"What Madness Is This?" Volume I: The Union Forever

[Sunstone77]

Nah—realistically, there's very little chance that Ireland can beat back the Britannic Union without outside aid, unless we're dumping all realism into the toilet and going full "Muh nationalism! One of our guys is worth a million of your guys!"

As much as I joke and hope that Ireland is victorious/survives, without some kind of Hail Mary pass, Ireland seems doomed into becoming a slow bloody slog against a meat grinder, especially if the RU get involved. Ireland’s only real hopes of coming out of this in any fashion are...

(a) outside aid from either Europa, Nordreich or even Russia (maybe Viktor gets tired of being allied with Slav haters)

(b) Power plays and internal political shenanigans in the Britanic Union results in such bad internal weakening they collapse into civil war.

(c) Ireland pulls some serious deus ex machina shit off and get nukes or biological weapons and goes insane with them.

Also, how is South America doing? I know the latest chapter mentioned Brazil and Rio de la Plata were on the brink of civil war, but what are Gran Columbia and Peru up to? Are they taking sides or just hoping nobody pays any attention to them and staying neutral? I still want to see Brazil become a Beutelists counter to America

 

[Perfidious Albion]

(maybe Viktor gets tired of being allied with Slav haters)

The Russian Empire isn't allied with the Republican Union of America. They're just fighting the same Frenchmen and being co-belligerents, co-belligerents you hear me, that's totally not the same thing as allies, and that coincidence of having the same enemy is all it is, that's all it is, that's ALL it is DO YOU HEAR ME, RECRUIT? ARE YOU BEING A SUBVERSIVE? YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A SUBVERSIVE!

Alliances can be odd. OTL proves that. OTL is weirder than people give it credit for. If you told someone from an ATL about royalist Britain—whose fierce intervention against the Soviets in the Russian Civil War was a huge influence on the early Soviets' way of viewing the world by convincing them that the capitalists would never leave them be and would always be their eternal enemies intent on the destruction of the revolution—and arch-anti-communist America—which ignored its own Constitution and democratic processes in order to carry out a horrendous blood-soaked crackdown on the largely peaceful American socialist groups—and you told them that those powers would be fighting a life-or-death struggle with Joseph "Purge Those Kulaks" Stalin's USSR on the same side, they'd think you were an insane crack addict.

 

[Worffan101]

Pulmonary anthrax, i.e. using anthrax spores as a bioweapon, is one of the nastiest diseases there is. There's basically no cure or even treatment in a 1910s context, the spores can infect hundreds of thousands in very small doses, and they can survive a Hell of a lot.

It's actually disturbingly likely that using anthrax as a bioweapon will cause an outbreak, which given that pulmonary anthrax has an upwards of 90% mortality rate even with treatment, means that the British isles could be largely depopulated if it gets out of hand enough. What would be even worse is if someone thinks this collateral damage is a good thing if it's just the Europan heretics/Slavic devils/Protestant scum/Papist oppressors/Infees who are dying, and starts using this stuff on an even larger scale.

 

[Time Enough]

Pulmonary anthrax, i.e. using anthrax spores as a bioweapon, is one of the nastiest diseases there is. There's basically no cure or even treatment in a 1910s context, the spores can infect hundreds of thousands in very small doses, and they can survive a Hell of a lot.

It's actually disturbingly likely that using anthrax as a bioweapon will cause an outbreak, which given that pulmonary anthrax has an upwards of 90% mortality rate even with treatment, means that the British isles could be largely depopulated if it gets out of hand enough. What would be even worse is if someone thinks this collateral damage is a good thing if it's just the Europan heretics/Slavic devils/Protestant scum/Papist oppressors/Infees who are dying, and starts using this stuff on an even larger scale.

I can see someone in the RU taking note; I could see there being a competition between two sides of the RU military, those who believe in bombing all the Papists with nukes whilst the other side believes in using chemical and biological weapons to kill all the people whilst leaving there buildings intact.

