Vive l'Antipodée: A French Australia Timeline
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Part 20: More Politics and Developments
Part 20: More Politics and Developments
With Antipodea's growing population and cultural distinction from the motherland, the French government decided to grant more autonomy to the Antipodeans. Modeling off of the British dominion of Canada, the French declared the “Territoire Outre-Mer de l'Antipodeé”, or the Overseas Territory of Antipodea, with it's capital in Miléoua (OTL Albury, NSW). The Antipodeans would be militarily and economically linked to France, but given self-governance in many other areas (such as immigration policy, which will become very important). With the opening of the Suez Canal in December of 1869, the ease of travel to Antipodea greatly increased, with the canal cutting off some 4,000 miles of travel around Africa. During the construction of the telegraph lines across the continent, numerous deposits of minerals were found, sparking gold, silver and gem rushes across the interior, notably in Ouilama. Meanwhile, in some cities the early stages of industrialization were being seen, with the beginnings of a mining industry emerging. Despite the urbanization, most people remained simple farmers, and they bred like them too, with an average of 4-5 children per woman. The farming industry in Antipodea grew as sugar, tobacco (they're still Frenchmen after all) and coffee plantations grew in the tropical (or subtropical for tobacco), while major grains included wheat, corn, barley and rice. On less fertile soil, cattle, sheep and horses grazed on the vast plains on the frontier. Meanwhile, the forestry industry was growing in importance, and eucalyptus forests were cleared for new farmland and logs were sent to sawmills outside of towns. During the 1870's, 29,000 people on average arrived in Antipodea annually, or 290,000 in total, which when combined with natural growth grew the population of Antipodea to 1,730,000 by 1880 (British Australia had 2,230,000 people in 1880).
Jewish immigration. It was around this time that the Russian pogroms took place. If you open Antipodea to Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe you'll quickly see 2-3 million people rush towards the continent. Also Japanese immigration and Balkan immigration could be a thing, these groups had a hard time immigrating to the west due to quotas.
What about talking about the difference between Metropolitan France and Antipodeans and how their culture has started to evolve on its own?
-Queensland labor revolution as indentured laborers unite, figuring that they have nothing to lose but their chains
-Maori pirates attack Tasmanie. The French blame perfidious Albion, and a French/British war breaks out; British occupy parts of Australia, but can they handle French guerrilla warfare?
-Sandalwood trade develops. The French use offerings of sandalwood to worm their way into the Qing court, and accidentally influence the Emperor/Empress ITTL to modernize
-Whoops, sandalwood is running low! But there's plenty of sandalwood just offshore especially in New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Surely the people there will prove meek and easy to conquer, right?
Issues between Fedral government and states over states rights.
Uprising of the indentured servants
Conflict between French loyalists and nationalist Antipodians
Part 21: The Late 19th Century
Part 21: The Late 19th Century
In 1878, Antipodea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of Louisport (well, except for the Aborigines), and in that century Antipodea had gone from that one colony to encompassing basically the entire continent with a non-aboriginal population approaching two million and growing rapidly. Despite a decrease in fertility from 4-5 children to 3-4 children during this time period due to the lower availability of land and increased urbanization, the natural growth rate remained constant at around 2.75% per year, and getting it on was far from the only source of population growth.During the late 19th century, emigration from Italy surged. While Antipodea had already received a large amount of Italian immigrants, the amount arriving from 1880-1914 was staggering. After the unification of Italy, a boom of emigration from Italy commenced, disproportionately from the south and fueled by poverty, unemployment, landlessness and a demographic boom. Between 1880 and 1890 220,000 Italians emigrated to Antipodea, almost all of them staying permanently due to the distance from home. Combined with 110,000 other European immigrants and 25,000 non-European immigrants, the population grew to 2,620,000, and from 1890-1900 the population grew to 3,800,000, about the same as British Australia in OTL 1900. While earlier immigrants had settled in the countryside, the lower availability of open, fertile land and lack of money when arriving prompted more immigrants to settle in cities.
