Why the Chinese play cricket (an Imperial Federation timeline)
- Thread starter Miss Construction
- Start date
lol me to. And on to the so called Pacific Dominions, Australia, New Zealand and, though everyone overlooks it, Fiji. Such a pity people forget Fiji, I understand why, but those humble island have had an impact on the Empire beyond any concept of their seeming importance and are about to have an even bigger and continuing impact. I'll save that for last.
There are some very Important things the Pacific Dominions. First off is the name Pacific Dominions, they are the only clear geographic grouping of Dominions, everyone pretty much sits on their own. Secondly they all (including Fiji) all share a very similar geopolitical out look. The look out toward two thing, South East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. They all share this focus. Also these are the Dominions where pro-Imperial sentiment, ranging from near fanatical in Fiji to rar rar Imperial and proud mate, right down to my (Imperial flag underwear) in Australia. They're also most belligerent of the Dominions, if there's a war or scrap going, count them in. This has NZ as most belligerent with Fiji least.
There are very close cultural and personal ties linking them. Yes South Africa and Canada have strong cultural similarities, but nothing like they do, even Fiji is in on this. To illustrate, just how many Canadians regularly pop over on a casual visit or holiday to South Africa or the UK. Same for them All have plenty of interesting places to visit much easier to get to. But when you're strand out here tucked away in a corner thousands of Km away from anything, pretty much nowhere else to go but each other. Yes there is New Caledonia, but they're French, pass on that more than once lol. You also have a considerable amount of very much ongoing population exchange between them.
All this and one more thing I haven't got to yet, means they tend to operate as a single unit. At an Imperial Conference it would be unusual for them to not all vote the same way. There's also close cooperation between them.
Now I'll get to that last commonality. They are all deeply concerned and even scared of the growing US-Japanese Pacific Alliance (I'll just use the shorthand PA from here). To them it poses a very clear and definite threat. And they're not all together wrong. The US and Japan tend to view the Pacific as their own personal paddling pool. They will naturally tend to want to draw the Pacific Dominions into their orbit. The Pacific Dominions fear that if they fall into the PA orbit, the PA will plunder and exploit them. Both Japan and the US have already shown a distinct tendancy toward it ITTL (and in the OTL)
They believe the PA will only see them as resource pools. Yes the Empire did that for a long time, but now the Empire has spent the last 40 years spending a lot of time, effort and money to very deliberately develop, expand and diversify their economies and Industrial base. The Empire with the express and declared intention of transforming them from resource pools to fully equal mutual trade partners.
This fear of the PA ITTL explains so about how they behave. Doesn't take a lot thought to see it. This fear is why despite all their belligerence, there's a not insignificant chance they'll veto any Imperial involvement in a European war. After the 1909 Imperial conference (coming up in the next update), you need five out of the seven members of the Empire to agree to go to war, The Pacific Dominions hold three votes, they can veto it. Why? Because to defeat the Germany navy, it will take most if not virtually all the Royal Navy's battlefleet. If that happens what's to stop the PA using its battlefleet to establish sea control over their vital trade routes to Asia, with all the associated economic leverage that gives the PA over them. Paranoid, probably, but to the Pacific Dominions, this fear is very real.
Sadly at this pont in history Australia is second only to South Africa when it comes to Racism within the Empire, not that anyone else is in anyway praise worthy. The only only consultation I can give is, when compared to South Africa, number two racist doesn't look quite so bad. White Australia, sadly if the OTL is any any guide, it'll be around some considerable time. In the OTL is very much alive till the late forty when it started to begin to give. Nonetheless still had some not inconsiderable life left in it well into the sixties, and if memory serves, the final stake was not driven through its undead heart till 1978. However ITTL the backlash against racism will start much sooner (probably in the US of all places) and while it will take some time to spread and grow, when it hits it's stride, it will be far stronger than the OTL
Yes yes that lovely period of Australian political silliness is also part of TL. However don't feel too bad. ITTL the UK went through 30 with only two majority governments, and even then you're talking majorities so slender (like 8-12) the slightest glitch will throw it off balance. Australia will pull out of soon enough
Canberra, yes I've been there too, city of the dead lol. But sadly TTL doesn't escape it either. But this brings up a very interesting point. What happens to the federal Dominions (Australia, Canada, South Africa) when the Imperial Federation finally arrives? Do the go away or stick around? I think its almost certain they stick around, they make sense for where they are. Sure I'd expect they'll very well see their powers reduced, some going to the Imperial Federation, some going down to the provinces/states. But they will probably retain not insignificant powers.
Firstly The Empire is big and communication times are going to be long well into the second half of the 20th century. The Empire is not at all well suited to deal with local crises affecting more than one Dominion. Thus its very useful to have a mid their administration around covering these states for such emergencies. Secondly, its extremely important for coordination during war time. If for instance you have load of refined high quality steel in WA and you need it be in NSW to turn it into artillery pieces, you need it done now. You can't stuff around waiting for two totally seperate bureaucracies to take their own sweet time and organise it. And the final reason is, may sound ridiculous, but just how many people do you want at an Imperial Conference? I kid you not a serious concern. The more people involved the harder it is is to make decision by consensus and the longer it takes.
