The Starcie: The Prelude
A map of the Partitions of Poland-Lithuania between the Empires of Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
The period of terrorism, gun fights, and general sectarian violence that gripped the Greater Poland region of Germany from the 1960s to the 90s would have it's roots in the Partitions of Poland in the second half of the 18th Century, when the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were divided up between Germany, Austria, and Russia. As a result, the Polish people were find themselves divided and living under foreign rulers, which aside from a series of rebellions, would largely the status quo of the land until the First Great War. In 1916, Germany would establish a puppet state in the form of the Kingdom of Poland in the formerly Russian controlled part of the land, thus the Poles had a nation once again. However, the Poles living within the Reich were unable to have the freedom to join the newly reborn Polish state. Furthermore, since the 1870s, the Poles living within the Greater Poland region were subjected to the Kulturkampf, which aimed to Germanize them and to convert them to Protestantism. But that only served to empower the sense of nationalism and pride within the Polish population within Prussia. This policy of Germanization upon the Poles would continue onto 1931, when the policy was officially abandoned, but the situation of the Poles would not improve as they were continued to treated as 2nd class citizens.
A painting of Poles being expelled from their homes by Prussian Authorities, c. 1915.
During the Second Great War, many Prussian Poles would serve in the Imperial German Armed Forces, many serving with distinction against the Russians on the Eastern Front. Which upon the war's end, many young Poles hoped that their faithful service to the Fatherland would lead to an improvement in their conditions as well being granted equal representation. However they would encounter no real change as the German Authorities in the regions sought maintain the status quo. But as the 1950s started, the Polish youth in the provinces of West and East Prussia, Posen, and Silesia would begin to organize into activist groups and would begin their demonstrations, which either aim to achieve reunification with Poland or at least, gain representation and equal rights. But so did grew the resistance to such movements as both the local German authorities and ethnic Germans began to feel that their hold in the region was being threatened.
Polish protestors in Posen holding a demonstration in the middle of the city, C. 1956. As the 1950s went on, so grew the popularity and the momentum of the Solidarność (or Solidarity) movement.
German policemen clashing with Solidarność Protestors in Bromberg, C. 1961. Very often, the Polish demonstrators would engage in violent clashes with the police as well as local German mobs who were intent of "reminding the Poles of their place."
As the 1960s dawned, world events, namely the Decolonization of Africa as well as the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, would further embolden the Solidarność movement in it's motivation toward their nationalistic goals. So much so, that certain splinter groups of the movement would radicalize under the name of the Front Zjednoczenia Polski (or Polish Reunification Front), as the members would begin see that the only way to reunification with Poland "was through violent means." The FZP would move toward their goals by acquiring arms, training the guerillas, and plotted out their targets and potential opponents. Likewise, some ethnic Germans in the region would also form a paramilitary organization called the Preußischer Abwehrkampfbund (or Prussian Defense League) as they viewed the growing Polish irredentism would lead to an shooting war between Poles and Germans in the region. Which the PDL, much like their future FZP rivals, would ready themselves by acquiring arms and trained their insurgents. By 1966, the situation in the Greater Poland region was proving to be a growing powder keg, which the question in many minds were, when was it going to blow?
I enjoy reading about what Poland and its people could have been up to during that time. I generally accept your stories as a part of my head canon, too. However, I'm still too ignorant on how a TL-191 Poland could have behaved for me to accept all of it. Nevertheless, it is a worthy inclusion into the fanon of the novels.
As the 1960s dawned, world events, namely the Decolonization of Africa as well as the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires
I also see Africa getting decolonized, but probably a little bit much later, with Germany having more of a grip in the area, and the borders (hopefully) looking somewhat different. While I do see A-H eventually breaking up after a brief period of "Greater Austria", I kind of wonder if it will happen peacefully or violently. I view Ottoman Turkey playing it smart and avoiding any major internal conflict by becoming a Petrostate.
Whatever happened to the kid on here who said his parents thought he looked like Jake Featherston
???
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Jake Featherston's dental remains: a maxillar bridge made mostly of gold (top right) and part of a mandible broken and burnt around the alveolar process (bottom three fragments).
For my head canon, I have Featherston having his remains burned and/or buried in some unknown location that only Cassius Madison, his descendants, and the U.S. government are privy to.
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Picture of the funeral for Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, June 4, 1941.
Mere hours later, Wilhelm III announced that Germany would not cave into the Entente's demands. The Second Great War started soon after.
What is the OTL photograph?
Anyway, one of the few major changes that I would have made to the story was to have SGW start nearly a month earlier in May 1941 from an earlier Confederate invasion of the Union. While this activates and mobilizes the alliances that exist around the world, it is not until the death of the Kaiser that Britain and France, etc. draw Europe into another war.
It gives the Confederacy more blame when it's all over.
Is Bokassa still obsessed with Napoleon, or did he declare himself Kaiser of the Central African Empire?
Did Amin stay involved in the army, eventually become a dictator, and (probably) get syphilis?
Probably the Kaiser, although I don't know when his obsession with Napoleon started. Either way, he'd still be crazy (and allegedly cannibalistic).
I have Amin having a similar history to his OTL counterpart, though it starts off with a more racial undertone of anti-White sentiment. Didn't know about the syphilis part.
Hitler is commonly referred to as "mustache man", would Featherston be referred to as "big ol' floppy straw hat guy"?
Featherston always seemed to me to be more of a generic man, appearance-wise. Unless he has some kind of unique hairstyle, I don't really see anyone avoiding having to look like him. I do see the last name and the name Jacob to lose popularity and be nearly non-existent in North America, at least.
The novels didn't call him the snake.
Yeah, we know that.
It originated as a fan term. Not a bad one, honestly.
It may not have been intentional, but it reminds me of TL-191's version of Hitler being called The Wolf.
I don't think there would be much tolerance for Confederate reenactors after the events of the Second Great War.
Not a thing in my headcanon.
Elsewhere outside of North America, on the other had...
CSA Troopers climbing training in the wilderness, 1940. Due to the terrain of the Wilderness between West Virginia (USA), and Virginia (CSA), it was near impossible to send massive armies through the mountains. However the CSA, and USA trained troopers for mountain combat as well as border patrols across the Wilderness. During the Second Great War, the US Army, under the command of Gen. Daniel MacArthur attempted to send regiments through the WIlderness to assault the CSA trenches from behind. these attempts failed, from the difficult terrain causing soldiers severe fatigue, accidents or, CSA Border troops and local militias picking off regiments.
Great addition.
Pretty much exactly what I expected it to be.
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Picture of US propaganda poster to promote black men joining the US army after Charles W. La Follete's December 15, 1943 executive order.
Despite a small difference in the date due to my head canon, I can still see this happening.
Oh, what a moment of joy it would have elicited to both Afro-Unionites and Afro-Confederates.
What is the second image about?
Out-of-Universe, it's from the same movie.
In-universe, it's one of the last few images of Featherston's body being handled and transported to a permanent, unknown location.
*I've been busy and getting more busy. The written works that I would have loved to have posted on here have been put on hold, for now.
