I've been going through this timeline as I tend to do, and I see the Germans nuked Warsaw?! Would love to know (in wikibox form if it's not explained elsewhere) what the hell happened there
For Want of A Sandwich - A Franz Ferdinand Lives Wikibox TL
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while on the topic of killers, Jeffrey MacDonald could be a Oliver North type.
I too always resent the assumption that Franz Ferdinand's assassination was a "requirement" for WW1 to happen. Honestly I feel like even without conflicts in the Balkans Europe still would have gone to war.
The Washington Post - 14 February 2024
The fragile legacy of Russ Feingold
By Julian Dodd
As the Feingold Administration is coming to a close, the time has come to assess its results. And the sheet might be a little void.
President Russ Feingold was somber during the funeral mass of his predecessor, Pat Robertson, last year. Not that the incumbent President was particularly mourning : he is the perfect opposite to the Conservative President, a known antisemite who even managed to offend Heinz Kissinger and didn’t spare his harsh comments when Feingold was elected. Maybe his thoughts were turned to the row behind him : the former Presidents of the United States. Here were the other successors of Robertson : Al Gore, the healer of the nation and the father of environmentalism ; William Weld, a political footnote ; Frank Keating, a missed opportunity ; John Edwards, a reviled lothario ; Robert Reich, a lame duck ; and Sam Brownback, who everyone seems to forget he was President. Knowing the reputation of his predecessors, Russ Feingold, who will leave the White House of January, 20 2025, after eight long years, knows he will also be judged before God and, most importantly, the American people.
Russ Feingold is assured to be mentioned in future history books : a two-term President, his major achievements being the 34th Amendment, limiting corporate funding, the extension of the CRSM CIvil Rights Act, the abolition of the death penalty, the Police Reform Act, the antitrust breaking of the Internetz Bigs, the Future Energy Act, the Green Society Acts, three appointments to the Supreme Court and, most of all, his handling of the Wuchang Pneumonia pandemic, that was hailed throughout the world for its effectiveness and severity. Conservatives threatened him with impeachment and pundits claimed that American people and businesses would never forgive him, but his reelection in 2020 along with his strong recovery plan silenced critics.
Tina Martinez, a media expert for the Progressive Party, is however more nuanced regarding the Feingold Presidency. “Feingold has been the average Progressive President : dismantling the previous Conservative laws, enacting a progressive legislation and dealing with your occassional Three Mile Island. The Wuchang Pneumonia was such a moment, but even he can’t take credit, because the plan had been fully prepared under Keating.”
Charles Bruce, a historian specialized in presidential history, is even harsher : “what strikes me with Feingold is that he has been an isolationist president, even more than Brownback. He supported the Havana Treaty Organization but failed to intervene in Hispaniola and Bolivia, maybe fearing the discontent of Congress : he intervened in Venezuela with visible reluctance. Now, he is forced to intervene in the Ecuador War, there is a huge Doriotist empire in the Andes and the number of military dictatorships throughout Latin America has never been higher. America first indeed, but only the USA.” So the Feingold administration could be interpreted as an era of setbacks in the wider picture, and not as a time of recovery as the official line stresses it. And Feingold looks like a man who never managed to gain traction, with approval ratings not high but not terrible.
Not a true first
“One point might be that the United States is a beacon of progressivism and equality” thinks Bruce, “but has yet to have his first female, African American, Latin American or Asian American President.” Would it be forgetting that Feingold is and will remain the first Jewish American President ? “La Guardia was half-Jewish. And not only Feingold never put forward his religion, but antisemitism is a taboo in America. When the DVP deputies in the Reichstag turned their backs to Feingold during his state visit, it was such a scandal mostly because the Americans were flabbergasted by such a scandalous display of bigotry. Feingold being the first official Jew in the Oval Office was more of a subject abroad ; in America, he is more of another “old white male”.”
But the prospect of a true “first” in the White House could arise in 2024, with, in the Progressive batch, such candidates as Vice President Julian Castro, Governor Anthony Brown or Senator Lisa Madigan. “Yes, but the Conservatives also have their own strong minorities candidates, such as Sarah Steelman” answers Martinez. “Artur Davis in 2020 gained momentum from being the first African American presidential nominee and would certainly have convinced voters if the spoiler vote of Kanye West and the Wuchang Pneumonia hadn’t been there.”
