Why the Chinese play cricket (The Pax Imperialis)

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Miss Construction

Miss Construction

I'm redoing the last year of the war. These are the changes to the fourth quarter quarter. Big changes here are the Italians opting to delay their attack on Fiume in favour of an offensive in Tyrol. And when they do attempt to take Fiume, the Entente stops them due to Croatia and Slovenia having declared independence.

There is also a big change to the armistice. Here the French want to outright reject it, but Lloyd George's refusal to commit troops to an invasion of Germany leads to Roosevelt backing the armistice. The armistice is harsher than the OTL, so all the Empire's done is sway the US by leaving them to carry the war alone into 1919. Pretty bad in French eyes, but not as bad as before.


October 1918: The Central Powers now collapsing, Italy opts to renew its offensive in the Dolomites. Further troops are diverted from Istria for a drive toward Innsbruck. Austro-Hungarian resistance is initially fierce, however their troops no longer have the morale or supplies to prevent a breakthrough and the Italians begin to advance.

October 1918: Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

November 1918: With the Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrating and their army collapsing, the Italians launch an offensive to take Fiume. However their advance is checked by Croatian and Slovenian militias working in concert with the remaining Austro-Hungarian forces.

November 1918: Pressure from the Entente Powers forces the Italians to halt their attempts to take Fiume.

December 1919: Despite the armistice terms requiring the Austro-Hungarian fleet to be handed over intact, Admiral Miklós Horthy orders the fleet scuttled before Italian forces can arrive. Despite being arrested for his actions, Horthy is hailed as a hero in Austria and Hungary.

December 1918: With their allies collapsing and their forces on all fronts in retreat, the Germans ask for an armistice. France seeking to utterly crush Germany, demand the approach be rejected. However Lloyd George makes it clear the Empire's active participation in the war will end once Belgium is liberated. Faced with the prospect of invading Germany alone in 1919, President Roosevelt supports the the Empire's call for the armistice to be accepted. Under the terms of the armistice Germany will withdraw from all occupied territories, surrender it's fleet and demobilise, also the Rheinland, Posen, Silesia and Schleswig-Holstein will be occupied. Desperate for peace, the Germans agree to the terms. However the Empire's refusal to continue the war and blatant opportunism in the Middle East will leave a long lasting legacy of hostility and mistrust between the Empire and the European Entente Powers.
 
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zert

Italy will betrayed the Entente and have deep I'll will against those militias. This could be a factor for future actions in the years after the War.
 

lukedalton

Miss Construction said:
As in the OTL, the Italians are going to feel very hard done by.
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Well on the 'bright side', the italian loss in both material, economic and human have been a much much less than OTL (and it's much less indebted with anyone ITTL so the pressure that the Entente and the UK can force it's a fraction of OTL) so diplomatically speaking there will be less necessity to grab everything promised and more and can compromise more easily than OTL; plus from the strategic pow the nation of the Balkan league (including the future Jugoslavia) are in a much worse shape ITTL making them a lot less scary possible enemy
 
Miss Construction

Miss Construction

lukedalton said:
Well on the 'bright side', the italian loss in both material, economic and human have been a much much less than OTL (and it's much less indebted with anyone ITTL so the pressure that the Entente and the UK can force it's a fraction of OTL) so diplomatically speaking there will be less necessity to grab everything promised and more and can compromise more easily than OTL; plus from the strategic pow the nation of the Balkan league (including the future Jugoslavia) are in a much worse shape ITTL making them a lot less scary possible enemy
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While irredentism will definitely be a factor in Italian post war politics, it'll be nowhere near as prominent. Italy will get part of Albania and as you point out, their losses are insignificant compared with the OTL. I think it unlikely Italy will go Fascist ITTL.
 
Miss Construction

Miss Construction

Another of those technical administration jigger poker things, where I get on my soapbox. We're now moving into the post war period. As in the OTL, prejudice and bigotry against Jews rears its very ugly head. I don't use the term antisemitism, I call it racism. I dislike singling it out as in some way different from other forms of racism. Originally the term was used to replace the term Jew hatred, to make it in some way acceptable. Racism is racism, all equally as vile regardless of who's on the receiving end. It's just a personal preference. Antisemitism is perfectly good term, possibly better since you don't need to clarify who it's directed against, just I don't use it. I'll now return to my usual flippant self, thank you.
 
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Miss Construction

Miss Construction

Okay so having reached the end of the Great War, we move on to the first signs of the shape of the peace.

