For Want of A Sandwich - A Franz Ferdinand Lives Wikibox TL

[Kylia]

Okay. At least in my country Oceania only refers to Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. I have never heard of anybody calling Indonesians Oceanians.

*googles* Huh. TIL. I stand corrected. Seems a really weird choice by whoever decides these things, but probably some tectonic plates nonsense.

 

[X_X]

*googles* Huh. TIL. I stand corrected. Seems a really weird choice by whoever decides these things, but probably some tectonic plates nonsense.

I see it as more of a cultural thing, a division between societies that had regular contact with the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere versus societies that were pretty isolated until a few centuries ago.

 

[Kylia]

That's even sillier, but okay.

 

[MaskedPickle]

Russia 20,737,638 km² (8,006,847 sqmi)

China - 11,197,057 km² (4,323,208 sqmi)
United States - 9,962,330 km² (3,846,478 sqmi)
Australia - 8,174,516 km² (3,156,198 sqmi)
Brazil - 7,909,975 km² (3,054,058 sqmi)

Canada - 4,512,259 km² (1,742,193 sqmi)
Borealia - 4,087,032 km² (1,578,012 sqmi)

Azawad - 3,618,326 km² (1,397,043 sqmi)
Iran - 3,551,970 km² (1,371,423 sqmi)
Hashemite Empire - 3,503,503 km² (1,352,710 sqmi)
Egypt - 2,812,476 km² (1,085,903 sqmi)
Argentina - 2,792,600 km² (1,078,229 sqmi)
Libya - 2,688,325 km² (1,037,968 sqmi)
Azania - 2,652,076 km² (1,023,972 sqmi)

Morocco - 2,566,014 km² (990,744 sqmi)
Bharatavarsha - 2,128,221 km² (821,711 sqmi)
Mexico - 1,972,550 km² (761,610 sqmi)

Ubangi - 1,647,872 km² (636,247 sqmi)
Kongo - 1,497,545 km² (578,205 sqmi)
Norway - 1,308,589 km² (505,249 sqmi)

Rhodesia - 1,261,859 km² (487,206 sqmi)
Peru - 1,236,245 km² (477,317 sqmi)
Indonesia - 1,157,443 km² (446,891 sqmi)
Bolivia - 1,150,581 km² (444,242 sqmi)
Colombia - 1,141,748 km² (440,831 sqmi)
Angola - 1,140,582 km² (440,381 sqmi)
Venezuela - 1,075,945 km² (415,425 sqmi)
Somalia - 1,072,773 km² (414,200 sqmi)
Mali - 1,002,664 km² (387,131 sqmi)
Tanganyika - 942,433 km² (363,875 sqmi)
Kalahari - 825,615 km² (318,772 sqmi)
Liberia - 816,954 km² (315,428 sqmi)
Quebec - 794,864 km² (306,899 sqmi)
Indochina - 750,202 km² (289,655 sqmi)
France - 746,032 km² (288,044 sqmi)
Finland - 736,921 km² (284,527 sqmi)
Germany - 724,194 km² (279,612 sqmi)
Nile Republic - 705,136 km² (272,254 sqmi)
Sokoto - 704,947 km² (272,181 sqmi)
Dravida Nadu - 701,688 km² (270,923 sqmi)
Chile - 697,423 km² (269,276 sqmi)
Thailand - 657,984 km² (254,049 sqmi)

Madagascar - 587,041 km² (226,658 sqmi)
Ecuador - 516,055 km² (199,250 sqmi)
Katanga - 496,871 km² (191,843 sqmi)
Kamerun - 495,000 km² (191,120 sqmi)
Micronesia - 461,182 km² (178,442 sqmi)
Kenya - 447,703 km² (172,859 sqmi)
Guyana - 445,401 km² (171,970 sqmi)
Oromia - 422,282 km² (163,004 sqmi)
Sweden - 421,692 km² (162,816 sqmi)
Spain - 414,166 km² (159,910 sqmi)
Newfoundland - 405,720 km² (156,650 sqmi)
Burma - 379,420 km² (146,495 sqmi)
Japan - 373,333 km² (144,145 sqmi)
Italy - 363,859 km² (142,487 sqmi)
Philippines - 361,738 km² (139,668 sqmi)
Paraguay - 354,757 km (136,972 sqmi)
Abyssinia - 349,356 km² (134,887 sqmi)
Greece - 323,511 km² (124,908 sqmi)
Kurdistan - 315,523 km² (121,824 sqmi)
Khalistan - 312,658 km² (120,718 sqmi)
Nepal - 298,006 km² (115,061 sqmi)
Ottoman Empire - 293,869 km² (113,463 sqmi)
Hungary - 282,870 km² (109,220 sqmi)
Aotearoa - 268,021 km² (103,483 sqmi)
Hutuland - 260,863 km² (100,720 sqmi)


