The African Superpowers (a TL)
- Thread starter TheMann
- Start date
Interesting, TheMann. So BL managed to get away by building most of its vehicles abroad - a clever idea, indeed. 
This, of course, would be good news for the factory in Malta (Yes, there was a car factory in Malta during the 1960s, IIRC) and other operations by BL. I'm sure Chrysler Europe would also try the same strategy, as would Ford - if Ford and Chrysler operated plants in South Africa during the 1960s (as well as expanding capacity at existing plants in Australia and other countries), they could build a good portion of the models in those plants to the point where most Ford and Chrysler vehicles would be built outside the UK. Now, in the case of Chrysler Europe, the marriage of SIMCA and the Rootes Group in OTL was not a happy one, because it's two different corporate cultures - however, maybe in Africa, Australia, and the like it could work, as well as in Europe in TTL. Say, in Africa:
Plymouth = Plymouth (ANZ Chrysler) Valiant, plus SIMCA/Hillman and some US Plymouth models (in the UK and other countries where the Hillman brand existed, the Hillman brand was phased out in favour of Chrysler, or Dodge in South America - SIMCA remained the brand used in Continental Europe, though with the Chrysler logo)
Chrysler = US Chrysler models, including the Imperial, plus Singer models
Sunbeam = Sports cars
Dodge in Africa would be seen as being solely commercial vehicles.
Let's say that Chrysler purchases SIMCA during the late 1950s by buying the FIAT and Ford shares outright, and a couple of years later SIMCA vehicles are being produced in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and East Africa under the Chrysler name. Thus, during the 1960s, Chrysler pushes a modernization drive through so that Simca could compete with Opel and Ford very handsomely.
Also, 1964 sees Chrysler take over the Rootes Group outright - more so than OTL, when Chrysler took over in 1967. With that came a bit of rationalization and modernization, so as to improve build quality and to replace the antiquated cars that were in the lineup. Humber was merged with Singer, the latter of which remained as a brand within the UK. As already mentioned, the Hillman brand was replaced with Chrysler early on, and instantly the management decided to merge Hillman/Chrysler UK's lineup with that of Simca's as much as possible, whilst redesigning Hillman's existing products when retained. Thus, monstrosities like the Hillman Imp were canned and RWD was ditched in favour of FWD, as well as ending the practice of badge-engineering. Also, Chrysler Europe would be born during the 1964-1967 transition.
At the same time, it was also decided that with the rationalization/consolidation of Simca and Rootes Group products into Chrysler Europe products, it should also be possible, as with Simca, to build Rootes Group vehicles outside of the UK (so as to circumvent any potential strike action in the UK). Hence, Simca's Nanterre factory would be of much use as also was the ex-Ford Poissy plant. Let's say that, as with BL, this strategy also pays off for Chrysler - which also helps back in North America, where Chrysler's own North American plants churn out Simca & Rootes Group models for Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler (imagine a Sunbeam Tiger with the engine of a Dodge Challenger - sold as a Dodge!). Hence, Chrysler Europe is also profitable for the Chrysler Corporation, and hence no OTL sell-off of Chrysler Europe to Peugeot.
Sounds good?
This, of course, would be good news for the factory in Malta (Yes, there was a car factory in Malta during the 1960s, IIRC) and other operations by BL. I'm sure Chrysler Europe would also try the same strategy, as would Ford - if Ford and Chrysler operated plants in South Africa during the 1960s (as well as expanding capacity at existing plants in Australia and other countries), they could build a good portion of the models in those plants to the point where most Ford and Chrysler vehicles would be built outside the UK. Now, in the case of Chrysler Europe, the marriage of SIMCA and the Rootes Group in OTL was not a happy one, because it's two different corporate cultures - however, maybe in Africa, Australia, and the like it could work, as well as in Europe in TTL. Say, in Africa:Plymouth = Plymouth (ANZ Chrysler) Valiant, plus SIMCA/Hillman and some US Plymouth models (in the UK and other countries where the Hillman brand existed, the Hillman brand was phased out in favour of Chrysler, or Dodge in South America - SIMCA remained the brand used in Continental Europe, though with the Chrysler logo)
Chrysler = US Chrysler models, including the Imperial, plus Singer models
Sunbeam = Sports cars
Dodge in Africa would be seen as being solely commercial vehicles.
Let's say that Chrysler purchases SIMCA during the late 1950s by buying the FIAT and Ford shares outright, and a couple of years later SIMCA vehicles are being produced in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and East Africa under the Chrysler name. Thus, during the 1960s, Chrysler pushes a modernization drive through so that Simca could compete with Opel and Ford very handsomely.
Also, 1964 sees Chrysler take over the Rootes Group outright - more so than OTL, when Chrysler took over in 1967. With that came a bit of rationalization and modernization, so as to improve build quality and to replace the antiquated cars that were in the lineup. Humber was merged with Singer, the latter of which remained as a brand within the UK. As already mentioned, the Hillman brand was replaced with Chrysler early on, and instantly the management decided to merge Hillman/Chrysler UK's lineup with that of Simca's as much as possible, whilst redesigning Hillman's existing products when retained. Thus, monstrosities like the Hillman Imp were canned and RWD was ditched in favour of FWD, as well as ending the practice of badge-engineering. Also, Chrysler Europe would be born during the 1964-1967 transition.
At the same time, it was also decided that with the rationalization/consolidation of Simca and Rootes Group products into Chrysler Europe products, it should also be possible, as with Simca, to build Rootes Group vehicles outside of the UK (so as to circumvent any potential strike action in the UK). Hence, Simca's Nanterre factory would be of much use as also was the ex-Ford Poissy plant. Let's say that, as with BL, this strategy also pays off for Chrysler - which also helps back in North America, where Chrysler's own North American plants churn out Simca & Rootes Group models for Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler (imagine a Sunbeam Tiger with the engine of a Dodge Challenger - sold as a Dodge!). Hence, Chrysler Europe is also profitable for the Chrysler Corporation, and hence no OTL sell-off of Chrysler Europe to Peugeot.
Sounds good?
1980 South African Air Force
(Year) - Year the type entered SAAF Service
Fighters/Interceptors
58 Avro Canada Arrow FG.2/FG.2A (1964)
92 McDonnell Douglas F-4K/F-4R Phantom II (1969)
44 Dassault Mirage IIIEZ (1962)
46 LTV A-7F Corsair II (1971)
Bombers/Strike Aircraft
21 Handley Page Victor B.2SA (1966)
32 General Dynamics F-111H Aardvark (1977)
58 English Electric Canberra SA.12T (1960)
27 Dassault Mirage F1AZ (1975)
Close Air Support
67 Atlas MB-326 Impala II (1966)
80 Atlas Mustang Enforcer (1973)
Tankers
16 Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker (1966)
Maritime Patrol
12 Hawker Siddley Nimrod MRA.2 (1975)
Transport Aircraft
4 Atlas Vanguard 200B (1976)
11 Boeing 707-520C (1967)
61 Lockheed C-130B Hercules (1964)
35 Douglas C-47TP Turbo Dakota (1942, 1973)
4 Boeing 747SP (1978)
22 Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (1976)
10 Hawker Siddeley Dominie HS.125 400B (1970)
Helicopters
116 Bell UH-1N Iroquois (1974)
34 Boeing CH-47C Chinook (1971)
57 Aerospatiale SA.330 Puma (1973)
(Year) - Year the type entered SAAF Service
Fighters/Interceptors
58 Avro Canada Arrow FG.2/FG.2A (1964)
92 McDonnell Douglas F-4K/F-4R Phantom II (1969)
44 Dassault Mirage IIIEZ (1962)
46 LTV A-7F Corsair II (1971)
Bombers/Strike Aircraft
21 Handley Page Victor B.2SA (1966)
32 General Dynamics F-111H Aardvark (1977)
58 English Electric Canberra SA.12T (1960)
27 Dassault Mirage F1AZ (1975)
Close Air Support
67 Atlas MB-326 Impala II (1966)
80 Atlas Mustang Enforcer (1973)
Tankers
16 Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker (1966)
Maritime Patrol
12 Hawker Siddley Nimrod MRA.2 (1975)
Transport Aircraft
4 Atlas Vanguard 200B (1976)
11 Boeing 707-520C (1967)
61 Lockheed C-130B Hercules (1964)
35 Douglas C-47TP Turbo Dakota (1942, 1973)
4 Boeing 747SP (1978)
22 Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (1976)
10 Hawker Siddeley Dominie HS.125 400B (1970)
Helicopters
116 Bell UH-1N Iroquois (1974)
34 Boeing CH-47C Chinook (1971)
57 Aerospatiale SA.330 Puma (1973)
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TheMann: excellent SAAF OOB. Will they be purchasing any teen-series fighters or even a CVN?
TheMann: excellent SAAF OOB. Will they be purchasing any teen-series fighters or even a CVN?
Teen series fighters, yes. CVN, no. They have ordered two smaller (Clamenceau-size class) CVs, which will probably have the Hornet on their decks. But that's still some time in the future. The South Africans have two Essex-class carriers (President Kruger and President Pretorius), but they are aging and expensive to operate, hence their replacements are on the way.
The EAAF is similar, except they never bought the Victor or Chinook, have retired the Canberra (they also use the F-111), and operate the EC-121T Warning Star. Both countries bought lots out of US stockpiles that were excess at the end of the Vietnam war, and some of the stuff there is stuff they have made them - the Atlas Mustang, for example. (Which is effectively the Piper PA-48, which is hella good for CAS missions.)
BTW - with a successful takeover of the West Indies Federation could come increasing calls by Bermuda to join Canada (there was already a proposal in 1949 in OTL), as well as separating Cape Breton from the rest of Nova Scotia to become its own province. The latter one would have some repercussions, but the admission of Bermuda into Confederation - if it happens - would be interesting to see.
