Basically, the Midwest got screwed over badly. And then it gets it worse in the 70's.
TLIAPOT: America in the Century of Blood
- Thread starter DAv
- Start date
Basically, the Midwest got screwed over badly. And then it gets it worse in the 70's.
What will it means for Jim Crow in Louisiana? Let's hope people such like Leander Perez will have less power than OTL there.
I hope he mad more realistic ideas about economy than OTL, else Louisiana couldn't have survived so long.
And who govern the seceding Mississippi?
And yet, it might be more democratic than the Confederacy, if only because of the concern about the lower classes.
Personally I’m hoping for the first reunited American President to be 90-year-old Harold Stassen.
If for nothing more than the sake of appearances, Long cut back on Jim Crow in his own state, although some 'informal' forms of it still linger. His hopes for the economy were curtailed with the collapse of the US and Louisiana's relative isolation, forcing him to be more realistic. More information will be given on Mississippi on the next update, although some details will be a bit bare. It will be better than the Confederacy, as you say, but still not the most pleasant.
Landon was one of those that made their way to Canada during the Glass Administration as his criticism of the President brought about the wrath of the FIB.
California will be covered in the update after next.
Afraid he'll have passed on by that point.
1940
Robert Johnson
One of the only confirmed photographs of Robert Johnson. It is believed to have been taken some years before his role in Mississippi's independence when he was a struggling musician. Any other media around the man has been almost impossible to come by, only adding to his legend.
One of the only confirmed photographs of Robert Johnson. It is believed to have been taken some years before his role in Mississippi's independence when he was a struggling musician. Any other media around the man has been almost impossible to come by, only adding to his legend.
In 1940, Robert Johnson disappeared without a trace. The man who had played a large role in the state seceding from the Confederacy vanished and no clues were ever found to what happened to him. It was a mystery that would help increase his standing as a legendary figure in the black community throughout the former United States.
Having spent his childhood moving between Tennessee and Mississippi, Johnson gained a good education, eventually deciding to apply himself to music. It was during his years of performing that he faced harassment from the growing Ku Klux Klan and witnessed the decline and eventual collapse of a nation. This period of his life has no real detail to it and there aren't even any recordings of him playing music. Were it not for a photograph showing him from this time with a guitar in hand, there'd be no visual confirmation of his actual profession at this time.
Due to the upheaval that took place during this period, Johnson was forced to look for other work and took to being a farmhand, helping manage the land and being noted for his competence in the role. In 1936, however, the farm Johnson worked on would be taken by the Confederacy government and the land given to white refugees from the Midwest. With this process repeating itself across the state, many black people had nowhere to go, denied even the meagre holdings they once had.
With no other recourse left to them, many of the black populace started to turn to violence. With law and order breaking down across the country, and the Confederacy still struggling with many of the challenges facing it, some sensed an opportunity to rebel, or at least get some measure of revenge. What started out as singular attacks soon spread wide over Mississippi, the black populace of the state having been pushed to breaking point and many feeling that they had nothing else to lose.
Johnson was one of the first to take up arms in this scenario and those fighting beside him started to notice odd things occurring whenever he fought. Whether ambushing white settlers or attacking Confederate soldiers, Johnson would always come out unscathed, regardless of the actual outcome of the fight. From the early skirmishes against the new settlers to the escalation once troops arrived in the area, Johnson fought like a Demon and always came away without a scratch.
When others would point out his luck, Johnson would often joke about how he must have the devil's luck, an idea that stuck a chord with many people. A rumour soon began to spread, that Johnson had sold his soul to the Devil in order to win the war against the Confederacy. Oddly enough, it was mostly the Confederates who used this in their propaganda, using it to slander the rebels as Devil worshippers as well as numerous other scandalous things.
The revolt throughout the Mississippi was able to survive in large part due to the crises inflicting the Confederacy at the time. A poor economy (Although the same can be said for most of the break-away states), the ongoing refugee crisis and the bloody take over of Washington D.C. had left the Confederacy already weakened and the Mississippi revolt only served to stretch their resources further. The military aid provided by Louisiana served as a lifeline for the revolt, giving the bands of fighters the ability to keep up the pressure.
