The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
1905: Domestic and Foreign Developments
1905
Domestic and Foreign Developments
Domestic and Foreign Developments
49 Star American Flag after the addition of the State of New Mexico
1905
Passage of the 14th Amendment
The United States Congress, which had largely been returned to Republican control in the 1904 elections, passed the 14th Amendment to the Constitution on February 4th, 1905. Although it was not ratified until the end of the year it did mark the first time the constitution had been amended since 1865. The 14th Amendment states…
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Although some have derided the 14th Amendment as short and vague, the amendment did definitively make U.S citizens out of women, ethnic minorities, immigrants, and Native Americans. However, the glaring flaw of the amendment was that it did not state specifically if these groups of people had the right to vote. Some states construed that it did under the clause that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” However, in the southern states, which largely did not vote in favor of ratification, the amendment had little immediate effect on the widespread disenfranchisement of blacks.
New Mexico and Arizona Join the Union
The states of Arizona and New Mexico entered the Union on December 8th and December 10th, 1905 becoming the 48th and 49th states repectively. Together the addition of Arizona and New Mexico completed the settlement of the contingious United States.
Militiamen from the Orange Free State posing for a picture at the outbreak of the war
1905
The Second Anglo-Boer War
In November, 1905 war erupted in southern Africa, when after years of rising tensions open hostilities broke out between the British Empire and the Boer Republics of the South African Republic (commonly referred to as the Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. The exact causes of the conflict are still argued to this day. The British claim that after a border incident where a platoon of British soldiers were ambushed and killed (their slain lieutenant being the son of the influential English banker Charles R. Abbott) the Orange Free State refused the ultimatum to allow British troops access to the small nation to investigate the crime. This refusal eventually led to a chain of events which sparked a British declaration of war on November 13th, 1905. Many Afrikaners however still maintain that the “Lost Platoon” was really trespassing on their land and was sent there by unscrupulous Cape Colony politicians who wanted to create an incident in order to annex the Boer Republic’s for their mineral wealth. Regardless of the causes, by the end of 1905 both sides were assembling their forces for what they hoped to be a short war.
Launch of the NSMI Crocodile
The year of 1905 saw the French Navy launch His Imperial Majesty’s Ship the NSMI Crocodile the most advanced submarine to date. Although the Crocodile’s abilities are modest compared to modern day submarines it represented a significant improvement over France’s existing submarine force and a leap in naval technology. Equipped with a diesel engine for surface running and large banks of batteries for underwater travel, the Crocodile was also armed with torpedo tubes both on the bow and stern of the vessel. Many naval strategists at the time, especially in Britain, viewed the Crocodile as a dramatic shift in French naval doctrine which had previously been more focused on larger surface vessels than “ship killers” such as the Crocodile.
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About french navy:
In 1857, Napoleon III starts an ambitious naval construction program.
So, in 1859 , France launches the first ironclad battleship of world, the battleship Gloire. The Royal Navy catches up his late only a few years later.
Without a failure of the french intervention in Mexico of OTL scale, and without the OTL disaster of 1870, maybe that this naval construction program could permit to France to be able to battle against the Royal Navy on equal terms, on the contrary of the HSF in OTL WW1.
In 1857, Napoleon III starts an ambitious naval construction program.
So, in 1859 , France launches the first ironclad battleship of world, the battleship Gloire. The Royal Navy catches up his late only a few years later.
Without a failure of the french intervention in Mexico of OTL scale, and without the OTL disaster of 1870, maybe that this naval construction program could permit to France to be able to battle against the Royal Navy on equal terms, on the contrary of the HSF in OTL WW1.
Equal terms is still implausible. However they will be more equal than OTL, for all the good it does them.
This does bring up the interesting point of naval strength in this TL. I realize that this is my TL but would anyone want to make an assessment on what the fleets of the Great Powers currently look like? Furthermore, does anyone know of any good reference sources from OTL that I can use to start making some naval strength tables for this TL? Thanks for the feedback. Cheers!