And for the East African Air Force, same year:
1980 East African Air Force
Fighters/Interceptors
16 Grumman F-14A Tomcat (1979)
35 Avro Canada Arrow FG.2A (1965)
115 McDonnell Douglas F-4K Phantom II (1970)
Bombers/Strike Aircraft
41 General Dynamics F-111H Aardvark (1977)
22 Blackburn Buccaneer S.51 (1967)
Close Air Support
85 Atlas MB-326 Impala II (1966)
Tankers
14 Vickers VC10 K.1 (1978)
Maritime Patrol
12 Hawker Siddley Nimrod MRA.2 (1976)
Transport Aircraft
3 Atlas Vanguard 200B (1976)
12 Boeing 707-520C (1969)
76 Lockheed C-130E/H Hercules (1966)
36 Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (1974)
10 Grumman Gulfstream II (1970)
1980 East African Air Force
Fighters/Interceptors
16 Grumman F-14A Tomcat (1979)
35 Avro Canada Arrow FG.2A (1965)
115 McDonnell Douglas F-4K Phantom II (1970)
Bombers/Strike Aircraft
41 General Dynamics F-111H Aardvark (1977)
22 Blackburn Buccaneer S.51 (1967)
Close Air Support
85 Atlas MB-326 Impala II (1966)
Tankers
14 Vickers VC10 K.1 (1978)
Maritime Patrol
12 Hawker Siddley Nimrod MRA.2 (1976)
Transport Aircraft
3 Atlas Vanguard 200B (1976)
12 Boeing 707-520C (1969)
76 Lockheed C-130E/H Hercules (1966)
36 Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (1974)
10 Grumman Gulfstream II (1970)
1980s (Part 1)
The 1980s were one of the most prosperous times in modern history, taking over from the relative malaise of the 1970s, as well as dramatically improving the wealth an economic standings of many of the world's newly industrialized nations, from Korea and Taiwan to Brazil and Chile, as well as many of the nations of the African Federation. The 1980 election of Ronald Reagan saw the beginning of the massive arms race between the NATO nations and those of the Warsaw Pact, a situation that ultimately would lead to the end of the Soviet Union. By the end of the 1980s, the Iron Curtain was disintegrating, and much was to change in the world in the years to come.
One of the first major events of the 80s in a geopolitical sense was the Iran Hostage Crisis. The taking of some 52 hostages at the American Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 had been a major mess, and the American attempt to rescue them, Operation Eagle Claw, had ended in disaster. President Carter was wicked criticized by his Republican rival, Ronald Reagan, for being weak and micromanaging the situation. Carter in February 1980 through back channels asked for the help of the South African Commands and East Africa's famed Maccabees, but the Africans insisted on the situation being negotiated out, despite their well-known dislike of Khomeini. The failure of Eagle Claw ultimately doomed Carter's re-election bid, as Reagan's messages caught hold.
Reagan did not have an easy time as US president, and the main reason was of his own making. A strike by air traffic controllers in August 1981 saw Reagan fire over 11,000 of these controllers - but in the process, other labor unions went ballistic, and America's first general strike since the Great Depression was the result as nearly a million workers walked off the job in sympathy for the fired controllers. Reagan refused to back down, but many of the involved employers took matters into their own hands and negotiated away their strikes, as well as many of them (and even some federal agency leaders hit by the strikes) openly ripping President Reagan for his actions. On August 28, Reagan finally backed down and the controllers were re-hired. This action gave the US trade union movement, which had suffered major problems from job losses in the 1970s, a major boost in both strength and public appeal. But perhaps more importantly, the negotiations undertaken by many companies showed surprises, too. In June 1982 the head of the AFL-CIO spoke alongside General Motors President Roger Smith, with both them agreeing that modern business in America should keep in mind everyone's concerns, and not just pay lip-service to it. AFL-CIO officials made the case that unions should hold their employer's feet to the fire, but consider the realities of the company and the country in good faith.
This idea of companies looking at their workers as assets was a new idea to many labor unions, who had fought bitterly with many American industrialists, and to many of the management, which always strived for lower labor costs. Indeed, it would see major changes in the way America operated, and ones that would change much of the world in general.
Reagan began a major rebuilding of the American Armed forces, with the goal of forcing the Soviet Union to accept its superiority or go broke trying to keep up, which the Soviets did. With the major building program in place in Africa, Reagan did not miss the chances to have several countries closely allied with the West arm up substantially, and as a result through the 1980s American defense contractors fought hard for many of the African contracts, particularly for the East African and South African navies which were by then in the middle of their major upgrade plans. Reagan's loss to Democrats Edward Kennedy and Henry M. Jackson in 1984 did not stop the buildup, to many people's surprise - but considering America's fantastic 1980s growth in both GDP and industrial output, they could afford to keep the plans going.
Part of this was the need for new vessels. South Africa's aging Essex-class aircraft carriers, while well taken care of and having their engines replaced in the early 1970s, were by now needing replacement. Britain had decommissioned the last of its straight-deck carriers in 1978, and Reagan was quite adamant that they did not want to carry the burden of carrier aviation by themselves. Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982 caught the British unawares, but Thatcher nonetheless ordered the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines to take them back. Wanting to make the point about being good friends with Britain, the South Africans offered to help, which was accepted - giving a last combat tour for HMSAS President Pretorius, which was nearing the end of its career. Pretorius' F-4 Phantom and A-7 Corsair II jets proved to be invaluable help, shooting down fifteen Argentine aircraft and escorting in Britain's Black Buck bombing raids, first on the Falklands and then, in an act meant to show the Argentines they meant business, on the Presidential palace in Buenos Aires. The latter mission so rattled the Argentine leadership and people that they were forced to make peace, which they did on July 2, three months after the war began. President Pretorius returned home from the mission in triumph, and the British had learned well that to enforce their foreign policies, they needed a straight-deck carrier, and by July they were talking with the East Africans and South Africans about collaborating, and by the end of August Canada and Australia had also expressed interest in the new vessel design.
These new vessels would be named Nairobi and Kampala in East Africa and Table Mountain and Witwatersrand in South Africa. Britain bought three examples, which were named Queen Elizabeth, Prince of Wales and Victorious. Australia bought one, named HMAS Australia, and Canada committed to two, named Magnificent and Bonaventure after two of Canada's previous carriers. The design efforts were completed and shown off in October 1984, to the happiness of Reagan and the rest of NATO. The design was a 44,000-ton vessel, using gas turbine engines for power with electricity generated by them and by using exhaust heat to boil water, generating extra power. The 915-foot long, 122-foot wide vessel could carry up to 55 aircraft, depending on their size. The vessels were fully capable vessels with three elevators, all-steel construction, a large and tall island positioned towards the front of the vessel and ample room on the flight deck, able to operate just about anything in the arsenals of any of the participating navies. Following British experience in the Falklands, the vessels were equipped with CIWS systems and medium-range air defense systems. All the nations involved were quite happy with the designs, especially as each nation could build their own with their existing infrastructure, and true to form, all of the ten ordered vessels were commissioned between April 1988 and June 1990, and no less than five of them were present at the RIMPAC in 1990.
Reagan's buildup also saw older vessels returned to service in several cases, and seeing the use in some of the older vessels, three Cape Town class vessels were called back to the colors in December 1981, as HMSAS Cape Town, HMSAS Johannesburg and HMEAS Mwazumzenti were pulled out of storage and sent for major refits, as was East Africa's SWAS Kalahari, a WWII-era heavy cruiser designed by the East Africans which had only barely made it to service before the war ended. These four vessels would all play roles in 1980s and 1990s conflicts.
But the 1980s weren't all about America and its Cold War conflicts, the years were very good to Africa, and indeed many of Africa's allies. After the 1982 defeat of Argentina's military junta in the Falklands War, they cracked down hard on opposition to them, causing themselves more pain than the war had already done. This hamfisted attempt to hand on failed, however, with the junta finally falling in March 1983. Junta military forces fought a bitter civil fight through 1983 and 1984, a campaign which caused chaos in Argentina. Finally defeated, Leopoldo Galtieri took his own life in September 1984 in Salta in the country's northwest, and what was left of the Junta's military forces surrended. While Argentina would economically recover in the 1980s, its brief civil war handed the leadership of Latin America to the Brazilians, a fact that came to be resented by the Argentines in the future. It also resulted in nearly 750,000 refugees, and while most never left Argentina, some 30,000 of them did, a third of those landing in South Africa and 4,500 more in East Africa.
The war between Iran and Iraq in the Middle East by early 1982 had turned into a bloody, nasty stalemate. Iraq's greater support was hampered by Iran's numerical superiority and, in many cases, their suicidal tactics. By April 1982, information was reaching the world that Iraq's research nuclear reactor, Osirak, was not just being used for research but also being used to generate plutonium for nuclear bombs. Knowing this, the African powers, who didn't like either the thuggish Hussein or the fanatical Khomeini, decided that this couldn't stand. On August 10, 1982, the reactor was raided by F-111H Aardvark strike bombers of the East African Air Force, escorted by their own F-14B Tomcat interceptors. Two Iraqi Mirage F1s were shot down by the F-14s trying to scramble, giving the honor of the first kill for the Tomcat not to the US Navy but to the East African Air Force. The bombers were not allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia, but the Jordanians, confirming again why they were liked by the Africans, allowed them to use Jordanian Air Space - Saddam's thuggish behavior had such worried the Jordanians that they had discussed using Jordanian Mirage F1s to cover the East African force. Saddam was infuriated, but the moment he made a threat towards Jordan he was warned by the East Africans that their spy agency, the famed Mossad, would track down and kill him if he even attempted it. Saddam, knowing the war with Iran was still on, took the warning seriously.
Indeed, the Middle East was becoming a pain for everybody. The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan and conquered it easily enough, but found themselves on the receiving end of a nasty insurgency. Not known for finesse, the Soviets fought fire with fire, with Afghanistan rapidly becoming to the Red Army what Vietnam had been to the Americans, a very nasty conflict with an enemy that avoided direct fights but instead continued to make life hell for the powerful countries. The Iran-Iraq war only got nastier as the war went on. The Lebanese Civil War, which had prompted an international force to try and keep the peace, had seen the international force hit by a massive terrorist truck attack on October 23, 1983, killing 241 American servicemen, and a second bomb a few hours later killed 58 French and 27 South Africans also involved in the force. While the forces had stayed out of the war, the attack put them right in the middle of it, and an infuriated Reagan sent battleship New Jersey and carrier Saratoga to make a point, with the big-gunned battleship shelling Syrian, Druze and Shiite Muslim positions around Beirut. The Marines undertook air strikes and helicopter-borne assaults on several positions. By mid 1984, however, the situation had deteriorated to the point that the MNF withdrew offshore, while continuing to hammer away at enemy positions well into the fall of 1984.
