The Undecided Peace

Ataturk. The name has become the battlecry of an entire nation, galvanizing a people to new heights of patriotism in the battle against the Russians and in the battle to modernize Turkey. In the defense against the Russian advance Turkish soldiers bellow the name of the martyred leader as they charge into battle, attacking with wild abandon. In the halls of endangered Ankara the President's name has become the guiding principle for the future of the Republic, rejecting authoritarianism in the name of democracy.

All across the country pictures and memorials dedicated to the President dot windows and interiors of homes and businesses alike In the spirit of his life and his efforts for Turkey, Ataturk's state funeral is delayed until the nation is once again safe. Already stories, soon to be legend, abound regarding the last moments of Ataturk's life - standing bravely at the breastworks overlooking the Turkish defenses outside of Ankara even as artillery fire falls within the city, preparing to defend the city to the end, refusing to leave the city and its people to the Russians. It is in these last moments that a Russian sniper's bullet finds its mark in Ataturk's chest and the great man is sent tumbling back into the trenches where he is carried to the nearest field hospital, surrounded by his confidantes, and aides when the doctor makes the dark pronouncement that the President's wound is fatal. It is at this time that Ataturk is said to have uttered his famous last words "Hold the line, Turkey must hold." before losing consciousness and dying.

The story of Ataturk's ultimate sacrifice galvanizes the people of Turkey to push above and beyond their limits and proves to be enough to bring Britain into the war.
 
You are quite good with these speeches.

As for me, I had best find a fork so that I might eat my words.


Well thank you, I'm flattered. Really. I just enjoy writing.

As for Britain's entrance to the war, its been an idea I've been tossing around for a few days after a friend inspired me.
 
The collapse of the Federal government in Mexico brought anarchy to the nation when many hoped for stability, especially after war had plagued the nation for so long. The rebels that had unseated President Calles met in the Mexico City to create a new government from the ruins of the old. They found themselves faced with many serious problems.

First and foremost is their own disunity; though the Cristeros and Zapatistas and other factions had fought the Calles government together, they had done so independently of one another and now had to work together to run the nation.

The Second issue is the fact that while the civilian government has fled Mexico the remains of the bureaucracy and military remain and a number of them have not surrendered or remain hostile to the rebels.

The third issue is a constant one for Mexico: the influence of the United States. While the government has de-recognized Calles and his people as the government of Mexico, they have not recognized any of the rebel groups in their place.

Wary of their own vulnerability the three largest rebel groups hold a "Congress of Mexico" in the capital city to discuss their plans for the future and the balance of power within the nation. The Cristeros nominate and send the leader of their movement, Archbishop of Guadalajara José Francisco Orozco y Jiménez, while the Zapatistas spend a good deal longer in their deliberation, arguing and wrangling over policy and doctrine as the movement grows as much from Anarchism as it does from Socialism. After almost two weeks of waiting, the Zapatista movement manages to select Genovevo de la O as their leader at the Congress. By this point the leader of the last and definitely not least rebel faction has already arrived and caused quite a stir: Doroteo Arango Arámbula...better known as Francisco "Pancho" Villa.
 
The early days of the Mexico City Congress were very tense indeed - while the Cristeros and Zapatistas began to intermix and blend together quite well on a policy of Christian Socialism and Catholic Fundamentalism, they did not mix well with "Generalissimo" Villa.

While José Francisco Orozco y Jiménez and Genovevo de la O lead organizations based on religion and social revolution, Villa's organization is based upon pragmatism and a seeming love of war. Though Villa had retired in 1920 after the agreement with Carranza, the antagonism of President Calles and an attempt on his life in 1923 had brought the formidable man back to the forefront of Northern Mexican politics.

After the Cristeros and Zapatistas began their open revolt Villa had spent time gathering his own loyalists and forces to punish the despised President who Villa suspected as the man responsible for the attempt on his life. Among those who Villa counted as allies in the struggle were the American companies who wanted a more "understanding" leader of Mexico, or at least the resource rich North.

Never spreading out of Northern Mexico nor commanding the numbers or successes of his Southern counterparts, Villa nonetheless acquitted himself well against the Mexican Army, drawing away much needed men and supplies from the South. It didn't hurt that the local people loved their Generalissimo and Calles saw him as the less over several evils.

