Fenians, Brits, Mexicans, Canucks and Frenchies....OH, MY! An alternate American Civil War

Chapter 430
November, 1935

Beijing


A summit of allied leaders would convene in November of 1935. The primary topic of discussion was the completion of the war against Japan. As the Japanese showed no signs of surrendering…or even willing to talk….allied pilots continued to bomb away on what were plainly increasingly vacant cities. Reports of influenza would leak out via Japanese radio transmissions. The death toll was suspected to be high but no confirmation could be found.

The question remained….what to do?

If the Japanese were not inclined to surrender to aerial bombardment or starvation or lack of trade, what then?

The only conceivable option was invasion. But the Japanese propaganda broadcasts (though who was listening was something of a debate) and airborne scouts would verify huge defenses being thrown up near likely landing spots. An invasion could be…. catastrophic.

What was more, the damnable “Indian Flu” had struck the allied armies. Whole divisions were isolated into wards in hopes of slowing the spread. Even with strict protocols, the death toll was climbing. Organizing millions of men together in one place while this pandemic continued…..was simply impossible.

Instead, the bombings continued with less and less Japanese resistance in the air or via land-based artillery.

Some allied Intelligence agents would point out that their own death toll, with well fed and cared for soldiers, was probably being dwarfed in Japan where no medical support was likely present for the starving Japanese masses, including the soldiers.

Thus, it was deemed wiser to just wait the enemy out. Thousands of airmen and the odd sailor would continue to give their lives but the suffering of the Japanese would intensify over the next months of the winter of 1935/1936.

Washington

The global epidemic had reached America and, like in Japan and elsewhere throughout the world, much of the worst effects were felt by isolated farmers who had normally avoided such outbreaks in the past….but contracting this one would prove deadly for those with so few anti-bodies.

Despite the nation still being at war on one front and occupying another country, the United States was hit hard.

In the meantime, the nation was preparing an aid package to their allies who had suffered the most including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the Ukraine and most of the eastern European nations.

This was motivated to ensure that Europe could actually return to a solvent state which would prevent the Nationalist and Marxist governments from rearing their ugly heads again in the future. By 1936, only Russia, Spain and Portugal possessed “Nationalist” governments while the rest of the Continent could at least reasonably be called “Democracy”.

The United States would vow to rebuild their “zones” of southern France.

President Stuart, recalling the devastation his own father had spoken about in Virginia after the War Between the States, would vow a “Reconstruction” of Europe with an astonishing $50,000,000,000 in grants and loans to get the Continent moving again. The last thing Stuart desired was extreme poverty instigating political radicalism.

Of course, the minor problem of war continuing in Japan had yet to be dealt with.

In the meantime, the cherished goal of previous administrations remained to be fulfilled, that was the formation of the League of Nations.

The last survivor of the House of Grimaldi would learn, in late 1935, that virtually no close relative had survived the French Commune. The Principality of Monaco had been absorbed into the French Commune long ago and the Americans (and various allies) were willing to restore it. However, the aged patriarch, his health broken by the depravations of the previous years, would decline to take up the mantle of Prince.

Instead, President Stuart would accept General MacArthur’s recommendation to once again separate out Monaco from France….but put it under the control of the League of Nations. One of the problems of the previous negotiations was that global diplomats didn’t want to set up their League in the middle of nowhere (like St. Barts or North Africa). They wanted elite schools and the like for their children.

With Southern France’s political future looking promising under Petain and Monaco was close enough to prospering areas to make diplomats happy. Indeed, MacArthur would even recommend EXPANDING Monaco a bit into adjacent areas (towards the Italian border) for future growth and the construction of a decent international airport (Monaco’s territory would increase tenfold. Southern France would make no complaints).

December, 1935

Persia


Like much of the Arabian nations, Persia possessed large oil deposits. American and British (and Chinese) companies would bid for drilling rights from the Shah (usually a % of the sales).

Soon, several Arab nations would follow suit.

After Persia threw in with the allies, the nation was once again welcomed back into the global political scene after a century of isolation. Oman, Azerbaijan and others would see oil and natural gas fields expanding rapidly.

Athens

After a long hiatus due to war, the Olympic Committee was meet and agree to make Athens the host for the 1940 Olympics.

Months later, Mexico would be selected to host the Futbal World Cup in 1938.

It was hoped that sport would soon help heal global wounds.
 
Chapter 431
January, 1936

Moscow


Tsarevich Ivan would look at the report blankly and ask “WHAT KIND OF POWER”?

His scientific advisor would explain of the theorized power of the atom both for fuel purposes and destruction.

“If we had this sort of….enormous bomb…..during the war, would Russia have won?”

The advisor nodded, “In roughly five minutes”.

“And now the Germans have the lead in gaining it?”

“Yes, so many of the top physicists are German…or Swiss….or Italian. If they actually succeed in building an atom bomb……Russia would be helpless.”

Not desiring any form of continuance of war, the Tsarevich nevertheless did not want to see his nation helpless.

“How would we achieve this?”

February, 1936

Japan


Despite vicious retaliation on behalf of the Army to any dissent, the Japanese public would be increasingly resentful as millions died of hunger and disease, including the new Influenza strain killing so many worldwide.

There simply wasn’t anything that the civilian population could do about the matter. The army remained true to their officers….their officers giving lip service to defending the country “in the name of the Emperor”….who remained incommunicado.

For the first time, when Hirohito made a direct command to speak to the public, he would be refused after days of hemming and hawing and excuses. Finally, a General, refusing to look the Emperor in the eye, would state that such a message would destroy the nation. He then departed the mountain stronghold as the stunned Emperor watched in disbelief.

Despite the attempts by the army to limit information to the Emperor, the truth began to trickle in: nearly 4 million Japanese had died in the past six months of hunger, disease and repeated allied attacks. The number was shocking though Hirohito was expecting a significant amount.

The invasion hadn’t even arrived yet and the Army spoke of nothing but dying to the last Japanese soldier….and presumably civilian….in such glowing anticipation that the Emperor felt nearly sick.

The war had commenced with the intent of gaining an Empire. That plan was now dead. How did the nation reach the point where the only thing to look forward to was dying?

What was the point?

Hirohito would quietly seek support from SOME part of the Japanese Army hierarchy, anyone who would help regain control over the situation.

Northern France (occupied by Britain, Germany and the Low Countries)

After months of occupy and various public trials, the allied government continued to refuse any semblance of local control. The Germans, Belgians and Dutch in particular were intent on preventing any of the previous Marxist leadership (or military officers who served the Marxists) into positions of power. Of course, the was nearly everyone.

The allies became to desperate to at least PRETEND to have some French influence in the area that they brought back a former French military officer, Charles de Gaulle who had spent much of the past decades serving in the Co-Protectorate.

By spring of 1936, even the British were beginning to see the inherent impossibility of forging a government entirely free of former Marxists. Still at war, at least nominally, with Japan, Great Britain wanted to stand down more of its armed forces and reduce expenditures. Indeed, the British had to quietly apply to the Americans to be part of the “Reconstruction” Plan in order to piece together London and other southern British cities (another $20,000,000,000 would be allocated by Congress to British rebuilding).

April, 1936

Cleveland


The Republican Convention would, unsurprisingly, unanimously select Stuart as their standard bearer in 1936. Given his enormous popularity, the Republicans were confident for the November elections.

The Democrats would remain largely unified though few national names would be available at the top of THEIR ticket.

May, 1936

Honshu


Emperor Hirohito would quietly approach a few of the more….pliable Generals. He would not openly speak against the Government (meaning the ARMY) but would explain his concerns and desire to communicate with the public. Both Generals nodded and agreed to seek a method for the Emperor to return to his normal public presence.

