Arctofire
Banned
Okay, so I've got a great idea for a timeline. My only issue is that I don't think my historical knowledge is date specific and detailed enough to attempt to write a full on timeline, even though I've got the basis idea of what I want it to be about.
The idea is that the Republicans win the Spanish Civil War. In our timeline, the military struggle was hindered by constant pandering to Britain and France for aid, which never came. In Felix Morrow's: Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Spain, it reveals the disastrous naval policy followed by the Naval Minister Jose Giral and later Indelecio Prietro, ordering sailors to retreat from Malaga even though it could easily have stopped the Moorish armies from invading Andalusia. The Communist Party pursued an entirely non-communist line when it sacrificed revolution for the Popular Front government, which was ineffective and disastrous when it came to managing the war effort. They remained not only loyal to the popular front government, but also served as one of its most right wing factions, and was a prime factor in leading Largo Caballero's fall from power.
The POUM potentially could have led the Republicans to victory. By far the most successful Trotskyist party in history, at the start of the war it could boast a higher membership than the PCE, having over 70,000, due to the heroic role it has played in the Asturian Miners Strike of 1934. Their biggest mistake however, was sticking with the Popular Front government and being insufficiently critical of the decisions it made, also underestimating the reactionary role of the Communist Party. Earlier mistakes were its sectarianism, it's refusal to work within the PSOE Young Socialists, which led the Stalinists to win them over to their side.
What if in an alternate timeline, Andres Nin sharply denounces the war policy of the Popular Front government, and called for immediate revolution against the fascists and the overthrow of the bourgeois Republicans, calling them spineless and undeserving of the people's sacrifice? The decreased role of the PCE, as well as the POUM's more active role, allows it to gain positions in the government, and Largo Cabellero is increasingly drawn to their conclusions. The Republican Left, PSOE Right, and Stalinists are expelled from the government and Popular Front, and the new workers government re-organises the militias into a fighting army, combining the revolutionary zeal of the soldiers prevalent at the start of the war, with an organised military policy. Having a centralised command, ordering the complete priority of the economy for arms production, reduces needs on foreign forces. Because the Moorish armies are crushed, the nationalists are isolated, only holding Castile and Gacilia, which eventually fall under Republican control in 1938.
Spain, which renames itself to the Iberian Union, as Catalonia and the Basque country become semi independent states, is a socialist country fundamentally different to that of the Soviet Union. It is democratic, and the workers have a huge say in the planning of production. Stalin is immediately hostile to the new workers republic, and this increases when Iberia condemns the Nazi-Soviet Pact as opportunistic and a completely betrayal of the socialist cause. It is also the only country that opens it's borders to Jewish refugees, who seek asylum in millions to escape the Nazi's.
History elsewhere in Europe largely continues on the same way for the next year or so. When Hitler invades Poland the allied powers declare war, and France falls within six weeks. However, a major difference is that Britain decides to surrender to the Nazi's. In our timeline, it was somewhat apparent that the communist threat had subsided somewhat, and the prime enemy for Anglo-French dominance in Europe was Hitler. This is why Churchill ultimately convinced parliament of the need for no surrender. However, with socialist Iberia right on the southern border of France, Churchill's violent anti-communism overturns the threat of Britain losing hegemony over Europe, and he supports Lord Halifax, who makes peace with Hitler and Mussolini, in exchange for light terms.
Hitler largely ignores Spain to focus on the Soviet Union, whilst Mussolini attempts to invade the Iberian Peninsula, knowing how isolated it is on the international scene. However, the Italian's have poor luck, their naval invasion is a failure, and they are unable to make any sufficient progress with the Spanish waging a constant guerrilla war. In addition, numerous divisions mutiny, and Mussolini is forced to abort the operation. His regime survives for another 15 years.
