The Twin Eagles and the Lion

In Europe Triple Alliance hegemony was assured as France would never rise again and because of their newfound nuclear power whereas their only reasonable competitor for European power that remained after the fall of France, Britain, had been cast down and was not a threat as they could not develop nuclear weapons of their own as part of the peace deal and were cast out of Europe economically as well by the ECPS as the directorate (Germany, Italy and Russia) installed even stiffer tariffs than before against the Empire. In 1951 Spain and Portugal were inducted into the ECPS as candidate members, both Spain and Portugal were seen as nothing more than hanger-ons which wouldn’t be a threat by themselves as they were too weak to start any kinds of European war without France and/or Britain. And dynastic troubles had nearly prevented Alfonso XIV from signing his fateful alliance with Napoleonic-Gaullist France but his British mother, Mary, Princess Royal, however used her court ties with Britain and influence over her son to set Spain on this course and ultimately drag in Britain’s longstanding Portuguese allies which became Spanish puppets. After the defeat, Spain was restored to a democratic government, even if that government was still had somewhat reactionary tendencies although the Germans and Italians didn’t care much. This candidate membership gave them access to European markets (but not yet a vote in the ECPS ruling bodies) which helped soothe the economic problems of Spain and Portugal which started almost immediately after the war with the end of French and British investment. This also had the positive effect of easing hard feelings in Spain and Portugal against the Triple Alliance as they were not locked out of their European community like France and Britain immediately after the Great War (by the late 1920s it was too late to reverse the path of rising totalitarianism which France and Britain had followed as resentment had poisoned them and mere membership was unbefitting ex-great powers like France and Britain). This ensured that Spain and Portugal acting up again was considered implausible if not unrealistic by even the most pessimistic armchair political analysts, not to mention the Spanish and Portuguese themselves who were busy rebuilding like the rest of Europe. By this time the European economy was once again booming and Europe continued into the future, confident because of victory in the war.

It was in that same year of 1951 that Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm V died of a heart attack, leaving the throne to his son, crown prince Wilhelm who was crowned Emperor Wilhelm III of Germany and King of Prussia and his wife became Empress Juliana I of Germany and Queen of Prussia. Although Friedrich Wilhelm V had never quite been able to step out of his father’s shadow completely, he was remembered as a great Emperor who had led Germany through its darkest hour in the war which was what he wanted. The new ruling pair of Germany did not receive the Dutch crown yet as Queen Wilhelmina didn’t see fit to abdicate, she was healthy and strong and considered herself able to rule her kingdom by herself and not let a German prince take over. She received increasing pressure and criticism from both Japan and the United States regarding the Dutch East Indies which were becoming restless with the return of Dutch colonial rule. Any rebellion however was killed in the cradle as German intelligence tracked Sukarno down who was hiding on the border region between Sarawak and Borneo. He was arrested him along with several other Indonesian nationalists and because neither China nor Japan were in a position yet to start flaring up Asian nationalism for their own reasons (China had just ended a civil war and was poor, Japan was still rebuilding and their allies kept them on a leash as they didn’t want to fight a nuclear war over decolonisation and because they had colonies over their own which forced Japan to down tone any anti-colonialist stirrings). Thusly Wilhelmina kept the throne as she was able to rule with firm hand and kept much of her popularity as she took it upon herself to rebuild Holland after the damage that the French had done. Holland’s southern neighbour Wallonia was not in such a good state as a constitutional crisis had almost immediately erupted after the end of the war (during the war it was buried to not decrease Walloon morale) over King Leopold’s second marriage with a commoner which decreased his popularity and authority in the eyes of many Walloons. Parliament made the decision to style his wife princess instead of Queen of Wallonia and any children from the marriage would not have rights to the throne. King Leopold III clashed with his government over the issue and in the ensuing crisis he abdicated in favour of his son who was crowned Baudouin I of Wallonia in 1946 at the young age of fifteen with his eldest sister, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Wallonia, being appointed regent until his eighteenth birthday in 1949.

In spite of European power and their victory in the war, colonial unrest in Asia continued (ironically starting in Japanese occupied Vietnam) which forced the colonial powers to continue their large military expenditures. Many however recognised quite quickly that gross overspending, weariness from the long colonial wars and arrogance had been the main causes of the depression that hit in 1927 and continued for much of the 1930s and from which the world was only slowly recovering by the outbreak of the war. By 1950 Europe was well on its way up again with strong growth but economists knew that it wasn’t going to last and that the mistakes of past times needed to be avoided if war was to be avoided; the depression had shook the ECPS to its core foundations even if it remained a unity thanks to the ties between the monarchs who knew that their unity was their strength, especially with Europe uniting under the banner of European superiority which the ECPS propagated; Spain and Portugal joined as candidate members in 1951 and as full members in 1954, longstanding unwilling clients Romania and Serbia became members in 1955 as they realized that a snowball’s chance in hell was bigger than them settling their scores with Hungary and Bulgaria and that economic benefits in aiding in the rebuilding of Europe were too great to pass up. Also, Romania and Serbia hadn’t been openly hostile or dissenting from their hegemony since the Second Balkan War in 1915 which had earned them a certain degree of trust in Rome, Berlin and St. Petersburg which effectively governed the Balkans via their Hungarian, Bulgarian, Greek, Montenegrin and Croat proxies who followed their patrons in toning down their hostile sentiments against Romania and Serbia, easing the transition to full ECPS membership. In response to European rule an uprising occurred in Sarawak in 1952 which, although violently put down, caused the Europeans to get their act together and do something. In 1955 the leaders of the prime ECPS colonial powers in Asia (the Netherlands, Germany and Italy) convened and came to a plan to solve the problems in Asia. They granted the colonies a deal and made it clear to them that it was the only deal they would get, if they refused life would continue as usual and any colonial uprisings would be crushed. They gave the colonies a deal very similar to Dominion status in the British Empire and the American Commonwealth and their status would become similar to that of India and Canada: they received their own ruling bodies which would govern internal affairs, military and foreign affairs would remain under strict European supervision and the colonies weren’t allowed to sign treaties or establish diplomatic relations with alien powers without consent, on matters effecting not the colony but the empire that they were part of as a whole, mutual consent was required before making a decision and they all recognised the monarch of their respective motherland as their official head of state. They accepted as they recognised they didn’t have much choice and would face brute reprisals if they resisted and fought for full independence (the Europeans saw themselves as civilized but had shown their ability to cruelty in the 1920s when they had used chemical weapons, deportation of thousands to concentration camps and many executions in the 20th century’s first genocide in their attempt to crush dissent). The colonials however saw it as a compromise and figured that eventual more concessions could be squeezed out of the Europeans now that a beginning had been made). Decolonization did not take place in Africa as all the colonial powers thought that the African peoples, specifically the non-Arab sub-Saharan peoples, were too primitive to have a national identity of their own, unlike the Asians which (thanks to Japanese strength in the war) were regarded as at least semi-civilized and capable of nationalism. This would later shown to be a wrong assumption.

Britain at this time was experiencing its own share of post-war troubles. Three of its cities (Manchester, Liverpool and Hull) had been devastated by nuclear weapons and they had seen their due for the bombing campaign against German cities and had lost at least 1.5 million men in fighting that had taken place across the globe. Also, the economy was in shambles and Britain’s traditional European markets were now even more closed off then before as the nations of Europe wanted to protect their markets from cheaper products from the British Empire, leading to a deep recession and sharp decline in popularity of the BNP regime which was only aggravated by Alliance fuelled unrest in the colonies (although that never amounted to more than sporadic resistance as none of these groups were organized very well) and the fact that the industrial centres of Liverpool, Manchester and Hull were gone. For the foreseeable future however Britain could float on loans and investment from America and the opening up of South American markets thanks to American lobbying; this way Britain recovered its status as big investor in South America (especially in the southern cone, Argentina and Chile) although their investments never reached the peak heights of the British Empire during the Edwardian age again. Also, like Wallonia, Britain was facing a constitutional crisis because of Edward VIII’s relationship with Wallis Warfield, a mere commoner. During the war and the 1930s their relationship had been kept a secret and she remained only a mistress; Churchill insisted on this as he and Mosley didn’t want a blemish on their regime which stood for traditional values.

In 1946 however Edward announced his intention to marry his long-time lover and a crisis ensued although Churchill and Mosley quickly managed to turn it into a propaganda stunt, unlike the unlucky Walloon king Leopold III. In BNP propaganda it was portrayed as if Britain had now truly reached the egalitarian society that was desired now that the war had purged the nation of impure elements of the old age when the Empire was at its peak and that the best that the British Empire now had was all that was left now. This way Churchill avoided a blemish on the British regime as most people bought it (Britain had been fed propaganda like this for decades and was indoctrinated to a degree) and also ensured that new royal dynastic troubles wouldn’t weaken his regime’s grip on power. Apart from this, nothing could delay or distract the diligent Brits from rebuilding their country and undoing the damage that the nuclear bombardment had done to some of the most important cities in Great Britain and entering a new age of prosperity, as BNP propaganda said that Britain was rid of its anachronistic, subversive and weak elements and that French weakness and the Alliance’s stranglehold over the continent was the only reason they had escaped retaliation. Britain would be strong again one day if it was up to the BNP. This anti-European propaganda also led to Britain drifting more and more into America’s sphere of influence and even alienating their former French allies which they blamed for their defeat in the war citing lack of will to fight and blunders on France’s part as the cause, leading to a shift in attitude in certain circles of the French government which was already moving away from the still totalitarian British.

Seeing as France’s allies were all going their own way, France adapted to the new situation, even if they did so reluctantly as their was still a sizable measure of resentment against occupational forces as well as the old elite which they blamed for the defeat of France in the war. Their however were certain problems with the Fifth Republic that the new and inexperienced rulers of France couldn’t solve even with all their enthusiasm and idealism. It helped a great deal that there were no war reparations so that inflation was kept down to reasonable level for a defeated country in an immediate post-war crisis situation. It also helped a lot that German and Italian occupational forces violently put down any resistance against their new vassal government. But that was the Fifth Republics problem, they were seen as too much of a German-Italian puppet government and sycophants who obeyed every whim that the people in Berlin and Rome got into their heads. Also, France had been a very centralized regime for much of its history; even though attempts had been made to make France a republic, an idea which was resurrected seemingly from the grave several times, France remained fundamentally an authoritarian nation, much like their Spanish, German and Italian neighbours, and the idea had failed every time thus far for various reasons, some of which came back to haunt the Fifth Republic along with new problems. And how could it work, seeing France’s past and what their history was like. Out of the 146 turbulent years that had past between 1800 and the official abolition of the Third Empire and thus the monarchy in 1946 in which France had seen the rise of the three Napoleonic Empires, the Bourbon Restorations (first in 1814 and the second in 1889) and two world wars, France had been a monarchy for 103 years, over a century, with only intermittent periods of republicanism in France and France had always been at the peak of its power, stature and glory during the monarchist rule and not the republics’ rule. In 1965 France was granted a candidate membership for the ECPS as it was clear that the French weren’t trying to go for a comeback and because so far the new French government had proven cooperative (as part of their strategy to at least restore France to a certain degree as an influential power in Europe of course). Also, Britain and America were still there and the former had been spewing anti-French propaganda ever since the end of the war, blaming France for the defeat. ECPS economic benefits and the prospect of finally being accepted into the European community after years of mistrust and the Allies looking over their shoulder didn’t end the Fifth Republic’s problems. Due to the very decentralized nature of this state, it was plagued by corruption as government officials didn’t have to be afraid anymore of government agents spying on them or unannounced check-ups on their administrations and the resulting hefty reprisals (ranging from three months in prison and losing one’s job to the death sentence in extreme cases). The previous Natipop regime kept a tight leash on government officials. If there was one thing that Charles de Gaulle despised, it was corruption. Sometimes these acts of corruption would be revealed and would embarrass the Fifth Republic, leading to Neo-Natipops making noise now and again via the new Parti National-Solidaire (PNS) which acted as their mouthpiece even though it was outlawed and was a fringe group. In the resulting 1966 elections the unpopular social-democrats and republicans were swept away as a punishment for their abuse of power and economic blundering. Demonstrations had been going on for months after a series of scandals involving government officials and because the economy had entered a slump. The opposition parties (the royalist and nationalist Action Française, the Catholics, the right-liberals) together managed to attain a majority with 65% of popular vote with the Catholics gaining 35%, the right-liberals 12% and the AF 18%. The last one however insisted on the restoration of the Orléanist Bourbons in return for them taking part in a coalition, they were however forced to compromise and accept a purely constitutional monarchy. The Catholics and right-liberals were left no choice lest they wanted to ally with the now disgraced social-democrats and republicans which would surely lose them their support and the AF understood that this was all they would get (a monarchy was also seen as a stabilizing factor in France which contributed to the decision). It was time for the end of the Fifth Republic, it would the demise of republicanism in France. It was also time for the Third Bourbon restoration and Henri, Comte de Paris, was crowned King Henry VI of France. The end of the Fifth Republic was a fact and France would never be a republic again.