Just a thought on the matter concerning France's fleets. I'd imagine with their greater colonial interests they have a larger fleet, with some really advanced ones too, but likely with some really older ships hanging around that should be retired. France has to contend not only with needing to have a large fleet, but also a large standing army, and no dirigibles and other aircraft. The budget is just going to have to give somewhere.
Just my two cents on the matter.
1906: Domestic and Foreign Developments
1906
Domestic and Foreign Developments
The City of San Francisco after the 1906 Earthquake
1906 Midterm Elections
The November 1906 Midterm elections produced little change in the makeup of Congress as the Republicans suffered only moderate losses in the House and Senate, allowing them to retain their control on both houses. Most of the Democratic gains made were in the South where resentment over the newly passed 14th Amendment had angered racial conservatives.
The Great San Francisco Earthquake
On April 18, 1906 at approximately 5:13am the San Francisco area was rocked by an enormous earthquake. Estimated to have measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, the earthquake sparked a series of massive fires which destroyed the majority of the city of San Francisco. An estimated 3,400 people died in the earthquake and ensuing fires making it one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
Photograph of one of the many Boer guerrila bands fighting the British in the Transvaal
1906
Stalemate in South Africa
During the initial phase of the war a series of British outpost and garrisons fell under siege when Boer forces launched a preemptive strike into British controlled Cape Colony and Natal. After initial attempts to relieve these besieged garrisons failed, the British Army increased the number of troops being sent to South Africa, eventually reaching 190,000 the largest British Army sent over sea at that time. Ultimately the Boer offensive into Cape Colony and Natal failed and the British eventually managed to push the Boers out of British South Africa. However the British suffered a surprisingly high number of casualties as the Boers, armed with the latest French magazine fed rifles and machine guns, inflicted devastating losses. Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic fell on July 25th, 1906. Unfortunately, the fall of Pretoria did not end the war as the Boers began a vicious guerrilla war against the occupying British forces.
The Russo-Japanese War
On October 10th, 1906 the Empire of Japan declared war on Russia after negotiations broke down between the two nations regarding their respective spheres of influence in Manchuria as well as their stance on the Chinese Civil War. Within hours of issuing the declaration, the Japanese Navy attacked the Russian ports of Vladivostok and Port Arthur damaging the Russian fleet before being forced to withdraw. Although winter was fast approaching, the Japanese Army immediately sent tens of thousands of troops north into Manchuria while at home mobilizing hundreds of thousands of more troops for the war effort. Nicholas II was shocked by the Japanese attack and began mobilizing an army of over half a million men to combat the Japanese. The Russians also ordered their Baltic Fleet to redeploy to the Pacific to relieve the blockaded ports of Vladivostok and Port Arthur. In China, both the Republican and Imperial factions were outraged by the thousands of Japanese and Russian troop pouring into Manchuria. However, as the civil war was then raging throughout China there was little either side could do about the conflict.
Russian troops defending Port Arthur in Manchuria
1906
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I would suggest taking a look at Dreadnought by Robert K. Massie. Basically he argues that the fleet of Great Britain was woefully out of date and held back by a traditional way of managing the fleet that dated back to Lord Nelson. It wasn't until the actions of certain admirals and First Sea Lords such as Jackie Fisher and Percy Scott and the rising power of the German Fleet (in this case the more traditional French Navy will once again serve as the threat) that propelled the British Navy into modernity.
The Great War
The Great War
Last photograph of Otto, King of Bavaria (1890-1907)
1907 would go down in history along with other years like 1492 and 1789 as marking the beginning of a new era. Indeed many historians would remark later that the twentieth century didn’t start on 1900 but on 1907 when the world would be drastically and irreversible changed.
