Imperial Russia and China managed to colonise vast swathes of land. More generally, republicanism isn't the same as having a non-overbearing government. Most medieval kings probably had less control over their subjects' day-to-day lives than most modern democratic states.
AHC: A non-Anglophone, American state becomes a significant intervening power in Eurasia
- Thread starter raharris1973
- Start date
raharris1973
Gone Fishin'
I mentioned fleet and Army Corps level intervention in the original OP to provide a sense of scale. I added this edit to further define a minimum threshold of comparison.
I'd like to see a TL where a more powerful Mexico decides to take revenge on France after its occupation in the 1860s.
Perhaps it decides to militarise after the war, and builds up its army and navy.
In 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War breaks out, it decides to send a large fleet across the Atlantic as a punitive expedition against France?
Perhaps it decides to militarise after the war, and builds up its army and navy.
In 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War breaks out, it decides to send a large fleet across the Atlantic as a punitive expedition against France?
raharris1973
Gone Fishin'
Hmm, could you somehow get some aspect of the Bartolome de las Casas plan into effect, with the settlement of more Spanish peasants in the New World starting in the 1500s? This increases the base population from while the Mexican, New Granadan, Peruvian, La Plata population can grow, while Spain's home population takes a bit of a hit.
However, in the healthier highland parts, the population does grow, and the diplomatic-political tie to Spain remains, and at some point in the late 1700s or early 1800s soldiers Spanish-American dominions, or independent successor states, are needed to aid Spain in some war of survival in Europe, and they have the people to do, and have the fleets, or are allied with the fleets, to get them there.
Of course this all depends on many things breaking the right way. Spanish landlords letting peasants go at the beginning, Spanish America growing large and maintaining a relationship of continued political, economic and sentimental interest in Spain's well-being, etc.
However, in the healthier highland parts, the population does grow, and the diplomatic-political tie to Spain remains, and at some point in the late 1700s or early 1800s soldiers Spanish-American dominions, or independent successor states, are needed to aid Spain in some war of survival in Europe, and they have the people to do, and have the fleets, or are allied with the fleets, to get them there.
Of course this all depends on many things breaking the right way. Spanish landlords letting peasants go at the beginning, Spanish America growing large and maintaining a relationship of continued political, economic and sentimental interest in Spain's well-being, etc.
I think the Aranda Plan could work to create a powerful state, in fact there is a story about that.
I'm seeing higher numbers for Brazil on Wikipedia, but more importantly, even 17 million is about twice the population of Canada and Australia combined. Sending more troops than those two is well within Brazil's available manpower even without a POD that increases the population.
I don't know where you see those higher numbers considering I also used Wikipedia. But more importantly, I was responding to someone saying Brazil could have easily just become a US-level superpower, in which case being the size of Canada and Australia combined would definitely not cut it.
This one might be ASB, but I thought of it recently and love it. The POD is a Tuscany that successfully colonizes IOTL French Guiana in 1605, gets a taste for colonization, and then goes on to colonize the Carolinas in the 1620s in pursuit of cotton to grow its manufacturing industry. IOTL Tuscany began to decline economically after losing its place as the middlemen of the spice trade to Portugal, so instead ITTL they invest heavy into their cloth industry, and needing more cotton for their growing clothing manufacturing industry, they decide to colonize the Carolinas. Tuscany could also come into controlling the duchy of Urbino if butterflies mean Francesco Maria II lives longer, giving it more of a population base to pursue colonization. During the wars of Castro, they could come to be the dominant power in central Italy, annexing the Barberini principalities of Palestrina and Monterotodo, further increasing their population. Maybe they even come into possession of the Knights Hospitaller colonies instead of them returning to France. This wanked Tuscany could find itself in a war with the Dutch over the Guiana, which see the Dutch capture Tuscan Guiana, while Tuscan troops from the Carolinas easily march into New Netherlands and capture the lightly defended settlement, leading to a conclusion much like the OTL Anglo-Dutch war, where the Dutch get to keep Guiana, but the Tuscans also get to keep New Netherlands. Italians in NYC 200 years early! I think Tuscany is a much better candidate for such a scenario because, unlike France or Spain, their metropole isn't so much concerned with trade or exploitation of preexisting resources, rather the development of the land into one that will fuel the growing industry back home, much like Britain. The greatest handicap is population, but this could be overcome with the aforementioned expansion and collaboration with other Italian states.