This also caused some faith in the surrounding countries about France’s friendly intentions as the new Kingdom of France was much more stabile. With Britain, America, China and Japan all on the rise, France was finally admitted into the ECPS in 1967 although a seat in the directory was a bridge too far. Japan had tested a nuclear weapon in 1957. Both Germany and America had created hydrogen bombs in 1952 with Italy and Russia following in 1954 and 1955 respectively and Japan followed suit in 1962. China would test an atomic bomb in 1969 after several years of struggling to get one (the Alliance wasn’t helpful as they weren’t keen on the idea of a nuclear armed China). Also, America was stationing bombers and missiles in Great Britain.

The nuclear arms race and space race and military build-up was a major point of concern (explaining why France was admitted into the ECPS after two decades of occupation and under scrutiny of the Allies). Both the Alliance and the Americans possessed thousands of nuclear weapons with Russia holding the highest absolute number of nuclear weapons (although Germany and America possessed much more advanced delivery systems during the 50s and 60s). In the space race the Alliance and the American Commonwealth were roughly equal. Both had sent satellites up into space (Germany in 1955 and America in 1957), a man into orbit (Germany in 1961 and the Americans that same year) and a manned mission to the moon was planned for 1969 with America and Germany setting foot on the moon in rapid succession. It was during this time period that Germany received an additional boost in power and prestige with the death of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands in 1962 after a reign of over 72 years and Juliana ascended the throne as Queen Juliana I of Holland while her husband could add the title King of the Netherlands to his titles of Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia as he was crowned King Willem IV of the Netherlands (as opposed to prince-consort which was originally intended to be the title of the one who married Princess Juliana). It was said that Wilhelmina had ruled until the end of her life to prevent the personal union between her country and Germany as she greatly valued Dutch independence and sovereignty, even if she was pro-German and had been friends with the late Emperor Wilhelm II. The new king however proved to be a good king as he didn’t attempt to turn Holland into a vassal (although he proclaimed that all the lands of the Holy Roman Empire were now united). This greatly strengthened the German economy as Germany now controlled imports into the German and European hinterland via the vast system of canals that linked Europe’s major rivers. Germany and Europe were marching toward a bright future, a future however that would be marred by troubles.
 
Pretty epic! Seems slightly less well edited than before.

many British were happy to get rid of the Irish nationalists who had mounted a strong guerrilla resistance and terrorist campaign over the years, even if Ireland became pro-ECPS.


Eh wrong, the reason the British put up with so much Irish troubles over the years was the perception that a non-British Ireland would be a fantastic staging ground for attacking GB. Ireland isn't going to be allowed to join anything Britain doesn't approve off, or they might as well just keep up control to be safe. Irelands wishes don't really come into it.

German, Italian and Dutch colonies in South East Asia were under American and Japanese control but in the peace deal they were restored to their former owners, much to the chagrin of the Japanese and Americans who both opposed European colonialism for their own reasons. Again, it was not considered worth fighting a nuclear war over.
Yet the Triple Alliance do consider their imperialism starting a nuclear war over? Thats an incredably easy propaganda victory for the Axis, espcially as its Britain who will get nuked, not Japan or the US. While I might accept the Allies doing that, it jars incredably with them turning around and giving the colonies a Dominion style deal a mere 10 years after threatening nuclear war to keep them under control!

Especially if they are so stupidly racist enough to think the Japanese could never build a nuclear device! There's be no time to bring the natives into power structures or anything (and I'm no Ridwan, but I think there's more to the independence movement than alt-Sukarno).

Here I was at the start of this TL saying "Well I'm sure the GRI will live happily ever after with their perfect militarism, chauvnism, and imperialism that quickly vanishes whenever it would be a drawback". Didn't realise it'd be so prophetic ;).

France’s colonial empire was stripped from them and became an Alliance mandate area until Alliance leaders decided what to with it. In the end it was appointed to the Dutch as Germany and Italy felt it right to reward them for their war effort and loyalty (the Dutch had resisted the French for weeks and had fought the American-Japanese invasion which had resisted in the Battle of the Java Sea in which the combined German-Italian-Dutch colonial fleets had been crippled but the Americans and Japanese lost a great many ships due to Dutch persistence) and because they didn’t want it themselves. Portugal’s colony East Timor was annexed into the Dutch East Indies while Angola was annexed by Germany and Mozambique by Italy.
And these guys have the spare resources to do all that?

was the largest and most densely populated country in Asia but was still a very poor and backward country, even if the civil war was now over. Chiang started out by nationalizing certain key industries like mining, steel industry and heavy industry to build up these vital sectors which were seen as the corner stones of a modern economy and necessary for upgrading China but corruption became a problem almost immediately. Chiang however learned from India and what not to do. India had corruption as well and their was conflict between the Muslim and white minorities one side and the Hindu majority on the other in spite of the fact that the rights of the Muslims and whites were ensured. The Hindus were also very traditional and the caste system would remain in place for quite some time, severely inhibiting the possibilities of India to grow as the lower castes remained poor and dumb and therefore India remained a problematic country.


Whites are a demographically significant minority and yet not integrated with the power structure? Hooosawhat?

On the second post the problem with Mrs Simpson was a divorcee, and disapproved of, not that she was a commoner.
 
Yet the Triple Alliance do consider their imperialism starting a nuclear war over? Thats an incredably easy propaganda victory for the Axis, espcially as its Britain who will get nuked, not Japan or the US. While I might accept the Allies doing that, it jars incredably with them turning around and giving the colonies a Dominion style deal a mere 10 years after threatening nuclear war to keep them under control!

Well, they've got about five times more nukes in 1945 so they do consider it worth it :p.

Eh wrong, the reason the British put up with so much Irish troubles over the years was the perception that a non-British Ireland would be a fantastic staging ground for attacking GB. Ireland isn't going to be allowed to join anything Britain doesn't approve off, or they might as well just keep up control to be safe. Irelands wishes don't really come into it.

Allied nukes say otherwise. They just lost, Manchester, Liverpool and Hull y'know :D. Also, Irish resistance ITTL makes OTL's IRA terrorist attacks seem like a walk in the park.


And these guys have the spare resources to do all that?

Again, imperial strategic overstretch. Don't worry. The Allies will get their share of colonial wars in Africa in the next update ;). And France is almost totally occupied by 1945 and Portugal is weak so they can't resist the Allies on their own.

Whites are a demographically significant minority and yet not integrated with the power structure? Hooosawhat?

Oh, they are integrated but it's just that they're are so MANY Hindus. Maybe I should have phrased that differently.

Hope it's still fun and not too unrealistic

EDIT: if you really want to, I can change it. Criticism is always welcome as long as it helps make the TL better.
 
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Chapter XI, Cold War and New Powers, 1970-2009



America at this time was a superpower, probably stronger than any of the Alliance powers individually, both economically and militarily. Together the Triple Alliance however was stronger than the United States. Germany possessed the world’s second largest navy, Russia had the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in absolute numbers and the world’s largest (or second-largest) army and Italy dominated the Mediterranean and thusly any traffic from Europe to the Middle East and North Africa and also control over Arab oil. And stiff tariffs ensured that any American influence in their sphere of influence was impossible because it simply was too unprofitable; the Americans just had to accept the fact that Eurasia and Africa were off limits to American business and entrepreneurs, breaking America’s rule of not letting any power or power block dominate Eurasia. America however was growing stronger as they effectively dominated South America, the Caribbean and large parts of the Pacific Ocean where they established there own economic, military and political power block known as the Trans Oceanic Prosperity Sphere, more commonly known as and referred to as Oceania which helped them find new markets and establish their own zone in which they had almost total hegemony as the TOPS was economically just as impregnable to the Alliance as the ECPS was to the United States. Much like the ECPS it was a supranational organization and like its counterpart it was slightly authoritarian even if it espoused democracy and liberalism as its core values which the US frequently violated to let in new members so increase its own might and influence in what they considered their sphere of influence. This mainly Pacific and South American power block was organized in a similar way to the ECPS as a permanent coordination structure which was governed by a convention of ministers from the member states, a bi-annual meeting of the various heads of state and premiers and meetings of the chiefs of staff of the various members as it was a military alliance as well (these meetings do not include extra and emergency meetings). A directorate was also installed with the US and Japan as veto powers and three non-permanent members which were elected annually. Japan joined to get American support in counterbalancing the Alliance in Asia and the Chinese Tiger and agreed to spheres of influence in the Pacific, this time officially. It was a military alliance and economic alliance and free trade and free traffic of goods, capital, people and services was encouraged as well as economic cooperation, cross-border investments and mutual recognition of free trade between states (even non-friendly ones). Also, the exchange rates of the various currencies of the member states were tied to that of the US dollar, effectively giving the TOPS a common currency even if the different names were kept for nationalistic reasons (although dollar is becoming more commonly used). Besides Japan and the US, Canada, Australia, the Philippines (as American Commonwealth members), Great Britain, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile were founding members. Panama, Belize, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana were colonies of the US at the time and didn’t get representation. The Philippines had been granted Dominion status in 1946 as promised and because of increasing resistance against American rule and a desire for independence (this meant de facto self rule in internal affairs and had also inspired European colonies to demand more self-rule). The world was now divided between these two economic titans which vied for dominance.