“Plus, Castro is far from being a shoe-in. Searching for a perfect government, Feingold put up a government of rivals, and now Attorney General Amy Klobuchar and former Secretary of Defense Tulsi Gabbard could also claim to be the continuation of the Feingold Administration ; although in Gabbard’s case less so, I must admit.” points Martinez. “Julian Castro might be our first Mexican American President, but he has a very long way to November. And he will be forced, unlike Feingold, to deal with a Conservative-led Congress from Day One and insurgents from his own party. That is the most dire legacy of Feingold : a dark horse candidate, who won against Johnson thanks from dissatisfaction towards Brownback, he was never truly accepted by the Progressives. And he failed at making an imprint on the party.”
What could remain for Feingold during his last year in the White House ? “Maybe the Ecuador War will force him to shed his isolationist views and turn him into a hawk at once” thinks Bruce. “But at 70, I don’t see him turning into an avid commentator of his successor’s policies. I see him returning to Wisconsin, opening his presidential library and making a living with speeches and public engagements. Maybe accepting to be a herald for international conferences.” Martinez concurs : “He has already chosen to be an elder statesman, refusing, like Alexander, to endorse a candidate for the Progressive nomination. But Feingold isn’t finished. He has always defied predictions and I gather he will know how to manage a good exit.”
The legacy will officially begin on January, 20 2025, after noon, after Feingold’s successor had been sworn into office. And then, another challenge will fall upon the 52nd President.
By Julian Dodd
As the Feingold Administration is coming to a close, the time has come to assess its results. And the sheet might be a little void.
President Russ Feingold was somber during the funeral mass of his predecessor, Pat Robertson, last year. Not that the incumbent President was particularly mourning : he is the perfect opposite to the Conservative President, a known antisemite who even managed to offend Heinz Kissinger and didn’t spare his harsh comments when Feingold was elected. Maybe his thoughts were turned to the row behind him : the former Presidents of the United States. Here were the other successors of Robertson : Al Gore, the healer of the nation and the father of environmentalism ; William Weld, a political footnote ; Frank Keating, a missed opportunity ; John Edwards, a reviled lothario ; Robert Reich, a lame duck ; and Sam Brownback, who everyone seems to forget he was President. Knowing the reputation of his predecessors, Russ Feingold, who will leave the White House of January, 20 2025, after eight long years, knows he will also be judged before God and, most importantly, the American people.
Russ Feingold is assured to be mentioned in future history books : a two-term President, his major achievements being the 34th Amendment, limiting corporate funding, the extension of the CRSM CIvil Rights Act, the abolition of the death penalty, the Police Reform Act, the antitrust breaking of the Internetz Bigs, the Future Energy Act, the Green Society Acts, three appointments to the Supreme Court and, most of all, his handling of the Wuchang Pneumonia pandemic, that was hailed throughout the world for its effectiveness and severity. Conservatives threatened him with impeachment and pundits claimed that American people and businesses would never forgive him, but his reelection in 2020 along with his strong recovery plan silenced critics.
Tina Martinez, a media expert for the Progressive Party, is however more nuanced regarding the Feingold Presidency. “Feingold has been the average Progressive President : dismantling the previous Conservative laws, enacting a progressive legislation and dealing with your occassional Three Mile Island. The Wuchang Pneumonia was such a moment, but even he can’t take credit, because the plan had been fully prepared under Keating.”
Charles Bruce, a historian specialized in presidential history, is even harsher : “what strikes me with Feingold is that he has been an isolationist president, even more than Brownback. He supported the Havana Treaty Organization but failed to intervene in Hispaniola and Bolivia, maybe fearing the discontent of Congress : he intervened in Venezuela with visible reluctance. Now, he is forced to intervene in the Ecuador War, there is a huge Doriotist empire in the Andes and the number of military dictatorships throughout Latin America has never been higher. America first indeed, but only the USA.” So the Feingold administration could be interpreted as an era of setbacks in the wider picture, and not as a time of recovery as the official line stresses it. And Feingold looks like a man who never managed to gain traction, with approval ratings not high but not terrible.
Not a true first
“One point might be that the United States is a beacon of progressivism and equality” thinks Bruce, “but has yet to have his first female, African American, Latin American or Asian American President.” Would it be forgetting that Feingold is and will remain the first Jewish American President ? “La Guardia was half-Jewish. And not only Feingold never put forward his religion, but antisemitism is a taboo in America. When the DVP deputies in the Reichstag turned their backs to Feingold during his state visit, it was such a scandal mostly because the Americans were flabbergasted by such a scandalous display of bigotry. Feingold being the first official Jew in the Oval Office was more of a subject abroad ; in America, he is more of another “old white male”.”
But the prospect of a true “first” in the White House could arise in 2024, with, in the Progressive batch, such candidates as Vice President Julian Castro, Governor Anthony Brown or Senator Lisa Madigan. “Yes, but the Conservatives also have their own strong minorities candidates, such as Sarah Steelman” answers Martinez. “Artur Davis in 2020 gained momentum from being the first African American presidential nominee and would certainly have convinced voters if the spoiler vote of Kanye West and the Wuchang Pneumonia hadn’t been there.”
