The Union Forever: A TL

[Mac Gregor]

Is there going to be a Bengali state?

I think that there could be independence Bengal state.

I would think they'd want to be independent from the Hindu-majority areas.

Yeah...over time, you will see trouble in those areas, because they are filled with people from Mysore, and south of there, the Malayalam people. In short, the Madras Presidency will see trouble as its large Telengana, Malayalam and Kannada populations might want to rejoin the neighbouring states.

I also think that a Bengali state should not occur, and instead be included in India.

I agree with this, given the precedent they would want this

Um, no. Most of the political establishment here will be either pro-British or anti-British. And most of the intellectuals will not be so focused on religion, as the TL implies Britain never does switch its support from the Princes to the Muslim League (Whether it even exists is another topic.) So British divide and rule policy is still essentially the Princely States vs the Presidencies.

In addition the masses never really did have a voice in the whole process until Gandhi got them involved, and even still, it is still the intellectuals who will be leading any such movement. And in a war with Britain, anti-British sentiment will serve as a uniting force. Sectarian strife will still occur, but nothing like the movement for Pakistan would occur without serious ignorance of butterflies.

Interesting points, to be honest I haven't made up my mind yet but I could see it going either way.

 

[Mac Gregor]

1954​

Foreign Developments
Part 3​

Bartlett Metivier
National Republican
10th President of the French Republic​

The 1954 French presidential election witnessed incumbent Cloridan Lavoie lose to Bartlett Metivier of the centrist National Republican Party. With the National Republicans also winning a plurality in the French legislature, Metivier successfully rolled back many of the socialist economic measures that his predecessor had emplaced. In foreign policy Metivier began pursuing closer ties with the Republic of Italy with the aim to create a republican counterbalance to the German Empire on the continent.

After the fall of Hainan, the war between China and Japan entered its second and final stage. With air and naval superiority the Japanese began to pummel a wide range of targets along the Chinese coastline. One of the most devastating of these attacks was on Shanghai on June 1st resulting in nearly 17,000 casualties, mostly civilian. The resulting fire destroyed most of the city and its harbor. A similar attack befell Nanking a month later to nearly the same effect. Despite having a greater population (503,000,000 to Japan’s 119,000,000), China could not bring its numbers into action against the Japanese. The Chinese Republican Army found its ranks swollen by conscription but with no means to close with the Japanese on their island strongholds or defend against their attacks from the air. Further compounding China’s problems was the utter lack of significant foreign assistance. While the Russian Empire wished to see an end to the fighting, competing claims over Russian Manchuria prevented the Chinese from receiving substantial aid. Britain at the time was tied down in India and could offer little in the way of money or military supplies. The Kingdom of Laos was forced to remain neutral after Japan’s ally the Empire of Vietnam threatened to intervene if Laos provided assistance. Germany opportunistically sold weapons to both sides. Even America, a longtime ally of the Republic of China, found itself unable to offer more than a low interest loan due to congressional reservations about supporting the belligerent and undemocratic Union of Chinese Patriots, citing that it was China who had first declared war against Japan. Disregarding Congress, President Conner authorized the War Department to covertly ship several anti-aircraft batteries to the Chinese creating a scandal that would mire his last years in office. By early autumn, the Chinese war effort was on its knees. The Japanese blockade was strangling and already weak economy. Famine conditions were spreading across the country and the constant Japanese air raids were laying waste to Chinese cities. The anticipated Japanese invasion of the mainland never seemed to materialize though small scale incursions kept the massive army reshuffling their forces along the coast. After a series of deadly food riots in Peking, President Dewei Chou begrudgingly signed a ceasefire with the Japan on November 9, 1954 knowing that the country could not survive the winter with the Japanese blockade in place. Having been in power for little more than a year the Union of Chinese Patriots had, despite their promises for national renewal, led China to inglorious defeat. Ten days after he signed the ceasefire, Dewei Chou was removed in a coup by elements of the Chinese Republican Army led by General Zhang Kun, effectively ending the First Chinese Republic.

Republic of China
1921-1954​

 

[jeckl]

Hu, a well planned war by Japan.

But will they win the peace?

 

[metastasis_d]

Seems China bit off more than it could chew. But will Japan be able to make any significant gains? I can't imagine them being able to hold onto Hainan in the 1950s OTL, but this 20th century is vastly different from ours.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Seems China bit off more than it could chew. But will Japan be able to make any significant gains? I can't imagine them being able to hold onto Hainan in the 1950s OTL, but this 20th century is vastly different from ours.

With some aggressive colonization they probably could, Hainan's population was not that large

Also OTL the population did not really like the KMT OTL, so if the UCP has the same image they might just resign themselves to occupation

 

[Mac Gregor]

Hu, a well planned war by Japan.

But will they win the peace?

Seems China bit off more than it could chew. But will Japan be able to make any significant gains? I can't imagine them being able to hold onto Hainan in the 1950s OTL, but this 20th century is vastly different from ours.

With some aggressive colonization they probably could, Hainan's population was not that large

Also OTL the population did not really like the KMT OTL, so if the UCP has the same image they might just resign themselves to occupation

Only time will tell. I will say that without a WWII it is generally more acceptably for a nation to retain territory acquired during war.

 

[Beedok]

Maybe a protectorate in Hainan?

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

You know for being on the losing side in WWI France did FAR better than being on the winning side OTL of 2 world wars. I think there is some irony in that somewhere... The main points being that they have the coast of Algeria and the excellent lack of one Charles De Gaulle. Any timeline without that pretentuous bastard can only be good!