The organization had been founded in 1955 as America realized that it alone could never outweigh the Alliance, more so since Russia was rising as another economic power which lagged only little behind on the US and Germany and would eclipse both powers (although the Alliance powers were all friendly to each other and Russia’s ascendancy was counterbalanced by the strong economic ties between Italy and Germany and Russia’s economy was too integrated with the other two so their was no hope in a dissolution of the Alliance, unfortunately for the US). The first action of the TOPS was a joint police action in Bolivia were a socialist revolution had once again swept up the country in 1956 as the military junta of the day had managed to turn the South American country into a total mess whereas the socialist regime of the 20s and 30s was seen in a positive light, unlike in Europe where socialism and communism were disgraced due to the short-lived communist Red Terror in France. A small civil war erupted between the military and the communists and socialists, the latter of which enjoyed popular support. The general populace demonstrated in the streets of the major cities and the junta blocked out the media and harshly repressed the riots which the US condemned in a statement made by President Joseph P. Kennedy who ordered a police action which, after sanctions against the brutal regime had proven useless, was acted upon quickly. Neighbouring countries Peru, Chile and Paraguay invaded the country and the US Air Force flew in a battalion of marines to assist. An interim government was installed by American forces and fair elections were organized (for as far as that was possible in such a corrupt country) under American supervision and all TOPS member states pledged to acknowledge the outcome. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, the socialists and social-democrats won due to overwhelming support which even government fraud couldn’t hide. America however quickly ensured itself of the new regime’s support which was all they cared about, America did not tolerate dissent or problems in its backyard.

South and Latin America were still economically very backward compared to Europe although American and British support increased growth and America brutally solved the inherent instability of the continent by intervening in the affairs of the countries’ affairs and would send troops to support regimes backed by the US government. Any civil wars, coups, revolutions and conflict in South America would not be tolerated as the US desired to build a strong economic block which would present a unified block against the Triple Alliance. American investment led to many changes in South America which were mostly positive ones which explains why the governments there usually kept quiet about what they considered American imperialism and meddling in South American affairs. One positive effect was the massive improvement in infrastructure in much of central America and the Andes region which saw the arrival of legions of engineers and equipment to build highways, railroads and power plants. It was the start of the largest rush of development in human history and also one of the most money consuming periods in American history, even if it paid off. It was possibly the most labour intensive project since the Great Wall of China and the most ambitious project since the Trans-Siberian railroad, building a continent. The largest building project was the so-called Trans-American route which was a combined railroad and highway system which would span the entirety of the span between Anchorage, Alaska, and Santiago de Chile and various highways and railroads would spread out from this route. It was projected that the build would take 25 years when construction began in 1970 in the largest make-work project ever. Setbacks in the rugged mountains such as harsh circumstances, winter storms but also strikes and the like delayed construction. Construction would end in 2002 even with the latest construction techniques used but the result would be the world’s largest man made marvel ever seen which American propaganda exploited as a triumph of democracy and cooperation even if it came at the cost of many lives and not those of them in the cushy offices. This was a great boost to the economies of South America even if poverty and corruption remain a problem (much like in China which is powerful regardless). Free trade encouraged these careful steps upward by the Latin and South American countries and the average GDP in South America rose to between two thirds to three quarters of that of comparable European nations (in size, population etc.). South America is on the way up.

The largest country in South America however, Brazil, did not yet join and the difference was notable. Governments in TOPS agreed on a summit of the heads of state and ministers of internal affairs that they would combat corruption and crime and they did so harshly. The most notable result was the heavy crackdown on the mafia in the US in a coordinated effort to completely dismantle them. Another notable result was the so-called Operation Downfall in which the Chavez crime syndicate and the Muriez crime family were beaten down brutally in a joint American-Colombian operation against the cocaine growers and their distributers. The result was that the cocaine trade moved (and not disappeared) mainly to new power centres in Brazil which became a hotbed of drug traffic and the weak republican government that ruled Brazil in the 60s and 70s couldn’t deal with the corruption although the US didn’t care, they had one less problem to deal with. The new crime syndicates that rose there crippled the government with corruption like they had in Colombia as they bribed many officials and cowed others into submission and inspired fear by murdering the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, spreading the belief that no one could escape them. The Brazilian republic used the French Fifth Republic as its example and suffered from the same issues in tenfold. It had been founded after the end of the neo-Boulangist military regime which collapsed in 1953 since it lacked popular support and foreign allies as it was widely seen as a horrid government and a destabilizing factor in the region. The republican regime was decentralized, weak and unable to deal with the terror campaign of the crime syndicates nor the corruption that it already had and the unruly masses who protested against their poverty and government ineptitude frequently. When the Fifth Republic became a monarchy, it showed the future of Brazil were the government lost the elections to the opposition in spite of attempts to rig them. Purges had assured that the military wouldn’t overthrow the republic which was what they feared, a take-over from within had been the least of their worries up until then. In 1974 the liberal republic would end. The right course of action was heavily debated but it was decided that Brazil needed a strong government. The question was just how and on a summit the ruling parties opted for the French method: heavy centralization and a popular figurehead to rally the nation. There weren’t many arguments on who that would be as everyone agreed that it had to be a neutral figure that would hold sway over all of the Brazilians. Many conservatives and monarchists brought up Brazil’s imperial and monarchical past and the fact that Pedro II had been one of the best rulers ever and his reign had been largely stable. They tracked down and found his heirs and Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was crowned Emperor Pedro IV of Brazil in 1974 but he had to agree to a fully ceremonial rule as a constitutional monarch as no one in Brazil wanted another dictatorship except for fringe groups. He had Brazil enter the TOPS after assuring America of Brazil’s pro-American stance. The US didn’t take to well to monarchist regimes and at first suspected that they were backed by a European power (the Imperial family descended from the House of Orléans after all) but Pedro assured them of his intentions. Pedro would eventually set Brazil onto its path towards sixth largest economy in the entire world behind the US, Russia, Germany, China and Japan with only a small difference in GDP with the last.

America was changing internally as well. America had seen nothing but Democrat rule since 1924 but in the 1976 elections notable one-termer Karol Wojtyla (more well known under his assumed name of Karl Wanson) was defeated trying to run for a second term. Him being a Pole had not been good for relations with the Triple Alliance as he vociferously opposed them and because he was a Polish nationalist and staunch proponent of an independent Poland and became the champion of not only the Poles but the Slavs as a whole who saw him as a symbol of hope against Triple Alliance imperialism and oppression of their home countries. A great many Czechs and Poles had emigrated to the US (like Karol Wojtyla’s parents) and had settled there in hopes of a better life and as a result the US had a large Slavic community, situated mainly on the eastern seaboard which supported Wojtyla’s hawkish anti-Alliance stance. In the early days Wojtyla’s strong Catholicism had been a hindrance to his career but this was soon waved away as his charisma was noted and enmity between the Alliance and the US grew. This Slav lobby had big influence in the Democrat party which opposed the Alliance for both economical and ideological reasons. In 1976 the Republican candidate won the elections which led to an easing in relations with the Alliance and even bilateral talks regarding nuclear weapons (building more was seen as useless since both sides had tens of thousands and could basically destroy the world).

Americanization was also becoming a more common issue. By the 1940s there was little if any pro-British resistance against Canada’s status as a Dominion of America as it preserved Canada much better than full occupation. Britain’s cooperation with America was seen as positive and approval of Canada’s new status since it seemed as if Britain recognised that the nail in the coffin of a British Canada had been hammered in long ago which was true. Many still considered entering the Great War and the Entente to be one of the biggest mistakes of the British Empire, contributing to its downfall as it destroyed Britain’s traditional relations with the other Anglo power, America, and many Canadians still blame the British Empire for it (with 20/20 hindsight of course, the British at the time didn’t have much choice and didn’t have the benefit of hindsight).

Alaska had been admitted as a state in 1959. In 1970 the first step was made when the Yukon territory merged with Alaska. It had only a small population and a rather weak economy and a population growth that subsequently declined, justifying the merger. Also, the American population in Canada had grown considerably as many Americans had emigrated to Canada (and vice versa), especially older people and young families with children who wanted their children to grow up in a quiet, peaceful and stabile environment far away from the hustle and bustle of the big coastal cities; Canadians went south for purely economic reasons and America’s government encouraged this trend in anticipation of what was to come. In time all Canadian provinces would be granted statehood in one way or the other (most of them joining for economic profit and due to increasing ties with the US) with all of them having joined by 2000 (except for Quebec which was granted a separate Dominion status) even if Canadian states maintain their own distinct culture and an exclusive autonomous status until today (and many Canadians still consider it an insult when they’re called Americans). America subsequently gained Canada’s vote in the TOPS. Quebec was granted a separate status as a Dominion and French was recognised as one of two official languages (the other being English). This led to a spur in America’s Hispanic territories who wanted statehood as well. Cuba was granted statehood in 1973 and the Mexican territories that America held since the 1920s were simply admitted into the Union as the state of Mexico in 1976 (they’d rather not go back to Mexico which was a corrupt mess, in spite of American support for their puppet).

The Triple Alliance was doing slightly less well than the Americans as a fierce struggle had erupted in Africa between the colonial powers and their subjects who were now in open revolt once again. The colonial powers of Italy and Germany violently repressed any manifestation of African nationalism with the application of sheer brute military force as they deemed fit. The first signs of unrest in the Dark Continent came from longstanding German-Italian client and former British Dominion South Africa where the ever brewing conflict within the white majority of Anglophones and Afrikaners was widened with the rise of a new threat known as Black Nationalism. For years the Anglophones, with support from their former mother country Great Britain, and the Afrikaners, with support from the Dutch, Germans and Italians, had vied for dominance over South Africa whereas the voice of the blacks had gone unnoticed from the struggling parties. In the end the Afrikaners had won out due to lavish support from the Alliance and so South Africa had remained a client of them and increased emigration from the Netherlands and Germany (a trend supported by all involved parties) had ensured a strong Afrikaner majority over the Anglos which saw their traditional power in South Africa becoming increasingly diminished with the Fall of the British Empire until it was almost completely eroded by the end of the Second Great War and the outnumbered Anglos joined the Afrikaners in their racist Apartheid regime which suppressed Black Nationalism. At this point the white population consisting of Anglophones, Afrikaners and Dutch and German émigrés comprised some 25-30% of South Africa’s population and they were mainly centred around Transvaal, Natal and Oranje Vrij Staat which were becoming the economic centres of South Africa with European investment and thusly the whites who were less than 30% of the population controlled 90% of the economy and were the dominant political figures in South Africa. The gold and diamond reserves were almost completely monopolized by the whites and these were one of the pillars of the South African economy. As soon as gold or some other valuable resource was discovered, any black living on that land was disowned and forced to live elsewhere where he wouldn’t be in the way and protesting only made things worse in most cases as the blacks were seen as dispensable in the face of economic benefit for the whites. This was the case in much of the rest of Africa where whites who had emigrated to Africa controlled everything, effectively separating Africa into a rich and economically strong white world and an impoverished black sub layer but their resentment was ignored as the sub-Saharan peoples were seen as too primitive to be able of any kind of nationalism or organized resistance. The resistance was initially put down and done away with as barbaric unruliness but resistance increased to a point that it couldn’t be ignored although it was obvious that the colonial powers wouldn’t let go of some colonies. Libya for example had seen strong immigration from Europe, specifically Italy and the Balkans, after oil was discovered in 1959 by a geological survey team and by 1975 the indigenous Arabs and Bedouins were actually outnumbered by the white population and Tunisia and Algeria were much the same. Large swaths of Africa were resource rich and the colonial powers had ensured a steady flow of immigrants to those regions to secure the resources there such as oil, gold and diamonds. In the 1970s African resentment, anger and hatred reached the boiling point when a revolt in the German Congo spread to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. By this point the colonial armies were experts in anti-guerrilla tactics and American and Chinese support couldn’t end ethnic strife between the various groups. In the end the revolt was put violently with chemical weapons and the rounding up of resistance leaders after intensive intelligence operations, scattering the rebels who were forced to flee. A second large revolt was put down in 1977 with strong military display to show Alliance strength and muscle and that resistance was useless in the bloodiest colonial war to date. But defence expenditure rose again as the Europeans were forced to station large garrisons in Africa and put down a simmering guerrilla war. Over the 1970s and 1980s the colonies would be slowly let go but with firmly pro-Alliance white regimes ala Afrikaner Apartheid. This would lead to the emergence of many “South Africas” and even today the blacks aren’t fully emancipated (although the whites arguably did a good job at building up their country with a decent infrastructure, healthcare system and educational system based on the European model which doesn’t right their past wrongs of course). Part of the pressure to release the colonies came not from China or the US but from within the Alliance countries where the population wanted the bloody colonial wars and the flow of dead soldiers which were seen as in vain, to end. Many were of a more enlightened opinion that European patronage could be ended within a few years as the blacks had finally developed their own identity (even though many black states are now seen as failed states, proving them wrong about letting go; right now several of these states have peace keepers from their former mother countries to keep order there, some sort of neo-colonialism. It can be argued that the badly handled decolonization was done purposefully to divide and rule Africa). Many states would be organized into a commonwealth much like the Asian colonies but after a much greater bloodbath (as Africa was seen as more valuable). Some colonies, such as Libya and Tunisia, wouldn’t gain independence at all as they were seen as integral parts of the mother country (thanks to immigration to those areas). And thusly, according to some, the age of imperialism continues unabated, even if it’s in the shape of neo-imperialism.
 