The wars didn't get any better. In March 1988 Saddam dropped chemical weapons on his own people in the city of Halabja, killing an estimated 6,000, in an attempt to put down rebellions. Iran had started attacking shipping and the Iraqis were doing the same, leading to the "Tanker War" where ships of the Allied and Warsaw Pact navies started escorting reflagged Kuwaiti tankers out of the Persian Gulf. On December 21, 1986, an Iranian F-4 Phantom II fired two Silkworm missiles at HMSAS Spoieonkop, one hitting and causing serious damage to the then brand-new destroyer as well as killing 44 of its crew. Five months later, on May 17, 1987, a pair of Iraqi Exocets, launched from a Mirage F1, struck American frigate Stark, killing 37 of its crew and nearly sinking the frigate. A month after that, Soviet destroyer Taskhent was nearly sunk by a trio of Iranian Silkworm missiles. The Americans responded by destroying Iranian positions in the Gulf, and SAAF Victor bombers bombed Iran's primary Navy base at Bandar Abbas in June and July 1987. Iran finally agreed to a ceasefire in August 1988, but the debts held by both sides were awesomely huge, and Iran and Iraq between them had lost nearly a million lives between them, and caused a rift that would last for decades.
In South Africa, the early 1980s were also a time of debate. Helen Suzman had been re-elected in February 1981 with the promise of a new constitution for the country, with the goal of establishing forever the equality of all people in the country. While this was opposed by the most diehard of right-wingers, such as the Afrikaner Weerstandbegwing (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) and its reactionary leader Eugene Terreblanche, all four of South Africa's major parties supported the idea of a new constitution which would enshrine rights and set up universal suffrage. The Canadian Constitution, which was being hammered out at the same time as the South Africans were beginning their debate, was clearly the template. All nine provinces had to agree on the idea, and after intense negotiations, all nine eventually did agree on the new constitution, which included a substantial bill of rights which mandated free speech, freedom of association, racial equality and many other freedoms. At the suggestion of Verwoerd, who was fearing South Africa's black population would swamp the other races, an upper house was created giving all nine states each eight Senators, and that these Senators had to pass any legislation that the House did as well. While Suzman didn't care for that idea, Mandela and United Party leader Rian Malan supported it, and Suzman went along with it. One controversial plan which was enacted was making voting compulsory, but it made up for it by each election running over the course of a weekend, making it easier to vote. The South African Senate would be elected by voters in much the same was as the house, with each state broken up into eight sections, which were decided by an independent electoral commission. The House would go on as before.
The constitution was agreed by all the provinces by May 1982, and the final constitution was signed into law in Pretoria by Queen Elizabeth II on November 25, 1982. Suzman took the opportunity to call for South Africa's first universal-suffrage elections for all 375 seats in the South African Parliament and 72 Senate Seats for July 10, 1983.
Suzman and the South African Party won the lower house, but the ANC won the Senate seats, and it was laid out that the Prime Minister could be either from the Assembly or the Senate. Suzman easily held her Houghton seat, while NNP leader Kobie Coetzee was also easily re-elected. Mandela and Malan ran for the Senate from the Eastern and Western Cape respectively, and both easily won. Voter turnout was an amazing 97.6%, though no penalties for not voting were enforced for this election, and the proposed penalty, R25, was small.
July 1983 South African Election Results:
House of Commons (375 seats)
137 South African Party, 106 United Party, 76 African National Congress, 54 New National Party, 2 Independents
Senate (72 seats)
27 African National Congress, 19 South African Party, 16 United Party, 10 New National Party
Prime Minister: MP Helen Suzman (Houghton)
Leader of Opposition: Senator Rian Malan (Western Cape 3rd)
ANC Leader: Senator Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Eastern Cape 1st)
NNP Leader: MP Hendrik Jacobus (Kobie) Coetsee (Bloemfontein-Park West)
The 1980s were one of the most prosperous times in modern history, taking over from the relative malaise of the 1970s, as well as dramatically improving the wealth an economic standings of many of the world's newly industrialized nations, from Korea and Taiwan to Brazil and Chile, as well as many of the nations of the African Federation. The 1980 election of Ronald Reagan saw the beginning of the massive arms race between the NATO nations and those of the Warsaw Pact, a situation that ultimately would lead to the end of the Soviet Union. By the end of the 1980s, the Iron Curtain was disintegrating, and much was to change in the world in the years to come.
One of the first major events of the 80s in a geopolitical sense was the Iran Hostage Crisis. The taking of some 52 hostages at the American Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 had been a major mess, and the American attempt to rescue them, Operation Eagle Claw, had ended in disaster. President Carter was wicked criticized by his Republican rival, Ronald Reagan, for being weak and micromanaging the situation. Carter in February 1980 through back channels asked for the help of the South African Commands and East Africa's famed Maccabees, but the Africans insisted on the situation being negotiated out, despite their well-known dislike of Khomeini. The failure of Eagle Claw ultimately doomed Carter's re-election bid, as Reagan's messages caught hold.
Reagan did not have an easy time as US president, and the main reason was of his own making. A strike by air traffic controllers in August 1981 saw Reagan fire over 11,000 of these controllers - but in the process, other labor unions went ballistic, and America's first general strike since the Great Depression was the result as nearly a million workers walked off the job in sympathy for the fired controllers. Reagan refused to back down, but many of the involved employers took matters into their own hands and negotiated away their strikes, as well as many of them (and even some federal agency leaders hit by the strikes) openly ripping President Reagan for his actions. On August 28, Reagan finally backed down and the controllers were re-hired. This action gave the US trade union movement, which had suffered major problems from job losses in the 1970s, a major boost in both strength and public appeal. But perhaps more importantly, the negotiations undertaken by many companies showed surprises, too. In June 1982 the head of the AFL-CIO spoke alongside General Motors President Roger Smith, with both them agreeing that modern business in America should keep in mind everyone's concerns, and not just pay lip-service to it. AFL-CIO officials made the case that unions should hold their employer's feet to the fire, but consider the realities of the company and the country in good faith.
This idea of companies looking at their workers as assets was a new idea to many labor unions, who had fought bitterly with many American industrialists, and to many of the management, which always strived for lower labor costs. Indeed, it would see major changes in the way America operated, and ones that would change much of the world in general.
Reagan began a major rebuilding of the American Armed forces, with the goal of forcing the Soviet Union to accept its superiority or go broke trying to keep up, which the Soviets did. With the major building program in place in Africa, Reagan did not miss the chances to have several countries closely allied with the West arm up substantially, and as a result through the 1980s American defense contractors fought hard for many of the African contracts, particularly for the East African and South African navies which were by then in the middle of their major upgrade plans. Reagan's loss to Democrats Edward Kennedy and Henry M. Jackson in 1984 did not stop the buildup, to many people's surprise - but considering America's fantastic 1980s growth in both GDP and industrial output, they could afford to keep the plans going.
Part of this was the need for new vessels. South Africa's aging Essex-class aircraft carriers, while well taken care of and having their engines replaced in the early 1970s, were by now needing replacement. Britain had decommissioned the last of its straight-deck carriers in 1978, and Reagan was quite adamant that they did not want to carry the burden of carrier aviation by themselves. Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982 caught the British unawares, but Thatcher nonetheless ordered the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines to take them back. Wanting to make the point about being good friends with Britain, the South Africans offered to help, which was accepted - giving a last combat tour for HMSAS President Pretorius, which was nearing the end of its career. Pretorius' F-4 Phantom and A-7 Corsair II jets proved to be invaluable help, shooting down fifteen Argentine aircraft and escorting in Britain's Black Buck bombing raids, first on the Falklands and then, in an act meant to show the Argentines they meant business, on the Presidential palace in Buenos Aires. The latter mission so rattled the Argentine leadership and people that they were forced to make peace, which they did on July 2, three months after the war began. President Pretorius returned home from the mission in triumph, and the British had learned well that to enforce their foreign policies, they needed a straight-deck carrier, and by July they were talking with the East Africans and South Africans about collaborating, and by the end of August Canada and Australia had also expressed interest in the new vessel design.
These new vessels would be named Nairobi and Kampala in East Africa and Table Mountain and Witwatersrand in South Africa. Britain bought three examples, which were named Queen Elizabeth, Prince of Wales and Victorious. Australia bought one, named HMAS Australia, and Canada committed to two, named Magnificent and Bonaventure after two of Canada's previous carriers. The design efforts were completed and shown off in October 1984, to the happiness of Reagan and the rest of NATO. The design was a 44,000-ton vessel, using gas turbine engines for power with electricity generated by them and by using exhaust heat to boil water, generating extra power. The 915-foot long, 122-foot wide vessel could carry up to 55 aircraft, depending on their size. The vessels were fully capable vessels with three elevators, all-steel construction, a large and tall island positioned towards the front of the vessel and ample room on the flight deck, able to operate just about anything in the arsenals of any of the participating navies. Following British experience in the Falklands, the vessels were equipped with CIWS systems and medium-range air defense systems. All the nations involved were quite happy with the designs, especially as each nation could build their own with their existing infrastructure, and true to form, all of the ten ordered vessels were commissioned between April 1988 and June 1990, and no less than five of them were present at the RIMPAC in 1990.
Reagan's buildup also saw older vessels returned to service in several cases, and seeing the use in some of the older vessels, three Cape Town class vessels were called back to the colors in December 1981, as HMSAS Cape Town, HMSAS Johannesburg and HMEAS Mwazumzenti were pulled out of storage and sent for major refits, as was East Africa's SWAS Kalahari, a WWII-era heavy cruiser designed by the East Africans which had only barely made it to service before the war ended. These four vessels would all play roles in 1980s and 1990s conflicts.
But the 1980s weren't all about America and its Cold War conflicts, the years were very good to Africa, and indeed many of Africa's allies. After the 1982 defeat of Argentina's military junta in the Falklands War, they cracked down hard on opposition to them, causing themselves more pain than the war had already done. This hamfisted attempt to hand on failed, however, with the junta finally falling in March 1983. Junta military forces fought a bitter civil fight through 1983 and 1984, a campaign which caused chaos in Argentina. Finally defeated, Leopoldo Galtieri took his own life in September 1984 in Salta in the country's northwest, and what was left of the Junta's military forces surrended. While Argentina would economically recover in the 1980s, its brief civil war handed the leadership of Latin America to the Brazilians, a fact that came to be resented by the Argentines in the future. It also resulted in nearly 750,000 refugees, and while most never left Argentina, some 30,000 of them did, a third of those landing in South Africa and 4,500 more in East Africa.
