This is really really cool! Like many people here, I love the Byzantines and the idea of them still around at this time is really cool! I'd love to see more from this if you have it.
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes VI (Do Not Post Current Politics or Political Figures Here)
- Status
Thank you! Although the whole idea of this world is the “Byzantines as ottomans” but they manage to reform, so it might not exactly be up to some people’s standard, but I’ll definitely try!
More seriously, the only good image I've found for Basil III is a literal Game of Thrones character and the heraldry would look really weird, you know
So for now, Basil III has no face
Maekar Targaryen; his heraldry is a dragon (obviously) and that doesn't really mesh with the whole Byzantine eagle thing
That's awesome! So, what is the current size of the Byzantine Empire in this TL?
Techno Angel
Banned
Aren't Targaryens supposed to be with like silver hair and purple eyes? No way Greek emperor looks like that!(I know that Greeks on average probably had more light skin before centuries of mixing with Turks, witch is avoided ITTL, but that's probably still too much)
I was into ASOIAF for some time but my interest faded after I realized that the last two books won't ever be written and the last season of the show was so bad, so now I can't really remember who Maekar was, so maybe he's like an odd one who had black hair and dark eyes for some reason and my comment is missing the point
Last edited:
My crappy worlda of what the Empire would look like by the modern day—
Lol trueeeee about ASOIAF and the wait time
Re: Maekar, he was more of like a character only mentioned in the lore in the main story; only really appearing in the novellas. Anyhow, his art on the ASOIAF wiki makes him look more gray-haired than silvery, really, so I headcanoned Maekar-as-Basil as simply being an older monarch with grey hair
And just ignored the purple-eyed part (it's really hard to tell in this image anyway)
Last edited:
Techno Angel
Banned
Got it
I also today had an outlandish idea when I woke up, so you know Paul I, Emperor of Russia? I thought that so like what if all his IOTL sons were instead daughters, and so OTL's Alexander I would've been TTL's Alexandra, and then what if like she married Napoleon, like that proposed marriage between Carolus Magnus and Irene of Byzantium that never happened? And then they like go conquer the world together, it's completely unrealistic but at least probably hasn't been done before
Byzantine ex-colonies; south of the Byzantines are their former Levantine colonies, while to their east Kurdistan more recently obtained its independence from Constantinople's reaches after a grueling thirty-year insurgency.
The United British Republic, referred to as just the United Republic for short, had its origins in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. Britain suffered defeat after defeat during the War of 1812 and the ongoing War of the Fifth Coalition with the final straw being broken during the French Invasion in 1814. With many generals and troops in Canada fighting the Americans, the Home Army was overwhelmed by French fusiliers, Prussian uhlans, Russian Cossacks and Irish rebels. With fighting and the subsequent conflict ended on 16 August 1815 with the Versailles Congress which proceeded to redraw the map of Europe in Bonaparte's image.
With the ending of the British occupation in 1820, many people assumed the nation would be able to once again rise to the greatness it had held before the invasion, but the Emperor of the French would not share the sun. French business interests continued to dominate, French troops still maintained a garrison in Portsmouth and after the result of the Madrid Crisis, it was evident that any kind of reform would not be accepted in Paris. The government in London did not do anything to advance British interests either, with many lords and MPs fearful of another French invasion. For their cooperation with their "partners", Britain was allowed concessions like the retaining of certain overseas territories and the survival of the East India Company, albeit very reduced in size and power. It was for both survival and profit that the so-called "Collaborator Government" continued to toe the French line, even if it meant damaging the British reputation. With this in mind, a new movement began to take shape. Intellectuals and industrial leaders began to form a new organization, initially centred around industrial reform but eventually evolved into a general anti-government reform minded political group. This "Chartist Alliance" began to lead in several by-elections and soon the government began to become concerned about its power base. Eventually, King William IV himself ordered the arrest of all chartists and the abolition of the party. This gross overreach of royal powers, as well as the king's reluctance to weigh in on social issues, began to convince people about the need to abolish of the monarchy. After all, mad kings and greedy emperors had gotten them into the current situation. Eventually the British Revolution began on 1st of May 1837 with the famous London Rising. For three long years the king's increasingly brutal forces hunted the rebels throughout the countryside. In this war, the Royal army was unused to fighting bushwhacking guerrillas and with every passing day more and more men deserted to join the rebel cause. Eventually the King and the loyalist government escaped to Ireland with a bulk of the Royal navy to safeguard against invasion. The rebels declared victory on 20th May 1840, Liberation Day.