I really appreciated the criticism of the end of the war. It was constructive and highlighted some very serious flaws. Since this peace is complicated and the Empire is going to play a hand which will cause a lot of issues with the Entente, I'd likewise very much like similar criticism of the peace.
 
1919a
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    Miss Construction

    ~January to April 1919: Taking sides

    January 1919: The Empire begins demobilising immediately. With it considered almost impossible a new war will occur in the next decade, the of the army is reduced to six regular and twelve territorial divisions. The mechanisation of the cavalry is to be completed and extended to the territorial army, while Monash's shock tactics are to be the basis of Imperial doctrine. The size of the Motorised Cavalry Regiment is reduced to four regular battalions with no attached territorial units, as are the Mounted and Motorised Infantry Regiments, with the rest of the infantry to be motorised over the next fifteen years.

    January 1919: Working from India, the Dalai Lama begins inciting unrest in Tibet.

    January 1919: German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers begin returning home to find a shattered economy and starving population. Many look for somebody to blame. Radical politicians of both the left and right rapidly gain support, while racism toward Jews grows massively.

    January 1919: HMS Hermes, the world's first purpose built carrier is commissioned. Her first airgroup consists of eight Sopwith Camel fighters and twelve Short 320L bombers.

    January 1919: Shah Ahmed Qajar of Persia is deposed in a British backed coup by Reza Pahlavi, founding the Pahlavi dynasty.

    15th February 1919: King George of Greece dies and is succeeded by his son Constantine.

    February 1919: The Treaty of Sevres between the Entente, Ottomans and the Empire is signed. Complete Russian control of the Turkish Straits is avoided by playing on Balkans League fears, and in the Middle East the Empire's strong position means they are largely able to have a policy of self-determination implemented. This action will greatly increase Imperial influence in the Arab world, with the new Arab states quickly falling into the Imperial sphere of influence.
    * The Straits are internationalised under the control of a joint Bulgarian, French, Greek, Italian and Russian commission.
    * Ottoman Europe is divided between the Balkans League. Vardar Macedonia is divided between Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, while Thrace is split between Bulgaria and Greece.
    * Albania is split between Greece, Italy, Montenegro and Serbia, with the bulk going to Italy.
    * Syria becomes a French colony while the Sinai and Gaza are ceded to Egypt. The French annexation of Syria will engender a great deal of hostility throughout the Arab world.
    * Iraq, Lebanon, Hajaz, Palestine and Jordan are all created as independent states.
    * The rump Turkish state in Anatolia is theoretically independent but effectively becomes a joint French and Russian protectorate with Russian satellite states in Armenia and Kurdistan.
    * The Ottoman army is limited to 50,000 men.
    * Due to Imperial influence, only moderate reparations are imposed. However after Italian pressure, all Ottoman war debts are to be inherited by the new Turkish state.

    February 1919: With unrest growing in Germany, Kaiser Wilhem II abdicates. The Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann forms an interim government pending a peace settlement.

    February 1919: A bill sponsored by the US temperance movement seeking a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of alcohol is introduced to the Senate.

    February 1919: Negotiations for peace treaties with the defeated Central Powers begin in Paris. It is rapidly apparent the Empire and Entente have very different goals, with the Empire seeking a moderate peace, while the Entente demand the defeated Central Powers be forever crushed. However, all the Entente, and Central Powers, are heavily indebted to the Empire, a fact the Imperial delegation prove willing to use readily.

    March 1919: The secret agreement between France and Japan is activated. The Empire strongly protests the Japanese base in Indochina, seeing it, along with the anticipated Japanese expansion into the German Pacific colonies, as a direct threat to Australia and New Zealand. Japanese assurances of their commitment to the Anglo-Japanese Treaty do little to ease these fears.

    March 1919: With a combination of bribes and military action, the Empire finally subdues Afghanistan, ending the Third Afghan War and bringing a close to the final conflict of the Great War.

    March 1919: As riots and clashes between right wing groups grow ever frequent and violent, Chancellor Scheldemann begins to right wing Freikorp militias to maintain order.

    March 1919: Ottoman Sultan Muhmed V is deposed in a coup by lead by Mustafa Kemal. Despite the French and Russians attempts to intervene, Kemal is able to play one against the other and have his new Turkish Republic recognised as the legitimate government of Turkey.

    March 1919: The US is won over to the Empire's position on self determination at Versailles with a commitment to support US policy in Latin America and work to restore their influence after the Mexican War. However, the Empire is unable to move the US to support a moderate peace.

