong wire is being explored. Steam pumps keep water out of the multiplying coal mines. During the final parts of the war the Andean state developed something like interchangeable parts manufacturing for the war effort, but it was not adopted by the Indians when they crushed them, and in most areas manufacturing is a craft rather than an industry, although there are some very dense state-sponsored congregations of skilled workers in some areas of major nations. But there is no science.
Or is there? It is to be noted that the Druid class has also long tinkered with machines and practical ideas, and nowadays they write to each other and have books of useful knowledge printed. In Africa, meanwhile, scholarly types are having fun compiling huge encyclopedias about all sorts of knowledge, and creating great collections of all sorts of natural odds and ends. The development of the telescope for military purposes has led to people looking at the planets and seeing things which bring the long established “crystal spheres” model of the cosmos into question. (*Inca Huy Braseal followed a sun-centered model, but for theological, not astronomical reasons). If the work of the ancient Greek philosophers, not preserved by a *Byzantine Empire or a Christian Church, has largely been forgotten, so have such ideas as Platonism or the pursuit of knowledge as a thing to be achieved purely with the mind and not dirty experimentation. The North Africans, aside from the Egyptians, are a practical-minded people, and generally have no problem with the notion that useful knowledge about the world remains to be discovered. Neither they nor the Celts have as yet developed what we call the “scientific method”, but they’re getting close enough to accidentally bump into it one of these days…
To briefly recap for those who don’t know the original story: this is a world where Carthage destroyed Rome. The Carthaginian Empire hung around for a while, and gave the Celts their writing system and enough political clues to organize against the Germanic peoples. Christianity never arose, nor did Islam. The Germans in central Europe were smashed by a series of invasions from the east, starting with the Huns, driving many of them south into Italy. Lots of things happened, until in what OTL would be the 1950s a World War broke out between a Hindu empire and a South American Inca-expy state, with a North American Celtic-Indian confederation caught in the middle…
It’s been nearly a century since war broke out between the Empires of Hinduraj and Huy Braseal (not what those nations actually call themselves, but who want to take the trouble to learn to pronounce what those foreigners call themselves, amiright?) , the world’s two strongest powers by most people’s estimations, a clash not merely of gross national interest but also political ideology (traditional monarchy vs. theocracy). Huy Braseal had advantages of more efficient administration, a positively Communist system of economic control, an almost inaccessible mountain core, and good old fanaticism, while Hinduraj had superior resources and numbers: and as they say, numbers do provide their own form of quality. After an extended struggle, the armies of Hinduraj, at terrible cost, fought their way up onto the Altiplano, executed the Son of the Sun, and looted the great temples.
Although the costs, human and otherwise, of fighting the war exhausted Hinduraj for a generation, today the Hindu-and-some-Buddhists monarchy is the world’s dominant power, ruling directly or indirectly what it’s rulers boastfully and not too inaccurately call “half and one fifth of the world”, and feared and respected by all others. Centralizing monarchy is in, theocracy (never that popular anyway outside of Amerindian imitators and some parts of Africa) is out. Trade flows freely through a vast area spanning both the Indian and Pacific oceans, and art and literature flourish. The eastern half of South America, whether or not officially vassals of the Indians, are also within the sphere of Hinduraj. (The area is mostly other, lesser Amerindian states, aside from some vestigial Gallic colonies).
Admittedly, it’s not all roses and saffron. Ruling the Altiplano has proven rather difficult in the long run due to the local’s fanatic adherence to their religion, and every twenty years or so another army has to be dispatched when a new prophet proclaiming himself to be the returned Son of the Sun raises a rebellion. Much of the area is under military administration again, and the current Rajah of Rajahs is carrying out a rather ruthless new policy of ethnic replacement, killing or exiling rebel populations to the toxic jungles of their coreligionists to the east, and replacing them with settlers drawn from the highland populations in the north of India and even Tibet. (There is some hope that the inexhaustibly preachy Dharmic sect of Tibet may win over the locals from their rather anti-Indian faith).