Also knowing everything the British troops will be most likely taken back to Wales which depending how an outbreak occurs will probably be quarantined (I get the feeling the British will be fine letting the Welsh die on mass if it allows England and Scotland to be safe). So essentially what started off as a Alternate Great War is starting to slip into Pre-Apocalyptic territory, what with an war to the death occurring between Ireland and Britain and the RU exterminating Canada.

 

[TheImperialTheorist]

Amazing that in a world of madness, Hitler still manages to exist, much less be someone we can sympathize.

In any case, this war is becoming a bloodfest, with atrocities from all sides being committed. The Russians and Slavs committing all sorts of murders in those unfortunate towns, the Irish releasing anthrax on the British, Catalonia exploding into unrest, and gas being thrown around everywhere. And now Persia’s getting involved. Whoever wins, if they last long to achieve it, will have to deal with a very broken world as their prize and loads of general hatred to deal with in the aftermath.

 

[Prince Daemon Targaryen]

Gotta have the Japanese offensive now that the Russians are preoccupied in Ruthenia, and how is the war going in the colonies?

 

[Eylondambovich]

I'm convinced

 

[Murica1776]

We're only 2 votes behind folks! Let's bring the Turtledove home for Christ, Chancellor, and Confederation! If you don't I heard a "rumor" going around that the Office of Public Virtue might "investigate" you, if you know what I mean.... So get out and vote!!!!

Speaking of Christ, Jesus Christ look at Europe! The whole continent is practically a mud and blood slurry. Never thought I'd be rooting for any version of Hitler against Eastern Europe, but here I am, lol. I'm very curious about Portugal and whether or not they declare neutrality. If they don't...

I direct your attention to Southern Africa, where the Reich, the Dutch, and tiny little Carolinian Jacksonland all have a marvelous opportunity to utterly bitchslap Portuguese Africa, pardon my language. Perhaps Carolina carves out another small colony if things go well. Polkland anyone?

 

[halfcoop]

Man Marshal Perrault is like the only competent man left in the Europa high command.

I wonder how complete the death of the Empire will be. I think the European part of Europa will more or less stay, but the colonies in the America’s, Asia and Africa are on its death march.

I also wonder if those (not)communist are going to do something. Areas like India, South America are ripe for a people’s revolution.

 

[Born in the USSA]

We're only 2 votes behind folks! Let's bring the Turtledove home for Christ, Chancellor, and Confederation! If you don't I heard a "rumor" going around that the Office of Public Virtue might "investigate" you, if you know what I mean.... So get out and vote!!!!

Speaking of Christ, Jesus Christ look at Europe! The whole continent is practically a mud and blood slurry. Never thought I'd be rooting for any version of Hitler against Eastern Europe, but here I am, lol. I'm very curious about Portugal and whether or not they declare neutrality. If they don't...

I direct your attention to Southern Africa, where the Reich, the Dutch, and tiny little Carolinian Jacksonland all have a marvelous opportunity to utterly bitchslap Portuguese Africa, pardon my language. Perhaps Carolina carves out another small colony if things go well. Polkland anyone?

Nope, they'll carry on with directional names of course. Say hello to North Jacksonland!

 

[Diagram]

being the poorer and far FAR less populous neighbour of a much larger and more powerful country.

Irish poverty and depopulation where directly caused by colonialism, an independent Ireland would have a massively larger population due to far less emigration/death by famine. Now of course there is a limit, Ireland is simply smaller than England, but despite this an Ireland that was able to manage the famine and hasn't reached the demographic transition yet would end up having a far larger population.

By this exact logic Europa should be burning down Berlin by now, which I honestly still think it should.