Assam - 255,073 km² (98,484 sqmi)
Ashante - 239,567 km² (92,497 sqmi)
Bengal - 236,323 km² (91,245 sqmi)
Korea - 220,903 km² (85,291 sqmi)
Mesopotamia - 212,713 km² (82,129 sqmi)

Kashmir - 187,655 km² (72,454 sqmi)
Armenia - 182,119 km² (70316 sqmi)
Uruguay - 176,215 km² (68,037 sqmi)
Eritrea - 171,010 km² (66,027 sqmi)
Sarawak - 168,668 km² (65,123 sqmi)
Kasai - 164,287 km² (63,431 sqmi)
Tunisia - 163,160 km² (63,170 sqmi)
Bulgaria - 152,276 km² (58,794 sqmi)
United Kingdom - 150,432 km² (58,082 sqmi)
Poland - 142,718 km² (55,104 sqmi)
Java - 138,794 km² (53,589 sqmi)
Oman - 133,349 km² (51,486 sqmi)
Guatemala - 131,856 km² (50,910 sqmi)
Nicaragua - 129,494 km² (50,338 sqmi)

Romania - 122,430 km² (47,270 sqmi)
Portugal - 121,786 km (47,022 sqmi)
Ruanda - 121,786 km² (47,022 sqmi)
Dahomey - 114,763 km² (44,310 sqmi)
Biafra - 112,806 km² (43,555 sqmi)
Honduras - 112,492 km² (43,433 sqmi)
Cuba - 109,884 km² (42,426 sqmi)
Malaya - 109,379 km² (42,231 sqmi)
Odudawa - 106,016 km² (40,933 sqmi)
Iceland - 102,775 km² (39,682 sqmi)
Livonia - 84,926 km² (32,790 sqmi)
Ireland - 84,421 km² (32,595 sqmi)
Lithuania - 81,155 km² (31,476 sqmi)
Serbia - 80,913 km² (31,241 sqmi)
Scotland - 77,933 km² (30,090 sqmi)
Croatia - 77,703 km² (30,001 sqmi)
Togoland - 77,355 km² (29,867 sqmi)
Panama - 75,417 km² (29,119 sqmi)
Azerbaijan - 69,779 km² (26,942 sqmi)
Abu Dhabi - 67,340 km² (26,000 sqmi)

Jingpo - 62,041 km² (23,954 sqmi)
Buganda - 61,403 km² (23,708 sqmi)
Costa Rica - 51,110 km² (19,700 sqmi)
Bohemia - 50,370 km² (19,448 sqmi)
Hispaniola - 48,671 km² (18,792 sqmi)
Kawthoolei - 42,538 km² (16,424 sqmi)
Catalonia - 41,700 km² (16,100 sqmi)
Netherlands - 41,865 km² (16,064 sqmi)
Switzerland - 41,285 km² (15,940 sqmi)
Denmark - 38,995 km² (15,056 sqmi)
West Indies - 38,062 km² (14,904 sqmi)
Arakan - 36,778 km² (14,200 sqmi)
Brittany - 34,088 km² (13,161 sqmi)
Urundi - 27,834 km² (10,747 sqmi)

Crimea - 27 000 km² (10,000 sqmi)
Kabylia - 25,000 km² (10,000 sqmi)
Delta - 24,000 km² (9,266 sqmi)
Haiti - 22,750 km² (8,710 sqmi)
Euskadi - 20,664 km² (7,978 sqmi)
Johor - 19,891 km² (7,680 sqmi)
Flanders - 19,368 km² (7,478 sqmi)
Bunyoro-Kitara - 18,578 km² (7,173 sqmi)
Kanaky - 18,576 km² (7,172 sqmi)
Fiji - 18,274 km² (7,056 sqmi)
Estonia - 17,973 km² (6,939 sqmi)
Montenegro - 14,442 km² (5,576 sqmi)
Tooro-Rwenzururu - 13,158 km² (5,080 sqmi)

Vemarana - 12,189 km² (4,706 sqmi)
Wallonia - 11,711 km² (4,522 sqmi)
Busoga - 10,318 km² (3,984 sqmi)
Selangor - 8,104 km² (3,129 sqmi)
Negeri Sembilan - 6,686 km² (2,581 sqmi)
Ryukyus - 4,642 km² (1,792 sqmi)
Polynesia - 4,167 km² (1,609 sqmi)
Dubai - 3,885 km² (1,500 sqmi)
Shajah - 3,493 km² (1,349 sqmi)
Samoa - 2,842 km² (1,097 sqmi)

