The Onward March of Freedom: The Cold War

Reader mode
INTRODUCTION
  • Index
    • Nightingale

    Nightingale

    June 12, 2026
    Freedom Square
    Quezon City, Philippines
    10:34 AM
    UTC+8

    "...THE day was Independence Day in the Philippines. Filipinos from all walks of life went to celebrate the day the Filipinos were finally free from centuries of oppression and destitution. I could still remember the time when we entered Freedom Square for the festivities. You could feel the thanksgiving, joy and harmony among everyone back then.

    "It was only my family that was with me back then, as my friends from school all went back to their provinces for the day, and my DC Productions friends were shooting in the Soviet Union that day. Ah, the Soviets. Once a downtrodden people under communism,     they're now at peace and have rediscovered their fatih in God (well not the majority, but at least there's freedom). It's amazing how the world has transformed greatly for the past decades. It seems we never had it so good, thanks to God.

    "Going back to that day, we watched     as President Barbara Estrada gave her speech, which ended with these lines:

    ""What is freedom? We commonly associate it with doing anything our hearts and minds want us to do. But today, we are reminded by the true freedom we were given, that is, freedom from tyranny, freedom from poverty, freedom from thirst and hunger, freedom from sorrow and discrimination, among other things we gained. And most of all, we gained the freedom to serve the Lord our God as one nation, united and protected, with each man and woman, the native and the foreigner, the elders and children all caring for each other under His Grace. And that is the freedom that we cherish the most today."

    "And indeed it was.

    "From a backwater colonial territory to a First-World economic powerhouse, the Pearl of the Orient took its rightful place among world leaders, finally respected and accepted by her former colonialists and other Western countries, especially the United States, as an equal partner in global socioeconomic cooperation. Looking back, no single socioeconomic factor can explain the country's success. But most Filipinos, including me, agree that one thing is certain: our country is blessed because Jesus, is our Lord. And I pray and thank Him that the Faith flourishes even more with each passing generation."

    -When Faith Wins by Albert Ellis Guttierez, published on February 11, 2086

    --------------------------------------------------

    Good day, I'm Nightingale, and this is...

    upload_2017-4-29_22-43-34.png



    While the Philippines is the starting point, the whole world will get covered. Liberals, moderates and conservatives will get their fair share. But take note that I desire to make this timeline as its own unique material. Yes, I got some ideas from other works, but I really want this to be as different as possible from other works.

    EDIT: Now, the TL tackles a revised Cold Warfor the United States. Enjoy!

    P.S. Many photos and some other here are not mine, I just used them for fair use purposes. I repeat: I DO NOT OWN THEM.
     
    Last edited:
  • Index
    • PROLOGUE
  • Index
    • Nightingale

    Nightingale

    Excerpt from

    Choosing Destiny: The 1946 Philippine General Election
    by Alfonso Equizabal​

    On November 15, 1935, the Philippines ratified its new constitution, with Manuel L. Quezon elected as the President of the Philippine Commonwealth. Though middle-aged and considered a veteran, the man was energetic and active[1], and was able to stay healthy even with his loaded work schedule, and managed to negotiate a favorable constitution for the Filipinos.

    The 1935 Constitution established the Philippines as a unitary democratic republic. Congress would be bicameral, and similar to the United States. However, the Philippines's unitary nature would make all of its 100 senators represent the nation at-large, while the House of Representatives had 710 seats [2]. Later on, the Constitution would be amended to elect 162 Senators from "Senatorial Districts" that are independently drawn bt a nonpartisan commission. The Vice President is the Senate President, and cloture of two-thirds of the Senate can end a filibuster. Later on, the Democrats reduced the cloture vote to three-fifths of the Senate. The Senate would be, like their American counterpart, the more deliberative and bipartisan chamber in Congress.

    The party nomination and election processes were also modeled after the United States: Few primaries and caucuses, while the rest of the delegates were decided for at the party convention, and the President and Vice President are elected by a ticket basis. Runoffs would be held until one ticket gained more than 50% of the total votes.

    The Philippines received its final independence and sovereignty on June 12, 1946, the date heavily lobbied for by President Quezon in honor of the 1898 Philippine Revolution. Ecstatic crowds lined up the streets in all cities across the archipelago as the Filipinos were finally beholden to any country but finally free under God.