The subsequent Rebuilding Era saw the creation of the government structure of the Republic and the implementation of several reforms, including universal male suffrage, industrial reforms, the abolition of slavery and the creation of a British constitution and Charter of Rights. It was declared that the office of Prime Minister would remain the head of the Government but also the head of the State. Some members of the Alliance like Henry Hetherington argued for the creation of a Presidential Office but he was shot down after the majority supported Robert Owen, one of the main voices of the revolution. Owen would later be elected the First Prime Minister of the United British Republic and began to lead the country though the first half of the "Fiery Forties" and the beginning of the Franco-British "Great Game". Eventually divisions in the Alliance began to show with many members of the newly re-constituted Popular congress (Lower House) and the National Congress (Upper House), beginning to form a party that would seek a different political view than the old guard. The Constitutional Union political party wanted to institute protectionist tariffs to stimulate the British economy and stressed the importance of individual liberty as stated in the constitution. They also proposed a more interventionist foreign policy in relation to the French empire and other national threats. This party would soon find opposition in the United Liberals. These men advocated for a free-market economy but also argued that every person had a duty of care to the state. This policy would earn them the nickname of the "Ciceronians". They were also more inclined to diplomacy rather than outright or proxy conflict with the French. Both of these parties would dominate British politics in the 19th century with the exception of the Hamilton-Gordon Cabinet in the 1850s. These governments passed legislation in both social and political affairs like the Taylor Act in 1865, brought about by the suffragette movement and the inspiring actions of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale in the Second American Revolution. In the 1890s many industrial workers began to advocate for increased intervention in workplace practices and against the influence of business monopolies like Windsor Steel and Carnegie Oil. Due to this frustration, a new class of voters and politicians would rise. The Republican Democratic Worker's Party would be elected in 1896 led by Edward Carpenter and would surprisingly hold on to power for a five year cabinet period. His policies would include the curtailing of monopoly powers, the institution of codified work safety laws and the implementation of various other social programmes. His politics would influence many people and introduce the concept of democratic socialism into the British political structure.
On the International stage the British were mostly engaged in what was coined by the First Foreign Minister Richard Cobden as the "Great Game of national survival" with the French Empire. The Republic did not have a military that could match the Grande Armée and so sought to undermine French influence and secure British interests through underhanded means. The classic image of the British secret agent would have its origins in the 19th century. The Free Trade Commission, established in 1850, is today considered the world's first intelligence service, as it utilized trade routes and connections to further the goals of the Republic. The first of these is the nationalization of the increasingly aggressive and independent East India Company. In what was at the time officially described as the "East India Adjustment", but what actually were a series of events including bribery, assassinations, blackmailing and general maleficence, the Republic nationalized the E.I.C. and reached an agreement with local leaders for the independence of the East Indian Republic, something France would not do in their own Indian holdings for nearly a century. The United Republic would also engage in what is known as Gentlemen's Diplomacy, in that officials would recognize each other as equals and strive to achieve agreements that were favourable to each party. This would both shame the French Imperialist ambitions but also be beneficial to British economic interests because a friendly economic partner is an economic opportunity. It was because of this approach to international relations that made the British more amicable to other forms of democratic governments than the French. The Commonwealth System would also be created as a military pact to counter the French Continental Entente and to protect these democratic states from any incursion by the French or other powers.
