The Union Forever: A TL

[FleetMac]

That certainly is very true, and butterflying DuPont & Hearst would be helpful(greatly so on the national level!), but unfortunately, it will be far from the end-all, be all. Racism did still play a major role in getting recreational marijuana banned on the state level in several states, particularly that against Chicanos, in the Southwest, at least, and given that there was plenty of hysteria concerning Chinese and Blacks having interracial relations with white women, supposedly because of the use of this drug, in these areas and some other places, I still don't think marijuana prohibition would be entirely butterflied, especially not in those areas south of the Mason-Dixon Line(basically Virginia and the Carolinas going west past Texas and including N.M. & Ariz.)

Getting rid of the prohibition on the national level wouldn't be too hard, with the right PODs. Unfortunately, it will be much, much, harder to do away with local & state prohibition. One scenario I can see possibly happening here is the tobacco and booze industries heavily lobbying in favor of statewide cannabis(though not necessarily male hemp as well) prohibition in certain states, particularly in places such as North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky where tobacco was practically king-of-the-hill as far as cash crops went. I can also see the equivalent of wet and dry counties across states where total prohibition of cannabis isn't as likely to occur, such as Iowa, Kansas, or Nebraska. It may even fail completely in some areas, like New England & New York, or the Pacific Northwest, where racial fears tended to be at the mininum for the era........in fact, if a significant Latino, particularly Mexican influence, can develop in New York City(and it was fairly noticeable IOTL), it may actually become a center for "stoner culture", kind of like how San Francisco did IOTL, but just with different circumstances.

Hopefully the more egalitarian US of this timeline won't have the same issues with cannabis via racist fearmongering, but I fear you may be right. Ironically, cannabis plantations DID exist in the parts of the South you mention (albeit for hemp fiber cultivation), given that the Upper South never was well suited for cotton growth the way the Gulf States are/were. However, you are also correct in that King Tobacco pretty much ran the show in VA, the Carolinas and KY/TN. How relations evolve between the "mainstream" US population (read; whites) and Mexicans would likely presage how this issue unfolds. I will admit bias here for inclusion (however delayed) of the South in legalizing cannabis for two reasons;

1) I L.O.A.T.H.E. William Randolph Hearst beyond the issue at hand, and anything that would take him down any number of pegs makes me feel warm and toasty inside. And,
2) Growing up in VA, and residing pretty much in the rest of the South my whole life, recreational use of marijuana always seemed the rule for people in my age group rather than the exception. Granted, times were different way back when, so chalk it up to a bias of personal experience.

MacGregor,

I would advocate options 2 or 3, although I wouldn't be opposed to 1 either; anything which adds more detail builds the world one creates. Also, welcome back to teh Interwebs!

 

[metastasis_d]

2 and 3!

Glad to hear that you're doing well. How's the 'Stan?

 

[Mac Gregor]

Well option 1 is good for me. Option 3 will do just as well.

Hopefully the more egalitarian US of this timeline won't have the same issues with cannabis via racist fearmongering, but I fear you may be right. Ironically, cannabis plantations DID exist in the parts of the South you mention (albeit for hemp fiber cultivation), given that the Upper South never was well suited for cotton growth the way the Gulf States are/were. However, you are also correct in that King Tobacco pretty much ran the show in VA, the Carolinas and KY/TN. How relations evolve between the "mainstream" US population (read; whites) and Mexicans would likely presage how this issue unfolds. I will admit bias here for inclusion (however delayed) of the South in legalizing cannabis for two reasons;

1) I L.O.A.T.H.E. William Randolph Hearst beyond the issue at hand, and anything that would take him down any number of pegs makes me feel warm and toasty inside. And,
2) Growing up in VA, and residing pretty much in the rest of the South my whole life, recreational use of marijuana always seemed the rule for people in my age group rather than the exception. Granted, times were different way back when, so chalk it up to a bias of personal experience.

MacGregor,

I would advocate options 2 or 3, although I wouldn't be opposed to 1 either; anything which adds more detail builds the world one creates. Also, welcome back to teh Interwebs!

2 and 3!

Glad to hear that you're doing well. How's the 'Stan?

The Stan is going fine. Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I will go with either 2 or 3.