Days later, those two Generals disappeared.

He would also learn that Japanese continued to die at a rate of 500,000 people per month. Nearly 5,000,000 Japanese had died over the past eight months alone (that did not count the soldiers being sentenced to hard labor in Asia). Soon, a series of officers would arrive and explain how fragile the country was. The Emperor would lose his customary closely-held temper and demand to know why the ARMY had the right to speak for the Japanese people.

He received no response. However, three days later, the Emperor would bend over with terrible stomach pains. He could not help but believe that this was not coincidental. While it seemed impossible that army officers who had formed a cult about his presence would seek his death….the suspicion hung in the air. While in his bed, despite no incidence of the influenza epidemic making it into his compound in months, the Emperor would be the only person to somehow contract the Indian Flu.

He would expire two days later. Despite attempts to the contrary to keep the news from the people, the rumors would swiftly pass throughout the country that His Imperial Majesty had been murdered by the Army in order to prevent Hirohito from ending the war.

Moscow

After months of haggling, the Tsarevich would settle upon a series of Ministers largely chosen for their inoffensiveness. Ivan was unable to simply eliminate the Nationalists. Effectively, all other parties had been outlawed. But Ivan would ensure that various factions WITHIN the Nationalist Party were included in the government, giving him hope of playing one against the other.

Ivan was not by nature a political animal but was intelligent enough to know that his very survival centered upon keeping the Nationalists at least marginally at a distance.

Mesopotamia

Having sought a leadership position in Arabia, the King of Mesopotamia would be disappointed to find that the Arabs were less inclined than expected to accept him as the defacto leader of the greater Arab world.

However, an alliance with neighboring Persia would not only ensure peace with the only regional power likely to threaten them but also the beginning of a coalition of oil providers in the region to better negotiate a fitting share of petroleum profits.
 
Chapter 432
June, 1936

Japan


With the leaked news of the death of Hirohito, the local garrison in the southern island of Kyushu would prove to be the first major unit in the nation to mutiny against its officers. Led by junior officers, the mutiny would seize dozens of Generals and Colonels over the course of a single day. Soon, this would spread to the civilians of Kyushu and Shikoku, leaving Honshu left in the hands of the army commanders. Condemning their troops as traitors via radio (though only so many Japanese were listening to radio these days), the Army General Staff would enter a state of denial, then internal conflict as arguments rose up even in staff meetings.

Eventually, it would not be the civilian population which rose up on Honshu but the army itself. Starved for over a year (despite being the best fed people in Japan), the series of local mutinies would take place in Honshu. These, unlike the southern islands, would be put down quickly enough.

Eventually, Kyushu and Shikoku would communicate with the allied forces and request an armistice to negotiate a surrender. These were promptly condemned as traitors by the Junta in Kyoto who, in June, formally announced the death of the Emperor and the ascension of the two year old Emperor Akihito. They would call upon every man, woman and child in the Empire to defend their young Emperor to the death.

July, 1936

Luanda, Union of African Nations


As promised prior to the war, a new election was held in the Co-Protectorate and a new African National Congress was elected, this time with no “appointed seats” to Britain, America and the four “great nations” of Africa (Madagascar, Ethiopia, Egypt and Morocco) in either the ANC or the regional Councils (which would themselves be reorganized).

From this moment on, the Co-Protectorate was dead, replaced by the newly established Union of African Nations.

Not everything changed. American and Great Britain maintained a military alliance with Africa, mainly being allowed preferential access to African ports in return for guaranteeing the sovereignty of the newly ordained “Union”, mostly by protecting its coasts (not that there were any obvious threats by 1936. Italy, Spain and France had long since given up any inclination to seek out an Empire as such was going out of vogue).

While Africa would remain “open for business”, particularly to Britain and America, and foreign mining contracts and property rights would be entirely respected (foreigners only “owned” a modest share of Africa’s total land anyway). This was made easier by the nature of the mining rights contracts. Technically, all subsurface resources were not owned by leased on contract to the assorted mining concerns. This was initially intended by the early Co-Protectorate founders to protect native tribes from having their land either taken from them outright or providing the tribes only token compensation for what was mined on their lands (At the time, the tribes were felt unable to negotiate for themselves so the Anglo-American Co-Protectorate would negotiate rates and fees on their behalf).

Nearly a million Europeans/Americans (i.e. whites) resided in the new Union of African Nations and probably at least that many Asians (mainly Indians and Chinese). The UAN was more than willing to allow them to remain provided that they were loyal to AFRICA, not their former countries. Many of these foreigners would dominate various areas of commerce like urban shops and skilled trades.

Surprisingly, the UAN did not immediately withdraw the “subsidies” to support the migration of North American blacks back to Africa. These educated, mostly English-speaking blacks were valued as teachers and other bureaucratic personnel. Like any large political entity, the need for bureaucrats seemed never-ending, especially as the UAN exerted its authority to inland tribes. Deeming English as much a unifying factor as the economy, there remained a huge demand for teachers, clerks, administrators, etc for both government and business who could communicate in the primary African language (a mandatory requirement in all schools as at least a second language).

There would also be a single mass migration of American-born Blacks via private business. Edsel Ford would hire and exhaustingly train over 600 American blacks in Dearborn, Michigan in skilled trades, management, etc and transfer them to the new automotive plant planned years ago by his father in Luanda. Similarly, many more would be hired and transferred to man the skilled positions in various regional parts plants, steel mills as well as to oversee the rubber plantations in the Congo.

While being paid modestly less than their North American counterparts, the cost of living in Africa was lower and many of the American blacks had actually travelled to Michigan after failing to make a living in the southern states. With the promise of good wages, thousands applied for company-paid transfer (with a promise of passage back to America if they were happy). Overall, Ford would dispatch 1500 workers to Africa from 1937 to 1939 who would form the core of the management and skilled trades teams….and 3800 of their family members. From there, as agreed with the UAN, Ford would then hire locals for the entry level jobs as well partner with local Universities throughout Africa to generate the skills required (engineering, skilled trades).

Edsel Ford would donate over a million dollars of his personal fortune to endow several Universities (Clare Ford Teaching College for Women in Gladstoneville (later Kinshasa), Edsel Community College in Dakar, Dearborn University in Luanda, etc). Various charities of the Ford Foundation would be targeted towards Africa, improving the company’s image.

Ironically, Edsel Ford would reopen the Detroit Streetcar Company which his father had purchased to shut down in 1934. When the Streetcars were once again running in Detroit, he would proceed to offer to layout Streetcars for public transit in Luanda and half a dozen other African cities over the next decade.
At the same time, Edsel Ford would prepare two factories in China for manufacturing of automobiles. He would also investigate East Africa and other markets as well.




Shikoku and Kyushu

After months of preparations (and isolating soldiers due to the Indian Flu), the American, British, Australian and Chinese forces would arrive in the southern “Home Islands” and, with a minimum of resistance, assume control. There were isolated pockets of resistance which the new leaders of the islands’ civilian and military structure could not reason with but only a few hundred casualties were encountered in the opening days of the invasion. For the most part, the Japanese civilians were eager for the promised shipment so rice and other foodstuffs.

The Japanese military command on Honshu could only look on in impotence as this happened. Almost utterly lacking in fuel and having dismembered the Imperial Navy (the 19 remaining Japanese submersibles may have taken a high toll on the allies if only the Army hadn’t reassigned their crews to the land while draining their tanks dry).

General Eisenhower would be among the first to arrive on Kyushu and promptly set up propaganda broadcasts encouraging Japanese on Honshu to resist. By most estimates, the Japanese continued to lose between 500,000 and 1,000,000 lives per month, however this was difficult to verify given that the Junta in Kyoto refused to make public comments to this effect.