The Great Game would eventually come to an end with the signing of the Versailles Accords between Republic Prime Minister Austen Chamberlain and French Premier Raymond Poincaré. Relations between the two countries had steadily eased with the ascension of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte to the throne with British support alongside both states fighting side by side in the war against the "Mad Shah" in Persia but these agreements formally ended any official hostilities the two nations had between each other. This was also partly in due to the belligerent rise of the Prussian Empire and the creation of the Central League with the United Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden. The Anglo-French forces would unite under the Entente Pact to defy Germanic and Nordic ambitions. These series of alliances would eventually result in the First Emperor's War which saw the defeat of the Central League in 1917. After the war and the Second Lloyd-George Ministry, the RDWP inspired Republican-Socialist Party would be elected, beginning the "Three-Party System" in British politics as the party became entrenched with the working class of the Republic. Under the governance of Ramsey MacDonald, the state would invest more in the social issues facing demobilised soldiers as well as the effects of the growing mercenary forces around Europe and Asia. As the decades began to bleed into each other, the British government would deal with various crises throughout the 30s and 40s as the infamous Panic of 1931 would see the creation of an inter-party coalition to deal with the economic downturn. This would see notable economist John Maynard Keynes be thrust into political office due to his expertise. His leadership would see an easing of economic troubles and the institution of Keynesian political theory into the government. The republic would also have to deal with the growing bellicosity of the "Rachepakt“ of the Third Prussian Reich led by Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich and the National Fascist State of Austria under Adolf Hitler. The policy of appeasement headed by Edward F. Wood would do little to satiate the claims of the fascists and eventually the Second Emperor's War would erupt in 1940. Britain would also be brought into the Pacific War against Qing Manchuria and the Imperial Co-Prosperity Bloc after the bombing of Port Zachary in the Philippines. Both conflicts would result in the defeat of the fascist and Qing powers and their subsequent occupation by the newly created United Coalition of Nations, a concept spearheaded by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The post-war years would leave Britain in a precarious position with the establishment of various antagonistic states like the People's Union of Italy and Peronist Argentina. Italy was able to liberate itself from the Austrian puppet government of Italo Balbo with Allied support. But they soon began to turn against the "Capitalist predators" as quoted by Premier-President Palmiro Togliatti. In Argentina Juan Peron's National Salvation Group capitalized on public discontent with the economic downturn and military defeats in the Uruguay War of 1947 to be elected as president, later to be declared Chief Executive. Despite these antagonistic rivalries and some “Friendly Competition“ with the Americans and French, the Republic did remain a major influence on the International stage. British special forces would fight alongside the Arabic army during the Turkish War and subsequently with the Turkish reformists in the War of the Three Pashas. British soldiers would be integrated into U.C.N. Taskforce Heracles during Operation Perseus and the Republic also sent troops into the jungle against the Khmer Noire regime during the Indochina Wars. Socially, the Popular and National Congresses approved the Just Society Acts with codified rights of the citizen to abortion, civil partnerships and medicinal drug use. It was also in the late 1950s that Britain joined the European Economic Assurance Organisation alongside Norway and Spain. This organization would evolve into the European Coalition after the Luxembourg Treaty in 1987. This would allow greater cooperation both economically and politically between the European countries.
The British would however endure various upheavals throughout the 70s and 80s. The first of these would be the infamous Harrogate Scandal in which Prime Minister Enoch Powell attempted to gain information on political opponents using illegal means and then attempting to cover it up. This would permanently stain the reputation of the Constitutional Union as they struggled to clean themselves of the stigma of Powell's activities. That stigma would still persist with the CU not being elected into government for twenty years. The other major event would the the catastrophic South American War in which R-S Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher directed British involvement. The war which lasted from 1981 to 1986 saw the nationalist powers of the Córdoba League, consisting of Argentina, Chile and Paraguay wage war against the Northern League of Brazil, Columbia and Uruguay. The war would be devastating for the continent and statistics show that the economies of the defeated nations still haven't recovered to pre-war levels. The British along with the American Union and French Empire would intervene in the war once evidence of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Chilean forces was unearthed. The war would end following the Buenos Aires Ceasefire on 18 June 1986. The Eighties wouldn't be all bad however. Thatcher would also attend the Rome-London Trade Conference in 1988 and personally met with Premier-President Enrico Berlinguer. This historic meeting is seen as a warming of relations between the two nations and this was cemented with the creation of the fully democratic Italian Federal State in 1995. The Republic would face one more crisis in the 21st century with the Fall of the National Federation of Indonesia. Following ethnic uprisings and pleas for aid, the British stationed peace keeping troops to allow for popular sovereignty in the rebel states. With Indonesian diplomats calling these actions “Imperialism coated in democracy“, the republic still maintains that its troops are only there to ensure no human rights atrocities are committed. Today the United British Republic stands as a beacon of democracy throughout the world. Its focus on humanitarian efforts during the Indonesian Wars and in the Aftermath of Hurricane Michael in France, show how far the nation has come in regards to its previous governments and rivals. Despite there still being skeletons in the closet of the Republic in regards to its previous foreign policies, there is no misunderstanding as to why the United British Republic is nowadays referred to as the "Gentleman's Republic".