The war between Iran and Iraq in the Middle East by early 1982 had turned into a bloody, nasty stalemate. Iraq's greater support was hampered by Iran's numerical superiority and, in many cases, their suicidal tactics. By April 1982, information was reaching the world that Iraq's research nuclear reactor, Osirak, was not just being used for research but also being used to generate plutonium for nuclear bombs. Knowing this, the African powers, who didn't like either the thuggish Hussein or the fanatical Khomeini, decided that this couldn't stand. On August 10, 1982, the reactor was raided by F-111H Aardvark strike bombers of the East African Air Force, escorted by their own F-14B Tomcat interceptors. Two Iraqi Mirage F1s were shot down by the F-14s trying to scramble, giving the honor of the first kill for the Tomcat not to the US Navy but to the East African Air Force. The bombers were not allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia, but the Jordanians, confirming again why they were liked by the Africans, allowed them to use Jordanian Air Space - Saddam's thuggish behavior had such worried the Jordanians that they had discussed using Jordanian Mirage F1s to cover the East African force. Saddam was infuriated, but the moment he made a threat towards Jordan he was warned by the East Africans that their spy agency, the famed Mossad, would track down and kill him if he even attempted it. Saddam, knowing the war with Iran was still on, took the warning seriously.
Indeed, the Middle East was becoming a pain for everybody. The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan and conquered it easily enough, but found themselves on the receiving end of a nasty insurgency. Not known for finesse, the Soviets fought fire with fire, with Afghanistan rapidly becoming to the Red Army what Vietnam had been to the Americans, a very nasty conflict with an enemy that avoided direct fights but instead continued to make life hell for the powerful countries. The Iran-Iraq war only got nastier as the war went on. The Lebanese Civil War, which had prompted an international force to try and keep the peace, had seen the international force hit by a massive terrorist truck attack on October 23, 1983, killing 241 American servicemen, and a second bomb a few hours later killed 58 French and 27 South Africans also involved in the force. While the forces had stayed out of the war, the attack put them right in the middle of it, and an infuriated Reagan sent battleship New Jersey and carrier Saratoga to make a point, with the big-gunned battleship shelling Syrian, Druze and Shiite Muslim positions around Beirut. The Marines undertook air strikes and helicopter-borne assaults on several positions. By mid 1984, however, the situation had deteriorated to the point that the MNF withdrew offshore, while continuing to hammer away at enemy positions well into the fall of 1984.
The wars didn't get any better. In March 1988 Saddam dropped chemical weapons on his own people in the city of Halabja, killing an estimated 6,000, in an attempt to put down rebellions. Iran had started attacking shipping and the Iraqis were doing the same, leading to the "Tanker War" where ships of the Allied and Warsaw Pact navies started escorting reflagged Kuwaiti tankers out of the Persian Gulf. On December 21, 1986, an Iranian F-4 Phantom II fired two Silkworm missiles at HMSAS Spoieonkop, one hitting and causing serious damage to the then brand-new destroyer as well as killing 44 of its crew. Five months later, on May 17, 1987, a pair of Iraqi Exocets, launched from a Mirage F1, struck American frigate Stark, killing 37 of its crew and nearly sinking the frigate. A month after that, Soviet destroyer Taskhent was nearly sunk by a trio of Iranian Silkworm missiles. The Americans responded by destroying Iranian positions in the Gulf, and SAAF Victor bombers bombed Iran's primary Navy base at Bandar Abbas in June and July 1987. Iran finally agreed to a ceasefire in August 1988, but the debts held by both sides were awesomely huge, and Iran and Iraq between them had lost nearly a million lives between them, and caused a rift that would last for decades.
In South Africa, the early 1980s were also a time of debate. Helen Suzman had been re-elected in February 1981 with the promise of a new constitution for the country, with the goal of establishing forever the equality of all people in the country. While this was opposed by the most diehard of right-wingers, such as the Afrikaner Weerstandbegwing (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) and its reactionary leader Eugene Terreblanche, all four of South Africa's major parties supported the idea of a new constitution which would enshrine rights and set up universal suffrage. The Canadian Constitution, which was being hammered out at the same time as the South Africans were beginning their debate, was clearly the template. All nine provinces had to agree on the idea, and after intense negotiations, all nine eventually did agree on the new constitution, which included a substantial bill of rights which mandated free speech, freedom of association, racial equality and many other freedoms. At the suggestion of Verwoerd, who was fearing South Africa's black population would swamp the other races, an upper house was created giving all nine states each eight Senators, and that these Senators had to pass any legislation that the House did as well. While Suzman didn't care for that idea, Mandela and United Party leader Rian Malan supported it, and Suzman went along with it. One controversial plan which was enacted was making voting compulsory, but it made up for it by each election running over the course of a weekend, making it easier to vote. The South African Senate would be elected by voters in much the same was as the house, with each state broken up into eight sections, which were decided by an independent electoral commission. The House would go on as before.
The constitution was agreed by all the provinces by May 1982, and the final constitution was signed into law in Pretoria by Queen Elizabeth II on November 25, 1982. Suzman took the opportunity to call for South Africa's first universal-suffrage elections for all 375 seats in the South African Parliament and 72 Senate Seats for July 10, 1983.
Suzman and the South African Party won the lower house, but the ANC won the Senate seats, and it was laid out that the Prime Minister could be either from the Assembly or the Senate. Suzman easily held her Houghton seat, while NNP leader Kobie Coetzee was also easily re-elected. Mandela and Malan ran for the Senate from the Eastern and Western Cape respectively, and both easily won. Voter turnout was an amazing 97.6%, though no penalties for not voting were enforced for this election, and the proposed penalty, R25, was small.
July 1983 South African Election Results:
House of Commons (375 seats)
137 South African Party, 106 United Party, 76 African National Congress, 54 New National Party, 2 Independents
Senate (72 seats)
27 African National Congress, 19 South African Party, 16 United Party, 10 New National Party
Prime Minister: MP Helen Suzman (Houghton)
Leader of Opposition: Senator Rian Malan (Western Cape 3rd)
ANC Leader: Senator Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Eastern Cape 1st)
NNP Leader: MP Hendrik Jacobus (Kobie) Coetsee (Bloemfontein-Park West)
1980s (Part 2)
As the 1980s went on, a few things were becoming clear in society in Africa. The social cohesion of all of the nations had never been stronger, and with that came bigger and wilder ideas about where the nation wanted to go. The first African telecommunications satellites had been launched in the mid 1970s (Africasat 1 and 2, Spacenet 1), but the Africans were now considering even wilder ideas, like sending a man into space themselves. But realizing the costs of that, that seemed highly unlikely - but space continued to be a frontier that Africa's scientists so badly wanted to crack themselves.
The March 1979 Three Mile Island and April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accidents had seriously shaken the faith in nuclear energy in many places in the world, including Africa. But in response to this, ESKOM and ENESA both began to explain to the public just how safe their nuclear power stations were, and how a meltdown like Three Mile Island or an explosion like Chernobyl was impossible with the heavy-water reactors in use in both nations. Their case was bolstered by a March 1987 earthquake in northern East Africa, which had an epicenter just six miles from the Butiaba Nuclear Power Station, caused a momentary loss of power generation but very little damage to the facility itself. Nuclear power station plans went on in Africa, namely because as the continent has relatively little coal and oil must be imported to the African powers, the plants were seen as good security, though Libya, Angola and Nigeria had little problems supplying the African powers with their oil needs.
The China and Korea hit a milestone in 1987, as negotiations between them, mediated by South African Steven Biko, finally resulted in a peace treaty between them, ending the formal state of war that had existed between them since 1951. Korea was by now very prosperous, and China was trying to catch up to its neighbors in Korea, Japan and the ROC, all of which were considerably wealthier than it was. China was not real willing to liberalize politically, mind you, and that showed in their actions during the time.
India had its problems, too. Its constant tensions with Pakistan were a source of frustration for mostly everyone else in the world, but India's problems boiled over in 1984. Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to remove weapons being stockpiled by Sikh separatists at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, in June 1984. The operation was militarily successful, but Sikhs around the world were furious. Indira was assassinated by two of her bodyguards on October 30, 1984, making the situation worse still as anti-Sikh riots ripped through many parts of India. Sikhs abroad got in on the act, too, with the bombing of a Hindu temple in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, on January 17, 1985, killing 28 and wounding over 200, and two bombings of Air India airliners, one off Ireland on May 23 and one off Australia on June 11, as well as a bomb explosion at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, which killed three baggage handlers. These bombings killed 566 people between them, and caused an uproar in all cases. The perpetrators of the Bulawayo bombing quickly left Rhodesia for South Africa, but were arrested two days after the bombing in Pietersburg. Three bombers were sentenced to life imprisonment for the blast in Bulawayo.
In the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 coincided with the final admission that the USSR was simply unable to sustain its current level of military spending and its economic system, and that it had to be changed. Gorbachev began his economic reforms, but these were slow to act due to the massive weight of the Soviet Union's all-pervasive bureaucracy and the country's awesomely high military spending levels. Gorbachev also began talks with Kennedy about reducing the nuclear arsenals each side held and reducing tensions, trying to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War. But Gorbachev's actions, and his admission that the Soviet Union would not defend its Warsaw Pact allies by force any longer, caused the Iron Curtain to start crumbling. While the Solidarity movement in Poland in 1981 had been cracked down, the movements had stayed alive, and by the 1988, the nations of Eastern Europe from Poland to Yugoslavia were riding a wave of anger over the failings of communism. On August 23, 1989, Hungary removed its border defenses with Austria, leading to thousands of East German tourists escaping into Austria, and usually from there on to West Germany. Similar incidents broke out in Czechoslovakia in the following months, and by early November nearly daily protests had broken out in Berlin.
Sensing the opportunity, West Berliners gathered at the wall to cheer their eastern bretheren on. On November 9, the wall cracked for good, and East Germany opened its borders, allowing East Berlin residents to flood into West Berlin, which they did in massive numbers. Bulldozers bashed open the wall in numerous spots in late 1989 and early 1990, as the people moved around both sides in Berlin in big numbers. Caught somewhat unawares, the West German government moved fast, sensing an opportunity to unify Germany. Both German governments worked quickly, and East Germany's five provinces effectively joined the Federal Republic of Germany, thus saving many constitutional wranglings and the like. The unified Germany was announced to the world on October 3, 1990, to the happiness of virtually every German and many in the West as well.
As the Wall fell, so did the rest of the Iron Curtain. In the vast majority of cases, the end of communist regimes was peaceful, largely because nobody in many of the governments was willing to shut down the massive 1988-89 protests by force. Only in Romania did the situation turn violent, where Romanian despot Nicolae Ceauşescu was executed by a Kangaroo Court on Christmas Day, 1989. The end of the Iron Curtain also caused a massive series of independence movements in the Soviet Union. Gorabchev, while originally confident of what he was doing, had by early 1990 come to realize that he had no idea of the forces that he had unleashed......