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A rising star at this time was the Republic of China which was largely seen and treated as glorified banana republic with a handful of atomic bombs. Only Russia and Japan were somewhat worried but were unable to stunt China’s growth. China had first tested a nuclear weapon in 1969 after a difficult program that was riddled with problems as China didn’t receive any foreign aid. After the initial breakthrough, the program went into a higher gear and in 1972 a fusion weapon was detonated of 5 megatons, officially establishing China as the third great power besides the Triple Alliance and the American Commonwealth. China’s economic growth increased after the tough 1950s which Chiang Kai-Shek spent rebuilding his battered, war torn, chaotic and impoverished country. In 1947 the last warlords had been vanquished and he had managed to unite China as the European powers were still reeling from the war and unwilling to start another campaign to show the Chinese their place which was in servitude of Europe. He had then proceeded to nationalize key industries and then attempted to ruthlessly weed out corruption with moderate success although his propaganda machine successfully managed to hide his regime’s inefficiencies and make him more popular as “The Man Who United China” which is perhaps his greatest legacy. His proceeded with a quasi-communist economic policies (partly as a protectionist measure to ensure independence from foreign powers who were eager to shackle China again) which were essentially strongly watered down versions of the ruthless Three Year Plans of the communist regime that had once ruled France which was Chiang’s inspiration (he had quite a number of former communists in his ranks, including economic theorists).He installed heavy quotas, although more manageable and attainable than those in France, and started to raise more money although he refused to collectivize agriculture which had been a total failure in France (much to the chagrin of the communist hardliners in his government). Instead he chose to raise taxes for the large landowners and aristocracy which still held a lot of power and most of China’s wealth (as part of his Land Reform). This was a blow in the face of the traditionalists who still existed in some numbers and wanted a return to China’s imperial period which Chiang however saw as foolish since he didn’t want to lead China down the path that had led to the demise of the Qing Empire. China possessed a massive labour pool of well over a billion people by the end of the Second Great War, in spite of the wars that had torn China apart, which was utilized to its fullest extent by educating the previously dumb peasants and using the extra money squeezed from the rich to modernize agriculture with machines and modern farming methods, leading to an influx of peasants into the cities as they needed a new job and they were put to work in China’s coal mines (China had and has vast reserves of coal) or factories that were constructed, often using the peasants as cheap labour as they didn’t know any better. As far as they were concerned their pay was much better than what they could ever have earned as a peasant on the Chinese countryside which is still the poorest part of China even today. Although there was no ruthless collectivization which the communist wing of the party theorized would bring in the needed capital for industrialization, production increased unlike in former communist France. Chiang was a Nationalist and not a communist and had taken a strongly watered down version of a command economy for three reasons: (1) to appease the communist wing that had joined his party during the war and (2) because the French model had been successful in spite of the resistance it caused and (3) because the original model would cause too much resistance if it was continued for any longer period of time. The Chinese had great strength through numbers and the revolutionary fervour that Chiang’s propaganda stirred up. 1 billion people stood up to support the Revolution and between 1950 and 1970 coal production had tripled and China had begun to extract its mineral resources, discovering the Daqing oil field in 1951, making it a major regional oil producer and bringing in funds for the Chinese government. China became the largest exporter of coal and the fourth largest producer of steel worldwide, only behind the US, Germany and Russia. It came at a cost. 48-60 hour working weeks were common and Chinese mines and factories were considered to have the world’s most hazardous working condition with over 6000 people dying in accidents each year. And still poverty remained an issue as money needed to be saved to further fuel the growing Chinese economy. A proletariat started to grow in the polluted, overcrowded slums of Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi’an and so on. The rush to the cities continued as China’s economy demanded more capital and labourers. Although the situation was a vast improvement over the civil war and the preceding era of decay during the last days of Qing rule, China remained a somewhat poor country. Shanghai alone had 18 million inhabitants, the majority of which were underpaid workers. China was in a perpetual state of Revolution but the masses were becoming unruly as they didn’t want their pseudo-totalitarian government. China was upward and the proletariat grew increasingly politicized and it was Chiang’s personality and sheer force of will that kept him charge. With his death in 1975 that would change. The populace wanted an end to the corruption and the oligarchic, dictatorial regime which kept them little. Soon the bubble would burst.

In his foreign policy Chiang wavered between half-hearted support for either the Alliance or the Americans and their allies who were both seen as evils. The US supported Japan even if it was just as a check against Russia which Chiang couldn’t tolerate due to his image as China’s defender from mainly Japanese aggression. Yet the European powers were far from a good alternative as the Kuomintang’s propaganda had always vigorously argued against western imperialism and cosmopolitanism and what Chiang saw as Europe’s attempt to keep the strong Chinese giant from challenging their power and hegemony over Asia. He mostly tried to play both blocks off to keep China safe and ensure some support for his regime. The only two things that Chiang was really consistent about was his competition for power with India (which by 1975 had its own atomic arsenal) and China’s policy to never relinquish claim on Formosa and eventually evict Japan from what was seen as China’s sphere of influence, militarily if necessary, and Sino-Japanese relations would never be good (more like a state of cold war) and enmity between Chinese and Japanese remains high due to propaganda from their governments (noted during the 1976 Olympic games in Melbourne in which Japanese and Chinese tourists clashed in the 1976 Olympic riots). Any reconciliatory efforts, even ones mediated by foreign powers like the US who wanted to pull China into their fold and keep Japan, subsequently failed. As a boost China maintained the world’s largest military only surpassed by Russia during certain periods and their own nuclear deterrent of some 400 nuclear weapons with the capability to strike in most of Asia and the Pacific with their IRBMs and the later introduced 5.500 km ICMBs (and the rumoured 8.000 km Dafeng ICBM which is said to be available in only limited numbers [two dozen or so] although intelligence reports have turned up little substantial).

The fall of the Nationalist regime came at about the same time as the end of the other totalitarian regimes in Britain and Japan which were in decay from their corruption and militarism. Their fall came with the rise of a new, post-war generation which saw no need for the strict control of their lives and the extreme militarism and oppression of free thought in their country, even if all three countries were theoretically democratic with a constitution. Britain and China were still dictatorial, single-party regimes led by their respective party leaders and Japan was controlled by a military junta under the command of an oligarchy of generals and admirals. The descent of Britain started with a slow economic decline which became a large slump as the corporatist and government-controlled economic system which was largely aimed at military production and not consumer markets, was starting to fail with widespread shortages and growing inefficiencies which was only aggravated as coal and steel prices went down during the 70s because of the availability of other materials. Japan’s economy stayed afloat due to American investment, an effort to prop them up as a bulwark against the Triple Alliance, and also diversification of the economy to compete with China which beat everyone with their cheap consumer products. This made sustaining the military increasingly difficult. Japan had at least 1.1 million men in active service and a powerful navy with aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and battleships. In China the control of the KMT started to slip with Chiang Kai-Shek’s death in 1975 and the death of his son, Chiang Ching-Kuo, in 1988. In 1989 the so-called Taipei riots erupted in Japanese Formosa. The Japanese junta attempted to block out foreign media and crush the uprising but soon Japanese students in Tokyo rose up to demand reforms and an end to the stifling militarism. In the beginning the Japanese government tried to stop this but many parents found protecting their children more important and the riots continued and this showed how discontent many Japanese were with the bleak future that the regime had to offer. After four weeks of riots and American pressure, the Japanese government caved in and announced elections. The resulting liberal/social-democrat victory led to liberalization of the Empire such as cautious moves to a constitutional monarchy (even if the Emperor resisted, yet he recognised the will of his people and they still respected and honoured him, so he honoured their wish) and an autonomous status for Korea, Formosa and Vietnam (using old propaganda for an Asian Empire to make it work). In China the need for reform was recognised quicker and the transition went peacefully, even if the KMT remained the largest party, only challenged by the Democratic People’s Party, a collection of social-democrats and left-liberals. In Britain both Churchill and Mosley had passed away. Their personalities had kept Britain together and without them, the BNP started to screw up. After an incident during a soccer match, riots spread in Britain too and after a few violent weeks and threats from Europe with the Germans demanding armed intervention in what was becoming a civil war, the regime fell in 1990.

In Europe the economy was in a slump too during the seventies, thanks to high oil prices instated by the Middle Eastern countries who now knew their power and bound together. During the 1980s Europe recovered from the recession due to Europe’s strong and integrated economy and improvement in European-Arab relations as Empress Juliana herself made a tour through the Middle East. It was in 1991 that Emperor Wilhelm III died at the age of 75 and left the throne to his son as his wife Juliana abdicated as she declined to rule the Empire by herself. The son that she had bore to her husband was the then 56 year old Crown Prince Wilhelm who was the firstborn of the new Hohenzollern-Orange-Nassau dynasty which ruled Germany and the Netherlands which together were the dominant nation in western and central Europe. In that same year the Crown Prince received not one but two coronations as he was crowned Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia in the traditional coronation site of the Aachen Cathedral where Charlemagne himself had been crowned Emperor once and was later also crowned King of the Netherlands which was one of his hereditary titles thanks to the smart political marriage that his great-grandfather Wilhelm II had arranged for his father to unite the lands of the Holy Roman Empire and for strategic reasons such as direct control over the Channel ports and also trade to Germany’s economic hinterland, making Germany the strongest western European power. The prince was crowned Emperor Friedrich IV of Germany and king Frederik I of the Netherlands. The last of the old guard that was left now was Tsar Vladimir IV who was the only one of the monarchs to rule during the war that was still alive and he passed away in 1992 and his death heralded the end of an era in European history. He was succeeded by his son, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, (although his daughter Maria claimed the throne as she was older, calling the Pauline laws an anachronism, but her father had left them intact so her claim went unheard) who was crowned Tsar Cyril II, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias. Victor Emmanuel III had also long since passed away by now (dying in 1946), leaving the throne to his son, Emperor Umberto II who himself passed away in 1983, leaving the throne to his son who was crowned Emperor Victor Emmanuel IV of Italy and also King of Albania and Emperor of Abyssinia. The old age was over with the ascendancy of these new rulers and the dawn of a new age had come, the 21st century.
 