Greater France—a.k.a. the increasingly inaccurately named Empire of Europa

The fact that Spain and Italy are still loyal proves that this empire is much more Latin than merely French.

make a separate peace with the Nordreich, conceding Germany and the Netherlands to Berlin, while remaining in the war against the RU and Britain. If so, the French could attack the British in the Southeast of England. (That relies on Europa having enough of a navy, but I think they do; Britain, the author has said, doesn't have much of a navy, presumably due to all those years of being Versailles-style shackled by France, and the Nordreich's army is already being portrayed questionably stronger than it really would be likely to be, so there's no way the Nordreich had the ability to make a top-class navy too.) A French landing in the Southeast, which is the richest and most populous part of Britain and also the closest part to France, would force a British retreat from Ireland—because ultimately, for any British government of any political affiliation, holding Ireland (or any other foreign country) will never, ever be more important to the British than holding Britain.

For what possible reason would Europa give up Catholic Rhineland to help out Ireland? Airstrip One can be a real pain in the ass but you don't give up most of your industry for a fight that would only get a big wet island filled with protestants.

I will take this moment to remind everyone in this thread that the British Navy doesn't exactly lose when outnumbered.

The big wildcard in all of that is Russia, which is under a regime that's at least as nasty and batshit insane as the RU right now. Czar Viktor's crusade against France is an element thoroughly alien to Classic, so I have very little idea how it's going to play out. An alt-Russian Revolution would be pretty cool, though.

It took 3 years, never-ending defeats, just as great if not greater losses and Nicholas II to break IRL Russia, for what possible reason would the Russians revolt against the man who seems fated to burn down Paris?

An alt-Russian Revolution would be pretty cool, though. The Russians must have suffered huge losses in this latest offensive, all the while being ruled by a blood-crazed autocrat who makes the worst excesses of Nicholas II look tame.

Viktor freed the serfs, crushed the aristocracy and is bringing victory in war. Also what excess? Killing Jews obviously wouldn't count to this Russia.

but this Russia is much more ripe for revolution than OTL Russia was; and who's to say the revolutionaries wouldn't be pretty mad themselves?

Russia right now, is as ripe for revolution as the Soviet Union was in 1944. Also revolution by who? As far as I can see the Buetalists are to IRL Marxists as Bernie Sanders is to Lenin. What are they going to throw a brick at Viktor as he is busy overseeing the destruction of Rome?

 

[Murica1776]

It's official folks, we've taken the lead by a single vote! But that's a slim margin indeed. Vote for Chancellor-Caesar-President for Life Napo! Hark the Sound/Vive l'Empereur/All Hail!

EDIT: We lost the lead right after I wrote that. VOTE! Unless you want the ghosts of Andy Jackson and Abraham Lincoln to murder you in your sleep

 

[SuperZtar64]

It's official folks, we've taken the lead by a single vote! But that's a slim margin indeed. Vote for Chancellor-Caesar-President for Life Napo! Hark the Sound/Vive l'Empereur/All Hail!

Which turtledove is this?

 

[Murica1776]

Which turtledove is this?

Best Colonialism and Revolutions Timeline. The link is in Napo's signature

 

[Monkt]

Did my part for Burr and country and voted against the Papist hoards!

 

[Napoleon53]

Which turtledove is this?

Colonial and Revolutions! And Best Quote. I'm at work but I keep checking the votes. It's quite stressful but very fun. Lol Let's go guys! What other author on here has made physical props from his TL? What other author provides equal amounts of laughter and horror? That's right:

NAPO NOW. MORE THAN EVER. tm

 

[SuperZtar64]

I've done my part. All Hail!

 

[Napoleon53]

I have to say though I am perfectly happy if I don't win. It's all in good sport and fun. And unlike some comments (not from authors) I have seen in other threads I will not belittle or denigrate another's hard work. Revolutionary Greece is an amazing TL indeed, and I see why it might win. There are multiple TLs that deserve to win! Good luck to all!

 

[Murica1776]

Nope, they'll carry on with directional names of course. Say hello to North Jacksonland!

Well, I'm sure we can find a little clod of Earth to call Polkland one of these days. Like Pennsylvania after the Union falls.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

I've done my part. All Hail!

And mine. Vive l'Empereur!

Well. They're probably going to die. No-one in WMIT ever won a bet by betting on the nicest side. But vive them anyway.