The Bavarian Crisis
The series of events that would ultimately lead to the Great War began in the Kingdom of Bavaria. This largely Catholic south German state had lived an uneasy existence for most of the past century due to it being wedged between the larger powers of Prussia, Austria-Hungry, and farther to the west, Imperial France. Since 1890, Bavaria had been ruled by King Otto who succeeded to the thrown after the death of his brother Ludwig II. Of questionable mental health, Otto’s reign had been largely controlled by Otto’s uncle, Prince Regent Luitpold. On August 3, 1907 King Otto at the age of 59 mysteriously died, presumably of a heart attack. Without heirs, Otto’s regent Prince Luitpold claimed the thrown as King Luitpold I. At the age of 86, the conservative anti-Prussian Luitpold was hardly the breath of fresh air that many Bavarians wished for, who had since 1864 been ruled by two possibly insane kings (Ludwig II and Otto) and now an octogenarian.
Luitpold
King of Bavaria
Unhappiness about the ascension of Luitpold soon led to rumors and accusations that he had orchestrated the death of his nephew in order to seize the throne. Unhappiness led to unrest when demonstrations against Luitpold in Munich turned into riots. Things became volatile when on September 17th, 1907, in what many historians view as a fatal mistake, Luitpold called out a reserve regiment of fusiliers to quell the rioters. Why Luitpold chose a reservist regiment instead of more loyal regular troops has been the subject of much debate but it would appear that the aging Luitpold didn’t want to “sully the reputation” of the Bavarian Army by putting down “rabble.” Furthermore Luitpold believed that the fusiliers could prove their loyalty to the new regime by squashing the rioters. In the end, the reservists refused to fire on their countrymen and soon joined the rioters.
These developments might have petered out had not the lower house of the Bavarian parliament, which deeply resented Luitpold’s apparent usurpation of the monarchy, then decided to adopted the armed rioters and mutinous troops as “The Bavarian People’s Guard.” Luitpold in retaliation dissolved Parliament on September 25th. Refusing to dissolve, the Bavarian Parliament on September 27th abolished the monarchy and declared the existence of the Bavarian Republic. Anti-monarchist rebellions soon spread to other Bavarian cities. Luitpold, who by this point had fled to Rosenheim where loyalist troops were gathering, requested that France and Austria-Hungry send troops into Bavaria in order to crush the rebellion. In turn, on October 1st, the republican Bavarian leaders requested that Prussia send forces to “protect their German brethren.”
Declarations of War
“This is the moment we have been waiting for!” Napoleon IV is reported to have exclaimed upon learning of the Bavarian Republic’s August 1st request for assistance. Tensions had been building in Europe for decades and the moment was now right, thought Napoleon, to finally settle the score. Russia was heavily engaged on the other side of the world against Japan, and Britain was fighting a brutal guerrilla war in South Africa. With these two powers distracted, Napoleon believed that France could once and for all could deal with their Prussian nemesis. On the morning of October 3rd, 1907 Napoleon IV appeared in person before the Imperial Senate and requested a declaration of war against Prussia “in order to safeguard the nations of Europe and their legitimate rulers from Teutonic aggression.” The Imperial Senate overwhelming granted the Emperor’s request, despite the fact that at this point the Prussian government had not even agreed to send troops into Bavaria in support of the Republican rebels. Austria-Hungry and the south German states of Wurttemberg and Baden all followed suit within 12 hours and declared war against Prussia. Czar Nicholas II was distraught when he heard the news of the war’s outbreak. Although already fighting a major war against the Japanese in the east, he realized that Russia could not afford to see Prussia, its biggest ally, succumb to Russia’s enemies. Reluctantly, Czar Nicholas II successfully asked the Russian Duma to honor their treaty obligations. Therefore, on October 5th, 1907 an already war weary Russia declared war on France and Austria-Hungry.
With Russia in the war, the King of Italy, Umberto I, was convinced that Italy too should come to Prussia’s aid. Although there were many in the Italian government who believed that entering the war would be akin to committing national suicide, Italy’s preexisting treaty with Germany as well as Umberto’s desire to gain French territories in North Africa and settle irredentist claims against Austria-Hungry were enough to secure an Italian declaration of war against France and Austria-Hungry on October 8th. On October 9th, after intense pressure from Emperors Napoleon IV and Maximilian, the Ottoman Empire declared war against Prussia, Italy, and Russia. The Great War had finally begun.