In truth, the issue would have been a running sore for the Confederacy for some years, but would have been unlikely to have actually done more than been a bloody conflict that would have ended in thousands of death and the Confederacy still controlling the state. That was until a British journalist arrived in Mississippi in 1938 to do a story on the ongoing conflict. Travelling around the state, he would report back to his newspaper in the UK, offering a sympathetic look at the black insurgents that infuriated the Confederate government.
The journalist then proceeded to board a ship to make his way back to Jamaica and then, home. However, there were suspicions that he had sensitive information about the insurgents and his ship was boarded by an overzealous Confederate gunboat. In an attempt to arrest the journalist, the Confederate marines caused a fight which led to shots being fired and several people, including the journalist, dying.
The ensuing fallout from this caused the British government to take a stand on the issue out of necessity more than anything else. A ship under the British flag and being boarded was an insult that had to be answered in some manner. Even so, the challenges Britain was facing at the time saw them be considerably more restrained than normal. The economic crisis over the last decade had caused them to scale back military operations and focus on the main threat of the time period, Russia. As mainland Europe was preparing for conflict, Britain was looking to its Empire as a way to bind itself to an organisation that would build up its strength by binding it to its colonies and turning them into Dominions. This would have mixed results.
With so many other areas to focus on, a war against the Confederacy, while it inevitably would have ended in victory, meant that it simply wasn't worth the cost. With the government in Richmond panicking over finding out had happened, they were all too eager to agree to the British government's demands in order to sooth over the issue. It was at this point that the insurgents in Mississippi began to apply even more pressure on the Confederacy as Robert Johnson, along with many others, continued to lead attacks against the Confederate troops in the region, demanding their own independence.
Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Huey Long used his contacts with the British government in the Caribbean to push for an independent Mississippi as well. With the attack on the ship having galvanised the British and Canadian populations in support of the insurgents, Long pushed forward his case for it, something the British government came to agree with, seeing it as a way to punish the Confederacy without actually fighting for anything further. The cause for independence came with reparations to be paid towards the Confederacy by the new independent state as a face-saving measure. A power-sharing agreement between the black and white populations was also part of the conditions set, to help provide some protection in a place where they were vastly outnumbered.
There was great resistance towards this move from most of the Confederacy, but with the Royal Navy threatening to strike, wiser heads prevailed. There was a sense that, they had gained the former capital and Mississippi would be better to be cast off with its populace so they could regain it a later time, when it inevitably collapsed into chaos due to mismanagement.
All this time, Robert Johnson was continuing to fight, having heard about the interference of the British, but not factoring it into his actions much. He continued to attack and put on pressure in northern Mississippi as his band attacked any sign of Confederate power. When the word came through of the cease-fire and a new government in Jackson, there was outrage among the black populace about the power-sharing agreement and the reparations.
As a government was built up in Jackson, Johnson decided to press the attack further towards the Confederacy, leaving behind all those that did want to make a new life in their new state. Travelling to the border next to Alabama, Johnson began to organise a group that would launch attacks into the Confederacy and act as a way to try and bring it down. Motivations about this varied greatly from those who took part in it. Some were optimistic enough with Mississippi gaining independence that they believed that they could bring down the whole, rotten, organisation of the Confederacy. Some were merely looking for revenge for generations of abuse and now had the opportunity to act upon it. Some also looked to help set up a second Underground Railway, to build a free land for black people in America.
Whatever the reasons behind it, the para-military organisation Johnson was a part became a militia force that would be the nucleus of a new military for the state. In the first year though, it was one that acted outside of government supervision and began to harass the Confederacy along the Alabama border. Such pin pricks increased tensions however and the government in Jackson began to fear that an outright war would break out. The militia groups were forced to heel by late 1940, causing all members to either retire or join a new, professional, army.
Seeing which way the wind was blowing, Johnson had one last night of drinking with his former comrades before leaving them, walking out into the night on his own. After that, he was never seen again, alive or dead. Despite a search being made, he wasn't found and his whereabouts became a mystery for the ages. Some believed he went into the Confederacy to start his own private war, others that he'd retired to a quiet life of anonymity in the independent Mississippi. For those that really followed the legends though, it was said among them that the Devil had finally come to claim his price for whatever deal he had made with Johnson four years previously.
Whatever happened to Johnson, it is undeniable that he had made a mark during his short time fighting the Confederacy. His rumoured invulnerability had provided a morale boost for his band and others that helped culminate into a legend. He was one of many who had risen up against the Confederacy and in doing so, helped bring about an independent Mississippi. In being a victim of Confederate propaganda though, Johnson had stood out amongst others and had become something more, something close to a myth.