With the ending of the British occupation in 1820, many people assumed the nation would be able to once again rise to the greatness it had held before the invasion, but the Emperor of the French would not share the sun. French business interests continued to dominate, French troops still maintained a garrison in Portsmouth and after the result of the Madrid Crisis, it was evident that any kind of reform would not be accepted in Paris. The government in London did not do anything to advance British interests either, with many lords and MPs fearful of another French invasion. For their cooperation with their "partners", Britain was allowed concessions like the retaining of certain overseas territories and the survival of the East India Company, albeit very reduced in size and power. It was for both survival and profit that the so-called "Collaborator Government" continued to toe the French line, even if it meant damaging the British reputation. With this in mind, a new movement began to take shape. Intellectuals and industrial leaders began to form a new organization, initially centred around industrial reform but eventually evolved into a general anti-government reform minded political group. This "Chartist Alliance" began to lead in several by-elections and soon the government began to become concerned about its power base. Eventually, King William IV himself ordered the arrest of all chartists and the abolition of the party. This gross overreach of royal powers, as well as the king's reluctance to weigh in on social issues, began to convince people about the need to abolish of the monarchy. After all, mad kings and greedy emperors had gotten them into the current situation. Eventually the British Revolution began on 1st of May 1837 with the famous London Rising. For three long years the king's increasingly brutal forces hunted the rebels throughout the countryside. In this war, the Royal army was unused to fighting bushwhacking guerrillas and with every passing day more and more men deserted to join the rebel cause. Eventually the King and the loyalist government escaped to Ireland with a bulk of the Royal navy to safeguard against invasion. The rebels declared victory on 20th May 1840, Liberation Day.
The subsequent Rebuilding Era saw the creation of the government structure of the Republic and the implementation of several reforms, including universal male suffrage, industrial reforms, the abolition of slavery and the creation of a British constitution and Charter of Rights. It was declared that the office of Prime Minister would remain the head of the Government but also the head of the State. Some members of the Alliance like Henry Hetherington argued for the creation of a Presidential Office but he was shot down after the majority supported Robert Owen, one of the main voices of the revolution. Owen would later be elected the First Prime Minister of the United British Republic and began to lead the country though the first half of the "Fiery Forties" and the beginning of the Franco-British "Great Game". Eventually divisions in the Alliance began to show with many members of the newly re-constituted Popular congress (Lower House) and the National Congress (Upper House), beginning to form a party that would seek a different political view than the old guard. The Constitutional Union political party wanted to institute protectionist tariffs to stimulate the British economy and stressed the importance of individual liberty as stated in the constitution. They also proposed a more interventionist foreign policy in relation to the French empire and other national threats. This party would soon find opposition in the United Liberals. These men advocated for a free-market economy but also argued that every person had a duty of care to the state. This policy would earn them the nickname of the "Ciceronians". They were also more inclined to diplomacy rather than outright or proxy conflict with the French. Both of these parties would dominate British politics in the 19th century with the exception of the Hamilton-Gordon Cabinet in the 1850s. These governments passed legislation in both social and political affairs like the Taylor Act in 1865, brought about by the suffragette movement and the inspiring actions of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale in the Second American Revolution. In the 1890s many industrial workers began to advocate for increased intervention in workplace practices and against the influence of business monopolies like Windsor Steel and Carnegie Oil. Due to this frustration, a new class of voters and politicians would rise. The Republican Democratic Worker's Party would be elected in 1896 led by Edward Carpenter and would surprisingly hold on to power for a five year cabinet period. His policies would include the curtailing of monopoly powers, the institution of codified work safety laws and the implementation of various other social programmes. His politics would influence many people and introduce the concept of democratic socialism into the British political structure.