    But beforehand, elections were held on May 7, 1946 (later moved to the first Monday of November). Quezon declined to run for another term, and the Nacionalistas nominated Sergio Osmeña as their candidate. Beforehand, leftists bolted out of the big-tent Nacionalistas to form the Democratic Party of the Philippines. The Democrats then nominated Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino as their Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees, respectively.

    upload_2017-4-25_23-43-54.png

    However, the Nacionalista split, while significant, was not enough to bring them down.

    upload_2017-4-25_23-26-9.png
    ​

    Banking on Quezon and their Party's popularity, Osmeña won by a seven-point margin, largely strong in rural areas.

    However, the Democrats' performance did not disappoint. Garnering around 44% of the votes, mostly concentrated in the cities and Visayas, Roxas had established a future for left-wing politics in the Philippines, and with him came a new slate of Democratic Senators and House Representatives, who, while not enough to control Congress, would enable the Democratic Party to become the main opposition party to the Nacionalistas.

    upload_2017-4-26_21-59-55.png


    upload_2017-4-29_22-17-39.png

    ​
    Meanwhile, the Nacionalistas were jubilantly preparing to led the country's recovery from the ashes of the Second World War.

    On June 30, 1946, Sergio Osmeña Sr., accompanied by Vice President Eulogio Rodriguez and their families, was inaugurated as the first President of the Philippines after final sovereignty. Promising to lead the country's reconstruction, Osmeña vowed to "Bring back a prosperous society to the Filipino people" and govern over the "defeat of existential threats to the Filipino people to make our country great again."

    And now he got the chance to fulfill his promise to the Filipino people.

    -------------------------------------------------------------
    [1]. This is the POD. Quezon does not contract tuberculosis in the 1920s, leading to big changes afterwards.

    [2]. I modifed the Philippine Congress into more of an American-style one, not the majority-wins game IOTL. I also expanded the House to provide for more representation of ethnic and religious groups, which will go a long way to promote harmony ITTL. Butterfly effects.

    Well, not much expectations for the current US Senate :p

    The Nacionalista Party's platform is the same as IOTL: National conservatism and right-wing populism/protectionism, with paleoconservatives a group inside the party. However, the Philippines has a more developmental view of things, so expect them to be more left-wing economically than the OTL Republicans (consider that Ferdinand Marcos, corruption set aside, was far from being a true conservative).

    I'm sorry, really sorry about the ultra-late post. I got busy with end-of-school-year stuff recently before I got the chance to post my first update.

    The 80 provinces + Metro Manila would be a result of further divisions of large provinces for better management.


    This is Osmeña's cabinet:    ​

    upload_2017-5-8_17-46-1.png
     
    Last edited:
  • Index
    • PART I - THE PHOENIX RISING
  • Index
    • Nightingale

    Nightingale

    CHAPTER I: THE EARLY REPUBLIC

    PART I - THE EAGLE RISING
    Excerpt from

    The Peaceful Revolution: The Rise of the Modern Philippine Republic
    by Alfonso Equizabal    ​

    The Philippines was supposed to gain sovereignty as one of the fastest-growing and most-developed countries in Eastern Asia, with growth rates in the thirties as the world suffered from the Great Depression. However, the Second World War changed all of that. More than a million people dead, and the entire economy faced collapse. The Philippines also had almost no post-war resources. In order to recover, the government sought economic aid from the United States.

    A proposed plan in December 1945, the Bell Trade Bill, failed to gain three-fourths of support from both the Senate and House of Representatives, with Quezon and Osmeña partnering with leftists and right-wing populists and protectionists to muster successful opposition to the bill [1].

    On June 30, 1946, Sergio Osmeña was elected with a mandate to lead the country's successful recovery after the Second World War and to partner with other countries while maintaining economic sovereignty.