Reunion - 2,511 km² (970 sqmi)
Zanzibar - 2,462 km² (951 sqmi)
Lebanon - 1,958 km² (756 sqmi)
Malacca - 1,664 km² (642 sqmi)
Faroe Islands - 1,399 km² (540 sqmi)
Aden - 114 km² (430 sqmi)
Ankole - 972 km² (375 sqmi)
Tuvalu - 833 km² (323 sqmi)
Tonga - 748 km² (289 sqmi)
Malta - 316 km² (122 sqmi)
Brussels - 162 km² (62,7 sqmi)
Brussels - 162 km² (62,7 sqmi)
San Marino - 61 km² (24 sqmi)
Bermuda - 53 km² (21 sqmi)
Monaco -24 km² (10 sqmi)

Forbidden City - 72 ha (0,3 sqmi)

 

[MaskedPickle]

What was the Ultranationalist regime in Arakan like?

A bit like Ashin Wirathu's wet dream.

How world populaiton is that high? Yes, there is probably lesser genocides and wars but it is still stangerly high.

Holy crap! How is the world like with 8.7 billion people?

No single child policy and no Mao in China, Russia being spared communism (and Stalinism), Germany and Central Europe being spared the Shoah, natalist policies being conducted worldwide, Armenia not having to deal with a genocide, better health and development, mostly in Africa... So even with its shares of genocides and wars, it's much more populated than OTL. Still, climate change is growing rapidly and China is on the verge of ecological collapse.

So, aside from the Vladivostok nuclear attack, any prominent acts of terrorism in the "developed world" ITTL? And on that note, any prominent air disasters in this world like Tenerife, TWA 800, or MH370 IOTL?

Germany, Russia, the United States and China had their large share, it shall be revealed from time to time. As of air disasters, I can think of some, but it's more on the scale of the Smolensk Polish government crash.

I think it's mostly China. They have more people than all of South Asia, here.


Is this right? Seems like Australia is the largest Oceanian country and they have only around 69 million. Are you counting some Southeast Asian countries as part of Oceania?

Indonesia has 120 million.

OTL Indonesia (a larger country) has 273 million, so I think the number checks out since we can assume the rest of what is Indonesia OTL probably has at least another 100 mil

Okay. At least in my country Oceania only refers to Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. I have never heard of anybody calling Indonesians Oceanians.

*googles* Huh. TIL. I stand corrected. Seems a really weird choice by whoever decides these things, but probably some tectonic plates nonsense.

I see it as more of a cultural thing, a division between societies that had regular contact with the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere versus societies that were pretty isolated until a few centuries ago.

That's even sillier, but okay.

I thought that would be a detail no one would notice, not sparking such a debate ! ITTL, as Australia has included some parts of Eastern Indonesia (up to Timor), Oceania includes the Indonesian archipelago. Hence the large population, reflecting Australia's larger geopolitical power ITTL.

 

[MaskedPickle]

The Ezo Republic (蝦夷共和国, Ezo Kyōwakoku) was a short-lived state established from 1989 to 1994, that emcompassed Hokkaido Island, the northernmost island of the Japanese Archipelago, established with Russian support.

In the aftermath of the Japanese Revolution and the dissolution of the Sphere of Co-Propserity, Russian appetites over Japan proper were given free rein : established in the Kuril Islands since the Second Russo-Japanese War, the Russians had established links with Socialist democratically elected Governor of Hokkaido Takahiro Yokomichi and Ainu (native population of Hokkaido) advocate Shigeru Kayano ; as Hokkaido had always resented the policies from Tokyo, that tended to see the island as nothing less than a desolate and cold breadbasket, and as it appeared that Japan would turn into a banana republic, Yokomichi proclaimed the Ezo Republic on 26 April 1989, with himself as President and Kayano as Prime Minister ; everything was done with heavy Russian support, as some elements of the Russian Pacific Fleet moved to Sapporo the day after. The new nation took his name in the former name for the Prefecture (as Hokkaido meant “North Sea Province” in Japanese) and for a short-lived Republic that had existed in the end of the Shogunate Era.

The news was met with considerable outcry in Japan, that considered the so-called Republic a rebellious province under Russian occupation. Russia, China and Asian states opposed to Japan (that is, almost all of continental Asia) recognized the new Republic and petitioned for its entry into the World Council ; other members, such as the United States, Germany, Italy or Great Britain, saw Russian adventurism into Japan proper as a considerable risk for the region’s stability, and considered the area to be nothing more than a puppet state of Russia.

During its brief existence, the Ezo Republic was deeply dependent of Russia, that became its prime trade partner and military benefactor, establishing a Constitution that acknowledged for the first time in history the Ainus. Nevertheless, the January 15 1993 earthquake in Kushiro proved to be a disaster, with relief efforts failing to coordinate, and the Russian big brother becoming helpless.

