Huh. That's an interesting idea. I kind of like it. But it may be too late, as it seems "wic" has dropped off by 1066.
These Hills Sing of Saxon Kings
- Thread starter Thermopylae
- Start date
Huh. That's an interesting idea. I kind of like it. But it may be too late, as it seems "wic" has dropped off by 1066.
Thande
Donor
As I said, it just literally means city. It was sometimes left on and sometimes taken off. It wasn't really part of the name, it was just like how New York City is sometimes just called New York.
It's a bit like how some American cities were once known as Fort X but are now just X.
I suppose then the biggest question is how we might morph Englisc into "Modern Englisc". As in, what does "Ceaster" become after ~950 years, etc etc.
Thande
Donor
It might depend on if Englisc ever becomes prescriptive, like French. Even the USA, not exactly a centre of the All Powerful Centralised Government, forced most of the towns to adopt standardised spelling at the turn of the 20th century. Only a few well established ones escaped (no-one's going to spell Pittsburgh as Pittsburg or New York as Newyork).
Same way. Why do you ask?
With the vastly different history, all of "Russia" ITTL might be counted as part of Asia.
Glen
Moderator
Map of the World. Wikified.
Are you not entertained?!
Yes, I am very, very entertained.
Hey guys.
Just bumping this to let you know that this is NOT dead, and you can expect an update on Saturday March 24th, a full month after the last update. We'll be taking this one to 2007.
Just bumping this to let you know that this is NOT dead, and you can expect an update on Saturday March 24th, a full month after the last update. We'll be taking this one to 2007.
Hey guys.
Just bumping this to let you know that this is NOT dead, and you can expect an update on Saturday March 24th, a full month after the last update. We'll be taking this one to 2007.
But that'll mean the TL will end
Must you curse us to an existence of no Anglo-Saxon TL's?the time has passed no uptade
Hey guys.
Just bumping this to let you know that this is NOT dead, and you can expect an update on Saturday March 24th, a full month after the last update. We'll be taking this one to 2007.
Hey guys, real sorry, l just want to let you know that the last portion will be up for sure tomorrow. The problem was twofold, you see. One, Friday through Monday have been much busier than usual (you will note that I haven't been on since Friday) and two, the update has grown absolutely huge. I'm barely halfway through and it's seven pages in Word (at a ten-point font). Frequent readers will note that updates generally don't get much larger than about seven pages. This one will. Oh, this one will.
But I'm just about finished, bear with me guys.
Better late than never, right?
But I'm just about finished, bear with me guys.
Better late than never, right?
Hey guys, real sorry, l just want to let you know that the last portion will be up for sure tomorrow. The problem was twofold, you see. One, Friday through Monday have been much busier than usual (you will note that I haven't been on since Friday) and two, the update has grown absolutely huge. I'm barely halfway through and it's seven pages in Word (at a ten-point font). Frequent readers will note that updates generally don't get much larger than about seven pages. This one will. Oh, this one will.
But I'm just about finished, bear with me guys.
Better late than never, right?
Of course! Can't wait for more!
Well, its done. And I'm quite happy with it. I hope you all enjoy, and I have immensely enjoyed (most of the time) collaborating with you to make this TL.
Here we are. To the present day.
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Companion maps to be made:
2007 Map
Religious distribution map
Map of Modern Bryten
FLAGS!!!!
Author's Observation: Something about a Holy Roman Emperor sitting on his throne in Frankfurt pondering how best to further peace in the global community just seems so... odd, to me... In a good way...
Here we are. To the present day.
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1951 AD - This year would prove to be a pivotal year in world history, one which would come to define all years after it. The effects would be far-reaching, felt across all the earth, and still felt to this day. Indeed, 1951 would prove to be one of those events in history which reaches out across both time and space.
The Empire and Federation were going through an identity crisis. In Flanders, the separation sentiment had once again begun to pick up steam. It wasn’t because of any fault of the Bryttisc or its own government (although dragging Flanders into the Great War certainly didn’t help). It was simply because that, to many Fleming eyes, the only threat which could ever come to the Flemish nation would arrive as a direct result of Imperial policy.
In India, both the Nationalist movement and the Integrational Movement were picking up with great celerity. Given that these two movements directly opposed each other on just about every single issue, it seemed as though if a solution concerning India were not reached, then India would tear itself apart from political infighting, and many feared that this land of almost half a billion people would bring the rest of the Empire down with it
In Africa, there wasn’t any great demand for independence as of yet, although the occasional African with a degree from Oxford would get upon a pulpit and speak of self-determination, either within or without the Federation. But these intellectuals chose the wrong time to begin their quest for independence (or integration, for that matter). Currently, the African provinces were prospering. And forty years post bellum, there were now a few industrialists seeking to tap into the manpower of Africa.
This meant a lot of things. But the most important was the concept of a railway system connecting Cairo to the Cape, and one connecting the Gold Coast to Mombassa. And to the delight of these industrialists, it turns out that the construction of such a structure was not only doable, but it was doable and even profitable! Many sections of such a railway had already been completed. It was simply a matter of filling in the gaps.
But to this upswing in events in Africa, there was a dark side. The cause of civil rights, which had been championed for Indians, was slow to make its way to Africa itself.
The two-tier citizenship (which, officially, did not exist) had arisen out of a single, solitary fact: the white, European settlers were, as they had always been, grossly outnumbered by black, native Africans. And while to many, perhaps most of the white South Africans it didn’t matter the color of your skin, to many South Africans, particularly those whose ancestors had been there for a long time, the difference between allowing black Africans equal “privileges” and keeping them as second class citizens was the difference between civilization and barbarism. Christianity and barbarism. Freedom, and despotism.
Throw into all this turmoil another political issue and you have yourself a potential problem.
And that issue was called “Bryttisc Primacy”
The Federal Government (in reference to the Imperial Federation) was set up as such that it held power over all the lands across the Empire, including the Bryttisc Witan. However, the Bryttisc Witan held certain powers over all the separate devolved Witans. These were not wide-ranging powers, but they were significant. The first was that Lunden controlled all military directly. There were no autonomous militaries, and yet the various states represented within the Federation were still expected to shell out for whatever military was stationed there.
Because all military answered directly to Lunden, the power of war declaration also fell upon Lunden.
The other significant powers include the appointment of a Governor, to act as a counterbalance to the Prime Minister of the devolved Witan, and to make sure that the actions of the state in question were not contradictory to Imperial, and more specifically Bryttisc policy. The last most important power was the right of the Bryttisc Witan to impose taxes as it saw fit, which the various devolved Witans were allowed to modify by a certain percentage. (This percentage has fluctuated from time to time. Generally speaking during wartime the tax was modifiable up to ~5%, but during peacetime it was up to ~20%)
The tax power was not without its balances, however. The Ábúfanwitenagemot was free to vote on taxes as it saw fit, and any tax imposed by Lunden and repealed by Witanceaster could not be reinstituted for a four-year period, unless by agreement by Lunden and the Witan of the state in question.
Still, these issues had grown quite close to the hearts of many Federals (citizens of the Federation, as opposed to Imperials/Colonials), and by 1951 it had grown to become an issue.
Among the puppet-states of the Bryttisc Empire, things were as they had always been. The only real problems were in Japan, where many wished to further the substantial Japanese industry which had sprung up in the last century, namely through the construction of even more factories, and through the acquisition of raw materials via conquest if necessary.
And so when the Ábúfanwitenagemot was set to convene in 1955, there would be a great deal of issues which needed to be resolved.
1952 AD – The uneasy government in Russia is finally toppled. The Muscovy Republic is the first to devolve into civil war, then the Novgorod Republic is brought down with it. When Crimea makes a bid to control the last Russian ports on the Black Sea, Ukraine contemplates entering, but doesn’t even get the chance to before the very rumor of a foreign war sends the fledgling kingdom into a state of civil war.
The Kingdom of Lithuania was perhaps the only nation in the area in a position to try and help maintain peace in Russia, however its hands were tied by the Treaty of Berlin, which expressly stated that Russia was entirely off-limits when it came to military intervention.