It is unknown if Johnson even lived to see what Mississippi became over the decades. With it already being a poverty stricken state and having reparations to pay, it would remain one of the poorest states out of the former United States. However, the ending of oppression of its black populace provided a morale boost to many and that state would see a slow growth in its economy over the years as its cheap labour pool made it attractive to some investors. Allied to Louisiana and Texas, Mississippi would be protected from the Confederacy, becoming a stable democracy in that region of the former United States.
Johnson's role in this would be to help forge a legend in the midst of the chaos. A hero to some, rampaging criminal to others, he nevertheless carved a name out for himself that would intrigue many in the generations to come. In the former United States, people still looked out for legends and they could find them from all walks of life.
Good parallelism with the "Pact with the Devil" OTL legend and the mysterious diseappearance.
OTL, Mississippi lost its Black majority in the 1930s and South Carolina in the 1920s; how did TTL changes the Great Migration.
(BTW, you should thumbnail your posts, so that navigation is easier.)
OTL, Mississippi lost its Black majority in the 1930s and South Carolina in the 1920s; how did TTL changes the Great Migration.
(BTW, you should thumbnail your posts, so that navigation is easier.)
Thought I may as well have some major links between people and how they turned out OTL, Johnson's legend was too interesting to ignore and fit in with the area I was focusing on.
No World War One, so no need to bring more workers into the cities is a major factor to it. Plus the Bryan Administration didn't want large groups of people moving around too much due to its paranoia.
I'll get on that.
1944
George Smith Patton Jnr.
A photo taken of Patton during the initial success of the Western Offensive. A major proponent of forward offence, Patton took inspiration from the then recent success of the Russian assault into Germany. In doing so however, Patton would make similar mistakes as the Russians have, to similar, catastrophic, results.
A photo taken of Patton during the initial success of the Western Offensive. A major proponent of forward offence, Patton took inspiration from the then recent success of the Russian assault into Germany. In doing so however, Patton would make similar mistakes as the Russians have, to similar, catastrophic, results.
In 1944, George Patton would complete his retreat back to California after the disastrous Western Offensive. In an action that was hoped to be the first step in reunifying the country, the Californian-led assault would instead prove to be a major blow for the short-term reunification hopes of many and would also be a major factor in preventing California from becoming a major player in North America until the late 1970's.
Patton was a graduate of West point and had faithfully served the United States throughout his life. He would push for greater mobilisation and his own standing grew as he gained a reputation as a forward thinking, anti-anarchist officer who believed in a strong offensive above all else. During the Bryan and Glass Administrations, he would be promoted to colonel, before being transferred to his native California in the hopes that he could bring the state to heel.
Patton arrived in California in the aftermath of Bloody Friday and found the mood of the state and the army itself distinctly anti-federal in thought and mood. As events turned sour quickly in the east, California also considered itself independent enough to avoid being pulled into the mess that was the fighting against the Confederacy and the rising socialist triumvirate states. California would never actually officially secede from the government, instead simply sorting out its own affairs by getting a sphere of influence along the west coast.
For Patton, this ranked of cowardice in his eyes and he was only prevented from resigning as the Californian government needed officers to staff its army. Assured that the reunification of the States was a priority, Patton took the position of a colonel in late 1933, rising to General throughout the decade. During that time, California got an influx of refugees from the Midwest and with them, new recruits for the military.
As Patton trained his army, there was increasing discontent among the officer class as it appeared that the Californian government was dithering while the rest of the former United States was left to rot, especially the Midwest. An opportunity was being squandered to retake the former States and reclaim the country were the thoughts of Patton and his clique of officers. Even as the refugee crisis began to die down and California cemented its control over the West Coast, this still wasn't enough for the officers.
Having sworn an oath to the United States of America, not California, the cabal of officers decided the best way to fulfil that oath was to stage a coup against the government in Sacramento so they could rebuild the United States. The coup was launched in 1940, having the support of much of the military and it succeeded in taking over the state, California now being run by a dictatorship. Patton got what he wanted with a commanding position of the armed forces and began to plan for a major assault into the south-western states that would see them be brought under California's control.