The Ezo Republic was among the first victims of the Vladivostok Attack and the Russian Emergency : as the Russian Navy ships based in Ezo were dispatched back to the homeland to help for efforts, the fledging Takemura Administration, that had hoped momentum in the aftermath of the 1993 Constituional Crisis, took advantage to order the Japanese Army to recoquer the “rebellious province” : in only four days and after a heavy bombing of Sapporo, the Japanese Army managed to conquer back Hokkaido on March 1 1994, sending the Ezonese government into exile in Khabarovsk ; Russia was too busy trying to maintain order to try to defend their last acquisition. Ainu natives massively immigrated to Russia as all their newly conquered rights had now vanished, dropping the Japanese population to abysmal levels. As of Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Takemura, his victory over Hokkaido would prove fruitless as he was assassinated three months later.

 

[Whiteshore]

As of Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Takemura, his victory over Hokkaido would prove fruitless as he was assassinated three months later.

Who assassinated him?

 

[MaskedPickle]

 

[MaskedPickle]

Who assassinated him?

A disgruntled nostalgic of the ultramilitarist regime.

 

[X_X]

Another nice update! This timeline has a lot of moving parts, but it manages to fit very smoothly together. Every update feels worth it.

A few questions that I have…

What is the Antarctica policy of major countries, and what nations if any lay territorial claims to the frozen continent?

Will World Fairs be covered or do you not intend to?

How bad was SARS in 2002?

Is Sokoto dangerous to other countries (funding terrorism) or do they keep to themselves?

 

[TGW]

Holy shit! That Supreme Court list! I'll comment on the most interesting judges only but this must have taken some time to assemble! Hiram Johnson is an interesting one, you can definitely understand why Roosevelt would want to put him into power. Roosevelt's choices on the whole are quite interesting, particularly Mr Hand and Merrill Hough given that he was the judge who refused to grant Roosevelt the right to sue a critical paper. Stone, Hughes, Jackson, Frankfurter, Stewart and Burger always seem to end up in the Supreme Court no matter what butterflies, or so it seems, not that this is a complaint necessarily! Kenyon finally gets a look in too!. Sadly, Lowden and Smith's picks are a little depressing to read about, though Smith at least manages to put Stiles Cummings! La Guardia balances that out with his picks, though Acheson is an interesting one and no mistake.

Taft's picks actually seem to make a lot of sense, particularly with Tuttle. Driscoll also does well though he loses points for Burger! Reading about Alger Hiss managing to stay relevant is interesting, though given the state of Russia that is hardly surprising, I suppose. Scranton's picks are interesting enough though I don't have much to say about them, and I did cheer at McGovern's picks. Ashbrook and Robertson's choices are definitely of a more conservative bent, as to be expected. I do have to wonder what caused Richardson to die two years ahead of schedule though. The rest are pretty standard with the exception of the latest judge and, in what I'm sure is quite a nomination in this timeline, the first gay justice!

This is terrific work, a lot here starts fitting together!

 

[MaskedPickle]

Francisco Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892-8 November 1925) was a Spanish military officer who became famous for his gallant last stand at the Battle of Guadalajara during the Spanish phase of the Revolutionary Wars.

Stemming from a long line of Galician sailors, Francisco Franco enlisted in the Royal Army, graduating from Toledo Infantry Academy. He would then go on to serve in Morocco, rapidly advancing through the ranks for bravery in combat : seriously wounded during the Second Melillan campaign, he survived a bad wound in the abdomen, received Spain’s highest honour for gallantry, the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando, and was considered by his Native Morroccan men as blessed by baraka (in islam, the beneficent force from God) and someone promised to become General or to die trying. After serving in the Rif War, the newly wed Franco, already a colonel by 30, was among the troops evacuated from Morocco in 1924 after the fall of Ceuta and Catalionia and deployed against the Syndicalists.

Colonel Franco’s bravery at the Battle of Guadalajara, the decisive battle to keep the road to Madrid safe, became in short notice a legend in Spain. After charging several times the Syndicalists in order to protect the supply lines, his regiment was encircled by French-Catalan troops and called to surrender. Franco refused and ordered his men to fight to the death, himself succumbing at the last dozen. King Alfonso XIV, already very ill, had asked the general staff to free Franco in order to knight him and appoint him as General. His sacrifice was in vain, as the Spanish troops were defeated and decimated at Guadalajara and opened the road to Madrid for the Syndicalists. His body was never found.

In Europe, the renown of the “Galician Leonidas” (Leónidas Gallego) was vastly used in propaganda, whose sacrifice had restablished the prestige of the Spanish Army, deeply destroyed by the Spanish American War and the Battle of Annual. When Spain was liberated, Franco was posthumously knighted as a Grandee of Spain and proclaimed a national hero, to this day referenced in nationalist speeches and literature and commemorated by numerous statues in Spain. He is also considered as a national hero in Galicia and Portugal. His brothers Ramon and Nicolas had great careers in post-World War Spain, respectively as a General of the Air Force and as a diplomat and foreign minister in the Gil-Robles cabinet.

