More than two years ago, I've made an attempt to challenge this board to come up with the idea about how to create a much better world, here. It has bothered me ever since.
Now, I come up with some suggestions for an ATL, possibly the best possible world. The idea is to zoom in to 1848 and give a serious boost to the chances of liberalism and a better future in that most meaningful period.
a) In North America, liberal uprisings occur in the Canadian colonies in the mid-1840s (the OTL 1837 revolts are butterflied away), and they get a pro-US character. The USA intervenes to support the rebels and by an astonishing streak of military skill and luck the US forces inflict a decisive defeat to the British Empire. Canadian colonies willingly join the USA that annexes Rupert's Land, the North-West Territory, and Oregon-Columbia. The Mexican-American War takes place much like OTL but it leads to the US annexation of whole Mexico. US displays of military prowess and events in Europe drive Spain to sell Cuba and Puerto Rico to the USA. US filibustering activities lead to the creation of a pro-US union of Central America.
Some antagonism does build up between the free and slaveholding sections of the USA, but a sizable Dixie abolitionist movement also develops in parallel that condemns slavery as economically backward and immoral. The controversial Secession attempt meets strong resistance by Dixie Unionists and fizzles out after a few military clashes won by Union forces. Its defeat largely discredits racism and boosts US national consciousness. A peace compromise provides for compensated emancipation of slaves, economic relief for the freedmen, and subsidies for the Blacks that are willing to resettle in the West, Liberia, and Haiti, lessening the socio-economic shock of emancipation on Dixie society. The emancipation process leads to the abolition of the peonage system in the Mexican section and the USA develops a multicultural attitude and assimilationism toward non-Whites. The US Constitution is amended to include an equivalent of the Reconstruction Amendments that also bans voting restrictions based on poll taxes and ethnic-linguistic discrimination. The Dominican Republic and Central America opt to join the USA.
b) Liberal-national near-simultaneous late-1840s revolutions triumph in Western-Central Europe and the power of the reactionary elites in Germany, Italy, and the Habsburg empire is broken. Grossdeutchsland, Italy, and the Danube Confederation (Greater Hungary, Croatia-Slavonia-Dalmatia, and Moldavia-Wallachia-Bukovina) unify in liberal-democratic federal states. Posen, Krakow, and Galicia form an independent Polish state. The Habsburg empire is divided between Germany (Austria proper, Bohemia-Moravia, South Tyrol, and Slovenia), Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino, the Austrian Littoral, and Fiume), Poland (Galicia), and the DC. France remains a liberal republic and the Bonapartist takeover is averted. The Low Countries experience a liberal revolution of their own (the OTL 1830 Belgian Revolution is butterflied away) and get more or less peacefully divided between Wallonia that joins France, a Dutch-Flemish state, and Luxemburg that joins Germany. After the victory of liberals in the Swiss civil war, the various linguistic areas of Switzerland split and are united with Germany, Italy, and France (Grisons joins Italy). A brief conflict between Germany, Denmark, and Sweden about Schleswig-Holstein ends in a compromise peace that gives Schleswig to Denmark and Holstein to Germany, and causes the formation of Scandinavia. France and Italy peacefully exchange Savoy and Corsica (Italy keeps Nice). German-speaking areas of Alsace-Lorraine join Germany after a successful nationalist uprising.
After the successful 1848 revolutions in France, Germany, Italy, and the Habsburg empire, a war occurs in the early-mid 1850s between a Franco-German-Italian-Danubian liberal-democratic alliance and reactionary Russia (quite possibly backed by an alliance of convenience with Britain, Spain, and Portugal). Scandinavia joins the liberal continental alliance in the last phase of the war to liberate Finland. The continental alliance triumphs, leading to the liberation of Russian Poland that joins independent Posen-Galicia Poland, Finland that joins Scandinavia, and Bessarabia that joins the Danubian Confederation. Spain and Portugal experience a liberal revolution, form Iberia, and join the liberal bloc. Wartime solidarity prods the latter to form a military alliance, a customs and currency union, and a political forum that cast the groundwork for European integration.
c) The influence of the 1848 events sweeps the Russian Empire, where a partially-successful liberal revolution takes place. Russia becomes a hybrid liberal-authoritarian constitutional monarchy similar to OTL Kaiserreich, serfs are emancipated, and the power of former reactionary elites is broken.
d) The Japanese modernization is anticipated by a generation, Japan conquers and assimilates Taiwan and Korea much like OTL, China undergoes its own Meiji-like modernization more or less on OTL Japan's schedule, the Russification of Outer Manchuria is butterflied away. Japan absorbs Korea and Taiwan and build itself up enough to be some counterweight to a modernized China (and vice versa, of course).
e) In South America, the breakup of Gran Colombia and Peru-Bolivia is butterflied away. A series of wars and revolutions in the Rio de La Plata region occurs that drive Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to unite in a liberal federal republic, while Brazil experiences a liberal revolution that leads to the abolition of slavery. The liberal revolutionary wave sweeps Gran Colombia and Peru-Bolivia as well, turning them in liberal federal republics.
f) In Middle East, examples of liberal revolutions throughout the world resulted into successful modernization of the Ottoman Empire with federal autonomy for the Balkan nationalities. This, of course, butterflied away Islamist Radicalism and Terrorism.
g) The world's major powers, now dominated by liberal and federal political entities, didn't engage in direct imperialism in Africa and the rest of OTL Third World. "Informal empire" is a much preferred (and better) choice. Various native African and Asian states that have been annihilated during OTL Age of Colonialism survive and keep their independence.
h) And finally, no World Wars, ever.
Granted, it borders ASB territory, but like someone said, if the chain of events could have happened, it's possible. Things should only be labeled ASB if there are aliens or magic or time travel.