Bigger troubles are brewing back in Asia. The Han Empire, largely a non-factor in Hinduraj considerations due to its isolationist attitudes, crumbled thirty years ago in the usual dynastic end-cycle brought on by Emperors no longer interested in ruling, spectacular corruption, and peasant impoverishment caused by overpopulation. The father of the current Rajah decided that the emergence of a new, vigorous Han dynasty might create uncomfortable neighbor, after annexing or making puppets of those SE Asian nations historically marked “property of China – keep off” set to work keeping the warlord pot boiling. Unfortunately, this had the medium-term effect of causing various factions to unite against the foreign pests, and now Hinduraj’s situation in China is made tolerable only by the fact the apocalyptic *Buddhists (not our bunch by a long stretch) and the Neo-Legalists hate each other even more than they hate the Indians – their south Chinese “ally” is looking more like OTL South Vietnam all the time…
(Although China as OTL developed into a centralized bureaucratic absolutism, there are a lot of differences in the details. For one thing, Confucianism never became as dominant and continued to coexist and content with other schools of thought on how to organize government and society. And Buddhism in China evolved into something rich and strange).
Of course, everybody has troubles. Ask the High King of Ynys Yr Affalon. Much of the Indian-Celtic –odds and ends federation became a battle ground in the war between Hinduraj and Huy Braseal, and while the Andean fanatics eventually went away, the Indians came to stay: Affalon is another part of the Hinduraj sphere. His ancestors efforts to create a stronger, more centralized state led to rebellions which their Indian overlords often weren’t too helpful with: they were flattered that the north Affalonians (read “Americans” in this world) were imitating their form of government, but weren’t too interested in their becoming too powerful, and indeed sometimes intervened to “help out” when _not_ wanted, leading to popular unrest against the High King. The current monarch has for now given up on reconquering the lost bits of eastern Ynys Yr Affalon and concentrating on strengthening his grip on the lands between *Utah and *New England.
He can’t hope for help from his Celtic brethren in Europe, since they have their own problems – once the Hinduraj/Huy Braseal war had landed Ynys Yr Affalon truly in the soup, the Baltic-Slavic empire of Littorn tried to reestablish its former frontier on the Seine and nearly succeeded: even the Celtic nations were a bit surprised at the time they managed to get their crap together in time to stop them short of the Rhine. A cold war interrupted by occasional outbreaks of violent fighting hasn’t changed borders much since then: the invention of barbed wire by a Celtic Druid has helped in that. (Its ally of convenience Cimberland, in spite of being Germanic due to different early migrations, still found itself playing the part of Mussolini’s Italy: their attempt to reconquer their former colony of Egypt didn’t go well at all).
The European Celts have been trying to go the Centralized Monarchy route and away from their “squabbling elite democracy” model, with more success than the far larger and more ethnically varied north Affalonians. Gallia has probably done best, although Louis XIV would probably think the nobility-equivalent requires further neutering: Brittys, away from the front lines and less of a national mood of “hang together or hang separately”, worst. (See, the Irish). Kilts of a sort are still In as male fashion, while Ynys Yr Affalon has gone to Indian-style baggy trousers.
Dynasties have come and gone (the current ruling family is of what we would call Afghan origin, and there was a Turkish interlude), but Parthia remains: some sort of Iranian state between Europe and India has been one of the fixed norms of this world in the absence of Mongol or Islamic invasions. Parthia is currently one of the more peaceful spots on the globe, aside from the occasional mess spilling over the border from Arabia. The Punjabi Empire used to be unified with it a while back, but they’re their own thing now: a densely populated nation of tough warriors, they have a “don’t bug us and we won’t bug you” relationship with Hinduraj (which the Raj tends to interpret as a form of vassalage if others don’t).