 

[MaskedPickle]

Another nice update! This timeline has a lot of moving parts, but it manages to fit very smoothly together. Every update feels worth it.

A few questions that I have…

What is the Antarctica policy of major countries, and what nations if any lay territorial claims to the frozen continent?

Will World Fairs be covered or do you not intend to?

How bad was SARS in 2002?

Is Sokoto dangerous to other countries (funding terrorism) or do they keep to themselves?

The early 20th Century saw its share of claims towards Antarctica, but now, control of the continent is devolved to a commitee overseen by the World Council, that has scientific exploration and resource exploitation (yes, it is a thing here) among its prerogatives.
World Fairs shall be covered !
SARS was much more worse and effectively expanded in other continents, almost on the scale of Covid. It has inspired various governments to implement pandemic preparedness plans, such as in the United States.
Sokoto is seen as a bared and backwards wasteland, like a Saudi Arabia without oil. Odudawa is worried a bit, but they have the resources to deal with it and they are too happy to say that sha'ria doesn't work there and will never abroad.

Holy shit! That Supreme Court list! I'll comment on the most interesting judges only but this must have taken some time to assemble! Hiram Johnson is an interesting one, you can definitely understand why Roosevelt would want to put him into power. Roosevelt's choices on the whole are quite interesting, particularly Mr Hand and Merrill Hough given that he was the judge who refused to grant Roosevelt the right to sue a critical paper. Stone, Hughes, Jackson, Frankfurter, Stewart and Burger always seem to end up in the Supreme Court no matter what butterflies, or so it seems, not that this is a complaint necessarily! Kenyon finally gets a look in too!. Sadly, Lowden and Smith's picks are a little depressing to read about, though Smith at least manages to put Stiles Cummings! La Guardia balances that out with his picks, though Acheson is an interesting one and no mistake.

Taft's picks actually seem to make a lot of sense, particularly with Tuttle. Driscoll also does well though he loses points for Burger! Reading about Alger Hiss managing to stay relevant is interesting, though given the state of Russia that is hardly surprising, I suppose. Scranton's picks are interesting enough though I don't have much to say about them, and I did cheer at McGovern's picks. Ashbrook and Robertson's choices are definitely of a more conservative bent, as to be expected. I do have to wonder what caused Richardson to die two years ahead of schedule though. The rest are pretty standard with the exception of the latest judge and, in what I'm sure is quite a nomination in this timeline, the first gay justice!

This is terrific work, a lot here starts fitting together!

Thank you for your remarks, I had thought that they would be unwise given that I am not an American... So, yes, some Justices have still enough merit to get on the highest court and Alger Hiss has never been a subject, as communism is not a thing, he passed as a bona fide liberal.
Here the Supreme Court is much more split in a partisan way (3 conservatives (Hatch, Ryan, Sykes), 2 moderates (Ginsburg, Napolitano), 4 liberals (Tatel, Granholm, Harris, Oetken) and Justies electing to stay until their passing or the election of an inclined President, in order to avoid an ideological takeover. Orrin Hatch here plays the role of a conservative Ruth Bader Ginsburg, waiting for a conservative-minded administration to retire. The Supreme Court is almost with a female majority of six judges, with a Mormon (Hatch), a visually disabled (Tatel), a Jew (Ginsburg), a Canadian-American (Granholm), an African American/Asian American (Harris) and a LGBT (Oetken).

 

[MaskedPickle]

Alexandra, a Tsarina under siege
By Marleen Brown

The circumstances of the recent military coup attempt in Russia are getting better known, and the evidences of a planned assassination of the Tsarina are compelling. It only stresses the paradox of Alexandra, one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, yet targeted by the far right.

In the night from 21 to 22 February 2022, as rogue military units were attempting to seize the government buildings in Moscow and Petrograd, along with military bases and communication networks across Russia, a small putschist commando entered the parks of Tsarskoye Selo, in the outskirts of Petrograd, where Tsarina Alexandra had decided to recover from Wuchang Pneumonia. A first wave of special forces broke into the Alexander Palace, as other soldiers waited outside in case of emergency.

Their mission ? The assassination of the Tsarina, in order to bring on the accession of her uncle and the putschists’ favourite, Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich.

The Empress was sleeping in her bedroom when she woke up, hearing gunfire in the palace hall : her Imperial Guard, put in high alert due to rumours of an ongoing coup, was fighting the 12 commandos who had entered the palace premises. As she approached the heavy noise in her nightgown, she was quickly seized by her bodyguards and taken to an underground bunker ; the Imperial Guard, in spite of heavy losses, managed to shoot the attackers down.