As the 1980s went on, a few things were becoming clear in society in Africa. The social cohesion of all of the nations had never been stronger, and with that came bigger and wilder ideas about where the nation wanted to go. The first African telecommunications satellites had been launched in the mid 1970s (Africasat 1 and 2, Spacenet 1), but the Africans were now considering even wilder ideas, like sending a man into space themselves. But realizing the costs of that, that seemed highly unlikely - but space continued to be a frontier that Africa's scientists so badly wanted to crack themselves.
The March 1979 Three Mile Island and April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accidents had seriously shaken the faith in nuclear energy in many places in the world, including Africa. But in response to this, ESKOM and ENESA both began to explain to the public just how safe their nuclear power stations were, and how a meltdown like Three Mile Island or an explosion like Chernobyl was impossible with the heavy-water reactors in use in both nations. Their case was bolstered by a March 1987 earthquake in northern East Africa, which had an epicenter just six miles from the Butiaba Nuclear Power Station, caused a momentary loss of power generation but very little damage to the facility itself. Nuclear power station plans went on in Africa, namely because as the continent has relatively little coal and oil must be imported to the African powers, the plants were seen as good security, though Libya, Angola and Nigeria had little problems supplying the African powers with their oil needs.
The China and Korea hit a milestone in 1987, as negotiations between them, mediated by South African Steven Biko, finally resulted in a peace treaty between them, ending the formal state of war that had existed between them since 1951. Korea was by now very prosperous, and China was trying to catch up to its neighbors in Korea, Japan and the ROC, all of which were considerably wealthier than it was. China was not real willing to liberalize politically, mind you, and that showed in their actions during the time.
India had its problems, too. Its constant tensions with Pakistan were a source of frustration for mostly everyone else in the world, but India's problems boiled over in 1984. Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to remove weapons being stockpiled by Sikh separatists at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, in June 1984. The operation was militarily successful, but Sikhs around the world were furious. Indira was assassinated by two of her bodyguards on October 30, 1984, making the situation worse still as anti-Sikh riots ripped through many parts of India. Sikhs abroad got in on the act, too, with the bombing of a Hindu temple in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, on January 17, 1985, killing 28 and wounding over 200, and two bombings of Air India airliners, one off Ireland on May 23 and one off Australia on June 11, as well as a bomb explosion at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, which killed three baggage handlers. These bombings killed 566 people between them, and caused an uproar in all cases. The perpetrators of the Bulawayo bombing quickly left Rhodesia for South Africa, but were arrested two days after the bombing in Pietersburg. Three bombers were sentenced to life imprisonment for the blast in Bulawayo.
In the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 coincided with the final admission that the USSR was simply unable to sustain its current level of military spending and its economic system, and that it had to be changed. Gorbachev began his economic reforms, but these were slow to act due to the massive weight of the Soviet Union's all-pervasive bureaucracy and the country's awesomely high military spending levels. Gorbachev also began talks with Kennedy about reducing the nuclear arsenals each side held and reducing tensions, trying to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War. But Gorbachev's actions, and his admission that the Soviet Union would not defend its Warsaw Pact allies by force any longer, caused the Iron Curtain to start crumbling. While the Solidarity movement in Poland in 1981 had been cracked down, the movements had stayed alive, and by the 1988, the nations of Eastern Europe from Poland to Yugoslavia were riding a wave of anger over the failings of communism. On August 23, 1989, Hungary removed its border defenses with Austria, leading to thousands of East German tourists escaping into Austria, and usually from there on to West Germany. Similar incidents broke out in Czechoslovakia in the following months, and by early November nearly daily protests had broken out in Berlin.
Sensing the opportunity, West Berliners gathered at the wall to cheer their eastern bretheren on. On November 9, the wall cracked for good, and East Germany opened its borders, allowing East Berlin residents to flood into West Berlin, which they did in massive numbers. Bulldozers bashed open the wall in numerous spots in late 1989 and early 1990, as the people moved around both sides in Berlin in big numbers. Caught somewhat unawares, the West German government moved fast, sensing an opportunity to unify Germany. Both German governments worked quickly, and East Germany's five provinces effectively joined the Federal Republic of Germany, thus saving many constitutional wranglings and the like. The unified Germany was announced to the world on October 3, 1990, to the happiness of virtually every German and many in the West as well.
As the Wall fell, so did the rest of the Iron Curtain. In the vast majority of cases, the end of communist regimes was peaceful, largely because nobody in many of the governments was willing to shut down the massive 1988-89 protests by force. Only in Romania did the situation turn violent, where Romanian despot Nicolae Ceauşescu was executed by a Kangaroo Court on Christmas Day, 1989. The end of the Iron Curtain also caused a massive series of independence movements in the Soviet Union. Gorabchev, while originally confident of what he was doing, had by early 1990 come to realize that he had no idea of the forces that he had unleashed......
Raymann
Banned
Nice update but there are two problems:
First is with the ATC strike. Without some rather massive changes, US unions were not set up for a national strike nor were they inclined to since the strike was a clear violation of federal law (and making it legal would have meant a renegotiation of the Taft-Hartley Act which the unions knew they weren't going to come out on top). Even if they were, Reagan acted too fast...the strike happened on Aug. 3rd and they were all fired by Aug. 5th. Military ATC took up some of the slack and even though the system took a long time to rebuild it was working within a few days of the strike. Finally PATCO (the union) was decertified within another 2 months.
Next is the '84 election...how did Reagan lose it? OTL he won every state except Minnosota and nothing you stated in your timeline could account for his defeat.
First is with the ATC strike. Without some rather massive changes, US unions were not set up for a national strike nor were they inclined to since the strike was a clear violation of federal law (and making it legal would have meant a renegotiation of the Taft-Hartley Act which the unions knew they weren't going to come out on top). Even if they were, Reagan acted too fast...the strike happened on Aug. 3rd and they were all fired by Aug. 5th. Military ATC took up some of the slack and even though the system took a long time to rebuild it was working within a few days of the strike. Finally PATCO (the union) was decertified within another 2 months.
Next is the '84 election...how did Reagan lose it? OTL he won every state except Minnosota and nothing you stated in your timeline could account for his defeat.
Firstly: The strikes ran for weeks, and unions are always well-organized. Taft-Hartley had been ignored many times in years past (which was why PATCO went on strike), and it only applies to government workers in any case. The general strike did not break out until Reagan fired the controllers. It would take 3-4 days for that to turn into a major nationwide movement, but while it is somewhat unlikely I went for it because I needed a catalyst to the changes in the attitude of American business.
Second, Mondale ran perhaps the worst campaign in the history of American politics in 1984, and was comprehensively outdone by Reagan. Here, Kennedy and Jackson ran on a platform of rebuilding the US' industrial capacity (thus taking the Rust Belt from Reagan), and working on growing support in traditional Democratic states. Hence, they go on to win a narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless.
Raymann
Banned
The AFL-CIO is organized, SEIU is organized but the average American union isn't. When they call a strike there is always a significant percent that ignores it. Next is precedent; correct me if I'm wrong but I can't remember a time in modern memory where one union has gone on strike on behalf of another. This applies especially to the "big tent" unions who really do resent the smaller, higher wage specialist unions. There are a lot of really good reasons why the US doesn't do national strikes and though I'm not saying there can't be one, it's not going to start over air traffic controllers. Personally, I would have picked the 70's and the oil shortage as a better catalyst.
When I was young I remember democrats (southern) yelling "Where's Mary Jo?" at Kennedy. If anything, that is the one reason why Ted could never win the presidency. Carter crushed Kennedy in the 1980 primaries because of that, his weak foreign policy and his perceived anti-business attitudes (And Reagan beat Carter on those same issues). Kennedy simply wasn't electable outside of New England and after 1980 he realized that. Now I'm not saying Reagan was unbeatable in 1984 but unless someone aired a video of him killing kittins...
First Point: What's to say that this can't be a catalyst? I can see your point (and as a former member of the UTU myself, I happen to agree on many of your points), but there is many ways I think this is possible. After many of the big industrial unions lost so much of their membership to job losses in the 70s, its entirely possible that they got organized and swore to start making an impact. Hence, when Reagan (who was not well liked by the unions in any case) fired the PATCO guys, they took it as a catalyst. There is many, many butterflies in this (I have a infamous Quebec Separatist leader living in South Africa, for pete's sakes!)
Second Point: That one is easy to fix - have that accident never happen. Settled. No accident with Mary Jo, and as a result he doesn't have that albatross hanging around his neck. He runs for the Dem nomination in 1976 and loses to Carter. Figuring its better to be united in the face of Reagan and his forces, he doesn't challenge Carter in 1980, but after Carter gets his head handed to him, he makes it clear that he's after him in 1984. He wins the 1984 primaries against Hart, Jackson, Mondale and a handful of others, and gets a more conservative running mate to balance out his ticket (which is where Scoop Jackson comes in), doesn't make Mondale's boneheaded mistakes, and pulls off a narrow victory against Reagan. Again, butterflies exist, but I am using these butterflies because I want to see America be more progressive than what it was in OTL.
Interesting, TheMann. So BL managed to get away by building most of its vehicles abroad - a clever idea, indeed.
Plymouth = Plymouth (ANZ Chrysler) Valiant, plus SIMCA/Hillman and some US Plymouth models (in the UK and other countries where the Hillman brand existed, the Hillman brand was phased out in favour of Chrysler, or Dodge in South America - SIMCA remained the brand used in Continental Europe, though with the Chrysler logo)
Chrysler = US Chrysler models, including the Imperial, plus Singer models
Sunbeam = Sports cars
Dodge in Africa would be seen as being solely commercial vehicles.
Let's say that Chrysler purchases SIMCA during the late 1950s by buying the FIAT and Ford shares outright, and a couple of years later SIMCA vehicles are being produced in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and East Africa under the Chrysler name. Thus, during the 1960s, Chrysler pushes a modernization drive through so that Simca could compete with Opel and Ford very handsomely.
Also, 1964 sees Chrysler take over the Rootes Group outright - more so than OTL, when Chrysler took over in 1967. With that came a bit of rationalization and modernization, so as to improve build quality and to replace the antiquated cars that were in the lineup. Humber was merged with Singer, the latter of which remained as a brand within the UK. As already mentioned, the Hillman brand was replaced with Chrysler early on, and instantly the management decided to merge Hillman/Chrysler UK's lineup with that of Simca's as much as possible, whilst redesigning Hillman's existing products when retained. Thus, monstrosities like the Hillman Imp were canned and RWD was ditched in favour of FWD, as well as ending the practice of badge-engineering. Also, Chrysler Europe would be born during the 1964-1967 transition.