Northern Africa is Carthagalaan, a loose federation centered on the old core of Carthage, which retains still some of its ancient glamour. North Africa is mostly oligarchic led by Suffetes with limited powers, although some of the southern states have fairly strong monarchies (Egypt is theocratic, but lacks a single God-king). It’s an economically bustling place, with elites more united than those in North Affalon, and surprisingly capable at mobilizing military forces for common defense (as Cimberland found to its distress), thanks in part to a fairly advanced banking system. It could play at least on Littorn’s level if it centralized more, but since that would upset too many applecarts, the inhabitants of Cathagalaan are happy enough to be Africa’s big dog.
Thanks to a fairly primitive medicine (although the virtues of quinine have been discovered) Central Africa avoided colonialism, although there are still a lot of trading posts and in more ambitious times there were efforts to rule through local proxies. The cape, where as OTL Europeans established a waystation to the markets of India, is a bit of an exception. There has been considerable cultural exchange south from Carthage and west from India (much of the east coast of Africa is Hindu or Hindu-local religion syncretic ), along with a transfer of weapons tech which has encouraged state building: the last true tribals, in the central jungles, are being energetically exploited to civilization, or death, whichever takes first.
Slavery is widespread, but generally of a non-racist type with multiple possibilities for manumission. Democracy isn’t widespread, and outside of North Africa not well regarded, considered as leading to decentralization, internal conflict, and weakness. It has never been universal even among males, slaves and the poor usually being excluded, and often narrowed to the wealthy and noblemen, and is being eroded by a move towards stronger, bureaucratized monarchy on the Indian model through the Celtic world.
Religion is mostly tolerant and polytheist (“we have our Gods, but you should respect other people’s”), with a few important exceptions such as the Sun God followers of the Andes, and the worshippers of the Lord of Life and Death in much of central Africa, in which other faiths get the dhimmi treatment at best. (There are also some fairly intolerant Buddhists, but they’re a minor factor as long as China doesn’t go that route, and what passes for Zoroastrianism nowadays takes other Gods as servants of Ahura Mazda.) Baalists also believe the Supreme Baal created the other Gods, and scholarly types often suggest a single unified Godhead of which lesser Gods are just emanations, but genuine monotheism is almost unheard of, almost as rare as atheism. (There are a few minor Judaism-derived cults, but even these tend to think of their God as First Among Equals). There have been some odd mixes, with north African Baalism mixing with elements of the traditional faiths in the Celtic lands, and the long Cimberlandish period of rule over Egypt has left the *Italian peninsula with a faith that syncretizes the Nordic and Egyptian Gods.
Technology is pretty widely variable, being based on rule of thumb engineering, although the spread of the printing press to all major nations in the last three centuries has systematized things somewhat. The steam engine has been around for a while, and there are steam powered trains, cars, and ships at sea. Smallpox vaccines and the use of quinine are widespread. Surgery is quite sophisticated, and some fairly potent anesthetic drugs have been developed from the New World’s formidable pharmacopeia, although, alas, notions of a germ theory remain vague at best, although the practice of quarantine in the case of plague is well known. Guns and cannon are up to OTL mid 19th century levels, supplemented by armored trains and crude, slow wheeled “tanks.” Hot air balloons are widely used, and gliders capable of carrying multiple arms troops exist. (The rocket-boosted ones are particularly dangerous). Some people are fiddling with what might be an internal combustion engine. Batteries have been a scholar’s toy for a while, and used for electroplating and inflicting amusing shocks on friends, but in a North African town the idea of sending an electric signal along a loooong wire is being explored. Steam pumps keep water out of the multiplying coal mines. During the final parts of the war the Andean state developed something like interchangeable parts manufacturing for the war effort, but it was not adopted by the Indians when they crushed them, and in most areas manufacturing is a craft rather than an industry, although there are some very dense state-sponsored congregations of skilled workers in some areas of major nations. But there is no science.