In truth, the death toll was reaching the higher of these levels on Honshu alone throughout 1936. Later estimates between battle, hunger and disease held that as many as 8,000,000 lives had been lost, nearly 13% of the pre-war population, since 1932. This total would only increase by the month.

Anticipating a “bumper harvest” over the summer of 1936, the Japanese government would continue to insist that no starvation was occurring. By August, it was apparent that domestic food production was down by nearly 75% with no imports whatsoever. The army, desperate to keep their soldiers fit enough to fight….and from mutiny….would continue to spend more time scraping every morsel of food from the countryside than preparing to fight the enemy. Gangs of starving Japanese civilians would sack entire rural villages hoping to stay alive.

However, no invasion of Honshu would be forthcoming in the near future. The withdrawal of 130,000 allied troops from their billets throughout Asia and mingling on ships would lead to a massive second wave of the Indian Flu which shortly thereafter assaulted both the American occupation and the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. Even the arrival of huge quantities of food would do little to mitigate the suffering of these lands.
 
Chapter 433
August, 1936

Washington


Though Senator Cordell Hull of Nickajack was a more than capable politician, few thought that he could challenge Stuart in November. Indeed, Hull and Stuart actually got on well enough professionally and were more willing to collaborate when possible.

Hull was part of the Democratic “Progressive” wing which supported the now mooted desegregation and equal rights but was also dedicated to low tariffs.

It would be Hull who would ensure that the “League of Nations” Bill was approved in Congress by gathering 33 Democratic Senators in support.

As polls predicated a landslide in 1936, Stuart and Hull continued communicating directly regarding foreign affairs. Stuart inquired if, should the polls continue through November, Hull would consider being nominated for the Commissioner of the League of Nations when that body was expected to be formed in 1937.

It was a generous offer, Hull knew, and one that Stuart was hardly required to extend. The Senator knew that the Republican President wanted to entice more and more Progressive Democrats over to his side and this would be a prime opportunity to do so.

Hull stated that such conversations would best be held after the election for fear that the public may get the wrong idea. Stuart agreed.

September

Honshu


With half the “occupational army” of Kyushu and Shikoku on quarantine rather than active duty, an invasion of Honshu was proving almost impossible to organize.

This did little to aid the Japanese as the death toll would only increase to 1.5 million souls per month on Honshu alone. The harvest had been a disaster. Much of what was grown was lost as mobs descended upon rice paddies attempting to gather up by hand what they could steal.

Children with distended bellies wept for food. The elderly were pushed aside and left to starve. Only the threat of the army kept full revolution at bay. And by fall of 1936, the Army was largely in existence not out of loyalty to the Emperor or their officers but because that organization was the only one which could guarantee a meal, no matter how miserly.

October

Honshu


Having witnessed the army continue to keep her six children effective hostages in a mountain fortress, the Dowager Empress Kojun would plead with some loyal army officers to help them escape. Never one to interfere with her husband’s politics, the Empress had stayed silent for years.

However, seeing her now three-year-old son displayed by the Army thugs as some sort of banner was simply too much. The Empress would seek to escape but the plot was discovered almost immediately as first the officers who sought to aid the Empress were executed…..then the Dowager Empress herself, this time in front of her children. While Akihito would be too young to recall that day, he would be told by his four elder sisters in graphic detail for the rest of his life.

Ironically, it was the firing squad that killed the “traitors” that commenced what was eventually the final downfall of the Army Junta. They shot the army officers without hesitation but were horrified when a General shot the Dowager Empress herself. Several berserk soldiers turned upon the shocked Junta leaders and cut them apart.

Within hours, the Japanese soldiers would beg the 11-year-old Princess Shigeko for forgiveness and several Army officers would commit seppuku for their crimes.

Eventually, Admiral Nagano, one of the highest-ranking survivors of the Imperial Navy would take direct control over the Imperial Family and gather enough supporters to seize Kyoto. Broadcasts would go out throughout Honshu, detailing what several of the General Staff had done (killing the Empress and suggesting that Hirohito had been poisoned) and requesting an armistice with the allies effective immediately.

A cadre of Army officers would promptly overthrow the Nagumo government, forcing it to flee into the mountains though this would be only a temporary setback. Nagumo continued to radio to both the people of Honshu and to the allies (who had halted their bombing raids) in hopes of gaining support.

By November, the entire country was now in a state of civil war and transport of food effectively at an end.

November, 1936

Washington


As expected, President Stuart would be reelected in a landslide over Cordell Hull. American confidence was high despite the ongoing epidemic (which was starting to die down).

December, 1936

Labor


Just as expected, Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald would lose in a rout to the Conservatives who had successfully put the blame of all recent ills of Great Britain (the expense of the war, though victorious, would be great and the effective loss of much of the remaining British international influence from the Co-Protectorate to Sri Lanka) squarely upon the Labor Government.

Viewed as weak and frail, the old Prime Minister was almost happy to go into retirement but horrified at the drubbing given to his Party in the polls.

MacDonald also received a great deal of unpopularity when he suggested that the occupation of northern France should be ended sooner rather than later.

Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain, who would assume control over the new Conservative Government, actually liked MacDonald personally and did not join in the vilification.

Baltimore

The Glenn Martin Company would continue to develop new bombers and roll out a new one, the Martin 146, in 1935.

Throughout the war, the Martin Company would provide many of the American medium and heavy bombers to the Army Air Corps.

In a previous era, Martin had produced a number of biplane bombers and torpedo boats but had since moved on to heavy bombers.

Seeing the writing on the wall, the company would prepare for an era of peace by shifting design to heavy civilian planes as Boeing was doing in Seattle and Douglass in Chicago.

Monaco – League of Nations Protectorate

Deeming Monaco’s traditional borders far too small for the proposed purpose of serving as the base of the League of Nations, Governor-General MacArthur would unilaterally break off another 40 square miles of southeast France surrounding the old Principality to ensure enough “room to breathe”.

Oddly, the aging Petain would agree wholeheartedly as he thought having an international organization surrounded by France (or Occitan in this case) could only benefit the French (or Occitan) people in the long term. This was well worth the loss of a few miles of mountain and dirt.

Needed an able administrator, the Governor-General would tap that tall, gangly De Gaulle fellow. He had experience in handling an international community from his days serving in the Co-Protectorate and, most importantly, was a Frenchman with no links to the Marxist Party. De Gaulle’s title was still to be decided (“Grand Gendarme?”) but effectively ruled the day-to-day governmental operations of Monaco.

By the end of 1937, the League of Nations was expected to be fully embodied. Most nations on Earth had already ratified the Constitution including, shockingly, Russia, who agreed to join the League.

The Constitution called for a fifteen nation “Executive Council” including five permanent members and ten rotating. The Executive Council would include the United States, Great Britain, Germany, China and the Union of African Nations.
 
Chapter 434
January, 1937

Ankara


The Sublime Porte, unlike his predecessors, was no longer a virtual prisoner of the Ministers and was becoming known as perhaps the most flamboyant playboy in the world. To the shock of his many countrymen, the Porte, now in his forties, still hadn’t “met the right woman” and continued sleeping his way throughout Europe and the Levant.

Bragging of his nation’s economic growth and social reforms, the Porte would publicly grant his support for full women’s voting and career rights as well as banning of the veil. Many Turkish woman had long-since supported this and veils were becoming less and less common already. But banning them as contradictory to modern life was nevertheless a shock to many in the Islamic world.

The Porte would also shock his neighbors by signing an alliance with the Republic of Urartu…..or Ararat…. (the much-debated name for the country was actually the Republic of Armenia, Georgia, Alevistan, Pontus and Assyria, sometimes called “AGAPA” but eventually “Urarut” and “Ararat” was deemed neutral enough while still matching neighboring Kingdom’s historical achievements) as a hegemony against any potential tensions with the Persian-Mesopotamian alliance or even Egypt-Levant or Arabia. More importantly, it was a hedge against Russia for the Ottomans.