So, thoughts? Opinions?
Now, I come up with some suggestions for an ATL, possibly the best possible world. The idea is to zoom in to 1848 and give a serious boost to the chances of liberalism and a better future in that most meaningful period.
a) In North America, liberal uprisings occur in the Canadian colonies in the mid-1840s (the OTL 1837 revolts are butterflied away), and they get a pro-US character. The USA intervenes to support the rebels and by an astonishing streak of military skill and luck the US forces inflict a decisive defeat to the British Empire. Canadian colonies willingly join the USA that annexes Rupert's Land, the North-West Territory, and Oregon-Columbia. The Mexican-American War takes place much like OTL but it leads to the US annexation of whole Mexico. US displays of military prowess and events in Europe drive Spain to sell Cuba and Puerto Rico to the USA. US filibustering activities lead to the creation of a pro-US union of Central America.
Some antagonism does build up between the free and slaveholding sections of the USA, but a sizable Dixie abolitionist movement also develops in parallel that condemns slavery as economically backward and immoral. The controversial Secession attempt meets strong resistance by Dixie Unionists and fizzles out after a few military clashes won by Union forces. Its defeat largely discredits racism and boosts US national consciousness. A peace compromise provides for compensated emancipation of slaves, economic relief for the freedmen, and subsidies for the Blacks that are willing to resettle in the West, Liberia, and Haiti, lessening the socio-economic shock of emancipation on Dixie society. The emancipation process leads to the abolition of the peonage system in the Mexican section and the USA develops a multicultural attitude and assimilationism toward non-Whites. The US Constitution is amended to include an equivalent of the Reconstruction Amendments that also bans voting restrictions based on poll taxes and ethnic-linguistic discrimination. The Dominican Republic and Central America opt to join the USA.
b) Liberal-national near-simultaneous late-1840s revolutions triumph in Western-Central Europe and the power of the reactionary elites in Germany, Italy, and the Habsburg empire is broken. Grossdeutchsland, Italy, and the Danube Confederation (Greater Hungary, Croatia-Slavonia-Dalmatia, and Moldavia-Wallachia-Bukovina) unify in liberal-democratic federal states. Posen, Krakow, and Galicia form an independent Polish state. The Habsburg empire is divided between Germany (Austria proper, Bohemia-Moravia, South Tyrol, and Slovenia), Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino, the Austrian Littoral, and Fiume), Poland (Galicia), and the DC. France remains a liberal republic and the Bonapartist takeover is averted. The Low Countries experience a liberal revolution of their own (the OTL 1830 Belgian Revolution is butterflied away) and get more or less peacefully divided between Wallonia that joins France, a Dutch-Flemish state, and Luxemburg that joins Germany. After the victory of liberals in the Swiss civil war, the various linguistic areas of Switzerland split and are united with Germany, Italy, and France (Grisons joins Italy). A brief conflict between Germany, Denmark, and Sweden about Schleswig-Holstein ends in a compromise peace that gives Schleswig to Denmark and Holstein to Germany, and causes the formation of Scandinavia. France and Italy peacefully exchange Savoy and Corsica (Italy keeps Nice). German-speaking areas of Alsace-Lorraine join Germany after a successful nationalist uprising.
After the successful 1848 revolutions in France, Germany, Italy, and the Habsburg empire, a war occurs in the early-mid 1850s between a Franco-German-Italian-Danubian liberal-democratic alliance and reactionary Russia (quite possibly backed by an alliance of convenience with Britain, Spain, and Portugal). Scandinavia joins the liberal continental alliance in the last phase of the war to liberate Finland. The continental alliance triumphs, leading to the liberation of Russian Poland that joins independent Posen-Galicia Poland, Finland that joins Scandinavia, and Bessarabia that joins the Danubian Confederation. Spain and Portugal experience a liberal revolution, form Iberia, and join the liberal bloc. Wartime solidarity prods the latter to form a military alliance, a customs and currency union, and a political forum that cast the groundwork for European integration.
c) The influence of the 1848 events sweeps the Russian Empire, where a partially-successful liberal revolution takes place. Russia becomes a hybrid liberal-authoritarian constitutional monarchy similar to OTL Kaiserreich, serfs are emancipated, and the power of former reactionary elites is broken.
d) The Japanese modernization is anticipated by a generation, Japan conquers and assimilates Taiwan and Korea much like OTL, China undergoes its own Meiji-like modernization more or less on OTL Japan's schedule, the Russification of Outer Manchuria is butterflied away. Japan absorbs Korea and Taiwan and build itself up enough to be some counterweight to a modernized China (and vice versa, of course).
e) In South America, the breakup of Gran Colombia and Peru-Bolivia is butterflied away. A series of wars and revolutions in the Rio de La Plata region occurs that drive Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to unite in a liberal federal republic, while Brazil experiences a liberal revolution that leads to the abolition of slavery. The liberal revolutionary wave sweeps Gran Colombia and Peru-Bolivia as well, turning them in liberal federal republics.
f) In Middle East, examples of liberal revolutions throughout the world resulted into successful modernization of the Ottoman Empire with federal autonomy for the Balkan nationalities. This, of course, butterflied away Islamist Radicalism and Terrorism.
g) The world's major powers, now dominated by liberal and federal political entities, didn't engage in direct imperialism in Africa and the rest of OTL Third World. "Informal empire" is a much preferred (and better) choice. Various native African and Asian states that have been annihilated during OTL Age of Colonialism survive and keep their independence.
h) And finally, no World Wars, ever.
Granted, it borders ASB territory, but like someone said, if the chain of events could have happened, it's possible. Things should only be labeled ASB if there are aliens or magic or time travel.
So, thoughts? Opinions?
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