So, when the Cristeros and Zapatistas began to rebuild the government, they knew they would have to include Villa and his fiefdom or face a continued Civil War against an experienced enemy backed at least in part by American interests. The two parties hardly liked one another and have many disagreements regarding the future government of Mexico.

With the looming specter of American intervention, Genovevo de la O and José Francisco Orozco y Jiménez are forced to make some concessions to gain Villa's support for the new government.
 
Ooh, Churchill gets to lead Britain to war against Russia... He must be creaming in his grave :p
 
The fall of the Liberal-Labour government of Simon and Lansbury and ascension of the new National Labour coalition under Churchill and Mosley sent a shockwave of surprise through Petain's France and the Russian Federation as the British Empire rallied itself for war in Turkey. While unexpected in some circles, the change does not come as a surprise to Russian President Kolchak even as the Bloody Baron in the Duma wails and flails in the papers and in session about "perfidious Albion" and so on and so forth. President Kolchak remarks quietly that he is surprised that the Baron had such an extensive vocabulary. The President's cool and calm reaction to the British intervention does much to allay fears in his own country as the Duma dutifully responds to the British Declaration of War with their own reciprocal Declaration of War.

With the official state of war between Russia and Britain, the Russian High Command officially moves the nation to a full war-time footing for production and conscription as well as deploying all of their operational tank and armored vehicle divisions South and across the Caucasus. These deployments are accompanied by orders for the much reduced Black Sea Fleet to remain close to friendly shores and under the cover of the growing numbers of crude but effective Yak bombers fielded by the Russian Air Force.

Before the British can begin direct military action against Russia, the British declaration of war is enough of a catalyst for a coup in Greece as Greek Monarchists successfully convince enough of the military leadership that the war is lost and that the only way to save as much of Greece as possible is to end the Republican government and seek peace with Britain and Italy as fast as possible. The resulting overthrow is relatively clean and before the entire Republican leadership is either dead or imprisoned requests for cease fire have been sent to Rome, Ankara and Britain - even though Britian is not even officially at war with Greece. The sudden turnaround for the Greeks is a nasty surprise for their now-former allies in the Balkan League: Serbia is now in especially dire straits if the Italians can force the Greeks to turn their army on Southern Serbia. This panic extends to Sophia in Bulgaria where there is some very quiet discussion of seeking an equitable peace with Romania and Italy and leaving Serbia to hang.
 
Sweet. The Balkan League is crumbling. Only question left is can the Brits bring in enough forces quickly enough to prevent the Russians pushing the Turks to the sea...
 
Though the Serbian Panic would begin on April 11th, 1932 with the rise of the Churchill-Mosley government, it didn't really hit the fevered pitch remembered by history until the Monarchist coup and ceasefire requests from Greece on the 14th. It was sometime in this period that the Russian advisers to Serbia and the Balkan League trickled away, leaving their erstwhile allies to their fate. As the Greek emissaries sat down with their Italian and Turkish opposites to pound out a fast and hopefully reasonable treaty.

While the Greek capitulation was a nasty turn of events for the Bulgarians, it was really the withdrawal of the Russian advisers and logistical support that convinced authoritarian dictatorship of Aleksandar Tsankov to initiate their own ceasefires and negotiations, primarily with Romania. With the rather nasty war that had begun to turn against him, Tsankov was desperate to maintain his hold on power, especially with his increasingly unpopular policies at home. The final nail in his coffin is when Tsar Boris asks for his resignation from office, and with some deft political maneuvering, receives his wish. Tsankov will be replaced within two weeks by Andrey Lyapchev under a coalition of all the enemies the Tsankov regime had built up.

The loss of Serbia's final ally marked the end of the line for Serbia as her exhausted armies slowly slid backward into Serbian territory as well as completely unable to stop the now explosive Albanian and Macedonian rebellions. With his nation in a crisis not seen since the Great War, King Alexander tries to expand his already dictatorial powers and buy time to regain an equal footing with the Hungarians and Italians. How he hoped to achieve such a far fetched notion would never been known because King Alexander was assassinated on June 16th by a Macedonian revolutionary who escaped subsequent capture. The crown of the Kingdom of Serbia officially passed to Alexander's one year old son, Peter II, but Alexander's brother Paul became Regent and with a heavy heart, asked Italy and Hungary for a cease fire to discuss peace terms three days after his brother's death.
 