Seeking regional harmony, the Porte would openly support the minorities of the Near East including Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha’i and others and press their neighbors to recall Islam’s peaceful nature regarding the Dhimmi.

Oddly, the nation which was once the scourge of Christendom was now allied most closely to Christians to the west (Greece) and east (Urarut).

February, 1937

Beijing


After months of negotiation with China and Great Britain in anticipation of this day, the American Ambassador would sign the treaty dividing Japan into “Spheres of Influence” with China taking the biggest share…..Honshu.

In truth, much of America sighed a long breath of relief. The last thing the nation wanted was potentially hundreds of thousands of casualties in seizing that island despite repeated intelligence reports that most of the population was more than willing to surrender. Since China had demanded Honshu….then they may provide the bulk of the invasion force. Indeed, the American and British would be reduced to logistical support and “observers”.

Since the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku had already fallen, it made more sense to leave those in the hands of the American (Kyushu) and Anglo-Australians (Shikoku).

Eisenhower was the driving force behind this concession to China, citing a desire to send as many American servicemen home alive as possible and conceding that China, Manchuria and Korea had suffered far more casualties and wrongs than America itself….or Britain, for that matter.

Great Britain, already drastically reducing the size of its army globally, didn’t particularly want a long-term commitment to either occupying or rebuilding large parts of Japan. Indeed, even before the ink was dry in the Treaty of Beijing, 1937, the new Government in Great Britain was quietly discussing ceding their “Sphere” to the Americans.

As with northern France, Great Britain would not have much stomach for long-term occupation. Germany was taking the greater share of responsibilities in northern France as well as the British quietly stood down most of their forces in Europe.

Washington

Knowing that the Chinese would, at any minute, commence landing in Honshu (he wished them luck), President Jeb Stuart would gratefully look forward to his second term. A modest bump in both the House and Senate would aid the Republicans there.

He wondered if he would be as good a President in peacetime as wartime.

Stuart would get to work with expanding the unemployment insurance throughout the nation with a permanent 1% income tax across the board. Naturally, millions of returning servicemen would need help gaining employment, housing….etc.

While he had taken some flak for the $60,000,000,000 and counting aid package to Europe and Korea (Japan would no doubt require aid as well), the President knew better than to treat returning veterans shabbily.

First, he arranged for Federally subsidized housing for all military veterans, essentially zero interest loans for a decade. This was almost unheard of. Also, Stuart’s Secretary of Finance would work with banks to make damn sure those loans were given…..or else.

Education was also paramount. Scholarships would be granted to all returning servicemen….provided that the education was in some form of trade school or in a field where actually employment was likely.

Engineering, Medicine and Business……yes. The government would pay.

Philosophy and 14th Century Hungarian poetry?

No, people could pay to study something useless on their own dime, not the taxpayer. Stuart firmly believed that most of the Marxist “leaders” were, in fact, a bunch of spoiled, underworked, overprivileged middle class college students with degrees in Liberal Arts. Unsurprisingly, few ever gained any form of employment and spent their days philosophizing in taverns dreaming of a day that the workers (meaning the people who served THEM) were empowered above those bad people who paid them……but beneath the Marxist leadership like THEM, of course.

If Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin and their ilk had ever actually worked a day in their lives, perhaps they would have a different view of the Proletariat.

Widows and maimed soldiers would receive pensions as well, of course. 120,000 dead left behind a lot of widows and 250,000 wounded Americans would require care throughout their lives.

This Stuart would not do on the cheap.

There was also the feared post-war depression coming as the massive quantities of military expenditures dropped and loan payments would start coming due.

He hoped that his second term would be remembered as well as the first.

March, 1937

Paris


General Montgomery had been assigned the military governorship of Paris and would diligently look to repairing the damage to the city infrastructure. The massive remains of the Eiffel Tower were being cut apart and carried off for scrap. Roads were cleared of rubble and the city became functional again.

The General had looked forward to visiting the La Louvre but was disappointed and horrified to see the old buildings had been destroyed. However, few works of art had remained, many being sold over the years abroad to help fund the “Revolution”.

The French wines of Montgomery’s youth were….unspeakably bad….as the Commune had ordered that vintners concentrate on large quantities of cheap wines. Worse, a plague of pests and fungus had infested the vineyards, severely damaging the vines to the point that many would have to be cut and grafted to other, healthier vines.

Paris was very much no longer the center of culture. It had stopped being the “City of Light” a long time ago.

Honshu

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese and various allied forces would land upon a dozen beachheads throughout the island of Honshu. In some instances, the landings were resisted……in others, not.

While the thoughts of many Chinese soldiers were originally bent towards revenge over generations of perceived Japanese aggression, even the most hardened Chinese veterans were horrified at the distended bellies and emaciated faces of the Japanese children and the hopelessness of their mothers. A compassionate Eisenhower had sought to limit his allies’ sense of vengeance prior to retaking Honshu. He desired that the Japanese military personnel be discharged and sent home rather than dispatched to mainland prison camps. However, these admonishments were not required as the Chinese, seeing the suffering, would act with more mercy than the American General would have expected. Under General Chang, the Chinese would spend more time distributing food supplies than oppressing the Japanese.

The Chinese General would be consulting with Eisenhower, who was coordinating the landings for his allies, when a Japanese delegation would arrive bearing Princess Shigeko and the three year old Emperor. Through trembling and carefully coached lips, the Princess would formally offer the surrender of Japan and vowed on her brother’s behalf to speak to the entirety of the Japanese people to convince the last remaining holdouts to surrender.

Moved at the courage of the girl, the General vowed that the Imperial family would be returned to the Imperial Palace as soon as practical. For the coming weeks, the family, now bereft of mother and father, would be led by a child. Occasionally, various Japanese military officers, including Admiral Nagano, would be granted access and assisted in the peaceful surrender of Honshu to the Chinese.

For his part, General Chang established explicit orders that the civilian population was not to be harassed and any act of rapine, looting or murder would be dealt with…..harshly. Half a dozen executed Chinese soldiers later, the General had made his point.

Japan had already paid for its aggression….many times over. Even the Korean soldiers, whose country had suffered the most at the hands of the Japanese, would witness the devastation and feel sickened. Later estimates would put the number of Japanese dead as over 12,000,000 (full 20% of the Japanese population) excluding reduced natality.

Though there were pockets of resistance of fanatical Japanese soldiers, the “mopping up” of Japan was well along. The war was, effectively, over.

Peace had finally returned…..to MOST of the world.



Hindu Socialist Republic (or whatever was left of it)

The HSR had, by 1937, effectively ceased to exist. Hinduism and Marxism were always an……odd…..mix. Later scholars were to debate for decades as to the nature of the political movement that included a bizarre mix of social reform, economic class warfare, religious animosity, racism, etc and conclude that only a diverse series of factors converged to allow this unique movement to exist for such an extended period. Eventually, once the initial goals of the movement were obtained – nationalization of land and property, eviction of undesirable minorities, etc – the HSR had no particular purpose. The only reason to continue to exist was conquest. Once effective resistance was encountered, the nation collapsed under the weight of its own incapacity.

Ironically, the “Indian Flu” did not strike the subcontinent as hard as some might have expected. Perhaps this was due to the strain having existed before and the Indians had developed a resistance. Perhaps it was some completely different reason.

But the remnants of the HSA would continue to convulse, this time in anarchy, a shortfall of government on this occasion, not a surplus. Village life would slowly return. Though the “landlords” would not be quite as common, they returned as well.

