The Pig War: A TL

[Veranius]

37- The Eclipsing Sun

Japan’s rise to power is startlingly unique in world history. Unlike the industrialization effort of the Feng Chinese, which was solely focused on the military, Japanese industrialization affected every citizen in the Empire. Japan soon wanted to flex their muscles, and be seen as on par with the rest of the world. Their chance came during the Great Chinese War, when they utterly annihilated the Chinese fleet returning from their sack of Vladivostok. While the Japanese government milked the battle for every drip of propaganda, in reality it wasn’t much of a victory. The Chinese navy had been built from scratch in a ten year period, and naturally there were faults, many due to the near total unreliance on foreign supervisors. The only reason the Chinese had even beaten a combined Franco-British armada is because a typhoon struck the combined force just days before the Chinese fought them. When the Chinese got to Vladivostok, they found it virtually deserted, as the Russians were off by Port Arthur conducting land bombardment operations. The Japanese fleet, on the other hand, was a mix breed, combining ships of Japanese design with sound designs ranging from the Royal Navy to the United States Navy. Despite the severe lack of natural resources in Japan and the overabundance in China, Japan rapidly eclipsed China in terms of industrialization and westernization.

Japan also surpassed China in another way: diplomacy. China’s diplomacy effectively rested on the massive armies they had. Japan allied swiftly with France, Britain, and the United States, which secured their southern and eastern flanks. That also guaranteed naval supremacy in the Pacific, as the Russian fleet were simply outnumbered, while the Chinese had barely any guards for their coasts. Japanese diplomats even helped cool the volatile relations between Japan and Russia, which aided greatly in securing their northern flank. However, the Japanese had a grand plan in mind, which was their eventual dominance of the Pacific Basin. They took their first steps toward that goal with an assault on Taiwan during the Great Chinese War, which they were forced to return to China in the peace that followed. Their next step was the conquest of the Philippines from the Spanish, along with Guam. They had planned to take on the Dutch, and secure the resource rich Dutch East Indies, however when the Dutch sold many of the islands it threw a spanner wrench into Japan’s plan. Over the years of the Long Peace, the Japanese perfected the art of amphibious landings, and the integration of their army and navy into one united military force that was unparalleled in the world.

 

[Veranius]

My next update will cover South America. Does anyone have names for new countries around the River Plate region?

 

[Mrstrategy]

Confederancy of the river,union of the Americas

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

Interesting name, interesting TL.

I hope you realise, though, that once you've begun a TL with such a name, there's no saving your bacon. You can put lipstick on it, but you're still in the sty. Or in a poke, indeed.

... Sorry. The opportunity seemed too good to pass up

 

[Veranius]

Interesting name, interesting TL.

I hope you realise, though, that once you've begun a TL with such a name, there's no saving your bacon. You can put lipstick on it, but you're still in the sty. Or in a poke, indeed.

... Sorry. The opportunity seemed too good to pass up

Yeah, I figured. Pigs will feature prominently in this TL, don't you worry.

 

[Veranius]

After a long break, here's an update!


38- Rivers, Deserts, and Jungles

South America was a hectic place, both before and during the Long Peace. The area went from colonial states to independent nations in the first decades of the 19th century, Those nations soon fragmented and reconfigured, which resulted in a chaotic political landscape post-independence. By the middle of the century, the nations that would endure emerged. The strongest of the South American countries was the Empire of Brazil, formed from a bloodless war of independence from Portugal (unlike every other country in South/Central America). Brazil was also the last major power to abandon slavery, when it did in 1888 following the creation of the Golden Law. The Empire barely survived the Brazilian Civil War, which lasted from 1889 to 1895, between the imperialists (who wanted the Empire to remain), military leadership (who wanted to form a dictatorship), and republicans (who wanted a democratic republic). At the end, Empress Isabel, who succeed to the throne in 1889, remained the leader of Brazil, however governing through a parliament, in a system similar to Britain’s. She was empress until her abdication in 1910, and was succeed by her son Pedro III. Brazil became staunch allies to the United States, leading many to fear that the two powers would split the Americas between them.