One of the guards most certainly saved the Tsarina’s life when he heard one of the commando’s radios sizzle, as the other assassins, standing by the gardens, asked if they needed backup. The guard quickly seized the radio and shouted “Retreat, mission accomplished, the dyke is dead !” The commando then withdrew, believing that the coup had been a success.

This anecdote was revealed last week on news netzsite Gazeta.rus, among stories that began to be revealed in the aftermath of General (ret.) Leonid Ivashov’s coup attempt, that took three days to be defeated, from 21 to 24 February. The news of an assassination attempt on the Tsarina herself is already chilling, given its symbolism, and only taking precedent in the assassination of Tsar Paul during the Napoleonic Wars, yet it only emphasizes the conflicted sentiment towards Alexandra.

Reviled by the far right

On one hand, you have the Sovereign of All the Russias, an almost sacred position reflected in the Constitution, that makes the Empress one of the most powerful constitutional monarchs, holding power to appoint the government, dissolve Parliament, command the armies and nuclear weaponry and veto laws. Alexandra was able to showcase her skills during the crisis, appearing the day following the assassination attempt in full military dress, taking precedence after Prime Minister Vladimir Milov had been taken hostage, and calling all loyalists “to stand against false patriots” and “fight to get Russia back”. The counter-coup, led by provincial military units, was ultimately successful, and Tsarina Alexandra instructed the government to postpone the elections, scheduled initially for March, 20, to initiate negociations with moderate Ukrainian, Kazakh and Ruthenian nationalists and to launch a wide wave of arrests against pyrist-minded military officers and officials, such as Okhrana Director Vladimir Putin or intellectual Alexandr Dugin.

On the other hand, you also have old Russian machismo : even if the country rose to greatness thanks to female monarchs, such as Catherine the Great or Olga, many see a young woman, barely 28, as a liability for Russia that has still not recovered from the Vladivostok Incident, the very same that propelled Alexandra’s father to the throne, its empire humiliated by Iran, Japan and Germany and regularly shaken by terrorist attacks, independantist activity and riots for stronger democracy. The monarch’s youth is not an issue in strong constitutional monarchies such as Germany, nationalists would have preferred the Tsarina’s uncle, Grand Duke Andrei, an old-style aristocrat and first in the succession line, or former Prime Minister (and coupster), Grand Duke Mikhail, to have ascended.

From autocrat to GRSM icon

What became an issue was the disclosure of Alexandra’s homosexuality on 23 January 2021 by an anonymous Netzdiarist (rumoured to be artist and activist Pyotr Pavlensky), after her engagement to her cousin, Grand Duke Valentin Konstantinovich, had been unexpectedly cancelled after a very concise press communiqué. Even if the Imperial Household vehemently disputed the claims, the general public, weary of Wuchang Pneumonia, went wild over the private issue, with interviews of past lovers of the Sovereign of All the Russias being traded by tabloids at premium prices. The outed autocrat became overnight a GRSM cause célèbre but for the Russian ultranationalists, who view homosexuality as a Western degeneracy discordant with Slavic values, it was an outright evidence that something was rotten in the state of Russia.

What does the Tsarina think of all that ? Even if she knew how to deal with the challenge of a military coup, with plotters inside her own close circle, she is reportedly shy and secretive. It is said that she thought many times to abdicate since she began her reign in 2008, the closest having been after her outing. What’s not to blame her ? She became heir apparent when she was a few months old, with her cousins being wiped out in the nuclear fire of Vladivostok and the country in shambles. The sheer pressure of the throne threw her unprepared father to an early grave ; the Dowager Empress, worried herself, waited until the Tsarina’s 25th birthday to declare her of age. Many think she would have preferred to live a hidden life : even if insiders noticed a young woman by her side during the coup, the identity of her current companion is still the subject of rumors.

It is too early to make an assessment on Alexandra’s reign. Should she not have the same strength of Olga, also a young woman first ridiculed by her seniors before restoring Russia to greatness, she at least feels the duty to do so, as her behavior during the crisis showed. Yet, as she is close to the tenth anniversary of her accession, the overview remains dire : every year, Russia has her share of terrorist attacks, riots, dissent and inflation. After the coup attempt, it is the second time in less than six years that a general election is delayed and political repression remains high : that is certainly not the image of a modern monarch. But to the nationalists, Alexandra sent the message that she didn’t recognize herself in ultranationalism and that Russian generals wouldn’t have the luck of a Villiers in France. “Let them hate as long as they fear”.

 

[Whiteshore]

intellectual Alexandr Dugin.