Or is there? It is to be noted that the Druid class has also long tinkered with machines and practical ideas, and nowadays they write to each other and have books of useful knowledge printed. In Africa, meanwhile, scholarly types are having fun compiling huge encyclopedias about all sorts of knowledge, and creating great collections of all sorts of natural odds and ends. The development of the telescope for military purposes has led to people looking at the planets and seeing things which bring the long established “crystal spheres” model of the cosmos into question. (*Inca Huy Braseal followed a sun-centered model, but for theological, not astronomical reasons). If the work of the ancient Greek philosophers, not preserved by a *Byzantine Empire or a Christian Church, has largely been forgotten, so have such ideas as Platonism or the pursuit of knowledge as a thing to be achieved purely with the mind and not dirty experimentation. The North Africans, aside from the Egyptians, are a practical-minded people, and generally have no problem with the notion that useful knowledge about the world remains to be discovered. Neither they nor the Celts have as yet developed what we call the “scientific method”, but they’re getting close enough to accidentally bump into it one of these days…
Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Kicked
Awesome Bruce! I love a good surviving-Celts scenario, even if the Indians are the main focus. Looking forward to seeing more from you. Your maps are always a welcome treat.
Honestly, I have no idea why that 1930-something basemap had Red-influenced (or is it puppet?) Chile. Is there a Latin America expert in the house?
I agree with Kiwi Emperor (sorry
I'm not saying to master photoshop or become a god at cartography. I didn't even hint at the fact that I think these maps are bad or good in any way. It bothers me that the same style is used over and over again. It's possible for new comers to start with world maps or for cartographers to use them to build a timeline/world. HOWEVER I believe it would be more interesting to see different styles of maps being created. The problem is that its literally the same projection being used every single time. Almost reminiscent of plagiarism, bland to the eye and dull after the 13th thread of it.
To reiterate because I was perceived incorrectly I do not think that they are all bad or poorly thought out. This is completely the opposite meaning I am trying to relay. Instead I believe more people should at least attempt a new style or different projection style. I think most of us on here are more than willing to help teach those that would like to learn. I'm not the greatest cartographer and I'm still learning a lot of tricks but that doesn't mean I pump out the same exact projection every time; everyone has a unique approach to cartography... why not try new things?
Nick Griffalco
Banned
My latest alternate history map. Among other things in this world...
World War II dragged on for longer than in our world. As a result, it was less that the Germany won, and more that everyone got tired of fighting. Japan still fell to allied invasion, and Germany got some more victories in the war, such as successfully annexing Russia and better luck in North Africa. Following the war it was assumed that the United States and British Empire would be the dominate powers thanks to their nuclear arsenals. Then Germany detonated and atom bomb. Quite how they managed to acquire nuclear weapons is a question foreign policy experts are still scratching their heads about. The best they figure is that a spy, turncoat or some other third party snuck the plans to them. No matter how it happened, the German acquisition of the atom bomb sent the world into a Cold War.
To counterbalance Nazi influence in Europe, the United States and British Empire formed the Anglo-American Union. The Anglo-American Union can best be thought of as a cross between NATO and the European Union. Despite the name non-Anglo nations are allowed to join the union. Indeed, several such nations already have. As part of the compromise when founding the union, the British Empire remained intact, but the colonies were allowed greater autonomy. The Union as a whole is fairly left leaning in direct defiance of Germany's fascism. The United States passed Civil Rights sooner and in general is more liberalized than in our world. Meanwhile, Apartheid ended much sooner in South Africa thanks to pressure from across the Union.
In China, Mao Zedong died during the 1950s and Zhou Enlai lead China through modernization instead. Enlai managed to avoid the excess of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. In time China grew in power to rival the Anglo-American Union and Germany. China has spread its influence to its neighbors and had established a viable third power block to rival the other two major powers. They still very much a socialist nation, but allow for greater freedoms than the China of our world, and overall are more laid back in terms of disposition. Originally, China was a third power block, but recently it has begun to warm up to the Anglo-American Union.
Following the war French and Dutch governments-in-exile was established in French Guiana and Suriname. European France remains nominally independent, but in reality it is a puppet regime loyal to Berlin. Germany has put pressure on the international community to recognize European France as the legitimate France, but most nation's outside the German sphere choose to recognize France-outer-mer instead. Italy was rewarded with an small empire of its own following the war, but like European France it is largely a German puppet.