To the south of Brazil, there was a mess. Argentina was wracked with a series of civil wars that lasted until 1882, which saw the end of contention to Buenos Aires’s control over the country. However, the nation had been rolled back significantly. Chile silently took over Tierra Del Fuego in the chaos, and a country called the Republic of Patagonia existed to Argentina’s south. Patagonia was nearly falling apart itself from the discord between Spanish-speaking farmers, the remaining native inhabitants, and recently arrived Welsh settlers in the Chubut Valley. Eventually, Patagonia disintegrated, leaving the Republic of Araucania and the Federation of New Cambria in its stead. But to the north of Argentina, things were looking much worse.

Paraguay wished for the sea. With the Parana and Paraguay rivers under Argentine control, Paraguay had to pay tolls to use the rivers to ship in and out goods. With tension already at a high due to the ongoing Uruguayan War, Paraguay decided that it had enough. Paraguayan forces stormed across their borders with Argentina and Brazil, easily securing territory Paraguay believed to be theirs. Once Paraguay achieved a decisive naval victory at Riachuelo, the war came to a close. Paraguay annexed the provinces of Misiones and Formosa from Argentina, and gained a significant amount of respect from the world. However, many in Paraguay became disillusioned with the ruling Lopez family, and overthrew them in a coup. In their place, the members of the coup installed Salvador Geranis.

Geranis soon turned on the coup and wrested control of the country from them to him alone. One of the youngest generals ever in the Paraguayan Army, Geranis had a plan on how to turn Paraguay into a powerhouse. He began with another war with Argentina in 1877, three years after his rise to power. Paraguayan forces swiftly occupied the Corrientes, Entre Rios, Chaco, and Santa Fe provinces of Argentina, emerging within striking distance of Buenos Aires. Geranis then organized the captured territory as two puppet states, the Republic of the Parana and the Republic of the Chaco. Geranis then began to pressure Uruguay into his sphere of influence, eventually uniting the four countries (Paraguay, Uruguay, Parana, and Chaco) into the Platine Confederacy in 1889. Sebastian Valens modeled the Venganza movement after Geranis’s policies and methods, and when the Mediterranean League was formed Valens invited the Platine Confederacy to join, which it did.

Across the Andes, Chile was on the rise. After silently absorbing Tierra Del Fuego from Argentina, Chile turned northward. In the Atacama War (1879-1884), Chile crushed forces from Peru and Bolivia, and gained control of the strategic Atacama desert as far as Arica. Bolivia, fuming over the loss of the coastline, refused to disband their navy, which became a symbol of revenge against Chile. Peru and Bolivia soon allied themselves with the Platine Confederacy and both countries eventually joined the Mediterranean League as well.

In terms of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas, nothing is that different from OTL. Panama was bought from Colombia by the US in 1899 in order to make the canal. However, the major difference was the split of Surinam. The Dutch government sold Surinam to the French and British around the same time they sold the East Indies, and therefore Surinam was split between British Guyana and French Guiana, with Paramaribo falling under French control.

 

[Roland Traveler]

Wait, Paraguay invaded Argentina and Brazil and Brazil just sat by? Was that a mistake or an oversite in explanation?

 

[TimTurner]

Wait, Paraguay invaded Argentina and Brazil and Brazil just sat by? Was that a mistake or an oversite in explanation?

I don't get were you got the idea Paraguay invaded Brazil. I read that as Paraguay invading Argentina and Brazil not caring enough to go to war with Paraguay.

 

[Roland Traveler]

I don't get were you got the idea Paraguay invaded Brazil. I read that as Paraguay invading Argentina and Brazil not caring enough to go to war with Paraguay.

Paragraph 3, Line 6-7. I'd link the exact quote, but I'm on my phone. It states "Paraguayan forces stormed across their borders with Argentina and Brazil..."

 

[TimTurner]

Paragraph 3, Line 6-7. I'd link the exact quote, but I'm on my phone. It states "Paraguayan forces stormed across their borders with Argentina and Brazil..."

Ah.
" and Brazil" is an oversight, I agree, since nothing afterwards backs that up or talks about the consequences of such.
I can live with them taking loads of land from Argentina.