    In July 1946, the Osmeña met with President Truman to discuss Filipino-American trade relations. With both leaders being nationalist/developmentalist in terms of economic trade, both sought to hammer out a deal that will give a win-win solution to the problem. Osmeña, with Quezon's advice, was firm in rejecting any kind of deal resembling the Bell Trade Bill. While Truman was negotiating with Osmeña, the former's country experienced a bout of post-war labor unrest, and while Truman successfully solved the United States' immediate post-war economic woes (and passed his legislative agenda), this led him to agree with more provisions in favor of the Filipino side in order to focus on domestic issues. Finally, on June 18, 1947, Osmeña and Truman finally came out of the White House with smiling faces as they broadcasted their agreements and goals.

    Both countries would allow foreign investment and liberalize foreign investment and immigration laws between each other. However, both the Philippines and the United States can inject vast sums of money into education, health, research, pro-environment and pro-industrial investments and business incentives. Extensive technical/vocational skills training were to be given to the working poor, working class and middle class, and welfare-to-work was made for indigents. Osmeña also agreed to the implementation of New Deal-style reforms in order to support the poor, working class and middle class even in the face of increased competition from foreign firms. The United States also agreed to giving $500 million in economic support to their war-ravished Southeast Asian ally, while the Philippine government agreed to the indefinite leasing of military bases in the archipelago. In this area, the Filipinos were united in their support for the military agreement as the communist HUKBALAHAP began to intensify their insurgency by the late 1940s. Along with the basing of American forces in the Philippines came an abundance in military hardware for the Philippine Armed Forces, which received extensive training from the United States.

    However, Osmeña and Truman's talks were only just that. In the Philippines, the agreement was met with praise, but the real problem was the United States Congress. However, Truman managed to easily corral the much-needed 67 Senate votes for cloture, mostly from Democrats and liberal Republicans, who acknowledged that international partnership was important, and the realization that the United States should also "rise with dignity" (in Majority Leader Alben Barkley's words), which was another way to say that America had to lift up the countries it is allied and trading with and not just focus on its own benefit. Most of all, former Philippine President Manuel Quezon and President Osmeña convinced the Americans that the Philippines would be needed as a bulwark against communism in Southeast Asia, and so Truman was willing to help.

    With all things settled, the agreement was titled the Filipino-American Friendship Treaty.


    upload_2017-4-29_22-16-46.png
    ​
    Passing 73-23 in the regular vote in the Senate and 303-132, Truman signed the Philippine-American Friendship Treaty on December 23, 1947 with Philippine President Osmeña and Vice President Eulogio Rodriguez by his side. The Philippine Congress passed it with the same margin in the Senate and 504-206 in the House on the 25th, a landmark Christmas gift for the Filipino nation. The Filipino people subsequently voted in favor of the pact with wide margins on February 11 and became effective the next day.
    ​
    upload_2017-4-29_22-16-57.png

    ​
    Now known as the "Golden Standard of Trade and Partnership", the treaty was considered revolutionary and is commended in the present for allowing free and fair cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, while allowing each participant to develop its own industry. Future trade treaties, such as the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and its successor, the World Trade Organization, would seek to emulate the law in promoting globalization across the world. As a result, Osmeña's and Trumans' popularities rose, the former benefiting the most for protecting the local Filipino economy and the latter praised for his deal-making prowess.

    The Nacionalistas had managed to protect Filipino interests from foreign intrusion while allowing the country to participate in the world stage under the United States' guidance. With the 1948 elections drawing near, the chance of solidifying their gains and leaving their mark on history was within their grasp.

    ---------------------------------------------------

    [1] From what I've read and from what had been taught in my history classes in my elementary and high schools, Quezon was the fiercer nationalist than Osmeña, so the latter's mind will be changed from OTL, in which Osmeña supported the Bell Trade Act.

    OTL, the Bell Trade Bill succeeded only because of the denial of seats to Luis Taruc's Democratic Alliance on grounds of fraud and violent campaign tactics. But with Quezon living longer, and as said, being the more protectionist figure than Osmeña, he successfully rallies support against the Bell Trade Bill ITTL.

    Also, with the Nacionalistas in the majority (IOTL, they're in the minority at this point), expect that the Bell Trade Bill fails.    ​
     

    Attachments

    • upload_2017-4-29_22-16-18.png
      upload_2017-4-29_22-16-18.png
      10.8 KB · Views: 391
    Last edited:
  • Index

    • AH-Francis

    OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

    Of course, the approach of the US is tad too rosy but...