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Mark 4 Morrel Barrel
Banned
Oh hell yes.
Boys s**t is about to hit the fan.
Also you said Russia was coming to the aid of Prussia but for the caption for the DoW pic you have Czar Nicholas declaring war on Prussia and A-H
Boys s**t is about to hit the fan.
Also you said Russia was coming to the aid of Prussia but for the caption for the DoW pic you have Czar Nicholas declaring war on Prussia and A-H
Map showing the Belligerents of the Great War as of October 9th, 1907.
The Entente Impériale is in blue. Alliance members are in Red.
The Entente Impériale is in blue. Alliance members are in Red.
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I think you have the wrong picture. That one says it is against Prussia and Austria-Hungry when it really was against France and Austria-Hungry.
I wonder how this will affect the US since elections are not that far away.
Good call on the picture, I'll have to find a new one.
About french navy under Second French Empire, I have a link, but it's in french: http://www.napoleon.org/FR/salle_lecture/articles/files/renaissance_Marine_militaire_francaise.asp
About Napoleon IV, it seemed to me that his wedding with the Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom was envisaged in OTL. No wedding in this TL?
About Napoleon IV, it seemed to me that his wedding with the Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom was envisaged in OTL. No wedding in this TL?
Thanks for the websites. Although not necessarily of the scale between OTL UK and Germany, there has been an undeclared naval race between Imperial France and the UK since about 1890.
Curious thought.
Since the US in this timeline is much more armed, would that mean the South Carolina beat the Dreadnought in construction? In addition, it won't have the tonnage limits impose on it by Congress not happen(Others navies had 18,000 tons, Congress limited them to 16,000)?
Since the US in this timeline is much more armed, would that mean the South Carolina beat the Dreadnought in construction? In addition, it won't have the tonnage limits impose on it by Congress not happen(Others navies had 18,000 tons, Congress limited them to 16,000)?
Well, considering the fairly massive slugging matches between Japan and Russia in the Far East (over 300,000 each on the field at any given time implies a heavy commitment of manpower by both Japan and Russia greater then what is initially indicated [considering the need to replace losses and rotate out troops and such, not to mention the need to organize logistics], see the Battle of Mukden), I think this effectively kills any Russian involvement in the first year of the war, at least, since they'll have to remain in a defensive stance for now (perhaps feeding troops to Prussia).
Also, given the now close relations between Prussia and Russia, would the two countries maintain an integrated rail system? If they do, it certainly might alleviate the gross supply problems the Russians faced in the first years of the war. This also being 1907, one can also expect Russia and Prussia to be relatively weaker then they would be in 1914, in comparison to France and Austria-Hungary. Given this, Prussia's going to take a beating (Italy also, especially if OTLs incompetence hasn't been handwaved). If Austria and France are going for a Prussia first strategy, they'll most certainly be going after the Saarland and the Ruhr (for France), and Silesia (for Austria), considering the industrial importance of these regions. Germany has no doubt prepared border fortifications but, considering the extremely long front they share with France-Bavaria-Austria, its doubtful that they're strong enough to hold back a coordinated offensive. In addition, both Austria and France will be putting pressure on Italy (now essentially cut off from the rest of the world, given Entente naval superiority and land borders), though they can still be a thorn in the side of Entente shipping in the Mediterranean. Given that the Balkan Wars haven't happened, I foresee one being sparked right about now, which means Austrians and Ottomans vs Serbs, Bulgarians, and Greeks (perhaps Romanians).
Don't think that'll end well for the Balkan powers if they can't launch a decisive enough offensive, considering French naval superiority (those powers are going to be in short supply of ammo, arms and supplies, once their initial offensives wear out, due to Entente blockade (which may discourage the Greeks). Also, with Entente naval superiority, the Ottomans will be able to ship over reinforcements and supplies (which, due to OTLs Greek Navy, they weren't able to do), and even token Austrian support puts Serbia in a completely encircled state (in three directions), as well as outnumbering the three.