The coup, and subsequent build up of the military put other states on edge though, especially Texas. While many lamented the fall of the United States, few wanted it to be recreated on a military conquest. With Patton being the most stand out personality among those who served as the cabal, his belligerence and known militaristic attitude put many other states on edge as they saw him as an unhinged factor.
The plan that settled on was to secure the south-west of North America up to Texas, securing large swathes of territory and robbing the latter of any area of influence. With this territory secure, California would then be able to negotiate aggressively with other states to restore the Union with the focus on Texas, believing that they could bring the west and Midwest under control with a direct show of force. Patton was a leading strategist in the eventual plan, deciding on what steps to take to take control over the territory. Two years of training, gathering forces and purging the military of those who had opposed the coup followed before the cabal believed they were ready.
The military build up in California did not go unnoticed and with the strong words coming from the cabal about how they sought to make a new United States government, there were many who would decide it would be best to oppose such a movement before it gained steam and dictated terms to them. With many believing this would be a war of conquest as opposed to liberation, preparations were made to counter this.
The spring of 1942 saw Californian troops begin their assault into eastern Nevada and then pushing onwards, experiencing little resistance, at first. Advancing onwards into Utah, the Californian forces would engage with the Utah militia, a group of mostly Mormon soldiers that feared for their own independence in the face of the overwhelming military assault by the Californian military. Attempts to negotiate had faltered in the face of the cabal insisting that Utah would help feed the war machine that would take control of the region.
Not wanting to enter into such an unequal partnership, Utah rejected the offer and was subsequently invaded, the state being overrun by the much larger Californian military in a series of running battles. When Salt Lake City itself was bombed by planes, the leadership of Utah agreed to surrender. The damage wasn't great, but it proved to be a shock to people living there, suffering from the violence that they had managed to avoid so far.
With Utah seemingly secure for now, Patton then led his forces onwards to cement control over Arizona, which had seen Texas try to claim influence over it. It was here that Californian forces would experience the first major resistance of the campaign, running into guerrilla bands that used hit and run tactics against the much larger army. The logistics of the Californian army came under the lion's share of these attacks, aided by partisans in Utah as well as the resentment of being forced into aiding the Californian war machine turned into outright resistance from several groups.
Although Arizona was an area that Texas had influence over, the leadership of the latter instead allowed California to invade as they funnelled weapons and men into resistance groups to help bleed the Californian forces in the area. Despite that though, the winter of 1942 saw California dominate Utah and Arizona with the final piece of New Mexico having to be delayed until 1943. It was at this point that the cracks first started to show in the Californian army as the logistical capability of the organisation could not match with its pace and numerous institutional flaws soon became evident.
Having to spend the winter rebuilding their organisation, the Californian government started to see its position weaken at home. The coup had seen widespread resistance outside the military with protests breaking out. The military cabal had come down hard on these initial protests, but dissent still simmered. With the mounting losses and controversial actions during the Western Campaign, this dissent grew and more forces were brought back to help keep things under control in California itself.
Added to this was an uprising that began in Utah on New Years Day of 1943 as weapons from Michigan and Texas had found their way into the hands of the Mormon Liberation Front. Although the government had surrendered rather than risk the destruction of Salt Lake City, bands of fighters gathered to harass Californian supply lines. The uprising soon spread throughout Southern and Central Utah, forcing the Californian army to spread its resources even thinner.
To counter this, Patton responded with a sledgehammer approach. Any attack against his supply lines was hit back with overwhelming force against any suspected area which held partisan fighters. Patton made his thoughts clear on the subject in a speech by deeming any group which fought against the Californian army to be committing crimes of treason against the legitimate United States government and, as a result, were to be treated as traitors.
The speech caused backlash against California from all fronts, seeing as how the government of that particular state had gained its powers through a coup rather than an election and was trying to reclaim the United States through a war of conquest. Resistance would double as more supplies were fed into Utah's partisans and Texas would step up its efforts in New Mexico to build up a line of defence through its own supported resistance groups.
The chaos in Utah delayed the Californian offensive into New Mexico until June of 1943, by which time, the defences of New Mexico had been built up considerably. Although the Californian army had the strength advantage, the pressure by the Utah partisans and the increased defences by opposition forces blunted their drive. The lack of a decent supply network for such an outcome also showed as the Californian army simply couldn't handle the demands made of it towards the end of the year.
