2021 Turtledoves - Best Cold War to Contemporary Timeline Poll

[Gwrtheyrn Annwn]

Patton in Korea; by @BiteNibbleChomp

12:08 - Redux; @Devvy

2001: Space-Time Odyssey (Version 2); @Michel Van and @SpaceGeek

Boldly Going: A History of an American Space Station; @e of pi @TimothyC

Russia Resurgent by @Sārthākā

Kentucky Fried Politics; @gap80

THE BEATEN PATH: One Bicentennial and Counting; @Enigma-Conundrum

"The Commonwealth of Britain" - Republican UK; @powerab

Al Grito de Guerra: the Second Mexican Revolution; @Roberto El Rey

Days Like These: A Late 80s Labour Timeline; @Time Enough

Bicentennial Man: Ford '76 and Beyond; @KingSweden24

McGoverning; @Yes

Ocean of Storms: A Timeline of Scientific America; @BowOfOrion

A Drop in the Bucket: Brazil and Latin America in the Cold War; @Vinization

 

[Sarthak]

I write too many TLs tbh....but here's the final blurb!

Russia Resurgent

A Series of PoDs during the Yeltsin years of 1991-96 leads to the 96 election in Russia going in favor of the Yabloko Party candidate, Grigory Yavlinsky. As the liberals take power in the Russian Federation, the country battles post-USSR problems such as economic liberalization, the question of monarchical restoration, social laws, digitalization, militarization, its borders, and of course, its rightful place as one of the great powers of the globe. And as Russia and America renew their cold war in the late 2000s as the Russian Bear recovers from a decade of proper economic policies and oversight, the second conflict between the Bear and the Eagle is inevitable. The stage is set. On one side the USA stands as a beacon of democracy, on one hand, Russia stands as the beacon of a new type of democracy; mainly following a mixture of Rhenish capitalism/technocracy and singaporean modelling, and on the final side, stands the People's Republic of China, showing a return to authoritarian structural governments. As a tripartite Second Cold War slowly starts, the world holds its breath in anticipation.

 

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Patton in Korea

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.”

Few generals have been so successful, or so personally flawed, as George S. Patton. His military record is filled with striking successes such as the retraining of II Corps after the disaster at Kasserine, the spectacular dash across France in August 1944, and the rapid reversal of the German attack in the Ardennes. Yet behind them was a man who narrowly avoided removal from command after slapping a pair of soldiers, was marred by controversy in the press, and called for war with the Soviet Union.

Naturally, that makes him the perfect fit for the politically sensitive conflict that was the Korean War.

Patton in Korea envisions a world where Patton retires shortly after the victory in Europe, avoiding the crash that killed him and ensuring ‘Blood and Guts’ has one last war to fight. Against his better judgement, President Truman appoints the sixty-four year old Patton to command the Eighth Army, where he will serve under MacArthur in the Cold War’s first great conflict.

Based heavily on Patton’s memoir War as I Knew It, and told through the eyes of those who serve with him, this timeline is as much a story about the general himself as it is a story about an alternate Korean War. In essence, it is an alternate history of Patton, in Korea.

- BNC

 

[Vinization]

I ask all of those who voted for my work (A Drop in the Bucket) to vote for @Roberto El Rey's TL (Al Grito de Guerra) instead, since it is infinitely more deserving of a Turtledove than mine.

 

[gap80]

I don’t like to toot my own horn, so here’s what others have said about my TL, Kentucky Fried Politics: A Colonel Sanders Timeline, in its thread, since the last time that the TL was nominated (last year; this is now the third consecutive year it’s been nominated):


“…it’s been a hell of a ride. I feel like I’ve gotten to know the colonel intimately, and while you’ve been excellently even-handed with the portrayal of American politics throughout the century, it’s refreshing to have enjoyed a story that revolves around a fundamentally decent figure.” – Luke_Starkiller, Post #735

“Great job! You did Fabulous work and showed so much interesting stuff about the colonel. I just wish we had a Kentucky Fried Chicken closer…Thanks again for a fabulous timeline.” – DTF955Baseballfan, Post #737

“superb work.” – Ogrebear, Post #749

“This timeline I have to say is ‘Finger licking good!’” – NyQuil, Post #762

“Nice that you find many obscure political and non political figures to use in different ways.” – historybuff, Post #779