Russia's also now fighting on three-four-five fronts (the Far East, the Caucasus, Galicia-Poland, [Prussia, and the Balkans also, perhaps)), and now face blockade on all three fronts (the Black Sea is decisively blocked off, the Far East is right out, and the the Baltic is iffy, since the Prussians should have a Kiel Canal). this'll most definitely force them to encourage the Balkan powers to get in on the action, simply so they can regain the Dardanelles, perhaps (a Russian-controlled Dardanelles, however, has been one of the worst nightmares of British diplomats for at least a century, however, which further complicates Britain's situation). On the other hand, Russia and Prussia complement each other economically, so they'll do better in that regard, maybe even without trade.
I really wish I wasn't Britain at this point. Given their tremendously conflicting interests (France and Russia), as well foreign commitments, they aren't in a position to intervene in the war. Best they remain neutral and sell copious amounts of arms to both sides (and reap major profits), as well as maintaining themselves as the future arbitrators of the peace. Do the have any signed alliances with anyone (like the Anglo-Japanese Alliance)? Those are going to be rather important in deciding which way they go, if at all.
Quick note about that map: Bulgaria's not on the Ententes side, I don't think. But anyway, this is an awesome timeline, and I await your next update.
Also, given the now close relations between Prussia and Russia, would the two countries maintain an integrated rail system? If they do, it certainly might alleviate the gross supply problems the Russians faced in the first years of the war. This also being 1907, one can also expect Russia and Prussia to be relatively weaker then they would be in 1914, in comparison to France and Austria-Hungary. Given this, Prussia's going to take a beating (Italy also, especially if OTLs incompetence hasn't been handwaved). If Austria and France are going for a Prussia first strategy, they'll most certainly be going after the Saarland and the Ruhr (for France), and Silesia (for Austria), considering the industrial importance of these regions. Germany has no doubt prepared border fortifications but, considering the extremely long front they share with France-Bavaria-Austria, its doubtful that they're strong enough to hold back a coordinated offensive. In addition, both Austria and France will be putting pressure on Italy (now essentially cut off from the rest of the world, given Entente naval superiority and land borders), though they can still be a thorn in the side of Entente shipping in the Mediterranean. Given that the Balkan Wars haven't happened, I foresee one being sparked right about now, which means Austrians and Ottomans vs Serbs, Bulgarians, and Greeks (perhaps Romanians).
Don't think that'll end well for the Balkan powers if they can't launch a decisive enough offensive, considering French naval superiority (those powers are going to be in short supply of ammo, arms and supplies, once their initial offensives wear out, due to Entente blockade (which may discourage the Greeks). Also, with Entente naval superiority, the Ottomans will be able to ship over reinforcements and supplies (which, due to OTLs Greek Navy, they weren't able to do), and even token Austrian support puts Serbia in a completely encircled state (in three directions), as well as outnumbering the three.
Russia's also now fighting on three-four-five fronts (the Far East, the Caucasus, Galicia-Poland, [Prussia, and the Balkans also, perhaps)), and now face blockade on all three fronts (the Black Sea is decisively blocked off, the Far East is right out, and the the Baltic is iffy, since the Prussians should have a Kiel Canal). this'll most definitely force them to encourage the Balkan powers to get in on the action, simply so they can regain the Dardanelles, perhaps (a Russian-controlled Dardanelles, however, has been one of the worst nightmares of British diplomats for at least a century, however, which further complicates Britain's situation). On the other hand, Russia and Prussia complement each other economically, so they'll do better in that regard, maybe even without trade.
I really wish I wasn't Britain at this point. Given their tremendously conflicting interests (France and Russia), as well foreign commitments, they aren't in a position to intervene in the war. Best they remain neutral and sell copious amounts of arms to both sides (and reap major profits), as well as maintaining themselves as the future arbitrators of the peace. Do the have any signed alliances with anyone (like the Anglo-Japanese Alliance)? Those are going to be rather important in deciding which way they go, if at all.
Quick note about that map: Bulgaria's not on the Ententes side, I don't think. But anyway, this is an awesome timeline, and I await your next update.
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