 

[Veranius]

Paraguay's attack on Brazil was just to throw off the Brazilian military and prevent them from sending aid to Argentina. It also sent a threat to Brazil, as it showed how much more powerful Paraguay had become. Brazil had to rely on Paraguay to ship things to the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso, as the roads in Brazil to that province were nearly non-existent. Also, when Brazil saw the rapid collapse of Argentina to Paraguayan forces, they realized Argentina would be crippled and no use to them as an ally. So, that's what drove them towards the USA.

 

[VictorVanBakker]

Very nice work, good show.

 

[Veranius]

39- The Gilded Age

Following the Soldier Presidents of John Reynolds and Winfield Scott Hancock, the United States was prospering. The National Union party was in solid control of the country, with only moderate resistance from the American Radicals, National Democrats, and a host of other tiny parties. However, all was not truly well in America. Reunification and the 13th Amendment had ended the Civil War, but had not really solved the race issues plaguing the South. And then a new problem emerged: one of class. The Great Chicago Strike of 1883 helped catapult the worker’s movement into history, as more and more lower class workers began to clamor for the right to form unions. The government took the pro-business side and tried to shut them up. That only led to radicalization. Strikes across the country began more frequently, more violent, and much larger. John Sherman (1), elected President in 1884 with a solid margin, took the issue head on. As he served as the Secretary of the Treasury under Hancock, Sherman understood how the economy worked, and what little it took to cause an imbalance. So, he began calling for laws to regulate the practices of businesses and unions.

His “Compromise of 1887” between a conglomerate of the most powerful industrialists in America and the leaders of the most widespread unions in America earned him much support, even having some recollect the Great Compromisers of Henry Clay and Roger Sherman. However, his middle line approach led to many opposers, particularly those in unions who felt he hadn’t done enough, and those in businesses who felt he had done too much. The Compromise allowed for certain major unions in each industry (like coal, oil, manufacturing, transportation, etc.) to be allowed the ability of collective bargaining for lower wages and better working conditions. The Compromise also stated that the business owners had to accept those demands, however not necessarily all. The Federal Commission for Trade and Labor was created, which allowed for government oversight on businesses and unions. Strikes were even allowed, but they had to be peaceful and democratic. Strikebreaker organizations were however not outlawed, and there was minimal attention given to child and women labor.

Sherman was easily reelected in 1888, and continued the trend from his first term of focusing solely on the affairs of the United States, not really caring what went on outside of the borders. Therefore, his second term was more peaceful than his first, as he kept up his policy of trying to solve labor issued democratically. The Johnson Antitrust Act allowed Sherman to break up corporations he feared were creating monopolies, such as Standard Oil, US Steel, and General Electric.

However, the National Union Party monopoly over the government was about to be contested. The People’s Party, a group made by dissatisfied farmer whose previous organizations, the Grange and the Farmer’s Alliance, hadn’t fared well, emerged and quickly gathered support from its platform to “adamantly uphold the rights of the people”. They nominated James Weaver of Iowa for President, who declared it was time to “restore the people as the leaders of the Union”. The American Radical party threw their support behind Weaver, while the National Democrats nominated Leonidas Polk of North Carolina. The National Unionists nominated William McKinley of Ohio, whom John Sherman himself supported. In a close election, McKinley was elected President, while the People’s Party began to shatter from internal disruptions. The National Democrats only won three states, all in the Deep South (South Carolina, North Carolina, and Louisiana).

McKinley’s Presidency saw a shift from internal affairs to international affairs. He formalized the status of what a protectorate meant (a semi-independent nation under military “protection” from the US), and made protectorates of Honduras, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. McKinley strongly favored an increase of American intervention around the world, mostly to promote the “Open Door Ideology”, in which free trade became America’s desire in the world. McKinley’s administration saw a rapid growth of American economic power, as the nation began to manufacture far more than we could consume. This was partly due to Henry Ford, who helped pioneer the development of the assembly line. McKinley managed to win reelection in 1896, partly due to the fact that there were no major competitors, as the People’s Party had shattered. McKinley laid the framework for the purchase of Panama from Colombia so the Panama Canal could be built, and also led a major revitalization of the American military. However, the actions of the next President overshadow McKinley’s achievements and helped to usher in a new era in the history of the United States: Theodore Roosevelt.

(1)- John Sherman was the brother of General William T. Sherman, and in this TL a National Union President.

