Will the expellees associations in Germany and Austria lobby for some kind of reparations from the Polish and/or Czech governments? I doubt borders will shift, but there would still be many more adult expellees around to press claims for their former property than in the '90s when the OTL German-Polish border treaty was signed.
Nationalist Victory TL:
- Thread starter Baldrick
- Start date
Chapter Eleven
Baldrick
Banned
June 11, 1965: Operation Double Thunder is launched by the Chinese, consisting of an advance down the Korean Peninsula into Kim Il-sung's country. The Korean army has been expecting this, but is unable to put up serious pressure and begins a long, slow retreat southward. Pyongyang falls within a week, and Seoul four days afterwards. By the end of the month, all of Korea is under Chinese occupation. Kim Il-sung and his family are killed in Pyongyang.
June 16, 1965: The Treaty of Kabul is signed in neutral Afghanistan between India and the Allies. The points are as follows:
June 22, 1965: The Warsaw Trials begin. Widely seen as a successor to the Nuremberg Trials of two decades before, these see Brezhnev, Vispoot, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping , the leaders of the various Warsaw Pact states, and several other Communist officials in the dock. The United States, Britain, Germany, and China each supply two judges to the prosecution. The defendants have access to legal representation, and the whole trials are filmed and televised.
The defendants do not go quietly, however. Brezhnev heavily criticises the US on grounds of hypocrisy, pointing out that they had no compulsions about destroying five Soviet cities or Jena, and effectively stating that use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons does not constitute a war crime. The debate thus created will foster decades of discussion amongst academics.
July 1965: The Chinese begin a programme of deportation and resettlement in former Mongolia, Second East Turkestan Republic, and Russian Far East. Vladivostok is renamed Zhudong, while Ulanbataar becomes Wuerjia and Urumqi becomes Xicao. (1) Ethnic Russians and Mongols are deported to the Soviet Union. As of July, this process is fairly limited, but Chiang will not stop until total sinicisation has been achieved.
July 16, 1965: The sentences are handed down: Leonid Brezhnev, Kandispal Vispoot, Walter Ulbricht, Nicolae Ceacaseau, Władysław Gomułka, Alexander Dubcek, Todor Zhvikov, and István Dobi are sentenced to death, along with Wang Ming in absentia. The other defendants receive prison sentences ranging from five years to life.
July 5, 1965: President Humphrey signs into law the United States Cancer Research Act, providing $10 million per year for the next ten years towards cancer research and treatment, both through the UN and through multilateral channels with foreign nations.
July 30, 1965: Leonid Brezhnev, Kandispal Vispoot, Walter Ulbricht, Nicolae Ceacaseau, Władysław Gomułka, Alexander Dubcek, Todor Zhvikov, and István Dobi are executed by hanging in Warsaw's Mokotow Prison
Their deaths are celebrated with clinking glasses all over the Western world
August 1965: In the new Republic of Czechoslovakia, tension increases between the Czech and Slovak subjects, with the latter demanding more autonomy. Social issues and pressures kept silent by the presence of Soviet troops begin to come to light, and several protests break out in Slovak cities, along with calls for a general election.
Czechoslovak president Janas Svobak (2) promises a general election in two months, on October 1, but refuses to grant any immediate concessions. Privately, he converses with American ambassador Malcolm Toon, requesting American military aid should it be needed to combat an insurgency in Slovakia...
August 12, 1965: After over a month of naked Chinese military occupation, the Republic of Korea is created, with Chung Hoo-lin as president. Chung rules as a dictator backed by the Chinese army and is in every way Nanjing's puppet. Under his rule, Communism is outlawed and anything pertaining to Kim Il-sung is destroyed.
September 3, 1965: The "Wuerjia Massacre". Seven hundred Mongolians about to be deported to the USSR riot and Chinese troops open fire. One hundred and four are killed, including three Chinese troops, and seventy are injured. Chiang has the whole thing hushed up, but nonetheless, word leaks out about the harsh nature of the Chinese military regime in Mongolia (as well as in the ex-Soviet Far East, for that matter). The Mongolian communities in the United States and elsewhere condemn the Chinese government, but no-one is too interested in crossing Chiang.
September 1965: More and more violence breaks out in Slovakia, including a riot which leaves ten dead in Bratislava. President Svobak redoubles his calls for foreign military aid, and openly considers instituting martial law in Slovakia.
The turmoil in Czechoslovakia also sets off minor discontent in Albania, newly annexed into Yugoslavia. Marshal Tito, to the concern of other NATO members, sends in the military to quell any and all discontent
October 1, 1965: The Czechoslovak general election occurs. It's effectively a referendum on the success of President Svobak, and a test of the strength of the union under democratic conditions. However, the election is clearly rigged, with innumerable cases of Slovak voter suppression. When Svobak's conservative Democratic Unity Party wins a nine-tenths majority in Parliament, the Slovaks decide that enough is enough.
October 5, 1965: A general strike commences in Bratislava, Kosice, and other major Slovak cities. More violent demonstrations also occur but are suppressed by the police. The protestors demand a fair rerun of the election, but Svobak refuses to even consider the notion.
October 26, 1965: Newly elected Polish president Stefan Brominski announces plans to deport the Russians living in the province of Miastokrolka (3) to the USSR. Although he does not say it openly, his goal is clearly to Polonise the province in the same way that Chiang is doing in Mongolia and Siberia.
November 2, 1965: After a month of chaos in Slovakia, labour leader Tomas Tichy declares the Democratic Republic of Slovakia, starting the Czechoslovak Civil War.
The response from bordering nations is generally one of strict neutrality- no-one is in any mood for fighting to spill over into their territory so soon after WWIII. The USA and Great Britain offer to mediate but are rebuked.
November 11, 1965: In the Moldovan general election, the Liberal Nationalist Party defeats the Conservatives. Over the course of the month, petitions start to flood the new president, Ivan Postan, for the possibility of federation with Romania. Although many within the Moldovan government are hesitant to take such a measure, they recognise that a significant portion of the population is in favour of such a measure...
December 5, 1965: The US Congress passes the Reconstruction Aid to Europe and Asia Act, colloquially known as the "Humphrey Plan" or "Marshall 2.0", for obvious reasons. It provides for over $25 billion dollars to be dispatched to the former Allied nations, especially to Germany and China. Controversially, the act also earmarks 2.5 billion to go towards the Soviet Union, a move which only barely passes Congress and is deeply unpopular with the people...
November 29, 1965: After several months of failing to do anything, and facing a vote of no confidence- or worse, a coup d'etat- Janus Svobak decides to throw in the towel and recognise Slovak independence, a move which the rest of the world quickly follows. Svobak himself will resign on Christmas Day and be replaced by a more liberal successor. Slovakia, meanwhile, is quickly admitted into NATO.
January 1, 1966: In the Indian general election, Indira Gandhi wins the presidency on a platform of "peace and reconstruction, and hope for a bright future." She is the first woman ever to win the Indian presidency, and international observers hope that she will move India in a more liberal direction.
January 2, 1966: Moldovan and Romanian citizens go to the polls for the question of federation. In the end, the two countries vote to unite by a slim margin: the actual union date will not be until January 1, 1971, so as to give both countries adequate time to prepare.
Comments?
(1) These are all based off of the Mandarin translations of the names of these cities from their native languages
(2) Janas Svobak, Chung Hoo-lin, Stefan Brominski, and Tomas Tichy are all fictitious characters
(3) "Kaliningrad" means "king's city" in Russian, and "Miastokrolka" means approximately that in Polish
June 16, 1965: The Treaty of Kabul is signed in neutral Afghanistan between India and the Allies. The points are as follows:
- India is to cede Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh to China
- Jammu and Kashmir are to be ceded to Pakistan
- India is to hand over Kansidpal Vispoot and other key Communist figures for trial
- A demilitarised zone along the Indo-Pakistani border is to be manned by UN peacekeeping troops until June 16, 1985
- India is forbidden from researching nuclear weapons
June 22, 1965: The Warsaw Trials begin. Widely seen as a successor to the Nuremberg Trials of two decades before, these see Brezhnev, Vispoot, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping , the leaders of the various Warsaw Pact states, and several other Communist officials in the dock. The United States, Britain, Germany, and China each supply two judges to the prosecution. The defendants have access to legal representation, and the whole trials are filmed and televised.
The defendants do not go quietly, however. Brezhnev heavily criticises the US on grounds of hypocrisy, pointing out that they had no compulsions about destroying five Soviet cities or Jena, and effectively stating that use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons does not constitute a war crime. The debate thus created will foster decades of discussion amongst academics.
July 1965: The Chinese begin a programme of deportation and resettlement in former Mongolia, Second East Turkestan Republic, and Russian Far East. Vladivostok is renamed Zhudong, while Ulanbataar becomes Wuerjia and Urumqi becomes Xicao. (1) Ethnic Russians and Mongols are deported to the Soviet Union. As of July, this process is fairly limited, but Chiang will not stop until total sinicisation has been achieved.
July 16, 1965: The sentences are handed down: Leonid Brezhnev, Kandispal Vispoot, Walter Ulbricht, Nicolae Ceacaseau, Władysław Gomułka, Alexander Dubcek, Todor Zhvikov, and István Dobi are sentenced to death, along with Wang Ming in absentia. The other defendants receive prison sentences ranging from five years to life.
July 5, 1965: President Humphrey signs into law the United States Cancer Research Act, providing $10 million per year for the next ten years towards cancer research and treatment, both through the UN and through multilateral channels with foreign nations.
July 30, 1965: Leonid Brezhnev, Kandispal Vispoot, Walter Ulbricht, Nicolae Ceacaseau, Władysław Gomułka, Alexander Dubcek, Todor Zhvikov, and István Dobi are executed by hanging in Warsaw's Mokotow Prison
Their deaths are celebrated with clinking glasses all over the Western world
August 1965: In the new Republic of Czechoslovakia, tension increases between the Czech and Slovak subjects, with the latter demanding more autonomy. Social issues and pressures kept silent by the presence of Soviet troops begin to come to light, and several protests break out in Slovak cities, along with calls for a general election.
Czechoslovak president Janas Svobak (2) promises a general election in two months, on October 1, but refuses to grant any immediate concessions. Privately, he converses with American ambassador Malcolm Toon, requesting American military aid should it be needed to combat an insurgency in Slovakia...
August 12, 1965: After over a month of naked Chinese military occupation, the Republic of Korea is created, with Chung Hoo-lin as president. Chung rules as a dictator backed by the Chinese army and is in every way Nanjing's puppet. Under his rule, Communism is outlawed and anything pertaining to Kim Il-sung is destroyed.
September 3, 1965: The "Wuerjia Massacre". Seven hundred Mongolians about to be deported to the USSR riot and Chinese troops open fire. One hundred and four are killed, including three Chinese troops, and seventy are injured. Chiang has the whole thing hushed up, but nonetheless, word leaks out about the harsh nature of the Chinese military regime in Mongolia (as well as in the ex-Soviet Far East, for that matter). The Mongolian communities in the United States and elsewhere condemn the Chinese government, but no-one is too interested in crossing Chiang.
September 1965: More and more violence breaks out in Slovakia, including a riot which leaves ten dead in Bratislava. President Svobak redoubles his calls for foreign military aid, and openly considers instituting martial law in Slovakia.
The turmoil in Czechoslovakia also sets off minor discontent in Albania, newly annexed into Yugoslavia. Marshal Tito, to the concern of other NATO members, sends in the military to quell any and all discontent
October 1, 1965: The Czechoslovak general election occurs. It's effectively a referendum on the success of President Svobak, and a test of the strength of the union under democratic conditions. However, the election is clearly rigged, with innumerable cases of Slovak voter suppression. When Svobak's conservative Democratic Unity Party wins a nine-tenths majority in Parliament, the Slovaks decide that enough is enough.
October 5, 1965: A general strike commences in Bratislava, Kosice, and other major Slovak cities. More violent demonstrations also occur but are suppressed by the police. The protestors demand a fair rerun of the election, but Svobak refuses to even consider the notion.
October 26, 1965: Newly elected Polish president Stefan Brominski announces plans to deport the Russians living in the province of Miastokrolka (3) to the USSR. Although he does not say it openly, his goal is clearly to Polonise the province in the same way that Chiang is doing in Mongolia and Siberia.
November 2, 1965: After a month of chaos in Slovakia, labour leader Tomas Tichy declares the Democratic Republic of Slovakia, starting the Czechoslovak Civil War.
The response from bordering nations is generally one of strict neutrality- no-one is in any mood for fighting to spill over into their territory so soon after WWIII. The USA and Great Britain offer to mediate but are rebuked.
November 11, 1965: In the Moldovan general election, the Liberal Nationalist Party defeats the Conservatives. Over the course of the month, petitions start to flood the new president, Ivan Postan, for the possibility of federation with Romania. Although many within the Moldovan government are hesitant to take such a measure, they recognise that a significant portion of the population is in favour of such a measure...
December 5, 1965: The US Congress passes the Reconstruction Aid to Europe and Asia Act, colloquially known as the "Humphrey Plan" or "Marshall 2.0", for obvious reasons. It provides for over $25 billion dollars to be dispatched to the former Allied nations, especially to Germany and China. Controversially, the act also earmarks 2.5 billion to go towards the Soviet Union, a move which only barely passes Congress and is deeply unpopular with the people...
November 29, 1965: After several months of failing to do anything, and facing a vote of no confidence- or worse, a coup d'etat- Janus Svobak decides to throw in the towel and recognise Slovak independence, a move which the rest of the world quickly follows. Svobak himself will resign on Christmas Day and be replaced by a more liberal successor. Slovakia, meanwhile, is quickly admitted into NATO.
January 1, 1966: In the Indian general election, Indira Gandhi wins the presidency on a platform of "peace and reconstruction, and hope for a bright future." She is the first woman ever to win the Indian presidency, and international observers hope that she will move India in a more liberal direction.
January 2, 1966: Moldovan and Romanian citizens go to the polls for the question of federation. In the end, the two countries vote to unite by a slim margin: the actual union date will not be until January 1, 1971, so as to give both countries adequate time to prepare.
Comments?
(1) These are all based off of the Mandarin translations of the names of these cities from their native languages
(2) Janas Svobak, Chung Hoo-lin, Stefan Brominski, and Tomas Tichy are all fictitious characters
(3) "Kaliningrad" means "king's city" in Russian, and "Miastokrolka" means approximately that in Polish
Femto
Banned
This China is going to be a monster in the 21st century. It has access to Mongolian and Siberian resources, no Taiwan to block her path in the South China Sea, a unified Korea who is at best a puppet and at worst a Finland.
I predict Beijing being the main watchman in regard to the Russians getting nukes. Washington might stop care about Moscow when China grows to powerful.
Last edited:
BlackDragon98
Banned
But China is literally in shambles after being nuked by Tsar Bombas 2x.
America has hardly been touched by WW3 in comparison.
China became a great power even after the great leap forward and the cultural revolution which I would call a lot worse then that,
Will India see a stronger Dravidia Nadu movement? Maybe Dravidia could split from India's new Hindu Nationalist (I know the nature of India's new government hasn't been mentioned, but I imagine the Hindu nationalist RSS to be a major portion of such a government) government ala Bangladesh IOTL?
BlackDragon98
Banned
I would respectable say that nukes are just as bad, especially Tsar Bombas. The radiation can stay in that place for 100+ years.
But honestly, both are pretty terrible things. I would wish neither on China.
Those cities then probably dont exist and they probably dont have to many survivors in them so, they will just not repopulate those cities.
Everyone in this thread who support a KMT led China technically could be considered a honorary member of the KMT.😎
zh.wikipedia.org
中國國民黨 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书
BlackDragon98
Banned
Ok, then its better for the world.
But those radiation burns. Its horrifying for anyone who managed to survive. Eternal pain.
Just absolutely horrifying. I honestly don't know which is worse...
I don't think a ''North China'' would officially call itself a ''People's Republic of North China''. It would be simply called be the same name as it has in our timeline. It would still claim sovereignty over the entire Mainland.
Chapter Twelve
Baldrick
Banned
January 1966: The economies of the Western nations begin to slide into a belated postwar recession. In the United States, President Humphrey takes the blame, as does Harold Wilson in the UK
January 23, 1966: It is announced to considerable mourning amongst rock fans that Paul McCartney of Beatles fame has died of cancer. On January 7, 1965, the day of the destruction of Norwich and Ipswitch, McCartney was in the coastal town of Felixstowe and witnessed the destruction of Ipswitch. Subsequently, the rock group whose music had thrilled youngsters all over the West disbands.
February 14, 1966: American ambassador to Ukraine Foy Kohler meets with Ukrainian president Pavel Yulosovich (1) in Zhytomyr (2) to discuss an American aid package to Ukraine to rebuild Kiev and Kharkov. Yulosovich is profoundly grateful for the help offered but dismayed by the American's prediction that owing to the high levels of radiation in those two cities, serious reconstruction work cannot begin until 1969 or so. (3)
April 1, 1966: In the Chinese city of Xicao (Urumqi), a Hunanese pork butcher by name of Liu Zhaxi is killed by Muslim locals for selling his wares in public. A brutal police investigation sparks riots amongst the Uighur population, who after almost a year of Han Chinese occupation which has seen more and more forced sinicisation have had enough.
Within days, much of Xicao is in flames, and Chinese Army troops are deployed to quell the rioting. When it is all over after a month, approximately 2000 Uighurs have been killed. It is this which furthers Chiang Kai-shek's determination that China's minorities must be "airbrushed away, as one might a stain from a beautiful photograph", as the leader puts it...
Subsequently, Chiang Ching-kuo is appointed military governor of Xinjiang province.
May 18, 1966: On what will be known by all as "Remembrance Day", parades are held in the major cities of all the combatants, Moscow included. In Nanjing and Berlin, these celebrations are notably subdued, with both Chiang and German chancellor Ludwig Erhard stressing themes of national unity and preparedness, as well as gratitude to the USA for saving them from the Soviets. In Washington, President Humphrey is able to use the ceremonies as a pleasant distraction from the still-stagnant American economy, as well as to boost his chances for re-election...
Meanwhile, in Moscow, the ceremony is very small, with Yuri Andropov merely commenting on the need to avoid further war and to reconstruct as best as possible. Although Soviet television does not cover them, naturally, protests against stagnant living conditions and corruption break out in several major cities in the Central Asian republics on this date.
June 1966- August 1966: What is known by contemporary victims and later historians as the "Summer of Blood" (4) commences in Xinjiang, Tibet, Mongolia, and Siberia. Sinicisation efforts, which up until now have been limited to changing names and signs, as well as deportation of locals and importation of Han Chinese, now become far more violent. Chinese troops drag Uighurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, and Russians out into the street, raiding and confiscating their property, and in many cases "losing track of them" as they take their prisoners to "another location". Crackdowns on Islam and Buddhism, as well as more general aspects of Tibetan, Mongolian, Uighur, and Russian culture. (5) Many old enough to recall the newsreels about the Warsaw ghetto of 1940 and Kristallnacht draw parallels between the two. In spite of Chiang's attempts to keep the whole thing hushed up, world leaders from President Humphrey to Pope Paul VI to the Dalai Lama (who has been living in exile in Norway since 1964) condemn Chiang. Sino-US relations cool somewhat, but the theme of Allied unity remains strong, and America is still actively assisting with Chinese reconstruction.
June 7, 1966: The Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and even Moldova celebrate Independence Day. In the former Warsaw Pact states, June 7 becomes known as Liberation Day. President Humphrey sends these nations congratulatory messages over television.
June 10, 1966: Reportedly after a row with his colleagues, and no doubt deeply embarrassed by the recent celebrations in the Western world, Gennandy Voronov resigns from all of his posts in the Soviet government, going into early retirement in Helsinki, where depression and boredom will kill him seven years later.
June 21, 1966: French President Charles de Gaulle announces French withdrawal from NATO. Western anger at France for opting out of World War III is already high, and few are sad to see Paris leave. This will mark France's "departure from the West". (6) President Humphrey makes a speech reminding "all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation of their heavy and deep collective responsibility to one and another.", effectively condemning France and saying "good riddance." De Gaulle, meanwhile, is said to write in a letter that "we shall astonish the world by our ingratitude", presumably referring to the 1944 Liberation.
July 27, 1966: Mongol dissident (7) Tsumabal Yatyayar addresses the United Nations, criticising Chinese human rights violations. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese simply use their seat on their Security Council to block a Swedish-proposed resolution to send an investigation team to Mongolia.
September 6, 1966: In the first conflict in the post-Soviet space, Armenia and Azerbaijan go to war. One of the main causes of the conflict is that Baku demands an "Azeri Corridor" between the bulk of the country and its small southwestern territorial enclave, the two being divided by Armenia. Azeri troops invade Armenia from two sides, pinning the defenders. The danger to the Armenian capital of Yerevan is very much present, but the defenders are able to adequately protect the capital. Georgia, meanwhile, covertly aids the Armenians with money and supplies, while officially remaining neutral.
For NATO, the Azeri-Armenian War poses a real challenge, as it is the first time that two of its members have been at war with each other. Some within the organisation call for Azerbaijan's expulsion, but no-one is willing to go there, at least not yet. Instead, the United States and Great Britain propose mediation, which both sides swiftly reject, looking to become the dominant player in the South Caucasus.
September 9, 1966: The Armenian town of Tatev falls to the Azeris. Combat high in the mountains is brutal, and logistics rapidly becomes an issue for both sides.
September 13, 1966: President Humphrey signs the Public Infrastructure Readjustment Act (PIRA). Closely modelled after the public-works programmes of the New Deal, it's designed to alleviate the high unemployment and sluggish economy which have been troubling the USA for nine months. Bitterly opposed by Republicans, it will become a bone of contention in the mid-terms two months from now.
September 22, 1966: Yerevan falls to Azeri troops and the Armenian government sues for peace. Baku annexes the province of Syunik but otherwise takes relatively little territory.
Defeat in the brief war creates massive anger at both the West and Armenia's democratic government for allowing this to happen. However, the truth is that Armenia is too small and weak to stand toe-to-toe with Azerbaijan, and as such little can be done for now.
In Tiblisi, there is recognition that Azerbaijan will now be Georgia's main competitor into the indefinite future and that a weakened Armenia might prove a useful puppet state to use as a too, especially if they were to suffer a Georgian-backed revolution...
Meanwhile, many in the West are questioning the validity of NATO's postwar expansion into the South Caucasus, with some calling for Azerbaijan to be expelled for its acts of aggression. President Humphrey proposes the notion of stationing US forces along the Azeri-Armenian border as a buffer, but that idea gets nowhere. For the moment, at least, little can be done. Combined with the French decision to leave NATO back in June, 1966 becomes the low point of the alliance, with whispers that other states will leave soon.
October 1, 1966: On behalf of Yuri Andropov and Dimitry Polyansky, the Soviet ambassador to Azerbaijan congratulates Azeri president Vali Akhundov on his victory. However, the improvement in Soviet-Azeri relations which Moscow might've been hoping for does not materialise.
November 8, 1966: In the US midterms, the Democratic Party has a bad night. Several key gubernatorial and Congressional positions swing right, as a result of the nine months of a sluggish economy. However, in a public opinion poll conducted a week later, 73% of those polled approved of President Humphrey. Thus, it all remains up in the air as to how 1968 will play out...
December 20, 1966: In Britain and America, the highly unconventional album Patchwork Recollections is released. In a clear reference to the war, four of its songs are called "Beijing" (8), "Jena Fields", "Broken East Anglia", and "Amsterdam Fragments". What is so unusual about this album is the fact that it is almost entirely instrumental, with none of the fast-paced love songs which characterised pre-1964 music. Vocalisation does not, for the most part, take the shape of lyrics, but rather of voice instrumentation, using the voice as an accompaniment to the instruments. Although many more conservative critics, elderly, and a few diehard hippies condemn Patchwork Recollections, it sells well, striking a chord with, as one music columnist puts it, "the desolate, lonely housewife, whose life went from an idyllic one to a hard, unsure one, without a husband, with countless cities wiped off the map, giving her expression of her innermost feelings in a way that no other artist has tried. A new kind of music for a new time."
(1) Fictitious
(2) With Kiev having been nuked in WWIII, Zhitomir is the temporary capital of the Republic of Ukraine
(3) It took approximately five years for reconstruction to begin in Hiroshima and Nagasaki OTL
(4) Obviously derived from the OTL term "Summer of Love" (which will be butterflied away ITTL). The phrase will be instantly recognisable ITTL.
(5) But not the Russian Orthodox Church. In spite of his increasingly vicious actions, Chiang is still a Methodist, and Methodism is spreading ITTL in China rapidly. Thus, Chiang does not persecute any form of Christianity
(6) OTL, except butterflies will make it more important and extreme
(7) Fictitious
(8) For an example of what "Beijing" might sound like, imagine an Asian variant on David Bowie's Warsawza (the link, regrettably, no longer works)
January 23, 1966: It is announced to considerable mourning amongst rock fans that Paul McCartney of Beatles fame has died of cancer. On January 7, 1965, the day of the destruction of Norwich and Ipswitch, McCartney was in the coastal town of Felixstowe and witnessed the destruction of Ipswitch. Subsequently, the rock group whose music had thrilled youngsters all over the West disbands.
February 14, 1966: American ambassador to Ukraine Foy Kohler meets with Ukrainian president Pavel Yulosovich (1) in Zhytomyr (2) to discuss an American aid package to Ukraine to rebuild Kiev and Kharkov. Yulosovich is profoundly grateful for the help offered but dismayed by the American's prediction that owing to the high levels of radiation in those two cities, serious reconstruction work cannot begin until 1969 or so. (3)
April 1, 1966: In the Chinese city of Xicao (Urumqi), a Hunanese pork butcher by name of Liu Zhaxi is killed by Muslim locals for selling his wares in public. A brutal police investigation sparks riots amongst the Uighur population, who after almost a year of Han Chinese occupation which has seen more and more forced sinicisation have had enough.
Within days, much of Xicao is in flames, and Chinese Army troops are deployed to quell the rioting. When it is all over after a month, approximately 2000 Uighurs have been killed. It is this which furthers Chiang Kai-shek's determination that China's minorities must be "airbrushed away, as one might a stain from a beautiful photograph", as the leader puts it...
Subsequently, Chiang Ching-kuo is appointed military governor of Xinjiang province.
May 18, 1966: On what will be known by all as "Remembrance Day", parades are held in the major cities of all the combatants, Moscow included. In Nanjing and Berlin, these celebrations are notably subdued, with both Chiang and German chancellor Ludwig Erhard stressing themes of national unity and preparedness, as well as gratitude to the USA for saving them from the Soviets. In Washington, President Humphrey is able to use the ceremonies as a pleasant distraction from the still-stagnant American economy, as well as to boost his chances for re-election...
Meanwhile, in Moscow, the ceremony is very small, with Yuri Andropov merely commenting on the need to avoid further war and to reconstruct as best as possible. Although Soviet television does not cover them, naturally, protests against stagnant living conditions and corruption break out in several major cities in the Central Asian republics on this date.
June 1966- August 1966: What is known by contemporary victims and later historians as the "Summer of Blood" (4) commences in Xinjiang, Tibet, Mongolia, and Siberia. Sinicisation efforts, which up until now have been limited to changing names and signs, as well as deportation of locals and importation of Han Chinese, now become far more violent. Chinese troops drag Uighurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, and Russians out into the street, raiding and confiscating their property, and in many cases "losing track of them" as they take their prisoners to "another location". Crackdowns on Islam and Buddhism, as well as more general aspects of Tibetan, Mongolian, Uighur, and Russian culture. (5) Many old enough to recall the newsreels about the Warsaw ghetto of 1940 and Kristallnacht draw parallels between the two. In spite of Chiang's attempts to keep the whole thing hushed up, world leaders from President Humphrey to Pope Paul VI to the Dalai Lama (who has been living in exile in Norway since 1964) condemn Chiang. Sino-US relations cool somewhat, but the theme of Allied unity remains strong, and America is still actively assisting with Chinese reconstruction.
June 7, 1966: The Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and even Moldova celebrate Independence Day. In the former Warsaw Pact states, June 7 becomes known as Liberation Day. President Humphrey sends these nations congratulatory messages over television.
June 10, 1966: Reportedly after a row with his colleagues, and no doubt deeply embarrassed by the recent celebrations in the Western world, Gennandy Voronov resigns from all of his posts in the Soviet government, going into early retirement in Helsinki, where depression and boredom will kill him seven years later.
June 21, 1966: French President Charles de Gaulle announces French withdrawal from NATO. Western anger at France for opting out of World War III is already high, and few are sad to see Paris leave. This will mark France's "departure from the West". (6) President Humphrey makes a speech reminding "all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation of their heavy and deep collective responsibility to one and another.", effectively condemning France and saying "good riddance." De Gaulle, meanwhile, is said to write in a letter that "we shall astonish the world by our ingratitude", presumably referring to the 1944 Liberation.
July 27, 1966: Mongol dissident (7) Tsumabal Yatyayar addresses the United Nations, criticising Chinese human rights violations. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese simply use their seat on their Security Council to block a Swedish-proposed resolution to send an investigation team to Mongolia.
September 6, 1966: In the first conflict in the post-Soviet space, Armenia and Azerbaijan go to war. One of the main causes of the conflict is that Baku demands an "Azeri Corridor" between the bulk of the country and its small southwestern territorial enclave, the two being divided by Armenia. Azeri troops invade Armenia from two sides, pinning the defenders. The danger to the Armenian capital of Yerevan is very much present, but the defenders are able to adequately protect the capital. Georgia, meanwhile, covertly aids the Armenians with money and supplies, while officially remaining neutral.
For NATO, the Azeri-Armenian War poses a real challenge, as it is the first time that two of its members have been at war with each other. Some within the organisation call for Azerbaijan's expulsion, but no-one is willing to go there, at least not yet. Instead, the United States and Great Britain propose mediation, which both sides swiftly reject, looking to become the dominant player in the South Caucasus.
September 9, 1966: The Armenian town of Tatev falls to the Azeris. Combat high in the mountains is brutal, and logistics rapidly becomes an issue for both sides.
September 13, 1966: President Humphrey signs the Public Infrastructure Readjustment Act (PIRA). Closely modelled after the public-works programmes of the New Deal, it's designed to alleviate the high unemployment and sluggish economy which have been troubling the USA for nine months. Bitterly opposed by Republicans, it will become a bone of contention in the mid-terms two months from now.
September 22, 1966: Yerevan falls to Azeri troops and the Armenian government sues for peace. Baku annexes the province of Syunik but otherwise takes relatively little territory.
Defeat in the brief war creates massive anger at both the West and Armenia's democratic government for allowing this to happen. However, the truth is that Armenia is too small and weak to stand toe-to-toe with Azerbaijan, and as such little can be done for now.
In Tiblisi, there is recognition that Azerbaijan will now be Georgia's main competitor into the indefinite future and that a weakened Armenia might prove a useful puppet state to use as a too, especially if they were to suffer a Georgian-backed revolution...
Meanwhile, many in the West are questioning the validity of NATO's postwar expansion into the South Caucasus, with some calling for Azerbaijan to be expelled for its acts of aggression. President Humphrey proposes the notion of stationing US forces along the Azeri-Armenian border as a buffer, but that idea gets nowhere. For the moment, at least, little can be done. Combined with the French decision to leave NATO back in June, 1966 becomes the low point of the alliance, with whispers that other states will leave soon.
October 1, 1966: On behalf of Yuri Andropov and Dimitry Polyansky, the Soviet ambassador to Azerbaijan congratulates Azeri president Vali Akhundov on his victory. However, the improvement in Soviet-Azeri relations which Moscow might've been hoping for does not materialise.
November 8, 1966: In the US midterms, the Democratic Party has a bad night. Several key gubernatorial and Congressional positions swing right, as a result of the nine months of a sluggish economy. However, in a public opinion poll conducted a week later, 73% of those polled approved of President Humphrey. Thus, it all remains up in the air as to how 1968 will play out...
December 20, 1966: In Britain and America, the highly unconventional album Patchwork Recollections is released. In a clear reference to the war, four of its songs are called "Beijing" (8), "Jena Fields", "Broken East Anglia", and "Amsterdam Fragments". What is so unusual about this album is the fact that it is almost entirely instrumental, with none of the fast-paced love songs which characterised pre-1964 music. Vocalisation does not, for the most part, take the shape of lyrics, but rather of voice instrumentation, using the voice as an accompaniment to the instruments. Although many more conservative critics, elderly, and a few diehard hippies condemn Patchwork Recollections, it sells well, striking a chord with, as one music columnist puts it, "the desolate, lonely housewife, whose life went from an idyllic one to a hard, unsure one, without a husband, with countless cities wiped off the map, giving her expression of her innermost feelings in a way that no other artist has tried. A new kind of music for a new time."
(1) Fictitious
(2) With Kiev having been nuked in WWIII, Zhitomir is the temporary capital of the Republic of Ukraine
(3) It took approximately five years for reconstruction to begin in Hiroshima and Nagasaki OTL
(4) Obviously derived from the OTL term "Summer of Love" (which will be butterflied away ITTL). The phrase will be instantly recognisable ITTL.
(5) But not the Russian Orthodox Church. In spite of his increasingly vicious actions, Chiang is still a Methodist, and Methodism is spreading ITTL in China rapidly. Thus, Chiang does not persecute any form of Christianity
(6) OTL, except butterflies will make it more important and extreme
(7) Fictitious
(8) For an example of what "Beijing" might sound like, imagine an Asian variant on David Bowie's Warsawza (the link, regrettably, no longer works)
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Chapter Thirteen
Baldrick
Banned
Update time! Here's 1967-1975:
February 1967: In Nanjing, major protests break out over the poor state of the Chinese economy. Protestors condemn the Chiang regime for withholding war reconstruction funds, and for the inefficiency and corruption with which these funds have been distributed. Many point to the way in which skyscrapers run by Chiang Wei-kuo and Ching-kuo (the former being the minister of finance) just so happen to be gracing the Nanjing skyline while the people of southeast Jiangsu are dying of cancer.
Chiang handles the situation poorly, sending armed police into the streets to crush the dissidents. Protest leader Li Guanghu successfully flees to the United States, where he is given asylum. The Nanjing protests create a large degree of tension between the US and China, proving the first major point of tension in the relationship between Washington and Nanjing. However, the underlying issues surrounding the protest are not going anywhere fast...
February 4, 1967: Georgia and Armenia sign a Treaty of Mutual Defence and Collaboration, committing one to the defence of another should it be attacked by "any foreign power". It is clear that the target in this case is Azerbaijan, which is rapidly becoming more and more isolated in the South Caucasus. This leads Azerbaijan to look elsewhere in the region for potential allies, considering both Turkey and Iran. All of this provokes concern in Washington that NATO may not be sustainable in the South Caucasus.
March 15, 1967: General Sukarno, who has ruled Indonesia since 1945, resigns as President. His replacement Suharto quickly proves dreadfully repressive. Given the amount of Chinese investment in the country, Suharto is unwilling to adopt a less pro-Nanjing set of policies. The combination of these two factors means that Humphrey soon grows to dislike his regime immensely.
March 22, 1967: In Germany and Poland, the newly formed Vertreibenbund, with Erich Krafft (1) as its president, stages demonstrations in Berlin, Poznan, and Szeczin. Their argument is that the resettlement of Germans from western Poland in 1945 constituted ethnic cleansing and should be reversed, now that these areas have been liberated. Polish president Stefan Brominski, given his own anti-Russian activities in Miastokrolka (former East Prussia), is concerned about the precedent giving a platform to these ideas might set, and as such refuses even to hear the idea. By contrast, German Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger is quite receptive to the notion, as he feels that it would be an effective means of reaffirming the power of newly reunited Germany.
May 1, 1967: The book Sunset of a People is published by a Mongolian refugee. It's the first in-depth chronicle of the sinicisation in Mongolia and Xinjiang, and is widely compared to Elie Wiesel's Night. In the United States, the reaction is one of horror, with President Humphrey having an extremely terse conversation with Chinese ambassador Zhang Gouchang. Holocaust survivors around the globe condemn Chiang's actions and call for sanctions against the KMT. However, the Chinese seat on the Security Council means that any UN motions to investigate are blocked, while neither America nor anyone in Europe wants to jeopardise relations with as important an economic power as China. As one pessimistic columnist for the Denver Post writes, "as far as I can see, the plight of the Mongolian people is an impossible one to solve short of nothing less than World War IV."
One ironic side-effect of this book is to increase awareness of and sympathy for the Uighurs amongst the leaders of the Central Asian republics of the USSR. Over the summer of 1967, numerous back-and-forth messages are waged between these capitals and the more cautious Andropov and Polyansky over whether or not these refugees should be accepted. The central government is fervently opposed to the idea, as to do so would further damage Sino-Russian relations.
August 16, 1967: Charles de Gaulle arrives in Baku to sign an arms deal with the Azeri government. Meanwhile, the Georgian and Armenian ambassadors to France receive stern talks warning them not to upset the status quo in the region. Some now begin to speculate that Azerbaijan will follow France out of NATO...
December 2, 1967: With his sinicisation work mostly completed, Chiang Ching-kuo is transferred back to Nanjing to be groomed as Chiang's potential successor.
January 2, 1968: The Bank of China, run by a political ally of Chiang's, negotiates a 2.3 billion yuan loan with the Azeri government, to be used predominantly for the military. In response, Georgia and Armenia become ever more nervous and look to both America and Britain for help.
March 14, 1968: In a televised announcement, Chiang Kai-shek announces with obvious pride that "the pacification of Xinjiang, Xizang, Menggu, and Xiboliya provinces (2) has been completed satisfactorily." Henceforth, these areas are given civilian rule. This statement is code for the completion of the ethnic cleansing programmes in these areas, which by 1970 will be 95% ethnic Han. Not until Chiang Kai-shek's death and the subsequent liberalisation in the 1980s will even fragments of the truth as to what will become known by some as the "Chiang Holocaust" be revealed.
June 8, 1968: With the danger of radiation judged to be over, the Great Reconstruction formally commences, with Beijing and Suzhou slowly being rebuilt. Neither city will be completed by the time of Chiang's death, but by 1985 both will have exceeded their pre-war population levels. In spite of Chiang's instructions for rebuilding- namely, to build as many tenements and factories as possible, and to award the contracts to pro-Chiang companies and businessmen- many architects find ways to implement both new and traditional ideas in what one architect calls "the greatest canvas imaginable in the world, upon which there are no rules and in which it is an honour to work." To the frustration of the anti-Chinese factions in American politics (chiefly within the Republican Party), much of the funding for this comes from US funds, although a disturbingly high amount is acquired by bleeding Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Siberia white.
Throughout the summer of 1968, other governments start to take their cues from the Chinese, and tentative efforts at rebuilding commence in Minsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Norwich, Ipswitch, Amsterdam, Brussels, Kassel, and Fulda. In the Soviet Union, the Andropov-Polyansky government takes considerable heat for failing to rebuild Leningrad or Smolensk.
September 12, 1968: To the surprise of few, Azerbaijan pulls out of NATO. immediately signing another pact with France. The Chinese Foreign Ministry covertly praises this development, saying that, "the people of Azerbaijan have decided to go along their own path, and we wish them success in the international community."
October 19, 1968: The German People's Party (Niemiecka Partia Ludowa, NPL) is founded in Poland, lobbying and voting for the interests of ethnic Germans in Poland. Although Brominski is displeased at this, there is little he can do short of taking authoritarian measures.
November 3, 1968: In a fierce election, President Humphrey defeats his Republican opponent Richard Nixon by a slim margin. While the GOP does not win the presidency, it does gain a significant number of seats in Congress, giving it a substantial majority. Political analysts reach a conclusion that the public was willing to forgive Humphrey's mistakes in his first term owing to his success in leading WWIII to a successful conclusion. Nonetheless, it is clear that Humphrey will have to fight hard to prevent the conservatives running Congress from dominating the show.
February 28, 1969: The populations of Norwich and Ipswitch both pass 15,000.
March 1, 1969: In a move which most observers agree is in response to Humphrey's re-election, the Eurasian Security Triangle (EAST) is inaugurated in Shanghai. Its founding members are the Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Empire of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the French Fourth Republic), the Republic of Singapore (3), and the Azeri Republic.
April 9, 1969: Taiwan formally becomes an Open Investment Zone, and proves a useful source of revenue for the ROC over the next several years.
May 17, 1969: The Empire of Vietnam declares war on Cambodia. Both remain still nominally French protectorates, but neither is happy with the status quo in Indochina. Vietnamese troops rapidly overrun the Cambodians. However, the Chinese aid which they had been expecting does not materialise. This is because Chiang wants to cultivate strong relations with France, whose protectorate Cambodia nominally still is. China adopts a policy of neutrality in the conflict, retaining its occupation zone in northern Vietnam but not using it as a means to channel aid or volunteers to Saigon. Neither does it provide much aid to Cambodia beyond just enough to keep it alive.
Charles de Gaulle is grateful for the co-operation of China, and several positive meetings occur between Chinese and French officials during the summer of 1969. The irony of this- that France opted out of WWIII fought nominally on China's behalf- is not lost, but neither side mentions that inconvenient fact. The main reason for this sudden burst of Franco-Chinese co-operation is a mutual dislike of the United States, as well as mutual contentment with and a desire to preserve the status quo in Indochina.
June 3, 1969: In a test of the new alliance, 50,000 EAST troops (the majority of which are Chinese and French) are welcomed into Azerbaijan to "maintain peace in the region." International observers fear the potential of a war in the Middle East and South Caucasus, which could see NATO and EAST on opposing sides. Thankfully, neither Washington or Nanjing is ready to fight a major conflict so soon after WWIII.
June 22, 1969: The climactic Battle of Krong Kampong is fought between the Cambodians and Vietnamese. Both sides suffer very heavy casualties, and after a day's fighting the Vietnamese retreat. The inconclusive battle actually works in Vietnam's favour, given that their troops still occupy Phnom Penh, while conversely none of their territory lies in Cambodian hands.
Following the battle, the Treaty of Hanoi is signed, effectively dictated by the French and Chinese. While the Vietnamese recognise their unpopularity with their two benefactors, they at least hope to have a measure of superiority over Cambodia codified in the treaty. As such, the result is immensely disappointing, calling on Vietnamese troops to evacuate Cambodian territory, with French troops manning a DMZ over five hundred miles long along the Vietnamese-Cambodian border. While the Vietnamese leadership- such as Emperor Bao Dai and Vietnamese Kuomintang leader (and prime minister) Vu Hong Khanh- remain stooges of the French, leaders of underground parties begin to harbour deep resentments towards Nanjing and Paris for cheating them out of a victory.
July-September 1969: Throughout the summer of 1967, numerous Vietnamese in the Chinese occupation zone in the north of their country stage boycotts of Chinese-owned businesses, with several officials commenting that the area under Chinese occupation is still ultimately Vietnamese. Similarly, numerous French "advisors" are "requested" to leave the country. As the Vietnamese start to assume a more nationalist posture, there are questions as to whether or not violent revolution will be needed.
September 12, 1969: In order to consolidate Chinese control over its part of Vietnam, Chiang Kai-shek announces a 50,000 increase in the occupying forces in the Chinese "sphere of influence". In response, Humphrey begins to quietly talk about the possibility of supporting regime change in Vietnam. The Vietnam question will confirm to many international observers that Sino-American relations have taken a major turn for the worst, with many comparing the situation to the state of Russo-American relations in 1945.
October 1, 1969: Major riots break out all over Vietnam, protesting the corrupt, authoritarian Imperial government for being a stooge of the French and Chinese. "We seek liberation and genuine freedom for the people of our long-suffering nation," declares protest leader Qui Hiq Nong. President Humphrey covertly supports the movement and quietly prepares for the potential for regime change. The response of the Bao Dai regime is telling- they collaborate with the French to violently suppress the protests, while the Chinese are even more ruthless. It will take two weeks for a semblance of quiet to return.
February 1970: Chinese New Year celebrations turn ugly, with people turning onto the streets to protest the continued authoritarianism and corruption of the Chiang regime, which many describe as not being much better than a crime syndicate running a country. The occupation of northern Vietnam is also condemned. Chiang sacks a few officials targeted by the protesters- namely, Vice-Minister of Reconstruction Leng Wuxi- but otherwise does little, confident that nothing can touch his regime.
March 23, 1970: Long expected by many, the Vietnamese Revolution breaks out. Government, French, and Chinese troops are all attacked, with the Vietnamese calling for an end to the occupation and to the establishment of a republic. In the United States, President Humphrey gives his "full and unequivocal backing" to the "hopes and dreams of the Vietnamese people" but does not call on Nanjing or Paris to do anything specific beyond abstaining from the use of force- a plea that is soon to be forgotten.
Throughout the spring of 1970, the Vietnamese Revolution is slowly crushed, with both France and China increasing their troop commitments substantially. America, meanwhile, quietly slips money and weapons to the rebels. By the summer, the revolt has been quelled, but the EAST military presence in Vietnam remains.
April 18, 1970: A Chinese company starts work on a new parliament building in Baku. The whole project is financed with Chinese money and is meant to be a token of goodwill. Azeri president Heydar Aliev profusely thanks Chiang on television, confident that his nation will soon be a major regional player.
November 4, 1970: It's midterm night in the United States! The night proves a fairly even one, with the battle lines in Congress more or less the same as before.
January 1, 1971: Moldova formally federates with Romania, becoming one of Bucharest's provinces. The province is substantially poorer than the rest of the country and will become the recipient of considerable economic aid from both Bucharest and outside resources such as the IMF and World Bank.
March 30- April 9, 1971: At the 24th Congress of the Communist Party in Moscow, it becomes clear (although none of the delegates officially say so), that the Soviet economy is heading for collapse and that both economic reforms and improved relations with the USSR's neighbours, old and new, will be needed. Naturally, no-one is too keen on this.
May 22, 1971: In Indonesia, General Suharto's regime joins EAST. Following this, both Malaysia and Australia, feeling threatened, sign security guarantees with the United States.
Summer 1971: A series of disconnected revolts against military rule and the Bao Dai regime flare-up in Vietnam, all of which fail.
October 29, 1971: In New Zealand, the book Asian Balkans is published. Its thesis is that the current situation in East Asia, where America and China are locked in a balance-of-power cold war with their own proxies, dangerously resembles the situation in the Balkans prior to World War I. The book sells well in the West, although it is banned in China.
December 26, 1971: The Second South Caucasus War opens with a Georgian and Armenian surprise attack on Azerbaijan. Georgia and Armenia enjoy the backing of the United States and Israel, while EAST naturally looks after its own. One of the things which EAST lacks, however, is an analogue to NATO's Article V, meaning that neither France nor China (or, for that matter, any EAST country) formally declares war. Nonetheless, both deploy expeditionary forces. Much of the Middle East (except for Saudi Arabia) backs the Azeris. For the United States, putting boots on the ground only five and a half years after the end of World War III is not an option. Nonetheless, American "advisors" are dispatched to the Georgians and Armenians, and both Tiblisi and Yerevan are the recipients of liberal financial and military aid.
Throughout the winter of 1971-1972, the Azeris are forced to retreat to shorten their 450-mile front. However, the rugged terrain, combined with Chinese and French troops, means that they're able to halt the advance around the town of Jermuk. Both sides then settle down into trench warfare.
January 1, 1972: Kiev and Minsk become the capitals of Ukraine and Belarus respectively, both cities having recovered from their nuclear devastation in World War III.
January 11, 1972: Israel declares war on Azerbaijan. This sets off a chain reaction, and within a week, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq seize the opportunity to crush their enemy. (4) They all simultaneously attack, but this leads to what Israelis and their supporters call even today the "January Miracle." Within a week, the Israelis have conducted a brilliant defensive campaign, routing their enemies and defending their soil. At this point, the Americans step in and offer to broker a peace deal between Israel and its foolhardy neighbours.
January 21, 1972: A Sino-Azeri offensive captures the Georgian town of Deodoplis Tero after heavy fighting.
February 1972: Hoping that France and China will be too distracted by the Second South Caucasus War to efficiently react, yet another massive uprising occurs in Vietnam. This time, the insurgents meet with some success, capturing large swathes of territory. Indeed, the Danqan- the name the rebels give themselves- ironically enough adopt Maoist-style guerilla warfare, hiding in the most remote parts of the country. In spite of the American commitment to Georgia and Armenia, President Humphrey is able to covertly ship plenty of surplus World War III equipment to the guerillas, largely through neutral Thailand.
February 4, 1972: The Treaty of Tel Aviv is signed, transferring the Sinai Peninsula and West Bank to Israel. The peace negotiations were complicated by the fact that while Israel was willing to sign peace treaties with its hostile neighbours, it desired to continue the war with Azerbaijan, something which the surrounding states were hesitant to accept. All of a sudden, Zionism becomes a much more powerful force on the world stage and Israel's prestige skyrockets.
February 13, 1972: The town of Gardabani, only 45km from Tiblisi, falls to the Azeris. It is clear that for the second time, the Azeris have proven their dominance in the South Caucasus. Subsequently, both Georgia and Armenia sue for peace. The terms are surprisingly moderate, with the defeated parties being forced to pay reparations and limit their militaries, but with no border changes. This is due to the Azeri reluctance to annex any more hostile subjects.
Following this, Israel signs a white peace with Azerbaijan. It's grateful for its position of increased strength in the Middle East, and hopes that no hostile states will take advantage of its packing the wrong horse, so to speak, to attack it.
The defeat of Georgia and Armenia in a war which they started prompts serious debate about their position in NATO. It's clear that their hatred for Baku will continue into the indefinite future, and NATO doesn't want to become embroiled in a quagmire in the South Caucasus (owing to the Article V clause) should Azerbaijan attack.
March 5, 1972: A military coup brings General Sherki Terdobyssi to power in Tiblisi. Terdobyssi will rule at the head of a military junta until his death in 1996.
April 19, 1972: NATO votes to expel Georgia from the organisation, using the behaviour of the new military regime as an example. This is seen as a significant defeat for US policymakers, although a consensus is reached at the time that this decision, while unpleasant, was the best of bad options.
May 8, 1972: Bao Dai is assassinated by a nationalist insurgent in Saigon, who throws a bomb into a restaurant where the emperor is eating. He is replaced by his 38-year-old son Bao Long, who proves to have even less political finesse than his father. Following this, the violence in Vietnam only increases, with the French-backed regime only controlling the cities. Paris and Nanjing both announce further troop surges, and for the next few years, both will be locked in a bitter guerilla war with the Vietnamese. (5)
November 4, 1972: In the United States presidential election, Republican Richard Nixon beats Democrat Russel B. Long by a considerable margin, although not the landslide of OTL. Both are charismatic, skilled leaders, but the debate over foreign policy hands the election to Nixon. With the afterglow of victory in WWIII having faded from the Democrats, and with their lacklustre response to the Second South Caucasus War fresh in the public mind, Nixon's optimistic if vague foreign policy promises attract many.
December 1972: In the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, protests erupt amongst the ethnic Russian population against Ukrainian rule, calling for a Moldovan-style plebiscite on rejoining the USSR. The movement gets nowhere, with neither Polyansky nor Andropov taking any steps to support the protesters. The inert Soviet response is taken by many as a sign that the USSR is so consumed by its postwar internal problems that it can no longer afford to maintain an assertive foreign policy in its own backyard.
January 20, 1973: In his inaugural address, President Nixon states to the surprise of many that he will be willing to meet with Chinese leaders if certain conditions are met, such as a peaceful end to the conflict in Vietnam and the extension of security guarantees to non-EAST countries in Asia and Europe. Chiang does not reciprocate, however.
January 1973: A global economic downturn, the worst since the post-WWIII recession, commences. However, President Nixon is able to dodge most of the blame. (6) In China, the resulting unemployment spike causes further protests against the Chiang regime. The ageing dictator is, however, content to sit back and do nothing except bail out the major conglomerates which power the Chinese economy, leaving the people out to dry.
March 1, 1973: In a move which seems insignificant at the time, Deng Xiaoping is released from his prison term in Chengdu. He immediately starts to ponder how to reconstruct his career...
August 27, 1973: The Philippines join EAST
November 2, 1973: Indira Gandhi formally announces the creation of the Neutrality Bloc, designed for nations who wish to align to neither Washington or Nanjing. Many African and South American states join, along with Iran and General Terdobyssi's regime in Georgia. (7) The establishment of the Neutrality Bloc prompts a debate in Moscow as to whether or not the USSR should join. In the end, the conservative leadership opts to stay out, although it does acquire observer status.
February 12, 1974: In one of the last major acts of Chiang Kai-shek's life, the EAST Economic Confederation (EASTEC) is formed. (8) It's an economic analogue to the existing EAST military alliance, with a focus on spreading Chinese money and influence across Eurasia. All the current EAST nations join, plus Egypt, Iran, and Turkey. The move is viewed with suspicion in Washington, as it is feared that Chiang is trying to cement his domination of Central Asia.
December 1974: After nearly two years, the world economy starts to level out once more.
April 5, 1975: The news rivets the world: Chiang Kai-shek, the man who unified China, beat Hirohito and Brezhnev, and defeated the Chinese Communists, is dead. His son Chiang Ching-kuo assumes the presidency, but no-one is aware of the effects that this will have....
(1)Fictitious
(2) Respectively, these are: Xinjiang as per its OTL borders, Tibet, Mongolia, and the annexed portions of Siberia
(3) The Chinese in Singapore have successfully pressured Lee Kwan Yew into aligning his regime with Nanjing
(4) An obvious analogue to Israeli performance in the Six-Day War, which WWIII butterflied out. This in turn removes the Yom Kippur War
(5) This insurgency in Vietnam is a lot more low-level and less successful than OTL's Vietnam War, because here there's no friendly China for the insurgents to use as a source of supplies and a secure rear. Additionally, most of the rebel territory is in the south, where the Chinese have less power.
(6) This economic downturn actually happened in OTL, but the 1973 oil crisis was butterflied away since there was no Yom Kippur War.
(7) The period of communism and getting trampled on in WWIII substantially delayed India's ability to set up a Nonaligned Movement analogue
(8) An analogue to the OTL PRC's Belt Road Initiative
February 1967: In Nanjing, major protests break out over the poor state of the Chinese economy. Protestors condemn the Chiang regime for withholding war reconstruction funds, and for the inefficiency and corruption with which these funds have been distributed. Many point to the way in which skyscrapers run by Chiang Wei-kuo and Ching-kuo (the former being the minister of finance) just so happen to be gracing the Nanjing skyline while the people of southeast Jiangsu are dying of cancer.
Chiang handles the situation poorly, sending armed police into the streets to crush the dissidents. Protest leader Li Guanghu successfully flees to the United States, where he is given asylum. The Nanjing protests create a large degree of tension between the US and China, proving the first major point of tension in the relationship between Washington and Nanjing. However, the underlying issues surrounding the protest are not going anywhere fast...
February 4, 1967: Georgia and Armenia sign a Treaty of Mutual Defence and Collaboration, committing one to the defence of another should it be attacked by "any foreign power". It is clear that the target in this case is Azerbaijan, which is rapidly becoming more and more isolated in the South Caucasus. This leads Azerbaijan to look elsewhere in the region for potential allies, considering both Turkey and Iran. All of this provokes concern in Washington that NATO may not be sustainable in the South Caucasus.
March 15, 1967: General Sukarno, who has ruled Indonesia since 1945, resigns as President. His replacement Suharto quickly proves dreadfully repressive. Given the amount of Chinese investment in the country, Suharto is unwilling to adopt a less pro-Nanjing set of policies. The combination of these two factors means that Humphrey soon grows to dislike his regime immensely.
March 22, 1967: In Germany and Poland, the newly formed Vertreibenbund, with Erich Krafft (1) as its president, stages demonstrations in Berlin, Poznan, and Szeczin. Their argument is that the resettlement of Germans from western Poland in 1945 constituted ethnic cleansing and should be reversed, now that these areas have been liberated. Polish president Stefan Brominski, given his own anti-Russian activities in Miastokrolka (former East Prussia), is concerned about the precedent giving a platform to these ideas might set, and as such refuses even to hear the idea. By contrast, German Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger is quite receptive to the notion, as he feels that it would be an effective means of reaffirming the power of newly reunited Germany.
