AHC: 'Taiwan' your country
- Thread starter zesamofdepast
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Depends how they feel about communists and Americans. This could have happened before the Troubles, and it would be happening during or after other trouble in Europe, maybe a major conflict. Once the communists are right there, then the kind of deals Republicans need to make are different, and the UK might give into most Republican demands quickly if the main event is in Northern Ireland and the relationship with the Republic of Ireland.
The USA would be propping up Ireland and Northern Ireland for the Cold War, and it might be right after a major conflict where the USA is looking for an airbase near Europe.
The 1856 treaty on demilitarization would probably just be declared null and void since the Russian party would be considered legally dissolved and the British would undoubtedly side with the whites. The modern treaty was made only in 1921.
I don't think the Swedes would be so cynical as to annex the islands, especially if the majority of the population was now upper class refugees. Instead, Sweden might give the islands economic and military support, being therefore able to get all the advantages of holding them without conceding the moral high ground. Although since the Finnish elites that made the island their new home would probably quite heavily Swedish-speaking, it might be that their ties to Finland would weaken rapidly.
The government could also be exiled to Singapore or Penang Island to fit the 'city-state in exile' theme, but that really depends on the timeline.
I think if the US went Communist, Cuba + USVI + Puerto Rico would be a great candidate, especially because they're a nation with a native population that won't be too happy with all of the foreigners just coming in and taking over the country.
In this scenario, you might get all but a political union with the British as a beachhead against Communism.
In this scenario, you might get all but a political union with the British as a beachhead against Communism.
Canada falls into a communist revolution somewhere in the early 1910s after we endured much worse losses in WW1 (alt), a French (Fashoda War escalates) supported Quebecois insurgency, and strikes across the country. The Canadian government flees into Newfoundland, Baffin Island and Prince Edward Island. US border is now as militarized as the Korean DMZ. kinda implausible but eh
Plus it has the good luck of having a language that is closer to Ancient Roman than Italian is. Though Italian apparently is mostly Tuscan and most dialects of Italian counted as their own languages. I suppose that is understandable when you have over a dozen highly educated areas competing with and loathing each other, using Latin for official stuff while the language of th epopulace diverges further form other republics and towns. I imagine Sicily might be just as good a choice, though it might partially be Italy not wanting to conquer them.
Yes, quite probably. It would certainly (for fairly obvious reasons) create awareness of the reality than Canada, Australia, New Zealand and all the other Commonwealth Realms remain in what is effectively a personal union with one another. I suspect that Canada, as the first and most 'senior' of the Dominions, would become the primary host for the monarchy.
I'm the furthest thing from an expect on Quebec, but I do know that the British constitution is an extremely pragmatic creature. If the change was thought to be necessary, I'm sure it would be made. However, the Church of England would not be abolished, and would remain the justification for monarchical authority (delegated to the Executive) and for parliamentary sovereignty.
There's always the option of changing the laws of succession in Canada but not in any of the other realms - especially as disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Canada had already occurred. This raises the interesting if unlikely possibility that the realms could diverge with different monarchs, should the heir apparent convert to Catholicism.
I was thinking Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. The "One Big Union", instead of being broken up, goes nationwide instead.
The government either flees to Vancouver Island, or to Newfoundland, which then would have been its own Dominion, but one that was heavily indebted.
The Swedes were exactly as cynical as to try to annex the islands IOTL after WWI. And in fact they were sort of in the right as well, because most of the local inhabitants wanted to join Sweden at the time. As for the Finnish White refugees, how big a part of them do you think would like to stay in these small, peripheral, windswept islands with a prewar population under 30 000 souls and the local infrastructure lacking, to say the least, when faced with a major influx of refugees from the mainland? It would be refugee camp conditions in Åland in c. 1919, without major foreign support to make the situation even tolerable. Most likely the great majority of the Finnish White refugees would see Åland as just a stepping stone towards Sweden and points beyond, they would not be moving to Åland to stay. Of course the locals would also be apprehensive and increasingly hostile towards the refugees, especially those that are Finnish-speaking.
If Sweden is going to give "White Åland" any (necessary) military and economic support, it will come with a price. Given the OTL Swedish post-WWI views about Åland, that price would be annexation. In actual fact, I think that the British and the French would also support Swedish annexation more than trying to maintain a comical little "Free State of Finland" on Åland. Even if the islands would still (ostensibly) house a Finnish government-in-exile, the easiest and simplest solution all around would be to raise the Swedish flag over Åland. It would remove all ambiguity over the ownership of the islands and thus practically moot the Red Finnish/Soviet demands towards them. And, importantly, this move could be officially justified with the demand of the local population to join Sweden (which could easily be ascertained through a neutral referendum). Making the islands a part of Sweden would also allow maintaining the 1856 treaty in force (or to create a new version) as Sweden could guarantee the islands in war time and agree to uphold demilitarization in peace time. The White Finnish military (a collection of armed, rag-tag refugees) would probably need to be disarmed and interned, but then if that is the price of not ending as imprisoned (and possibly killed) in Red Finnish/Soviet hands, and to have the ability to maintain a Finnish government-in-exile under Swedish protection, that would be a tolerable trade-off. With any luck, the Swedes might even create a "Finnish Legion" as a part of the Swedish military to keep some of the White Finnish troops in arms, as long as they pledge their loyalty to the Swedish crown.
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During WW2, the Germans much of their forces in Norway to mainland Europe. Not wanting to lose the day, red partisans begin to seize controll over parts of Norway. From these parts they expand. Further east, Soviet forces are entering Sweden and Northern Norway, with assistance from Finnish forces who have switched sides(similar to Bulgaria or Romania). In this ATL scenario Finland goes communist, as it joins the allies(Western Allies and Soviets). In Sweden(which was occupied by the Germans in this timeline similarily to Norway) communist partisans link up with the red army.
People fearing reprisals and mistreatment at the hands of the communist. Aswell as those who just oppose communism. Leave the country in boats, leaving for the shores of the UK. The Norwegian government in exile denaunces the red takeover of the Norwegian mainland. With the support of the UK and USA, the Norwegian goverment seizes the Svalbard archipeligo for it self. Soviet citizens are expelled to the Soviet Union.
Unable to support the entire refugee population, most Norwegian citizens reside in the UK and Germany, where they hold a special status. This special status gives Norwegians(who descend from refugees from Communist Norway) in the UK and in Germany, the choice of having double citizenship. There also exists a sizeable diaspora of people who fled communist Norway, in Denmark, Canada and USA.
Svalbard is usualy just referred to as 'Svalbard' across the globe. Though Svalbard itself refers itself as 'the Kingdom og Norway', and claims suzerainty over the entirety of Mainland Norway. Svalbard also controlls Bear Island(Bjørnøya), Jan Mayen and the Norwegian Antartic possesions.
The Economy of Svalbard is oriented toward the ocean. It's major industries are shipping, construction of ships, manufacturing of marine products, fishing and mining. Remittances is very important for the Svalbardian economy.
People fearing reprisals and mistreatment at the hands of the communist. Aswell as those who just oppose communism. Leave the country in boats, leaving for the shores of the UK. The Norwegian government in exile denaunces the red takeover of the Norwegian mainland. With the support of the UK and USA, the Norwegian goverment seizes the Svalbard archipeligo for it self. Soviet citizens are expelled to the Soviet Union.
Unable to support the entire refugee population, most Norwegian citizens reside in the UK and Germany, where they hold a special status. This special status gives Norwegians(who descend from refugees from Communist Norway) in the UK and in Germany, the choice of having double citizenship. There also exists a sizeable diaspora of people who fled communist Norway, in Denmark, Canada and USA.
Svalbard is usualy just referred to as 'Svalbard' across the globe. Though Svalbard itself refers itself as 'the Kingdom og Norway', and claims suzerainty over the entirety of Mainland Norway. Svalbard also controlls Bear Island(Bjørnøya), Jan Mayen and the Norwegian Antartic possesions.
The Economy of Svalbard is oriented toward the ocean. It's major industries are shipping, construction of ships, manufacturing of marine products, fishing and mining. Remittances is very important for the Svalbardian economy.
Putschists in 1960 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Turkish_coup_d'état) already had contingency plans in case they fail (to seize the European part and set up a government here). Seeing how the coup was fairly pro-American and Menderes was cozying up to the Soviets it's not too hard to imagine a case where the Asian part of the country ends up going communist.
And if the Free French and the Corsican Maquis wanted to, they could have invaded la Sardaigne and made it the newest part of France if it meant denying any aid and comfort to both Benito Mussolini and the Italian Communists (never underestimate the possibility for Communists to split over national loyalties).
As for the US - well, the only main option I could think of would be relocating to Puerto Rico and the USVI, though even then the British (using the cover of its Dominions) would try to nab as much US territory as possible and deny any attempt for the US Communists to use those now-strategic areas. With particular emphasis on Alaska and the Pacific territories.
And Venizelist Greece would just basically be bumbling from one military dictatorship after another as it tears itself apart between the conservative Dodecanese (who were grateful for liberation from the Italian Fascists) and the pro-EAM/ELAS Cretans, who so want to badly become part of the Hellenic People's Republic. Venizélos would not be amused.