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Europe in 1930, so that you have an idea what things look like before the war.
 
The end of the Balkan War was seen by many as a reason for the Russian invasion of Turkey to grind to a halt, because they had invaded Turkey to win the war for their allies. Unfortunately, events had moved beyond that particular detail, and the Russian Federation was flexing their post-Great War muscle for the world to see, and to spite their long time foe and one time ally, Britain. The Russian strategic plans had long included options for British involvement in the war, and now were going into effect.

First of all was the influx of ever more men, guns, and equipment along the Turkish front, which had ground to a halt with the death and martyrdom of President Ataturk.

The second strategic plan was a series of covert diplomatic missions to Japan, Germany, France, and Italy intended to tie up any possible support for the British declaration of war for as long as possible.

The third plan was halted before it could really begin, in order to take advantage of the instability of Britain's various colonies and Dominions as the Statute of Westminster in 1931 came into obvious effect...

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The British declaration of war had set off a shock through the politics of the Empire and the Dominions in the aftermath of the storm unleashed with the toppling of the Labor-Liberal government in favor of the Churchill-Mosley alliance. In Canada Liberal protesters appeared in the streets of Ottawa to denounce the move and demand that Canada NOT follow suit with their own declaration of war against Russia. This was further affected by the lingering suspicions of their southern neighbor and memories of how France had become the graveyard for so many Canadian men. Conservative Prime Minister R.B. Bennett would bring the issue before Parliament on April 11th, 1932 - asking that they echo the British Declaration of War against Russia.

In South Africa, the National Party and South African Party clashed loudly in the National Assembly with both Prime Minister Hertzog and General Smuts in attendance, leading their respective factions in loud, angry debates along their long-standing political line. Hertzog pushed for Britain to stand alone, while Smuts did the opposite, standing in a pro-Britain position.

Mimicking far away London, the Labor government of Joseph Lyons in Australia, struggling with the worldwide recession, tumbled from office and was replaced with a Conservative government that formally declared war upon Russia. Like Canada, liberal anti-war demonstrations appeared in the streets of Canberra and Sydney, but faded quickly from view.

New Zealand, the sole remaining Labor government in the whole of the British Empire stood strong and answered the declaration of war against Russia with little debate or dispute.

Of all the colonies, India's fractious response to the outbreak of war would be the most important...

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In India, the declaration of war by Britain against Russia resulted in a whole new level of chaos in an already unstable situation. The Indian Independence movement, in all its fractured forms, finds an opportunity to leverage the British for more concessions towards home rule, but when word of division amongst the Dominions reaches the leadership...the goals change.

Mohandas K. Gandhi and his ally Jawaharlal Nehru in the Indian National Congress put forth an announcement that India shall not fight for the freedom of another people when they do not have their own at home. Furthermore, they call upon the Army of India to ignore orders to leave India for Turkey or to be called upon to oppress their Indian brothers.

This outright rebellion prompts the Governor-General of India to issue warrants for the arrest of Gandhi, Nehru, and the rest of the INC. Of those sought by the British authorities, only Gandhi and a handful of the Congressional members would be taken into custody, the others going to ground. Gandhi himself made no effort to flee or conceal himself after the demands were made of the government, and his arrest outside of a temple in New Delhi would ensure that a large number of Hindu majority units of the Army of India would indeed refuse to follow orders issued by the British.

Those units of the Army of India composed of English elements were mobilized for deployment to Turkey while Loyalist elements composed primarily of Muslims, Sikhs and Gurkhas remained to enforce martial law across British India.

While imprisoned in New Delhi, Mohandas K. Gandhi and many of those detained by the British government embark on a hunger strike to demonstrate the strength of their beliefs and solidarity with the free members of the Independence Movement.

While in British captivity, Indian Independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi contracted cholera two week of his arrest while tensions across India continued to increase as work stoppages and strikes by Independence supporters brought the nation to a halt. Refusing medical treatment while his people remain enslaved, Gandhi's continues with his hunger strike even in the face of his worsening illness and health until in the early hours of May 13th, 1932 when he died quietly in his cell, four days short of a full month after his arrest.

Efforts by the Governor-General and colonial government to keep this news quiet from the general populace fail within hours, and words spreads like wildfire all over India. The death of the great man was an open flame cast into the dried grass of the political field and burn it did - public mourning turned to violence directed against any and all things British as the fault for Gandhi's death was laid at the feet of the Colonial government.