“Plus, Castro is far from being a shoe-in. Searching for a perfect government, Feingold put up a government of rivals, and now Attorney General Amy Klobuchar and former Secretary of Defense Tulsi Gabbard could also claim to be the continuation of the Feingold Administration ; although in Gabbard’s case less so, I must admit.” points Martinez. “Julian Castro might be our first Mexican American President, but he has a very long way to November. And he will be forced, unlike Feingold, to deal with a Conservative-led Congress from Day One and insurgents from his own party. That is the most dire legacy of Feingold : a dark horse candidate, who won against Johnson thanks from dissatisfaction towards Brownback, he was never truly accepted by the Progressives. And he failed at making an imprint on the party.”
What could remain for Feingold during his last year in the White House ? “Maybe the Ecuador War will force him to shed his isolationist views and turn him into a hawk at once” thinks Bruce. “But at 70, I don’t see him turning into an avid commentator of his successor’s policies. I see him returning to Wisconsin, opening his presidential library and making a living with speeches and public engagements. Maybe accepting to be a herald for international conferences.” Martinez concurs : “He has already chosen to be an elder statesman, refusing, like Alexander, to endorse a candidate for the Progressive nomination. But Feingold isn’t finished. He has always defied predictions and I gather he will know how to manage a good exit.”
The legacy will officially begin on January, 20 2025, after noon, after Feingold’s successor had been sworn into office. And then, another challenge will fall upon the 52nd President.
He will be done !
That's the vibe Duarte Pio gives me. I have a friend who interviewed him a few years back, he seemed like a decent man.
Duly noted !
I ignored everything about this guy, thank you !
A mere footnote of Wisconsin history. The state quickly became a Progressive stronghold.
Europe by 1914 was just a powder keg waiting for a spark : close calls had been averted with Morocco, but the death of Franz Ferdinand was a mere formality.
FF's assassination just was that last straw which broke camel's back.
But I like idea that even without events in June/July 1914 world is not necessarility much better place and big wars which kill millions people are still occuring. This TL could be that what point when someone asks would you stop assassination of Franz Ferdinand.
Is there a reason why, despite Crimean Tatars dominating Crimea, the cities still use their Russian names? Similarly, why Armenia uses the Turkish name for its capital instead of the Armenian?
edit: the reason why I ask is because I would like to think about the state of club football in this very different world, and it would help with coming up with what the alt-history equivalents of clubs are called
edit: the reason why I ask is because I would like to think about the state of club football in this very different world, and it would help with coming up with what the alt-history equivalents of clubs are called
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Duarte II
Duarte II (born Duarte Nuno Fernando Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Francisco Xavier Raimundo Antonio in 23 September 1907, in Seebenstein, Austria-Hungary-died 24 December 1976 in Lisbon, Portugal) was King of the Portuguese from the restoration of the monarchy on 13 November 1949 until his death on 24 December 1976. Hailing from the House of Braganza, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Duarte III.
Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Miguel Januario, Duke of Braganza and Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, Duarte Nuno’s succession was far from being granted : not only did he had two older half-brothers from his father’s first marriage, but his father was head of the Miguelist line of succession, being the son of King Miguel I, an absolutist who had been forced off the throne in 1834 and considered an usurper.
But the prospects of future King Duarte II changed during his childhood : the monarchy, held by his cousin Manuel II, was abolished in Portugal in 1910 ; while his family served in the Austro-Hungarian Army, his second brother Francisco José died in 1919 after a life shrouded in scandals, his eldest brother Miguel, renounced his claims in 1920 due to his controversial marriage, before his father himself followed suit ten days later, making Duarte Nuno heir to the Miguelist line at 12. Miguel the elder would die in 1927, four years after Miguel the younger. His aunt, the Duchess of Guimaraes, acted as regent.
The prospect of monarchy in Portugal wasn’t lost : unsuccessful uprisings occurred in 1912 and 1919, and King Manuel II, living in London, had no children nor heir since the death of his uncle Afonso in 1920. In spite of the Miguelists’ belief in absolutism and integralism, various attempts were made at rekindling the two branches and ensuring a future to the House of Braganza. The Pact of Dover (1912) and the Pact of London (1922) were private agreements acknowledging Duarte Nuno as heir to Manuel and were very controversial to both sides of the monarchist party. But the Syndicalist invasion of Portugal in 1926 reshuffled the cards and the outbreak of the Danubian War forced Duarte in exile to the United Kingdom, where he further rekindled his links with his cousin. In 1932, Manuel II died, making Duarte Nuno the sole claimant accepted by the vast majority of the Portuguese monarchists.