    ...I want muh realistic PH utopia... :)

    A suggestion though:

    I am not quite as versed in history—even PH history—as much as I'd like to be but it would be good to sorta show/highlight that the likely intent of the US was less to allow us to "rise with dignity" and more to make us yet another bulwark against the USSR like Japan in OTL and perhaps ITTL. Something that I think Quezon can honestly make a good case for, owing to his:

    a. Awesomeness. The guy may have been a traditional politician—but he was also a statesman. And a damned good traditional politician.

    b. Foresight. Quezon thought up of the first "social justice" measures. He might see the logic of appeasing the masses with welfare, or at least more so, compared to the haciendero and illustrado principalia.

    That said, good work. Brilliant! This is the equivalent of alcohol, in these times where people seem to be under the impression that the "Nuclear Option" is going to be the closest thing we'll get to statesmanship now.
     
    Nightingale

    Nightingale

    AH-Francis said:
    snip
    Click to expand...

    I altered it a bit, yeah, I akso think anti-communism would be the greatest reason for aiding the ITTL PH.

    The ITTL Nacionalistas are indeed the "liberal conservatives" like the OTL Japanese LDP and the former Saenuri Party in South Korea, or United Russia in well, Russia.

    Favoring the welfare state/developmentalism, but has some pro-business wings, too (you can't butterfly away big business that easily; there's a reason why OTL Magsaysay was frustrated by an "elitist" Congress even though he had full control of it). Though so far, the pro-business bloc is more present in the Democratic Party due to the neoliberal Quirino/Roxas wing, but are beginning to shift to the Nacionalistas with the coming of American aid and its flow to the haciendas and businesses to placate elitists.

    Yes, I chose Quezon because I think he has the balls to stand up to anti-social justice elements.

    Guess you're updated with American news, @AH-Francis :) Yeah, for me, the nuclear option debacle sickens me too.

    Expect much greater bipartisanship ITTL.
     
    Last edited:

    AH-Francis

    EcoBOOM said:
    The ITTL Nacionalistas are indeed the "liberal conservatives" like the OTL Japanese LDP and the former Saenuri Party in South Korea, or United Russia in well, Russia
    Click to expand...

    Was actually thinking about how that is sorta hard considering the weakness of PH flimsy "party" system as "parties" in the programmatic sense don't exist, OTL LP and Nacionalista "parties" were indistinguishable in ideology and background of the elites that comprised them—but reread and saw the comparison to the LDP. Makes sense. Makes sense.

    And the DA wasn't strangled at birth here. So the whole "electoral struggle is pointless" thingy might not be so bad of stigma. A much more generous and kinder US aid package—you might make the Huks significantly weaker. There'll still be unrest in land...but a lot of "leftists" wouldn't be in the mountains...

    Perhaps...the Nationalist-Democratic Party against a possible center-left alternative ala Japanese Socialist Party...?

    EcoBOOM said:
    Guess you're updated with American news, @AH-Francis :) Yeah, for me, the nuclear option debacle sickens me too.
    Click to expand...

    No, if you mean by the Filibuster debacle. I was referring to a certain President whose language tends to go "nuclear" if you know what I mean...
     
    Nightingale

    Nightingale

    AH-Francis said:
    snip
    Click to expand...

    Oh, the Democratic Alliance crackdown still happens on schedule, @AH-Francis. The Huks are still angered by it...

    And, I now get the "nuclear" reference :coldsweat:

    (NOTE: There's no agricultural quotas here, for example and Americans can subsidize themselves, so can Pinoys, but we're weaker than the Americans ITTL 1948).

    So indeed, the beginnings of an alliance of big business, small business, intellectuals, professional groups and agriculture, appealing somewhat to the masses to avoid an uprising. An interpretation of a good quote from LBJ explains everything if you replace whites with the rich elite:

    "If you can convince the lowest white man that he's better than the best black man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll even empty his pockets for you."

    Because of this, more and more rich guys are shifting to the Nacionalistas. They're more willing to cooperate with Osmeña due to threays of aid removal and American competition.
     
    Reader mode
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Top
    Top