 

[Roland Traveler]

Paraguay's attack on Brazil was just to throw off the Brazilian military and prevent them from sending aid to Argentina. It also sent a threat to Brazil, as it showed how much more powerful Paraguay had become. Brazil had to rely on Paraguay to ship things to the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso, as the roads in Brazil to that province were nearly non-existent. Also, when Brazil saw the rapid collapse of Argentina to Paraguayan forces, they realized Argentina would be crippled and no use to them as an ally. So, that's what drove them towards the USA.

So Brazil didn't feel like expending the blood to defeat Paraguay? I have a feeling this will bite them in the ass. Maybe it will be viewed akin to the run up to WWII in OTL?

 

[Veranius]

So Brazil didn't feel like expending the blood to defeat Paraguay? I have a feeling this will bite them in the ass. Maybe it will be viewed akin to the run up to WWII in OTL?

When the global war does break out, regional conflicts like this between Brazil and the Platine Confederacy will certainly explode. But first...

40- Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt is considered one of the greatest presidents in American history. He embodied American ideals of continual persistence and love of exploration. He was also deeply popular with the American people, having tried to launch his “Square Deal” program during his time as Governor of New York. However, his cowboy nature caused many to shudder at the thought of the United States under his leadership. So, in the Election of 1900, Roosevelt was selected as the Vice-President to Thomas Brackett Reed, in the National Union ticket. Roosevelt and Reed handily beat the opponent, William Jennings Bryan of the emerging Populist Party.

It was only a few months into Reed’s presidency when disaster struck. On May 12th, 1901, Reed was making a public speech outside of Congress when four shots rang out from the crowd. Reed collapsed due to two of the shots piercing his chest. While policemen swarmed the podium to protect Reed, Roosevelt ran into the crowd and began beating up the shooter using the shooter’s own gun as a makeshift club. Reed was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, but due to complications from appendicitis, Reed passed on May 15th. Roosevelt was sworn in as President in a somber ceremony at the White House.

The first major event of Roosevelt’s presidency was the trial of Reed’s shooter. The shooter, Goran Volarac (1), was a Serbian anarchist terrorist that Serbia had warned the United States of four months prior, when he escaped from house arrest in Belgrade. Volarac claimed he was under orders from basically anyone, flipping from first the Serbian government, then the Russian government, then the Prussian government, then the Bulgarian government, then finally he claimed it was aliens who prompted his actions. At the end of the trial, his closing statement was “Long live the Anarchist States of America!”. It is unsurprising that Volarac received the death penalty twice, first from an American jury and then again from the Serbian government. Throughout his terms, Roosevelt dedicated numerous memorials, museums, statues, and parks to Reed, who was the first US President to be assassinated.

Recovering quickly from the loss, Roosevelt launched himself into his term at full speed. He revitalized the Department of the Interior, supplementing it with the National Parks Administration, dedicated to preserving natural wonders in the US. He preserved millions of square miles of land for organization into National Parks and National Monuments. Roosevelt also got the 15th Amendment ratified, which allowed the federal government to levy an income tax (2). He vastly retrofitted the US military, bringing the strength of the US to levels comparable to Britain and France. He also designed the White House Press Room, after seeing reporters stuck outside the White House on a rainy day. Roosevelt struck out to give a “Square Deal to all Americans”, and to that he drafted laws banning child labor and created a national minimum wage (3). Roosevelt also oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal, in which he sometimes pitched in to help dig or operate machinery. He also led a firmly interventionist foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, expanding on the idea of the Monroe Doctrine to allow him more flexibility when trying to ward away European influence in the Americas. Roosevelt’s easy reelection in 1904 against William Jennings Bryan of the Populists showed how the nation was behind him. However, some politicians were not so much in favor.

When Roosevelt declared his intention to run again in 1908, to bring him up to two full legitimate terms, many in the National Union Party thought not. In a back door meeting, party leaders dumped Roosevelt from the ticket and threw their support behind Alton B. Parker. Roosevelt then publically deserted the National Union Party and formed the Progressive Party, fused from the remnants of the People’s Party and the Populist Party. In a close election, Roosevelt barely won, yet the National Unionists secured control of Congress. In light of this, Roosevelt drafted a new Constitutional Amendment. It stated that the President would be limited to two elected terms, while Senators would be limited to three and Representatives would be limited to seven. Despite overwhelming public support, the Amendment was shot down in Congress unanimously. Just before the midterm elections, Roosevelt proposed it again. This time, with many of their jobs at stake due to angry voters, Congress sent the Amendment to the states, eventually being ratified as the 16th Amendment. With the 16th Amendment, Roosevelt defined the Progressive Party as a party that would strive to reform the government to bring American values into place.

