I came across someone's map on deviantART a couple months ago.
https://ottovonsuds.deviantart.com/art/Japan-moves-south-in-1914-336329880
At first, I was interested in the scenario: cooperation instead of animosity between Japan, Korea, and China? Sounds good.
But then I came across this (bolded for emphasis):
And I wondered, are human rights an exclusively western concept? I tried inquiring the map maker on this a couple of months ago, asking how human rights are a "western ideal" when "the west" had spent centuries being hypocritical about that (and the United States, ideally the bastion of freedom and democracy, had backed a lot of dictatorships during the Cold War as long as they were against communism). Then for some reason my comment was flagged as spam. To this day, I still don't know why.
https://ottovonsuds.deviantart.com/art/Japan-moves-south-in-1914-336329880
At first, I was interested in the scenario: cooperation instead of animosity between Japan, Korea, and China? Sounds good.
Things got a bit interesting in the 1930s. The depression hit roughly as bad as OTL in most parts of the world. America got it worse than OTL, due to Zangara's bullet failing to miss. On the positive side of things Japan did manage to avoid going ultranationalist. America under first the Taft then Wallace administrations was a bit too busy to get into the second great war. France fell but took longer due to less Nazi luck. Hitler made lots of boneheaded desisions. Chinese, Japanese and Korean support ensured that allied victory happened despite America's failure to get involved.
The world's new superpower, is the economic, political and military alliance in East Asia, which is called The Three Dragons. These three nations are right-wing, capitalistic democracies and all are richer than the equivilant area of OTL. Korean and Japanese per capita GDP is around $60,000 while China's is around $18,000. Also, more populous -- There are 160 million Japanese, 95 million Koreans and 1.5 billion Chinese. This is a world that avoided the megadeaths of the warlord era and Pacific war. Japan never went politically insane and by the 1930s became a politically turbulant, less corrupt, more left-wing democracy than our Japan.
But then I came across this (bolded for emphasis):
The Three Dragons have three allies which are open apartheid states. The leaders in Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing lack western idealism on human rights and care more about oil and minerals. This suits Salisbury, Algiers and Pretoria just fine. South Africa and Rhodesia still remain states dominated by the Rhodesian Front or the National Party, but there was more reform of the system than we saw 1948-1993 in otl. There is a sizable group of blacks who have citizenship and equal rights attained due to service in the army/security forces/police. The trendline is heading towards black rule, but rule by long-term veterans of the security forces in a fascistic regime. Besides South Africa and Rhodesia, the other big reactionary white-ruled state is French Algeria. This is a fascist dictatorship ruled by the para colonels, the harkis, those elements of the french right who fled to algeria following the revolution of '68 and various local muslim loyalists.
And I wondered, are human rights an exclusively western concept? I tried inquiring the map maker on this a couple of months ago, asking how human rights are a "western ideal" when "the west" had spent centuries being hypocritical about that (and the United States, ideally the bastion of freedom and democracy, had backed a lot of dictatorships during the Cold War as long as they were against communism). Then for some reason my comment was flagged as spam. To this day, I still don't know why.
Last edited: