Odyssey of Fritz, the Turncoat Prince
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Chapter 592
February, 1804
The Hague
President Hohenzollern would be somewhat out of his element in the peace negotiations at the Hague. As a "disinterested party", he had been acceptable to both the Kingdom of Germany and Empire of Germany. The Manhattanite would find this odd as, had history been a bit different, his great, great grandfather would have been King of Prussia. Of course, George Frederick Hohenzollern himself probably would not have been eligible for the throne as his ancestors since Prince Fritz had married commoners and Salic Law still mattered more in the Kingdom of Germany than most locations. At best, George Frederick was just a pretender, so irrelevant to the European scene that half of Germany didn't even acknowledge him as party of the Hohenzollern family.
For the most part, the peace negotiations were a bit of a farce. The Kingdom of Germany had been bogged down in Saxony by the Habsburgs while Russia, Poland and France massed troops at their undefended borders. The coastline of the Kingdom was now under blockade by the French with the tacit support of the League of Armed Neutrality.
It was time to end this nonsense and all of Europe knew it. The obvious solution was a Hohenzollern retreat from Saxony with a peace at the status quo ante bellum. That was what everyone in Europe assumed to be the only logical outcome. There was some talk of reparations but the American President saw no point in humiliating the Protestant German power in such a way. Far better to just make peace and get back to life.
What he was not prepared for was the bombastic personality of the odd northern delegate, Winston Churchill. Churchill was a scion of the aristocratic exodus from Britain after the Revolution more than a century prior. Bitter at the loss of his ancestral home, the Germanized-Briton (whose ancestors tended to marry other British expatriots and, in his father's case, an American heiress) had become a radical monarchist and anti-Catholic.
More importantly, he was an avowed advocate of expansionary war by the Kingdom of Germany, his vitriol so toxic that he even openly spoke of invading the German Confederation just as his sovereign had invaded Saxony. This was the worst man possible to participate in a peace conference. When the senior diplomat fell ill, Churchill became the unlikely leader of the north German delegation and he would take advantage of the platform.
"We shall defend our lands! We shall fight in the streets, in the hills, in the farmsteads! We shall never surrender!"
This latest outburst was in reply to a waiter whom inquired if he wanted another glass of wine. By the end of the first week, even his fellow Kingdom of Germany representatives were mortified...and terrified that the man was blowing the opportunity for an easy peace. Churchill insulted the Habsburg delegates so badly that they walked out of the conference...effectively leaving the prospect of peace dead in their wake. Churchill happily returned to Berlin as if he'd won something.
The rest of Europe was aghast. The Kingdom of Germany was walking away from an easy peace which would leave their borders intact. Very few would feel sympathy for the House of Hohenzollern, including their American cousin whom had departed the peace table in the Hague in abject disgust. George Frederick Hohenzollern had staked his own reputation upon the German peace and now had his efforts slapped away.
As it would happen, the war did not recommence in the spring. Instead, the stubborn Germans would remain in their trenches with only the occasional probe back and forth to break the monotony. With Russian, Polish and French troops upon their other borders, the Kingdom of Germany could not attack further southward. The Empire of Germany would not be capable of attacking northwards.
Isolated and now landlocked, both nations glared upon one another across the battle lines. Almost unprecedented in their numbers, the vast armies of the Germans would dwarf the previous wars in terms of percentage of men in arms. All of Europe looked on in shock at the spectacle of over a million men in arms under the banner of what was considered two secondary powers at best. Even Russia, vastly more populous, had never placed so many men in uniform. Even the vast revolutionary armies of France and Britain had never come close with 15% of the nation, most able-bodied males between 20 and 40, donning uniforms at the same moment.
Manhattan
When President Hohenzollern returned back to America, he received little of the mockery he expected. Most respected him for attempting to end the carnage and for his even-handed negotiation. Most blamed the loudmouth young Assistant Foreign Minister, Winston Churchill.
The same thing struck the President in terms of the military situation as struck all other informed observers. He was shocked SO VERY MANY of the Germans had been mobilized at once. Most former wars seldom saw more than 5% of the population directly involved in the war, often the numbers were even less. During the War for American Independence, probably no more than 2% were in arms at any given moment.
Hohenzollern came to realize the America's procedures for raising troops were archaic to say the least. Hohenzollern would command the war department to prepare a brief to reorganize the reserves into a central forces as well as propose a procedure for a draft...though, of course, any draft must be approved by Congress and even Hohenzollern dared not do so in peacetime. He was more interested in the army KNOWING HOW to raise the men, not actually doing so. Much of the work had been done by the efficient Germans in producing a working model.
Hohenzollern hoped that the procedure would remain theoretical as he did not see any future eventuality of America requiring such a measure. There were no neighbors to threaten the nation. It seemed unlikely that Gallic Quebec, Zacatecas or Aztlan would challenge America's power. And any war involving an island campaign, like a battle with China over Nippon or with Spain over Cuba, would hardly require millions of soldiers.
He certainly could not imagine sending American forces to Europe or Asia in large numbers. Why would he?
No, America's dominant position in North America and powerful perch in South America ensured no sane neighbor could challenge them in the future. Beyond that was hardly America's business.
Hohenzollern, discouraged by his failure in Europe, would return to business. He was happy to see the new Congressmen from Amazonia, Guyana and Llanos seated though the other territories seemed unlikely to meet the standards of population and development demanded for Provincial status any time soon. The most interesting thing going on in the territories was the eternal feud between Chilcotin and Oregon over who, if anyone, gets to annex Vancouver and the San Juan Islands. Like most Presidents before him, Hohenzollern was happy to let the situation roll along without taking sides. For the moment, the population of the Territory was not adequate for Provincial status but the people of Vancouver and the San Juan Islands repeated voted to remain independent as a Territory rather than join one of the neighboring Provinces. The general logic was that the additional Congressional seat probably would not be won by a denizen of the islands but a "mainlander" from whichever Province annexed it. Thus, as Vancouver would not have its own Congressman anyways, why bother merging?
It would be decades before Vancouver and the San Juan Islands reached Provincial status on its own and, until then, the neighboring Provinces would continue to agitate for annexation much to the annoyances of the "Island men".
Other territories would also agitate but fail to reach Provincehood for one reason or another. The Leeward Islands, the Paria Islands, Assiniboia and California lacked the population. Costa Caribia and Costa Rica lacked the infrastructure development.
February, 1804
The Hague
President Hohenzollern would be somewhat out of his element in the peace negotiations at the Hague. As a "disinterested party", he had been acceptable to both the Kingdom of Germany and Empire of Germany. The Manhattanite would find this odd as, had history been a bit different, his great, great grandfather would have been King of Prussia. Of course, George Frederick Hohenzollern himself probably would not have been eligible for the throne as his ancestors since Prince Fritz had married commoners and Salic Law still mattered more in the Kingdom of Germany than most locations. At best, George Frederick was just a pretender, so irrelevant to the European scene that half of Germany didn't even acknowledge him as party of the Hohenzollern family.
For the most part, the peace negotiations were a bit of a farce. The Kingdom of Germany had been bogged down in Saxony by the Habsburgs while Russia, Poland and France massed troops at their undefended borders. The coastline of the Kingdom was now under blockade by the French with the tacit support of the League of Armed Neutrality.
It was time to end this nonsense and all of Europe knew it. The obvious solution was a Hohenzollern retreat from Saxony with a peace at the status quo ante bellum. That was what everyone in Europe assumed to be the only logical outcome. There was some talk of reparations but the American President saw no point in humiliating the Protestant German power in such a way. Far better to just make peace and get back to life.
What he was not prepared for was the bombastic personality of the odd northern delegate, Winston Churchill. Churchill was a scion of the aristocratic exodus from Britain after the Revolution more than a century prior. Bitter at the loss of his ancestral home, the Germanized-Briton (whose ancestors tended to marry other British expatriots and, in his father's case, an American heiress) had become a radical monarchist and anti-Catholic.
More importantly, he was an avowed advocate of expansionary war by the Kingdom of Germany, his vitriol so toxic that he even openly spoke of invading the German Confederation just as his sovereign had invaded Saxony. This was the worst man possible to participate in a peace conference. When the senior diplomat fell ill, Churchill became the unlikely leader of the north German delegation and he would take advantage of the platform.
"We shall defend our lands! We shall fight in the streets, in the hills, in the farmsteads! We shall never surrender!"
This latest outburst was in reply to a waiter whom inquired if he wanted another glass of wine. By the end of the first week, even his fellow Kingdom of Germany representatives were mortified...and terrified that the man was blowing the opportunity for an easy peace. Churchill insulted the Habsburg delegates so badly that they walked out of the conference...effectively leaving the prospect of peace dead in their wake. Churchill happily returned to Berlin as if he'd won something.
The rest of Europe was aghast. The Kingdom of Germany was walking away from an easy peace which would leave their borders intact. Very few would feel sympathy for the House of Hohenzollern, including their American cousin whom had departed the peace table in the Hague in abject disgust. George Frederick Hohenzollern had staked his own reputation upon the German peace and now had his efforts slapped away.
As it would happen, the war did not recommence in the spring. Instead, the stubborn Germans would remain in their trenches with only the occasional probe back and forth to break the monotony. With Russian, Polish and French troops upon their other borders, the Kingdom of Germany could not attack further southward. The Empire of Germany would not be capable of attacking northwards.
Isolated and now landlocked, both nations glared upon one another across the battle lines. Almost unprecedented in their numbers, the vast armies of the Germans would dwarf the previous wars in terms of percentage of men in arms. All of Europe looked on in shock at the spectacle of over a million men in arms under the banner of what was considered two secondary powers at best. Even Russia, vastly more populous, had never placed so many men in uniform. Even the vast revolutionary armies of France and Britain had never come close with 15% of the nation, most able-bodied males between 20 and 40, donning uniforms at the same moment.
Manhattan
When President Hohenzollern returned back to America, he received little of the mockery he expected. Most respected him for attempting to end the carnage and for his even-handed negotiation. Most blamed the loudmouth young Assistant Foreign Minister, Winston Churchill.
The same thing struck the President in terms of the military situation as struck all other informed observers. He was shocked SO VERY MANY of the Germans had been mobilized at once. Most former wars seldom saw more than 5% of the population directly involved in the war, often the numbers were even less. During the War for American Independence, probably no more than 2% were in arms at any given moment.
Hohenzollern came to realize the America's procedures for raising troops were archaic to say the least. Hohenzollern would command the war department to prepare a brief to reorganize the reserves into a central forces as well as propose a procedure for a draft...though, of course, any draft must be approved by Congress and even Hohenzollern dared not do so in peacetime. He was more interested in the army KNOWING HOW to raise the men, not actually doing so. Much of the work had been done by the efficient Germans in producing a working model.
Hohenzollern hoped that the procedure would remain theoretical as he did not see any future eventuality of America requiring such a measure. There were no neighbors to threaten the nation. It seemed unlikely that Gallic Quebec, Zacatecas or Aztlan would challenge America's power. And any war involving an island campaign, like a battle with China over Nippon or with Spain over Cuba, would hardly require millions of soldiers.
He certainly could not imagine sending American forces to Europe or Asia in large numbers. Why would he?
No, America's dominant position in North America and powerful perch in South America ensured no sane neighbor could challenge them in the future. Beyond that was hardly America's business.
Hohenzollern, discouraged by his failure in Europe, would return to business. He was happy to see the new Congressmen from Amazonia, Guyana and Llanos seated though the other territories seemed unlikely to meet the standards of population and development demanded for Provincial status any time soon. The most interesting thing going on in the territories was the eternal feud between Chilcotin and Oregon over who, if anyone, gets to annex Vancouver and the San Juan Islands. Like most Presidents before him, Hohenzollern was happy to let the situation roll along without taking sides. For the moment, the population of the Territory was not adequate for Provincial status but the people of Vancouver and the San Juan Islands repeated voted to remain independent as a Territory rather than join one of the neighboring Provinces. The general logic was that the additional Congressional seat probably would not be won by a denizen of the islands but a "mainlander" from whichever Province annexed it. Thus, as Vancouver would not have its own Congressman anyways, why bother merging?
It would be decades before Vancouver and the San Juan Islands reached Provincial status on its own and, until then, the neighboring Provinces would continue to agitate for annexation much to the annoyances of the "Island men".
Other territories would also agitate but fail to reach Provincehood for one reason or another. The Leeward Islands, the Paria Islands, Assiniboia and California lacked the population. Costa Caribia and Costa Rica lacked the infrastructure development.
Chapter 593
July, 1904
Manhattan
The miserably hot days of summer would lead to some dismal months in Manhattan for the President. Most of Congress had fled the capital for the summer session, often returning to their home provinces. President Hohenzollern would often visit his home in Georgetown, New Jersey and his family homestead in New York along the Hudson River.
The spring session of Congress had been wasted, in his mind, on petty issues like evicting Chinese from America (not that there were many left) and deciding upon new names for the newly acquired Asian territories.
The islands would be formally go by their ancient Nipponese names:
1. Hokkaido would become the territory of Hokkaido.
2. The larger island to the North would not go by the Chinese name of Kuye or the Russian name of Sakhalin. Instead, the name Karafuto territory would be utilized in official American parlance.
3. The Kuril Islands would become the territory of the Chishima Islands.
4. The Kamchatka Peninsula would become the territory of Kamchatka. North and west of Kamchatka would be four new territories: Kolyma, Shelikhov, Beringia, and Okhotsk.
Naturally, any Chinese names tended to be erased and Nipponese and Russian place names preferred.
Hohenzollern would look at a map and wonder just how the hell America expected to hold onto these territories. Last time he checked, about a quarter of a billion Chinese (or some god awful number) were adjacent. Only the fact that China didn't value these regions allowed the Emperor to walk away. If Hohenzollern encouraged or even allowed American migration to these areas, what would be the inevitable result? 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 years down the road, the Chinese could simply march north and damned if Hohenzollern could think of a way America could stop them. This was perhaps the most idiotic decision America could have made. It ensured China was a perpetual enemy, added huge expense for a forlorn hope of hanging onto it in war and probably wouldn't bring in any form of real revenues.
Damn Theodore Roosevelt for pushing this through. Damn Hohenzollern for conceding the Secretary of State office to such a man. The President was certain America would regret giving that damned cowboy such authority.
July, 1904
Manhattan
The miserably hot days of summer would lead to some dismal months in Manhattan for the President. Most of Congress had fled the capital for the summer session, often returning to their home provinces. President Hohenzollern would often visit his home in Georgetown, New Jersey and his family homestead in New York along the Hudson River.
The spring session of Congress had been wasted, in his mind, on petty issues like evicting Chinese from America (not that there were many left) and deciding upon new names for the newly acquired Asian territories.
The islands would be formally go by their ancient Nipponese names:
1. Hokkaido would become the territory of Hokkaido.
2. The larger island to the North would not go by the Chinese name of Kuye or the Russian name of Sakhalin. Instead, the name Karafuto territory would be utilized in official American parlance.
3. The Kuril Islands would become the territory of the Chishima Islands.
4. The Kamchatka Peninsula would become the territory of Kamchatka. North and west of Kamchatka would be four new territories: Kolyma, Shelikhov, Beringia, and Okhotsk.
Naturally, any Chinese names tended to be erased and Nipponese and Russian place names preferred.
Hohenzollern would look at a map and wonder just how the hell America expected to hold onto these territories. Last time he checked, about a quarter of a billion Chinese (or some god awful number) were adjacent. Only the fact that China didn't value these regions allowed the Emperor to walk away. If Hohenzollern encouraged or even allowed American migration to these areas, what would be the inevitable result? 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 years down the road, the Chinese could simply march north and damned if Hohenzollern could think of a way America could stop them. This was perhaps the most idiotic decision America could have made. It ensured China was a perpetual enemy, added huge expense for a forlorn hope of hanging onto it in war and probably wouldn't bring in any form of real revenues.
Damn Theodore Roosevelt for pushing this through. Damn Hohenzollern for conceding the Secretary of State office to such a man. The President was certain America would regret giving that damned cowboy such authority.
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Chapter 594
December, 1904
Saxony
Despite the continued belligerency of the secondary powers in the middle of Europe, there had been little actual violence since the previous year's campaign. The Kingdom of Germany dared not launch another general assault, not with the Polish, Russian and French troops menacing her borders. Only stubborn pride forced the House of Hohenzollern to accept the inevitable: an armistice sure to result in a retreat from Saxony.
By the winter of 1804/5, the economic collapse of all three nations was virtually complete. The rest of Europe was reaching a point of...exasperation.
War in the middle of Europe disrupted the increasingly vital intra-continental transport network of rail, road, river and canal. East and west, for all intents and purposes, were cut off. People were annoyed. Yet the "allies" of France, Poland and Russia were hardly politically united enough to agree to a joint invasion of the Kingdom of Germany. The threat seemed adequate. But the stubborn Germans continued to insist on annexing at least the portion of Saxony they'd occupied.
Isolated, the situation deteriorated to the point that it was merely a matter of which side would collapse first.
The answer would be known by spring as hunger spread throughout Germany.
Tuscany
By the winter of 1904/05, the Spanish Bourbon control over Tuscany became accomplished fact. Despite the Spanish Bourbon claim through the "rightful heiress" of Tuscany, there was to be no separation politically from the rest of peninsular Italy. Arguably for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire 1400 years prior, the Italians were united under the same monarch.
The past decades had been a heady time for the Italians. Most of the old feudal customs had been abolished. Italians had freedom of movement, freedom of occupation and the worst of the old draconian legal system had been abolished. Actual attempts were made by the government to modernize industry, not just for the monarchs but intended to provide employment and a better quality of life for the common man. That many of these attempts failed dismally did not detract from the effort.
Infrastructure was built, though some regions, like the south, would find the construction of roads and railways difficult through the mountainous lands and progress was slow.
One area which little progress was made was towards democracy. The King of Spain and his heir ruling Italy (with the Princess of Tuscany) would see no point in this "Protestant ritual" and steadfastly refuse to hand over power to the mob. The "Latin" house of Bourbon was not the spendthrift and incompetent rulers of the past. Instead, they redoubled their efforts towards industrialization.
Like much of Europe, the monarchy of Spain, Portugal and Italy would refuse to relinquish power firmly and honestly believing that the King knew best. Resentment percolated and mixed with the newfound Italian nationalism, a concept which had not existed in countless generations.
Often frustrated by lack of economic opportunity and suppression of democratic feeling, large numbers of Italians (again, the idea of "Italian" was a new concept) would sail west with Sicilians, Sardinians, Corsicans, Spanish and Portuguese to America. Given the Bourbon monarchy's less than ideal relations with much of their former Empire, most emigration was forbidden to these regions. This made travel there more difficult as it added additional expensive stops. Most Italians would opt for the vast and vibrant nation of America.
As an uncommonly large percentage of these migrants were men relative to other European migrants, many never intended to settle America for the long term. They wanted to make some money and return to Italy. Over 30% would eventually return to the mother country, though many more EXPECTED to return but did not do so for various reason ranging from unexpected wealth keeping them in America, failure to make enough for a return trip, making just enough to live but not enough to retire on in Italy or, in some cases, finding new wives in America...when they already had wives waiting in Italy.
The latter became "White Widows" meaning their husbands were not dead but the poor Italian women could not in good conscience marry again. Hundreds of thousands of women were abandoned while their husbands lived new lives in America.
Throughout the 1890's and first five years of the 20th century, there were more Italian immigrants than any other group including British, Irish, French, German and Russian.
By the latter half of the decade, the Germans and Russians slowly overtook the Italians and formed huge communities in the eastern cities of America and in small towns throughout the hinterlands.
Southeast Asia
The lands of Manicheistan in southeast Asia were perched between those of the Muslim Bengalis and the Buddhist Burmese. Nervous as to the potential aggression of their neighbors, the followers of Mani would dispatch delegations to their only possible supporter, the Emperor of China. Manicheistan (an exonym from the Maratha Empire) was a poor land with harsh geography. The modernizing armies of the Maratha Empire, Bengal, Burma, Siam, etc would easily defeat any Manichean resistance, leaving only the difficult terrain to defend them.
An alliance with China seemed the only answer. The current Emperor purported to support the religion of Mani and this made him their natural protector. By 1905, Manicheistan was an effective protectorate of China, joining Tibet, the Joseon Kingdom and others as a vassal state.
This was a titanic shift in power in the local politics as it brought China directly into the Indian Ocean where it could challenge the Maratha Empire, Russia, Bengal, the United American Provinces and others. Many of these powers already saw China's aggression in Nippon as a sign of things to come. Now it was feared that China would extend its influence over the Viets, Hmong, Siamese, Lao, Khmer, Khmu and Burmese as well, maybe even extending towards the Philippines and the East Indies.
The Maratha Empire, already concerned with the rapid advancement of the Chinese in naval technology, would seek an "understanding" with both the Americans and Russians to ensure that the Indian Ocean would remain "free", meaning free of Chinese domination. In the short term, this was threat was overstated as the Manicheistan coast was hardly riddled with ports suitable to base large fleets and Beijing had no intention of any immediate aggression in the area anyway.
But the fear persisted and grew over the years to come, often evolving into paranoia.
December, 1904
Saxony
Despite the continued belligerency of the secondary powers in the middle of Europe, there had been little actual violence since the previous year's campaign. The Kingdom of Germany dared not launch another general assault, not with the Polish, Russian and French troops menacing her borders. Only stubborn pride forced the House of Hohenzollern to accept the inevitable: an armistice sure to result in a retreat from Saxony.
By the winter of 1804/5, the economic collapse of all three nations was virtually complete. The rest of Europe was reaching a point of...exasperation.
War in the middle of Europe disrupted the increasingly vital intra-continental transport network of rail, road, river and canal. East and west, for all intents and purposes, were cut off. People were annoyed. Yet the "allies" of France, Poland and Russia were hardly politically united enough to agree to a joint invasion of the Kingdom of Germany. The threat seemed adequate. But the stubborn Germans continued to insist on annexing at least the portion of Saxony they'd occupied.
Isolated, the situation deteriorated to the point that it was merely a matter of which side would collapse first.
The answer would be known by spring as hunger spread throughout Germany.
Tuscany
By the winter of 1904/05, the Spanish Bourbon control over Tuscany became accomplished fact. Despite the Spanish Bourbon claim through the "rightful heiress" of Tuscany, there was to be no separation politically from the rest of peninsular Italy. Arguably for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire 1400 years prior, the Italians were united under the same monarch.
The past decades had been a heady time for the Italians. Most of the old feudal customs had been abolished. Italians had freedom of movement, freedom of occupation and the worst of the old draconian legal system had been abolished. Actual attempts were made by the government to modernize industry, not just for the monarchs but intended to provide employment and a better quality of life for the common man. That many of these attempts failed dismally did not detract from the effort.
Infrastructure was built, though some regions, like the south, would find the construction of roads and railways difficult through the mountainous lands and progress was slow.
One area which little progress was made was towards democracy. The King of Spain and his heir ruling Italy (with the Princess of Tuscany) would see no point in this "Protestant ritual" and steadfastly refuse to hand over power to the mob. The "Latin" house of Bourbon was not the spendthrift and incompetent rulers of the past. Instead, they redoubled their efforts towards industrialization.
Like much of Europe, the monarchy of Spain, Portugal and Italy would refuse to relinquish power firmly and honestly believing that the King knew best. Resentment percolated and mixed with the newfound Italian nationalism, a concept which had not existed in countless generations.
Often frustrated by lack of economic opportunity and suppression of democratic feeling, large numbers of Italians (again, the idea of "Italian" was a new concept) would sail west with Sicilians, Sardinians, Corsicans, Spanish and Portuguese to America. Given the Bourbon monarchy's less than ideal relations with much of their former Empire, most emigration was forbidden to these regions. This made travel there more difficult as it added additional expensive stops. Most Italians would opt for the vast and vibrant nation of America.
As an uncommonly large percentage of these migrants were men relative to other European migrants, many never intended to settle America for the long term. They wanted to make some money and return to Italy. Over 30% would eventually return to the mother country, though many more EXPECTED to return but did not do so for various reason ranging from unexpected wealth keeping them in America, failure to make enough for a return trip, making just enough to live but not enough to retire on in Italy or, in some cases, finding new wives in America...when they already had wives waiting in Italy.
The latter became "White Widows" meaning their husbands were not dead but the poor Italian women could not in good conscience marry again. Hundreds of thousands of women were abandoned while their husbands lived new lives in America.
Throughout the 1890's and first five years of the 20th century, there were more Italian immigrants than any other group including British, Irish, French, German and Russian.
By the latter half of the decade, the Germans and Russians slowly overtook the Italians and formed huge communities in the eastern cities of America and in small towns throughout the hinterlands.
Southeast Asia
The lands of Manicheistan in southeast Asia were perched between those of the Muslim Bengalis and the Buddhist Burmese. Nervous as to the potential aggression of their neighbors, the followers of Mani would dispatch delegations to their only possible supporter, the Emperor of China. Manicheistan (an exonym from the Maratha Empire) was a poor land with harsh geography. The modernizing armies of the Maratha Empire, Bengal, Burma, Siam, etc would easily defeat any Manichean resistance, leaving only the difficult terrain to defend them.
An alliance with China seemed the only answer. The current Emperor purported to support the religion of Mani and this made him their natural protector. By 1905, Manicheistan was an effective protectorate of China, joining Tibet, the Joseon Kingdom and others as a vassal state.
This was a titanic shift in power in the local politics as it brought China directly into the Indian Ocean where it could challenge the Maratha Empire, Russia, Bengal, the United American Provinces and others. Many of these powers already saw China's aggression in Nippon as a sign of things to come. Now it was feared that China would extend its influence over the Viets, Hmong, Siamese, Lao, Khmer, Khmu and Burmese as well, maybe even extending towards the Philippines and the East Indies.
The Maratha Empire, already concerned with the rapid advancement of the Chinese in naval technology, would seek an "understanding" with both the Americans and Russians to ensure that the Indian Ocean would remain "free", meaning free of Chinese domination. In the short term, this was threat was overstated as the Manicheistan coast was hardly riddled with ports suitable to base large fleets and Beijing had no intention of any immediate aggression in the area anyway.
But the fear persisted and grew over the years to come, often evolving into paranoia.
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Chapter 595
April, 1905
Saxony
By spring of 1905, the whole of Europe was getting sick of the stubborn German vendetta. Trade between east and west had been severely constrained due situation in Central Europe. However, the Hohenzollern King of Germany refused to make peace with the Habsburg south. While neither side had made much in the way of offensive operations in many months, the stubborn rulers refused to make peace. By 1905, even the House of Hohenzollern had lost any sympathy throughout Europe.
Both parties had become quite isolated and trade had fallen to near nil. Naturally, the economies of both the Kingdom and the Empire of Germany collapsed in short order. It was only a matter which side would blink first. Naturally, it was not the King or the Emperor whom snapped...but the soldiers themselves. A mass mutiny arose among the unpaid Hohenzollern soldiers in northern Saxony whom had been forced to shiver in the trenches for two years. The harsh winter of 1905 had killed thousands of men. Hungry, freezing and outraged, the army rose up in mutiny and over 80,000 men marched northwards towards Berlin.
Delighted with their apparent fortune, the Generals of the Empire of Germany ordered their forces to surge through the breaks in the enemy line. However, the Austrians, Bavarians, Swabians, etc had had quite enough as well. Several high-ranking officers were murdered by their own men and the Hohenzollerns began to realize that their own position was threatened. The Imperial Armies remained stationary.
Berlin
Witnessing so many of his own forces marching unopposed towards his capital and staring nervously across the border of Poland and the German Confederation towards the Russian, Polish and French armies gazing angrily at his nation, the King of German would opt for discretion and order his army to make a "fighting withdrawal" in hopes of preventing a total coup.
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern would receive the summons back to Europe in May in hopes that he may reinvigorate the peace process. Hohenzollern seriously considered rejecting the entreaty after his previous attempt failed under the hostility of both Germanies. But, in the end, he was talked into the attempt by his wife whom justified than any effort towards peace, even a failed one, was worthwhile.
In the meantime, America had its own problems as a series of rail disasters, including one or two due to overworked engineers, would lead to a massive railroad strike that halted over half of the nation's internal transport. The laborers of a half dozen major railroads would unite into a new rail workers union to protest low wages, long hours and dangerous conditions.
The American Labor Act allowed unions to form and protected them from intimidation...but also ensured that the government may intervene should the effect of a labor and management conflict threaten the public good. The President demanded that leaders of both sides submit themselves to arbitration immediately with unspoken threat that the government may take over the railroads itself should a settlement not be reached. Both the owners and the laborers did not desire this one bit. Obviously the profits would be lost for the stockholders while the laborers may lose their jobs to the army (as it was implied).
Hohenzollern himself considered being the arbiter but he had already committed to his work in Europe. He may have preferred the competent Taft but that man was in Asia "advising" the Emperor of Nippon to rebuilt his nation in the modern ideal. That left...the President sighed....Roosevelt.
The Secretary of State felt slighted that the President was invited by the European leaders rather than himself and considered the offer of negotiating with railroads and the union a waste of his abilities. But there was still hope with the negotiations. Roosevelt was a strong personality and would not be pushed around. However, he was soon to be challenged by equally powerful personalities. Both were odd choices to represent the ownership and labor unions of the railroads.
Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula was a Navarran-born Latin peasant whom rallied poor miners into a union in his home province and then was hired by the Railman's Union to negotiate in the west. Only twenty-eight, he bore scars from battles with hired goons. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the inheritor of huge quantities of railroad stock and had become famous for his philanthropy but retained a reputation as a tough opponent in his attempts to expand his own family companies.
Roosevelt would have his work cut out for him.
Aranga in 1911
April, 1905
Saxony
By spring of 1905, the whole of Europe was getting sick of the stubborn German vendetta. Trade between east and west had been severely constrained due situation in Central Europe. However, the Hohenzollern King of Germany refused to make peace with the Habsburg south. While neither side had made much in the way of offensive operations in many months, the stubborn rulers refused to make peace. By 1905, even the House of Hohenzollern had lost any sympathy throughout Europe.
Both parties had become quite isolated and trade had fallen to near nil. Naturally, the economies of both the Kingdom and the Empire of Germany collapsed in short order. It was only a matter which side would blink first. Naturally, it was not the King or the Emperor whom snapped...but the soldiers themselves. A mass mutiny arose among the unpaid Hohenzollern soldiers in northern Saxony whom had been forced to shiver in the trenches for two years. The harsh winter of 1905 had killed thousands of men. Hungry, freezing and outraged, the army rose up in mutiny and over 80,000 men marched northwards towards Berlin.
Delighted with their apparent fortune, the Generals of the Empire of Germany ordered their forces to surge through the breaks in the enemy line. However, the Austrians, Bavarians, Swabians, etc had had quite enough as well. Several high-ranking officers were murdered by their own men and the Hohenzollerns began to realize that their own position was threatened. The Imperial Armies remained stationary.
Berlin
Witnessing so many of his own forces marching unopposed towards his capital and staring nervously across the border of Poland and the German Confederation towards the Russian, Polish and French armies gazing angrily at his nation, the King of German would opt for discretion and order his army to make a "fighting withdrawal" in hopes of preventing a total coup.
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern would receive the summons back to Europe in May in hopes that he may reinvigorate the peace process. Hohenzollern seriously considered rejecting the entreaty after his previous attempt failed under the hostility of both Germanies. But, in the end, he was talked into the attempt by his wife whom justified than any effort towards peace, even a failed one, was worthwhile.
In the meantime, America had its own problems as a series of rail disasters, including one or two due to overworked engineers, would lead to a massive railroad strike that halted over half of the nation's internal transport. The laborers of a half dozen major railroads would unite into a new rail workers union to protest low wages, long hours and dangerous conditions.
The American Labor Act allowed unions to form and protected them from intimidation...but also ensured that the government may intervene should the effect of a labor and management conflict threaten the public good. The President demanded that leaders of both sides submit themselves to arbitration immediately with unspoken threat that the government may take over the railroads itself should a settlement not be reached. Both the owners and the laborers did not desire this one bit. Obviously the profits would be lost for the stockholders while the laborers may lose their jobs to the army (as it was implied).
Hohenzollern himself considered being the arbiter but he had already committed to his work in Europe. He may have preferred the competent Taft but that man was in Asia "advising" the Emperor of Nippon to rebuilt his nation in the modern ideal. That left...the President sighed....Roosevelt.
The Secretary of State felt slighted that the President was invited by the European leaders rather than himself and considered the offer of negotiating with railroads and the union a waste of his abilities. But there was still hope with the negotiations. Roosevelt was a strong personality and would not be pushed around. However, he was soon to be challenged by equally powerful personalities. Both were odd choices to represent the ownership and labor unions of the railroads.
Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula was a Navarran-born Latin peasant whom rallied poor miners into a union in his home province and then was hired by the Railman's Union to negotiate in the west. Only twenty-eight, he bore scars from battles with hired goons. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the inheritor of huge quantities of railroad stock and had become famous for his philanthropy but retained a reputation as a tough opponent in his attempts to expand his own family companies.
Roosevelt would have his work cut out for him.
Aranga in 1911
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Chapter 596
July, 1905
The Hague
After weeks of negotiation, the assorted powers bowed to the inevitable and agreed to peace at the status quo ante bellum. As the rest of Europe demanded this, both nations facing potential coups and economic collapse. Eventually, both the Kingdom of Germany and Empire of Germany would agree to retreat from Saxony and allow the King of Saxony to regain control over his nation. This face-saving compromise allowed the Hohenzollerns and Habsburgs to return to their capitals in hopes of saving their thrones (like the Saxon King). More importantly, the peace prevented a foreign occupation of Germany which may have fostered a democratic element (assuming France and Poland would partake in the occupation). Thus, very few reforms were enacted in the next few years, putting off social discontent for the time being.
President Hohenzollern would receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
The Paria Islands
Having reached a population of 150,000 (the new requirement for reaching Provincehood), the Paria Islands (Trinidad, Margarita and Tobago) would seek Provincial Status in 1905 with the intent of joining the brotherhood of Provinces by the following year's election.
Only later would the majority of the island residents learn that "Paria" meant something quite different in the Maratha Empire though Hindus were rather light on the ground in the west.
Congressman Francisco Madero of Extremadura, a political independent courted by both parties before joining the Provincials, would formally submit the bill granting the Paria Islands representation in Congress.
Havana
Though Cuba and Puerto Rico remained much more inclined to radical democratic movement than other areas of the Latin Bourbon Empire, this did not mean it was particularly strong. With the 19th century Bourbon reforms, Cuba quietly prospered as trade barriers fell, immigration resumed and the economy improved. Perhaps more important to keeping the peace in the islands was the fact that the King graciously agreed to grant positions in the somewhat farcical Spanish Parliament to locals. No longer "colonies", Cuba, Puerto Rico and the smaller Spanish West Indies would have a say in the entire Empire.
Aztlan
The election of 1905 in Aztlan would go to the young Pino Suarez, whom vowed to follow the path of Benito Juarez and Vincente Guerrero and support democracy. In recent years, the slow pace of economic growth had threatened the young nation. Only the near dissolution of the Atzlan Army had kept would-be generalisimos from seizing power. Some questioned Suarez' right to the Presidency as he was actually born in the Mayan Republic (though his family migrated when he was a young child). Still, no law prescribed that only a native born man was eligible from the top office and the election was considered clean by all.
Seeing the military as a threat to the nation, Suarez would take the next step and virtually dismantle the remnant of the army leaving only a few thousands cavalry and artillery forces within the nation. By 1910, the Aztlan Navy would bear five times the manpower as the army. Local police, rigorously controlled by the central government and Congress, would be left to protect Aztlan from forces without and within.
July, 1905
The Hague
After weeks of negotiation, the assorted powers bowed to the inevitable and agreed to peace at the status quo ante bellum. As the rest of Europe demanded this, both nations facing potential coups and economic collapse. Eventually, both the Kingdom of Germany and Empire of Germany would agree to retreat from Saxony and allow the King of Saxony to regain control over his nation. This face-saving compromise allowed the Hohenzollerns and Habsburgs to return to their capitals in hopes of saving their thrones (like the Saxon King). More importantly, the peace prevented a foreign occupation of Germany which may have fostered a democratic element (assuming France and Poland would partake in the occupation). Thus, very few reforms were enacted in the next few years, putting off social discontent for the time being.
President Hohenzollern would receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
The Paria Islands
Having reached a population of 150,000 (the new requirement for reaching Provincehood), the Paria Islands (Trinidad, Margarita and Tobago) would seek Provincial Status in 1905 with the intent of joining the brotherhood of Provinces by the following year's election.
Only later would the majority of the island residents learn that "Paria" meant something quite different in the Maratha Empire though Hindus were rather light on the ground in the west.
Congressman Francisco Madero of Extremadura, a political independent courted by both parties before joining the Provincials, would formally submit the bill granting the Paria Islands representation in Congress.
Havana
Though Cuba and Puerto Rico remained much more inclined to radical democratic movement than other areas of the Latin Bourbon Empire, this did not mean it was particularly strong. With the 19th century Bourbon reforms, Cuba quietly prospered as trade barriers fell, immigration resumed and the economy improved. Perhaps more important to keeping the peace in the islands was the fact that the King graciously agreed to grant positions in the somewhat farcical Spanish Parliament to locals. No longer "colonies", Cuba, Puerto Rico and the smaller Spanish West Indies would have a say in the entire Empire.
Aztlan
The election of 1905 in Aztlan would go to the young Pino Suarez, whom vowed to follow the path of Benito Juarez and Vincente Guerrero and support democracy. In recent years, the slow pace of economic growth had threatened the young nation. Only the near dissolution of the Atzlan Army had kept would-be generalisimos from seizing power. Some questioned Suarez' right to the Presidency as he was actually born in the Mayan Republic (though his family migrated when he was a young child). Still, no law prescribed that only a native born man was eligible from the top office and the election was considered clean by all.
Seeing the military as a threat to the nation, Suarez would take the next step and virtually dismantle the remnant of the army leaving only a few thousands cavalry and artillery forces within the nation. By 1910, the Aztlan Navy would bear five times the manpower as the army. Local police, rigorously controlled by the central government and Congress, would be left to protect Aztlan from forces without and within.
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Chapter 597
December, 1905
Kingdom of Germany
Though the war had been effectively over for many months, the Kingdom of Germany's turmoil was far from complete. The pseudo-rebellion of the armed forces had terrified the ruling class and forced the King into making all sorts of promises. As the rebellion was not uniformly led or possessing a true political doctrine, the soldiers were happy enough with the peace and being allowed to go home. Longtime Democratic activists had hoped to rally the soldiers to their cause but few actually received followers. The result was a crackdown....again....on pro-democracy forces. Thousands were thrown into jail and the movement again killed in the Kingdom. The probably saving grace for the monarchy and their ilk was possessing the wisdom not to extend the purge to the rapidly demobilizing army forces. As long as the soldiers did nothing beyond going home, the Crown was determined to let that sleeping dog lie. A few officers aiding the mutiny were quietly "retired" or moved to less essential positions but none were arrested or openly relieved of duty.
Unfortunately, the peace also did not result in quick economic recovery. The government was broke and common services barely survived. There was a substantial uptick in emigration (the Crown happy to see unhappy people leave despite previous attempts to prevent emigration in order to maintain the highest possible population) to America. In the past, the German immigration had been viewed by the American population as "Catholic" in nature but this was something of an exaggeration. The large-scale German immigration of the past 50 years was split almost evenly between Catholic and Protestant. The next five to ten years would see a disproportionate Protestant German migration due to emigrants from the Kingdom of Germany and the reforming German Confederation (the latter spurred to reform by France, which feared otherwise that the Germans of northwest Germany would desire unification with a hostile Kingdom of Germany).
Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
For many years, Brooklyn was considered the "Catholic" city of the region with large numbers of Germans, Irish and Italian Catholics making it their home. Queens had the reputation of being disproportionately, though not majority, Orthodox (Russian, Lebanese, Copt, Ethiopian) and Jewish. The Bronx was the "Protestant" stronghold which accepted large numbers of Briton, Protestant Irish, Protestant Germans, etc.
Only the Bronx had a majority native born population by 1900.
At the turn of the century, each of these cities would become even more of a melting pot. Catholics moved to the Bronx. Protestants moved to Brooklyn. The old ethnic neighborhoods blended together. Many of the immigrant families of the past century had grown more affluent, "Americanized" and eventually left the region with new populations moving in.
San Francisco Harbor, Yerba Buena, Borealia Province
1905 saw the first "Little Tokyo" being formed in Yerba Buena out of America's first wave of Asian immigration since tens of thousands of Chinese men entered the country's west coast during the gold rushes. Most of the Chinese had been evicted during the past decade, thus ending the first Asian experiment. But closer relations with the Nipponese Emperor would allow several thousand Nipponese to enter each year. Most ended up in the west coast with San Francisco Harbor being the most common portal. But, eventually, a small neighborhood arose in Brooklyn as well.
In Yerba Buena, the Nipponese were socially restricted and often were forced to reside in the poor and undeveloped "Pacific Heights" or working-class "Mission" Districts.
Manhattan
Secretary of State Theodore Roosevelt was already getting tired of President Hohenzollern's interference with his department. There were few men whom could withstand his personality but Hohenzollern was too accustomed to a military mindset which did not allow him to be dominated by a "subordinate" like Roosevelt.
Hohenzollern refused Roosevelt's entreaties to "assume control" over Hawaii and the other islands of the Mormon Theocracy. In truth, barely half of the population claimed by the Theocracy were actual Mormons. But the Theocracy dominated the governments of Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and other regional powers. To ensure this, the Theocracy would refuse any "foreign" evangelists.
For the most part, Hohenzollern was willing to let matters as they were. He was half way through his Presidency and the soldier had prevented Roosevelt from starting a war with anyone. This was a record of which he could be proud.
Roosevelt would recommend that William Howard Taft be reassigned from his office of "Ambassador" to Nippon and given the governorship of "American Siberia" in hopes of sidelining a potential rival for the 1908 Presidential election but Hohenzollern would not hear of it. Frustrated, Roosevelt would quietly begin campaigning for the election, often being photographed with interesting personages including being driven by a young automobile inventor named Henry Ford in Mackinac.
December, 1905
Kingdom of Germany
Though the war had been effectively over for many months, the Kingdom of Germany's turmoil was far from complete. The pseudo-rebellion of the armed forces had terrified the ruling class and forced the King into making all sorts of promises. As the rebellion was not uniformly led or possessing a true political doctrine, the soldiers were happy enough with the peace and being allowed to go home. Longtime Democratic activists had hoped to rally the soldiers to their cause but few actually received followers. The result was a crackdown....again....on pro-democracy forces. Thousands were thrown into jail and the movement again killed in the Kingdom. The probably saving grace for the monarchy and their ilk was possessing the wisdom not to extend the purge to the rapidly demobilizing army forces. As long as the soldiers did nothing beyond going home, the Crown was determined to let that sleeping dog lie. A few officers aiding the mutiny were quietly "retired" or moved to less essential positions but none were arrested or openly relieved of duty.
Unfortunately, the peace also did not result in quick economic recovery. The government was broke and common services barely survived. There was a substantial uptick in emigration (the Crown happy to see unhappy people leave despite previous attempts to prevent emigration in order to maintain the highest possible population) to America. In the past, the German immigration had been viewed by the American population as "Catholic" in nature but this was something of an exaggeration. The large-scale German immigration of the past 50 years was split almost evenly between Catholic and Protestant. The next five to ten years would see a disproportionate Protestant German migration due to emigrants from the Kingdom of Germany and the reforming German Confederation (the latter spurred to reform by France, which feared otherwise that the Germans of northwest Germany would desire unification with a hostile Kingdom of Germany).
Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
For many years, Brooklyn was considered the "Catholic" city of the region with large numbers of Germans, Irish and Italian Catholics making it their home. Queens had the reputation of being disproportionately, though not majority, Orthodox (Russian, Lebanese, Copt, Ethiopian) and Jewish. The Bronx was the "Protestant" stronghold which accepted large numbers of Briton, Protestant Irish, Protestant Germans, etc.
Only the Bronx had a majority native born population by 1900.
At the turn of the century, each of these cities would become even more of a melting pot. Catholics moved to the Bronx. Protestants moved to Brooklyn. The old ethnic neighborhoods blended together. Many of the immigrant families of the past century had grown more affluent, "Americanized" and eventually left the region with new populations moving in.
San Francisco Harbor, Yerba Buena, Borealia Province
1905 saw the first "Little Tokyo" being formed in Yerba Buena out of America's first wave of Asian immigration since tens of thousands of Chinese men entered the country's west coast during the gold rushes. Most of the Chinese had been evicted during the past decade, thus ending the first Asian experiment. But closer relations with the Nipponese Emperor would allow several thousand Nipponese to enter each year. Most ended up in the west coast with San Francisco Harbor being the most common portal. But, eventually, a small neighborhood arose in Brooklyn as well.
In Yerba Buena, the Nipponese were socially restricted and often were forced to reside in the poor and undeveloped "Pacific Heights" or working-class "Mission" Districts.
Manhattan
Secretary of State Theodore Roosevelt was already getting tired of President Hohenzollern's interference with his department. There were few men whom could withstand his personality but Hohenzollern was too accustomed to a military mindset which did not allow him to be dominated by a "subordinate" like Roosevelt.
Hohenzollern refused Roosevelt's entreaties to "assume control" over Hawaii and the other islands of the Mormon Theocracy. In truth, barely half of the population claimed by the Theocracy were actual Mormons. But the Theocracy dominated the governments of Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and other regional powers. To ensure this, the Theocracy would refuse any "foreign" evangelists.
For the most part, Hohenzollern was willing to let matters as they were. He was half way through his Presidency and the soldier had prevented Roosevelt from starting a war with anyone. This was a record of which he could be proud.
Roosevelt would recommend that William Howard Taft be reassigned from his office of "Ambassador" to Nippon and given the governorship of "American Siberia" in hopes of sidelining a potential rival for the 1908 Presidential election but Hohenzollern would not hear of it. Frustrated, Roosevelt would quietly begin campaigning for the election, often being photographed with interesting personages including being driven by a young automobile inventor named Henry Ford in Mackinac.
Chapter 598
April, 1906
Manicheistan
Though the coast of Manicheistan lacked an abundance of fine ports, the Chinese Army would spend months preparing new moorings for the Navy, thus putting the first real Chinese presence along the Indian Ocean. The Maratha Emperor would protest, knowing that such an advance base would threaten Maratha superiority in the region.
By 1906, the Marathans were rapidly modernizing their fleet. The stunning evidence of the American-Chinese war proved that the Marathan Navy was obsolete.
The Emperor would dispatch emissaries to Manhattan requesting expeditated delivery of modern warships capable of competing with the Chinese. In the meantime, neutral nations like the Philippines, Java, the Khmer Kingdom, Siam Laos, Burma and others would quietly seek alliance with both the Maratha Empire and America as these were seen as less aggressive than China.
Manhattan
Deputy Mayor (appointed) George McClellan Junior of the Federal District of Manhattan would enter the 1906 election certain of gaining election as the Mayor in November of 1906. For the past 10 years, he'd been appointed by the outgoing three-term Mayor Grover Cleveland to posts of increasingly significance in the capital bureaucracy. His most recent accomplishment was overseeing the local subway expansion. This assured him of assuming the Deputy Mayor position and now was the front-runner for the Mayorship on the Provincial Party ticket.
McClellan, like many of his predecessors, often went against the grain by fighting the wily-nily expansion on the island and saw no reason why the capital should give up its precious green spaces so cheap residences could be built up until Manhattan resembled the slums of Brooklyn.
McClellan, now in his early forties, had spent his career with his father's ghost over his shoulder. George McClellan Sr. was an intelligent, ambitious and hard-working man whom had never amounted to much and demanded his son make the family name famous. The younger man bore a greater burden of his father's expectations. Dead for over a decade, the senior man would never see his son elected to such a prestigious office. Most likely he would be disappointed that his son was not already president.
Siberia and Tibet
Though China had nominally assumed control over "Siberia" generations before, that did not mean that the nation had done much of anything to settle or develop the region. That allowed encroachment by Russia, the Turkic Khanate and even the Maratha Empire.
The fall of Eastern Siberia to America would encourage some neighbors to believe that China was perhaps more vulnerable than they really were. Most dangerous was far to the south where the Marathas focused their anxiety on China's new tribute state of Manicheistan and wondered if perhaps the loose Chinese control over Tibet may provide an opportunity to push the Chinese border back hundreds of miles and block any conceivable invasion of the Marathas from the north.
In truth, any army invading through Tibet would find their supply line almost impossible to sustain and there was no chance whatsoever that China would or could utilized this route. But Indian (as the people of the subcontinent were often called rather than Marathas) peoples had long memories and the record of invasions from northern tribes like the Afghans resonated even today.
April, 1906
Manicheistan
Though the coast of Manicheistan lacked an abundance of fine ports, the Chinese Army would spend months preparing new moorings for the Navy, thus putting the first real Chinese presence along the Indian Ocean. The Maratha Emperor would protest, knowing that such an advance base would threaten Maratha superiority in the region.
By 1906, the Marathans were rapidly modernizing their fleet. The stunning evidence of the American-Chinese war proved that the Marathan Navy was obsolete.
The Emperor would dispatch emissaries to Manhattan requesting expeditated delivery of modern warships capable of competing with the Chinese. In the meantime, neutral nations like the Philippines, Java, the Khmer Kingdom, Siam Laos, Burma and others would quietly seek alliance with both the Maratha Empire and America as these were seen as less aggressive than China.
Manhattan
Deputy Mayor (appointed) George McClellan Junior of the Federal District of Manhattan would enter the 1906 election certain of gaining election as the Mayor in November of 1906. For the past 10 years, he'd been appointed by the outgoing three-term Mayor Grover Cleveland to posts of increasingly significance in the capital bureaucracy. His most recent accomplishment was overseeing the local subway expansion. This assured him of assuming the Deputy Mayor position and now was the front-runner for the Mayorship on the Provincial Party ticket.
McClellan, like many of his predecessors, often went against the grain by fighting the wily-nily expansion on the island and saw no reason why the capital should give up its precious green spaces so cheap residences could be built up until Manhattan resembled the slums of Brooklyn.
McClellan, now in his early forties, had spent his career with his father's ghost over his shoulder. George McClellan Sr. was an intelligent, ambitious and hard-working man whom had never amounted to much and demanded his son make the family name famous. The younger man bore a greater burden of his father's expectations. Dead for over a decade, the senior man would never see his son elected to such a prestigious office. Most likely he would be disappointed that his son was not already president.
Siberia and Tibet
Though China had nominally assumed control over "Siberia" generations before, that did not mean that the nation had done much of anything to settle or develop the region. That allowed encroachment by Russia, the Turkic Khanate and even the Maratha Empire.
The fall of Eastern Siberia to America would encourage some neighbors to believe that China was perhaps more vulnerable than they really were. Most dangerous was far to the south where the Marathas focused their anxiety on China's new tribute state of Manicheistan and wondered if perhaps the loose Chinese control over Tibet may provide an opportunity to push the Chinese border back hundreds of miles and block any conceivable invasion of the Marathas from the north.
In truth, any army invading through Tibet would find their supply line almost impossible to sustain and there was no chance whatsoever that China would or could utilized this route. But Indian (as the people of the subcontinent were often called rather than Marathas) peoples had long memories and the record of invasions from northern tribes like the Afghans resonated even today.
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Chapter 599
November, 1906
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern would spend much of 1906 preparing for the coming election. He was a popular President and, unlike many past elections, would receive many requests to campaign on behalf of his allies in Congress. Perhaps he would not be such a Lame Duck as previous Presidents of the past few decades in his final two years in office.
In the meantime, he would also be the first President to visit the American Main of south and central America while in office in decades. He would choose December and January as he held no particular interest in seeing out a New Years in Manhattan. By November, the region was already covered in snow, something that can rarely be applied to Darien, Granada and Maracaibo.
Indeed, Hohenzollern and his wife would be the first President and First Lady to visit the territories of Costa Rica and Costa Caribia. Though the lands were harsh and mountainous, fine ports rare and the heat oppressive, there remained a steady trickle of emigrants from the Republics of Nicaragua and Managua, other regions of the American Main, the Caribbean and further afield as far as Europe, the Levant and Ethiopia. Small ports allowed for trade, new railroads moved goods inland to the sea and generally a region once expected never to sustain a real population would approach the point of population and infrastructure to allow for a Provincehood.
Similarly, the territory of Assiniboia would approach the necessary population after several years of heavy growth due to the construction of the "northern boondoggle", a railroad line across the far north often considered a waste of money. Many believed that the Northern Pacific Railroad a few hundred miles to the south would support the region well enough. However, this proved inadequate and the developing mining, ranching and farming of the region would spur Congress to approve a new trans-continental railroad under the sponsorship of the late John A. MacDonald (whom wanted it to go through his native Province of Wyandotte).
So grateful were the people of Assiniboia that they named their new capital city after the man whom relentlessly pushed the matter through an indifferent Congress.
November, 1906
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern would spend much of 1906 preparing for the coming election. He was a popular President and, unlike many past elections, would receive many requests to campaign on behalf of his allies in Congress. Perhaps he would not be such a Lame Duck as previous Presidents of the past few decades in his final two years in office.
In the meantime, he would also be the first President to visit the American Main of south and central America while in office in decades. He would choose December and January as he held no particular interest in seeing out a New Years in Manhattan. By November, the region was already covered in snow, something that can rarely be applied to Darien, Granada and Maracaibo.
Indeed, Hohenzollern and his wife would be the first President and First Lady to visit the territories of Costa Rica and Costa Caribia. Though the lands were harsh and mountainous, fine ports rare and the heat oppressive, there remained a steady trickle of emigrants from the Republics of Nicaragua and Managua, other regions of the American Main, the Caribbean and further afield as far as Europe, the Levant and Ethiopia. Small ports allowed for trade, new railroads moved goods inland to the sea and generally a region once expected never to sustain a real population would approach the point of population and infrastructure to allow for a Provincehood.
Similarly, the territory of Assiniboia would approach the necessary population after several years of heavy growth due to the construction of the "northern boondoggle", a railroad line across the far north often considered a waste of money. Many believed that the Northern Pacific Railroad a few hundred miles to the south would support the region well enough. However, this proved inadequate and the developing mining, ranching and farming of the region would spur Congress to approve a new trans-continental railroad under the sponsorship of the late John A. MacDonald (whom wanted it to go through his native Province of Wyandotte).
So grateful were the people of Assiniboia that they named their new capital city after the man whom relentlessly pushed the matter through an indifferent Congress.
Chapter 600
May, 1907
Dublin
Vasily Verishchagin, sixtyish and grey-bearded, was among the most respected war artists in the world. While some considered painting martial epics a lost art in the age of photography, Verishchagin's portraits were both provocative and hauntingly beautiful. Decorated in his younger days by two Czars, Verishchagin would enjoy Royal patronage....for a while. Eventually, the horrors of war would lead Verishchagin down another path. When his paintings of Russian forces crushing Turkic or Tatar or Anatolian or other nations would slowly be viewed as...critical...the political support dried up. He was no longer allowed to accompany troops on the margins of the periphery of Russia's enormous frontier.
His exhibitions were banned, several great works destroyed.
Vasily Verishchagin and his greatest work
Photo of young Adolf Heitler after arrival in Ireland and one of his city paintings
Eventually Verishchagin would elect to travel abroad. The Russian government, whom feared that the old man would join the radical movements, would be happy to see him depart along with millions of others from Russia proper to the Near East or all the way to America.
Verishchagin would spend much of the early 20th century painting scenes of the German war. Later, he was ejected from Prussia and sailed for Britain where he was left in peace by the Republic. However, Verishchagin wasn't happy for some reason in London. Perhaps he'd spent too much time along the frontier and missed the countryside. He would sail again, this time to Ireland, and entered into a Professorship in the Dublin Art Institute. Dublin, while a city itself, was considerably more pleasant than crowded and smelly London and his teaching duties allowed for him to spend several days a week in the country.
Among his students was a young Austrian whom had initially been rejected by the Institute...twice. But Adolf Heitler would be discovered upon the streets of Dublin, painting cityscapes for pennies when the old Russian happened upon him. Though he barely spoke Irish or English, the Russian was able to communicate in moderately competent German and learned of Heitler's failure to be accepted by the prestigious school. Reviewing several of the portraits, the old man would see the raw talent and ordered young Adolf to seek him out the next day in his office. Though not a tenured professor or head of a department, the Russian had already gained influence with the faculty and would assure the young man that his application would be revisited for the fall semester.
Manhattan
President Hohenzollern would never cease to be astonished by the bizarre waves of immigration to America. While not quite as diverse as Brooklyn or even the Bronx, Manhattan was reflecting some of this international flair. Usually the high prices and vigorous regulation of the Federal District of Manhattan prevented the poor and downtrodden immigrants from the capital and the island remained a bastion of the government and the wealthy. Manufacturing was effectively banned along with other offensive blights like slaughterhouses, tanneries, etc, thus there was no reason for the construction of cheap slums. Fine townhouses, offices, banks and restaurants pervaded the island.
This latter would prove the entryway of many foreign born peoples into Manhattan (that and live in maids or butlers serving the nation's political classes). By 1907, Manhattan had numerous French, Italian (with all their crazy pastas) and Lebanese restaurants but even more exotic fares were becoming available. Ethiopian Kinche, a mix of barley and oatmeal served with spice butter, was becoming a morning tradition in the city. Lunches of tacos, shawarma, Vienna sausages and Swedish pickled herring were served in the streets by ethnic venders.
Now, high end restaurants would serve even more baffling concoctions. In one day, President Hohenzollern would be treated by friends at a new Russian restaurant for lunch and then an Indian restaurant for dinner. Though he was loathe to admit it, the borsch and chicken tikka were delightful. In four years as President, Hohenzollern had gained twenty pounds. He still cut a dashing figure but didn't have a prayer of fitting back into his service uniform without alternation.
May, 1907
Dublin
Vasily Verishchagin, sixtyish and grey-bearded, was among the most respected war artists in the world. While some considered painting martial epics a lost art in the age of photography, Verishchagin's portraits were both provocative and hauntingly beautiful. Decorated in his younger days by two Czars, Verishchagin would enjoy Royal patronage....for a while. Eventually, the horrors of war would lead Verishchagin down another path. When his paintings of Russian forces crushing Turkic or Tatar or Anatolian or other nations would slowly be viewed as...critical...the political support dried up. He was no longer allowed to accompany troops on the margins of the periphery of Russia's enormous frontier.
His exhibitions were banned, several great works destroyed.
Vasily Verishchagin and his greatest work
Photo of young Adolf Heitler after arrival in Ireland and one of his city paintings
Eventually Verishchagin would elect to travel abroad. The Russian government, whom feared that the old man would join the radical movements, would be happy to see him depart along with millions of others from Russia proper to the Near East or all the way to America.
Verishchagin would spend much of the early 20th century painting scenes of the German war. Later, he was ejected from Prussia and sailed for Britain where he was left in peace by the Republic. However, Verishchagin wasn't happy for some reason in London. Perhaps he'd spent too much time along the frontier and missed the countryside. He would sail again, this time to Ireland, and entered into a Professorship in the Dublin Art Institute. Dublin, while a city itself, was considerably more pleasant than crowded and smelly London and his teaching duties allowed for him to spend several days a week in the country.
Among his students was a young Austrian whom had initially been rejected by the Institute...twice. But Adolf Heitler would be discovered upon the streets of Dublin, painting cityscapes for pennies when the old Russian happened upon him. Though he barely spoke Irish or English, the Russian was able to communicate in moderately competent German and learned of Heitler's failure to be accepted by the prestigious school. Reviewing several of the portraits, the old man would see the raw talent and ordered young Adolf to seek him out the next day in his office. Though not a tenured professor or head of a department, the Russian had already gained influence with the faculty and would assure the young man that his application would be revisited for the fall semester.
Manhattan
President Hohenzollern would never cease to be astonished by the bizarre waves of immigration to America. While not quite as diverse as Brooklyn or even the Bronx, Manhattan was reflecting some of this international flair. Usually the high prices and vigorous regulation of the Federal District of Manhattan prevented the poor and downtrodden immigrants from the capital and the island remained a bastion of the government and the wealthy. Manufacturing was effectively banned along with other offensive blights like slaughterhouses, tanneries, etc, thus there was no reason for the construction of cheap slums. Fine townhouses, offices, banks and restaurants pervaded the island.
This latter would prove the entryway of many foreign born peoples into Manhattan (that and live in maids or butlers serving the nation's political classes). By 1907, Manhattan had numerous French, Italian (with all their crazy pastas) and Lebanese restaurants but even more exotic fares were becoming available. Ethiopian Kinche, a mix of barley and oatmeal served with spice butter, was becoming a morning tradition in the city. Lunches of tacos, shawarma, Vienna sausages and Swedish pickled herring were served in the streets by ethnic venders.
Now, high end restaurants would serve even more baffling concoctions. In one day, President Hohenzollern would be treated by friends at a new Russian restaurant for lunch and then an Indian restaurant for dinner. Though he was loathe to admit it, the borsch and chicken tikka were delightful. In four years as President, Hohenzollern had gained twenty pounds. He still cut a dashing figure but didn't have a prayer of fitting back into his service uniform without alternation.
Chapter 601
November, 1907
Dublin
The Austrian-born Irishman, Adolf Heitler, had spent a third of his life in Ireland ad, by 1907, spoke fluent Irish and even a bit of English, the latter still being spoken in cities by the merchant class which remained closely tied to the British economy despite generations of separation from the extinct British crown and British republic. The urban business class remained disproportionately Anglican or Presbyterian. The Protestants, though having fallen from their peak of 25% of Ireland's population in the late 18th century down to 11% by 1907, had lost many of their lands in the confiscations after the rebellion.....but held onto their position in trade, banking and manufacturing.
This aroused the resentment of the Irish Catholics whom still recalled the domination of their ancestors by the House of Hanover (both when seated in Britain and later in Prussia-Hanover, now the Kingdom of Germany). Sectarian violence occasionally flared up. The Dublin Art Institute was created in the years following the formation of the Republic and had become identified with the new Catholic-led government. Like many institutions in this turbulent time, Protestants were prohibited from attending. Eventually, a new peace was made and Protestants were accepted into government, the Universities, etc but the Art Institute directors would remain steadfastly partisan and few Protestants were accepted.
The Institute became a symbol of the Radical "Irish Union" Movement which desired the expulsion of all non-Catholics from the Island. While not all students were so politicized, there was an undercurrent of anti-Protestant artists. Heitler, though not a native Irishman, would join these ranks. In his youth, he'd considered a life in the clergy and had been radicalized by the Kingdom of Germany's (the Protestant Hohenzollerns) assaults upon Saxony and the Habsburg Empire of Germany.
A petition was raised to ban Protestants from the school but the administration swiftly rejected it. Despite years of peace and positive relations with the Republic of England, Ireland appeared intent upon tearing apart many of its gains over the past century.
Italy
Though the Peninsula had been united under the Spanish Bourbons for the first time in a thousand years, it had taken decades for any semblance of an "Italian" national identity to form. Surprisingly moderate economic reforms abolishing internal barriers to trade as well as lower tariffs abroad would mix with a lightening of the judicial system (outside of treason of course) would allow greater intermixing of the Italian peoples. Not all of this was favorable as the more developed northerners would hold the agrarian southerners to a level of contempt. But the poor of the south would migrate to the new northern industrial regions (as well as to America) to feed the new need for labor.
More so, many Italians would migrate seasonally or permanently to the Gallic Kingdoms where their labor was prized in the fertile farmsteads. Unlike other nations, Gaul did not have stringent barriers to entry and this immigration would also feed the new urban manufacturing centers. Every major Gallic city would have an Italian district and Italian surnames would become common throughout the Seven Kingdoms over the next century.
It also led to a belief in some quarters that parts of Piedmont-Savoy and Occitania deserved to belong to the Kingdom of Italy...and therefore the King of Spain.
The Occitan language was considered in some quarters closer to Catalonian than French or one of the other common languages of the Gallic Crown. This was used as a pretense for ambitious Italian and Spanish functionaries to dream of an expanded Empire which physically linked Iberia to Italy.
North Africa
The 18th Century had been brutal for North Africa as most of the coastline was conquered by various Europeans and then savage internal civil wars occurred among the tribesmen of the plains and mountains. Eventually, the ascendancy of Arab language and culture was partially rolled back as the new leaders of North Africa were culturally and linguistically Berber. New Universities were taught entirely in Berber, many being largely secular. Eventually, even the dominance of Arabic in religious affairs would diminish. Most Muslims would read the Quran in Arabic but the new Berber leaders of North Africa (and the Persian people as well) would translate into their native languages. This was not quite as radical as when Protestants began preaching and translating the bible in languages other than Latin but was considered quite the revolution.
Some viewed this as further splintering of the Muslim faith into factions. But religion was often used as a political tool and the new religious practices were utilized by Sultans and Kings to stamp their own authority over their Kingdoms.
November, 1907
Dublin
The Austrian-born Irishman, Adolf Heitler, had spent a third of his life in Ireland ad, by 1907, spoke fluent Irish and even a bit of English, the latter still being spoken in cities by the merchant class which remained closely tied to the British economy despite generations of separation from the extinct British crown and British republic. The urban business class remained disproportionately Anglican or Presbyterian. The Protestants, though having fallen from their peak of 25% of Ireland's population in the late 18th century down to 11% by 1907, had lost many of their lands in the confiscations after the rebellion.....but held onto their position in trade, banking and manufacturing.
This aroused the resentment of the Irish Catholics whom still recalled the domination of their ancestors by the House of Hanover (both when seated in Britain and later in Prussia-Hanover, now the Kingdom of Germany). Sectarian violence occasionally flared up. The Dublin Art Institute was created in the years following the formation of the Republic and had become identified with the new Catholic-led government. Like many institutions in this turbulent time, Protestants were prohibited from attending. Eventually, a new peace was made and Protestants were accepted into government, the Universities, etc but the Art Institute directors would remain steadfastly partisan and few Protestants were accepted.
The Institute became a symbol of the Radical "Irish Union" Movement which desired the expulsion of all non-Catholics from the Island. While not all students were so politicized, there was an undercurrent of anti-Protestant artists. Heitler, though not a native Irishman, would join these ranks. In his youth, he'd considered a life in the clergy and had been radicalized by the Kingdom of Germany's (the Protestant Hohenzollerns) assaults upon Saxony and the Habsburg Empire of Germany.
A petition was raised to ban Protestants from the school but the administration swiftly rejected it. Despite years of peace and positive relations with the Republic of England, Ireland appeared intent upon tearing apart many of its gains over the past century.
Italy
Though the Peninsula had been united under the Spanish Bourbons for the first time in a thousand years, it had taken decades for any semblance of an "Italian" national identity to form. Surprisingly moderate economic reforms abolishing internal barriers to trade as well as lower tariffs abroad would mix with a lightening of the judicial system (outside of treason of course) would allow greater intermixing of the Italian peoples. Not all of this was favorable as the more developed northerners would hold the agrarian southerners to a level of contempt. But the poor of the south would migrate to the new northern industrial regions (as well as to America) to feed the new need for labor.
More so, many Italians would migrate seasonally or permanently to the Gallic Kingdoms where their labor was prized in the fertile farmsteads. Unlike other nations, Gaul did not have stringent barriers to entry and this immigration would also feed the new urban manufacturing centers. Every major Gallic city would have an Italian district and Italian surnames would become common throughout the Seven Kingdoms over the next century.
It also led to a belief in some quarters that parts of Piedmont-Savoy and Occitania deserved to belong to the Kingdom of Italy...and therefore the King of Spain.
The Occitan language was considered in some quarters closer to Catalonian than French or one of the other common languages of the Gallic Crown. This was used as a pretense for ambitious Italian and Spanish functionaries to dream of an expanded Empire which physically linked Iberia to Italy.
North Africa
The 18th Century had been brutal for North Africa as most of the coastline was conquered by various Europeans and then savage internal civil wars occurred among the tribesmen of the plains and mountains. Eventually, the ascendancy of Arab language and culture was partially rolled back as the new leaders of North Africa were culturally and linguistically Berber. New Universities were taught entirely in Berber, many being largely secular. Eventually, even the dominance of Arabic in religious affairs would diminish. Most Muslims would read the Quran in Arabic but the new Berber leaders of North Africa (and the Persian people as well) would translate into their native languages. This was not quite as radical as when Protestants began preaching and translating the bible in languages other than Latin but was considered quite the revolution.
Some viewed this as further splintering of the Muslim faith into factions. But religion was often used as a political tool and the new religious practices were utilized by Sultans and Kings to stamp their own authority over their Kingdoms.
Chapter 602
February, 1908
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern could already see the Lame Duck portion of his Presidency coming. By 1908, the preparation for the fall election was in full swing. He was unlikely who the Provincial Party would press forward but he was quite certain that the Centralists would face a choice between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Hohenzollern was shocked that he'd managed to go five years with Roosevelt as his Secretary of State. From the start, the President had thought he'd eventually be forced to fire the man and therefore split his own party. But the two managed to see eye to eye often enough that the relationship lasted.
That didn't mean that Hohenzollern had any intention of staying neutral in the Party Caucus. The President wanted the capable, affable and, most importantly, REASONABLE William Howard Taft in the Presidential Mansion. For years, the well-girthed man had acted as "advising Ambassador" to the Nipponese Emperor, probably being the most powerful man on the island of Honshu. Taft also was the leading man in organizing "American Siberia" as well as forming the pseudo-alliance known as the "Greater Southeast Asia Co-Development Sphere". This cumbersome moniker hide the obvious fact that it was a military relationship between America, Nippon, the Maratha Empire and several independent nations in southeast Asia including the Filipino Republic, Dai Viet, Kampuchea (formerly the Khmer Empire prior to the overthrow of the King), Laos and Siam. Only Burma and Java remained aloof.
Naturally diplomatic and reasonable of personality, Taft was the man to lead America through the turbulent times likely to follow. Europe and Asia appeared on the verge of combustion every year and god knew what would happen if that jingoistic Roosevelt were to assume command.
Unfortunately, Taft also considered Roosevelt a friend and openly stated that he would not assault Roosevelt's character. Hohenzollern feared this may cost him in November.
Who knew how much it would cost the world if that damned Cowboy became President?
Southern Africa
For the past few generations, the two largest powers in Africa were the Ethiopian Empire and the Ghanan Confederation. Having solidified their hold over each coast, both slowly but surely expanded their influence inland.
At it must, the two parties would soon meeting in the barren deserts of southern Africa.
Manicheistan
The hilly, undeveloped land of the Manicheists made an unexpected source of friction between China and the Maratha Empire but the development of naval bases to be used by the Chinese fleet would bring some in Pune to near panic. More and more demands were made to the American Ambassador for ships and weapons whom then sent requests for instructions to Edo where "Minister" Taft attempted to control American policy in Asia.
Finally, the man was forced to sail to Pune himself to council the Peshwa.
February, 1908
Manhattan
President George Frederick Hohenzollern could already see the Lame Duck portion of his Presidency coming. By 1908, the preparation for the fall election was in full swing. He was unlikely who the Provincial Party would press forward but he was quite certain that the Centralists would face a choice between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Hohenzollern was shocked that he'd managed to go five years with Roosevelt as his Secretary of State. From the start, the President had thought he'd eventually be forced to fire the man and therefore split his own party. But the two managed to see eye to eye often enough that the relationship lasted.
That didn't mean that Hohenzollern had any intention of staying neutral in the Party Caucus. The President wanted the capable, affable and, most importantly, REASONABLE William Howard Taft in the Presidential Mansion. For years, the well-girthed man had acted as "advising Ambassador" to the Nipponese Emperor, probably being the most powerful man on the island of Honshu. Taft also was the leading man in organizing "American Siberia" as well as forming the pseudo-alliance known as the "Greater Southeast Asia Co-Development Sphere". This cumbersome moniker hide the obvious fact that it was a military relationship between America, Nippon, the Maratha Empire and several independent nations in southeast Asia including the Filipino Republic, Dai Viet, Kampuchea (formerly the Khmer Empire prior to the overthrow of the King), Laos and Siam. Only Burma and Java remained aloof.
Naturally diplomatic and reasonable of personality, Taft was the man to lead America through the turbulent times likely to follow. Europe and Asia appeared on the verge of combustion every year and god knew what would happen if that jingoistic Roosevelt were to assume command.
Unfortunately, Taft also considered Roosevelt a friend and openly stated that he would not assault Roosevelt's character. Hohenzollern feared this may cost him in November.
Who knew how much it would cost the world if that damned Cowboy became President?
Southern Africa
For the past few generations, the two largest powers in Africa were the Ethiopian Empire and the Ghanan Confederation. Having solidified their hold over each coast, both slowly but surely expanded their influence inland.
At it must, the two parties would soon meeting in the barren deserts of southern Africa.
Manicheistan
The hilly, undeveloped land of the Manicheists made an unexpected source of friction between China and the Maratha Empire but the development of naval bases to be used by the Chinese fleet would bring some in Pune to near panic. More and more demands were made to the American Ambassador for ships and weapons whom then sent requests for instructions to Edo where "Minister" Taft attempted to control American policy in Asia.
Finally, the man was forced to sail to Pune himself to council the Peshwa.
Chapter 603
April, 1908
Yerba Buena
Two years after the Great Yerba Buena Earthquake, the city had made remarkable strides to rebuild. The rail system had been fixed already while several neighborhoods were already recovered.
In one particular location, three huge buildings had risen almost over night. A colorful Buddhist shrine sat adjacent an equally impressive Hindu temple. On the opposite corner was an onion-domed Russian orthodox Church. The "Mission District" and "Pacific Heights" were now the bastion of these groups and would only become increasingly diverse in the coming years as these religious faculties would see an Orthodox Jewish Temple, a Mormon (Reformed) Tabernacle and other edifices constructed.
The general San Francisco Bay would become a bastion of pious religious belief.
Great Yerba Buena fire of 1906
Picture City (Hobe Sound), South Georgia
For years, the developing motion picture industry would slowly congregate in a few locations from Georgetown, New Jersey to Tanantau, Wyandotte to San Marcos, Texas. By 1908, the South Georgian city of Hobe Sound (renamed Picture City) and the Australian city of San Diego would join the others as a potential contender. Eventually, each city would be dominated by one or two powerful studios which damn near fought over talented performers.
Georgetown, New Jersey - Universal Studios
The Bronx, New York - Edison Studies
Queens, Long Island - Kaufman Astoria Studios
Picture City, South Georgia - Thanhouser Studios, Biograph Company
San Diego, Australia - Nestor Studios, Famous Players/Paramount
Tarantau, Wyandotte - Great Lakes Entertainment
Arabia
Decades of heavy Russian immigration had changed the face...quite literally...of the Levant. For the first time in over a thousand years, there were as many Christians as Muslims between Persia and Egypt. There was, of course, a large number of "others" like Jews, Hindus, Baha'i, Babs, Manicheists and even more exotic groups.
A lighter Russian hand in terms of tariffs, regulation, criminal law, migration, etc would allow a level of freedom (if not political representation) unheard of in the past.
Of course, these vast migrations would bring social tension. Baghdad would see its Christian and Jewish content go from its historical figure of 5-10% to upwards of 40%. And the arrival of large numbers of Shi'a Egyptians, Persians, Indians (of all religions), etc would shift even the Muslim populations of the region. As ethnic Turks, Alevis, Kurds, Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, etc, shifted around seeking better economic circumstances, the old borders meant less and less. In some regions, it was difficult to find a single ethno-religious faction exceeding 15% of the population.
In a bizarre way, this allowed for far greater control by the Russian authorities as there were few groups large enough or consolidated enough to challenge the central government. Only on occasion would a rebellion crop up.
In 1908, this would occur in Arabia when an obscure and isolated tribe would declare a much belated "Jihad" upon all unbelievers and non-Arabs based upon a near extinct Sunni sect called "Wahhabism". What they failed to realize was that most of Arabia was no longer Arab and those that were found this sect repugnant (nor did they appreciate being called unbelievers or apostates).
A faction of Kurdish and Armenian immigrants to the region would gather up their forces and burn the villages of the Wahhabists to the ground, running off with their portable goods. Eventually, the Wahhabists would flee to the Hejaz where the local King would issue an ultimatum to the followers of the old House of Saud: shut up or get out.
Unfortunately, several high-ranking noblemen would ignore this prohibition to their regret. After preaching to the economically vital pilgrims to Mecca that they were apostates and Allah would send them to hell, the King of the Hejaz finally ordered the arrest of several high-ranking Wahhabist clerics and noblemen and had them beheaded before their families.
With that, the Wahhabist movement finally came to an end.
April, 1908
Yerba Buena
Two years after the Great Yerba Buena Earthquake, the city had made remarkable strides to rebuild. The rail system had been fixed already while several neighborhoods were already recovered.
In one particular location, three huge buildings had risen almost over night. A colorful Buddhist shrine sat adjacent an equally impressive Hindu temple. On the opposite corner was an onion-domed Russian orthodox Church. The "Mission District" and "Pacific Heights" were now the bastion of these groups and would only become increasingly diverse in the coming years as these religious faculties would see an Orthodox Jewish Temple, a Mormon (Reformed) Tabernacle and other edifices constructed.
The general San Francisco Bay would become a bastion of pious religious belief.
Great Yerba Buena fire of 1906
Picture City (Hobe Sound), South Georgia
For years, the developing motion picture industry would slowly congregate in a few locations from Georgetown, New Jersey to Tanantau, Wyandotte to San Marcos, Texas. By 1908, the South Georgian city of Hobe Sound (renamed Picture City) and the Australian city of San Diego would join the others as a potential contender. Eventually, each city would be dominated by one or two powerful studios which damn near fought over talented performers.
Georgetown, New Jersey - Universal Studios
The Bronx, New York - Edison Studies
Queens, Long Island - Kaufman Astoria Studios
Picture City, South Georgia - Thanhouser Studios, Biograph Company
San Diego, Australia - Nestor Studios, Famous Players/Paramount
Tarantau, Wyandotte - Great Lakes Entertainment
Arabia
Decades of heavy Russian immigration had changed the face...quite literally...of the Levant. For the first time in over a thousand years, there were as many Christians as Muslims between Persia and Egypt. There was, of course, a large number of "others" like Jews, Hindus, Baha'i, Babs, Manicheists and even more exotic groups.
A lighter Russian hand in terms of tariffs, regulation, criminal law, migration, etc would allow a level of freedom (if not political representation) unheard of in the past.
Of course, these vast migrations would bring social tension. Baghdad would see its Christian and Jewish content go from its historical figure of 5-10% to upwards of 40%. And the arrival of large numbers of Shi'a Egyptians, Persians, Indians (of all religions), etc would shift even the Muslim populations of the region. As ethnic Turks, Alevis, Kurds, Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, etc, shifted around seeking better economic circumstances, the old borders meant less and less. In some regions, it was difficult to find a single ethno-religious faction exceeding 15% of the population.
In a bizarre way, this allowed for far greater control by the Russian authorities as there were few groups large enough or consolidated enough to challenge the central government. Only on occasion would a rebellion crop up.
In 1908, this would occur in Arabia when an obscure and isolated tribe would declare a much belated "Jihad" upon all unbelievers and non-Arabs based upon a near extinct Sunni sect called "Wahhabism". What they failed to realize was that most of Arabia was no longer Arab and those that were found this sect repugnant (nor did they appreciate being called unbelievers or apostates).
A faction of Kurdish and Armenian immigrants to the region would gather up their forces and burn the villages of the Wahhabists to the ground, running off with their portable goods. Eventually, the Wahhabists would flee to the Hejaz where the local King would issue an ultimatum to the followers of the old House of Saud: shut up or get out.
Unfortunately, several high-ranking noblemen would ignore this prohibition to their regret. After preaching to the economically vital pilgrims to Mecca that they were apostates and Allah would send them to hell, the King of the Hejaz finally ordered the arrest of several high-ranking Wahhabist clerics and noblemen and had them beheaded before their families.
With that, the Wahhabist movement finally came to an end.
Chapter 604
June, 1908
Potawatomi, Illinois
The Centralist Convention would meet in June to determine the Presidential candidates for November's election. Potawatomi was sweltering in summer and the infighting proved vicious. Hohenzollern's poorly concealed support for William Howard Taft was being undermined by the man's absence from North America. Indeed, Taft had only returned to the continent twice in the past thirty months. That didn't totally destroy his chances but certainly hampered them. Gone were the days that a candidate was expected to remain away from the fray and allow his surrogates to campaign for him. Even in the Convention, a man's force of personality was measured.
As Taft was in the subcontinent at the time, he was unavailable even to be consulted. in the meantime, Secretary of State Theodore Roosevelt would throw himself into the Convention and sway many people towards his cause....well, MORE people towards his cause than he swayed against it.
In only three ballots, Roosevelt had his majority and the nomination. The young Guilford Pinchot of Pennsylvania was selected as his Deputy President.
Rodina, North Georgia
In the meantime, the first Party Convention to take place in the south occurred when the Provincial Party would select the city of Rodina, North Georgia, as the location of the Convention. This nomination was fiercely disputed as well. It was fought between the cold Virginian Woodrow Wilson and the Radical from Wabash, Eugene Debs. Wilson was the first serious Presidential Candidate from one of the Provinces which attempted to secede in the War of Southern Rebellion. Debs was a favorite of the Unions and immigrants.
After 10 ballots, the party was utterly splintered. It didn't help that the first major Candidate from the "Latin America", Francisco Madero, of Coahuila, whom rewash strong among Latins and Catholics. Madero was barely old enough to run (only 35 years).
It would go on for almost a week until the deadlocked delegates would finally give up their rancor and meet in secret to resolve the issue. Some offered William Jennings Bryan as a compromise acceptable to all but this was rejected as Bryan was considered a spent force and no threat to Roosevelt.
Finally, Debs agreed to step down provided that the party ticket would support his causes. Wilson would be the Presidential Candidate and Madero the Deputy Presidential Candidate.
Though this was done for Party unity, the Provincials were being split between conservative and radical with some openly mumbling that they should form a third party.
June, 1908
Potawatomi, Illinois
The Centralist Convention would meet in June to determine the Presidential candidates for November's election. Potawatomi was sweltering in summer and the infighting proved vicious. Hohenzollern's poorly concealed support for William Howard Taft was being undermined by the man's absence from North America. Indeed, Taft had only returned to the continent twice in the past thirty months. That didn't totally destroy his chances but certainly hampered them. Gone were the days that a candidate was expected to remain away from the fray and allow his surrogates to campaign for him. Even in the Convention, a man's force of personality was measured.
As Taft was in the subcontinent at the time, he was unavailable even to be consulted. in the meantime, Secretary of State Theodore Roosevelt would throw himself into the Convention and sway many people towards his cause....well, MORE people towards his cause than he swayed against it.
In only three ballots, Roosevelt had his majority and the nomination. The young Guilford Pinchot of Pennsylvania was selected as his Deputy President.
Rodina, North Georgia
In the meantime, the first Party Convention to take place in the south occurred when the Provincial Party would select the city of Rodina, North Georgia, as the location of the Convention. This nomination was fiercely disputed as well. It was fought between the cold Virginian Woodrow Wilson and the Radical from Wabash, Eugene Debs. Wilson was the first serious Presidential Candidate from one of the Provinces which attempted to secede in the War of Southern Rebellion. Debs was a favorite of the Unions and immigrants.
After 10 ballots, the party was utterly splintered. It didn't help that the first major Candidate from the "Latin America", Francisco Madero, of Coahuila, whom rewash strong among Latins and Catholics. Madero was barely old enough to run (only 35 years).
It would go on for almost a week until the deadlocked delegates would finally give up their rancor and meet in secret to resolve the issue. Some offered William Jennings Bryan as a compromise acceptable to all but this was rejected as Bryan was considered a spent force and no threat to Roosevelt.
Finally, Debs agreed to step down provided that the party ticket would support his causes. Wilson would be the Presidential Candidate and Madero the Deputy Presidential Candidate.
Though this was done for Party unity, the Provincials were being split between conservative and radical with some openly mumbling that they should form a third party.