But an estimated 30,000,000 Indians (counting neighboring states) had died directly due to political unrest throughout the 20th Century, a human catastrophe unmatched anywhere in the world.

Kronstadt, Baltic Sea

The long-standing Russian fortress off the coast of St. Petersburg would be turned over to the Finns in the Treaty of Stockholm, 1936. This was intended to handicap the Russian Naval power in the Baltic. However, by the 20th century, the fortification was less than vital for the modern Navy and handing it over was more of a diplomatic slap in the face than anything else, yet another perceived insult to the Russian Empire.

Tsarevich (and Regent) Ivan would sign away the island with assurances from his Ministers that it was not a crippling loss.

Of more importance was the work being done in Germany by all those damned physicists.
 
Chapter 435
April 1937

Vichy


After nearly two years, France remained under allied occupation. However, the southern French zones controlled by America (and to a lesser extent Italy and Ireland) would move their administrative center (carefully NOT called a “Capital” as there was still expectation that France would be united) to the larger town of Bordeaux. This was intended to give the government more “space” in order to administer as well as draw from a larger workforce.

Some quietly whispered that the United States also did not desire her administrative center so close (within a few miles) of the border to the German-led coalition occupying northern France. This was publicly rejected as the two nations continued to work well together in supporting the rebuild of eastern Europe as well as lowering tariffs and encouraging direct trade between them.

Indeed, President Stuart would announce in April that he would make a grand tour of his European allies including Britain, Germany, Poland, the Ukraine and Finland. Italy was scratched off the tour as the Italian Prime Minister had just visited America that Spring.

Stuart and his counterparts had been strong supporters of the League of Nations and looked forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Germany. However, Stuart also wished to consult his ally regarding their movement on this “atomic bomb” project which the American had been hearing so much about. Rumor had it that the Germans were even importing something called Uranium from the Congo for experimental purposes. American scientists were prodding Stuart for money (who WASN’T these days) but the $60,000 he allocated to the study was reportedly not remotely enough to make any real progress. The President wanted to know if the investigation could be an allied effort.

Shanghai

Since the start of the 20th century, the Chinese people had been buying imported cars. Henry Ford…and later his son Edsel….had started the process of building new manufacturing plants in China but production was another year away (though training and working with suppliers was well along). However, China would see its first native volume manufacturer commence production in 1937.

The “Buffalo” Company was named after the heroic women who piloted the first fighter squadron against the Japanese in Manchuria. While touring the first Chinese aerospace company (only three hours away), General Eisenhower, fresh from being awarded a medal by the President of China, would be invited to see the automotive company as well. Supported heavily by Canadian parts company Dodge Brothers, the Chinese automotive industry had apparently been born.

In truth, Eisenhower saw that both the planes and automobiles were inferior to what was made in the west…even a decade ago. The vehicle itself was somewhat ugly. However, the fact that this was China’s FIRST attempt was nevertheless impressive. The American was uncertain how quickly it would happen but he was sure that American manufacturers would have more competition in the near future beyond just Britain and Germany.

But, as a soldier, that was not his business to worry about. He was pleased, however, that the Chinese were rebuilding their fleet. Indeed, with aid from the US Navy and her industrial partners, China was building two aircraft carriers, the first of their kind in the Republic. The expensive Chinese surface fleet had proven deficient against the Japanese Carriers and it was deemed necessary by the Republic to upgrade their navy once again.

Progress was coming to China and Eisenhower stated in a speech that the “sleeping giant” had awakened and promised that the 20th century would be the “Chinese century”.

May, 1937

Monaco


Perhaps aided by the massive $60,000,000,000 aid package to Europe and Asia, President Stuart’s nomination of Cordell Hull as Secretary-General of the League of Nations would be approved. Many found this surprising as Hull had been Stuart’s opponent in the previous election. However, the two had a measure of respect and both whole-heartedly supported the idea of a League of Nations. What was more, Stuart knew he could not nominate anyone viewed as likely to be a cipher for his home country’s government. Who better than his own opponent in the past election?

Hull would happily accept the nomination and would gain large numbers of votes despite numerous candidates (which largely prevented serious opposition).

The five permanent members of the Executive committee – the United States, China, Great Britain, Germany and the Union of African States – would seat their own members first and then the random draw for a two year term for the 10 rotating members would be held.

These would include Republic of Colombia (America’s closest ally in South America), Empire of Brazil (America’s most enduring enemy), Republic of El Salvador, Dominion of the Cape, Kingdom of Lithuania, Republic of Catalonia (much to the outrage of Spain who still viewed Catalonia as a rebel Kingdom), Dominion of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon, soon to be Republic of Sri Lanka), Republic of Gujarat, Kingdom of Vietnam and Republic of Korea.

By 1937 when the full League met, it comprised already of 97 nations. Within a decade, this would increase to 125.

Notable absences included France (both north and south remained under occupation), Japan (again, both north and south remained under occupation) and a number of the Arabian regional states which had not been formally recognized due to the rapidly changes in borders as tribes continued to raid one another.

June, 1937

Poland


The King of Poland would welcome the aid from America in rebuilding his nation’s infrastructure. Thousands of miles of railroad track had been rebuilt as had numerous bridges (some built in America, Britain or Italy in modules and shipped over for quick assembly).

School reopened and even some of the cultural treasures stolen by the Russians had been retrieved in the peace treaty.

CEMEA (Central European Military and Economic Alliance) was actively attempting to rebuild trade in Eastern Europe as well.

After centuries of foreign domination, the states of Eastern Europe were intent never again to allow an occupation by Russia or any other power (few Easterners opposed the German alliance as, without German help, the nations would still be under Russian occupation but many still remembered the German interference in the old Polish Commonwealth too).

After President Stuart’s visit to Poland months prior, the President would speak before in Congress of the devastation and gain support for another $40,000,000,000 in funds for global rebuilding (the “American” occupied Japanese islands were also included in this package. American foreign aid commitments were now approaching a hundred billion dollars). Large amounts of medication, construction materials, etc were also being shipped from America and other western nations.

The King was also somewhat embarrassed that anti-Jewish feeling remained so pervasive in the Kingdom. Over the past 37 years, the Jewish population had remained stagnant despite a healthy birthrate due to emigration. Still, 2,000,000 Jews remained in Poland (an estimated 4,000,000 had emigrated in the past half century, mostly to America). Unlike most European Jewry, the Polish Jews remained very segregated from their neighbors in culture and language as well as religion. Dismissed as “Yids”, the Poles, once the most tolerant people in Europe towards Jews, had become the most repressive.

It was this reason even more than the obvious economic distress following the war that caused yet another massive outbound migration of Jews at nearly 100,000 per year…..plus 100,000 Poles….plus another 50,000 Russians, Ukrainians and other minorities (the Russian population of Poland being particularly unpopular right now).

Like many of the nations of Eastern Europe, Poland would see an exodus of population as the nations struggled to get back on their feet. Nearly 500,000 Europeans a year would set sail for America alone. New Slavic neighborhoods would soon crop up throughout the Eastern cities.

For the first time, large numbers of immigrants would commence settling directly to the American west rather than simply settling wherever the ship dropped them off. San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Victoria, Salt Lake City and others would see influxes of Eastern Europeans beyond the old standbys of Brooklyn (and the “New York” area), Chicago and Detroit.

President Stuart, seeing the poor treatment of Jews abroad and at home, would offer Kamchatka and the rest of “American Siberia” for a “Jewish Homeland”.

The Jews politely declined.

American South

Combined with large-scale Italian and the first major wave of Mexican migration to the United States, the nation would see a disturbing 750,000 overall refugees and migrants per year (500,000 Europeans and 250,000 Latin Americans and Asians). Naturally, this provoked a level of anti-immigration feeling but Stuart would not give in to this.