Is he still a radical Eurasianist ITTL or is his ideological insanity different ITTL? Also, the co-author of his manifesto leading the coup is a nice touch,

 

[reagan thomas hayden]

Alexandra, a Tsarina under siege
By Marleen Brown

The circumstances of the recent military coup attempt in Russia are getting better known, and the evidences of a planned assassination of the Tsarina are compelling. It only stresses the paradox of Alexandra, one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, yet targeted by the far right.

In the night from 21 to 22 February 2022, as rogue military units were attempting to seize the government buildings in Moscow and Petrograd, along with military bases and communication networks across Russia, a small putschist commando entered the parks of Tsarskoye Selo, in the outskirts of Petrograd, where Tsarina Alexandra had decided to recover from Wuchang Pneumonia. A first wave of special forces broke into the Alexander Palace, as other soldiers waited outside in case of emergency.

Their mission ? The assassination of the Tsarina, in order to bring on the accession of her uncle and the putschists’ favourite, Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich.

The Empress was sleeping in her bedroom when she woke up, hearing gunfire in the palace hall : her Imperial Guard, put in high alert due to rumours of an ongoing coup, was fighting the 12 commandos who had entered the palace premises. As she approached the heavy noise in her nightgown, she was quickly seized by her bodyguards and taken to an underground bunker ; the Imperial Guard, in spite of heavy losses, managed to shoot the attackers down.

One of the guards most certainly saved the Tsarina’s life when he heard one of the commando’s radios sizzle, as the other assassins, standing by the gardens, asked if they needed backup. The guard quickly seized the radio and shouted “Retreat, mission accomplished, the dyke is dead !” The commando then withdrew, believing that the coup had been a success.

This anecdote was revealed last week on news netzsite Gazeta.rus, among stories that began to be revealed in the aftermath of General (ret.) Leonid Ivashov’s coup attempt, that took three days to be defeated, from 21 to 24 February. The news of an assassination attempt on the Tsarina herself is already chilling, given its symbolism, and only taking precedent in the assassination of Tsar Paul during the Napoleonic Wars, yet it only emphasizes the conflicted sentiment towards Alexandra.

Reviled by the far right

On one hand, you have the Sovereign of All the Russias, an almost sacred position reflected in the Constitution, that makes the Empress one of the most powerful constitutional monarchs, holding power to appoint the government, dissolve Parliament, command the armies and nuclear weaponry and veto laws. Alexandra was able to showcase her skills during the crisis, appearing the day following the assassination attempt in full military dress, taking precedence after Prime Minister Vladimir Milov had been taken hostage, and calling all loyalists “to stand against false patriots” and “fight to get Russia back”. The counter-coup, led by provincial military units, was ultimately successful, and Tsarina Alexandra instructed the government to postpone the elections, scheduled initially for March, 20, to initiate negociations with moderate Ukrainian, Kazakh and Ruthenian nationalists and to launch a wide wave of arrests against pyrist-minded military officers and officials, such as Okhrana Director Vladimir Putin or intellectual Alexandr Dugin.

On the other hand, you also have old Russian machismo : even if the country rose to greatness thanks to female monarchs, such as Catherine the Great or Olga, many see a young woman, barely 28, as a liability for Russia that has still not recovered from the Vladivostok Incident, the very same that propelled Alexandra’s father to the throne, its empire humiliated by Iran, Japan and Germany and regularly shaken by terrorist attacks, independantist activity and riots for stronger democracy. The monarch’s youth is not an issue in strong constitutional monarchies such as Germany, nationalists would have preferred the Tsarina’s uncle, Grand Duke Andrei, an old-style aristocrat and first in the succession line, or former Prime Minister (and coupster), Grand Duke Mikhail, to have ascended.

From autocrat to GRSM icon

What became an issue was the disclosure of Alexandra’s homosexuality on 23 January 2021 by an anonymous Netzdiarist (rumoured to be artist and activist Pyotr Pavlensky), after her engagement to her cousin, Grand Duke Valentin Konstantinovich, had been unexpectedly cancelled after a very concise press communiqué. Even if the Imperial Household vehemently disputed the claims, the general public, weary of Wuchang Pneumonia, went wild over the private issue, with interviews of past lovers of the Sovereign of All the Russias being traded by tabloids at premium prices. The outed autocrat became overnight a GRSM cause célèbre but for the Russian ultranationalists, who view homosexuality as a Western degeneracy discordant with Slavic values, it was an outright evidence that something was rotten in the state of Russia.