This civil war did not immediately affect the world. Indeed, no nation would express any remorse that faraway, remote Russia was in turmoil (although some aid was sent by the Scandinavian nations to assist Novgorod, whose best interest was in keeping the Novgorod Republic both open and stable). However, the various revolutions which had broken out, which were either nationalist or communist in nature, would change everything.
1953 AD – As war raged on in Russia, new problems were beginning to develop in China. China’s old monarchy had been for the longest time supported by the European powers. Whenever there was any hint of trouble one European power or another would, in the interest of defending its own assets, rush in to save the Emperor and his kingdom.
This is not a good way to maintain control over a state.
Not a good way at all, especially when your people have near-constant exposure to dangerous outside ideas, ideas like democracy, communism, and nationalism.
And so in 1953 it came to pass that there was to be a series of revolts across China.
And this time there was no European power rushing in to stop the revolts. Quite simply, the Chinese monarchy had outgrown its usefulness to the westerners. There was no longer any burning NEED of anything from China. Sure, Europe loved its tea, and its porcelain, and it silks and other fineries, however nothing absolutely necessary came from China anymore, and if trade had to be cut off whilst China works out its problems, then so be it.
To put it bluntly, the Bryttisc Empire, and the rest of Europe, had grown a bit tired of war.
There were those in Lunden who clamored for war, saying that the interests of the Bryttisc Empire must be protected in Asia, but these simply failed to gain any large degree of support.
There were, however, individuals with other ideas in Japan.
The Japanese military had become in a very short span of time a very, very powerful one (however both outnumbered and outclassed by the Bryttisc), and there were those who sought to create in Asia a Japanese Empire. Japanese industrialists were also quite interested in gaining access to their own direct markets, rather than having to go through the Spice Islands Company.
But Lunden was firm on the matter. No. Absolutely not. Japan shall not be expanding its own borders. In no way shape or form.
Or at least, Lunden was quite firm, until one group of Chinese revolutionaries strung-up Bryttisc navy captain Marten Fiscar whilst he was in Shanghai. Or when said group of revolutionaries blew up the “Morcar,” a ship which was in port at the time.
Lunden was up in arms, but the Federation too was up in arms, mainly because each state suffered some sort of casualty with the sinking of the Morcar, from Avalonians to Niwelanders, Greater Saxons and South Africans, Australians and Indians, all suffered some sort of loss.
And so the helping Japan build an empire in Asia didn’t seem at all that bad now that China was beginning to cause problems for the Empire and Federation.
On November 11th, 1953, present with observers from all the states of the Federation, the Lunden Witenagemot resolved to supply Japan with guns, tanks, airplanes and ammunition.
The Bryttisc had no real plan, but knew that a Japanese-controlled China would be easier for the Empire to control than a Chinese-controlled China.
With only two years left before the convening of the Ábúfanwitenagemot, the Federation was beginning t divide on the various issues. Two major coalitions had begun to form. The Fascist Coalition, which believed very strongly in Bryttisc primacy as a means of efficiently executing the measures of the Ábúfanwitenagemot, and the Libran Coalition, one entirely against Bryttisc primacy and sought to make every state in the Federation equal. The Fascist Coalition derived its name from the symbol which it had used, the fasces, a symbol of strength through unity. Likewise the Libran Coalition derived its name from the symbol which it had used, the scales, to represent complete equality of all the states in the Federation.
1954 AD – In this year, the Chinese and Russian revolutions continue, and Japan has Manchuria almost entirely under its control, thanks to Bryttisc help, and a few key ports such as Shanghai are also under occupation as well. Korea, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Japanese aggression, willingly submits itself as a protectorate of the Bryttisc Empire.
In Russia, the Ukraine pulls itself out of its own civil war. Novgorod, with Swedish and Danish assistance, is able to pull through its own troubles after over two years of bitter fighting. In Muscovy however the conflict has only just begun. It is a multi-sided war, with nationalist revolutions on the Asian steppe (Kazaks, etc.), and a bitter struggle between the Russian Communist and Nationalist forces.
Japan also has begun contemplating taking control of as much of Siberia as it can possibly get a hold of as soon as the conflict is over, as a means of both gaining access to the resources there, and as a means of ending Russia’s toehold on the Pacific. This measure is met with great enthusiasm in Lunden, however the war in China is much, much more pressing.
Political tensions reach fever pitch across the empire as election results are tallied.
1955 AD – The meeting of the Fourteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot. The Fascist Coalition wins with a narrow majority.
There were many issues on the table. The issue of Flemish secession from the Federation, the issue of exactly who controls the Imperial military and who pays for it, the ever-present issue of India (almost all of the Princely States had applied to join the Federation, and there had been many appeals to end direct Imperial control over India altogether), the right of Lunden to tax Federal states, and many others.
Flanders was denied independence, however was granted near-complete control over its internal affairs (Lunden was no longer allowed to impose any tax on Flanders, a small victory for the Librans).
The Princely States of India were allowed entrance into the Federation in their entirety. The advantages of being a part of the Federation simply outweighed the rather paltry disadvantages, which were lack of direct control over own military, and that they were subject to taxation by Lunden.
It had been noted, particularly by the Libran Coalition, that the Indian Nationalist Movement, which sought to establish a separate extra-federal Indian state had the most support in sections of India outside of the Princely States, the sections of India under direct Imperial control.
The Libran Coalition understood fully that if most of India was to remain under direct Imperial control, then slowly but surely the Indian nationalists would take control, and chances are it would result in violence. The revolutionary fervor which had plunged China and Russia into utter darkness, and was beginning to take hold of such places as Romania, Hungary, the Germiyanid Empire, and Siam, was now beginning to show through in the rhetoric of prominent Indian nationalists.
The Great Indian Debacle as it was referred to would keep the Ábúfanwitenagemot debating for a full month, with a total of 15 voted being taken before a measure was finally pushed through which would end all direct Imperial control over India (except over a choice few key ports) by 1957. This measure would seal India’s fate, and mark a new chapter in the Great Subcontinent’s history.
The next great item on the agenda for the fourteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot was the issue of Lunden’s right to impose taxes on the Federal states. And while these taxes were greatly adjustable, they were still taxes imposed by a legislative body not representative of the people who are being taxed.
An agreement was reached whereby any tax imposed on a foreign state must be imposed as well on all states of the Federation (the practice beforehand had been to impose a Federal Tax on certain areas of the Empire). In addition the tax could be repealed at any time with a 3:1 majority in the devolved Witan of the relevant state, except in times of war, where Federal defense depends on the tax revenue.
To further regulate taxes, the Ábúfanwitenagemot had to review the Federal tax plan at every meeting, in its entirety. In addition, the Ábúfanwitenagemot was to convene during the midterm (2.5 years), strictly to review Federal Tax Policy.
As for the control of the military, the Fascist Coalition held, unanimously voting down any proposal that there be autonomous militaries for each of the states.
The 14th Ábúfanwitenagemot closed, with just about everybody happy. Compromises were made which would come to define the Federation and the world for the rest of the century.
On June 6th, 1955, the first direct communications satellite was launched. Soon it would be possible to see any event in any part of the globe live on television. (Author’s Note – Because the “first age of globalization” had never really come to a close as a result of OTL’s WWI, and because there had yet to be an ensuing Great Depression, combined with the fact that there was no Cold War as such has led to the flourishing of communications technologies. OTL’s analogue to this technology, the Telstar, would not be launched until 1962.)
In Asia, most of coastal China had been taken over by Japan and the rest by revolutionaries of varying shades. It now seemed high time to end the conflict, however in the face of such success Japan was reluctant to pull the plug on the operation.
That was, until Bryten threatened to pull the plug on oil shipments, which was needed to sustain momentum. Japan had no choice. Its own oil reserves were miniscule, compared to the vast reserves at the disposal of the Federation. Japan tried to get its oil from Mexico and various other countries (who would have been able to provide enough oil to allow Japan to sustain the conflict), however supplying oil to Japan was just too hot diplomatically. Not to mention that it would violate outright the years of friendship between the Bryttisc and Japanese nations.
Russia continued to boil over in civil war, however it had become clear that the communists would win. And it had also become clear that the Asian steppe, too, would be free of Russian rule for the first time in centuries.