Oddly, the most willing to accept these would be the Southerners who had seen large-scale population stagnation (or even decline) in some areas despite the nation as a whole vastly increasing in population over the past century. Where once the “South” accounted for 40% of the nation’s population, it was down to below 24% in 1937…and dropping.

Worse, the black population, which had once assumed the manual labor of the field work (which still accounted for much of the southern agriculture), had been migrating out to the rest of the country or to Africa for 75 years. Black and mulattos, 45% of the population at the commencement of the Civil War, now comprised less than 20%. Those that remained no longer aspired to migrant labor or perhaps working as a housekeeper. They had, over the decades, acquired property and often served as merchants.

Hiring “Freedmen” to pick cotton was simply no longer possible. Thus, the South would actively encourage Mexican, Puerto Rican, Portuguese and Southern Italian migrants to serve in these sectors. These tended to be the most desperate immigrants. Most immigrants from these areas tended to be overwhelmingly male and often would eventually return home after making money. However, the southerners wanted a “permanent class” of low-skilled, low-paid workers to work the fields and sweep the floors so large numbers of Southern families would post listings for desperate foreigners, both male and female, to work their plantations (even some black-owned plantations) would do this. Brazil had been particularly successful over the past 75 years in actively encouraging European migration.

So many of the orange plantations in Florida and Calusa (mostly black-owned) would hire Mexicans and Italians that English was hardly heard.

For the first time since the Ante-Bellum, there was a spark of the old South.

It was just speaking new languages.

Los Angeles Valley

One of the final territorial disputes between the Department of the Interior and an Indian Tribe would take place in the Los Angeles Valley. Here, several displaced tribes had been “relocated” in the previous century. Between the tribal lands and a large nature preserve (mostly containing the mountains), over 95% of the “Valley” was already claimed.

However, real estate moguls believed that the area could be developed for mass settlement while some industrialists bemoaned the “waste” of the fine Los Angeles Harbor, currently a heavily Mexican small town which used its one railroad link to serve as an modest outlet for international trade.

However, various lawsuits would fail and the Department of the Interior would back off its claims. Los Angeles would remain stagnant and most international freight continued through Victoria, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Tijuana.
 
Chapter 436
July, 1937

Paris and Bordeaux


A request made by various officials in Paris working for the occupying allies powers would be rejected. The German-led coalition of Dutch, Belgians, British, Danes and Norwegians (the latter three were already starting to pull out of northern France) refused this. They were intent that France would never again be a threat to European peace.

Many military officers would comment that the French people should be grateful the weren’t just wiped off the map……many HAD suggested this. However, for all the rejection of political participation, at least the Germans and British were inclined to help France recover economically. Trade was up vastly.

In Bordeaux, the American “Generalissimo”, MacArthur, would grant French bureaucrats (carefully vetted and overseen) control over most offices in the government while local politics were gradually introduced on a small scale.

MacArthur would also oversee a general debate among French officials (including some of the old Marxist guard who were not proven to have taken part in some of the more odious parts of the regime…..like “disappearing” people) regarding reestablishing a Parliament in the Occitan (the northern allies utterly refused a similar proposal).

Private property was slowly returned to rightful owners (or, more often, their heirs) though new tenants granted plots by the Commune would often fight in the courts for years.

While the vineyards of Southern France would continue to suffer from a fungus and take years to recover, at least the pate, cheese and escargot industries would rapidly recover. MacArthur had taken to French food (he was somewhat pretentious) and even was among the first foreigners to purchase land in France in over a generation, a vineyard and farm along the Loire. It held a lovely Chateau which had clearly seen better days.

But MacArthur already had grander ambitions. After cleaning up southern France as its defacto Dictator for a few years, he planned on allowing the people of America to elect him President (then he would retire back to his vineyard in France).

Soon, many American servicemen would be relieved of duty after a job well done. The US Army was rapidly demobilizing (intent was to be down from 1,500,000 to 500,000 by 1938 and 250,000 by 1940) even faster than the Navy. As was common during long occupations, tens of thousands of servicemen with money to burn in a devastated local economy would take local wives (offering food on the first date the lady’s family ensuring a warm welcome). Most would return home with their wives to America but thousands more would be released from service in France and remain with their new spouses, intent on forging a life in the warm southern French sun.

St. Barts, United States West Indies

After centuries of being traded back and forth between nations, St. Barts was effectively depopulated in the early 20th century after most of the slight black population had departed.

The bulk of the island would be sold to the Holland America Shipping Company which had the bizarre plan to reignite its transport division to include Caribbean cruises. It already owned one of the Bahama Islands and had set up agreements with the governments of Havana, San Juan, Key West, Cartagena and several other island and mainland ports to be regular stops when the first ships were completed in Genoa in 1939.

Soon, competing lines like Carnaval would seek to enter the new arena. Carnaval would purchase most of Aruba as well as its own Bahama Island and proceed to directly compete with Holland America by 1940. Eventually, the “Cruise Industry” would go worldwide as the people recovering from global war would seek new avenues of enjoying life.

September, 1937

Frankfurt, Confederation of Germany


After much debate, the German government would agree to American and British participation in a program to explore the use of atomic energy…for civilian AND military purposes. The Germans had taken the lead by virtue of their scientific prowess but would seen welcome new input from allies….and new sources of funds.

Germany was starting to experience significant post-war pangs as the military economy transferred to a peacetime one. Unemployed increased as military jobs dried up and servicemen came home but the corresponding increase in commercial jobs had not yet matched. America and Britain would experience similar, if not as devasting, recessions.

Moscow

Tsarevich Ivan had breathed a great sigh of relief when altering the government Ministers did not result in a coup….or just a subtle poisoning as Hirohito had apparently suffered. But the slight, bookish Tsarevich still loathed the government his mother had put in place.

Realizing that Russia, a vast nation with huge resources, still need to trade in products, technology and ideas, the Tsarevich had taken the somewhat unpopular step in opening up the borders to trade as well as joining the League of Nations, a body many of the Nationalists found abhorrent.

No one was certain just how effective the body would be….but Ivan suspected it was foolhardy to the point of suicidal to make war upon the entire world….as many Russians had sought to do. It ended badly before and Ivan was canny enough to notice what happened to France and Japan could potentially be Russia’s fate.

Even a comparative easy target, like Finland or Mongolia (who had gained Russian Karelia and the Yakut regions, respectively), the Russians dare not threaten lest they incur the wrath of CEMEA, China or the entire League.

Ivan had warned his mother (not that she EVER listened) against the past two wars. Both ended in disaster. Now HE had to clean up the mess. In truth, Ivan was more than content to let his Slavic brethren go. He would have preferred to integrate the Poles, Ukrainians and the like EQUALLY into the Empire but it was simply too late for that. Instead, he sought to be the best neighbor he could.

Ivan returned a number of cultural treasures, cooperated on returning as many prisoners, political exiles or, sadly, tens of thousands of human remains of people who had failed to survive Russian occupation and exile. This earned more appreciation from Britain or the United States than the Eastern Europeans…..but Ivan supposed he had to start somewhere.

On one cool September evening, he would learn of the death of his mother. While he grieved, he also knew this eliminated at least some internal opposition to his policies.

Formally Crowned Czar in October, Ivan would continue internal reforms and improving external diplomatic relations.

This wasn’t helped when Persia and his nation’s old ally Afghanistan would formally charge Russia with Genocide of the Central Asian Turkish Muslim population over the past decades. The survivors still huddled in those two countries while Russians now populated the Central Asian Steppe.

For the time being, the Czar would continue the previous policy of banning emigration though Ivan was more concerned about violence against his people abroad than he was about losing capable workers.