At the same time, it was also decided that with the rationalization/consolidation of Simca and Rootes Group products into Chrysler Europe products, it should also be possible, as with Simca, to build Rootes Group vehicles outside of the UK (so as to circumvent any potential strike action in the UK). Hence, Simca's Nanterre factory would be of much use as also was the ex-Ford Poissy plant. Let's say that, as with BL, this strategy also pays off for Chrysler - which also helps back in North America, where Chrysler's own North American plants churn out Simca & Rootes Group models for Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler (imagine a Sunbeam Tiger with the engine of a Dodge Challenger - sold as a Dodge!). Hence, Chrysler Europe is also profitable for the Chrysler Corporation, and hence no OTL sell-off of Chrysler Europe to Peugeot.
Sounds good?
Sounds excellent, especially as it might keep Chrysler from going into bankruptcy in the late 1970s, and allow them to stay competitive with the imports. One of the ideas I had was that GM has success with the Corvair, and as such is more willing to take risks in terms of engineering (hence, they use stuff like turbocharged engines and better suspension designs earlier on) and don't look at small cars as loss leaders, hence having a much easier time competing with the Japanese in the 1970s oil crisis.
In the aftermath of the oil crisis, all of the Detroit three raid their international divisions for vehicle designs and technologies, thus making themselves much more competitive and forcing the Japanese to have to fight hard for every bit of market share. Chrysler making SIMCA and Rootes Group work as Chrysler Europe is IMO a great idea, and I'm gonna guess that you're thinking that these cars would be exported, as well. I'm thinking that the Detroit musclecars at the end of their days would be designed better - the suspension in the 1970-74 Dodge Challenger was absolutely awful, as handsome as the car unquestionably is
- and perhaps after the oil crisis Detroit uses technology to make the musclecars live again, with lighter weight, smaller displacement V8s and maybe turbocharged V6s (think the Buick Grand National a decade early), thus making the awful cars of the 1970s become a bad memory - and force the imports again to catch up, thus beginning the boom in sportscars from Japan several years early. (and b-r-e-a-t-h-e.) Here, Mazda and Africa's Westland Automobiles are closely-aligned, so Mazda's rotary-powered cars have more development, and Westland's turbo experience means that the RX-7, which is called the Westland Matrix in Africa, is a much higher-performance vehicle than OTL.BL survives the 1970s chaos, and facing the end of their industry and Thatcher's hard responses to industrial action, BL's workers begin working more with their management, and make a series of much better vehicles in the 1980s. Rover, Triumph, Jaguar, Mini and Land Rover survive the 1980s, and between them they make up BL in the 1980s. BL also buys up Lotus in 1987 (instead of GM doing so), and uses Lotus' expertise to make much better cars. The Rover Metro and SD1 are the first in the new cars released in the 1980s, and are massive improvements on their predecessors. Several plants in Britain are re-opened in the 1980s to make the newer cars, and no badge-engineered Hondas are ever used. BL introduces modern turbodiesels to the North American market in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and in doing so carve themselves out a niche. Jaguar does well too, and in the process they lead a renaissance of British automobiles in the 1980s and 1990s.
Africa is one of the world's most competitive car markets in the 1980s, thanks to Reynard, Westland (which becomes Westland Mazda in 1988), GMAF (GM Africa), Ford of Africa, British Leyland, Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Renault, Chrysler and Honda. The two African makers lead the way at the end of the 1980s, with GM Africa close behind, BL in fourth and Ford Africa in fifth, with the Japanese having to content themselves with sixth (Nissan), seventh (Toyota) and ninth (Honda). GM Africa has four brands - Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Corvette - many of which are built in Africa. The Japanese made the mistake of trying fulfill markets with exports, which cost them in comparison to the vehicles built at home. Ford of Africa mostly supplies Africa with European models (mostly made in Rhodesia - Ford's plant in Lusaka is the largest auto plant in the world, making over a million cars a year) and some Australian and American vehicles.
Reynard Automobiles, based in Nairobi, East Africa, is the biggest of the African makers, and like the others, they cover the entire span of the auto market, from the small Tracer subcompact to the luxurious Victor luxury sedan, and all of their African-market vehicles are made in Africa.
Mazda does not do well in the 1980s bubble era, and Westland ups its stake from the 20% bought in 1969 to 30% in 1982, and the two companies merge in 1988. Despite the merger, Mazda and Westland have little trouble working with each other, and the result is that the company gains a repute for technological innovation, being the only companies to use the Wankel rotary engine and the Miller cycle engine, though BL begins using Miller cycle engines in the early 2000s. The Mazda RX-3 and RX-7, called the Westland Springbok and Westland Matrix, respectively, are among Africa's most popular sports cars, particularly the relatively low-cost Springbok, which is also a fast and fun little car. African fuel has a very high octane rating - premium fuel in Africa is usually in the 96 octane ballpark - so cars in Africa often have better performance than others, and turbocharging is often used to compensate for the heat and high altitude of many African locations.
Sounds good - though if we want to continue the OTL Ford-Mazda alliance, Ford could also have a stake in Westland, allowing both companies to benefit from each other's work.
(BTW - around now would also be good to bring up the story of Hi-Vision that I told you about in the PMs, as a sidebar.)
(BTW - around now would also be good to bring up the story of Hi-Vision that I told you about in the PMs, as a sidebar.
)1980s (Part 3)
Politically, South Africa's new constitution would up forcing the rewrites of many of its laws, particularly those to maintain civil order and the laws against communism. But with communism failing, there was little point in rewriting anti-communist laws - even the most diehard of the socialist-leaning African National Congress had long admitted to the fact that a free market, with some restrictions, works best. The ANC itself was changing, largely as many of its long-time leadership began to retire in the 1970s and 1980s. Mandela stepped down as ANC leader in 1986 after a brush with cancer, leading to a wild 1987 leadership race. Fought by Natal Premier Kanta Ryamisa, Youth League leader Steven Biko, Senator Thabo Mbeki and MP and union organizer Cyril Ramaphosa. Biko won it by a hair over Ryamisa, but the process and Biko's subsequent negotiation of a peace treaty between Korea and China came up just as elections were due to be called.
The April 1988 elections were almost a straight fight between the South African Party and the African National Congress, with the New National Party and United Party both admitting that the best they could do was be a kingmaker. The United Party was better placed for this, particularly after Rian Malan made the decision to have his choice for a UP deputy PM, Michael Kwabena, feature prominently in many UP election posters and advertisements. The NNP and Coetzee focused on the world around them, introducing the rather controversial idea that South Africa should have nuclear arms and that the country, as one of Africa's most advanced economies, should take a greater interest in Africa's affairs. Biko canned this as being ignorant of political reality across most of Africa. "Africa is becoming one of the best places on Earth for a man to live. Who are we to tell them how to do that?" Suzman's initial euphoria over her leadership in turning South Africa into a fully multiracial society had faded as economic growth in Europe and America eclipsed South Africa.
The ANC won, but as expected, they did not get a majority - and the UP was in the position of kingmaker. Malan and Kwabena took the opportunity to side with Biko, and Biko officially took over as South Africa's second black Prime Minister on May 10, 1988. Shortly after the election, Suzman resigned her leadership of the South African Party, and her successor wound up being Alexander Holomisa, the first black leader of one of the "veteran" political parties.
In Rhodesia, having been in a leadership position since 1957 and PM since 1971, Kenneth Kaunda called an election for 1980, and found himself facing down his strongest opposition since beating Welensky in 1957 - Ian Smith. Smith, a WWII and Korean War fighter pilot and big-time businessman, was one of Rhodesia's most famous people, and Kaunda's leadership, as good as it had been, was not enough on its own to beat down Smith. Smith, despite facial injuries that made it sometimes difficult for him to make expressions, was an excellent orator. The election was tight, but in the end Smith and his Rhodesian Front did win, forcing Kaunda and his New Democratic Party into opposition. Smith was sworn in as Rhodesia's PM on August 27, 1980. Smith's leadership saw more changes in the African landscape, as one of Smith's pet projects was land reform projects and the expansion of irrigation projects. An agreement with the Congo in November 1981 saw the beginnings of a 1350-mile pipeline from Inga, Congo, to Broken Hill, Rhodesia, with the goal of providing a secure water supply to the African highlands, which when combined with Smith's land reform and educational programs, saw Rhodesia expand from its tradition grain and tobacco farms into many other agricultural products, while also breaking up some of the big farms in the country's northwest and giving some of them to smaller landowners. Smith also led the charge to rebuild the country's infrastructure further, and Rhodesia began building its first nuclear power station in the fall of 1981. The Mazabuka nuclear station, a similar design to the SAHWPR reactors that were in such use in South Africa, was finished in 1987 and went online in 1988. While Rhodesia had not been poor, Smith's efforts in the 1980s went a long way towards accelerating Rhodesia up to the living standards of South Africa and East Africa. The Smith Era also saw Africa's tallest tower built in Salisbury, the 496-meter-tall International Tower, which was the third-tallest building on the planet when opened in 1986 (the only taller buildings are the CN Tower in Canada and the Ostankino Tower in Russia) and to this day dominates Salisbury's skyline.
A 1988 summit between Smith, Biko East African PM Abraham Bazaka and South West African PM Peter Bernhard went well, and Bazaka raised the idea of reforming the African Federation into a more unified organization, with an African parliament and common policies on economics, foreign and social policies and a African military. Biko was warm to the idea, Smith and Bernhard somewhat less so, but all admitted that the free borders, which had mostly been the case for decades anyways, would be a good idea. The African Federation began debating Bazaka's ideas in 1989, though it would be some time before any of it was actually enacted into law.