Unable to take New Mexico and resistance solidifying, threatening the very stability of Californian supply lines, the army was forced to pull back to try and regain its footing. It was at that point that the Texan army, armed with Michigan weaponry, struck. All along the New Mexico front, the Texan army struck at the over stretched Californians and forced them out of the state. The retreat became a rout as the Texans carried their charge into Arizona as well. Coupled with the collapse of their logistical capabilities, the Californian army was eventually forced back into Nevada itself, Patton leading the rearguard as the year ended and 1944 began. In their wake, Texas now had complete control over Arizona and New Mexico while forging an alliance with the re-established Utah government.
As Patton led the last of his defeated troops into California, it retained only its influence in Nevada from the outset of the war, the rest having fallen to Texas. Protests broke out once the sheer scale of defeat was found out that were bloodily repressed. The soldiers, having believed that those opposing the war had been responsible for many of the army's shortcomings, had their anger directed towards the anti-war factions by the officer class, claiming that supply issues were due to sabotage at home.
Although the army managed to retain control of California, Patton was still used as a scapegoat for what shortcomings propaganda couldn't hoist onto saboteurs at home or clandestine actions from enemy states. Patton was brought before a tribunal and discharged from the army for his failures. He would go onto live in quite retirement until his death in 1962, writing several books on military tactics and articles defending his actions.
Patton's leadership of the Western Offensive has been criticised and praised in equal measure. His courage, tenaciousness and tactical ability are given credit for allowing the offensive to be as successful as it was. His lack of logistical skills, unwillingness to acknowledge mistakes and lack of tact or diplomacy were major flaws which only helped doom the campaign as it amplified already existing flaws.
The Western Offensive has been criticised as a mass of poor-planning and wishful thinking on a colossal scale. The amount of opposition that came to be wasn't factored in as several in the cabal seemed to believe that they would be greeted as the true form of government in America due to their mission and beliefs. When that didn't come to pass, no change in strategy was made as ideology blinded the cabal into believing that Americans of all stripes would rush to their cause once they appeared in the area, ignoring the fact that local control of many areas had passed towards governments that preferred their new independence over being dictated to by Sacramento.
Poor logistics and supplies became a large factor in the failure of the Western Offensive as time went on, Patton's constant drive for the offensive increasing the difficulties that the Californian army was facing in supplies. When the Texan counter-offensive began, there was little in reserve that could be used to blunt the attack. Although it could be argued that Patton was doing the best out of poorly designed strategy, he was nevertheless one of the planners for said strategy and his role as commander only brought the flaws to the forefront. His bullish speeches also turned many away on the diplomatic front as they gave no leeway for those who were on the fence, forcing everyone to choose a side, many opting to go against California.
The Western Offensive was an expensive failure for California, costing it men, equipment and money that would take a long time to recuperate. Although Nevada remained in its sphere of influence and it retained its place of dominance on the West Coast, the outcome would only give the south-west to Texas, securing that state's dominance of the region until reunification itself. Those who had hoped that this would be the start of the reunification of the states were to only be left disappointed, no others looking to continue with it now that it appeared discredited. At least, by outright military force anyway.
Patton had taken a gamble and lost. He would never live to see the states under one flag again and there are those in California that curse his name to this day, along with the rest of the cabal. A misplaced sense of loyalty made him follow a cause that would only damage the very ideals he fought for. A great military mind, his shortcomings would doom the one major campaign he commanded and allow for the cementing of power blocs over the country. His thoughts on military theory were at least admired and are still discussed by the reunified American army to this day, giving him a more lasting positive impact in one field.
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1948
William Brazel
A photo taken of William Brazel by one of the many amateur investigators that approached him in the years following the Las Cruces Incident. Becoming something of a minor celebrity after the incident, Brazel created a core piece of American mythology that was interpreted numerous ways by all kinds of people.
A photo taken of William Brazel by one of the many amateur investigators that approached him in the years following the Las Cruces Incident. Becoming something of a minor celebrity after the incident, Brazel created a core piece of American mythology that was interpreted numerous ways by all kinds of people.
In 1948, William Brazel stumbled upon the wreckage of an unidentified craft. The ensuing mystery around the discovery would help create a myth that would resonate throughout the former United States. The idea of aliens would forever be linked to the New Mexico city after the discovery, but it would also reflect a period in the United States where people would come to question the role of the shattered states during the opening stages of the Polite War.