 

[Mac Gregor]

You know for being on the losing side in WWI France did FAR better than being on the winning side OTL of 2 world wars. I think there is some irony in that somewhere... The main points being that they have the coast of Algeria and the excellent lack of one Charles De Gaulle. Any timeline without that pretentuous bastard can only be good!

Well France is doing better in the TL's 1954 than it was in OTL's 1954. However, the TL's Great War was very tough on France. They lost millions of men, Paris was severely damaged, military restrictions were in place for years, they nearly lost Corsica and Alsace Loraine, and they lost all of their overseas empire except for their North African holdings. But yeah as you mentioned no Charles De Gaulle.

 

[Mac Gregor]

It just occurred to me that we don't have a name for the dwarf planet Pluto in the TL? As of 1955 it should still be considered a full fledge planet. What should its name be?

 

[Lalli]

It just occurred to me that we don't have a name for the dwarf planet Pluto in the TL? As of 1955 it should still be considered a full fledge planet. What should its name be?

Planets has named after Roman gods so it would be logical continue this tradition. I like about Janus but there is many other options too. There is information about Roman gods.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

It just occurred to me that we don't have a name for the dwarf planet Pluto in the TL? As of 1955 it should still be considered a full fledge planet. What should its name be?

I would call it Nox, goddess of the night and mother of something like two dozen minor deities, myself

 

[metastasis_d]

Some things to keep in mind

Of course the butterflies eliminate Venetia, but the Lowell Observatory is still a possibility, as Lowell was born before the POD.

 

[Mac Gregor]

I would call it Nox, goddess of the night and mother of something like two dozen minor deities, myself

I like Nox, I might just go with that if nobody has any other suggestions.

 

[Utgard96]

I think Charon works, actually. Pluto does, after all, move back and forth from inside Neptune's orbit to the edge of the then-known solar system; what better allegory than the ferryman moving the dead across the Styx into Hades?

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

Oh forget Roman Gods! Name Pluto Planet Bob! That's full of win!

 

[Mac Gregor]

1955​

Domestic Developments ​

Artist depiction of Maia​

In February, American astronomers at the Nowakowski Observatory in Beale, Arizona announced the discovery of a new moon of Jupiter.[1] Originally termed Jupiter XII, the small moon was eventually given the name Maia after a mythological consort of Jupiter and mother of Mercury. Maia would prove to have some odd characteristics including moving in the opposite direction around Jupiter than most of its other moons. In future years it will be discovered that Maia is actually just the largest of seven irregular moons that orbit Jupiter, all of which are believed to have resulted from the fragmentation of a captured asteroid. Collectively these moons became known by astronomers as the Maia group.

The first successful kidney transplant between living patients occurred on April 13, 1955 at David B. Hill Memorial Hospital in Albany, New York. In earlier attempts immune reaction to the transplanted kidney had resulted in organ rejection. To prevent this Martha and Dorothy Cazanciuc, identical twin sisters, were selected. The operation was widely recognized as a milestone in medical science. By the end of the century more than 18,000 kidney transplants will be conducted in the United States every year.

In August, President Leroy Conner became the first American president to be impeached by the House of Representatives over his involvement in providing the Chinese Republican Army with around two dozen anti-aircraft batteries for use in their late war with Japan, a violation of the Munitions Nonproliferation Act. News of the so called “Chinese gun scandal” first began to be made public in late 1954 and by the following summer engulfed the national media. Many of Conner’s fellow Republicans decried the investigation as a witch hunt by the Democratic controlled House. Conner defended his actions as measures necessary for the protection of the United States and hence fell under his duty as commander-in-chief remarking “I would rather give the Chinese the tools to fight the Japs now than have future generations send American boys to fight them later.” Although easily acquitted by the Senate the scandal greatly reduced Conner’s political capital in Washington and cast a shadow over his remaining time in office.

President Conner in a heated exchange with reporters
July, 1955​

[1] OTL’s Flagstaff, Arizona

 

[Lalli]

Probably Chinese Gun Scandal will be so famous as OTL Watergate?

 

[rick007]

Since no one has added any other states here is California.

California:
(Sorry I don't know how to make state flags)

Name: State of California
Current Governor: Corrine Upshaw (R)
Capital: Sacramento
Largest City: San Diego
Admission into the Union: September 9th 1850 (31st)
Nickname(s): The Golden State
State Motto: Eureka (I know this is post POD but I figure that some things never change)
State Song: I love you, California
State Bird: California Valley Quail
State Flower: Golden Poppy
State Tree: California Redwood

Professional Sports Teams

Baseball: San Francisco Miners (third ranked overall team), Los Angeles Angels
Football: San Diego Meteors
Rugby: Santa Monica Orcas
Handball: Los Angeles Harpies
Lacrosse: California Pythons

Post Civil War History:

Though not directly involved in the conflict California gold did provide a boost to the Northern economy. As an economic and cultural powerhouse for not only the west coast but also the country California has boomed. This is also in no small part to the film industry.

Notable Californians:

João Rodrigues Cabrilho, Discoverer of California
Gaspar de Portolà, First Spanish Governor of California (1769-1770)
John Drake Sloate, First American Governor of California (1846)
Margaret L. Stewart, First Female President of the United States (1977-1985)
Wilma Fredericks, First Female Secretary of State (1969-1973)

 

[naraht]

Since no one has added any other states here is California.

Capital: Sacremento

The spelling of the city's name as Sacramento predates the POD.