The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
Now that I think of it, what will TTL iteration of Great Britain look like after the war? I know that many of the far flung dominions look at Great Britain as a ruler who does not pay them enough concerns and tend to mismanage their resources to the extreme. But what do the British think about the fading Empire? Does the population wish to shed the excess weight and retreat to just Great Britain, or do they want to maintain their control over the commonwealth? Considering how the war has gone, and how they've depended on the dominions so much, would their be a political movement for a co-equal commonwealth, where Britain is just one among many nations?
And to that note, what territories will Britain retain? I remember some talk of them keeping the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and maybe the Maldives, as part of Great Britain proper. Maybe they could be granted a status similar to crown dependencies. (The same if Malta stays as a dominion under Great Britain? Or have they relinquished too much authority already?)
And to that note, what territories will Britain retain? I remember some talk of them keeping the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and maybe the Maldives, as part of Great Britain proper. Maybe they could be granted a status similar to crown dependencies. (The same if Malta stays as a dominion under Great Britain? Or have they relinquished too much authority already?)
These are all good questions. I can't give to much away about what the postwar world will look like, because I don't know myself. I will talk more about the UK's domestic situation in the next update but opinions are mixed. Some are committed to keeping the Empire together like the Conservatives and Imperial Progressives. The Liberals are divided on the issue. The Socialist Workers Party is very anti-imperialist and wants to give complete independence to nearly all colonies and dominions and restrict the Commonwealth's free trade policy. As far as the other commonwealth realms are concerned their experiences vary greatly. Some have been overrun. Some have been successfully defended by Commonwealth troops. Some Commonwealth realms are doubting the usefulness of getting "dragged" into the war.
I should expect so, as poorly as this war has gone for the British.
Actually so far it is going according to British tradition. At the start of any war Britain gets its ass handed to it regularly. Then the defeats slow down as Britain gears up and shakes off its problems and then the tide turns finally in their favour. That must be a trope of some kind...
Don't forget the allied armies the need to do majority of really bloody work
The war is just like the Napoleonic war in some sense. The Indian forces being stopped is the Portugal moment and the Chinese are Russians and Prussians of this war. It's really excellent writing.
The War at Home
The War at Home
August 1976 - December 1977
August 1976 - December 1977
Antiwar protest in London
May, 1977
With the majority of the world’s population embroiled in the war, it is important to look beyond the battlefields and see how the conflict affected the domestic situations of the belligerent nations.
The British Commonwealth
Unsurprisingly the British Commonwealth with its multitude of different nations, dominions, and colonies coped with the first 17 months of the war in very different ways. While the Panic of 1976 continued to plague the economy, demand for soldiers and factory workers generally kept unemployment low throughout the Commonwealth. For some, the war proved to be the catalyst for greater autonomy at home. To help quell rumblings about the lack of representational government, Zambezia was granted dominion status on July 26, 1977. Henry Miyanda of the center-left African Dawn party was sworn in as Zambezia’s first prime minister in the capital city of Calx later that year. Led by the capable Prime Minister Thakur Diwan, Madras gained control over its foreign affairs and became a fully independent member of the Commonwealth on October 1, 1977. This measure drastically undercut URI efforts to paint the Madrasian government as a mere successor to the British Raj. Other areas became more restless such as Chad where a militant pro-independence movement was brewing.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Vaughan’s war cabinet composed of Tories, Imperial Progressives, and pro-war Liberals kept control of the government during the 1977 general election. However, anti-war Liberals and the Socialist Workers Party under the firebrand Keith Reece did gain seats in the House of Commons. Reece and the SWP continued to organize large street protests that often turned violent quickly becoming the focal point for a growing anti-war movement. In Ireland, the centrist government of Meridith O’Nullain struggled to hold on as opposition parties on both the right and left threatened to drive Ireland out of the war.
Keith Reece
Leader of the Socialist Workers Party
Kingdom of Portugal
With its Indian colonies overrun, Portugal threw itself into defending the rest of its empire from the corporatist powers. With 9.5 million inhabitants, Portugal sent several divisions to fight in India and maintained a sizable garrison on Timor to defend against the Japanese. Unfortunately, growing insurgencies in Portugal’s three African colonies of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea sapped the army’s strength. At home, the people became increasingly disenchanted with the repressive government of Premier Miguel Luíz Fernandes . As such, radical groups such as the Front for Democracy and the Communist League swelled in number. Fernandes along with the ageing King Manuel III authorized a crackdown on all groups deemed “subversive” a move that did little to fix Portugal’s simmering problems.
