Well seen as the thread is nearly at an end I thought I'd better get around to posting the next instalment for
Hail, Britannia. As always many thanks must go to
@CanadianTory and
@Turquoise Blue for all their help in this project, I couldn't make sense of it all without the pair of you. I've promised to show this part of the world for a while now, but here we go. Presenting
The Lone Star Republic:
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The
Republic of Texas is a sovereign state located in North America, bordered to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the British Union of Louisiana, to the north by the British Commonwealth of Missouri, to the northwest by the Kingdom of the Californias, to the west by the Gulf of Cortez, and to the south by the Mexican Empire. Historically part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain, later the First Mexican Empire (1821-1833) and the Centralist Republic of Mexico (1833-1848), the province of
Tejas declared independence on March 2, 1836 during the Texas Revolution and, following the Battle of the San Jacinto, gained de facto recognition as an independent nation when Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna signed the Treaties of Velasco, although tensions between the two nations continued over the following decade.
The Mexican War (1846-1848) began when Texan troops crossed the Nueces River into disputed territory and were attacked by Mexican troops, killing 12 Texans and taking 52 prisoners. Over the course of the conflict the combined Anglo-Texan-Californian forces occupied the territories of Santa Fe de Nuevo México and Alta California, whilst a British army, under the command of Winfield Scott, captured Mexico City. The subsequent collapse of the Centralist Republic and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 recognised the independence of both Texas and California, but despite calls for the territory to be annexed into Britain-in-America, opposition within the American Colonial Congress prevented this, although the terms of the Treaty established both countries as British protectorates.
Over the late 19th and early 20th centuries Texas, alongside California, grew closer politically and economically with the United Kingdom, as both nations became integral parts of the "core" British Empire alongside the Imperial Federation. Texan soldiers would play an important role in the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851), when volunteer forces fought for the British Crown against republican rebels in Missouri and Louisiana. In the aftermath of that conflict the Texan Brigade was formed to recruit Texan soldiers, and continues to be a well-known component of the British Army to this day. Constitutional reforms in 1876 led to the reorganisation of the country into a federal republic which now consists of
9 states and 1 federal district, seven governed as presidential and three (Sonora, Navajo and Austin, F.D.) as parliamentary republics, and the creation of the modern semi-presidential system of government, as well as the abolition of slavery in Texas, which had dragged it heels over the matter, despite British influence, for over 40 years.
During the First World War (1913-1918), parts of southern and eastern Texas were invaded and occupied by Mexican and German forces, reaching as for north as the capital Austin, although the territories were liberated by Anglo-Texan forces towards the end of the war. The defeat of the Central Powers led to the annexation of Sonora as the nations' ninth state. Texas joined the Allies in the Second World War (1939-1946), sending volunteer forces to fight in Europe and the Middle East as well as being involved in the Spanish Caribbean Intervention (1940-1941). Although Texas has a long history as a centre of the cattle industry, the nation's economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the country.
Texans are, due to the cattle industry, associated internationally with the image of the cowboy, a national stereotype for which, along with their love of gridiron football and high number of guns per capita, they are known around the world. Also notable is the highly religious nature of Texan society which, despite the country being officially secular, is dominated by Evangelical Protestant groups, causing Texas to lag behind the rest of North America in social issures such as abortion and gay rights.
In the 21st century Texas is a highly developed country, and ranks highly in several measures of socioeconomic performance, having developed a diversified economy and high tech industry, leading in many fields including agriculture, computers, electronics, and the aerospace industry. Internationally Texas is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (forming the Common Travel Area with the UK, California, Cuba and the Nordic Federation) and a close ally of the United Kingdom, sometimes considered to be Britain's little brother, and the
British-Texan Special Relationship is a key component of British global foreign policy, with Texan forces having been involved in the Second Gulf War and the ongoing Commonwealth intervention in the Middle East and West Africa.
The
2014 Texan presidential and legislative elections were held on October 28, 2014 to elect the next President of the Republic for a six-year term, and the 335 members of the House of Representatives for a three-year term.
In the House of Representatives, the governing centre-right
Christian Democratic Party, which advocates Christian democratic and social conservative policies, led by incumbent Prime Minister David Dewhurst were able to secure their fourth consecutive majority, despite losing 13 seats and only receiving 40% of the popular vote. The CDP did receive a boost amongst hispanic voters, attributed to Susana Martínez candidature for President. The broadly centrist and centre-left socially liberal
Reform Party under new leader Wendy Davis made minor gains in this election, largely in suburban areas amongst moderate voters, although they saw a slight weakening in their support amongst hispanics over controversial comments by senior party figures.
The right-wing conservative nationalist party,
National Renewal, managed to gain a seat despite a decline in their vote share when they took Reform Party presidential candidate Chris Bell's district.
Partido Hispanófono, the broadly left-wing hispanic party led by Sonora Premier Manuel Acosta Gutiérrez, secured two extra seats at the expense of Reform, whilst the green politics
Ecology Party managing to gain the Hermosillo-Tiburón district. The
Native Alliance, a broad tent movement for the Texan First Nations which only runs in the state of Navajo, secured all four of the state districts for the eleventh consecutive election.