Honshu

While General Chang’s public declaration that the child-Emperor Akihito would be returned to the throne had been meant in earnest….it would not turn out that way. The Republic of China’s government, along with Korea and Manchuria, were not inclined to follow through on this unapproved decision. Instead, the Imperial Family were handed over to the Americans where, rather than allow the fam(where the Americans feared they would be the victims or cause of violence) , would sail for San Francisco, apparently where all Asian crowned heads went as the Manchu Emperor and Joseon King’s descendants lived in exile.

Manchu, Korean and Japanese migrants over the coming decades would form a “Little Asia” surrounding these monarchs, often feuding with one another. It would be many years before the anti-Asian immigration legislation was repealed but that did not stop a slow but steady trickle into the country with San Francisco (and Seattle) at its center. As Han migrants would eventually reach San Francisco, it became the leading center of film on the American west coast (New Jersey remained the largest) as “Kung Fu” and “Bushido” movies came in vogue.

White, black and Mexican laborers would successfully block, for a few years at least, Asian presence in Los Angeles, San Diego and Tijuana via intimidation for fear of competition for jobs.

On Honshu, the surviving Japanese population would be granted a “living” but not political rights….and wouldn’t for quite some time.
 
Chapter 437
October, 1937

Kyushu and Shikoku


General Eisenhower would quietly be relieved of his theater command by President Stuart who called him home for consultations. The man was exhausted and was looking forward to a desk job.

He would be surprised with another star and the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

When the Secretary of Defense stepped down in 1938, Eisenhower would take up that posting.

As for the southern Japanese islands themselves, new political views were being shaped. As America allowed more and more democracy to take hold, the denizens of Kyushu and Shikoku would appreciate the benefits…..and note that contrast in Honshu.

There was always a strong voice for Japanese unification but the political differences became more and more apparent. Even if Honshu were to be allowed by China to reestablish its political powers, would that not mean that Kyushu and Shikoku would, once again, be demographically reduced to supporting players?

For the months and years ahead, a new power structure would form on these islands which would, as was the nature of governments, begin to see maintaining itself as the true leader of the people. To reunite with Honshu would mean indefinite demographic domination by their larger, more populous neighboring island.

Naturally, these attitudes would take time to form. However, the calls for reunification presently were perhaps not as widespread as some both within and without Japan might have expected.

Union of African Nations

While Britain and America had willingly allowed the formation of an independent Union of African Nations out of the ashes of the old “Co-Protectorate”, things did not go entirely smoothly.

The new powers granted to the African National Congress would rapidly offend hundreds of tribes as the nation sought to impose national law upon remote people who, until perhaps a generation prior, had hardly been aware of the outside world.

A “Tribal” Party would rapidly gain followers but would remain somewhat disorganized and little was done to halt the forced integration of all Africans within their borders to the new realities.

Naturally, resistance was common, but the UAN possessed modern weapons and easily crushed open rebellions. However, large-scale occupations of huge swathes of diverse territories would rapidly stretch the military capacity of the new nation. The Co-Protectorate, if it felt the pinch of too much too soon, would often simply stop expanding until resources became available to exert its influence further.

The UAN’s government would not learn this lesson and continued to demand that remote tribes send their children to public schools, accept bureaucrats enforcing national will and a litany of other impositions.

Lands formerly of the Hindu Socialist Republic

Over the past years, the HSR effectively ceased to exist….though some still claimed to act in its name. In all reality, the northern-central Indian region would splinter into nearly a dozen feuding pieces dominated by men calling themselves Rajas, Presidents, Princes, Chancellors, Kings, Prime Ministers, Emperors and several other designations.

On the whole, misery on the subcontinent had not ended. A new era was starting.

Southeast Asia

After standing by helpless during the past decades as powerful nations warred about them without consent, the King of Siam would invite his neighbors in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Upper Burma, Lower Burma, Malaya, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo, Sulawesi, Timor and many others to an international meeting to discuss the creation of a regional bloc intent on preserving their interests from the likes of China, America, Britain-Australia and whatever was left of the HSR and Japan.

The Southeast Asian Bloc (“SEAB”) would grow from these initial meetings. The intent to was ensure intra-regional peace, a unified political face to the rest of the world and lowered economic barriers.

Other regions lacking a single major hegemonic power, like South America, would eventually move in this direction.
 
Chapter 438
November, 1937

Ainu Islands and Eastern Siberia


For a generation, the Americans had controlled a piece of Asia. However, the nation’s leaders had been quite clear that these were not American “Territory” but merely a Protectorate. The Native Ainu people of the Island portion of the lands were the original inhabitants but large numbers of Chinese, Koreans, Russians, Ukrainians, Yakuts (and a half dozen other Siberian tribes), Americans, Filipinos and now Japanese had migrated in large numbers to Hokkaido, Sakhalin and, to a lesser extent, the mainland territories.

Now comprising over 880,000 inhabitants (the highest growth rate in the world), the Ainu Islands and “Eastern Siberia” were content to remain a US protectorate but desired full self-government.

President Stuart would give a speech in Boston regarding the sacrifices that the remote territories had made on behalf of the allies and would approve the alteration of the colonial agreement, sending it to Congress for ratification November.

London

Prime Minister Baldwin was at a loss about what to do with King Albert. Since the lamentable death of Queen Vigdis of Lithuania, the man had effectively crawled into a bottle. His retainers bemoaned the fact that it was all they could do to get the man to arrive on time and sober to an event. On more than one occasion, the retainers had been forced to cancel “on account of the King’s ill health”.

If the man could not be trusted to give a radio broadcast or pin a medal upon a returning soldier, what the hell good was he?

On more than one occasion, Princess Vigdis would assume the ceremonial role and was, quite bluntly, very composed despite her 14 years. Fortunately, she also possessed her late mother’s good looks.

The Princess would personally Christen the new British Aircraft Carrier, HMS Victory (the previous Victory had been mothballed). This vessel was a match for the American behemoths and fully modern. Sea Hurricanes would grace her decks, a massive improvement over the older model naval aircraft of the previous war.

December, 1938

The Levant


Over the course of generations under Egyptian stewardship, the Levant’s demographics had changed greatly. Allowing large numbers of immigrants from both Egypt proper and abroad, the native Arabs were now easily outnumbered by the transplants and local Christian, Shi’a and “other” minorities. These included Sunni Egyptians, Coptic Egyptians, Turks, Georgians, Armenians, various Europeans and assorted minorities of the Arab world (Zoroastrians, etc). With guaranteed freedom of worship, the Holy Lands would prove a remarkably free place.

However, ethnic Arab resentment of Egyptian rule continued even as native religious minorities – Syriac, Lebanese, Druze, Jews and others – openly appreciated the protection of the Khedive.

Now a minority in the land they once demographically dominated, the Arabs of the Levant would turn eastwards towards their kin in Mesopotamia and Arabia.

This would drive the Egyptians even closer to the West in response both culturally and politically.

By 1938, demographics of the Levant were shockingly balanced: roughly 1/3 Egyptian (including both Sunni and Christian Egyptians), 1/3 Arab (mostly Sunni) and 1/3 “other” including a wide mix of ethno-religious affiliation.

While Egyptians had long described themselves as the “Leader of the Arab World”, the truth was that most Arabs considered the Egyptians something else entirely and certainly did not accept their “leadership”. Like the Ottoman, Egypt had become decadent. With the ascension of a new Khedive in 1938, one educated in London and America (he was a brilliant student and graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in Economics), there seemed a likelihood that Egypt would follow the Ottoman in granting full female suffrage, equal women’s rights in all things and possibly even ban the veil.



St. Petersburg

Russian exports began to, once again, trickle out of Russia. These included grain, steel, gold, oil and a host of other goods.