“Wow.” – Wendell, Post #780 & Post #1,023

“Finally finished binging this. Loving it and the changes to the world currently.” – Steelers94, Post #785

“It’s all the little changes alongside the big elections, and events that make this timeline so good to me.” – Ogrebear, Post #803

“I’m impressed with how this basically turned into the Board’s most elaborate Election Game.” – Fleetlord, Post #875

“I like this TL, especially for creating a world similar to yet different from OTL… Waiting for more…” – Unknown, Post #877

“a fun read” – Cmmdfugal, Post #905

“Started reading this today (have reached 1965), am really liking it. Also, this TL made me eat KFC for the first time…and I really liked it” – Peppe, Post #928

“Just reached the end of 1990 after binge reading up to it since my last post. And I must say I loved it, I found it funny…awesome…surprising…and at some times saddening…The last chapters have been particularly heartwrenching…splendid job” – Peppe, Post #929

“I have just finished binge reading this after 3 days. What a truly magnificent timeline you have made…This is easily in my top 5 favourite timelines.” – ThatRomanFanatic, Post #958

“Looking back on your timeline…it’s impressive” – Rivercat893, Post #985

“OTL, America has had an actor as President. The idea of a man who fries chicken becoming an OK-ish President isn’t at all ASB.” – Bookmark1995, Post #990

“This really is quite the timeline.” – Wendell, Post #1,008

“I just have to say that this TL is one of the best I have read on this site, and I’ll admit that it has inspired me to develop TLs of my own (as you have probably seen). So thank you for that I guess lol.” – CamtheWideboi, Post #1,019

“Even the non chapters are long and complicated. I love it! This may be one of the most creative political TLs I’ve seen. I’m only in 1956 yet it looks like it’ll be a fun read.” – Blue Sky, Post #1,022

“the amount of research and details put in TTL is amazing it’s literally up there with Blue Skies in Camelot by President Lincoln imao” – Kennedy Forever, Post #1,050


It is an honor to be nominated. To everyone considering me for this prestigious award – thank you all ever so much!

 

[BowOfOrion]

Ocean of Storms:

“I believe there is something be said for exploring beautiful places. It's good for the spirit.” - Dave Scott​

 

[TimothyC]

Boldly Going: A History of an American Space Station

Ever since the end of the Space Shuttle program, Enterprise has frustrated attempts to tally its successes and milestones, testing the definitions and putting an asterisk next to almost every record. First orbiter to fly? Columbia in 1981, unless you count Enterprise. Longest single mission in space? Atlantis with 24 days on orbit in a single mission, unless you count Enterprise. Fewest missions? Discovery, whose career was cut short in tragedy on her 8th flight, unless you count Enterprise. Heaviest payload carried to orbit by the Space Shuttle? Atlantis with the Galileo probe and its Centaur booster tipping the scale at 28,592 kilograms, unless you count Enterprise. Most crew aboard a Shuttle? Challenger, carrying a crew of ten, unless you count Enterprise. Fewest crew aboard a launch? Columbia’s two-man crews during the STS-1 through STS-4 flight test sequence, unless you count Enterprise. First launch of the shuttle-derived heavy lift vehicle? STS-99-C in 1998, unless you count Enterprise. Last Space Shuttle flying? Atlantis, unless of course you count Enterprise. OV-101’s history reflects the results of a successful improvisation that has left a profound mark on the history of human spaceflight. It holds a place in critical chapters not only of the Space Shuttle program’s birth and coming of age, but also in future steps into space beyond low Earth orbit. The orbiter’s legacy as “Space Station Enterprise” is poised to see it as a nexus for Western space programs for years to come, even as the decisions made forty years ago that saw the program’s birth still live on in the station’s unique capabilities and limitations. OV-101’s history, complex and contradictory as it may be, is adroitly summed up in the program support team’s officially unofficial motto, unchanged for more than three decades: "First to Fly, Last to Land."

 

[BiteNibbleChomp]

As this years winner, I'd like to say what a humbling experience this vote has been!
Thanks to everyone, not just the people who voted for Patton in Korea, but to everyone else who took part. And of course the authors of all the other nominated works: your writings have helped make this a great competition, and hopefully some of you will be able to win in future years It's great things like this that make this website such a special place to be a part of!
Thanks again!

- BNC