With syndicalism ruling at home, Duarte Nuno had yet to become the sole face of Portugal’s exiled community, as President Sidonio Pais had set up a government-in-exile in the Azores, being granted legitimacy by the close support of the British. Duarte Nuno played his game accurately : the Azores became a hotbed for the conservative Portuguese, including the monarchists, who made their way to Pais’ inner circle. Although persona non grata in the archipelago, Duarte Nuno’s presence in London, along with his close links with the Danubian monarchy, made him a good figurehead for a future liberated Portugal in the minds of the Ten Powers. Travelling between England and Brazil, where he married his wife Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza, a descendant of Emperor Pedro II, in 1942, further uniting both branches of the House of Braganza, he also made efforts in water down his integralist rhetoric in order to gain the support of conservative democrats and constitutional monarchists.
In 1943, Sidonio Pais died and was succeeded by General José Norton do Matos : although not a monarchist, the General was highly dependent on the Allies during the World War and accepted the principle of a constitutional monarchy in Portugal in return for a seat at the victors’ table as an official participant. In 1949, as Portugal had liberated themselves and even managed to conquer Galicia, Duarte Nuno was invited from Brazil to enter Lisbon for the first time of his life. On 13 November 1949, Duarte Nuno became King Duarte II, taking the title of King of the Portuguese to ease his moderate supporters ; he was nevertheless proclaimed the following day in the style of the earlier monarchs.
Although his reign was synonymous with democratization and prosperity in Portugal, Duarte II was known to have been grateful to have contributed to the restoration of monarchy and was displeased that his kingdom wasn’t abiding to integralist principles like France or Brazil : while accepting his prerogatives as constitutional monarch, he made harsh comments on the reformism ongoing in Portugal and called for the maintaining of Catholic values ; he gave a blank check to General Humberto Delgado, hoping to see him turning into a Monck or a Hautecloque, but was disappointed the General became an avowed democrat. Although displeased with the loss of the African colonies, he nevertheless was proud of the integration of Galicia. After the death of his wife in 1968, Duarte II fell into a deep depression, allowing further freedom to General Delgado until his death on Christmas’Eve, 1976. A father of three, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Duarte III.
He was in a better mental state (not having a meltdown on his first campaign appearence) and ran an independent and Christian fundamentalist campaign, that was well received by the Christian right and also among the youth due to his high name recognition. Questions were still asked about his mental health, yet his antisemitic rants didn't bother as much as IOTL. He made a decent score for a fourth party candidate but heavily indebted himself. His 2024 run for the Conservative primaries failed to gain traction and he withdrew before they started.
Thank you !
It's my personal theory about alternate history : the world that stems from it are neither better nor worse, but particular in their own way.
I thought about other plans for Sinatra, but it still holds
Crimea is a young state and still uses the Russian names abroad. As of Armenia, Erzurum is much more of a common name by then than Karin, and still has a sizeable Turkish population, so it is used widely.
I also thought about alternate football club names, let me think about that !
Vittorio Emanuele IV
Vittorio Emanuele IV (born Vittorio Emanuele Alberto Carlo Teodoro Umberto Bonifacio Amedeo Damiano Bernardino Gennaro Maria on 12 February 1937 in Naples, Italy - died 3 February 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland) was King of Italy from the death of his father Umberto II on 18 March 1983 until his abdication on 1 January 2008. Hailing from the House of Savoy, he was succeeded by his son Emauele Filiberto II.
The only son and second child of future King Umberto II, then Prince of Piedmont, and Mary, Princess Royal of England, Vittorio Emanuele had three sisters and would most of the World War in Sicily, where the whole Italian royal family resided during most of the war. At a young age, the future King was branded by the execution of Pope Stephen X, the Syndicalist exactions, the rise and reconquest of Duce Italo Balbo, the strained marriage of his father and the death of his grandfather and namesake, that made him Prince of Piedmont in 1947.
Entering the Italian Army upon reaching adulthood, as his father did before him, Vittorio Emanuele was already the subject of scandals, cultivating an image as a playboy surrounded by beautiful models and actresses and having few brushes with death while driving his Ferrari. His lavish escapades to Saint Tropez and Crans-Montana delighted the tabloids and were frowned upon by the conservatives and his father, who saw his behavior unfit of a future king. His arranged marriage in 1970 to Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark did nothing to placate the Prince of Piedmont and was noticeably unhappy : the couple only produced one son, Emanuele Filiberto, before separating in body and heart, the future Queen having had enough of her husband’s philandering.