On the International stage the British were mostly engaged in what was coined by the First Foreign Minister Richard Cobden as the "Great Game of national survival" with the French Empire. The Republic did not have a military that could match the Grande Armée and so sought to undermine French influence and secure British interests through underhanded means. The classic image of the British secret agent would have its origins in the 19th century. The Free Trade Commission, established in 1850, is today considered the world's first intelligence service, as it utilized trade routes and connections to further the goals of the Republic. The first of these is the nationalization of the increasingly aggressive and independent East India Company. In what was at the time officially described as the "East India Adjustment", but what actually were a series of events including bribery, assassinations, blackmailing and general maleficence, the Republic nationalized the E.I.C. and reached an agreement with local leaders for the independence of the East Indian Republic, something France would not do in their own Indian holdings for nearly a century. The United Republic would also engage in what is known as Gentlemen's Diplomacy, in that officials would recognize each other as equals and strive to achieve agreements that were favourable to each party. This would both shame the French Imperialist ambitions but also be beneficial to British economic interests because a friendly economic partner is an economic opportunity. It was because of this approach to international relations that made the British more amicable to other forms of democratic governments than the French. The Commonwealth System would also be created as a military pact to counter the French Continental Entente and to protect these democratic states from any incursion by the French or other powers.
The Great Game would eventually come to an end with the signing of the Versailles Accords between Republic Prime Minister Austen Chamberlain and French Premier Raymond Poincaré. Relations between the two countries had steadily eased with the ascension of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte to the throne with British support alongside both states fighting side by side in the war against the "Mad Shah" in Persia but these agreements formally ended any official hostilities the two nations had between each other. This was also partly in due to the belligerent rise of the Prussian Empire and the creation of the Central League with the United Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden. The Anglo-French forces would unite under the Entente Pact to defy Germanic and Nordic ambitions. These series of alliances would eventually result in the First Emperor's War which saw the defeat of the Central League in 1917. After the war and the Second Lloyd-George Ministry, the RDWP inspired Republican-Socialist Party would be elected, beginning the "Three-Party System" in British politics as the party became entrenched with the working class of the Republic. Under the governance of Ramsey MacDonald, the state would invest more in the social issues facing demobilised soldiers as well as the effects of the growing mercenary forces around Europe and Asia. As the decades began to bleed into each other, the British government would deal with various crises throughout the 30s and 40s as the infamous Panic of 1931 would see the creation of an inter-party coalition to deal with the economic downturn. This would see notable economist John Maynard Keynes be thrust into political office due to his expertise. His leadership would see an easing of economic troubles and the institution of Keynesian political theory into the government. The republic would also have to deal with the growing bellicosity of the "Rachepakt“ of the Third Prussian Reich led by Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich and the National Fascist State of Austria under Adolf Hitler. The policy of appeasement headed by Edward F. Wood would do little to satiate the claims of the fascists and eventually the Second Emperor's War would erupt in 1940. Britain would also be brought into the Pacific War against Qing Manchuria and the Imperial Co-Prosperity Bloc after the bombing of Port Zachary in the Philippines. Both conflicts would result in the defeat of the fascist and Qing powers and their subsequent occupation by the newly created United Coalition of Nations, a concept spearheaded by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The post-war years would leave Britain in a precarious position with the establishment of various antagonistic states like the People's Union of Italy and Peronist Argentina. Italy was able to liberate itself from the Austrian puppet government of Italo Balbo with Allied support. But they soon began to turn against the "Capitalist predators" as quoted by Premier-President Palmiro Togliatti. In Argentina Juan Peron's National Salvation Group capitalized on public discontent with the economic downturn and military defeats in the Uruguay War of 1947 to be elected as president, later to be declared Chief Executive. Despite these antagonistic rivalries and some “Friendly Competition“ with the Americans and French, the Republic did remain a major influence on the International stage. British special forces would fight alongside the Arabic army during the Turkish War and subsequently with the Turkish reformists in the War of the Three Pashas. British soldiers would be integrated into U.C.N. Taskforce Heracles during Operation Perseus and the Republic also sent troops into the jungle against the Khmer Noire regime during the Indochina Wars. Socially, the Popular and National Congresses approved the Just Society Acts with codified rights of the citizen to abortion, civil partnerships and medicinal drug use. It was also in the late 1950s that Britain joined the European Economic Assurance Organisation alongside Norway and Spain. This organization would evolve into the European Coalition after the Luxembourg Treaty in 1987. This would allow greater cooperation both economically and politically between the European countries.