What are y'all’s opinion of the following two possible retcons? First, as previously mentioned changing the Federal Kingdom of Germany to the German Empire. The second retcon would be changing the Treaty of Honolulu to allowing Japan to keep Korea. Although it hasn't really been mentioned Korea is technically ITTL an independent monarchy guaranteed by the UK and US. Having pondered it, I think it would make more since for the Japanese to keep it and simply give up their claims to Manchuria.

Also I am a big fan of pkmatrix's Revised History of the Future (2000-2150). I like his style of describing five events for each year in the TL. I have been thinking of copying this style but doing two updates for each year one on America and the other on the rest of the world covering about 5 events each. How does that sound to y'all?

 

[RamscoopRaider]

The Stan is going fine. Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I will go with either 2 or 3.

What are y'all’s opinion of the following two possible retcons? First, as previously mentioned changing the Federal Kingdom of Germany to the German Empire. The second retcon would be changing the Treaty of Honolulu to allowing Japan to keep Korea. Although it hasn't really been mentioned Korea is technically ITTL an independent monarchy guaranteed by the UK and US. Having pondered it, I think it would make more since for the Japanese to keep it and simply give up their claims to Manchuria.

Also I am a big fan of pkmatrix's Revised History of the Future (2000-2150). I like his style of describing five events for each year in the TL. I have been thinking of copying this style but doing two updates for each year one on America and the other on the rest of the world covering about 5 events each. How does that sound to y'all?

Your proposals sound good

Personally the five+two thing per years sounds good, will make it easier on you to write timely updates

 

[metastasis_d]

The Stan is going fine. Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I will go with either 2 or 3.

What are y'all’s opinion of the following two possible retcons? First, as previously mentioned changing the Federal Kingdom of Germany to the German Empire. The second retcon would be changing the Treaty of Honolulu to allowing Japan to keep Korea. Although it hasn't really been mentioned Korea is technically ITTL an independent monarchy guaranteed by the UK and US. Having pondered it, I think it would make more since for the Japanese to keep it and simply give up their claims to Manchuria.

Also I am a big fan of pkmatrix's Revised History of the Future (2000-2150). I like his style of describing five events for each year in the TL. I have been thinking of copying this style but doing two updates for each year one on America and the other on the rest of the world covering about 5 events each. How does that sound to y'all?

Glad your deployment is going well.

I don't really know about the Germany/Japan parts; others can weigh in better than me on that.

I also like your proposal for future updates.

 

[Mac Gregor]

Happy Thanksgiving! After several months delay here is the latest update. Please let me know what you think about the new update format. ​

1951​

Foreign Developments ​

Jubilant Indians celebrate the arrival of a column of UFLI Guerrillas. Note the captured British equipment ​

By mid1951 the Indian War of Independence was entering its third year despite the presence of over 120,000 troops from the United Kingdom and her Dominions. [1] British control over her most populous possession continued to slip as forces under the United Front for the Liberation of India (UFLI) and a variety of other movements gained support among the Indian masses. Protests, strikes, riots, assassinations, bombings, and skirmishes were common throughout the subcontinent especially in the Hindi speaking north. By the end of the year company sized elements of guerrillas were operating in the Indian countryside seizing towns and declaring them liberated in the name of the Free Indian Republic. Granting the entire subcontinent dominion status in 1950 proved unpopular and did little to calm the violence. British Prime Minister Issac Pickering found himself paralyzed by divisions in his own Liberal Party over the war and was unable to either escalate of disengage from the conflict. The Conservatives led by Sir Ryan Baxter lambasted Pickering’s Indian policy and promised British voters “peace through victory” in the run up to the general election scheduled for February, 1952.

Unsurprisingly, the Republic of Chile was the first nation to ratify the treaty establishing the League of American Republics due to the extensive damage that country suffered during the Second Atacama War.[2] Ecuador was quick to follow and by August of 1951 all of the signatories of the Charter for a Free Americas had ratified the treaty with the noticeable exceptions of the United States and Brazil. After heavy lobbying from the White House, the United States Senate finally ratified the treaty on December 16th before adjourning for their Christmas recess. Brazil would follow suit a few weeks later uniting the republics of the Western Hemisphere in what Colombian President Julio Delgado termed “unity, prosperity, and liberty”.[3]

1951 would see the release of Galaktisch(Galactic) a groundbreaking German science fiction film. The nearly three hour long movie was set in a distant future where humanity, albeit a German speaking one, has spread throughout the galaxy. Galaktisch introduced next generation special effects and was filmed in a variety of exotic real world locations including German Cameroon, Abyssinia, and in what turned out to be a director’s logistical nightmare Uyghurstan . The story focused on a young Prince Heinrich, played by Kaspar Wetterman, and his quest to reestablish the Galactic Empire of his forefathers. Galaktisch would be dubbed into English and rereleased in the United States in 1953 quickly becoming an enormous success. Although some in later generations would deride Galaktisch for its overt imperialist themes it nonetheless represented a giant leap forward in film technology, the science fiction genre, and today is seen as cultural harbinger to the impending space race.