Don't worry. The next TL I'm planning will not be a Germanwank (even if it may seem so at first sight). Btw, last update.




Chapter XII, world overview



Empire of Germany
Government: constitutional parliamentary monarchy
Capital: Berlin
Official languages: German, Czech and Polish recognised as regional languages
Currency: Reichsmark
Population: 130.123.980
Short history: Germany had long since been a divided region. Germany as we know it was created with the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD but the population was split into groups due to geographical boundaries of Germany. It became an empire in 962 AD with the coronation of Otto I to Holy Roman Emperor but the Empire weakened itself over the centuries as the Emperor conflicted with the nobles, the Pope and got involved in struggles in northern Italy with the various states there such as Venice, Genoa and the Papal States and the reformation (the thirty years war, 1618-1648). By 1800 the Holy Roman Empire was nothing more than a shell over which the Emperor had authority in name only and Napoleon disbanded it. In 1871 a new Empire was proclaimed after the a Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian war, a victory in the Austro-Prussian war and lots of nifty diplomatic manoeuvring by the Iron Chancellor, Bismarck. In 1878 he supported Russia in the Conference of Berlin, enraging Habsburg representative Andrassy who barged out. The subsequent alliance between Germany and Russia was joined by Italy, laying the foundations for a united Europe. In 1898 Bismarck died, leaving a powerful block that would dominate the world. Germany fought through and won two world wars, achieved nuclear power and became the dominant power in western and central Europe by today and also established a massive colonial empire at the expense of the British and French.
Army: The German army is one of the most advanced in the world and has some 800.000 men in active service at any given time with the most advanced weapons at their disposable from the panzer VIII “Sabre Tooth” to Heckler and Koch machine guns and sniper rifles. In the air the Imperial German Air Force defends German airspace with advanced next generation jet fighters and Germany maintains a strategic bomber and missile force to retaliate with atomic weapons if necessary. The navy retains nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and advanced missile cruisers, making Germany a military great power with power projection all over the world.
Emperors of the Empire of Germany since 1871:
Wilhelm I (1871-1888)
Friedrich III (1888)
Wilhelm II (1888-1941)
Friedrich Wilhelm V (1941-1951)
Wilhelm III (1951-1991)
Friedrich IV (1991-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Wilhelm


Russian Empire
Government: semi-constitutional monarchy
Capital: St. Petersburg
Official languages: Russian
Currency: Ruble
Population: 305.675.021
Short History: The Russian Empire was founded by Peter I in the late 17th century (Russian history before the Empire stretches back to the ninth century with the Kievan Rus and then the Mongol Hordes) and since then ascended to the position of great power and frequently mingled in European affairs such as the Napoleonic Wars and also engaged in several Russo-Turkish wars, totalling eleven with the last from 1912-1914 as a front during the Great War, and the great game with Britain in central Asia during the 19th and early 20th centuries which was a contributing factor to the great war. After Russia’s political defeat at the hands of the British and Austro-Hungarians in 1878 after their perceived victory over the weak Sublime Porte, Russia drifted right into Germany’s arms as Bismarck had planned. The decline that the backward Russian Empire was turned around with slow reforms promoted by Tsar Alexander II and Russia defeated Japan in the Russo-Japanese War and finally vanquished the hated Ottomans in the Great War, gaining Russia’s coveted access to warm seas. Russia then participated in the Second Great War and became a nuclear power and one of the world’s economic superpowers using its vast reserves of oil, coal, iron ore, gold, natural gas, uranium and so on.
Army: the Russian army is rivalled in size only by the Chinese army and is technologically only slightly behind on the German and American armies. 3.3 million men are in active service as of today, armed with the advanced Suvorov main battle tank which, although more crude than German tanks, is a robust weapon and available in massive numbers and good infantry weapons. It’s supported by the world’s largest air force with over 15.000 aircraft to defend Russia’s enormous airspace. Russia is one of four countries besides the United States, Germany and Italy to possess a strategic bomber force. Russia also possesses the largest nuclear stockpile; even if their guidance system aren’t that good, any enemy of Russia is guaranteed annihilation if they attack Russia. The navy, after a surge in the late 30s, has been somewhat neglected as Russia is shifting toward China as its main opponent which does not require a very large navy.
Tsars of the Russian Empire since 1855:
Alexander II (1855-1894)
Vladimir III (1894-1909)
Cyril I (1909-1938)
Vladimir IV (1938-1992)
Cyril II (1992-present)
Heir apparent: Grand Duke Michael Cyrillovich


Empire of Italy
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Rome
Official languages: Italian, Albanian and Arabian recognised as regional languages
Currency: Imperial Lire
Population: 76.215.116*
Short history: Italy had long been the centre of the mighty Roman Empire. The Empire started to fall apart and decay with the third century crises, internal strife, corruption and external factors such as the Huns and the rivalling Persian Empire and its various incarnations (e.g. the Sassanids and the Parthians). In the fourth century the Roman Empire definitively split in to east and west with the west falling in 476 AD after the coronation of Odoacer as King of Italy. Italy subsequently remained divided due to internal strife and foreign influences. Emperor Justinian managed to bring Italy back into Constantinople’s fold but the Eastern Roman Empire was facing struggle with other powers and had to give it up. States like Genoa, Venice, Milan, Tuscany, the Papal States and Naples squabbled among each other until the Savoias united Italy in three wars of independence against the Habsburgs, uniting the peninsula under the rule of Piedmont as the Kingdom of Italy. Italy joined the then Dual Alliance which was their natural ally as both their enemies were in the opposing alliance. Italy established itself as a great power and proved its military prowess in the Great War, proclaiming an Empire in 1917 as it was a strong military and colonial power that had attained Rome’s past glory once more. In the Second Great War Italy proved its strength again and fought on many fronts and also became the first nuclear armed power together with Germany (followed on foot by the Americans of course).
Army: the Imperial Italian army is the smallest army of the three Triple Alliance powers with some 500.000 men in active service but is at least as advanced as the German and American armies on which it is modelled. It is partially equipped with German weaponry but also indigenous weapons from large Italian arms manufacturers such as Beretta, Breda and Fiat. Italy also possesses a large navy (although not quite as large as the German and American navies) and is the dominant power in the Mediterranean Sea and frequently conducts exercises, often in conjunction with the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Like the other two Alliance members, Italy possesses its own nuclear deterrent.
Monarchs of Italy since 1861:
Victor Emmanuel II (1861-1878)
Umberto I (1878-1919, proclaimed Emperor of Italy in 1917)
Victor Emmanuel III (1917-1946)
Umberto II (1946-1983)
Victor Emmanuel IV (1983-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Emmanuel

*this number includes the Kingdom of Albania and also Libya and Tunisia.


Republic of China
Government: Presidential Republic
Capital: Beijing
Official languages: Chinese
Currency: Yuan
Population: 1.601.889.003
Short History: China had been a unity long before Christ while Europeans were still running in animal skins and Rome didn’t exist yet. For a long time it was a preeminent power in Asia which traded with Rome through the Parthian Empire. China went through cycles of breakup and reunification although in the end it fell behind on the Europeans as it became an isolationist power. During much of the past three centuries China was in decline with several European powers taking chunks out of the Empire and they forced all kinds of unequal treaties on the declining Qing Empire, granting them extensive economic rights and basing rights. After the Boxer rebellion, China was punished rebellion and resentment against both the European powers and the inept, weak government grew and the weak Qing Empire was overthrown in 1921 while the Europeans were mired in colonial wars in Africa and the Middle East and too busy to intervene. This was the start of the Chinese Civil War, in the midst of which the Japanese expanded into war torn China. During the war the various factions put their differences aside and by chance ended up on the side of the Alliance. China was liberated and was united under Nationalist rule in 1947. Their leader, Chiang Kai-Shek, proceeded to establish a totalitarian police state and rebuild his devastated country with remarkable success, even if it was achieved over the backs of the impoverished poor proletariat. After his death and the death of son, Chiang Ching-Kuo, who was his designated successor, his dynasty ended and China became democratic and ascended to great power status and became equal to the other powers of the world.
Army: the Chinese army is not quite as advanced as the European and American armies but is the largest in the world with 3.8 million men supplied by an indigenous arms industry which supplies weapons to many of the poorer nations and groups in the world such as in Africa, allowing them to fight wars among each other. The Chinese air force is the second largest air force in the world, second only to the air force of its larger northern neighbour Russia. The Chinese navy is small and meant for coastal defence duties and river patrol but the Chinese government has stated the desire to build a blue water navy and is currently constructing two aircraft carriers, slated for commissioning by 2011 to compete with the growing Indian and Japanese navies.
Emperors of China since 1850:
Xianfeng (1850-1861)
Tongzhi (1961-1875)
Guangxu (1875-1908)
Xuantong (1908-1921, died in 1967)
Fate: Monarchy abolished in 1921.

Kingdom of France
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Paris
Official languages: French
Currency: franc
Population: 65.073.482
Short history: Unlike Germany and Italy, France had been a unified state for much of the middle ages and a European great power for a large part of its history. During much of post-medieval European history they were a dominant power with the rule of Louis XIV and the conquests of the (in)famous military commander and Emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte as highlights in French history. After the fall of Napoleon, France was cast down but it was temporarily. France became a world player once more after the Bourbon Restoration. France was defeated however by the Prussians in 1871 and Emperor Napoleon III was made prisoner. Waves of fear and rage swept France and they turned to Boulanger who turned France and Spain into his empire with the Legitimist claimant to the throne as a façade for the real power behind the throne. France however was hopelessly outnumbered by the Alliance and was defeated in four months in the Great War and surrendered in 1913. France rose again in the 30s under the charismatic dictator Charles De Gaulle who chose to restore the Bonapartes. In the end France was defeated again and shackled. The Fifth Republic proved unstable in the end and the Orléanist branch of the Bourbons was restored to the throne. In the end France was accepted into the European community in the light of the arms race. France was deemed an asset as it agreed to not rise again (as if the French had a choice in the matter). With three Bourbon Restorations, two Bonaparte restorations, a communist experiment, five republics and two global conflicts, France can look back on a turbulent past.
Army: France’s army is a volunteer force with a limit of 250.000 men in service (including paramilitary groups, the gendarmerie and reserves) with about 80.000 in actual active service. France has a small air force of only 200 or so aircraft. The navy is limited to frigates, corvettes and the like as battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, nuclear submarines and such are forbidden. Germany and Italy also reserve the right to station troops in France. It is however the French army’s professionalism that is their greatest strength.
Monarchs of France since 1852:
Napoleon III (1852-1870)
None, Third Republic (1870-1889)
Charles XI (1889-1909)
Jacques I (1909-1916)
None, Fourth Republic (1916-1920)
None, Democratic People’s Republic of France (1920-1924)
None, Fourth Republic restored, DPRF not recognised as legal government of France (1924-1933)
Napoleon V (1933-1934)
Napoleon VI (1934-1946)
None, Fifth Republic (1946-1966)
Henri VI (1966-1999)
Henri VII (1999-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince François