What does the Tsarina think of all that ? Even if she knew how to deal with the challenge of a military coup, with plotters inside her own close circle, she is reportedly shy and secretive. It is said that she thought many times to abdicate since she began her reign in 2008, the closest having been after her outing. What’s not to blame her ? She became heir apparent when she was a few months old, with her cousins being wiped out in the nuclear fire of Vladivostok and the country in shambles. The sheer pressure of the throne threw her unprepared father to an early grave ; the Dowager Empress, worried herself, waited until the Tsarina’s 25th birthday to declare her of age. Many think she would have preferred to live a hidden life : even if insiders noticed a young woman by her side during the coup, the identity of her current companion is still the subject of rumors.

It is too early to make an assessment on Alexandra’s reign. Should she not have the same strength of Olga, also a young woman first ridiculed by her seniors before restoring Russia to greatness, she at least feels the duty to do so, as her behavior during the crisis showed. Yet, as she is close to the tenth anniversary of her accession, the overview remains dire : every year, Russia has her share of terrorist attacks, riots, dissent and inflation. After the coup attempt, it is the second time in less than six years that a general election is delayed and political repression remains high : that is certainly not the image of a modern monarch. But to the nationalists, Alexandra sent the message that she didn’t recognize herself in ultranationalism and that Russian generals wouldn’t have the luck of a Villiers in France. “Let them hate as long as they fear”.

I hope that she will be alright and for the coup fail so she remains in power.

 

[Whiteshore]

With the recent update having Putin be the head of the Okhrana who got arrested after the failed coup, what became of the following ITTL (assuming they aren't butterflied away):
Volodymyr Zelensky
Alexei Navalny
Yulia Tymoshenko
Petro Poroshenko
Sergey Shoigu
Mikhail Mishutin
Sergei Lavrov
Valery Gerasimov
Dmitry Medvedev
Alexander Lukashenko
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Grigory Yavlinsky
Boris Nemtsov
Emilia Slabunova

 

[MaskedPickle]

 

[MaskedPickle]

 

[MaskedPickle]

Is he still a radical Eurasianist ITTL or is his ideological insanity different ITTL? Also, the co-author of his manifesto leading the coup is a nice touch,

Eurasianism has had its success in Russia during the 20th Century, although it was more under the influence of Lev Gyumilov, with Russian-Chinese cooperation in full motion and expansion into Central Asia. The failures in Iran and the rise of China as a large economic rival put an end to these developments. Dugin is more of a modern Black Hundredist, a chauvinistic, ultranationalist and monarchist Slavophile.

I hope that she will be alright and for the coup fail so she remains in power.

The coup was defeated on February 24 2022, as it is said in the article.

With the recent update having Putin be the head of the Okhrana who got arrested after the failed coup, what became of the following ITTL (assuming they aren't butterflied away):
Volodymyr Zelensky
Alexei Navalny
Yulia Tymoshenko
Petro Poroshenko
Sergey Shoigu
Mikhail Mishutin
Sergei Lavrov
Valery Gerasimov
Dmitry Medvedev
Alexander Lukashenko
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Grigory Yavlinsky
Boris Nemtsov
Emilia Slabunova

So, they will be covered from time to time, but here what can I say :

Waldemar Zelenski 's family immigrated from the Donbass to Germany due to pogroms, and he is now a prominent Babelsburg star, known for his comedic roles, even if his career took a darker turn thanks to his role as a scheming and ruthless politician in the TV show Kartenhaus.
Alexei Navalny is a prominent polician in the conservative, monarchist and slavophile All-Russian Union, having a pro-monarchist and anti-separatism speech yet attached to democracy.
Yulia Tymoshenko is a moderate right-wing Ukrainian nationalist, participating in elections and negotiating in round table talks with the Russian government. She favors increased autonomy for western Ukraine.
Pyotr Porochenko is a former martial artist turned businessman, specialized in chocolates and candies. He has no political ambitions.
Sergey Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov and Alexandr Lukashenko are general officiers in the Russian Imperial Army, Gerasimov had the most distinguished career among the three, with Shoigu being seen as a more political leader.
Mikhail Mishutin is a civil servant, currently serving as President of the State Bank of the Russian Empire.
Sergei Lavrov and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are Russian diplomats, Tokayev being a nobody and Lavrov having had a long and distinguished career, with several turns as Foreign Minister or Minister of Defence.
Dmitry Medvedev is the current Rector of the Petrograd Imperial University and a regular candidate for appointment to the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court of Cassation or the Constitutional Court.
Sergei Tikhanovsky is a prominent Russian journalist. His wife enjoys a private life.
Grigory Yavlinsky, Boris Nemtsov and Emilia Slabunova are prominent politicians of the Independent Octobrist Party, a socially centrist, pro-business and economically liberal political party, founded in the aftermath of the spike of neoliberal policies that followed the 1980s economic crisis. They are more classic than the all-out libertarian Objectivists, yet they have something like the Chicago Boys IOTL. Nemtsov is by far the most prominent today and is the current leader of the party.