William Brazel had lived in the American south-west throughout his life, witnessing the downfall of America from his time working on various ranches. He also participated in the Western Offensive, surveying the land to help the Texan military with its counter-attack. When that conflict had ended, he retired back to his job as a foreman, the chaos from the conflict having forced him to move around the area somewhat.
Having settled down near the mildly damaged Las Cruces, Brazel was out mending a fence on the ranch one evening in July when he saw an object fall from the sky, crash landing roughly a mile away from his position. Approaching the landing site, Brazel gathered some of the material before then approaching a nearby military base. The military forces at this time were undergoing a unification of sorts all under Texan command, so the incident was reported directly to Austin itself.
Within days, the area had been cordoned off and absolute secrecy was then maintained as the military took away the remains of whatever the wreckage had once been. Word soon got out than an alien craft had crashed in New Mexico and mystery began to grow around the event. With the country as split up as it was, actually travelling to New Mexico was impractical for many outside of Texas and its sphere of influence. As a result, the tale grew in the telling with fanciful stories of alien strikes or invasions.
Another twist on the stories started to emerge as rumours started that the aircraft hadn't been alien in origin, but in fact, British. The aftermath of the Eurasian War had left Europe devastated, Germany ravaged and large swathes of Northern China in ruins. Britain and its Commonwealth had been the least damaged by the conflict, having come into the conflict late and were protected by space and water.
Russia, under a nativist government that had arisen during the hard economic times, began to look for outward glory and to become dominant on the world stage. It had spent over a decade building its military might and looking to cement its control over its outer provinces, risking war in Central Asia, while doing so. War broke out between Russia, China, Germany and Austro-Hungary over clashing interests in the Balkans and Manchuria in 1941 that saw the modernised Russian military cut through the defences of Central Europe while trading space for time against China in Siberia. The conflict saw similar problems suffered by California where their supply lines became stretched and the logistical system came under strain from the demands placed on it.
When Britain declared war after one of their ships was sunk taking supplies in 1944, the tide of war truly turned as the resources of the Commonwealth aided the Allied cause directly, the logistics of the Russian war machine breaking down and then collapsing over the fronts. Echoing what happened in America, the supply chain was the key to Russia's downfall and it was forced to fall back as Allied troops pressed their advantage. By 1946, St. Petersburg had fallen due a combined Allied assault along with Central Asia and Siberia being taken by the Commonwealth and China respectively.
Russia surrendered, the country torn apart and left in ruins as the Allies took their pound of flesh in the peace. In the aftermath, the two largest powers left standing were the Commonwealth and China, both of whom started to clash over their interests in Asia soon after the dust had settled. As the two powers began to build up their spheres of influence, the Americas were one such area to look to.
With this background, the rivalry between various states attracted the attention of the great powers. Britain and the Commonwealth had already been involved with Louisiana and its independence. Texas also started to fall into the Commonwealth's sphere as it opposed the Confederacy and was in need of allies to bolster its position. Hawaii and Alaska had looked to the Commonwealth in the immediate aftermath of the downfall of the United States as well, extending the power the Commonwealth had in the Pacific.
Despite the leaning towards the Commonwealth that the Texan government had, there were those who resented the fact that their state was becoming another battleground between the two superpowers. The Las Cruces Incident became the instigator of many conspiracies that the British were using their military to keep the continent divided while reaping the benefits from it.
The question of what role Texas and the other former states would play in the new world order would be one that dogged the new nations as they struggled to answer what their role was in the downfall of their former country. Despite the collapse of the United States, many were finding the alternative, frequent hostility, uncertainty about the future and outright war, even less attractive. That these new states would just fall into being pawns in a large game was also a bitter pill for many to swallow.
William Brazel didn't do anything outstanding to assure his place in the history books, but did help start a legend that would become a key part of wider American culture over the years. It would also cause many to look at America's wider place in the world and either answer the problems set before them with a renewed determination to carve out their place in the world, or devolving into conspiracies and blaming the other.
It would be over the next few decades that Americans would choose which path they wanted to follow.
I'll do a basic one for 1964, when the borders are generally settled. Needless to say, Texas has a good chunk of influence.
It started off with several advantages over other states and the Western Offensive going so badly for California helped cement their status.