Roosevelt also helped to greatly expand the “American Empire”. When Mexico collapsed in 1910 due to an ongoing civil war, Roosevelt ignored his military advisors and some Congressmen who wanted him to invade and annex the region. Instead, Roosevelt established protectorates over each of the states, and formed the Mesoamerican League from those states (4). His goal was to prevent bloodshed and spread the ideals of democracy and the United States. However, when more of America’s protectorates demanded the same privileges granted to the Mesoamerican League, Roosevelt formed the North American Coalition, a broad alliance similar to the Entente, Mediterranean League, and Central Powers, just focused on North America. Brazil soon joined the Coalition, trying to counterbalance rising Platine power with American power.

(1)- A fictitious character
(2)- This TL’s 16th Amendment
(3)- He does this by invoking the shift towards pro-labor the US has been going through due to the effects of the Sherman Administration.
(4)- The Mesoamerican League unites the Mexican splinter states of Sonora, Rio Bravo, Yucatán, Veracruz, Durango, Guerrero, and Zacatecas, into a regional forum for venting anger, sparing the United States from routine peacekeeping missions.

 

[severak]

I <3 term limits.

 

[Veranius]

I <3 term limits.

Its something that we desperately need in OTL.

 

[Veranius]

Presidents of the United States: (updated to part 72)

1. George Washington (Independent) (1789-1797)
2. John Adams (Federalist) 1797-1801)
3. Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) (1801-1809)
4. James Madison (Democratic-Republican) (1809-1817)
5. James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) (1817-1825)
6. John Quincy Adams (Democratic-Republican) (1825-1829)
7. Andrew Jackson (Democratic) (1829-1837)
8. Martin Van Buren (Democratic) (1837-1841)
9. William Henry Harrison (Whig) (1841)*
10. John Tyler (Whig/Independent) (1841-1845)
11. James Polk (Democratic) (1845-1849)
12. Zachary Taylor (Whig) (1849-1850)*
13. Millard Fillmore (Whig) (1850-1853)
14. Franklin Pierce (Democratic) (1853-1857)
15. James Buchanan (Democratic) (1857-1861)
16. Abraham Lincoln (Republican) (1861-1869)
17. John Reynolds (National Union) (1869-1877)
18. Winfield Scott Hancock (National Union) (1877-1885)
19. John Sherman (National Union) (1885-1893)
20. William McKinley (National Union) (1893-1901)
21. Thomas Brackett Reed (National Union) (1901)**
22. Theodore Roosevelt (National Union/Progressive) (1901-1913)
23. William Howard Taft (Progressive) (1913-1921)
24. Robert LaFollette (Progressive) (1921-...)

* = Died in office
** = Assasinated

 

[Veranius]

41- A Progressive Outlook

Roosevelt, cooperating with the 16th Amendment, did not run in 1912. He instead threw his support behind his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the Progressive Party shaking National Unionist control over the country, the National Unionists began to suffer and split. Most tried to get Robert Todd Lincoln as their candidate, but that fizzled when Lincoln was nominated as Taft’s Vice President. Taft had originally selected James Sherman, but Sherman died in 1912. The National Unionists finally organized behind Woodrow Wilson, but had squandered much of their time choosing a candidate. With the rise of the Progressives, the National Unionists became the conservatives in America, counterbalancing the liberalism and reformism of the Progressives. So, when the National Unionists tried to get Wilson to agree to a conservative plan, Wilson walked out, and ran as a part of a new party, the American Liberal Party. With the disjointed opposition to the Progressives, Taft easily won.