1956 AD – The Germiyanid Empire erupts into civil war, as Turkish nationalists seize the capital, Arab nationalists seize their respective territories, and the Germiyanid royal family is forced to flee to, of all places, Greece. The implosion of the Germiyanid state can be chalked up mostly to the rise of Arab nationalism, chronic corruption within the government itself (which meant that oil revenues went to rich Turks in Constantinople rather than the Arabs who retrieved the oil), and a counterpart Turkish nationalist movement, which sought to redefine the Germiyanid state.
At the same time, Wallachia and Moldavia unify as Romania. Hungary is wracked with civil unrest, with calls for greater democracy in Budapest, and calls for secession from Transylvania.
1957 AD – The end of direct Imperial control over India. India is carved up among various Princes. With the impetus for the Indian Nationalist movement gone, the INP was largely made unimportant in Indian politics. However, the Indian Integration Movement would very shortly begin to utilize the sometimes-despotic rule of the Princes to their advantage.
Meanwhile, communist victory in the Muscovy Republic was attained. The Muscovy Republic was officially renamed the Socialist Republic of Russia. Japan concluded the Treaty of Wuhan with various Chinese states, and the war in Asia was mostly over.
The King of Hungary and claimant Holy Roman Emperor is forced to make drastic reforms in order to keep his realm together.
Japan wishes to wage a continuation war with Russia for control over its Siberian territories, however both the Japanese higher-ups and Lunden are tired of supporting military adventurism.
Or at least, East Asian military adventurism. Lunden was happy to support the ongoing rebellions in the Germiyanid Empire through more secretive channels. After all, Bryten needed to make sure that these new political entities soon to emerge were on friendly terms with the Federation, so as both to secure Middle Eastern oil, and the Suez Canal.
1958 AD – The final sections of the Cape-to-Cairo and Mombassa-to-Accra railways are completed in this year. The major hub for all these railways is Mombassa, and it does not take long before Mombassa is referred to as the “Hub of Africa”.
The completion of the railway marks the beginning of a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization of Africa, which will force great changes on the continent and the people thereof. With the complete severance of both Russia and (until recently) China from European investors, Africa had attracted a glut of industrialists looking to tap into Africa’s natural resources and large labor force.
1959 AD – There are rumblings in Indonesia of potentially joining the Ábúfanwitenagemot, however there are too many internal squabbles to make it a reality at the Fifteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot, such as how to structure a state with so many different ethnicities, no common pre-colonial heritage or language, where the capital ought to be, etc. etc.
1960 AD – The Fifteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot convenes. Minor business compared to the last meeting.
Wilhelm VII died in 1960. He is succeeded by his second son (Wilhelm VIII had died as a prince many years back) Ian I (Ian is, by the way, the closest Englisc approximate to “John”).
1961 AD – Troubles in the Middle East largely end. The Germiyanids are allowed to return as purely symbolic figures, and Georgia, Armenia, and the Arab rebels all attain independence.
While cozying-up to the Arab revolutionaries did assist the Bryttisc Empire in maintaining a strong presence in the new Middle East, these new, independent Arab states served as inspirations to the growing number of Arab nationalists who had cropped-up in Bryttisc Arabia.
And like their Indian counterparts, these Arab nationalists were a little less than interested in the prospect of becoming a part of the Federation.
1963 AD – Tensions in South Africa reach fever pitch. Sections of Gáralandbúend are burned to the ground in the Ndebele Riots of 1963, so named for the young boy Leofwine Ndebele. Leofwine Ndebele was killed in an act of police brutality, which sparked riots all across South Africa.
In Lunden it was quite clear that something had to be done concerning the problem of race relations in South Africa.
1964 AD – Many of the new Indian Princely States were clamoring for admittance into the Ábúfanwitenagemot. These motions were quite popular, as a return to the near-despotism of Princely rule was not looked on favorably by the Indian people, who were used to Imperial laws and regulations, which had given them rights as subjects of the Empire. These rights, however, were not guaranteed under the satellite states run by the Princes.
1965 AD – The meeting of the sixteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot. The two major issues which were dealt with were the admittance of Indonesia into the Ábúfanwitenagemot, and the issue of exactly what was going on in South Africa.
Concerning Indonesia, it was certainly not an easy battle for admission. According to the laws, the admission of Indonesia would require that there be ten new representatives be added to represent Indonesia when the Ábúfanwitenagemot meets. This should not have been a problem, however many mistakenly felt that it would be like giving the Indians an extra ten representatives.
In the end Indonesia was to be granted admission into the Ábúfanwitenagemot, with the capital at Singapore. Exactly how much territory was to be granted to Indonesia still needed to be worked out, hence the reason why Indonesia could not be admitted until 1967. Many were in favor of only taking in Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and yet others still wanted all the islands between Annam and Australia, along with Formosa and the St. Vincent Isles/Antonines (OTL Philippines).
South Africa had become quite a problem, and it had become clear that the current administration was incapable of doing anything about its own situation and that this issue had to be resolved by the highest authority in the Federation.
It wasn’t simply a problem in South Africa. It was in the Niweland states and Australia as well (albeit to a much, much smaller degree). However in the end the Federal and Imperial Civil Rights Act was passed through the Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1966 AD – Aden is returned to the Sheikh of Yemen, for the first time since 1825.
1967 AD – Indonesia is admitted into the Ábúfanwitenagemot. All islands between Southeast Asia and Australia would make up the state, and the Antonines would be a sub-state of Indonesia for a total of ten years, whereupon a plebiscite would be held to determine the status of the Antonine people. Formosa was to remain under direct Bryttisc control.
1968 AD – A busy year in Asia. The Siamese Empire devolved into ethnic infighting. Siam called on Bryten for aid. Indeed with Bryttisc aid the kings of Siam had brought almost all of Southeast Asia under their heel, barring a weak Annamese state and Burma. But there was not enough support in Lunden to get involved with a state that wasn’t even officially associated with the Empire and Federation.
The last few Indian Princes were forced to apply for admission into the Federation. It was the logical conclusion of Bryttisc imperial rule, which had created a well-to-do non-royal class of Indians whose prosperity had begun to take a dive when the direct imperial rule had ended. Couple this with the fact that the membership in the Federation meant near-complete independence in and of itself and joining the Federation was the only natural option.
1969 AD – A second wave of Chinese revolutions occurs, these with no particular ideology except that if there HAD to be a despot ruling over them, it had damned well be a Chinese despot and not a Japanese emperor sitting content far from all the troubles in China.
The Federation refused, this time around, to support Japan in its struggle. It simply had a lot more to deal with internally than it once did, not to mention the fact that supporting Japan in imperial ambitions just wasn’t as popular with the public as it once was.
In this same year, Arab nationalist demonstrations occur across Bryttisc Arabia. On occasion these demonstrations would go from peaceful protests to dangerous riots. Twelve Bryttisc Army officers were killed in Riyadh riots.
In 1969, the Crimean state collapsed due to infighting (not to mention the fact that it didn’t really have a strong national identity in the first place). The Russian Socialist Republic descends upon Simferopol, and it is conquered outright.
1970 AD – The 17th Ábúfanwitenagemot. The major issues tackled were the admission of the rest of India as a part of the Federation, and exactly what was to be done with Arabia.
India was admitted in full. There was no reason not to. Indians were already a part of the Federation, and they would gain no additional representatives in the Second House (the House where representatives aren’t based on population), and their entrance would serve only the strengthen the Federation, both militarily and economically.
However, there really was quite a stir over Arabia.
On the one hand, the Arabs had clearly shown a desire for self-determination, a desire which was respected by the Federation’s highest institutions. On the other, the Bryttisc controlled a huge, huge, huge portion of the world’s oil so long as Arabia remained in Bryttisc hands.
The ensuing debate was nothing less than a political bloodbath, with death threats and accusations of being in bed with Arab nationalists/big oil being exchanged by both sides. Perhaps the most memorable quote came from one Marten Smiþ: “The right to self-determination is a constant for everyone—no matter how much oil they sit on top of.”
Indeed, it seemed as though the Ábúfanwitenagemot would not be able to reach an agreement. However, the decision was finally reached to grant independence to Nejd. The thinking was that either the Arabs will break off the Bryttisc Empire on relatively-friendly terms, or they will find a sympathetic ear for their cause in Russia, or France, or Spain, or anybody else for that matter.
1971 AD – Japan loses much ground in China, being beaten back to Manchuria and a few coastal cities.
1972 AD – Nejd is proclaimed a Republic, and with the form of government decided on independence was granted. All direct Bryttisc control over Arabia officially ends (except Bahrain, which is maintained as a base for the Bryttisc Imperial Navy).
1973 AD – Japan is forced to sign a peace treaty, handing over all their Chinese lands except Manchuria.
Now that the Japanese are gone, China finds itself divided. The most prominent among these is the Guangzhou Republic, a mildly successful state formed with the signing of the Treaty of Wuhan. Less prosperous but more vast was the Socialist States of China. The less-developed internal portions of China had made the adoption of Communism only natural.
Mongolia (which had gained independence in the Russian civil war) had swelled to become a very large state during the turmoil of the Chinese Revolution and the ensuing Japanese invasion. And even further to the west, motivated by the revolutions of various other East Asian people, Sinkiang had proclaimed itself its own independent republic. Tibet continued to remain a political island, safe on its lofty plateau.
In the north, stretching from Beijing to Shanghai was the newly-formed Chinese Republic, ruled by a weak provisional government and run largely by various strongmen.
But these conditions made the Chinese Republic ripe for outside influence.
The Socialist States of China knew that the Chinese Republic was economically devastated, first by the Chinese Revolutions, then the Japanese Invasion, then the Second Chinese Revolution. These conditions meant that it was entirely feasible that the Chinese Communist Party’s Chinese Republic branch could very well gain enough clout in Beijing to unify the Socialist States of China with the Chinese Republic. With so much of China under its control, it wouldn’t be long before the Guangzhou Republic cracked, and all of China would be united under the Red banner.
And the Guangzhou Republic was well aware of all this.
What would ensue would be a political battle for the ages, a battle which would determine the fate of China.
Meanwhile, in Africa, African nationalist movements were finally gaining some steam. Africa had greatly industrialized over the last twenty years, and now had the economic means of standing on its own two feet. And the Africans had begun to notice: particularly, those in Mombassa, the economic hub of all Africa.
And thus, things could only get worse when Mauritania was granted independence by Aragon in that year. And when Mozambique was granted independence by Portugal things could only get worse. Much worse.
1974 AD – Ian Ng’ethe, a Mombassa native, champions the independence of Africans, making fiery speeches up and down the Cape-to-Cairo and Accra-to-Mombassa railways.
1975 AD – The 18th Ábúfanwitenagemot. The problems of Africa could not and would not be addressed in Witanceaster, because the African colonies were under the jurisdiction of Lunden. It was an Imperial, not a Federal, problem and thus the Federation could not do anything about the matter.
Instead, most of the meeting was spent discussing the more mundane matters of running a superstate, such as Federal taxes, the Federal budget, etc. etc.
Indeed, Europe (excepting the Russian Revolutions, and the minor Romanian-Hungarian Conflict in 1957) had been at peace since the end of the Great War in 1915. That’s 60 years of peace, the longest stretch of time without any kind of European conflict in a very, very long time.
Of course, things were beginning to take a dive in many countries.
The problem lay in the Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general. These countries were languishing in ineffective government and such conditions often set the tone for effective yet dangerous regimes.
But aside from general corruption and a lack of prosperity, there was no sign that things could ever become heated. Sure, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia squabbled over who owned Istria. And yes, Bulgaria was perennially arguing with Turkey as to who owned Western Thrace. And it was only to be expected that the Serbs would bicker with the Bosniaks and the South Serbia and Vojvodina as to who owns what.
In this year, Burma was granted independence from the Bryttisc Empire.
1976 AD – The Serb Republic of Bosnia officially declares war on the Bosniak Republic. Serbia backs up the SRB. The Bosniaks appeal to Croatia for help, as there were various Croat communities scattered throughout Bosnia. Croatia accepts.
Slovenia takes the opportunity to press its own claims on Croatia, and after being refused Slovenia allies itself with the SRB and Serbia. Slovenia is allied to Germany, but Germany at the behest of Bryten stops short of actually sending troops, and instead sends military strategists, materiel, and begins an program targeted at convincing Slovenes in Germany to enlist in the Slovenian army.
Beyond this, the war was largely contained. Bulgaria contemplated assisting Serbia, in return for a guarantee that Serbia would turn around and assist Bulgaria in the seizure of Western Thrace, however the plan, proposed by the Bulgarian government, failed to materialize into any formal measure.
In this year, the Bryttisc Empire places a man on the moon.
1977 AD – In Lunden, the Emancipation of African Colonies Act had finally been pushed through Witenagemot. In a nutshell, it set a deadline for self-government in Africa, through a process of gradually phasing out old colonial institutions and replacing it with African governments (themselves largely taking on the structure and framework of said colonial institutions). The deadline for the independence of half the colonies? 1985.
After the establishment of an independent government, the new state would hold a plebiscite as to whether to join the Federation or to remain outside of the Federation entirely.
What was non-negotiable (at least until 1995) was the emerging states’ participation in the “Pan-African Free Trade Agreement”. PAFTA was designed to maintain the free-flow of goods and people which had existed under the Imperial system.
Speaking of plebiscites, the Antonines voted to remain as a sub-state of Indonesia, with its own Witenagemot. The relationship between Indonesia and the Antonines is akin to the relationship between England and Scotland, with many powers devolved to the Antonine Witenagemot.
1978 AD – The Republic of China adopts a formal Constitution. The Communist Party of China was unable to gain enough ground to topple the Provisional Government, although the Communist Party remained a strong force in RC politics.
1979 AD – Treaty of Vienna was negotiated to end the fighting in the Balkans. The only thing that had brought them all to the table was the threat of a German “peacekeeping mission” to end the conflict in the Balkans.
In it, Croatia agreed to cede all claims to Istria, in return for the Livno State of the Bosniak Republic, among various other border adjustments.
The Treaty called for the creation of a “Pan-Balkans Congress” to promote dialogue between the various ethnic groups in that region. By the end of 1979, all Balkans states agreed to participate in such an international body. Until a proper meeting place could be agreed upon, Nuremburg was to be the meeting place of the Pan-Balkans Congress, which was to meet every five years.
1980 AD – The 19th Ábúfanwitenagemot. Again, minor business dealt with.
The status of all the Caribbean islands was finally clearly-defined. Previously they had been territories of Greater Saxony, and now they were to be “Federal Territory,” until a plebiscite was held as to their status. That they would constitute a new state in the Ábúfanwitenagemot was a foregone conclusion, the question was whether the Caribbean Territories would be admitted as a single state or whether they would admit themselves as separate states.
1981 AD – In the wake of the Balkans Wars and the turmoil in China, Germany (and, more specifically, the Holy Roman Emperor) calls for an international summit to determine how best to help maintain global peace.
1982 AD—The Federation agrees to allow the summit called for by the Holy Roman Emperor to be held in Calcutta.
1984 AD – The Calcutta Summit is held, with a meeting of most of the world’s leaders (or representatives of them), to discuss the maintenance of peace in the global community. It was a very fruitful summit, with many issues having been aired and grievances settled.
The Holy Roman Emperor called for the establishment of a “Global Congress” (inspired by the Pan-Balkans Congress), an international organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and diplomatic discourse. Even with the idea in its infancy, Germany, Bryten, France, Spain, Portugal, Aragon and Italy were already onboard for such an idea.
1985 AD – The Emancipation of African Colonies Act’s deadline was met. A second set of deadlines was set for the rest of the Empire’s African territories, which was 1993.
This year marks the meeting of the 20th Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1986 AD – Meeting of the first Global Congress.
1988 AD – Italy finally gives in to the pressure to let go of its own North African territories. Italy had been, much like Bryten had, sitting on top of a rather large quantity of oil in Libya, and it was for this reason that no independence was granted until so recently.
1990 AD – Meeting of the 21st Ábúfanwitenagemot. The major issue tackled here was, once again, control of the military. Many had felt that it was unfair that the military be solely governed by London, and that there was no Federal army. Or autonomous armies for the states, for that matter.
But despite strong calls for the formation of a Federal army, nothing was done. Lunden would remain in control of its Imperial Army.
1991 AD – Death of Ian I. Succeeded by his son, Ian II.
1993 AD – The second deadline for the Emancipation of African Colonies Act was met. Except for Bryttisc Gold Coast and Bryttisc Linnea (Linnea is roughly OTL’s Nigeria, named after the Linnea River, OTL’s Niger River)
1994 AD – Portugal, under immense international pressure, grants independence to the Congo.
1995 AD – The meeting of the 22nd Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1996 AD – Bryttisc Gold Coast and Bryttisc Linnea are granted independence. This year, to most historians, marks the official end of the Bryttisc Empire (although it is popular among many historians to argue that the end, or at least the beginning of it, of the Empire came with the 14th Ábúfanwitenagemot, which had laid the groundwork for a strong Federation and a trend of self-determination among the various peoples of the Empire)
1997 AD – The end of one-party rule in Russia. The beginning of the Russian Democratic Republic.
1998 AD – The collapse of the Socialist States of China. It had simply no means of competing with the more prosperous Chinese Republics along the coast.
1999 AD – The Japanese pull out of Manchuria. Manchuria is made an independent country.
The Republic of China, the Guanzhou Republic, and the Former Socialist States of China all agree to unification. China is reunited for the first time since 1953, under a democratic government.
2000 AD – The meeting of the 23rd Ábúfanwitenagemot.
2003 AD – The breakup of the Duchy of Lithuania into Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
2005 AD – The meeting of the 24th Ábúfanwitenagemot.
2007 AD – The present day.
The Empire and Federation were going through an identity crisis. In Flanders, the separation sentiment had once again begun to pick up steam. It wasn’t because of any fault of the Bryttisc or its own government (although dragging Flanders into the Great War certainly didn’t help). It was simply because that, to many Fleming eyes, the only threat which could ever come to the Flemish nation would arrive as a direct result of Imperial policy.
In India, both the Nationalist movement and the Integrational Movement were picking up with great celerity. Given that these two movements directly opposed each other on just about every single issue, it seemed as though if a solution concerning India were not reached, then India would tear itself apart from political infighting, and many feared that this land of almost half a billion people would bring the rest of the Empire down with it
In Africa, there wasn’t any great demand for independence as of yet, although the occasional African with a degree from Oxford would get upon a pulpit and speak of self-determination, either within or without the Federation. But these intellectuals chose the wrong time to begin their quest for independence (or integration, for that matter). Currently, the African provinces were prospering. And forty years post bellum, there were now a few industrialists seeking to tap into the manpower of Africa.
This meant a lot of things. But the most important was the concept of a railway system connecting Cairo to the Cape, and one connecting the Gold Coast to Mombassa. And to the delight of these industrialists, it turns out that the construction of such a structure was not only doable, but it was doable and even profitable! Many sections of such a railway had already been completed. It was simply a matter of filling in the gaps.
But to this upswing in events in Africa, there was a dark side. The cause of civil rights, which had been championed for Indians, was slow to make its way to Africa itself.
The two-tier citizenship (which, officially, did not exist) had arisen out of a single, solitary fact: the white, European settlers were, as they had always been, grossly outnumbered by black, native Africans. And while to many, perhaps most of the white South Africans it didn’t matter the color of your skin, to many South Africans, particularly those whose ancestors had been there for a long time, the difference between allowing black Africans equal “privileges” and keeping them as second class citizens was the difference between civilization and barbarism. Christianity and barbarism. Freedom, and despotism.
Throw into all this turmoil another political issue and you have yourself a potential problem.
And that issue was called “Bryttisc Primacy”
The Federal Government (in reference to the Imperial Federation) was set up as such that it held power over all the lands across the Empire, including the Bryttisc Witan. However, the Bryttisc Witan held certain powers over all the separate devolved Witans. These were not wide-ranging powers, but they were significant. The first was that Lunden controlled all military directly. There were no autonomous militaries, and yet the various states represented within the Federation were still expected to shell out for whatever military was stationed there.
Because all military answered directly to Lunden, the power of war declaration also fell upon Lunden.
The other significant powers include the appointment of a Governor, to act as a counterbalance to the Prime Minister of the devolved Witan, and to make sure that the actions of the state in question were not contradictory to Imperial, and more specifically Bryttisc policy. The last most important power was the right of the Bryttisc Witan to impose taxes as it saw fit, which the various devolved Witans were allowed to modify by a certain percentage. (This percentage has fluctuated from time to time. Generally speaking during wartime the tax was modifiable up to ~5%, but during peacetime it was up to ~20%)
The tax power was not without its balances, however. The Ábúfanwitenagemot was free to vote on taxes as it saw fit, and any tax imposed by Lunden and repealed by Witanceaster could not be reinstituted for a four-year period, unless by agreement by Lunden and the Witan of the state in question.
Still, these issues had grown quite close to the hearts of many Federals (citizens of the Federation, as opposed to Imperials/Colonials), and by 1951 it had grown to become an issue.
Among the puppet-states of the Bryttisc Empire, things were as they had always been. The only real problems were in Japan, where many wished to further the substantial Japanese industry which had sprung up in the last century, namely through the construction of even more factories, and through the acquisition of raw materials via conquest if necessary.
And so when the Ábúfanwitenagemot was set to convene in 1955, there would be a great deal of issues which needed to be resolved.
1952 AD – The uneasy government in Russia is finally toppled. The Muscovy Republic is the first to devolve into civil war, then the Novgorod Republic is brought down with it. When Crimea makes a bid to control the last Russian ports on the Black Sea, Ukraine contemplates entering, but doesn’t even get the chance to before the very rumor of a foreign war sends the fledgling kingdom into a state of civil war.
The Kingdom of Lithuania was perhaps the only nation in the area in a position to try and help maintain peace in Russia, however its hands were tied by the Treaty of Berlin, which expressly stated that Russia was entirely off-limits when it came to military intervention.
This civil war did not immediately affect the world. Indeed, no nation would express any remorse that faraway, remote Russia was in turmoil (although some aid was sent by the Scandinavian nations to assist Novgorod, whose best interest was in keeping the Novgorod Republic both open and stable). However, the various revolutions which had broken out, which were either nationalist or communist in nature, would change everything.
1953 AD – As war raged on in Russia, new problems were beginning to develop in China. China’s old monarchy had been for the longest time supported by the European powers. Whenever there was any hint of trouble one European power or another would, in the interest of defending its own assets, rush in to save the Emperor and his kingdom.
This is not a good way to maintain control over a state.
Not a good way at all, especially when your people have near-constant exposure to dangerous outside ideas, ideas like democracy, communism, and nationalism.
And so in 1953 it came to pass that there was to be a series of revolts across China.
And this time there was no European power rushing in to stop the revolts. Quite simply, the Chinese monarchy had outgrown its usefulness to the westerners. There was no longer any burning NEED of anything from China. Sure, Europe loved its tea, and its porcelain, and it silks and other fineries, however nothing absolutely necessary came from China anymore, and if trade had to be cut off whilst China works out its problems, then so be it.
To put it bluntly, the Bryttisc Empire, and the rest of Europe, had grown a bit tired of war.
There were those in Lunden who clamored for war, saying that the interests of the Bryttisc Empire must be protected in Asia, but these simply failed to gain any large degree of support.
There were, however, individuals with other ideas in Japan.
The Japanese military had become in a very short span of time a very, very powerful one (however both outnumbered and outclassed by the Bryttisc), and there were those who sought to create in Asia a Japanese Empire. Japanese industrialists were also quite interested in gaining access to their own direct markets, rather than having to go through the Spice Islands Company.
But Lunden was firm on the matter. No. Absolutely not. Japan shall not be expanding its own borders. In no way shape or form.
Or at least, Lunden was quite firm, until one group of Chinese revolutionaries strung-up Bryttisc navy captain Marten Fiscar whilst he was in Shanghai. Or when said group of revolutionaries blew up the “Morcar,” a ship which was in port at the time.
Lunden was up in arms, but the Federation too was up in arms, mainly because each state suffered some sort of casualty with the sinking of the Morcar, from Avalonians to Niwelanders, Greater Saxons and South Africans, Australians and Indians, all suffered some sort of loss.
And so the helping Japan build an empire in Asia didn’t seem at all that bad now that China was beginning to cause problems for the Empire and Federation.
On November 11th, 1953, present with observers from all the states of the Federation, the Lunden Witenagemot resolved to supply Japan with guns, tanks, airplanes and ammunition.
The Bryttisc had no real plan, but knew that a Japanese-controlled China would be easier for the Empire to control than a Chinese-controlled China.
With only two years left before the convening of the Ábúfanwitenagemot, the Federation was beginning t divide on the various issues. Two major coalitions had begun to form. The Fascist Coalition, which believed very strongly in Bryttisc primacy as a means of efficiently executing the measures of the Ábúfanwitenagemot, and the Libran Coalition, one entirely against Bryttisc primacy and sought to make every state in the Federation equal. The Fascist Coalition derived its name from the symbol which it had used, the fasces, a symbol of strength through unity. Likewise the Libran Coalition derived its name from the symbol which it had used, the scales, to represent complete equality of all the states in the Federation.
1954 AD – In this year, the Chinese and Russian revolutions continue, and Japan has Manchuria almost entirely under its control, thanks to Bryttisc help, and a few key ports such as Shanghai are also under occupation as well. Korea, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Japanese aggression, willingly submits itself as a protectorate of the Bryttisc Empire.
In Russia, the Ukraine pulls itself out of its own civil war. Novgorod, with Swedish and Danish assistance, is able to pull through its own troubles after over two years of bitter fighting. In Muscovy however the conflict has only just begun. It is a multi-sided war, with nationalist revolutions on the Asian steppe (Kazaks, etc.), and a bitter struggle between the Russian Communist and Nationalist forces.
Japan also has begun contemplating taking control of as much of Siberia as it can possibly get a hold of as soon as the conflict is over, as a means of both gaining access to the resources there, and as a means of ending Russia’s toehold on the Pacific. This measure is met with great enthusiasm in Lunden, however the war in China is much, much more pressing.
Political tensions reach fever pitch across the empire as election results are tallied.
1955 AD – The meeting of the Fourteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot. The Fascist Coalition wins with a narrow majority.
There were many issues on the table. The issue of Flemish secession from the Federation, the issue of exactly who controls the Imperial military and who pays for it, the ever-present issue of India (almost all of the Princely States had applied to join the Federation, and there had been many appeals to end direct Imperial control over India altogether), the right of Lunden to tax Federal states, and many others.
Flanders was denied independence, however was granted near-complete control over its internal affairs (Lunden was no longer allowed to impose any tax on Flanders, a small victory for the Librans).
The Princely States of India were allowed entrance into the Federation in their entirety. The advantages of being a part of the Federation simply outweighed the rather paltry disadvantages, which were lack of direct control over own military, and that they were subject to taxation by Lunden.
It had been noted, particularly by the Libran Coalition, that the Indian Nationalist Movement, which sought to establish a separate extra-federal Indian state had the most support in sections of India outside of the Princely States, the sections of India under direct Imperial control.
The Libran Coalition understood fully that if most of India was to remain under direct Imperial control, then slowly but surely the Indian nationalists would take control, and chances are it would result in violence. The revolutionary fervor which had plunged China and Russia into utter darkness, and was beginning to take hold of such places as Romania, Hungary, the Germiyanid Empire, and Siam, was now beginning to show through in the rhetoric of prominent Indian nationalists.
The Great Indian Debacle as it was referred to would keep the Ábúfanwitenagemot debating for a full month, with a total of 15 voted being taken before a measure was finally pushed through which would end all direct Imperial control over India (except over a choice few key ports) by 1957. This measure would seal India’s fate, and mark a new chapter in the Great Subcontinent’s history.
The next great item on the agenda for the fourteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot was the issue of Lunden’s right to impose taxes on the Federal states. And while these taxes were greatly adjustable, they were still taxes imposed by a legislative body not representative of the people who are being taxed.
An agreement was reached whereby any tax imposed on a foreign state must be imposed as well on all states of the Federation (the practice beforehand had been to impose a Federal Tax on certain areas of the Empire). In addition the tax could be repealed at any time with a 3:1 majority in the devolved Witan of the relevant state, except in times of war, where Federal defense depends on the tax revenue.
To further regulate taxes, the Ábúfanwitenagemot had to review the Federal tax plan at every meeting, in its entirety. In addition, the Ábúfanwitenagemot was to convene during the midterm (2.5 years), strictly to review Federal Tax Policy.
As for the control of the military, the Fascist Coalition held, unanimously voting down any proposal that there be autonomous militaries for each of the states.
The 14th Ábúfanwitenagemot closed, with just about everybody happy. Compromises were made which would come to define the Federation and the world for the rest of the century.
On June 6th, 1955, the first direct communications satellite was launched. Soon it would be possible to see any event in any part of the globe live on television. (Author’s Note – Because the “first age of globalization” had never really come to a close as a result of OTL’s WWI, and because there had yet to be an ensuing Great Depression, combined with the fact that there was no Cold War as such has led to the flourishing of communications technologies. OTL’s analogue to this technology, the Telstar, would not be launched until 1962.)
In Asia, most of coastal China had been taken over by Japan and the rest by revolutionaries of varying shades. It now seemed high time to end the conflict, however in the face of such success Japan was reluctant to pull the plug on the operation.
That was, until Bryten threatened to pull the plug on oil shipments, which was needed to sustain momentum. Japan had no choice. Its own oil reserves were miniscule, compared to the vast reserves at the disposal of the Federation. Japan tried to get its oil from Mexico and various other countries (who would have been able to provide enough oil to allow Japan to sustain the conflict), however supplying oil to Japan was just too hot diplomatically. Not to mention that it would violate outright the years of friendship between the Bryttisc and Japanese nations.
Russia continued to boil over in civil war, however it had become clear that the communists would win. And it had also become clear that the Asian steppe, too, would be free of Russian rule for the first time in centuries.
1956 AD – The Germiyanid Empire erupts into civil war, as Turkish nationalists seize the capital, Arab nationalists seize their respective territories, and the Germiyanid royal family is forced to flee to, of all places, Greece. The implosion of the Germiyanid state can be chalked up mostly to the rise of Arab nationalism, chronic corruption within the government itself (which meant that oil revenues went to rich Turks in Constantinople rather than the Arabs who retrieved the oil), and a counterpart Turkish nationalist movement, which sought to redefine the Germiyanid state.
At the same time, Wallachia and Moldavia unify as Romania. Hungary is wracked with civil unrest, with calls for greater democracy in Budapest, and calls for secession from Transylvania.
1957 AD – The end of direct Imperial control over India. India is carved up among various Princes. With the impetus for the Indian Nationalist movement gone, the INP was largely made unimportant in Indian politics. However, the Indian Integration Movement would very shortly begin to utilize the sometimes-despotic rule of the Princes to their advantage.
Meanwhile, communist victory in the Muscovy Republic was attained. The Muscovy Republic was officially renamed the Socialist Republic of Russia. Japan concluded the Treaty of Wuhan with various Chinese states, and the war in Asia was mostly over.
The King of Hungary and claimant Holy Roman Emperor is forced to make drastic reforms in order to keep his realm together.
Japan wishes to wage a continuation war with Russia for control over its Siberian territories, however both the Japanese higher-ups and Lunden are tired of supporting military adventurism.
Or at least, East Asian military adventurism. Lunden was happy to support the ongoing rebellions in the Germiyanid Empire through more secretive channels. After all, Bryten needed to make sure that these new political entities soon to emerge were on friendly terms with the Federation, so as both to secure Middle Eastern oil, and the Suez Canal.
1958 AD – The final sections of the Cape-to-Cairo and Mombassa-to-Accra railways are completed in this year. The major hub for all these railways is Mombassa, and it does not take long before Mombassa is referred to as the “Hub of Africa”.
The completion of the railway marks the beginning of a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization of Africa, which will force great changes on the continent and the people thereof. With the complete severance of both Russia and (until recently) China from European investors, Africa had attracted a glut of industrialists looking to tap into Africa’s natural resources and large labor force.
1959 AD – There are rumblings in Indonesia of potentially joining the Ábúfanwitenagemot, however there are too many internal squabbles to make it a reality at the Fifteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot, such as how to structure a state with so many different ethnicities, no common pre-colonial heritage or language, where the capital ought to be, etc. etc.
1960 AD – The Fifteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot convenes. Minor business compared to the last meeting.
Wilhelm VII died in 1960. He is succeeded by his second son (Wilhelm VIII had died as a prince many years back) Ian I (Ian is, by the way, the closest Englisc approximate to “John”).
1961 AD – Troubles in the Middle East largely end. The Germiyanids are allowed to return as purely symbolic figures, and Georgia, Armenia, and the Arab rebels all attain independence.
While cozying-up to the Arab revolutionaries did assist the Bryttisc Empire in maintaining a strong presence in the new Middle East, these new, independent Arab states served as inspirations to the growing number of Arab nationalists who had cropped-up in Bryttisc Arabia.
And like their Indian counterparts, these Arab nationalists were a little less than interested in the prospect of becoming a part of the Federation.
1963 AD – Tensions in South Africa reach fever pitch. Sections of Gáralandbúend are burned to the ground in the Ndebele Riots of 1963, so named for the young boy Leofwine Ndebele. Leofwine Ndebele was killed in an act of police brutality, which sparked riots all across South Africa.
In Lunden it was quite clear that something had to be done concerning the problem of race relations in South Africa.
1964 AD – Many of the new Indian Princely States were clamoring for admittance into the Ábúfanwitenagemot. These motions were quite popular, as a return to the near-despotism of Princely rule was not looked on favorably by the Indian people, who were used to Imperial laws and regulations, which had given them rights as subjects of the Empire. These rights, however, were not guaranteed under the satellite states run by the Princes.
1965 AD – The meeting of the sixteenth Ábúfanwitenagemot. The two major issues which were dealt with were the admittance of Indonesia into the Ábúfanwitenagemot, and the issue of exactly what was going on in South Africa.
Concerning Indonesia, it was certainly not an easy battle for admission. According to the laws, the admission of Indonesia would require that there be ten new representatives be added to represent Indonesia when the Ábúfanwitenagemot meets. This should not have been a problem, however many mistakenly felt that it would be like giving the Indians an extra ten representatives.
In the end Indonesia was to be granted admission into the Ábúfanwitenagemot, with the capital at Singapore. Exactly how much territory was to be granted to Indonesia still needed to be worked out, hence the reason why Indonesia could not be admitted until 1967. Many were in favor of only taking in Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and yet others still wanted all the islands between Annam and Australia, along with Formosa and the St. Vincent Isles/Antonines (OTL Philippines).
South Africa had become quite a problem, and it had become clear that the current administration was incapable of doing anything about its own situation and that this issue had to be resolved by the highest authority in the Federation.
It wasn’t simply a problem in South Africa. It was in the Niweland states and Australia as well (albeit to a much, much smaller degree). However in the end the Federal and Imperial Civil Rights Act was passed through the Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1966 AD – Aden is returned to the Sheikh of Yemen, for the first time since 1825.
1967 AD – Indonesia is admitted into the Ábúfanwitenagemot. All islands between Southeast Asia and Australia would make up the state, and the Antonines would be a sub-state of Indonesia for a total of ten years, whereupon a plebiscite would be held to determine the status of the Antonine people. Formosa was to remain under direct Bryttisc control.
1968 AD – A busy year in Asia. The Siamese Empire devolved into ethnic infighting. Siam called on Bryten for aid. Indeed with Bryttisc aid the kings of Siam had brought almost all of Southeast Asia under their heel, barring a weak Annamese state and Burma. But there was not enough support in Lunden to get involved with a state that wasn’t even officially associated with the Empire and Federation.
The last few Indian Princes were forced to apply for admission into the Federation. It was the logical conclusion of Bryttisc imperial rule, which had created a well-to-do non-royal class of Indians whose prosperity had begun to take a dive when the direct imperial rule had ended. Couple this with the fact that the membership in the Federation meant near-complete independence in and of itself and joining the Federation was the only natural option.
1969 AD – A second wave of Chinese revolutions occurs, these with no particular ideology except that if there HAD to be a despot ruling over them, it had damned well be a Chinese despot and not a Japanese emperor sitting content far from all the troubles in China.
The Federation refused, this time around, to support Japan in its struggle. It simply had a lot more to deal with internally than it once did, not to mention the fact that supporting Japan in imperial ambitions just wasn’t as popular with the public as it once was.
In this same year, Arab nationalist demonstrations occur across Bryttisc Arabia. On occasion these demonstrations would go from peaceful protests to dangerous riots. Twelve Bryttisc Army officers were killed in Riyadh riots.
In 1969, the Crimean state collapsed due to infighting (not to mention the fact that it didn’t really have a strong national identity in the first place). The Russian Socialist Republic descends upon Simferopol, and it is conquered outright.
1970 AD – The 17th Ábúfanwitenagemot. The major issues tackled were the admission of the rest of India as a part of the Federation, and exactly what was to be done with Arabia.
India was admitted in full. There was no reason not to. Indians were already a part of the Federation, and they would gain no additional representatives in the Second House (the House where representatives aren’t based on population), and their entrance would serve only the strengthen the Federation, both militarily and economically.
However, there really was quite a stir over Arabia.
On the one hand, the Arabs had clearly shown a desire for self-determination, a desire which was respected by the Federation’s highest institutions. On the other, the Bryttisc controlled a huge, huge, huge portion of the world’s oil so long as Arabia remained in Bryttisc hands.
The ensuing debate was nothing less than a political bloodbath, with death threats and accusations of being in bed with Arab nationalists/big oil being exchanged by both sides. Perhaps the most memorable quote came from one Marten Smiþ: “The right to self-determination is a constant for everyone—no matter how much oil they sit on top of.”
Indeed, it seemed as though the Ábúfanwitenagemot would not be able to reach an agreement. However, the decision was finally reached to grant independence to Nejd. The thinking was that either the Arabs will break off the Bryttisc Empire on relatively-friendly terms, or they will find a sympathetic ear for their cause in Russia, or France, or Spain, or anybody else for that matter.
1971 AD – Japan loses much ground in China, being beaten back to Manchuria and a few coastal cities.
1972 AD – Nejd is proclaimed a Republic, and with the form of government decided on independence was granted. All direct Bryttisc control over Arabia officially ends (except Bahrain, which is maintained as a base for the Bryttisc Imperial Navy).
1973 AD – Japan is forced to sign a peace treaty, handing over all their Chinese lands except Manchuria.
Now that the Japanese are gone, China finds itself divided. The most prominent among these is the Guangzhou Republic, a mildly successful state formed with the signing of the Treaty of Wuhan. Less prosperous but more vast was the Socialist States of China. The less-developed internal portions of China had made the adoption of Communism only natural.
Mongolia (which had gained independence in the Russian civil war) had swelled to become a very large state during the turmoil of the Chinese Revolution and the ensuing Japanese invasion. And even further to the west, motivated by the revolutions of various other East Asian people, Sinkiang had proclaimed itself its own independent republic. Tibet continued to remain a political island, safe on its lofty plateau.
In the north, stretching from Beijing to Shanghai was the newly-formed Chinese Republic, ruled by a weak provisional government and run largely by various strongmen.
But these conditions made the Chinese Republic ripe for outside influence.
The Socialist States of China knew that the Chinese Republic was economically devastated, first by the Chinese Revolutions, then the Japanese Invasion, then the Second Chinese Revolution. These conditions meant that it was entirely feasible that the Chinese Communist Party’s Chinese Republic branch could very well gain enough clout in Beijing to unify the Socialist States of China with the Chinese Republic. With so much of China under its control, it wouldn’t be long before the Guangzhou Republic cracked, and all of China would be united under the Red banner.
And the Guangzhou Republic was well aware of all this.
What would ensue would be a political battle for the ages, a battle which would determine the fate of China.
Meanwhile, in Africa, African nationalist movements were finally gaining some steam. Africa had greatly industrialized over the last twenty years, and now had the economic means of standing on its own two feet. And the Africans had begun to notice: particularly, those in Mombassa, the economic hub of all Africa.
And thus, things could only get worse when Mauritania was granted independence by Aragon in that year. And when Mozambique was granted independence by Portugal things could only get worse. Much worse.
1974 AD – Ian Ng’ethe, a Mombassa native, champions the independence of Africans, making fiery speeches up and down the Cape-to-Cairo and Accra-to-Mombassa railways.
1975 AD – The 18th Ábúfanwitenagemot. The problems of Africa could not and would not be addressed in Witanceaster, because the African colonies were under the jurisdiction of Lunden. It was an Imperial, not a Federal, problem and thus the Federation could not do anything about the matter.
Instead, most of the meeting was spent discussing the more mundane matters of running a superstate, such as Federal taxes, the Federal budget, etc. etc.
Indeed, Europe (excepting the Russian Revolutions, and the minor Romanian-Hungarian Conflict in 1957) had been at peace since the end of the Great War in 1915. That’s 60 years of peace, the longest stretch of time without any kind of European conflict in a very, very long time.
Of course, things were beginning to take a dive in many countries.
The problem lay in the Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general. These countries were languishing in ineffective government and such conditions often set the tone for effective yet dangerous regimes.
But aside from general corruption and a lack of prosperity, there was no sign that things could ever become heated. Sure, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia squabbled over who owned Istria. And yes, Bulgaria was perennially arguing with Turkey as to who owned Western Thrace. And it was only to be expected that the Serbs would bicker with the Bosniaks and the South Serbia and Vojvodina as to who owns what.
In this year, Burma was granted independence from the Bryttisc Empire.
1976 AD – The Serb Republic of Bosnia officially declares war on the Bosniak Republic. Serbia backs up the SRB. The Bosniaks appeal to Croatia for help, as there were various Croat communities scattered throughout Bosnia. Croatia accepts.
Slovenia takes the opportunity to press its own claims on Croatia, and after being refused Slovenia allies itself with the SRB and Serbia. Slovenia is allied to Germany, but Germany at the behest of Bryten stops short of actually sending troops, and instead sends military strategists, materiel, and begins an program targeted at convincing Slovenes in Germany to enlist in the Slovenian army.
Beyond this, the war was largely contained. Bulgaria contemplated assisting Serbia, in return for a guarantee that Serbia would turn around and assist Bulgaria in the seizure of Western Thrace, however the plan, proposed by the Bulgarian government, failed to materialize into any formal measure.
In this year, the Bryttisc Empire places a man on the moon.
1977 AD – In Lunden, the Emancipation of African Colonies Act had finally been pushed through Witenagemot. In a nutshell, it set a deadline for self-government in Africa, through a process of gradually phasing out old colonial institutions and replacing it with African governments (themselves largely taking on the structure and framework of said colonial institutions). The deadline for the independence of half the colonies? 1985.
After the establishment of an independent government, the new state would hold a plebiscite as to whether to join the Federation or to remain outside of the Federation entirely.
What was non-negotiable (at least until 1995) was the emerging states’ participation in the “Pan-African Free Trade Agreement”. PAFTA was designed to maintain the free-flow of goods and people which had existed under the Imperial system.
Speaking of plebiscites, the Antonines voted to remain as a sub-state of Indonesia, with its own Witenagemot. The relationship between Indonesia and the Antonines is akin to the relationship between England and Scotland, with many powers devolved to the Antonine Witenagemot.
1978 AD – The Republic of China adopts a formal Constitution. The Communist Party of China was unable to gain enough ground to topple the Provisional Government, although the Communist Party remained a strong force in RC politics.
1979 AD – Treaty of Vienna was negotiated to end the fighting in the Balkans. The only thing that had brought them all to the table was the threat of a German “peacekeeping mission” to end the conflict in the Balkans.
In it, Croatia agreed to cede all claims to Istria, in return for the Livno State of the Bosniak Republic, among various other border adjustments.
The Treaty called for the creation of a “Pan-Balkans Congress” to promote dialogue between the various ethnic groups in that region. By the end of 1979, all Balkans states agreed to participate in such an international body. Until a proper meeting place could be agreed upon, Nuremburg was to be the meeting place of the Pan-Balkans Congress, which was to meet every five years.
1980 AD – The 19th Ábúfanwitenagemot. Again, minor business dealt with.
The status of all the Caribbean islands was finally clearly-defined. Previously they had been territories of Greater Saxony, and now they were to be “Federal Territory,” until a plebiscite was held as to their status. That they would constitute a new state in the Ábúfanwitenagemot was a foregone conclusion, the question was whether the Caribbean Territories would be admitted as a single state or whether they would admit themselves as separate states.
1981 AD – In the wake of the Balkans Wars and the turmoil in China, Germany (and, more specifically, the Holy Roman Emperor) calls for an international summit to determine how best to help maintain global peace.
1982 AD—The Federation agrees to allow the summit called for by the Holy Roman Emperor to be held in Calcutta.
1984 AD – The Calcutta Summit is held, with a meeting of most of the world’s leaders (or representatives of them), to discuss the maintenance of peace in the global community. It was a very fruitful summit, with many issues having been aired and grievances settled.
The Holy Roman Emperor called for the establishment of a “Global Congress” (inspired by the Pan-Balkans Congress), an international organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and diplomatic discourse. Even with the idea in its infancy, Germany, Bryten, France, Spain, Portugal, Aragon and Italy were already onboard for such an idea.
1985 AD – The Emancipation of African Colonies Act’s deadline was met. A second set of deadlines was set for the rest of the Empire’s African territories, which was 1993.
This year marks the meeting of the 20th Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1986 AD – Meeting of the first Global Congress.
1988 AD – Italy finally gives in to the pressure to let go of its own North African territories. Italy had been, much like Bryten had, sitting on top of a rather large quantity of oil in Libya, and it was for this reason that no independence was granted until so recently.
1990 AD – Meeting of the 21st Ábúfanwitenagemot. The major issue tackled here was, once again, control of the military. Many had felt that it was unfair that the military be solely governed by London, and that there was no Federal army. Or autonomous armies for the states, for that matter.
But despite strong calls for the formation of a Federal army, nothing was done. Lunden would remain in control of its Imperial Army.
1991 AD – Death of Ian I. Succeeded by his son, Ian II.
1993 AD – The second deadline for the Emancipation of African Colonies Act was met. Except for Bryttisc Gold Coast and Bryttisc Linnea (Linnea is roughly OTL’s Nigeria, named after the Linnea River, OTL’s Niger River)
1994 AD – Portugal, under immense international pressure, grants independence to the Congo.
1995 AD – The meeting of the 22nd Ábúfanwitenagemot.
1996 AD – Bryttisc Gold Coast and Bryttisc Linnea are granted independence. This year, to most historians, marks the official end of the Bryttisc Empire (although it is popular among many historians to argue that the end, or at least the beginning of it, of the Empire came with the 14th Ábúfanwitenagemot, which had laid the groundwork for a strong Federation and a trend of self-determination among the various peoples of the Empire)
1997 AD – The end of one-party rule in Russia. The beginning of the Russian Democratic Republic.
1998 AD – The collapse of the Socialist States of China. It had simply no means of competing with the more prosperous Chinese Republics along the coast.
1999 AD – The Japanese pull out of Manchuria. Manchuria is made an independent country.
The Republic of China, the Guanzhou Republic, and the Former Socialist States of China all agree to unification. China is reunited for the first time since 1953, under a democratic government.
2000 AD – The meeting of the 23rd Ábúfanwitenagemot.
2003 AD – The breakup of the Duchy of Lithuania into Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
2005 AD – The meeting of the 24th Ábúfanwitenagemot.
2007 AD – The present day.
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Companion maps to be made:
2007 Map
Religious distribution map
Map of Modern Bryten
FLAGS!!!!
Author's Observation: Something about a Holy Roman Emperor sitting on his throne in Frankfurt pondering how best to further peace in the global community just seems so... odd, to me... In a good way...
Thought the likelihood of that was quite likely. It's just adding an "-ism" to "commune". But if you have a different name for it tell me, I can change it.
Thanks!
Good show! Well done! Mazel Tov!
Thank you!