Speaking of cities, Antipodea's urban centers were beginning to resemble their European counterparts more than the colonial outposts they'd began as. Martinière, Antipodea's largest city had a population of 463,000 as of 1900, a population larger than that of Rome in the same year. Louisport, the 2nd most populous city in Antipodea had a population of 292,000, a population larger than that of Bordeaux. During the 1840's, a population boom began in the major cities, and with that the cities built structures such as cathedrals, museums, government houses etc. Starting in 1859, the Cathédral de Saint-Esprit (Cathedral of the Holy Spirit) began construction in Martinière, built in a neo-gothic style inspired by cathedrals along the lines of Notre-Dame in Paris and the Chartres cathedral. After 23 years of construction, the cathedral was completed in 1882 (although masses had been held there for years, as much of the time was spent detailing). Similarly spectacular cathedrals were built in other major cities (Louisport, Charlesville, Port Napoléon, Méouar etc.), albeit in many different styles. The Martinière Opéra, a massive concert hall was built from 1876-1889, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts Martinière was built from 1881-1891. Other than stuff like that, the urban planning in the new cities was inspired by old world cities, especially Paris, as many neighborhoods looked a lot like this, at least in wealthier areas. I'll get to the major industries of the time in the next update, as this is quite a big update, so au revoir until then.
This is a very good tl! If you are still looking for french names of the Antipodal animals I was thinking a dingo would be known as a chienaride which is a mash up for the french words for dog and arid. Also who are some prominent Australian leaders and politicians and is their government parliamentary or presidential or what.
Part 22: Antipodean Industry
Part 22: Antipodean Industry
The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century was arguably the most drastic change in human life since the invention/development of agriculture. Having started in the mid 18th century in English coal mines, the revolution eventually spread to continental Europe and the United States, and then eventually to much of the rest of the world. During the late 19th century, industrialization came to Antipodea, originating in the coal mining port city of Rochelle. The Rochelle Valley (French: Val de Rochelle) became one of the prime coal mining regions in the world, and Rochelle City grew to 115,000 residents by 1900 and one of the busiest ports in Antipodea. Much of the southeast was covered by eucalyptus forest, which was a highly desired wood in the old world, and thus much of the forest was chopped down, either to export to foreign countries or sent to domestic sawmills and the cleared land being used for farming or ranching. Textile factories also made a major industry, especially wool and cotton textiles. The largest centers of the textile industry were Martinière (wool) and Méouar (cotton), both exporting massive amounts of goods to the rest of the world. Sugar from the northeast coast was sent to sugar refineries to make standard sugar, molasses or rum, the largest sugar centers being Amalia and Coutéringe. Gold was discovered at Calcerla and Orchamps in 1897, drawing thousands of prospectors and immigrants to the western part of Antipodea. Port Napoléon grew from 21,000 in 1885 to 72,000 in 1900 due to the influx of immigrants who decided "hey, gold rushes are crazy and I like the weather here, so I'll just stay here". Gold was also discovered in the far north, bringing colonists to this desolate and dangerous region. Other than that, many people remained simple farmers, and despite the urban growth the population remained majority rural until after World War 2. In the agricultural sector, wheat, corn, barley and rice were the main grain sources, and the Antipodean wine industry had grown to be regarded on a level similar to France and Italy, both in scope and quality. The French navy based it's Pacific fleet out of Louisport, and thus Louisport emerged as a major shipbuilding and later manufacturing center (cars and planes for example). While Antipodean industry was dwarfed by those in, say the U.S. or Britain, but the infrastructure was there for Antipodea to become a wealthy nation.Tasmanian Aborigines? Well, I'm not sure how the French would have treated the natives ITTL. The Franco-Native relations in New France were rather cordial, but then again New France barely saw any settlement (the only area of significant settlement being the St. Lawrence valley from Quebec City to Montreal, in total only 8,000 to 12,000 Frenchmen ever moved to New France), and obviously this isn't the case with Antipodea. Also, the influence of Social Darwinism and Scientific Racism would probably lead to at least some sectors of Antipodean society treating the Aborigines terribly (just look at the Belgian Congo, although it couldn't really get worse than that). I don't know if it'd be abducting children and shipping them to boarding schools (the U.S., Canada and OTL Australia all did that), but it wouldn't be "live and let live", especially from the colonists more so than the government back in Paris.