Miguel Luíz Fernandes
Premier of the Kingdom of Portugal
Empire of Japan
By the end of 1977, Japan was on a total war footing. The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were at their largest size in history. Industry was booming as raw materials from Japan’s recent conquests fed the Emperor’s enormous war machine. While the mood at home remained largely quiet, the social fabric of the empire was beginning to fray at the edges as the war’s early victories gave way to mounting casualties. Discontent was growing visibly in Korea where, despite millions of Koreans serving in the armed forces in some capacity, sabotage and underground resistance organizations spread like wildfire. Prime Minister Hayashi ordered bloody reprisals to be carried out in retaliation for any act of disloyalty. On June 24, 1977 at a munitions factory in Pyongyang over 50 civilians were summarily executed after arson destroyed the plant. Public anger over this incident resulted in two days of rioting throughout the Korean Peninsula before Japanese forces restored order. Commonwealth radio messages and leaflets dropped by Chinese aircraft exploited the situation and urged the Koreans to rise up against their Japanese masters.
United Republic of India
Having suffered reversals in Burma and the south the URI had, by the beginning of 1978, clearly lost the strategic initiative. The Commonwealth blockade was having a serious impact on the URI’s war effort causing shortages of everything from food, raw materials, and fuel. Furthermore, the bitter guerrilla war in Bengal and Assam had increased as Technate forces advanced further into neighboring Burma. In Bengal, Harshad Nandad’s response to the uprisings was brutal with civilians often caught in the crossfire. The fact that Bengali Muslims were being slaughtered by the usually Hindu URI troops inflamed religious tensions across the subcontinent especially in the Punjab and Sindh. Fueled by the belief that Muslim troops were being assigned the most dangerous combat tasks, violent demonstrations erupted in Karachi, Lahore, and Multan. Resistance to Nanda and the REP however was not limited to Muslims. Democrats, mostly Hindus, began forming organizations known as swastika societies that wished to reestablish the pre-URI republic. To the surprise of no one, the URI’s feared secret police the Internal Security Commission Antarika Suraksa Ayoga (ASA) clamped down on troublemakers, but it was becoming clear that the United Republic of India was coming unglued.
Flag of the former Indian Republic
Used covertly by most swastika societies
Technate of China
Although Technate forces were making admirable progress in Burma and Indochina, casualties had been high. Japanese bombers had inflicted significant damage on Chinese cities and the government struggled to handle the millions of displaced city dwellers. Nonetheless, the war provided ample employment for the Chinese masses. In addition, being part of a worldwide coalition against the Calcutta Compact gave the Technate some much-needed international legitimacy. While not everyone in China favored this third war against Japan in 80 years, the Technate’s Directorate of Information kept a close eye on any potential dissidents and crushed any meaningful opposition.
Republic of Venezuela
As the only corporatist power in the western hemisphere, Venezuela was used to feeling isolated. However, after losing control of Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelans were becoming increasingly unhappy about their position. After years of dictatorship under Saturnino and his predecessor Jacobo Chavarria, many were eager reinstitute a democratic government and end Venezuela’s isolation. Unfortunately for them Saturino still possessed a sizable army and air force and was far from giving up the fight. Frequent clashes with Colombian troops on the border however threatened to disastrously widen the war, but for now Saturnino tried to keep the LAR out of the conflict.
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Not everyone, as practically all governments are continuing the war. But as discussed antiwar groups of a variety of strips are cropping up due to a variety of factors such as economic hardships, high casualties, discrimination, and conscription.
It looks like Ireland, Portugal, and India are having the worst of it, though. At this rate, India is going to fracture into another small collection of warring states. The war will effectively be over in the west if that happens. If Japan doesn't peace out before then, the Korean peninsula will be flooded with the Chinese soon enough. Only, would that put them in a small kill-zone in range of the Home Island's defense? Time will tell.
As for Portugal, things are looking bad for the Kingdom. Unless the war, for them, ends soon, they're going to lose all of their colonies, as they don't have the manpower to keep them together. I don't see the current King and government, as it is, granting the three large colonies dominion-like status.
Then again, with all their defense of East Timor, they might actually manage to retain that (the natives seeing the lengths Portugal will go to defend them?), along with Capo Verde. (due to longer acclimatization if they still have it; don't recall seeing it mentioned) Just speculation, of course.
And Ireland is, well, Ireland. No real surprises there, other than they haven't rebelled yet.
Although, with the state of South America... Might we see bloody actions taken against the democratic forces, which would spur the Columbians, and then the rest of South America/North America, into action?
As for Portugal, things are looking bad for the Kingdom. Unless the war, for them, ends soon, they're going to lose all of their colonies, as they don't have the manpower to keep them together. I don't see the current King and government, as it is, granting the three large colonies dominion-like status.
Then again, with all their defense of East Timor, they might actually manage to retain that (the natives seeing the lengths Portugal will go to defend them?), along with Capo Verde. (due to longer acclimatization if they still have it; don't recall seeing it mentioned) Just speculation, of course.
And Ireland is, well, Ireland. No real surprises there, other than they haven't rebelled yet.
Although, with the state of South America... Might we see bloody actions taken against the democratic forces, which would spur the Columbians, and then the rest of South America/North America, into action?
What are the political standing in ideological terms of TTL British parties?
I suggest you change the name to Miguel Luíz Fernandes (I'm assuming that Portugal remaining a kingdom butterflied away the Portuguese Orthographic reform of 1911, and Luíz doesn't become Luís). Miguelito is a diminutive and would not be used in a formal name.
Keep it up, Mac Gregor!
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What are the political standing in ideological terms of TTL British parties?
I suggest you change the name to Miguel Luíz Fernandes (I'm assuming that Portugal remaining a kingdom butterflied away the Portuguese Orthographic reform of 1911, and Luíz doesn't become Luís). Miguelito is a diminutive and would not be used in a formal name.
Keep it up, Mac Gregor!
Good call on Fernandes. It is changed.
On Britain's political parties. The following in order of size have some representation in parliament.
Conservative: Center-Right, economically liberal, socially conservative, strong on defense spending, imperialist.
Liberal: Center-Left, economically liberal but favors some form of welfare state, socially liberal. Favors a decentralized Commonwealth.
Socialist Workers Party: Left Wing, trade union and worker's rights, anti-imperialist, socially progressive, favors strong welfare state.
Imperial Progressives: Centrist, strongly favors a closer Commonwealth.
Union Party: Right Wing, Composed mostly of Northern Irish Protestants.
Irish Democratic Party: Left Wing, Composed mostly of Northern Irish Catholics.
British Technocrats: Krulikism. Anti-monarchism.
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Looks good, Mac. Was wondering if South Africa was going to keep expanding north or not.
Thanks Luminous. Yeah, there was some discussion on whether Zambezia would join either South or East Africa, but in the end a separate Dominion seemed the most logical choice.
I think that there is enough in British Congo that Zambezia would desire. I'm not sure how the tribal groups line up across the border, but the Congo is a mess of different tribes already. If I'm correct, the south has the largest of the tribes by area.
And, more than anything, I think the Brits might want to keep a source of Uranium, along with other mineral deposits, in safe hands. British Congo is sparsely populated save for the region between Lubumbashi and Kolwezi. An independent British Congo would become a point of contention between Belgian Congo, Zambezia, East Africa, and Angola. I'd consider eventually ceding it to the nation, just so that the Brits keep good relations, and prevent any one African dominion from getting too large or staying too small.
Granted, borders are different than OTL, so the uranium might already be in Zambezia, rendering part of the argument null.
Looks like the Uranium mine is just barely still in British Congo or just barely in Zambezia. Can't quite tell since the Qbam is stretched.
Aye. What it appears. Well, the region from Dilolo to Luena should go to Zambezia, at least. I'm not sure if the Brits would want to save the rest as a bargaining chip with Belgium (and more importantly Germany) or if they wish to append all of part of it to East Africa or Zambezia. Without the entirety of the highly populated south, I don't see how the British Congo could (successfully) be independent.