By 1948, the French have been all but completely pushed out of Guiana. With Paris still glowing and the refusal of Russian assistance in rebuilding, de Gaulle’s popularity is at an all-tie low. French troops also remain in Germany even after their Russian counterparts have mostly pulled out. The French have become a vestigial empire, having control over only their own territory and coastal Algeria.
President Rusbarkat continues with the post war rebuilding of not only Russia and their allies, but also Germany and Japan. Meanwhile, in Russia, translated “American” comics, like Superman, are increasingly popular. A World War II-era super-soldier, Commissar Russia, is also created as a competitor to Superman by a more nationalistic company, Motherland Comics, who claims that Superman and other American cultural exports are “corrupting the youth of Russia with their communist propaganda”. Freedom Comics and Motherland Comics become to two biggest comic book companies in the post-war world.
Egypt, Libya and Sudan form the Arab Union in Northeast Africa, dedicated to the freedom and prosperity of the Arab people. It is a very loose confederation with a shared currency, open borders and a mutual defense clause. To combat this, Ethiopia annexes the ex-colony of Eritrea. Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon also federate into the Republic of the Holy Land, a peaceful and stable democracy open to Christians, Muslims, Jews and anyone seeking a homeland.
The United States of America-in-exile in Liberia mediates a merger between the former British West African countries to become the Free Republic of Africa. Talks of the FRA merging into the USA-in-exile are popular.
Race riots continue in South Africa, but non-violence is becoming increasingly popular among the young.
In America proper, the people have a collective sigh of relief as Premier Steele is killed by a member of the Sons of Liberty. Though the American government promises to hunt down this “terrorist”, everyone knows that’s not going to happen. For the first time since the fall of the USA, free elections are held, and Councilman Henry Wallace of the Midwestern Commonwealth is elected Premier of the UPRA. Wallace pledges de-Steelization, and the return of democracy and true socialism to America. He also begins winding down the war in Australia, believing that Australia isn’t very important to the socialist cause. Wallace travels to Russia to publicly meet President Rusbarkat as relations thaw between the two superpowers of America and Russia.
Tibet rejoins China after a referendum.