The American military buildup went on unabated through the Kennedy Administration, and by 1989 Reagan's proposed 600-ship Navy was a reality. Kennedy took Carter's idea of having a strong Vice-President to heart, and while Kennedy focused his efforts on domestic affairs, VP Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson focused on the international ones. Both did astoundingly well at their efforts, and by 1989 even the biggest haters of the United States had to admit that their power, not just in terms of military but also economics and social policies, had never been greater. Kennedy was re-elected in 1988 despite a strong challenge from Reagan's Vice President, George H.W. Bush. Jackson rather liked Smith and Bernhard, and while he had some disagreements with Suzman, Biko and Bazaka, he didn't have any issues working with them. The African powers, with their relatively unblemished reputation in the world, were becoming key Western allies. Jackson made a state visit to South Africa in February 1989, where he met with all of South Africa's political leaders, and Coetzee raised the idea of the US' willingness to bid in South Africa's ongoing rebuild of its Navy, to which Jackson replied that South Africa could probably purchase whatever the US had in its arsenal. This was passed up the line to Biko, and through 1989 and 1990 the ramifications of this ran through the military and government of South Africa. Kennedy crowned his political career in April 1990 when he rammed through a major overhaul of America's health care system. America's 1989 GDP growth was a scarcely-believable 8.7%, the highest number since FDR, while America underwent a building boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s in its infrastructure. American military units kept a close eye on the major political movements in Eastern Europe, and while communism was collapsing, nobody was interested in anarchy replacing communism, and all feared what a civil war in a nation with the best part of fourty thousand nuclear warheads would look like. By now, sensing that Gorbachev was perhaps the key to a peaceful end of the communism and perhaps the end of the USSR, backed him lavishly, complete with major financial loans to help the antiquated Soviet economy come out of its massive mess.
In July 1988, in a highly-publicized move, Atlas Aircraft, Africa Aerospace, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Avro Canada, Bombardier and Embraer all agreed to contribute to the development of a new-age supersonic airliner through a new company, Aerolive. Africa Aerospace at that time was already hard at work developing a supersonic business jet, called the Africa Aerospace Superstar, and so they had one of the lead roles. The project went through organizational difficulties, but the aircraft, named the Aerolive Aurora, flew for the first time in April 1996, and entered commercial service for its first commercial operator (Japan Air Lines) in August 1999. Under the agreement, the aircraft's final assembly would be done by Atlas in Pretoria, South Africa, while the parts would be manufactured by everyone. The massive engines would be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. Africa Aerospace would supply the front canards, nose section and front of the fuselage, while most of the fuselage would be made by Embraer and the wings by Avro Canada and Bombardier. The aircraft would enter service with Royal South African Airways in June 2000 and with African International Airways in May 2001.
Politically, South Africa's new constitution would up forcing the rewrites of many of its laws, particularly those to maintain civil order and the laws against communism. But with communism failing, there was little point in rewriting anti-communist laws - even the most diehard of the socialist-leaning African National Congress had long admitted to the fact that a free market, with some restrictions, works best. The ANC itself was changing, largely as many of its long-time leadership began to retire in the 1970s and 1980s. Mandela stepped down as ANC leader in 1986 after a brush with cancer, leading to a wild 1987 leadership race. Fought by Natal Premier Kanta Ryamisa, Youth League leader Steven Biko, Senator Thabo Mbeki and MP and union organizer Cyril Ramaphosa. Biko won it by a hair over Ryamisa, but the process and Biko's subsequent negotiation of a peace treaty between Korea and China came up just as elections were due to be called.
The April 1988 elections were almost a straight fight between the South African Party and the African National Congress, with the New National Party and United Party both admitting that the best they could do was be a kingmaker. The United Party was better placed for this, particularly after Rian Malan made the decision to have his choice for a UP deputy PM, Michael Kwabena, feature prominently in many UP election posters and advertisements. The NNP and Coetzee focused on the world around them, introducing the rather controversial idea that South Africa should have nuclear arms and that the country, as one of Africa's most advanced economies, should take a greater interest in Africa's affairs. Biko canned this as being ignorant of political reality across most of Africa. "Africa is becoming one of the best places on Earth for a man to live. Who are we to tell them how to do that?" Suzman's initial euphoria over her leadership in turning South Africa into a fully multiracial society had faded as economic growth in Europe and America eclipsed South Africa.
The ANC won, but as expected, they did not get a majority - and the UP was in the position of kingmaker. Malan and Kwabena took the opportunity to side with Biko, and Biko officially took over as South Africa's second black Prime Minister on May 10, 1988. Shortly after the election, Suzman resigned her leadership of the South African Party, and her successor wound up being Alexander Holomisa, the first black leader of one of the "veteran" political parties.
In Rhodesia, having been in a leadership position since 1957 and PM since 1971, Kenneth Kaunda called an election for 1980, and found himself facing down his strongest opposition since beating Welensky in 1957 - Ian Smith. Smith, a WWII and Korean War fighter pilot and big-time businessman, was one of Rhodesia's most famous people, and Kaunda's leadership, as good as it had been, was not enough on its own to beat down Smith. Smith, despite facial injuries that made it sometimes difficult for him to make expressions, was an excellent orator. The election was tight, but in the end Smith and his Rhodesian Front did win, forcing Kaunda and his New Democratic Party into opposition. Smith was sworn in as Rhodesia's PM on August 27, 1980. Smith's leadership saw more changes in the African landscape, as one of Smith's pet projects was land reform projects and the expansion of irrigation projects. An agreement with the Congo in November 1981 saw the beginnings of a 1350-mile pipeline from Inga, Congo, to Broken Hill, Rhodesia, with the goal of providing a secure water supply to the African highlands, which when combined with Smith's land reform and educational programs, saw Rhodesia expand from its tradition grain and tobacco farms into many other agricultural products, while also breaking up some of the big farms in the country's northwest and giving some of them to smaller landowners. Smith also led the charge to rebuild the country's infrastructure further, and Rhodesia began building its first nuclear power station in the fall of 1981. The Mazabuka nuclear station, a similar design to the SAHWPR reactors that were in such use in South Africa, was finished in 1987 and went online in 1988. While Rhodesia had not been poor, Smith's efforts in the 1980s went a long way towards accelerating Rhodesia up to the living standards of South Africa and East Africa. The Smith Era also saw Africa's tallest tower built in Salisbury, the 496-meter-tall International Tower, which was the third-tallest building on the planet when opened in 1986 (the only taller buildings are the CN Tower in Canada and the Ostankino Tower in Russia) and to this day dominates Salisbury's skyline.
A 1988 summit between Smith, Biko East African PM Abraham Bazaka and South West African PM Peter Bernhard went well, and Bazaka raised the idea of reforming the African Federation into a more unified organization, with an African parliament and common policies on economics, foreign and social policies and a African military. Biko was warm to the idea, Smith and Bernhard somewhat less so, but all admitted that the free borders, which had mostly been the case for decades anyways, would be a good idea. The African Federation began debating Bazaka's ideas in 1989, though it would be some time before any of it was actually enacted into law.
The American military buildup went on unabated through the Kennedy Administration, and by 1989 Reagan's proposed 600-ship Navy was a reality. Kennedy took Carter's idea of having a strong Vice-President to heart, and while Kennedy focused his efforts on domestic affairs, VP Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson focused on the international ones. Both did astoundingly well at their efforts, and by 1989 even the biggest haters of the United States had to admit that their power, not just in terms of military but also economics and social policies, had never been greater. Kennedy was re-elected in 1988 despite a strong challenge from Reagan's Vice President, George H.W. Bush. Jackson rather liked Smith and Bernhard, and while he had some disagreements with Suzman, Biko and Bazaka, he didn't have any issues working with them. The African powers, with their relatively unblemished reputation in the world, were becoming key Western allies. Jackson made a state visit to South Africa in February 1989, where he met with all of South Africa's political leaders, and Coetzee raised the idea of the US' willingness to bid in South Africa's ongoing rebuild of its Navy, to which Jackson replied that South Africa could probably purchase whatever the US had in its arsenal. This was passed up the line to Biko, and through 1989 and 1990 the ramifications of this ran through the military and government of South Africa. Kennedy crowned his political career in April 1990 when he rammed through a major overhaul of America's health care system. America's 1989 GDP growth was a scarcely-believable 8.7%, the highest number since FDR, while America underwent a building boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s in its infrastructure. American military units kept a close eye on the major political movements in Eastern Europe, and while communism was collapsing, nobody was interested in anarchy replacing communism, and all feared what a civil war in a nation with the best part of fourty thousand nuclear warheads would look like. By now, sensing that Gorbachev was perhaps the key to a peaceful end of the communism and perhaps the end of the USSR, backed him lavishly, complete with major financial loans to help the antiquated Soviet economy come out of its massive mess.
In July 1988, in a highly-publicized move, Atlas Aircraft, Africa Aerospace, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Avro Canada, Bombardier and Embraer all agreed to contribute to the development of a new-age supersonic airliner through a new company, Aerolive. Africa Aerospace at that time was already hard at work developing a supersonic business jet, called the Africa Aerospace Superstar, and so they had one of the lead roles. The project went through organizational difficulties, but the aircraft, named the Aerolive Aurora, flew for the first time in April 1996, and entered commercial service for its first commercial operator (Japan Air Lines) in August 1999. Under the agreement, the aircraft's final assembly would be done by Atlas in Pretoria, South Africa, while the parts would be manufactured by everyone. The massive engines would be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. Africa Aerospace would supply the front canards, nose section and front of the fuselage, while most of the fuselage would be made by Embraer and the wings by Avro Canada and Bombardier. The aircraft would enter service with Royal South African Airways in June 2000 and with African International Airways in May 2001.
Here, Westland effectively took Ford's place, though Ford does still own a small portion of Mazda and they kept that stake in Westland Mazda.
(BTW - around now would also be good to bring up the story of Hi-Vision that I told you about in the PMs, as a sidebar.
To be honest, I get the gist of it, but honestly, I wouldn't know to explain it all. The idea of high-quality broadcasting in Africa is already around (note that I took most of your ideas for the radio and TV networks) and the radio networks of South Africa are now just major news and music networks, and the country has TV satellites, which make for the quality of broadcasting being far higher.
OK, here goes on the TV front......
NOTE: This was almost entirely written by Dan1988, and its a masterpiece which I am honored to integrate into African Superpowers. Dan, sir, I salute you.
RABC and its Broadcast Technology
The Royal African Broadcasting Corporation, or RABC for short, is the largest broadcaster on the African Continent and over the years has become one of the largest broadcasting companies on the planet, with extensive radio and TV networks across Africa, a worldwide news broadcasting service similar to the BBC and news radio and TV networks in English, French, Spanish, German, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi and Portuguese. Being one of the largest such companies on the planet, its rise in itself is a big story. Based in the 54-story RABC Center in Pretoria, South Africa, the company, which is funded mostly by the government of South Africa, though they also take in money from subscription fees, usually from abroad.
Started in 1926 in South Africa by the government, the African Broadcasting Corporation received Royal Approval from King George VI in 1937, becoming the Royal African Broadcasting Corporation. With the advent of television in South Africa starting in 1950 but not a major force until the 1960s, the RABC entered a new era. But perhaps most importantly, the most important thing about RABC is that it, for the most part, revolutionized the way TV is broadcast in Africa. And that is in itself a story, and a story that, strangely enough, begins in America.