The British would however endure various upheavals throughout the 70s and 80s. The first of these would be the infamous Harrogate Scandal in which Prime Minister Enoch Powell attempted to gain information on political opponents using illegal means and then attempting to cover it up. This would permanently stain the reputation of the Constitutional Union as they struggled to clean themselves of the stigma of Powell's activities. That stigma would still persist with the CU not being elected into government for twenty years. The other major event would the the catastrophic South American War in which R-S Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher directed British involvement. The war which lasted from 1981 to 1986 saw the nationalist powers of the Córdoba League, consisting of Argentina, Chile and Paraguay wage war against the Northern League of Brazil, Columbia and Uruguay. The war would be devastating for the continent and statistics show that the economies of the defeated nations still haven't recovered to pre-war levels. The British along with the American Union and French Empire would intervene in the war once evidence of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Chilean forces was unearthed. The war would end following the Buenos Aires Ceasefire on 18 June 1986. The Eighties wouldn't be all bad however. Thatcher would also attend the Rome-London Trade Conference in 1988 and personally met with Premier-President Enrico Berlinguer. This historic meeting is seen as a warming of relations between the two nations and this was cemented with the creation of the fully democratic Italian Federal State in 1995. The Republic would face one more crisis in the 21st century with the Fall of the National Federation of Indonesia. Following ethnic uprisings and pleas for aid, the British stationed peace keeping troops to allow for popular sovereignty in the rebel states. With Indonesian diplomats calling these actions “Imperialism coated in democracy“, the republic still maintains that its troops are only there to ensure no human rights atrocities are committed. Today the United British Republic stands as a beacon of democracy throughout the world. Its focus on humanitarian efforts during the Indonesian Wars and in the Aftermath of Hurricane Michael in France, show how far the nation has come in regards to its previous governments and rivals. Despite there still being skeletons in the closet of the Republic in regards to its previous foreign policies, there is no misunderstanding as to why the United British Republic is nowadays referred to as the "Gentleman's Republic".
Last edited:
For many years Harold Wilson had been perceived with deep suspicion within the British establishment over his politics and affiliations, some even going as far to suggest he was an agent of the Soviet Union. There were suggestions that in 1968 a coup against Wilson had been plotted, but his surprise defeat at the 1970 general election removed any immediate threat he may have posed. His return to power in 1974, first by securing a minority government in February and then winning a majority in the second election of the year in October, brought the suspicions back to the fore. The violent Ulster Workers' Council Strike in May 1974, which successfully achieved the abolition of the Sunningdale Agreement and brought an end to devolution in Northern Ireland, was promoted by MI5 in a bid to destabilise Wilson's government. Just a month later on 29 June 1974, the Army occupied Heathrow Airport in a show of strength and an apparent warning shot to Wilson. Worsening economic conditions and an intensified IRA bombing campaign in Great Britain led to renewed whispered talk of 'new leadership' for the country among some establishment figures. The Oxford Street bombing on 19 December 1974 and the discovery that former Labour minister John Stonehouse had faked his death and moved to Australia after working as an agent for Czech military intelligence proved to be decisive factors that sparked the decision to stage a coup to remove Wilson and install a new government. The green light was given and on Saturday 28th December 1974, Wilson was arrested and detained and subsequently dismissed as Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II. The maternal uncle of her husband Prince Philip, Lord Mountbatten, was appointed First Lord of the Treasury but not Prime Minister - the first time since 1902 that the two roles were separated.
Mountbatten used a televised address to the country on the evening of 28th December to declare that he intended to form an "Emergency Cabinet" designed to 'retain order, preserve national security, deal with the IRA and improve economic conditions'. The Queen addressed the people on 29th December, just days after her Christmas Broadcast, justifying Wilson's dismissal and urging the population to support the new administration in the tasks that lay ahead of it. As Mountbatten set about forming the Emergency Cabinet it was General Sir Walter Walker, the recently retired former Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Allied Forces Northern Europe unit, who received the call to become Prime Minister. The division of the two roles was clarified by Cabinet, stating that Mountbatten as First Lord of the Treasury would lead the government and provide direction on policy matters, while Walker as Prime Minister would be charged with the technical aspects of implementing policies. In reality, the two men worked closely together on all affairs of state both domestic and foreign. The 47th Parliament of the United Kingdom elected in October 1974 was prorogued by The Queen on the advice of Lord Mountbatten in January 1975, before later being dissolved in February 1976 for an election that was held in March 1976.