Kingdom of Spain
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Madrid
Official languages: Spanish
Currency: peso
Population: 46.661.950
Short history: Spain became united under Christian rulewith the eviction of the Muslims from Spain in the 15th century. Over time the Habsburgs came to rule Spain and created an empire that dominated Europe and established a huge empire in South and Central America from which they brought back enormous riches but at the cost of a large military occupation which cost a lot of money. By the time the 18th century began Spain was going down for sure and Napoleon’s invasion in 1808 was the deathblow for the Spanish Empire which fell apart over the next two decades and Spain became a weak country, the backwater of Europe. This came to an end when France intervened in Spain and established the Legitimist Carlos VII as king of Spain after the Fourth Carlist War in 1891, uniting France and Spain in personal union. Spain modernized over the next decades to modern and strong European country and part of the club of great powers and Spain was no longer the backwater of Europe. Now Spain had allies to count on and America was subsequently defeated when they invaded Cuba in 1898. Spain was however on the losing side in the Great War although the Allies were tolerant in regards to Spain as it was seen as a hanger-on to France which was the stronger power of the Franco-Spanish union. Today Spain is a respective member of the ECPS and has a strong economy.
Army: Spain possesses a volunteer force with some 250.000 men in active service, armed with state of the art equipment supplied by Germany and Italy. Spain has a moderate navy which is more than able to fend off any intruders in Spain’s territorial waters. Spain has no weapons of mass destruction.
Kings of Spain sine 1874:
Alfonso XII (1874-1885)
Alfonso XIII (1885-1891)
-1890-1891: Fourth Carlist War, Carlist victory.
Carlos VII (1891-1909)
Jaime III (1909-1931)
Alfonso XIV (1931-1990, his mother, de facto, as regent until 1939)
Carlos VIII (1990-present)


Austro-Hungarian Empire/ Kingdom of Hungary
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Vienna until 1915, Budapest since then
Official languages: Hungarian and Slovak, German recognised as a regional language
Currency: Krone
Population: 17.339.188
Short history: The Kingdom of Hungary as it is today is a successor state to the Quadruple Monarchy which collapsed due to a three front war against Russia, Germany and Italy after which it was divided (Italy annexed ethnically Italian regions, Germany annexed Austria, Czechia and Slovenia, Russia annexed Ruthenia, Galicia and Bukovina) It is ruled by the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty which assumed rule of Austria after the dismantling of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 at the hands of then Emperor of France, Napoleon. The house of Habsburg-Lorraine is related to the house of Habsburg which had its origins in Aargau, Switzerland, and ruled over Spain, Austria, Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire up until the 18th century when it went extinct. The Austrian Empire dominated central Europe due to its geographic position and because it commanded the Danube river. It was also considered a bulwark against Ottoman and later Russian influence in the Balkan region and vied for dominance over Germany with Prussia as both wanted to unite Germany under their rule. In the end the Austrians lost against the Prussians in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, leading to the Ausgleich (the creation of the Double Monarchy with the Hungarians as co-rulers). This restored order somewhat as the Hungarians and Austrians managed to maintain power but it was not to last. In 1898 the Triple Entente-American War which lasted to 1900 and resulted in a very costly victory, leading to the Second Ausgleich in 1901. After the war, many minorities claimed their due for their toil in the war, leading to several parliamentary crises and street demonstrations. In the end the Czechs and Croats were granted an autonomous status, although not quite equal to the Austrians and Hungarians who maintained oversight powers in their respective halves of the Empire. This Quadruple Monarchy was a stopgap solution which satisfied no one. The Hungarians saw their traditional power weakened and were starting to think an independent Hungary was better. After the Great War this became a fact and Hungary was granted all of its traditional lands. The settlement proved too unstable as disgruntled Serbia and Romania declared war in late autumn 1915. The great powers dictated the Zagreb Accords in which the Hungarians, Serbs and Romanians were awarded the territories where they had ethnic majorities if not pluralities (German minorities were awarded to Hungary of course). This also led to Croat independence under Italian patronage. After that Hungary fought valiantly in the Great War and has had a quite unremarkable history ever since.
Army: During much of its history Hungary fielded a large army to fend off Serb and Romanian aggression. As of today Hungary has a volunteer force of some 60.000 men in active service (although they still have considerable reserves of another 100.000 men). It is a highly professional force which is mostly German equipped.
Monarchs of the Habsburg lands since 1848:
Franz Josef (1848-1915 as Emperor, 1915-1916 as Apostolic King of Hungary)
Karl IV (1916-1922)
Otto I (1922-present, his mother, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, de facto as regent until his eighteenth birthday in 1930)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Karl


Great Britain
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Official languages: English
Currency: Pound Sterling
Population: 61.612.300
Short history: The United Kingdom was formed with the Act of Union in 1707 and the British Empire then proceeded to become the largest Empire in the world, fighting and winning numerous wars. In 1776 however the American Revolution started which it lost, denting its prestige. The British Empire continued to dominate and fought in the Napoleonic Wars and several more conflicts. It reached its peak during the so-called Edwardian Age which lasted between 1901 and 1910 but was brutally cast down as it fought against the Triple Alliance in the Great War. Britain too, like France, experienced its share of post-war problems, from an economic malaise to the rise of radical leftwing groups such as the fringe communists who wanted to join France but also the rise of the radical rightwing British Nationalist Parties and reforms from the ruling left-wingers eventually led to George V’s abdication in 1922 as the first British monarch to do so in a long time and the only commonwealth monarch to relinquish power in the commonwealth’s history. But the left-wingers themselves were overthrown after the horrors of communist France were revealed, discrediting them. The BNP rose and after widespread fear of a communist revolution (it is still the question how much of that was spread by agents-provocateurs) the BNP won the 1933 elections in a landslide victory. The Empire rose to the challenge again and fought in the Second Great War between 1941 and 1945 in a valiant effort to restore the British Empire which in the end proved futile as both opposing sides were unable to defeat each other without a nuclear war. The totalitarian regime tightened control and created a oppressive, militarist regime but the economic system failed and the BNP regime was overthrown at the end of the 1980s, leaving a weak Britain behind. Britain however is in the TOPS and the strong economic block is helping Britain on the way up.
Army: During the cold war the British possessed an army that numbered in the hundreds of thousands, a large air force and a powerful navy with aircraft carriers and advanced attack submarines but no atomic weapons as Britain was bound by treaty to never posses them. Britain however is a nuclear weapons sharing country with American strategic bombers on their soil and Britain is able to produce nuclear weapons. Today the British Army has shrunk in size as Britain’s economy could no longer deal with the pressure of millions army.
Kings of the British Empire since 1837:
Victoria (1837-1901)
Edward VII (1901-1910)
George V (1910-1922)
Edward VIII (1922-1972)
William V(1972-2007)*
Mary III (2007-present)*
Heir Apparent: Crown Princess Victoria

*dynastic dispute with Prince George, brother of Edward VIII, and his daughter and successor Elisabeth who claim the throne as they do not recognise the children of Edward VIII as heirs to the throne since Edward’s marriage is considered morganatic.


Ottoman Empire
Government: semi-constitutional authoritarian monarchy
Capital: Ankara
Official languages: Turkish, Arab and Persian recognised as regional languages
Currency: Ottoman Lira, various European currencies accepted as well
Population: 29.127.977
Short history: the Ottoman Empire rose in the fifteenth century and conquered Constantinople in 1453, officially ending the Byzantine Empire, the last remnant of the Roman Empire. It grew and conquered the Balkans and much of northern Africa and the Middle East and the Empire controlled the trading routes between Europe and Asia and rose to be a great power. The Ottomans even occupied territory as far as Hungary and laid siege to Vienna twice, in 1529 and 1688. The European powers however established their own trade routes and the Empire weakened and grew more reactionary and so it got behind on the great powers of Europe who waged war against the Ottomans and took whatever territory they wanted. It became known as the “sick man of Europe” and in secret the Triple Alliance decided its fate before war had even begun. The Ottoman Empire grew weaker and eventually lost the First Balkan War which continued in the Great War. In the end it was decided to wipe the Empire off the map as it was an anachronism and the north became a Russian protectorate while a Greco-Bulgarian protectorate was established over the Bosporus, giving Russia its access to warm seas. The south and west became Italian protectorates, leaving an Ottoman rump state in Central Anatolia with only a small population (although it increased with immigration). The Empire was a shadow of its pre-war self.
Army: the Ottoman army is small and suffers from lack of equipment as none of the Triple Alliance sell them anything but old equipment to keep them in check. It is only 60.000 men strong as the weak Ottoman economy which is based largely on agriculture is unable to support a large army.
Sultans of the Ottoman Empire since 1876:
Abdülhamid II
Mehmed V (1909-1915)
Mehmed VI (1915-1926)
Abdülmecid II (1926-1944)
Ahmed IV (1944-1954)
Osman IV (1954-1973)
Abdulaziz II (1973-1977)
Ali I (1977-1983)
Mehmed VII (1983-1994)
Osman V (1994-present)

Empire of Japan
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Tokyo
Official languages: none, de facto Japanese
Currency: Yen
Population: 302.510.521*
Short history: Japan first appears in written history in 111 AD although Japan had been settled as early as 30.000 BC. Japan converted to Buddhism and eventually became united for the first time under one government in the Nara period in the eighth century. Modern Japan as we know it was founded during the 19th century after the Meiji Restoration as Japan saw the need to open up to avoid China’s fate. Japan militarized and built modern armed forces and proved its military prowess and strength to the west when they defeated China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and fought Russia into a stalemate before requesting peace in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1906). As part of the Entente they fought the Alliance but switched sides at the right time and emerged victorious alongside the Russians, Germans, Italians and America. In the Second Great War they fought as part of the Axis powers against the Triple Alliance and made peace only after three nuclear strikes. The military junta became more fanatical and strengthened Japan. They developed an atomic bomb program with help from the US who saw Japan as a valuable pawn against Triple Alliance ambitions in Asia. They tested a nuclear weapon in ’57 and a hydrogen bomb in ’63 and maintained a large navy and army. The regime was overthrown in the late 80s and a general election was organized and Japan became a true constitutional, parliamentary monarchy on the European model.
Army: The Imperial Japanese Army used to number in the millions as did the navy but as shrunk since the fall of the junta in 1989 to some 500.000 men in active service. The Japanese army is still highly professional with strict discipline and their “never surrender” doctrine. It possesses advanced jet aircraft and bombers for close-ground support. The navy is still the second-largest in the Pacific Ocean with aircraft carriers, missile cruisers and nuclear powered submarines and a strong nuclear deterrent.
Emperors of Japan since 1867:
Meiji (1867-1912)
Taisho (1912-1926)
Hirohito (1926-1989)
Akihito (1989-present)