The Anti-British violence brings responsive crackdowns by the few remaining British troops in India, supported by uneasy Loyalist Indian elements formed by Sikhs, Muslims, Gurkhas and a handful of Hindus. The crackdown only made matters worse as rioters filled the streets and extremist elements emerged from the background, whipping up support for the very idea that Gandhi had opposed his whole life: Violence - Full-blown revolution and war against the British colonial authority.[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 
The eruption of rebellion in India brings many dissident factions to light as the call for Revolution stirs the people. The fractured Communist Party of India finds new followers as Subhas Chandra Bose begins open recruitment for his envisioned National Army of India with as-yet-unknown foreign support. Even the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Nehru finds itself having to take up arms and recruit followers in the anarchy consuming India. To make matters worse, ethnic grievances rear their ugly head as racially motivated attacks add to the chaos.

With the overwhelming whole of their armed forces tied down in the war in Turkey, the British Empire can only watch in horror as India begins to tear itself apart. The violence does not remain within India as nationalist elements in Ceylon and Burma also rise up to oppose the British.

Like a plague, the rebellions and fervent nationalism spread westward into Iran, and across the Middle East into Mesopotamia, Transjordan, Arabia, and Palestine. Unable to stem the outbreak of revolution, most of the colonial governments flee with the intent of escaping the whole region, leaving the anarchy of sectarian and ethnic strife behind them as the ripple-effect carries on into Africa.

Egyptian and Sudanese patriots and nationalists are soon burning British property and attacking any and all colonial structures in an undirected wave of violence and revolution that reaches as far as Kenya.

British colonies are the first affected, but not the only colonial possessions struck by this outpouring of sheer uncontrollable nationalism. French Indochina seethes with unrest as French military forces and colonial authorities prepare for the worst to come. French Syria finds itself under siege as refugees and revolutionaries alike pour across the borders, bringing their troubles with them. The Governor of the territory responds with harsh measures and Containment Camps for anyone remotely suspected of anti-government activities and loyalties. Similar actions will follow in Italian Libya and France's African territories, while the least affected areas of Britain's African colonies adopt similar policies to maintain order. Without almost any basic necessities such as food, water or attempts to maintain hygiene, these camps are rife with disease and death, largely ignored in the face of the ongoing crisis.
 
It is back, let there be celebration!

*Lackey rolls out a covered platter, cover lifted to reveal one cookie. Hmm, my party platter remains ubderwhelming*

So India has exploded. I expect Rome to get Libya under control in short order with their war winding down.

Looks like the British Empire is going down. Even if they cram this genie back in the bottle the cost will be to high and the former status quo will never return.
 
With order and unity in the Empire breaking down or threatening to collapse all-together, it was little surprise when Prime Minister Hertzog's faction of the South African government introduced an proposal to completely sever South Africa's connection with the British Empire and become a completely independent state. In an effort to contain the expected firestorm that such an effort would result, and to create the image with the public that such a separation was a majority or unanimous decision by the legislature, Hertzog's party and followers attempt to bar General Smuts and the members of his South African Party from entering the National Assembly during the vote, as well as arresting SAP members on a multitude of charges.

When the National Party heavies and suborned law officers arrived to arrest and detain General Smuts, they find that the local British Army and South African military forces remain loyal to the General, and in short order find themselves arrested as the General declares martial law in South Africa, and the arrest of Prime Minister Hertzog and the leadership of the National Party for treason.

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With the military in South Africa's loyalty to General Smuts all but universal, the attempted takeover by the National Party crumbles quickly as the various leaders of the lockout and the suborned law officers are arrested. The entire course of events runs itself out in a little more than a day, and order is restored to South Africa. With the National Assembly temporarily suspended, the Separation Act is never voted upon, and South Africa remains a part of the British Empire.

In the newsreels and papers across the English-speaking world and the far flung reaches of the Empire, General Smuts is hailed as a decisive leader and defender of democracy, the scourge and foe of tyranny and the future of South Africa. In London, the semi-coup launched by the General is a much needed bit of good news, and the imperiled Churchill-Mosley government manages to drag in some good press. In the circles of power, there is much talk of promoting the General for some very important work, and already ideas and big words are tossed about.

