I posted a poll on whether Communism and Fascism would still exist ITTL, and thus far the leading response is that neither will exist.
English Canada/French Carolina: A Timeline
- Thread starter Gabingston
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Indeed, the terms "Right" and "Left" aren't meaningful in this TL as they are predicated upon where the deputies of each persuasion sat, I think in the Estates-General but possibly in the later Assembly of the Republic
Alright, so there will be a successful Republican Revolution somewhere in Europe during the ATL Revolutions of 1848. Here's where I think it could happen:
- Somewhere in the Habsburg Empire. The Habsburg Realms are a hodgepodge of different ethnicities, cultures and regions, all ruled by a heavily inbred dynasty. The Dutch Republic and the still-existing Venetian Republic could provide inspiration for any one of the non-German ethnicities to rebel.
- On another note, one of the European territories of the Ottoman Empire could rebel (Greek Republic, anyone?).
- An Irish rebellion during or shortly after the famine.
- Portugal, feeling as those it is being wagged by its Brazilian tail, rebels against the monarchy and becomes a Republic, with the monarchy hightailing it to Brazil (the fate of the other Portuguese colonies TBD).
- Revolts in the Italian States are possible as well, maybe in some attempt to form an Italian Republic.
- There could be revolts in the Americas too.
IOTL, the Scramble For Africa started after King Leopold "I like chopping hands off" II claimed the entirety of the Congo, thus leading to a mad dash by the European powers to stake their claims across the entirety of the Land of the Blessed Rains. However, Belgium doesn't exist ITTL, so the claims on the Congo may not occur. However, the French and Spanish are still present in North Africa, West Africa is still dotted with trading posts, Portugal still has Angola and Mozambique and the British are in Natal (not to mention the South African Republic). So, there could still be a Scramble For Africa, but I'm gonna leave it up to you guys, does the Scramble For Africa still occur ITTL?
https://www.strawpoll.me/18185252
https://www.strawpoll.me/18185252
I was one of the ones who voted for a successful Revolution, but take into consideration that with no Napoleonic wars 1848 isn't a fixed date, it could come sooner or later.
I was using the Revolutions of 1848 as a general comparison, not as an exact date, although the revolutions will be around that time.
Part 33: Choo Choo!
Part 33: Choo Choo!
For the entirety of the history of Mankind, one could not travel more than 20 miles on land each day. The horse and buggy had been the dominant form of long-distance land transport for centuries by the 19th Century, but their days were about to be numbered, as throughout the Early 19th Century, a new mode of transport rose to prominence throughout the Western world: The Railroad.
While primitive railroads had been known to have existed as far back as Ancient Greece, and horse-powered railways were already in use in parts of Europe for centuries, these were all powered by man or beast, not by machine. The first steps towards the development of mechanical railroads came in Late 18th Century Britain, with the development of metal rails and steam-powered engines. Finally, in 1825, the first commercially operated railroad opened in the North of England, with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opening soon after in 1830. This new mode of transport quickly spread both to Continental Europe and to the Commonwealth of America, with the first railway in France opening in 1827, and the first section of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opening in 1828.
By 1840, Britain had over 1,000 miles of railroad, growing to over 6,000 by 1850. America had over 3,000 miles by 1840 and over 9,000 by 1850, the largest rail network in the world at the time. The French rail network in 1850 was largely concentrated in the industrial regions of the country, particularly the newly annexed Wallonia. Railways spread across Germany, Italy, Iberia and the European colonies over the Mid 19th Century, despite the revolutions in the Late 1840s and Early 1850s, which will be the subject of my next update. You know what, I can’t think of anything to finish this post with, so I’m just gonna end it here.
Where is a successful Republican Revolution most likely to occur?
https://www.strawpoll.me/18190800
https://www.strawpoll.me/18190800
In my Communism and Fascism poll, the leading option is that neither of those dreadful ideologies (or something analogous) exists ITTL. However, I'm 100% certain that there will be some sort of Totalitarian ideology that gains popularity ITTL in lieu of Communism or Fascism. I could see some sort of extreme absolutism arising in some parts of Europe (most likely would be Russia), but I'm not sure exactly what would occur. So, do you guys have any ideas?
Maybe after the European Revolutions of the 1850s that are set for an upcoming post, the Russian Empire (and maybe the Habsburgs and Ottomans as well, depending on if the Revolutions succeed there) double down on Absolutism, becoming 19th Century equivalents to Saudi Arabia. Eventually, WW1 is fought between the Liberal Western European nations and the Absolutist Eastern European Nations, with Poland being the main battle ground (because of course it is).
Perhaps one of the czars survives a handful of assassination attempts, leading to generations of crack downs, all the while solidifying czar control of the region to historic levels.
This is a great idea. I can see the Hapsburgs at least trying to pull this off (weather or not they are successful or the whole realm splits into balkanized ethno-states is another question)
But this whole concept is pretty much Metternich's ideal world, there was a reactionary surge after the Revolutions in OTL. Why not the same things on steroids?
Especially with some of the Revolutions being successful. Russia has a long authoritarian streak going back to at least Ivan The Terrible, probably back to the Mongols, so becoming a Frozen Orthodox Saudi Arabia isn't that unlikely. Were there any Tsars that were particularly anti-Liberal IOTL?
Paul I? He was assassinated when he was in his 40's so maybe in TTL he lives a little longer? He viewed the Russian nobility as decadent and corrupt and wanted to transform them into a loyal, chivalric class (think Prussian Junkers) Paul was a big fan of Prussia, he even changed the Russian armies uniforms from traditional green to Prussian blue. He seems like a good candidate to transform Russia into a militaristic, hyper-monarchist Empire.
Speaking of Prussia, they could be another candidate to adopt the absolutist ideology, you could twist it up with a desire to recreate a modern Holy Roman Empire after it was destroyed by Napoleon during the Revolutionary period. It was a golden age of.... blah blah blah, before the revolution came and ruined the golden age of yesteryear.
So, Russia, Prussia and Austria are the main candidates for countries that would become Absolutist.