The Korean War lasted slightly longer than in our world, but ultimately ended in a stalemate. However, North Korean forces, thanks to Chinese support, were able to push further into the south and captured Seoul. As a result the capital of South Korea is Pusan. North Korea, while still very much unhinged, is slightly less crazy than in our world thanks to China's influence. Meanwhile, Japan was allowed to keep Taiwan and their half of Shakhalin as part of the post-war negotiations. The majority of Thailand has fallen to communism as a result of China's influence; however, a rump kingdom has been established in the peninsula. Iran never experienced an Islamic Revolution and remains secular under the rule of the Shahs; thought it has considerable problems with regards to distribution of wealth.
Germany and the Anglo-American Union have competed in multiple space races. Germany dominated the first race; they launched the first satellite, fight manned flight and were the first to land a human on the Moon. However, the Anglo-American Union was the first to land on Mars. By the present day both the Anglo-American Union and Germany own bases on the Moon and have plans for Mars bases.
Europe has been remade in Hitler's image. Berlin is home to several massive and imposing structures...which are constantly sinking into the ground and in need of frequent, and costly, upkeep. The remaining number of European Jews is estimated to be in the low four digits. Everything in German society is heavily censored and those with dissenting views are frequently sent to the camps, but this is becoming less common. Society is structured along strictly racially segregated lines and Slavs have been forced onto reservations to make way for German settlers. The German government has gone to lengths to cover up any evidence of the holocaust, but by this point pretty much everyone has figured out what happened.
Culturally this world is quite different than our own. Communism doesn't have nearly as bad of a reputation due to the earlier collapse of the Soviet Union. Fascism, on the other hand, is even more harshly condemned. In fact, this opposition to fascism has spurred an earlier liberalization of society for the Anglo-American Union. There have also been other glimmers of hope; recently the German Reich has begun to slowly loosen its grip on its citizens. The recent fuhrers have acted much like Gorbachov did in our world; they may not be out to change the Reich's core values and beliefs, but they are willing to reform its bureaucracy and public image. It isn't much, but it's a start at least. There are even those who suggest this is the start of the Reich's breaking apart. Only time will tell for certain.
World War II dragged on for longer than in our world. As a result, it was less that the Germany won, and more that everyone got tired of fighting. Japan still fell to allied invasion, and Germany got some more victories in the war, such as successfully annexing Russia and better luck in North Africa. Following the war it was assumed that the United States and British Empire would be the dominate powers thanks to their nuclear arsenals. Then Germany detonated and atom bomb. Quite how they managed to acquire nuclear weapons is a question foreign policy experts are still scratching their heads about. The best they figure is that a spy, turncoat or some other third party snuck the plans to them. No matter how it happened, the German acquisition of the atom bomb sent the world into a Cold War.
To counterbalance Nazi influence in Europe, the United States and British Empire formed the Anglo-American Union. The Anglo-American Union can best be thought of as a cross between NATO and the European Union. Despite the name non-Anglo nations are allowed to join the union. Indeed, several such nations already have. As part of the compromise when founding the union, the British Empire remained intact, but the colonies were allowed greater autonomy. The Union as a whole is fairly left leaning in direct defiance of Germany's fascism. The United States passed Civil Rights sooner and in general is more liberalized than in our world. Meanwhile, Apartheid ended much sooner in South Africa thanks to pressure from across the Union.
In China, Mao Zedong died during the 1950s and Zhou Enlai lead China through modernization instead. Enlai managed to avoid the excess of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. In time China grew in power to rival the Anglo-American Union and Germany. China has spread its influence to its neighbors and had established a viable third power block to rival the other two major powers. They still very much a socialist nation, but allow for greater freedoms than the China of our world, and overall are more laid back in terms of disposition. Originally, China was a third power block, but recently it has begun to warm up to the Anglo-American Union.