*including Formosa, Vietnam and Korea


American Commonwealth
Government: Presidential Republic, commonwealth with Canada and Australia
Capital: Washington D.C
Official languages: English, Spanish and French recognised as regional languages
Currency: US dollar
Population: 396.241.950*
Short history: America proclaimed independence from Britain on July 4th 1776 and wrested itself from British control in a bloody struggle and became a republic based on the ideas of European philosophers such as Montesquieu and the Americans would later, in part, inspire the French to start the French revolution. In 1812 the British and Americans clashed again in the war of 1812 which became a victory for no one. America expanded to stretch from sea to shining sea and the states then fought the American Civil War (1861-1865) in which the Union emerged victorious. America continued to grow stronger and came to regard the Caribbean as its domain and young as it was, it was arrogant and clashed with the French, Spanish and Austrians over the issue of Cuba and they were defeated and forced to pay a humiliating war indemnity to the victorious Entente. This led to Theodore Roosevelt being elected president in a landslide victory in the 1900 elections, serving two consecutive terms to 1908. He started to build the famous Nicaragua Canal which still stands today as a testimony to his era. He also started to build a grand war fleet and army in preparation for another clash with the Europeans as it was considered inevitable that European influence had to be removed from the Caribbean. This, along with good feelings for the Triple Alliance due to their help, set the US on a path that would lead it into the Great War in which the US took revenge and restored its self-esteem. In 1912 Roosevelt had been re-elected on a platform of neutrality and pro-reformism which gained influence as the war had erupted in Europe. Roosevelt however made it clear that he would lead America to war if need be and he did, winning the Caribbean and Canada and Australia for the US. He was re-elected for a fourth term in 1916, dying from sheer workload exhaustion in 1919. He was rumoured to run for a fifth term which would have made him the only president to have done so. He was enshrined in the pantheon of greatest presidents ever and his image was carved into Mount Rushmore. The Democrats did not continue his pro-Alliance policies and instituted stiff tariffs which led to the Alliance to do the same, gradually leading to a state of cold war. Eventually the United States entered the Second Great War against the Alliance in what would become a bloody stalemate which could have lasted until the 50s without atomic weapons. In recent years relations between the Alliance and the US have improved but they still aren’t friends.
Army: the US armed forces are among the best in the world without advanced MBTs, stealth aircraft, super carriers and advanced nuclear submarines and a large nuclear deterrent. With some 2 million men in active service the US army is relatively small but the navy is strong and the Pacific and Atlantic provide a several thousand mile barrier, separating America from Europe and Asia where the power centres of America’s competitors for power are located.

*including Canada, Australia, Quebec, Cuba, Puerto Rico, northern Mexico, Guyana, former French Guyana, Panama, Belize, Suriname and several islands in the Caribbean.


Empire of Brazil
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Rio de Janeiro
Official languages: Portuguese
Currency: Real
Population: 191.241.714
Short history: Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822 and this was recognised in 1825. Pedro I was established as Emperor of Brazil and ruled from 1822 to his death in 1831 and briefly as King Pedro IV of Portugal. He was succeeded by Pedro II who ruled until he was deposed after internal unrest following severe economic problems in 1889. The following period was a period filled with instability, revolutions and coups. By 1953 the country was ruled by a crazy militarist regime which was widely regarded as horrible and a threat to peace in South America. It was overthrown and a republic was established which was based on the model of the French Fifth Republic. The Brazilian republic however was too weak to deal with Brazil’s problems and the monarchy was restored in an attempt to bring order to Brazil in which Pedro IV was successful. His country is the dominant power in South America and the sixth largest economy worldwide, surpassing Italy in GDP (although Italy is a lot smaller). Brazil also possesses a nuclear program and tested a peaceful nuclear device in 1990 and is thought to have a stockpile of about 75-115 nuclear weapons, the world’s smallest stockpile.
Army: the Brazilian army is South America’s largest army with 1.25 million men in active service although it is not quite as advanced as European and American armies. It is modernizing in a program that is to be finished by 2015. It also possesses nuclear weapons as the only country in South America to have them (although Argentina is rumoured to have a nuclear program).
Emperors of Brazil since 1822:
Pedro I (1822-1831)
Pedro II (1831-1889)
Interregnum (1889-1974)
Pedro IV (1974-2007)
Pedro V (2007-present)
Heir apparent: Prince Luis


Tsardom of Greater Bulgaria
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Sofia
Official languages: Bulgarian
Currency: Lev
Population: 10.713.342
Short history: The Kingdom of Greater Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, as it is known today has its origins in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 from which Russia emerged victorious. By this time the Ottoman Empire was already severely weakened and countries like Serbia, Romania and Montenegro were part of the Ottoman realm in name only. The same applied to Bulgaria which wrested itself from Ottoman rule with Russian aid. The Russians enforced the Treaty of San Stefano upon the Sublime Porte which forced them to relinquish control over the Balkans and recognise Greater Bulgaria as an independent nation. At this point Britain and Austria-Hungary saw their interests under threat and wanted to abort the treaty which gave Russia control of the Balkans and access to the Mediterranean which the Habsburgs and British wanted to prevent as Russia would become too powerful. Germany supported Russia but Russia was too war weary and the Germans didn’t want to expose themselves to French aggression. Disraeli and Andrassy were therefore able to call Russia’s bluff and force them to the negotiating table. In the end the Ottomans were granted Bulgaria and the entirety of Greater Bulgaria became an autonomous principality in exchange for Habsburg dominance in the Balkans (mainly Serbia and Romania) and not having a Russian on the Bulgarian throne. Instead Alexander of Battenberg, nephew of Tsar Alexander II, was elected Prince of Bulgaria. The Bulgarians undid the treaty and proclaimed independence anyway in 1887 and Ferdinand I assumed the title “Tsar of the Bulgarians”. Bulgaria subsequently became the Triple Alliance’s main proxy in the Balkans against Austria-Hungary’s Serb and Romanian satellites along with Greece which saw the Alliance as a prime opportunity to settle irredentist claims with the Ottomans even though they were at odds with the Bulgarians over Thrace. After a victory in the Great War, the straits became a joint Greco-Bulgarian protectorate (nominally, it was Russian de facto). In the Second Balkan War in 1915, Bulgaria moved troops to garrison Macedonia and almost clashed with Greece, forcing the great powers to revise the borders along more ethnically correct lines. Bulgaria fought valiantly again during the Second Great War, providing troops mostly in Europe. Bulgaria has since ascended to the position of dominant power of the Balkans, challenged only by Greece.
Army: Bulgaria is sometimes referred to as the Prussia of the Balkans as it is very militarized, even now Serbia and Romania are neutralized as threats. With over 150.000 men in peace time and the ability to mobilize some 1.5 million men in the event of war, Bulgaria truly deserves this nickname. Russia is its main arms supplier followed by Italy. Bulgaria maintains a small fleet of destroyers, corvettes, small fast attack craft (for river and coastal defence duties mostly), three frigates and one light cruiser as a flagship. It is small like the navies of all Balkan nations with a shoreline since they all enjoy the protection of either the Russian or Italian navies.
Monarchs of Bulgaria since 1878:
Alexander I (1879-1886, as Prince. Tsardom proclaimed at independence in 1887)
Ferdinand I (1886-1918)
Boris III (1918-1943)
Simeon II (1943-present, Prince Kiril as regent until his eighteenth birthday in 1955)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Kardam


Kingdom of Greece
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Athens
Official languages: Greek
Currency: Greek Lira
Population: 10.216.708
Short history: Greece as a state was established in 1821 from the Ottoman Empire and Greece was established as a republic although the great powers soon intervened after the prime minister was assassinated, establishing Otto I of the Bavarian Wittelsbach family as King of Greece although in the end the monarchy was abolished in 1862 after Otto I was deposed to be restored one more time with William of Denmark as King George I until 1913, although several Italian candidates were considered. Greece fought in the First Balkan War against the Ottomans and nearly clashed with Bulgaria over Thrace in the Second. During the First and Second Great Wars the Greeks aided the in the African and Mediterranean theatres, dispatching large expeditionary corps. Greece has otherwise had an unremarkable history except for an attempted military coup against King Paul which was beat down with Italian help.
Army: Since the military coup Greece has maintained a small army which is thoroughly monitored. Instead, Greece relies on Italian protection and feels safe because of the fact that Greece is under Italy’s nuclear umbrella. The Greek army barely numbers 40.000 men in active service and they can raise perhaps 300.000 men in the event of a war as opposed to Bulgaria’s 1.5 million in wartime and 150.000 in peace time.
Monarchs of Greece since 1832:
Otto I (1843-1862)
Second republic (1862-1863)
George I (1862-1913)
Constantine I (1913-1917)
Alexander I (1917-1920)
George II (1920-1947)
Paul I (1947-1964)
Constantine II (1964-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Princess Alexia


Kingdom of Croatia
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Zagreb
Official languages: Croat, Bosnian
Currency: Kuna
Population: 4.501.543
Short history: Croat history starts in the 7th century when they moved from Galicia to their current day location where they ended up under Byzantine rule only to become independent under King Tomislaw I in 925 AD. In 1102 the Croats accepted Hungarian suzerainty but the Hungarians got heavy blows from the Ottomans who were decisively defeated in the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, leading to the Croatian parliament to petition for annexation into the Habsburg Empire. Several more wars were fought and Croatia was always on the frontline between the Habsburgs and Ottomans but between 1797 and 1815 Croatia was fully integrated into the Habsburg Empire in which it would remain until the end of the Second Balkan War in 1916, after which Hungary recognised Croat independence after Italy set it up as a puppet kingdom under Emanuele Filiberto who became King Emmanuel I of the Croats. His son Amedeo became Crown Prince of the nascent kingdom and married Grand Duchess Anastasia in 1920 (great-granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II) as a political move to ensure Russian friendship as well. Croatia was also the location of the signing of the Zagreb Accords in which the nation was recognised as a sovereign state by the signatories (the Balkan nations, Germany, Russia and Italy) and the question of ethnic lines was also settled as the Balkans were divided along ethnic lines wherever possible to keep the region stable (see the division of Bosnia between Serbia and Croatia as an example). And when this was not possible or not deemed necessary, ethnic groups that were compatible were put together (such as Slovaks with Hungarians and Bosnians with Serbs). Croatia remained under Italian protection and fielded forces in Africa to help Italy and Germany against Franco-Spanish forces and provide occupational troops until the end of the war. Croatia was one of the founding members of the ECPS and has remained in the organization ever since. Although Croatia isn’t the most powerful country, due to dynastic ties Italy frequently stands up for the interests of its smaller eastern neighbour. Croatia is economically the strongest in the region thanks to tourism and thanks to the fact that it has rather peaceful relations with its neighbours (even Serbia which directs its feelings of malcontent mostly against Bulgaria which still holds Macedonia which is seen as Serb territory by the Serbs as the Macedonians are considered brethren) unlike other Balkan countries.
Army: Croatia possesses the smallest army of all Balkan nations with some 38.000 men in active service and perhaps another 150.000 reservists. The Croat National Army is highly professional and Croat commandos are widely feared and respected thanks to their reputation in the war for spotless incursions and operations behind enemy lines although the Bulgarians maintain their position as dominant military power in the Balkans (Croat-Bulgarian relations have always been cordial or even friendly as they had mutual enemies and could count on each other’s support in the event of Serb or Romanian aggression).
Kings of Romania since 1916:
Emmanuel I (1916-1931)
Amedeo I (1932-1973)
Emmanuel II (1973-1999)
Emmanuel III (1999-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Amedeo


