Ideas for a new TL

hallo all! as some of you may remember last june/july i attempted a TL that revolved around the Battle of Gettysburg. unfortunately due to extenuating circumstances that TL died.

although it may someday be resurrected, ive decided to do a different sort of TL. but before i start writing it out i want to run some things by the board here first, just to kinda bounce these ideas around. what follows is a short list of points ive compelled over the last few weeks during ramblings with my friend...

1) An early American Civil War: basically the south would secede between 1858 and 1860 and instead of one long war there would be a series of short wars with one or two very large battles.

2) Extended Austro-Prussian War: essentially id like to have some animosity going on between the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns. especially with a well formed NGC trying to form a Gross-Dutches Reich by beating Austria-Hungry. for this id have to either change Bismark's thinking or remove him completely from the picture.

3) An United Scandinavia and a Dis-united Italy: instead of italy uniting it stays apart with the Two Sicilies and Sardine Piedmont being the two large contenders there. as for the united Scandinavia, i predict a 2nd Great Northern War between a union lead by Denmark and Sweden and Russia. these are two areas in history were i need the most help, so anything links or book suggestions are welcome. :)

4) The U.K. is slightly isolationist: they pretty much keep to their Empire. they do moderate a C.S.-U.S. Peace Treaty in which Missouri is split and Kansas Nebraska and Oklahoma become a sort of DMZ were anyone can settle. the reason they are split is explained in number 5. also France begins to act independently with Napoleon III making big-boy decisions by himself. along with this, France would try to invade Mexico per OTL, however they'd mess it up and have to go back later with some help...

5) A Russian Victory in the Crimea War: this one is sorta out there but since i have a large box of butterflies, i want to make it work. this would cause lasting Russo-Anglo tension and it would also set Russia up to get an Indian Ocean harbor....somewhere....

so again any help, suggestions, criticizes, complaints, or comments are absolutely welcome(read: NEEDED). I'm trying to steer away from cliches or ASB but with some of the things that have happened in our history i think there's an allowance of sorts for things like that.
 
United Scandinavia seems the most interesting to me, mainly because I'm 1/2 French so anything that can knock the British off their high horse is fine with me. I'm afraid I'm as ignorant as you about how to accomplish that, though.
 
I'll start going into a little more detail on each point here in the next few days as i find the time. this one i think i have the most research(read: know the most about) so we'll start with this.

1) An early American Civil War: basically the south would secede between 1858 and 1860 and instead of one long war there would be a series of short wars with one or two very large battles.

Essentially, what happens here is Bleeding Kansas spirals out of control. the Pro-Slavers start losing "battles" and the free spoilers begin to lobby heavily for a bill or law that would prohibit the expansion of slavery.when Buchanna hints at perhaps imposing such a bill the south goes wild. In South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana conventions are held to discuss the possibility of secession, in about 1859. this is more like OTL Continental Conventions though, as the Southern Republic knows that any attempt to break away would be met with war.

John Brown still raids the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, but instead of him wanting to be a maryter per OTL he's only in it for the weapons. his plans are to hurry back west through Kentucky with the weapons, and gathering slaves, to Kansas to raise an army of freed slaves and militant abolitionists. as soon as this happens the Southern Republic of the above mentioned states declares their Independence. meanwhile in Washington D.C. Buchanan has been impeached and is charged with treason when he does nothing to prevent the south from breaking away. by early 1860 he's dead in prison and Texas and Arkansas have also joined the SRA. The U.S. is virtually with out a President due to Breckenridge resigning his post and returning home to Kentucky to help in that states Secession Conventions.

By mid 1860 Virgina, Tennessee, and North Carolina, have all joined the SRA, and Virgina and South Carolina begin to dominate its politics. which i should say are not like OTL's but more like the Continentals, wherein they do not have a president per se just a Congress and a President of the Congress. this Southern Republic feels like they are fighting the Second American Revolution and therefore set up a war time government accordingly. they begin drafting a Constitution and even a Independence declaration. the Congress also begins to raise an army because it knows that soon the USA will use military force to put down the rebellion

this is were i pretty much have to stop for now....i need to do a little more research into who i could make PUTUS, i'm not thinking Lincoln...at least not yet....and Douglass...well i don't know about him either.

again any comments, criticisms, suggestions or help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks
 
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