With the CDP securing another majority, David Dewhurst was elected by the newly assembled House of Representatives on December 2, 2014 and sworn in (for the fourth time) as the 24th Prime Minister of the Republic of Texas by President Rick Perry that afternoon.
Incumbent President Rick Perry of the
Christian Democratic Party was ineligible for a second term under the Constitution and so his party selected Governor of New Mexico Susana Martínez as their candidate. The
Reform Party selected former Representative Chris Bell of Matagorda. As with most Texan presidential elections, 1996 being a noticeable exception, the other congressional parties did not run their own candidates, with
National Renewal supporting the CDP,
Ecology and the
Partido Hispanófono backing Reform whilst the
Native Alliance remained independent.
Despite being one of the closest elections in Texan history, Martínez was able to secure a popular vote majority in six states, as well as nationally, precluding the need for a joint congressional vote. Bell was able to secure majorities in the states of Nueces, Sonora and Navajo, and the Federal District, traditional non-CDP heartlands, and was able to reduce Martínez's lead to seven percent, the narrowest margin of victory since 1996. Bell's long-time public support for LGBT rights cost him votes, although his call for stronger trading ties with the United Kingdom was well received, whilst Martínez was able to deliver a consistent message on balancing the federal budget and reducing unnecessary expenditure, whilst distancing herself from the accusations of corruption and coercion by the Perry Administration. Susana Martínez was sworn in as the 31st President of the Republic of Texas on December 9, 2014.
The
President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Texas, the latter officially referred to as the
President of the Council of Ministers, are respectively the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Texas. The office of president dates back to the First Constitution which was adopted in 1836, and was originally chosen through an Electoral College, with votes allocated to states based on the size of their congressional delegation. This method of election was used until the 1966 election when a constitutional amendment was passed that changed the electoral system so that the winner would require either a majority of the popular vote or a victory in a majority of states, and if neither of those conditions were met then a joint session of the newly elected Congress would meet to elect the President. The President is also the
ex officio Grand Master of the National Order of Honor and the National Order of Merit.
The position of Prime Minister was established under the 1876 Constitution, which changed the Texan government from a presidential system to a semi-presidential one, and described the role of the office as being to "direct the actions of the Government" and to "determine and conduct the policy of the Nation". Other members of the Texan Government are appointed by the President "on the recommendation of the Prime Minister", although in practice the Prime Minister acts on the impulse of the President to whom he is a subordinate, except when there is cohabitation. Conhabitation occurs when the President and Prime Minister are from different parties, a rarity in Texan politics, and results in the President handling foreign and defence affairs with the Prime Minister focusing on domestic matters.
Hail, Britannia
UK SDP leadership spill, 2004 & leadership election, 2011
American Theatre of World War I
Federation of India
Oregonian general election, 2011
Kingdom of Hanover; Hanoverian general election, 2012
Kingdom of Scania; King Valdemar V; Crown Prince Christoffer
National Republic of China (1927-1947)
Florida; Floridian general election, 2013; Floridian, Texan & Californian Spanish
Britain-in-America; North American Dutch; Daniel Taylor; Isaac Brock; Taylor-Brock family; Dukedom of Manhattan
Kingdom of Hawai'i; Hawaiian general election, 2015; King Kūhiō; Native Hawaiians
Hawaiians in the United Kingdom (Hawaiian British)
Russian America; Province of Alaska; Orthodox Church in America; Alaskans; North American Russian; Russian-American Company
Mexican Empire; Mexican federal election, 2013; Emperor Agustín V; President of the Government; Josefina Vázquez Mota
First Minister of Florida; Order of the Star of Florida; 2015 Floridian independence referendum; Viceroy of Florida; Carlos López-Cantera; Juan Taylor-Brock y Menendez
Dominion of Newfoundland; Newfoundland general election, 2016; Newfoundland Gaelic; New Labrador Party; Order of Newfoundland
Kingdom of the Californias; Californians; Californian general election, 2013; King Ramón IV; Wasatch Autonomous Region; Jon Huntsman Jr.
Nova Scotia (& 2013 provincial election); New Brunswick (& 2014 provincial election)
Dominion of Canada; Canadian federal election, 2015; United Democratic Federation; Canadian Alliance; Progressive Conservative Party; Alaskan Uprising; North American French
George Washington; Marquessate of Mount Vernon; Washington family
Commonwealth of New England; New England federal election, 2015; Liberty Party of New England; Conservative Party of New England; New England Gaelic; United Kingdom imperial election in New England, 2015
Commonwealth of Missouri; Missouri federal election, 2014; Amy Klobuchar; Progressive-Farmer-Labor Party of Missouri; Progressive Conservative Party of Missouri
United Kingdom of the Cape; Cape federal election, 2013; Annalie Gwabini; King Willem VI Themba; Capelanders; Provinces and autonomous regions of the Cape
), are there any notable differences in music, cinema, etc. from OTL?