The Election of 1912 was the last election the National Unionists were a major force. Their inability to find a candidate in time for the election led to many to abandon the party. Though they eventually fielded John Albert Johnson, it was too late for many Americans. From the ashes of the National Union Party arose three major contenders: the Conservative Party, the American Liberal Party, and the Freedom Party. Of those three, the American Liberal Party soon folded into the Progressives, and the Freedom Party violently dissolved in 1915. The Conservative Party then took over as the lead opposition to the Progressive Party.

Taft’s Presidency continued many of the policies begun by Roosevelt. He set aside more land for the National Parks Administration, and allocated more funds to build roads and buildings at those parks, to allow more Americans to visit them than ever before. He modified the North American Coalition into a “congress of nations, where the qualities of liberty, justice, and freedom can be spread”. Taft strengthened ties with the Entente and remained cordial with the Mediterranean League. He sponsored multiple ventures by businessmen to spread capitalism across the globe. During his term, the 17th and 18th Amendments to the Constitution were ratified (1) (2). He managed to maintain his popularity through the Election of 1916, in which he was reelected against some opposition from Oscar Underwood and the Conservative Party.

Roosevelt, during this time, traveled to South Africa and the Amazon, both for expeditions into the wild. He used both trips to improve diplomatic relations between Britain and Brazil. He explored the River of Doubt in the Amazon Basin, soon renamed to the Roosevelt River by the Brazilian government.

Taft’s two terms were up in 1920, and many in the Progressive Party looked toward Vice President Robert Todd Lincoln as Taft’s successor. However, Lincoln declined to run, so the Progressives turned to Robert LaFollette, with his running mate as Franklin Roosevelt. The Conservatives nominated James Cox in response, trying to count of Cox’s moderation to appeal to the people. In one of the closest races in US history, LaFollette barely squeezed a victory. However, disaster would soon follow with the end of the Long Peace in 1921.

(1)- The 17th Amendment prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on sex and race.
(2)- The 18th Amendment allows for the direct election of Senators.

 

[Veranius]

42- A Polish Sandwich

Poland was stuck between two hostile powers, Prussia and Russia, as well as a semi-hostile Triple Monarchy. However, Poland was led by a competent series of kings and queens (1) who all tried to bring Poland back into Great Power status, or at least as close as they could get. The country revised the constitution from the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and continued the massive reforms that began just before the country was partitioned. There was religious freedom, in an effort to spark immigration and boost the population, which led to a huge influx of Jews into Poland. The Polish language was standardized, and numerous attempts were made to bring the country back to the glory days of the Commonwealth. Therefore, the Poles garnered support from the Byzantines and the Italians, who shared the dream of returning to glory. However, Poland did not join the Mediterranean League or the Entente, mostly due to the isolated and surrounded nature of Poland. Poland also brought back the idea of “Golden Liberty”, the political system used by the Commonwealth, as well as the Sejm, the country’s parliament. However, voting was spread to every citizen of the nation, not just the nobles.

Poland’s armed forces were drastically increased to face the threat of the Central Powers. Under Polish law, every citizen was strongly urged to serve in the military, thus creating a vast reserve network that could be called upon in times of war. To compensate for the open terrain of the country, railroads blossomed everywhere, to facilitate easy redistribution in the event of an invasion. Paying for these improvements were millions of dollars of American loans, who were overjoyed to see a fellow democracy in Europe.

The first crisis of the nation was in 1891, when the Prussian government began vigorously searching train cars running into the country, primarily from the port of Danzig. The purpose of this was to find several terrorists who had been wreaking havoc in Berlin and who were supposedly heading to Poland for a safe haven. Poland protested the action as an act of war via blockade. Despite warnings from both the Entente and the Triple Monarchy, Prussia continued with the searchings. Only until it was discovered the terrorists were in the Rhineland, trying to make it to France, as well as Russia’s reluctance to aid Prussia, did Prussia give up. However, the international community, showing pity for Poland, pressured Prussia to release Danzig as the Free City of Danzig, under nominal international control but de facto Polish. With an opening to the sea, Poland purchased the outdated cruiser USS Independence as the backbone of their navy, renaming it to the OKP (2) Casimir III.

(1)- Cyryl I (1863-1887), Ryszard I (1887-1903), Kasandra I (1903-1919), Bernard I (1919-...)
(2)- OKP is like the OTL ORP, which means “Vessel of the Republic of Poland”, just this time Kingdom instead of Republic.