But the Prince also distinguished himself by his politics : a known admirer of Balbo, he made several statements in favor of pyrism, against democracy or seen as deeply racialist and antisemitic, and shocked all by announcing, on 15 December 1969, that he had adhered to the Pyrist National Movement. The announcement came three days after the Borghese coup and was an unprecedented political statement from a royal. After Borghese had been removed a few months later, Vittorio Emanuele had become a pariah in political life. His father the King even considered asking his cousin, Tomislav III of Croatia, to assume his succession : nevertheless, the Prince of Piedmont was appointed Governor-General of LIbya in order to distance him from the political life. The name of the Prince of Piedmont appeared in a misappropriation of funds in 1978 and it looked like his prospects turned dire : the pyrist victory in the 1979 elections led to all legal proceedings being abandoned and the Prince returned in Italy as a darling of the far-right, taking advantage of his father’s old age. He would finally succeeded to the throne on 18 March 1983.
Vittorio Emanuele IV did nothing to mitigate his past statements, lending his support to the military coup of General della Chiesa later in the year and supporting his hard conservative agenda. Even as the government abrogated the laws allowing divorce, the King would pressure the Pope into granting him an annulation of his marriage, which he was granted in 1986. The King did nothing to hide his disdain of left-wing governments, adopted a hard stance on the Tunisian and Libyan affairs but remained less committed to the governmental struggle against the Sicilian Mafia. During that time, Vittorio Emanuele IV resumed his lavish lifestyle and became deeply unpopular in Italy, as the foreign press depicted him as a vain and foul-mouthed buffoon.
In 2004, L’Espresso news magazine announed that Vittorio Emanuele IV had cultivated links with the Sicilian Mafia since his accession, granting his clout and authority to exports in return for hefty payments to alleviate his extravagant lifestyle and bypass official scrutiny. It was also revealed that the King had participated in countless orgies where prostitutes had been hired by the Mafia, along with other scandalous royals such as the King of Sweden or the Prince Consort of England. In 2002, Ruby Rubacuori, an underage prostitute of Libyan origin, died during one such event while alone with the King : the Mafia disposed of the body and lent hush money to the king.
The scandal destroyed all credibility that was left to the King, who protested of his innocence : at the time, Italy was suffering of criminal activity and economic downturn, and the King’s impunity and enrichment caused much discontent.His pyrist allies abandoned him and the Prince of Piedmont severed all ties. The royal penal immunity, whom Vittorio Emanuele IV had taken advantage of, was finally removed by the Di Pietro government, leading to his publicized arrest on 16 June 2006, while relaxing at Lake Como: the image of the King of Italy in handcuffs went round the world. King Vittorio Emanuele IV, appearing in court as Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, was condemned in March 2007 to five years in prison and a 10 million lira fine for criminal association, misappropriation of funds and involuntary manslaughter.
Vittorio Emanuele IV immediately filed for an appeal, that led to the overturn of the previous judgement on a technicality and a final dismissal in 2010, but the dice was cast. As protests asking for the King’s incarceration or abdication multiplied throughout Italy, Vittorio Emanuele IV announced on Christmas 2007 his abdication in favor of his son, citing “the marxist justice’s undertaking of our institutions” and “the need to reinforce the royal institution”, effective on 1 January 2008. His announcement was met with spontaneous celebrations throughout the country. Upon leaving the Quirinal Palace, the King chose exile in Switzerland.
Diving his life between Switzerland and lavish trips throughout the world, King Emeritus Vittorio Emanuele didn’t relented upon his scandalous statements on his country’s situation, attacking the left wing and even his son’s works. He finally died at 86, on 3 February 2024, in Geneva Cantonal Hospital, due to complications from an infection. King Emanuele Filiberto II refused to give a state funeral, keeping the matter private and not inviting members of the Italian and foreign governments : King Vittorio Emanuele IV wasn’t interred in the Pantheon in Rome like his predecessors but in the Basilica of Superga in Turin.
To this day, Vittorio Emanuele IV is still a reviled figure in Italy, save for a few hardcore pyrists and monarchists, and has been since his days as crown prince ; his turbulent private life and his links with the Mafia were incompatible with royal duties and the scandals surrounding his life were seen as fodder for tabloids and crude jokes. He was portrayed by Toni Servilio in Paolo Sorrentino’s 2018 film Loro, that received the Grand Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival.
I'm deeply surprised that being in bed with the mafia and killing an underage prostitute didn't have Italy vote to outright abolish the monarchy
Probably support for monarchy was really low. But probably VE's abdication helped to fix situation.