May 1, 1967: The book Sunset of a People is published by a Mongolian refugee. It's the first in-depth chronicle of the sinicisation in Mongolia and Xinjiang, and is widely compared to Elie Wiesel's Night. In the United States, the reaction is one of horror, with President Humphrey having an extremely terse conversation with Chinese ambassador Zhang Gouchang. Holocaust survivors around the globe condemn Chiang's actions and call for sanctions against the KMT. However, the Chinese seat on the Security Council means that any UN motions to investigate are blocked, while neither America nor anyone in Europe wants to jeopardise relations with as important an economic power as China. As one pessimistic columnist for the Denver Post writes, "as far as I can see, the plight of the Mongolian people is an impossible one to solve short of nothing less than World War IV."
One ironic side-effect of this book is to increase awareness of and sympathy for the Uighurs amongst the leaders of the Central Asian republics of the USSR. Over the summer of 1967, numerous back-and-forth messages are waged between these capitals and the more cautious Andropov and Polyansky over whether or not these refugees should be accepted. The central government is fervently opposed to the idea, as to do so would further damage Sino-Russian relations.
August 16, 1967: Charles de Gaulle arrives in Baku to sign an arms deal with the Azeri government. Meanwhile, the Georgian and Armenian ambassadors to France receive stern talks warning them not to upset the status quo in the region. Some now begin to speculate that Azerbaijan will follow France out of NATO...
December 2, 1967: With his sinicisation work mostly completed, Chiang Ching-kuo is transferred back to Nanjing to be groomed as Chiang's potential successor.
January 2, 1968: The Bank of China, run by a political ally of Chiang's, negotiates a 2.3 billion yuan loan with the Azeri government, to be used predominantly for the military. In response, Georgia and Armenia become ever more nervous and look to both America and Britain for help.
March 14, 1968: In a televised announcement, Chiang Kai-shek announces with obvious pride that "the pacification of Xinjiang, Xizang, Menggu, and Xiboliya provinces (2) has been completed satisfactorily." Henceforth, these areas are given civilian rule. This statement is code for the completion of the ethnic cleansing programmes in these areas, which by 1970 will be 95% ethnic Han. Not until Chiang Kai-shek's death and the subsequent liberalisation in the 1980s will even fragments of the truth as to what will become known by some as the "Chiang Holocaust" be revealed.
June 8, 1968: With the danger of radiation judged to be over, the Great Reconstruction formally commences, with Beijing and Suzhou slowly being rebuilt. Neither city will be completed by the time of Chiang's death, but by 1985 both will have exceeded their pre-war population levels. In spite of Chiang's instructions for rebuilding- namely, to build as many tenements and factories as possible, and to award the contracts to pro-Chiang companies and businessmen- many architects find ways to implement both new and traditional ideas in what one architect calls "the greatest canvas imaginable in the world, upon which there are no rules and in which it is an honour to work." To the frustration of the anti-Chinese factions in American politics (chiefly within the Republican Party), much of the funding for this comes from US funds, although a disturbingly high amount is acquired by bleeding Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Siberia white.
Throughout the summer of 1968, other governments start to take their cues from the Chinese, and tentative efforts at rebuilding commence in Minsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Norwich, Ipswitch, Amsterdam, Brussels, Kassel, and Fulda. In the Soviet Union, the Andropov-Polyansky government takes considerable heat for failing to rebuild Leningrad or Smolensk.
September 12, 1968: To the surprise of few, Azerbaijan pulls out of NATO. immediately signing another pact with France. The Chinese Foreign Ministry covertly praises this development, saying that, "the people of Azerbaijan have decided to go along their own path, and we wish them success in the international community."
October 19, 1968: The German People's Party (Niemiecka Partia Ludowa, NPL) is founded in Poland, lobbying and voting for the interests of ethnic Germans in Poland. Although Brominski is displeased at this, there is little he can do short of taking authoritarian measures.
November 3, 1968: In a fierce election, President Humphrey defeats his Republican opponent Richard Nixon by a slim margin. While the GOP does not win the presidency, it does gain a significant number of seats in Congress, giving it a substantial majority. Political analysts reach a conclusion that the public was willing to forgive Humphrey's mistakes in his first term owing to his success in leading WWIII to a successful conclusion. Nonetheless, it is clear that Humphrey will have to fight hard to prevent the conservatives running Congress from dominating the show.
February 28, 1969: The populations of Norwich and Ipswitch both pass 15,000.
March 1, 1969: In a move which most observers agree is in response to Humphrey's re-election, the Eurasian Security Triangle (EAST) is inaugurated in Shanghai. Its founding members are the Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Empire of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the French Fourth Republic), the Republic of Singapore (3), and the Azeri Republic.
April 9, 1969: Taiwan formally becomes an Open Investment Zone, and proves a useful source of revenue for the ROC over the next several years.
May 17, 1969: The Empire of Vietnam declares war on Cambodia. Both remain still nominally French protectorates, but neither is happy with the status quo in Indochina. Vietnamese troops rapidly overrun the Cambodians. However, the Chinese aid which they had been expecting does not materialise. This is because Chiang wants to cultivate strong relations with France, whose protectorate Cambodia nominally still is. China adopts a policy of neutrality in the conflict, retaining its occupation zone in northern Vietnam but not using it as a means to channel aid or volunteers to Saigon. Neither does it provide much aid to Cambodia beyond just enough to keep it alive.
Charles de Gaulle is grateful for the co-operation of China, and several positive meetings occur between Chinese and French officials during the summer of 1969. The irony of this- that France opted out of WWIII fought nominally on China's behalf- is not lost, but neither side mentions that inconvenient fact. The main reason for this sudden burst of Franco-Chinese co-operation is a mutual dislike of the United States, as well as mutual contentment with and a desire to preserve the status quo in Indochina.
June 3, 1969: In a test of the new alliance, 50,000 EAST troops (the majority of which are Chinese and French) are welcomed into Azerbaijan to "maintain peace in the region." International observers fear the potential of a war in the Middle East and South Caucasus, which could see NATO and EAST on opposing sides. Thankfully, neither Washington or Nanjing is ready to fight a major conflict so soon after WWIII.
June 22, 1969: The climactic Battle of Krong Kampong is fought between the Cambodians and Vietnamese. Both sides suffer very heavy casualties, and after a day's fighting the Vietnamese retreat. The inconclusive battle actually works in Vietnam's favour, given that their troops still occupy Phnom Penh, while conversely none of their territory lies in Cambodian hands.
Following the battle, the Treaty of Hanoi is signed, effectively dictated by the French and Chinese. While the Vietnamese recognise their unpopularity with their two benefactors, they at least hope to have a measure of superiority over Cambodia codified in the treaty. As such, the result is immensely disappointing, calling on Vietnamese troops to evacuate Cambodian territory, with French troops manning a DMZ over five hundred miles long along the Vietnamese-Cambodian border. While the Vietnamese leadership- such as Emperor Bao Dai and Vietnamese Kuomintang leader (and prime minister) Vu Hong Khanh- remain stooges of the French, leaders of underground parties begin to harbour deep resentments towards Nanjing and Paris for cheating them out of a victory.
July-September 1969: Throughout the summer of 1967, numerous Vietnamese in the Chinese occupation zone in the north of their country stage boycotts of Chinese-owned businesses, with several officials commenting that the area under Chinese occupation is still ultimately Vietnamese. Similarly, numerous French "advisors" are "requested" to leave the country. As the Vietnamese start to assume a more nationalist posture, there are questions as to whether or not violent revolution will be needed.
September 12, 1969: In order to consolidate Chinese control over its part of Vietnam, Chiang Kai-shek announces a 50,000 increase in the occupying forces in the Chinese "sphere of influence". In response, Humphrey begins to quietly talk about the possibility of supporting regime change in Vietnam. The Vietnam question will confirm to many international observers that Sino-American relations have taken a major turn for the worst, with many comparing the situation to the state of Russo-American relations in 1945.
October 1, 1969: Major riots break out all over Vietnam, protesting the corrupt, authoritarian Imperial government for being a stooge of the French and Chinese. "We seek liberation and genuine freedom for the people of our long-suffering nation," declares protest leader Qui Hiq Nong. President Humphrey covertly supports the movement and quietly prepares for the potential for regime change. The response of the Bao Dai regime is telling- they collaborate with the French to violently suppress the protests, while the Chinese are even more ruthless. It will take two weeks for a semblance of quiet to return.
February 1970: Chinese New Year celebrations turn ugly, with people turning onto the streets to protest the continued authoritarianism and corruption of the Chiang regime, which many describe as not being much better than a crime syndicate running a country. The occupation of northern Vietnam is also condemned. Chiang sacks a few officials targeted by the protesters- namely, Vice-Minister of Reconstruction Leng Wuxi- but otherwise does little, confident that nothing can touch his regime.
March 23, 1970: Long expected by many, the Vietnamese Revolution breaks out. Government, French, and Chinese troops are all attacked, with the Vietnamese calling for an end to the occupation and to the establishment of a republic. In the United States, President Humphrey gives his "full and unequivocal backing" to the "hopes and dreams of the Vietnamese people" but does not call on Nanjing or Paris to do anything specific beyond abstaining from the use of force- a plea that is soon to be forgotten.