In a show of mercy, General Smuts pardons most of the leadership of the National Party from the gallows (but not all, a handful of men take a long walk at the end of a short rope) but with their involvement in the recent "Event of June 14th", they cannot be allowed to re-enter the political arena, and instead shall be confined to house arrest for the rest of their lives, under armed guard with all visitors screened and approved by General Smuts, and all contact with the outside world filtered through censors and other important figures. Only one person denounces General Smuts' commuting of sentences: former Prime Minister Hertzog. Loudly and through several intermediaries, he demands a trial, proclaiming he has done nothing wrong except work for South Africa's best interests.

James Barry Munnik Hertzog will receive his trial before a military court and be found guilty of treason. During the brief period between his trial and execution, many of the people who come into contact with the condemned man will later record that Hertzog vehemently denied involvement with the attempted coup and his innocence of treason. It is publicly recorded that Hertzog's last words before his execution are "Damn Britain, Damn Smuts, God Bless South Africa." but several of the guards at the gallows tell that his last utterance was "By god I am innocent!" The former Prime Minister is pronounced dead on June 29th, 1932.

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The aftermath of the National Party's fall from grace did not find Jan Smuts idle, as he was now the leader of South Africa, and found himself looked to by every British colony from Kenya all the way to his own South Africa. Of his own accord, General Smuts begins to shuffle troops around, make phone calls and have messages delivered, hunting bandits, making shows of presence and reassuring landowners, settlers, natives and businesses that all is in order and stable. This does much to return calm to the region, and to build up Smuts reputation, and many leaders and politicians across Southern Africa defer to Smuts leadership or seek his advice or opinion on a number of important subjects before putting them into practice.

This in turn builds up Jan Smuts in the eyes of the British public and the government itself, and he is rapidly becoming acknowledged as the authority on leadership in Africa, and a little after a month and a half after the death of Hertzog, the General is called to London to discuss an issue of vital importance to the Empire and to British Colonies in Central and Southern Africa.


In Africa it has become unofficially bad for one's career or business to be known to speak ill of the General in public or in large social circles as well as to be associated with the crippled National Party, but among those isolated circles and very quietly amongst Smuts' detractors in Britain there are questions being asked, very serious questions. Foremost is how quickly and efficiently the South African Party and Smuts' loyal forces disassembled the National Party takeover, and how thorough the purge of the government was. Other questions involve why Hertzog would risk such a dangerous move on a vote that a number of people think would have gone his way in a narrow margin, and that the takeover was such a gross miscalculation as to be unimaginable. Some of the most die hard critics, mostly composed of former National Party members with military experience use the term "false flag" to describe the course of events, alleging that General or someone close to him instigated and organized the takeover without the knowledge of Hertzog or his fellows in the senior NP leadership and set the takeover to fail in order to seize power for himself. In the years following Smuts own death, several books will be written on the subject, but will never bring enough conclusive evidence to prove it so.
 
Across that Atlantic, the outcome of the South African attempted coup provides the necessary political capital for Canada's Prime Minister Bennett to wring a successful declaration of war against Russia from the Parliament, even with the ongoing protests against Canadian involvement.

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The Canadian declaration of war adds to the stability of the British Central and Southern African colonies to provide serious relief for the unsteady fortunes of the British government, but is soon accompanied by the marginally good news that the arrival of the ANZAC troops in Turkey and their deployment along the front, stabilizing the situation to the point that the Russians would be unable to advance, but without more men and equipment, neither will the British forces.

In the anarchy that is India, some small measure of order has been restored to the Westernmost reaches of the region, as loyalist elements of Indian society with varying motivations come together and organize some soldiers and militia to suppress local revolutionaries and force out incursions from non-local revolutionary forces.

Composed of Kashmir, Baluchistan, Punjab, Sind, and the Princely State of Rajputana, these territories are now relatively peaceful, but under threat of constant attack by the out of control revolutionaries, who have at best, a tenuous link. Socialists vie with Hindu Fundamentalists and Bengali Nationalists and every variety of local ethnicity and religious faction. Nepal also emerges as a fiercely loyal region as Gurkha troops drive out invading Socialist "Anti-Imperialist Battalions" while the Princely State of Hyderbad remains nominally neutral, cut off from British reinforcements and surrounded by chaos and hostile forces, leery of a Socialist uprising.
 
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