With the rise of Tatsuo Shimoji to the premiership of the Japanese Empire in June of 1951 the ruling Kobushi party began deliberate steps to consolidate the Empire’s possessions in preparation for future expansion. Having annexed the Korean Peninsula in 1899, the Japanese government after nearly 52 years of rule, issued the somewhat oddly titled Act of Cultural and Ethnic Understanding for the Perpetuation of National Unity which curtailed many of the regressive political and economic measures the Japanese had emplaced over the last half century. The act dramatically increased the ability of Koreans to travel and work in Japan as well as serve in the military. While Koreans remained second class subjects compared to full blooded Japanese and continued to be denied access to most decision making circles it did represent an important shift in government policy to be more inclusive of ethnic minorities. Although several hardliners in the Kobushi party opposed the policy most thought it a prudent step to try and co-opt the unruly and sometimes rebellious Koreans into becoming more productive members of the Empire.

The International Committee for the World’s Fair (ICWF) selected London to host the 1951 World’s Fair. Styled the Centennial World’s Fair in honor of the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition, which was arguably the first world’s fair, the enormous gathering celebrated 100 years of progress and international cooperation. King Victor and Queen Charlotte presided over the opening ceremonies which were used to show case the grandeur of the British Empire and her nearly 600 million subjects. Despite the organizers attempts to show only the best of British contributions to the world, the war in India cast a shadow over the event with several embarrassing anti-war protests erupting outside of the fairgrounds. Regardless of the distraction over India, the 1951 World’s Fair highlighted several of the technological innovations which would have an important impact on the 1950s. These included color televisions and a computer by the American exhibit. The Italians offered a few lucky fairgoers helicopter rides over the city of London. Most dramatically however were the Germans who stunned the crowd by initiating a sonic boom over the English Channel courtesy the Imperial Air Force. By the closing ceremonies the 1951 exhibition would be the most attended World’s Fair to date and for many be remembered as symbolizing the British Empire at its midcentury pinnacle.

Photograph of the fairgrounds on the south bank of the Thames River

​

[1] In 1951 British and Dominion forces were supported by nearly 450,000 Indian “loyalists”

[2] Known as the South American War in the United States.

[3] “Unity, Prosperity, and Liberty” would become the League’s motto.

 

[Mac Gregor]

Olympics in the TL

Hey everyone, wanted to get y'all's opinion on how to handle the Olympics in the TL. I have been thinking about two options. 1) Do them pretty much the same as OTL. Maybe every 5 years or something to make it a little different. 2) Have three different and separate events; the Pan American games for the League of American Republics, The Commonwealth Games for the British Empire, The Olympics for the rest of the European countries. What would y'all prefer?

 

[ZincOxide]

I'd say its exactly the opposite. The South was surprisingly willing to accept its battlefield defeat in practical terms. A big reason was that both sides, with some justice, largely beleived or suspected that the South had superior generals and even superior armies---but was still defeated by Northern numbers. This had two effects: (1) it meant that Southern partisans couldn't tell themselves that they could try again and this time all they needed was better generalship and (2) it meant that the South could take pride in the war despite its defeat, so there was no need to fight again to redress their honor.

Given how fast the KKK was formed after the war, I suspect that the true result of the Civil War was for the South to indeed "fight again to redress their honor", as the ongoing guerilla conflicts between the KKK and armed black defenders led to the "Redeemer" movements and the Jim Crow laws.

 

[Lalli]

Hey everyone, wanted to get y'all's opinion on how to handle the Olympics in the TL. I have been thinking about two options. 1) Do them pretty much the same as OTL. Maybe every 5 years or something to make it a little different. 2) Have three different and separate events; the Pan American games for the League of American Republics, The Commonwealth Games for the British Empire, The Olympics for the rest of the European countries. What would y'all prefer?