Throughout the spring of 1970, the Vietnamese Revolution is slowly crushed, with both France and China increasing their troop commitments substantially. America, meanwhile, quietly slips money and weapons to the rebels. By the summer, the revolt has been quelled, but the EAST military presence in Vietnam remains.
April 18, 1970: A Chinese company starts work on a new parliament building in Baku. The whole project is financed with Chinese money and is meant to be a token of goodwill. Azeri president Heydar Aliev profusely thanks Chiang on television, confident that his nation will soon be a major regional player.
November 4, 1970: It's midterm night in the United States! The night proves a fairly even one, with the battle lines in Congress more or less the same as before.
January 1, 1971: Moldova formally federates with Romania, becoming one of Bucharest's provinces. The province is substantially poorer than the rest of the country and will become the recipient of considerable economic aid from both Bucharest and outside resources such as the IMF and World Bank.
March 30- April 9, 1971: At the 24th Congress of the Communist Party in Moscow, it becomes clear (although none of the delegates officially say so), that the Soviet economy is heading for collapse and that both economic reforms and improved relations with the USSR's neighbours, old and new, will be needed. Naturally, no-one is too keen on this.
May 22, 1971: In Indonesia, General Suharto's regime joins EAST. Following this, both Malaysia and Australia, feeling threatened, sign security guarantees with the United States.
Summer 1971: A series of disconnected revolts against military rule and the Bao Dai regime flare-up in Vietnam, all of which fail.
October 29, 1971: In New Zealand, the book Asian Balkans is published. Its thesis is that the current situation in East Asia, where America and China are locked in a balance-of-power cold war with their own proxies, dangerously resembles the situation in the Balkans prior to World War I. The book sells well in the West, although it is banned in China.
December 26, 1971: The Second South Caucasus War opens with a Georgian and Armenian surprise attack on Azerbaijan. Georgia and Armenia enjoy the backing of the United States and Israel, while EAST naturally looks after its own. One of the things which EAST lacks, however, is an analogue to NATO's Article V, meaning that neither France nor China (or, for that matter, any EAST country) formally declares war. Nonetheless, both deploy expeditionary forces. Much of the Middle East (except for Saudi Arabia) backs the Azeris. For the United States, putting boots on the ground only five and a half years after the end of World War III is not an option. Nonetheless, American "advisors" are dispatched to the Georgians and Armenians, and both Tiblisi and Yerevan are the recipients of liberal financial and military aid.
Throughout the winter of 1971-1972, the Azeris are forced to retreat to shorten their 450-mile front. However, the rugged terrain, combined with Chinese and French troops, means that they're able to halt the advance around the town of Jermuk. Both sides then settle down into trench warfare.
January 1, 1972: Kiev and Minsk become the capitals of Ukraine and Belarus respectively, both cities having recovered from their nuclear devastation in World War III.
January 11, 1972: Israel declares war on Azerbaijan. This sets off a chain reaction, and within a week, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq seize the opportunity to crush their enemy. (4) They all simultaneously attack, but this leads to what Israelis and their supporters call even today the "January Miracle." Within a week, the Israelis have conducted a brilliant defensive campaign, routing their enemies and defending their soil. At this point, the Americans step in and offer to broker a peace deal between Israel and its foolhardy neighbours.
January 21, 1972: A Sino-Azeri offensive captures the Georgian town of Deodoplis Tero after heavy fighting.
February 1972: Hoping that France and China will be too distracted by the Second South Caucasus War to efficiently react, yet another massive uprising occurs in Vietnam. This time, the insurgents meet with some success, capturing large swathes of territory. Indeed, the Danqan- the name the rebels give themselves- ironically enough adopt Maoist-style guerilla warfare, hiding in the most remote parts of the country. In spite of the American commitment to Georgia and Armenia, President Humphrey is able to covertly ship plenty of surplus World War III equipment to the guerillas, largely through neutral Thailand.
February 4, 1972: The Treaty of Tel Aviv is signed, transferring the Sinai Peninsula and West Bank to Israel. The peace negotiations were complicated by the fact that while Israel was willing to sign peace treaties with its hostile neighbours, it desired to continue the war with Azerbaijan, something which the surrounding states were hesitant to accept. All of a sudden, Zionism becomes a much more powerful force on the world stage and Israel's prestige skyrockets.
February 13, 1972: The town of Gardabani, only 45km from Tiblisi, falls to the Azeris. It is clear that for the second time, the Azeris have proven their dominance in the South Caucasus. Subsequently, both Georgia and Armenia sue for peace. The terms are surprisingly moderate, with the defeated parties being forced to pay reparations and limit their militaries, but with no border changes. This is due to the Azeri reluctance to annex any more hostile subjects.
Following this, Israel signs a white peace with Azerbaijan. It's grateful for its position of increased strength in the Middle East, and hopes that no hostile states will take advantage of its packing the wrong horse, so to speak, to attack it.
The defeat of Georgia and Armenia in a war which they started prompts serious debate about their position in NATO. It's clear that their hatred for Baku will continue into the indefinite future, and NATO doesn't want to become embroiled in a quagmire in the South Caucasus (owing to the Article V clause) should Azerbaijan attack.
March 5, 1972: A military coup brings General Sherki Terdobyssi to power in Tiblisi. Terdobyssi will rule at the head of a military junta until his death in 1996.
April 19, 1972: NATO votes to expel Georgia from the organisation, using the behaviour of the new military regime as an example. This is seen as a significant defeat for US policymakers, although a consensus is reached at the time that this decision, while unpleasant, was the best of bad options.
May 8, 1972: Bao Dai is assassinated by a nationalist insurgent in Saigon, who throws a bomb into a restaurant where the emperor is eating. He is replaced by his 38-year-old son Bao Long, who proves to have even less political finesse than his father. Following this, the violence in Vietnam only increases, with the French-backed regime only controlling the cities. Paris and Nanjing both announce further troop surges, and for the next few years, both will be locked in a bitter guerilla war with the Vietnamese. (5)
November 4, 1972: In the United States presidential election, Republican Richard Nixon beats Democrat Russel B. Long by a considerable margin, although not the landslide of OTL. Both are charismatic, skilled leaders, but the debate over foreign policy hands the election to Nixon. With the afterglow of victory in WWIII having faded from the Democrats, and with their lacklustre response to the Second South Caucasus War fresh in the public mind, Nixon's optimistic if vague foreign policy promises attract many.
December 1972: In the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, protests erupt amongst the ethnic Russian population against Ukrainian rule, calling for a Moldovan-style plebiscite on rejoining the USSR. The movement gets nowhere, with neither Polyansky nor Andropov taking any steps to support the protesters. The inert Soviet response is taken by many as a sign that the USSR is so consumed by its postwar internal problems that it can no longer afford to maintain an assertive foreign policy in its own backyard.
January 20, 1973: In his inaugural address, President Nixon states to the surprise of many that he will be willing to meet with Chinese leaders if certain conditions are met, such as a peaceful end to the conflict in Vietnam and the extension of security guarantees to non-EAST countries in Asia and Europe. Chiang does not reciprocate, however.
January 1973: A global economic downturn, the worst since the post-WWIII recession, commences. However, President Nixon is able to dodge most of the blame. (6) In China, the resulting unemployment spike causes further protests against the Chiang regime. The ageing dictator is, however, content to sit back and do nothing except bail out the major conglomerates which power the Chinese economy, leaving the people out to dry.
March 1, 1973: In a move which seems insignificant at the time, Deng Xiaoping is released from his prison term in Chengdu. He immediately starts to ponder how to reconstruct his career...
August 27, 1973: The Philippines join EAST
November 2, 1973: Indira Gandhi formally announces the creation of the Neutrality Bloc, designed for nations who wish to align to neither Washington or Nanjing. Many African and South American states join, along with Iran and General Terdobyssi's regime in Georgia. (7) The establishment of the Neutrality Bloc prompts a debate in Moscow as to whether or not the USSR should join. In the end, the conservative leadership opts to stay out, although it does acquire observer status.
February 12, 1974: In one of the last major acts of Chiang Kai-shek's life, the EAST Economic Confederation (EASTEC) is formed. (8) It's an economic analogue to the existing EAST military alliance, with a focus on spreading Chinese money and influence across Eurasia. All the current EAST nations join, plus Egypt, Iran, and Turkey. The move is viewed with suspicion in Washington, as it is feared that Chiang is trying to cement his domination of Central Asia.
December 1974: After nearly two years, the world economy starts to level out once more.
April 5, 1975: The news rivets the world: Chiang Kai-shek, the man who unified China, beat Hirohito and Brezhnev, and defeated the Chinese Communists, is dead. His son Chiang Ching-kuo assumes the presidency, but no-one is aware of the effects that this will have....
(1)Fictitious
(2) Respectively, these are: Xinjiang as per its OTL borders, Tibet, Mongolia, and the annexed portions of Siberia
(3) The Chinese in Singapore have successfully pressured Lee Kwan Yew into aligning his regime with Nanjing
(4) An obvious analogue to Israeli performance in the Six-Day War, which WWIII butterflied out. This in turn removes the Yom Kippur War
(5) This insurgency in Vietnam is a lot more low-level and less successful than OTL's Vietnam War, because here there's no friendly China for the insurgents to use as a source of supplies and a secure rear. Additionally, most of the rebel territory is in the south, where the Chinese have less power.
(6) This economic downturn actually happened in OTL, but the 1973 oil crisis was butterflied away since there was no Yom Kippur War.
(7) The period of communism and getting trampled on in WWIII substantially delayed India's ability to set up a Nonaligned Movement analogue
(8) An analogue to the OTL PRC's Belt Road Initiative
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