Kingdom of Romania
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Bucharest
Official languages: Romanian
Currency: Leu
Population: 21.987.009
Short history: Early modern Romanian history starts in the seventeenth century with Michael the Brave who is one of Romania’s national heroes. In the late 18th century Transylvania was conquered by Austria, separating the Romanians and in 1848 a revolution erupted which was brutally squashed by Ottoman forces but in 1859 Wallachia and Moldavia declared independence from the Ottoman Empire, electing Alexander Johan Cuza as king but Franz Josef of Austria refused to recognise him as king. The Ottomans recognised Romanian independence in January 1862 with Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as king of Romania. It was hoped by Russia and Germany that he would be able to exert some influence in Romania but the conclusion of the revised Treaty of San Stefano dashed those hopes as it was decided upon that Austria-Hungary as the paramount power in the Balkans would be a stabilizing factor, forcing both Romania and its Serb neighbour to reorient their foreign policy toward Vienna. In the First Balkan War Romania set aside its differences with Bulgaria and Greece, who were on the opposite side, to settle scores with Constantinople once and for all but the war soon escalated into the Great War and the Romanians found themselves on the same side as the Ottomans. They fought but not enthusiastically and surrendered as soon as Vienna did. Romania and Serbia did not gain territories from Hungary which they wanted and so they fought the Second Balkan War (1915-1916) which was ended by foreign intervention from Germany, Italy and Russia which led to the signing of the Zagreb Accords in which a settlement was reached, dividing the Balkans along ethnic lines and the creation of an independent Croat kingdom. This was not to the satisfaction of Belgrade and Bucharest as regions on which they had historical claims weren’t given to them. The Romanians and their Serb allies grumbled but they trembled in fear of what might happen if they defied the “Vienna doctrine” in which the European powers dictated that wars to settle further irredentist claims would not be tolerated. Romania and Serbia maintained a neutral but pro-Axis stance in the Second Great War and later joined the ECPS as they didn’t have a choice really.
Army: At present the threat of war with Bulgaria is nil and the Romanians have therefore shrunk their army because any Bulgarian aggression against Romania, which is a fellow member, would be met with a joint police action. Romania has a modern army with Russian equipment much like the Bulgarian army and is also very fierce and professional. It has 66.000 men in active service currently with 450.000 men in the reserves.
Kings of Romania since 1859:
Alexander Jan I (1859-1866, until 1862 as King of Wallachia and Moldavia in personal union)
Carol I (1866-1914)
Ferdinand I (1914-1927)
Carol II (1927-1953)
Michael I (1953-present)


Kingdom of Serbia
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Belgrade
Official languages: Serbian
Currency: Dinar
Population: 9.900.567
Short history: Serbia became independent after the Second Serb Uprising in 1815, bringing the House of Obrenovic on the Serb throne. Serbia became an independent principality of the Ottoman Empire. The first king, Milos, managed to gain the right to raise taxes in his domain which earned him money and more rights for Serbia as the Ottomans needed money (the Ottoman treasury was always empty). For one thing he managed to make his position hereditary, thus establishing a dynasty. Serbia fought alongside Russia against the Ottomans in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and gained some territory. Serbia was somewhat unstable and resented that the great powers had put her under the suzerainty of the Habsburgs, meaning that their dream of a united South Slav Kingdom would go unfulfilled. The Obrenovic dynasty attempted to assert Serb independence from Vienna which was met with threats of war and harsh reprisals against Serbs living in Habsburg occupied Bosnia, enraging many of the more nationalist Serbs. Vienna grew irritated with their restless puppet and they funded a coup to give the reins of power to a more sensible and less troublesome government. In 1882 the Serb government was overthrown in a palace coup in which King Milan I and his wife Natalija Kesku were murdered and most of their family was forced to flee Serbia. This was not in the least aided by the fact that Milan I had already been very unpopular due to his frivolous behaviour and adultery and his refusal to move away from Constantinople. Milan I was succeeded by Alexander I of the House of Karadordevic which remains the ruling house of Serbia as the house of Obrenovic went extinct in the early 1900s. Serbia then fought in the First Balkan War against the Ottomans as their claims on Bosnia went frustrated which led them to focus on their historical cradle of Kosovo. The war escalated into the Great War and Serbia, like Romania, was forced to make peace with the Ottomans. Italy subsequently annexed Kosovo into Albania after the war (along with Greek Epirus). Serbia and Romania instigated the Second Balkan War (1915-1916). The war was ended to prevent escalation as Bulgaria and Greece were itching to go. This led to the end of Serbia’s ambition for a united Slavic kingdom as a Kingdom of Croatia was proclaimed under Italian patronage. Like Romania, Serbia sat out the Second Great War, albeit pro-Axis and ready to jump on the Alliance’s back if things were going badly. Since then Serbia has improved relations with the Alliance by reorienting its foreign policy (i.e. playing the “teacher’ pet” to Russia mostly) and has become an ECPS member.
Army: Unlike Romania, Serbia maintains a large military as it wants to assert its independence from Italy and Russia by having a military that is threatening enough to dissuade the Bulgarians from every trying anything, more so since Serbia and Romania have a chilly relation as Serbia still hasn’t renounced claims against Vardar Macedonia which has been Bulgarian since 1914 (whereas Romania has settled irredentist issue with Bulgaria as they are satisfied with ethnic lines). Serbia has the problem that it has many enemies (Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia) and doesn’t want to rely on foreign powers for the defence of its soil even though it’s under the protection of the ECPS. The Serbs have a 125.000 man force in peace time and some 800.000 men available to serve if war ever does break out.
Monarchs of Serbia since 1868:
Milan I (1868-1882 [overthrown in 1882])
Alexander I (1882-1885)
Peter I (1885-1921)
Alexander II (1921-1934)
Peter II (1934-1970)
Alexander III (1970-present)


Kingdom of the Netherlands
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amsterdam de jure, The Hague de facto
Official languages: Dutch
Currency: Reichsmark, Gulden
Population: 23.638.451
Short history: Dutch independence was fought for and won in the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) and Holland was released from Spanish suzerainty at the Treaty of Munster which was signed in 1648 after which hostilities ended. Much of the 17th century was considered a golden age as the Dutch Republic attained incredible wealth from spice trade in the Dutch East Indies, modern day Indonesia. In the end several wars with the English weakened the once might Dutch and their powerful fleet and by the end of the 18th century the Netherlands were a de facto French vassal. The Kingdom of the Netherlands as we know it today was founded in 1815 after the Congress of Vienna and William of Orange-Nassau was elected King Willem I of the Netherlands. In the 1830s the Belgians revolted, leading to the division of the nation into Belgium and the Netherlands. During much of the 19th century the little kingdom remained a rather insignificant power until it tightened relations with its large and powerful eastern neighbour. These relations were solidified when French forces passed through Dutch Limburg as part of their encircling moved aimed at the Ruhr region. This infuriated the Dutch and most notably Queen Wilhelmina since Holland had been a neutral with cordial relations with France. Holland declared war and was appropriately rewarded after the war. It was decided that the artificial Kingdom of Belgium was not an effective buffer state and Flanders was awarded to the Dutch. As compensation for the loss of New Guinea to the Americans (who got that instead of a sphere of influence in China which they didn’t want and for the loss of Surinam which was sold to the Americans) the Dutch received Ceylon. Ties were further strengthened with a customs-, monetary- and security union with Germany which was sealed with a political marriage between Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (second in line to the German throne at the time) and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands in 1933. Their ascension to the thrones of Holland and Germany would unite the lands of the Holy Roman Empire. During the war the Netherlands were occupied for several months even though the Dutch army has resisted valiantly. After the war Wilhelm ascended the Dutch throne as King Willem IV. The Dutch were united with the Germans in personal union and the House of Hohenzollern-Orange-Nassau had been founded.
Army: the Dutch army fields some 70.000 men in times of peace although it could easily expand to some 30 divisions. Like the armies of all European powers, it is highly professional and well-equipped by at least one of the European great powers. The Dutch also have a relatively large navy with twelve frigates, ten destroyers, one cruiser, six submarines and one helicopter carrier.
Kings of the Netherlands since 1815:
Willem I (1815-1840)
Willem II (1840-1849)
Willem III ( 1849-1890)
Wilhelmina I (1890-1962)
Willem IV (1962-1991)
Frederik I (1991-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Willem


Kingdom of Wallonia
Government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Namur
Official languages: French
Currency: Franc
Population: 3.390.775
Short history: Wallonia is a successor state to Belgium which was dismantled at the end of the war. The Germans deemed that the artificial bilingual kingdom was not a suitable buffer state against French aggression. They sliced off Flanders which was awarded to the Netherlands while the remaining Walloon half remained as a puppet state after losing all of its territory east of the Meuse river. In the Second Great War Wallonia was overrun in matter of days although the Walloon army continued to fight with the Germans, liberating Wallonia in 1942. The fact that Wallonia was defeated so quickly was that the main offensive move of the French army went through the Ardennes which no one had anticipated as it was very unlikely from a defensive point of view. After the war relations with Germany became smoother but Wallonia remained in orbit of Germany as a satellite state. The only truly significant event after the war was the abdication of Leopold III in 1946.
Army: The Walloon army was small before the war and it was so after since France was neutralized and Wallonia wouldn’t be allowed to be too strong and independent-minded if it wasn’t necessary. The Walloons currently field some 20.000 men in active service and about 100.000 men in the reserves. Wallonia has Calais as a port (although it was irradiated from the nuclear blast to drive out the invaders) and sports a small navy which consists of a flotilla of frigates and a few smaller vessels and a few Dutch-made submarines.
Kings of Wallonia since 1915:
Albert I (1915-1934, King of the Belgians between 1909 and 1915)
Leopold III (1934-1946)
Baudouin I (1946-1993)
Albert II (1993-present)
Heir apparent: Crown Prince Philippe


Nuclear weapon countries

Warheads: Active/total
Russia: 6.300/27.000
America: 5.500/16.000
Germany: 1.100/4.500
Italy: 900/1800
Japan: 350/800
China 400/400
India: 250/250
Brazil: ???/75-115
 
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honestly?

I tried.

I tried to like this, I tried to get into this but i gave up about 5 pages in.

why?

I couldn't stomach the hard on for canada and handing Great britain the idiot ball to get there. i don't know if the all those who argued against the stupidity and handwavium managed to make you guys moderate the heavy handed plot but i'm out.

I really did try Though.
 
How could there be an update to a TL that is finished?

This timeline ended nearly three years ago. It's no use to bump it, besides drawing it to the attention of the readers of AH.com.
 
I’ve read the timeline and in my opinion if the POD were to happen then not much would change

•Boulanger would probably not win the election

•WWI would mostly be a massive stalemate

•Austria would take the place of Russia in WWI

•America would join the Entente

•Entente Victory

•Fascism in Italy

•Nazism in Germany

•WWII happens

•Germany and Russia split Poland

•Operation Barbarossa happens

•Russia joins the Allies

•The Race for Berlin

There would be some differences like:

•A Bourbon French Empire

•The start of the second Balkan War causes WWI

•Franz-Ferdinand becomes Emperor

•Austria gains North Galicia,Wallachia,Silesia,Venetia,Lombardia,and Switzerland

•WWI is between
France. VS. Germany
Austria. Russia
The UK. Spain
The USA. Mexico
Serbia. Bulgaria
The Netherlands. Italy
Belgium
Etc.

•Austria could gain the German colonies

•Austria becomes the Danubian Federation

•If Austria gains the German colonies then the UK might become more Fascist and a Fascist revolution might push the UK out of England by Anglo-Saxon supremacists causing England to become The Cromwellian Republic of England a Fascist dictatorship

•WWII would be between
France. VS. Germany
Danubia. England
The UK. Spain
The USA. Italy
Serbia
The Netherlands
Russia
Etc.
 
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