Russia required relatively little from the rest of the world mostly rare metals.

However, the Russians WOULD dispatch an expedition to Africa for “explorative purposes”. The true intent was to gather a large quantity of rocks bearing Uranium. In Russia itself, a series of explorers were searching through rock samples of the Urals looking for the same thing.

Several of the German scientists working with the British and Americans would be desperately in need of money. Russian agents would ensure that financial embarrassment could be prevented….provided that the Germans were willing to share their research.
 
Chapter 439
January, 1938

Dominion of the Cape and Boer Republic


With the peace, the diamond industry of the Dominion of the Cape would be reborn and a new boom would take place.

Across the border in the Boer Republic, the gold industry continued to prosper but other precious metals would also be mined heavily. The Russians would also dispatch agents the Boer Republic in search of radioactive materials.

Paris

After an extended occupation, the German Government would receive a petition from a delegation of northern French requesting…in the most polite terms…the opportunity to regain self-government over the course of the next year. The American zones had already seen the return of democracy on a local level and were preparing for a full Parliamentary election in the Occitan in the fall.

The Germans responded by having the French civilians arrested.

The next day, a series of bombs were set off throughout Paris at locations known to be frequented by German, British, Dutch and Belgian soldiers.

Graffiti would soon be discovered throughout the city calling upon French people to join the “Resistance”.

February, 1938

Honshu


After nearly two years, the Japanese soldiers captured in Korea would return home after internment in the most remote regions of China, Manchuria and the like where they had been forced into hard labor. Most had died in the ordeal. Still, 100,000 would return to find the main island of Honshu under Chinese occupation and the smaller islands of Kyushu and Shikoku under American control. It was painful to see but most were simply pleased to return home alive.

Honshu was less than prospering and many soldiers would be grief-stricken to find much or all of their families long dead from war, disease and hunger.

The Chinese had moved the traditional capital from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo) in an effort to ease the administration of Honshu and improve communication to the coast.

The Japanese people, their economy FAR from recovering, would accept employment wherever they could. The first migration to the Ainu Islands was under way (mostly from “American” Japan) as was to the United Nations of Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia and Mexico. Migration to America was still in its infancy after generations of the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” halting most Japanese immigration to America. However, the restrictions were being lifted as thousands of Japanese students were sponsored to American Universities, thousands of American servicemen would return with Japanese brides and businessmen were already travelling across the Pacific to renew old ties.

Mexico

After some trial and error, Mexico would begin pumping copious amounts of oil itself. This would help diversify the economy away from pure mining and agriculture. The service industry was expanding though banking and some services remained dominated by foreigners.

More importantly, Mexico was beginning to manufacture goods, mostly small and cheap but the investments in engineering and other trades was starting to pay off. Mexico had experienced nearly 50 years of growth but needed to modernize its manufacturing to prevent it from becoming a “resource” economy.

New Guinea and the Solomon Islands

After decades of domination by Australia, the local Parliament of New Guinea would opt for independence. The Australians had, in the mind of the locals, completely exploited them over the past century. First it had been for labor in the sugarcane industry….then later for their natural resources. That no one felt that New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were READY for independence from an economic standpoint was not relevant.

They were ready to go. Just as the East Indies had departed Australian domination, so did New Guinea.

The Faroe Islands


New Guinea was not the only island chain to desire independence. The Faroe Islands, once a dependency of Norway, then Denmark, would formally vote to secede from Denmark. The Danes, by this point, couldn’t give a damn. The islands cost more than they were worth. If they wanted to go….then go.

Iceland had departed over a year ago and the Faroe’s could damn well join them.

Denmark was already in deep financial trouble as the post-war recession had severely hit them.

The situation was so bad that Denmark even quietly offered to sell Greenland….to the highest bidder.

No one paid attention to the absurdity of buying an ice-covered rock bearing only a few thousand Inuit until the Czar inquired as to the cost. Then things go VERY interesting.

Immediately, the Germans, British and Americans protested and vowed to block any sale, even if it meant occupying the island. The Danish Prime Minister, with the King quietly supporting him, retorted that the Americans, Germans or British could occupy Greenland all they wanted….if they paid for it. Otherwise, he’d take the matter to the League of Nations where he doubted an overt invasion of a weaker, friendly state would hardly reflect well upon them.

In the end, the allies were forced to back off their threats and quietly conferred. Germany was not currently capable of purchasing anything while the British and Americans….really didn’t want to.

In the end, the British and Americans offered a face-saving compromise in which Denmark would receive an additional $25,000,000 dollars in Reconstruction money from America (Stuart would quietly vow that Denmark wouldn’t get a penny of any extensions in the future) in exchange for……Greenland.

While the Army Air Corp was quick to point out that Greenland may make a good air base, it was obvious that this was a handout to Denmark, a nation which was not particularly damaged by the war. President Stuart’s opposition would remind voters in November of the Republican laughter when President Smith bought Labrador from Newfoundland with the mocking question “Is Greenland next?”

It was Stuart who had to put up with the slings this time around.

Washington

President Stuart would give yet another radio interview with the media (the questions were prepared and approved earlier) in which he would request another $30,000,000,000 in foreign aid for this “Reconstruction” Plan. This would bring the number up to $150 billion dollars excluding much of the immediate food and raw material aid, not to mention forgiving many of the “loans” offered to allies during the war.

Even a rough accounting verified this would reach a quarter of a “TRILLION” dollars (with a “T”)!

Reconstruction was hugely expensive given that America had already wracked up huge debt in just 2 years of war but Stuart felt this was required. Nothing brought political disorder more than economic crisis. Stuart did not want to lose the next war now…..he wanted to prevent it from happening.

He also mentioned the utility of Greenland for an Air Base. Even the President couldn’t pretend that $25,000,000 was well spent and glad that the public could not see his struggles to maintain a straight face. Stuart honestly wondered if the Russians actually WERE interested in Greenland or just screwing with the west.
 
OK, that caught me up for my vacation chapters. I didn't have internet so some of my fact-checking and dates may not totally align but I didn't want to go back and proofread everything. Hope you enjoy it.
 
Map of World - 1935
Fenian - Map of World - 1935.png
 
Few points
1) South Island of New Zealand lacks an outline on the maps.
2) Hokaido, and points north are US owned???
3) Lighter purple in 1936 map is Mongolia?
4)Where is Green Ukraine? (and what are the relations between Ukraine and Green Ukraine?
5) Are there even names for all of the "nations" on the Arabian Peninsula?
 
Few points
1) South Island of New Zealand lacks an outline on the maps.
2) Hokaido, and points north are US owned???
3) Lighter purple in 1936 map is Mongolia?
4)Where is Green Ukraine? (and what are the relations between Ukraine and Green Ukraine?
5) Are there even names for all of the "nations" on the Arabian Peninsula?
1. Yeah, I think what happens is that I try to shade it but hit the outline and never can get the outline black again.
2. Yes, these were taken in the previous wars as a Protectorate. Now they are becoming defacto independent.
3. The Darker Purple is Mongolia which now annexed the Yakut and other tribal areas. The Russian population from OTL was pushed out in the last war.
4. The Green Ukraine is a historical name for the region marked in dark green along the Pacific Coast. It wasn't an "Official" name but was known as the Greene Ukraine as the majority of the Russian Empire migrants in the late 19th century were from the Ukraine. I'm not sure where the "Green" comes from. It wasn't clear on wikipedia. I'd never heard of it until I came across the reference a month ago. Eventually, the migration patterns changed and the Ukrainian dominance became less pronounced and the term became a historical footnote.
5. I'm sure there are but mostly I intend to just use tribal names (House of Saud became "Saudi Arabia" so the other tribes would probably do the same.
 
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