In 1939, famed American filmmaker Walt Disney released a film very different from what he had been used to making - Fantasia. A series of musical shorts, Fantasia was most known for being one of the first movies to introduce multichannel sound, known as Fantasound. On its original roadshow tour in 1939, a New York showing was taken in by one of RABC's directors, Dr. Andries van Helsing, a broadcasting expert. After analyzing the ways and methods at the New York theatre and at Walt Disney Studios, van Helsing returned to South Africa in May 1941, bringing several prints of the film with him. During the 1940s and 1950s, van Helsing and his team at the RABC start experimenting with various methods to try and recreate Fantasound in a broadcasting environment - whilst continuing to make copies of the prints, in case a copy gets damaged. During the transition to colour TV in the early 1960s, Fantasia was used as a test film. For South Africans used to the General Release Version as seen in theatres - the same General Release Version as in OTL - to see the original roadshow version, which quickly became dubbed as the "RABC Version", is interesting in many fronts. the RABC added its own opening and closing credits to the film to make it suitable for television broadcast. Fantasia was also used to test a prototype version of what Mr. van Helsing dubbed "TV Fantasound", which was essentially the world's first quadraphonic stereo sound format. The result is that the transition from black and white to color TV also introduces the quadraphonic sound. This sound advancement is soon used by radios as well, becoming by the early 1970s the standard for speaker systems around the world. While quadraphonic stereo sound would be what Dr. van Helsing would be famous for, it was not the end of the story for him, though the quadraphonic stereo would also contribute to the development of much more complex music over time, as the different beats and rhythms could also be integrated into music and still be heard by listeners. The excellent quadraphonic electronics produced by Asavin Electronica in South Africa, Sony Electronics in Japan, Phillips in the Netherlands, Western Electric in Canada and RCA in the United States also contributed to the popularity of the concept, as the listening experience was noticeable even by those who were not sound experts.
This, however, was not enough. During the same period as the development of Fantasound, even after the adaptation of NTSC to South African conditions, the RABC Laboratories (and the laboratories of the PTT, who owned all the broadcasting transmitters in South Africa, and Bell Labs of South Africa) were constantly tinkering with the system in order to get a better picture. In 1968, the RABC Laboratories, Bell Labs of South Africa, and the laboratories of the PTT were combined as the Communications Research Centre of South Africa, where the PTT, RABC, and Bell South Africa were duly represented. This development also precipitated the launch for the first African communications satellite, Africasat-1, in 1969. The CRC would go on to be one of the authorities on the development of communications technologies, and this expertise, grown over the 1960s and 1970s, would make South Africans (and the substantial numbers of East Africans, South West Africans, Mozambicans, Malagasy and Rhodesians who also worked at the CRC) in high demand for telecommunications projects all around the world.
By the 1970s, the CRC soon decided to cooperate with equivalent bodies, including broadcasters and electronics manufacturers, in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Korea, the ROC, and Japan to create a new TV standard that would deliver HDTV (or near-HDTV, in some cases) to audiences. By the mid-1970s, thanks to the usage of satellites, a new format was invented, which was called Hi-Vision. Hi-Vision, in and of itself, was a series of standards and codecs that not only built upon the success of earlier standards, like "TV Fantasound", but was designed to be an open standard that would be compatible with both NTSC and PAL, in all its varieties. The experiments would set RABC a reputation for excellence, a reputation that fueled its explosive growth in the 1970s and 1980s as the Hi-Vision idea took off. The huge number of satellites launched in the 1980s and 1990s were mostly designed to use the Hi-Vision standard, which allowed the format to expand in both satellite and terrestrial broadcasting forms all across the continent by the early 1990s, as well as expanding to many parts of Latin America, Europe and Asia.
The RABC's efforts made the company fantastically wealthy, and this wealth fueled the company's international news service, which launched in 1977 by then-Prime Minister Suzman, as well as its worldwide bureaus, as well as its investments in many different media stations in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2000, RABC counted some 116 bureaus around the world, and the faces of some of its most famed on-air personalities are recognized around the world. Springbok Radio is one of the world's most listened to radio stations, with some 14.7 million listeners a week, and Springbok Radio's online streaming service, launched in February 2003, is South Africa's most popular website by some margin. The company is so successful that when rumors of its privatization swirled in 1992-93, the rumored bids for the company ran as high as R90 Billion (USD $45 Billion). However, governments of all stripes have called the RABC a "national treasure", and as such every rumor of its privatization has been denied. The RABC also provides broadcasting to African armed forces personnel living abroad, and virtually every warship of the South African Navy has receivers for African Global Armed Forces Network, which is operated by the RABC.
NOTE: This was almost entirely written by Dan1988, and its a masterpiece which I am honored to integrate into African Superpowers. Dan, sir, I salute you.
RABC and its Broadcast Technology
The Royal African Broadcasting Corporation, or RABC for short, is the largest broadcaster on the African Continent and over the years has become one of the largest broadcasting companies on the planet, with extensive radio and TV networks across Africa, a worldwide news broadcasting service similar to the BBC and news radio and TV networks in English, French, Spanish, German, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi and Portuguese. Being one of the largest such companies on the planet, its rise in itself is a big story. Based in the 54-story RABC Center in Pretoria, South Africa, the company, which is funded mostly by the government of South Africa, though they also take in money from subscription fees, usually from abroad.
Started in 1926 in South Africa by the government, the African Broadcasting Corporation received Royal Approval from King George VI in 1937, becoming the Royal African Broadcasting Corporation. With the advent of television in South Africa starting in 1950 but not a major force until the 1960s, the RABC entered a new era. But perhaps most importantly, the most important thing about RABC is that it, for the most part, revolutionized the way TV is broadcast in Africa. And that is in itself a story, and a story that, strangely enough, begins in America.
In 1939, famed American filmmaker Walt Disney released a film very different from what he had been used to making - Fantasia. A series of musical shorts, Fantasia was most known for being one of the first movies to introduce multichannel sound, known as Fantasound. On its original roadshow tour in 1939, a New York showing was taken in by one of RABC's directors, Dr. Andries van Helsing, a broadcasting expert. After analyzing the ways and methods at the New York theatre and at Walt Disney Studios, van Helsing returned to South Africa in May 1941, bringing several prints of the film with him. During the 1940s and 1950s, van Helsing and his team at the RABC start experimenting with various methods to try and recreate Fantasound in a broadcasting environment - whilst continuing to make copies of the prints, in case a copy gets damaged. During the transition to colour TV in the early 1960s, Fantasia was used as a test film. For South Africans used to the General Release Version as seen in theatres - the same General Release Version as in OTL - to see the original roadshow version, which quickly became dubbed as the "RABC Version", is interesting in many fronts. the RABC added its own opening and closing credits to the film to make it suitable for television broadcast. Fantasia was also used to test a prototype version of what Mr. van Helsing dubbed "TV Fantasound", which was essentially the world's first quadraphonic stereo sound format. The result is that the transition from black and white to color TV also introduces the quadraphonic sound. This sound advancement is soon used by radios as well, becoming by the early 1970s the standard for speaker systems around the world. While quadraphonic stereo sound would be what Dr. van Helsing would be famous for, it was not the end of the story for him, though the quadraphonic stereo would also contribute to the development of much more complex music over time, as the different beats and rhythms could also be integrated into music and still be heard by listeners. The excellent quadraphonic electronics produced by Asavin Electronica in South Africa, Sony Electronics in Japan, Phillips in the Netherlands, Western Electric in Canada and RCA in the United States also contributed to the popularity of the concept, as the listening experience was noticeable even by those who were not sound experts.
This, however, was not enough. During the same period as the development of Fantasound, even after the adaptation of NTSC to South African conditions, the RABC Laboratories (and the laboratories of the PTT, who owned all the broadcasting transmitters in South Africa, and Bell Labs of South Africa) were constantly tinkering with the system in order to get a better picture. In 1968, the RABC Laboratories, Bell Labs of South Africa, and the laboratories of the PTT were combined as the Communications Research Centre of South Africa, where the PTT, RABC, and Bell South Africa were duly represented. This development also precipitated the launch for the first African communications satellite, Africasat-1, in 1969. The CRC would go on to be one of the authorities on the development of communications technologies, and this expertise, grown over the 1960s and 1970s, would make South Africans (and the substantial numbers of East Africans, South West Africans, Mozambicans, Malagasy and Rhodesians who also worked at the CRC) in high demand for telecommunications projects all around the world.
By the 1970s, the CRC soon decided to cooperate with equivalent bodies, including broadcasters and electronics manufacturers, in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Korea, the ROC, and Japan to create a new TV standard that would deliver HDTV (or near-HDTV, in some cases) to audiences. By the mid-1970s, thanks to the usage of satellites, a new format was invented, which was called Hi-Vision. Hi-Vision, in and of itself, was a series of standards and codecs that not only built upon the success of earlier standards, like "TV Fantasound", but was designed to be an open standard that would be compatible with both NTSC and PAL, in all its varieties. The experiments would set RABC a reputation for excellence, a reputation that fueled its explosive growth in the 1970s and 1980s as the Hi-Vision idea took off. The huge number of satellites launched in the 1980s and 1990s were mostly designed to use the Hi-Vision standard, which allowed the format to expand in both satellite and terrestrial broadcasting forms all across the continent by the early 1990s, as well as expanding to many parts of Latin America, Europe and Asia.
The RABC's efforts made the company fantastically wealthy, and this wealth fueled the company's international news service, which launched in 1977 by then-Prime Minister Suzman, as well as its worldwide bureaus, as well as its investments in many different media stations in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2000, RABC counted some 116 bureaus around the world, and the faces of some of its most famed on-air personalities are recognized around the world. Springbok Radio is one of the world's most listened to radio stations, with some 14.7 million listeners a week, and Springbok Radio's online streaming service, launched in February 2003, is South Africa's most popular website by some margin. The company is so successful that when rumors of its privatization swirled in 1992-93, the rumored bids for the company ran as high as R90 Billion (USD $45 Billion). However, governments of all stripes have called the RABC a "national treasure", and as such every rumor of its privatization has been denied. The RABC also provides broadcasting to African armed forces personnel living abroad, and virtually every warship of the South African Navy has receivers for African Global Armed Forces Network, which is operated by the RABC.
Very nice TL btw, one question what happens to AMC, does it still get bought out by Chrysler as well?
Oh, and First post I guess.
Oh, and First post I guess
.