Due to the obsessive ethnic cleansing of eastern Europe, Hitler's forces are bound to loose against the Russian's, having united all of his enemies firmly against him. The Eastern Front proceeds similar to this timeline, however, with Britain out of the war and the American's too busy fighting Japan, the Soviets manage to occupy all of Germany, and start to proceed towards France. The British and Americans swoop in at the last minute, to liberate France before the Soviets do, after Hitler has already surrendered.
The Iberian Union becomes the most progressive state in Europe. Led by their second president, Andres Nin of the Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), they easily repair the war damage with the help of millions of Jewish, Italian, and German immigrants striving to give back to the country that did so much to help them. They condemn the German expulsions as a retaliatory genocide, adding that the German people are not the Nazis, and campaign tirelessly for nuclear disarmament, de-colonisation, and international collaboration. A public single payer healthcare service is set up, millions of new council houses are built, agriculture is collectivised and modernised using up to date technology, and the Catalans and Basques are given their own republics, to co-exist with Spain within the Iberian Union. It is also a place of free expression, where censorship is very mild compared to the rest of the continent. It becomes one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, unemployment virtually zero, a pioneer in science and technology, a fast emerging great power, and boasting one of the highest qualities of life in the world, comparing favourably with the likes of Britain and Sweden.
Relations with Stalin are very cold, with him accusing Spain of revisionism whilst Spain retorts and says that he has completely betrayed the socialist cause. Iberia sides with Yugoslavia in the Stalin-Tito split, and the countries become close allies, co-operating on the military and economic front. Increased Democratic Socialist presence from Iberia leads to Milovan Djilas becoming President of Yugoslavia in 1953. Klement Gottwald of Czechoslovakia is also led into supporting the Iberian camp, and this leads Czechoslovakia to lend their support to defend Hungary from a Soviet invasion in 1956, leading almost to a full scale confrontation between Democratic Socialist/Trotskyist camp, and the Stalinist camp.
With Chile turning red in 73, and with increased prestige abroad, socialism largely conquers the globe. Capitalism's brief restoration in Russia is short lived, as the Trotskyists soon take over in the 1990s to overthrow Yeltsin, and Britain, having been a Republic since 1948, turns communist in 1987.
The idea is that the Republicans win the Spanish Civil War. In our timeline, the military struggle was hindered by constant pandering to Britain and France for aid, which never came. In Felix Morrow's: Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Spain, it reveals the disastrous naval policy followed by the Naval Minister Jose Giral and later Indelecio Prietro, ordering sailors to retreat from Malaga even though it could easily have stopped the Moorish armies from invading Andalusia. The Communist Party pursued an entirely non-communist line when it sacrificed revolution for the Popular Front government, which was ineffective and disastrous when it came to managing the war effort. They remained not only loyal to the popular front government, but also served as one of its most right wing factions, and was a prime factor in leading Largo Caballero's fall from power.
The POUM potentially could have led the Republicans to victory. By far the most successful Trotskyist party in history, at the start of the war it could boast a higher membership than the PCE, having over 70,000, due to the heroic role it has played in the Asturian Miners Strike of 1934. Their biggest mistake however, was sticking with the Popular Front government and being insufficiently critical of the decisions it made, also underestimating the reactionary role of the Communist Party. Earlier mistakes were its sectarianism, it's refusal to work within the PSOE Young Socialists, which led the Stalinists to win them over to their side.
What if in an alternate timeline, Andres Nin sharply denounces the war policy of the Popular Front government, and called for immediate revolution against the fascists and the overthrow of the bourgeois Republicans, calling them spineless and undeserving of the people's sacrifice? The decreased role of the PCE, as well as the POUM's more active role, allows it to gain positions in the government, and Largo Cabellero is increasingly drawn to their conclusions. The Republican Left, PSOE Right, and Stalinists are expelled from the government and Popular Front, and the new workers government re-organises the militias into a fighting army, combining the revolutionary zeal of the soldiers prevalent at the start of the war, with an organised military policy. Having a centralised command, ordering the complete priority of the economy for arms production, reduces needs on foreign forces. Because the Moorish armies are crushed, the nationalists are isolated, only holding Castile and Gacilia, which eventually fall under Republican control in 1938.