Following the war French and Dutch governments-in-exile was established in French Guiana and Suriname. European France remains nominally independent, but in reality it is a puppet regime loyal to Berlin. Germany has put pressure on the international community to recognize European France as the legitimate France, but most nation's outside the German sphere choose to recognize France-outer-mer instead. Italy was rewarded with an small empire of its own following the war, but like European France it is largely a German puppet.
The Korean War lasted slightly longer than in our world, but ultimately ended in a stalemate. However, North Korean forces, thanks to Chinese support, were able to push further into the south and captured Seoul. As a result the capital of South Korea is Pusan. North Korea, while still very much unhinged, is slightly less crazy than in our world thanks to China's influence. Meanwhile, Japan was allowed to keep Taiwan and their half of Shakhalin as part of the post-war negotiations. The majority of Thailand has fallen to communism as a result of China's influence; however, a rump kingdom has been established in the peninsula. Iran never experienced an Islamic Revolution and remains secular under the rule of the Shahs; thought it has considerable problems with regards to distribution of wealth.
Germany and the Anglo-American Union have competed in multiple space races. Germany dominated the first race; they launched the first satellite, fight manned flight and were the first to land a human on the Moon. However, the Anglo-American Union was the first to land on Mars. By the present day both the Anglo-American Union and Germany own bases on the Moon and have plans for Mars bases.
Europe has been remade in Hitler's image. Berlin is home to several massive and imposing structures...which are constantly sinking into the ground and in need of frequent, and costly, upkeep. The remaining number of European Jews is estimated to be in the low four digits. Everything in German society is heavily censored and those with dissenting views are frequently sent to the camps, but this is becoming less common. Society is structured along strictly racially segregated lines and Slavs have been forced onto reservations to make way for German settlers. The German government has gone to lengths to cover up any evidence of the holocaust, but by this point pretty much everyone has figured out what happened.
Culturally this world is quite different than our own. Communism doesn't have nearly as bad of a reputation due to the earlier collapse of the Soviet Union. Fascism, on the other hand, is even more harshly condemned. In fact, this opposition to fascism has spurred an earlier liberalization of society for the Anglo-American Union. There have also been other glimmers of hope; recently the German Reich has begun to slowly loosen its grip on its citizens. The recent fuhrers have acted much like Gorbachov did in our world; they may not be out to change the Reich's core values and beliefs, but they are willing to reform its bureaucracy and public image. It isn't much, but it's a start at least. There are even those who suggest this is the start of the Reich's breaking apart. Only time will tell for certain.
I am wondering more about why Peru still has claims on Colombian land when the Colombians gave them the land that allowed them to curve around Ecuador (after receiving the land from Ecuador, or at least getting claims dropped) in exchange for the Peruvians letting the Colombians keep that southern snip of land and access to the Amazon. Then again, Peru has always been the messiest on world maps. When recoloring time-to-time, I have always found at least five different shades of purple in the north.
I'm agreeing with you.
When things get samey it's like people haven't tried and are just filling in coloured blobs on the same basemap.
I'm the last person who would say what to do but I appreciate maps of small countries with obvious effort more.
Well, it's not exactly alternate history but . . .
I always felt that these little regions aren't given enough attention :/ Honestly, how many people here who don't either live there or play EUIV know about Vogtland?
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I do
filler
Ah, I see what you mean, sorry for the misunderstanding
However I'd say that also relates to the skill of the person posting. When I began with cartography, I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as "projection" And I still don't like changing it today Plays havoc with the base maps I use And I guess this is something similar to the debate I had with Krall. I guess you're looking at the visual and aesthetic side of the post. (and there's nothing wrong with that!). The posters are probably not that interested in that and are more interested in the story. And then there's maniacs like me who are interested in the idea and how it relates to OTL history
It's all about preference 
The former United States in 1934:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=11141913&postcount=4656
NOTE: Sioux, Platte, Pawnee, and Idaho are NOT final.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=11141913&postcount=4656
NOTE: Sioux, Platte, Pawnee, and Idaho are NOT final.
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