Part 22.5: British Patagonia
In 1860, the European population of Patagonia was 51,000, fueled by German and Scandinavian immigration to the bottom of the world. The west coast Nordic colony spread inland, as fertile land was pretty limited with the fjords and mountains, but finding the land to get rapidly more arid. The famine in the late 1860's that drove 18000 Scandinavians to Patagonia between 1866-1872 However, more farming villages like Simpson and Eskel were founded further from the coast. The main agricultural sector in Patagonia was without a doubt ranching. Patagonia, having a climate similar to the high plains in the U.S. (not as cold, though) being dry and cool, massive ranches sprung up across the interior. The folks on the ranches, the Gauchos (loanword from Argentinian Spanish) became legends in Patagonian culture, similar to cowboys in the U.S. and Canada. However, this did lead to land conflicts with the indigenous people, namely the Mapuche. The British government wanted to keep cordial relations with the natives, but the colonists wanted to subjugate them, leading to a conflict of interests within the colony. The British government wanted to designate much of the colony as indigenous reserves, while the Gauchos wanted as much land as possible for ranching. In the end, decent sized tracts of land were designated for the natives, but the natives unsurprisingly got the short end of the stick. In the 1860's, the Welsh started to show up in Patagonia, wanting to preserve their culture and language and finding moving to Patagonia to be the only option. The Welsh settled in the region of Chupet, founding the towns of Port Madryn, Trelew and Drefogof among others. The lake town of Verlochy became famous as a resort town and a route into Chile, being compared to England's lake district. The Patagonian European population was 89,000 in 1870, 130,000 in 1880 and 188,000 in 1890. The agricultural potential was very limited in Patagonia, so much of the British immigration went to the U.S., Canada, South Africa or New Zealand instead. In this timeline, the population of New Zealand about 30% higher in 1900 (OTL 802,000, TTL 1,040,000), Canada's 10% Higher (OTL 5,301,000, TTL 5,831,000), South Africa's white population 25% higher (1,115,000 OTL, 1,400,000 TTL) and in 1900 Patagonia's European population was 268,000, I.E. very small, the backwater of the British Empire.
Is the Patagonian population too small, or is 268,000 in 1900 a realistic estimate?
Part 23: Turn of the Century
Part 23: Turn of the Century
It was now the 20th century, and things in Antipodea were going swell. Between 1900 and 1914, Antipodean natural growth averaged 2.25% annually (3-4 surviving children), with mass immigration giving Antipodean population growth a large boost. 750,000 Italians arrived between 1900 and 1914, as well as 525,000 Europeans and 155,000 Non-Europeans (Middle East, Japan, China, Indochina, India etc.), with the population of Antipodea reaching 6,620,000 by 1914. Martinière's population had grown to 618,000, still being the largest city in Antipodea. New Houses and Apartments were being built at a rapid clip, connected to the city centers by new urban railways. Vacation destinations were emerging for the growing middle and upper classes, such as Port Rosette for Méouar, Des Bongins for Louisport and Dieppe for Martinière, with new châteaux-looking hotels being built in these coastal tourist towns. However, not all was peachy keen in Antipodea. Strikes were frequent (they are French, after all), ideological divides were growing (Socialism was gaining in popularity) and tensions over the amount of immigration were increasing, fearing that Antipodea would turn from a Nouvelle-France to Nuova Italia. These tensions were highlighted by the 1908 Martinière Riots, which started with a strike, and after all the unionized employees at the factory were fired they turned to rioting, killing 14 and causing millions of dollars (adjusted for inflation) in damages. The fears about immigration, while understandable, were largely overdone, as the Italians assimilated quickly into Antipodean culture (similar to the Italians in Argentina), as the Italians and French Antipodeans went to the same Catholic churches and frequently intermarried, not to mention that more Italians identified with their region (Lombardy, Veneto, Sicily, Campania etc.) than with Italy as a whole, and spoke a regional dialect (which were probably distinct enough to be considered full on languages) rather than standard Italian (unlike later Italian immigrants, who saw themselves as Italians and spoke the standard language). The Belle Époque of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was about to come crashing down in the summer of 1914...- Status