Questions For My Timeline

Delta Force

Banned
The world map as of 1950 is at this link. The secession of Pacifica (the Western United States) happens around the same time as the Confederate secession. Texas and the Southwest are a later secession from the CSA, taking place prior to 1910. This alternate history timeline is being written for a nation sim game, although it might end up long enough and detailed enough that it can be posted on this site at some date. Anyways, I finally have some time to begin really working on my timeline for this game and I was wondering if people could offer some input on some questions that have popped up during its development. The focus right now is around the US Civil War, which is where the point of divergence occurs.

The story of the Civil War in this timeline is that the US ends up firing the first shot of the war (not exactly sure how at this point, open to suggestions), provoking an even more stronger backlash from the border states. The Maryland draft riots end up being more violent and deadly than in our timeline, with the rail lines through Baltimore being burned down to disrupt troop movements into DC. Delaware attempts to declare neutrality in the war, but it is seen as being vulnerable to secessionist influences and ends up under a strong US military occupation like Maryland did in real life.

Ultimately the Confederacy wins its war for independence, as well as the states of Maryland and Delaware (who willingly join the CSA) and the territories in the Southwest. DC is merged into Maryland as a city.

Now, here is where the big questions for the timeline come into play:

1. One of them is where the new capital for the United States will be located. It seems likely that the United States will still maintain the practice of having the federal capital be located in a federally owned and administered enclave in order to help balance regional tensions. Combined with the close proximity of Pennsylvania to the CSA and New York's dominant and despised (by Midwesterners) position as the center of US finances and industry it seems unlikely that the capital will return to one of the former capitals from the Revolutionary era. In addition the new regionalist tensions are going to come from an East-West divide instead of a North-South divide, and the Midwest is going to play a greater role in the US economy. The US during this era also had an expansionist and westward looking bent, so it seems likely that Detroit or Chicago could be selected as a new capital. If fear of the UK is a major factor (I am not sure right now if the UK will directly intervene in the war or just support the CSA financially or materially, leaning towards the UK not intervening) than Des Moines or perhaps Kansas City or St. Louis become an attractive option.

2. How do political parties in the US and CSA develop after the war, seeing as both areas were heavily one party? The CSA is almost certainly never going to vote Republican, and the Democrats in the North are going to be seen as either traitors or nothing more than the party of peace, depending on when the US ends its war with the CSA. While one party rule is basically guaranteed for a few years after the war, it seems unlikely that it will continue like that indefinitely. So, what will the political scene in the CSA and US look like? As another bonus, what might the political scene in Pacifica (the West coast secessionist state) look like?

3. Our timeline's Washington state is going to be a strategically vital but obviously very vulnerable area, being sandwiched between Pacifica and the British. I see it as something of a US version of Kalingrad, being a heavily militarized and being seen as one of the most strategically vital locations for the US, being its only Pacific outlet. How likely it is for the United States to keep Washington as a federally administered territory under martial law (as opposed to a self ruling state)?

Those are all of the questions that I have for the ACW part of my timeline, although if someone could provide some advice on how the CSA might actually come about to win the war in this timeline that would be most appreciated. I have not exactly figured that out yet.
 
Awesome map. How long did it take to color in each individual province nation-by-nation?

I love your idea(s), I really do. But here's the thing: I find it barely plausible to have the Union firing the first shot of the war.

The south had been the aggressor; they seceded and then backed up their secession with force of arms.

Fort Sumter was actually asked to surrender itself to Confederate forces. By all means, the South attacked first.

I really can't find a realistic way for the Union to strike the first blow, especially seeing how powerless Lincoln was after he assumed his presidency in 1860.

I'll answer more questions later on this thread or by PM soon. Again, great map! :D
 

Delta Force

Banned
Awesome map. How long did it take to color in each individual province nation-by-nation?

I love your idea(s), I really do. But here's the thing: I find it barely plausible to have the Union firing the first shot of the war.

The south had been the aggressor; they seceded and then backed up their secession with force of arms.

Fort Sumter was actually asked to surrender itself to Confederate forces. By all means, the South attacked first.

I really can't find a realistic way for the Union to strike the first blow, especially seeing how powerless Lincoln was after he assumed his presidency in 1860.

I'll answer more questions later on this thread or by PM soon. Again, great map! :D

It took a few hours in order to fill in the map, although most of that time was spent filling in the islands and some of the more detailed border regions. It took looking at several historical maps in order to get the detail right for the Pacific and other islands.

As for the timeline, nothing is really set in stone yet, although I have a general idea of how I want things to play out. The way events happen and even entire events are open to change.
 
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