Spain, which renames itself to the Iberian Union, as Catalonia and the Basque country become semi independent states, is a socialist country fundamentally different to that of the Soviet Union. It is democratic, and the workers have a huge say in the planning of production. Stalin is immediately hostile to the new workers republic, and this increases when Iberia condemns the Nazi-Soviet Pact as opportunistic and a completely betrayal of the socialist cause. It is also the only country that opens it's borders to Jewish refugees, who seek asylum in millions to escape the Nazi's.
History elsewhere in Europe largely continues on the same way for the next year or so. When Hitler invades Poland the allied powers declare war, and France falls within six weeks. However, a major difference is that Britain decides to surrender to the Nazi's. In our timeline, it was somewhat apparent that the communist threat had subsided somewhat, and the prime enemy for Anglo-French dominance in Europe was Hitler. This is why Churchill ultimately convinced parliament of the need for no surrender. However, with socialist Iberia right on the southern border of France, Churchill's violent anti-communism overturns the threat of Britain losing hegemony over Europe, and he supports Lord Halifax, who makes peace with Hitler and Mussolini, in exchange for light terms.
Hitler largely ignores Spain to focus on the Soviet Union, whilst Mussolini attempts to invade the Iberian Peninsula, knowing how isolated it is on the international scene. However, the Italian's have poor luck, their naval invasion is a failure, and they are unable to make any sufficient progress with the Spanish waging a constant guerrilla war. In addition, numerous divisions mutiny, and Mussolini is forced to abort the operation. His regime survives for another 15 years.
Due to the obsessive ethnic cleansing of eastern Europe, Hitler's forces are bound to loose against the Russian's, having united all of his enemies firmly against him. The Eastern Front proceeds similar to this timeline, however, with Britain out of the war and the American's too busy fighting Japan, the Soviets manage to occupy all of Germany, and start to proceed towards France. The British and Americans swoop in at the last minute, to liberate France before the Soviets do, after Hitler has already surrendered.
The Iberian Union becomes the most progressive state in Europe. Led by their second president, Andres Nin of the Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), they easily repair the war damage with the help of millions of Jewish, Italian, and German immigrants striving to give back to the country that did so much to help them. They condemn the German expulsions as a retaliatory genocide, adding that the German people are not the Nazis, and campaign tirelessly for nuclear disarmament, de-colonisation, and international collaboration. A public single payer healthcare service is set up, millions of new council houses are built, agriculture is collectivised and modernised using up to date technology, and the Catalans and Basques are given their own republics, to co-exist with Spain within the Iberian Union. It is also a place of free expression, where censorship is very mild compared to the rest of the continent. It becomes one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, unemployment virtually zero, a pioneer in science and technology, a fast emerging great power, and boasting one of the highest qualities of life in the world, comparing favourably with the likes of Britain and Sweden.
Relations with Stalin are very cold, with him accusing Spain of revisionism whilst Spain retorts and says that he has completely betrayed the socialist cause. Iberia sides with Yugoslavia in the Stalin-Tito split, and the countries become close allies, co-operating on the military and economic front. Increased Democratic Socialist presence from Iberia leads to Milovan Djilas becoming President of Yugoslavia in 1953. Klement Gottwald of Czechoslovakia is also led into supporting the Iberian camp, and this leads Czechoslovakia to lend their support to defend Hungary from a Soviet invasion in 1956, leading almost to a full scale confrontation between Democratic Socialist/Trotskyist camp, and the Stalinist camp.
With Chile turning red in 73, and with increased prestige abroad, socialism largely conquers the globe. Capitalism's brief restoration in Russia is short lived, as the Trotskyists soon take over in the 1990s to overthrow Yeltsin, and Britain, having been a Republic since 1948, turns communist in 1987.