Perhaps Olympics could re-create soon after The Great War. There could be summer and winter olympics and both would be every fourth years but both not be on same year. But could these be always on same city?

 

[Utgard96]

Hey everyone, wanted to get y'all's opinion on how to handle the Olympics in the TL. I have been thinking about two options. 1) Do them pretty much the same as OTL. Maybe every 5 years or something to make it a little different. 2) Have three different and separate events; the Pan American games for the League of American Republics, The Commonwealth Games for the British Empire, The Olympics for the rest of the European countries. What would y'all prefer?

Well, if they were every five years, they wouldn't be the Olympics. An olympiad is a defined period of four years between two games as they were held in ancient Greece. That's why they're called the "Summer/Winter Games of the Xth Olympiad" officially. I rather think the idea of different games for different power blocs is an interesting one, but I think given TTL's heightened sense of internationalism (or at least the lack of big conflicts) that it would make more sense to have a single event for the entire world.

 

[ZincOxide]

Because it's a "wet cold". High levels of humidity magnify the effects of both cold and hot. San Francisco's are particularly wet, I'm given to understand.

The West Coast climate is not that humid, in my experience. If you want REAL humidity, go to Michigan or Ontario in summer.

 

[manofsteelwool]

The West Coast climate is not that humid, in my experience. If you want REAL humidity, go to Michigan or Ontario in summer.

And this is a warning not to come to Michigan and this is from a Michigander

 

[ZincOxide]

So! I finished this TL.

*applauds Mac Gregor*

I look forward to what comes next, and here's hoping for a safe deployment and return.

 

[Mac Gregor]

So! I finished this TL.

*applauds Mac Gregor*

I look forward to what comes next, and here's hoping for a safe deployment and return.

Glad you liked it and thanks for your kind comment. Let me know if you have any questions on something in the TL.

 

[Glen]

Hey everyone, I know it has been a long time since we have had a real update but due to some newfound internet access I will now be able to resume this TL. As we know this TL has experienced its share of stop & starts, spoilers, and retcons. A question for y'all is would you rather I...

1) repost this TL fixing these errors and adding some additional information and then post new updates.
2) just post the retcons, add the additional information in separate posts, and continue the TL.
3) quit stalling and just post some new updates.

Thanks for the feedback. Cheers

I suggest you repost this timeline with fixes and additions in Finished Timelines and Scenarios, and keep posting newly written posts here, then add them to the Finished Timeline version as you 'perfect' them.

 

[metastasis_d]

Happy Thanksgiving! After several months delay here is the latest update. Please let me know what you think about the new update format. ​

I like the format.

Interesting to see how technology is progressing differently.

I hope the League of American Republics is a successful venture in the future. A closer Americas is always a good thing in my mind.

Hope to see Indian Independence soon.

 

[metastasis_d]

Hey everyone, wanted to get y'all's opinion on how to handle the Olympics in the TL. I have been thinking about two options. 1) Do them pretty much the same as OTL. Maybe every 5 years or something to make it a little different. 2) Have three different and separate events; the Pan American games for the League of American Republics, The Commonwealth Games for the British Empire, The Olympics for the rest of the European countries. What would y'all prefer?

I would say both; have the Olympics largely the same (with whatever changes you deem necessary to deviate from OTL enough), and maybe have the Commonwealth Games and Pan American games more in the spotlight (maybe even equivalent) to the public.

 

[Mac Gregor]

I suggest you repost this timeline with fixes and additions in Finished Timelines and Scenarios, and keep posting newly written posts here, then add them to the Finished Timeline version as you 'perfect' them.

Not a bad idea, I already have an earlier version of this TL posted in the Finished Timeline section. Is there anyway to get it removed?

 

[Mac Gregor]

I would say both; have the Olympics largely the same (with whatever changes you deem necessary to deviate from OTL enough), and maybe have the Commonwealth Games and Pan American games more in the spotlight (maybe even equivalent) to the public.

I think that is a good idea.

 

[metastasis_d]

Not a bad idea, I already have an earlier version of this TL posted in the Finished Timeline section. Is there anyway to get it removed?

You should be able to simply report it and have a mod (like the one you just asked!) remove it for you.

I think that is a good idea.

Those are the only kind I have.