    March 1919: With shocking reports of the level of starvation within the defeated Austria-Hungary and Germay appearing in Imperial newspapers, Lloyd George commits to providing £8,000,000* food aid to defeated Central Powers.

    March 1919: With Imperial assistance, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud completes his conquest of central Arabia, declaring it the Emirate of Najd.

    April 1919: With the end of the war, the US look to reduce the costs of their navy. All pre-dreadnoughts and two obsolete dreadnoughts are decommissioned. Many cruisers and light forces are placed in reserve, as are the Abraham Lincoln class battlecruisers with the ex Greek New Mexico reclassified as a training ship. With 22 dreadnoughts and 6 battlecruisers in commission, along with more than adequate numbers of cruisers and light ships, Congress refuses to authorise any new construction despite concern regarding the effect on the US shipbuilding industry.

    April 1919: In an effort to improve relations with the Entente, the Imperial offers to freely share all information they have gained, land, air, naval aviation, amphibious warfare, antisubmarine warfare and the Battle of Texal, during the war in return for all Entente information. The Entente, believing their information far out weighs anything the Empire can offer, refuse. The Empire renews their offer simply for the Entente naval information. Again, believing Jutland alone dwarfs any Imperial information, refuse. The Empire finally offers the information simply for information on antisubmarine operations in the Baltic. Yet again, the Entente refuse, believing their information more valuable.

    April 1919: The RN patrol airship R14 makes the first non return transatlantic flight, leaving from Galway in Ireland and arriving in Halifax Canada some 60 hours later.

    April 1919: In the wake of the Italian army's poor performance during an extensive series of reforms is begun. These reforms will last for ten years and completely transform the army into one of the best in Europe.

    * $1,152,000,000 US in 2017
     
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    Miss Construction

    AvatarOfKhaine said:
    Wilhelm abdicates, but does his son take over or is a Republic declared?

    Not all the social democrats were revolutionary.
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    the rc
    Technically his son Wilhelm takes over the throne, but in the chaos nobody actually acknowledges it. Germany is essentially in an interregnum. The formal declaration of a Republic will come later, and from a very odd source.
     

    zert

    Thanks for the update. Quite a lot of changes post war, and things are still chaotic. Will the right or left win Germany? Is Austria-Hungary going to be broken up? Will Denmark regain S-H and can France get land East of the Rhine? Will the Czar calm his varied populations or might there be changes?
     
    Miss Construction

    Miss Construction

    zert said:
    Thanks for the update. Quite a lot of changes post war, and things are still chaotic. Will the right or left win Germany? Is Austria-Hungary going to be broken up? Will Denmark regain S-H and can France get land East of the Rhine? Will the Czar calm his varied populations or might there be changes?
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    Germany has a very interesting future ahead. And interesting you should mention the Tsar.
     
    Miss Construction

    Miss Construction

    For those who like such cosmetic details, the history of the Pattern 13 rifle.

    Britain in 7mm British rejected for service

    France in 7.7mm British as standard
    Norway in 6.5mm Swedish as standard
    Denmark in 6.5mm Swedish as standard
    Serbia in 7.65mm Mauser as standard
    Greece in 6.5mm Greek as standard

    US in 0.30-06 as substitute standard
    Bulgaria in 8mm Austro-Hungarian as substitute standard
    Russia in 7.62mm Russian as substitute standard
    Germany in 7.92mm as substitute standard
    Austria-Hungary in 8mm Austro-Hungarian as substitute standard

    Total produced circa 7,700,000
     
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    lukedalton

    Miss Construction said:
    Croatia and Slovenia are also independent states ITTL. So even if Jugoslavia does come onto being later, it'll be a very different state. Certainly not the greater Serbia it was in the OTL
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    Well, as said by others in any case it will be a better long term situation for the region and the people involved and franly this mean a much more relaxed Italy that potentially don't face a new version of the Hapsburg Empire at his eastern border (yes there were fear of Jugoslavia at the time, even if they quickly disappeared and Benny basically put on Belgrade an enourmous target).
    On the other side both Slovenia and Croatia will fear to be dominated by Italy as it's the biggest neighbourgh here (and with the UK the Great Power that had suffered the less in the war) and pan-slavism and the idea of an union of the south slavs was widespread at the time and even Austria will be an hostile nation towards Slovenia as there is the problem of the border

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Slovene_conflict_in_Carinthia
     
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