The early weeks of the so-called 'Junta' administration, now governing from Whitehall by Order-in-Council, saw many trade union leaders and left-wing politicians with apparent or alleged Soviet links or sympathies detained. Mountbatten and Walker resolved to form a new political organisation - the National Action Committee - to stand for political office to secure a parliamentary majority. Walker's 100,000-strong 'Civil Assistance' group helped police and unarmed military personnel to clamp down on unofficial strikes and pockets of protest that emerged across the country, particularly in Labour Party strongholds in Wales, Scotland and Northern England, and fill the temporary gaps in the workforce that strikers created. By mid-1975 the existing trade unions - referred to as a "cancerous Soviet sympathising rot" by Walker - were broken up and replaced by the new National Association of Workers (NAW) to represent employees in the public and private sector and negotiate with businesses and the government. The Mountbatten-Walker administration did not go as far as banning political opponents to the National Action Committee (NAC), with the exception of out and out communist parties and anti-agreement parties in Northern Ireland, but by breaking the unions (thereby dismantling a vital source of income for the Labour Party) and introducing state-controlled vetting of political candidates to prevent those perceived as threats to "national security" from taking office, the other political parties in reality were NAC-approved opponents. By effectively cutting the legs from under their opponents, and with 'Civil Assistance' conducting intimidation campaigns, the general election held on 11th March 1976 resulted in a sweeping landslide for the National Action Committee enabling Mountbatten and Walker to govern through Acts of Parliament rather than Orders-in-Council.
Mountbatten used a televised address to the country on the evening of 28th December to declare that he intended to form an "Emergency Cabinet" designed to 'retain order, preserve national security, deal with the IRA and improve economic conditions'. The Queen addressed the people on 29th December, just days after her Christmas Broadcast, justifying Wilson's dismissal and urging the population to support the new administration in the tasks that lay ahead of it. As Mountbatten set about forming the Emergency Cabinet it was General Sir Walter Walker, the recently retired former Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Allied Forces Northern Europe unit, who received the call to become Prime Minister. The division of the two roles was clarified by Cabinet, stating that Mountbatten as First Lord of the Treasury would lead the government and provide direction on policy matters, while Walker as Prime Minister would be charged with the technical aspects of implementing policies. In reality, the two men worked closely together on all affairs of state both domestic and foreign. The 47th Parliament of the United Kingdom elected in October 1974 was prorogued by The Queen on the advice of Lord Mountbatten in January 1975, before later being dissolved in February 1976 for an election that was held in March 1976.
The early weeks of the so-called 'Junta' administration, now governing from Whitehall by Order-in-Council, saw many trade union leaders and left-wing politicians with apparent or alleged Soviet links or sympathies detained. Mountbatten and Walker resolved to form a new political organisation - the National Action Committee - to stand for political office to secure a parliamentary majority. Walker's 100,000-strong 'Civil Assistance' group helped police and unarmed military personnel to clamp down on unofficial strikes and pockets of protest that emerged across the country, particularly in Labour Party strongholds in Wales, Scotland and Northern England, and fill the temporary gaps in the workforce that strikers created. By mid-1975 the existing trade unions - referred to as a "cancerous Soviet sympathising rot" by Walker - were broken up and replaced by the new National Association of Workers (NAW) to represent employees in the public and private sector and negotiate with businesses and the government. The Mountbatten-Walker administration did not go as far as banning political opponents to the National Action Committee (NAC), with the exception of out and out communist parties and anti-agreement parties in Northern Ireland, but by breaking the unions (thereby dismantling a vital source of income for the Labour Party) and introducing state-controlled vetting of political candidates to prevent those perceived as threats to "national security" from taking office, the other political parties in reality were NAC-approved opponents. By effectively cutting the legs from under their opponents, and with 'Civil Assistance' conducting intimidation campaigns, the general election held on 11th March 1976 resulted in a sweeping landslide for the National Action Committee enabling Mountbatten and Walker to govern through Acts of Parliament rather than Orders-in-Council.
- Status