So on to Australia's ITTL economic and industrial development. What does Australia make? Well they have a nice little efficient shipbuilding industry. Merchant vessels and warships up to cruisers. Not quite as efficient as the British or Canadians, but probably better than the US and gives Germany a good run and may beat them. Capacity isn't that great either but there are plans to expand it. Next weapons and munitions, Lithgow in Australia is the Empires arsenal for Asia and the Pacific. Other than things like siege artillery, if it goes bang and throws something dangerous out one end, Lithgow can probably make it. The hardware the Empire supplied to Xianfa China during the civil war? Made in Australia. Chile, armed by Australia. Malaya etc, yep Australian. They even make a small but respectable number for India. Normally its just kept ticking over enough to retain the skill base, but if needed, they can really pump them out. But their real industrial gem is something very few people would ever look twice at,
They have a considerable amount of light and medium industry efficiently turning out a fair quantity of fair quality reasonably priced civilian commercial goods . The vast majority of this goes into Latin America, South East Asia and China. Australia sells more of this kind of widgets and gadgets to the Netherlands East Indies and French Indochina then their colonial masters do, Dominate the market in Siam, significant presence in Ecuador, Colombia, Southern China and Chile,. Can be found even in the Phillipines . But this is part of the Empire's secret shadow industry program. Factories which normally put out mundane civilian goods. But you get into a war. All you have to do is twidle some dials, reset a few tolerances, change a few parts (all kept on site) etc and now that factory is churning out all sorts of fun stuff you need to deal death and destruction. And when the war ends, just set the machine back to how it was and hey presto, you're making harmless widgets and gadgets again.
The shadow factories are deliberately run below capacity and producing at a lower quality than they can to conceal what they're capable of. These shadow factories are spread throughout the Dominions, India and even colonies. But Australia and Canada probably contain at least half of them. As they say, the Empire, masters of the low blow, gang up and sneak attack. This utilises all of them.
Then of course you have raw materials, just unbelievable what you can get out the ground in Australia. Australia is one of the Empire's big four sources of raw materials (the other three are Canada, Chile and South Africa). These four supply it with more than enough of every strategic they need with only two exceptions.
And Imperial policy for a very long time has been to process raw materials into a usable state as close to where you dig them up, drill them up, chop them down or suck them out as possible. Why ship tons of useless rock half way round the world when all you want is the iron in those rocks. The only steel mills left in Britain turn out nothing but the very top of the line stuff, 15" plates of continuous Krupps steel and that kind of thing.
The two raw materials the Empire can't get from the big four are rubber which the Empire gets from India and oil. Oil is the one thing the Empire doesn't produce enough of domestically. However, the Empire has just found a massive oil field in Persia. More than enough for their needs it seems. So highest priority for colonial expansion is bring Persia so tightly into the Imperial orbit they can hear it breathe.
Of course this might ruffle a few feathers with another Great Power which name begins with R and ends with ussia. Mmm, maybe when said Great Power is distracted by being locked in a life and death struggle with some other Great Powers might be a good time to do it.
Ah yeah that nice little locomotive and rolling stock industry. It's not quite how it was. First off, it's no longer just Government railway workshops, though they're still made their, just nowhere near as many. Most and the very are made by a private company Wood Locomotives and Rolling Stock, more commonly just Woods founded in 1903. Now Woods doesn't make a lot of locos yet. High quality and expensive. But they are proving very popular in some place. First overseas market was Chile, the Bolivia and Peru. Their lasted order is eight from Russia for the Oulu to Narvik line, because Wood Locos are very good at pulling things over mountains lol.
But that little loco industry has kind of exploded. Someone building those locos also figured he could use the same skills to build something else he thought there might be a market for, not too far away. Mining equipment, and he was right, his products are good, plus you don't have to ship them half way round and Australia can't seem to get enough of them. That company has branched out with a sizable Imperial support to produce the new develop Imperial Army 9.2" siege howitzer. So what Lithgow over in Australia doesn't make, Lund in NZ does.
The New Zealand's heavy engineering industry is expanding at a phenomenal rate. However the very speed at which its expanding very nearly killed it. It created two massive problems. Most obvious and easiest to solve was lack of cash. Just not enough money to fund expansion. Solution was the NZ and Imperial government, recognising a good thing when they saw it, stepped in and started handing out loans on very favourable terms like it was confetti. The other issue was far more serious and harder to get around. The industry is less than ten years old, there were just nowhere near enough skilled workers to actual make things fast enough to keep up with demand. If they couldn't find some way to dramatically increase production, the entire industry would have collapsed causing massive economic damage in New Zealand, flowing on to the entire Empire.
Took three years to come up with a solution, and its one of the keys to the New Zealand heavy engineering industry's success. Automation. Take your limited supply of highly skilled workers, spread them around to supervise and direct less killed workers and use automation to make up for any lack of skill. Nowhere else in the world does this. The unexpected result was costs and production time fell but quality didn't. However the industry is still struggling to cope with the rate of expansion, sucking in highly skilled workers from wherever in the world they can find them. This boom clearly won't last, eventually things will settle down. But it's hoped by then New Zealand's economy will include a large well established heavy. engineering sector.
The other area NZ is doing well is aerospace. This is down to just two companies Pearce-Walsh who make the planes, only commercial aircraft manufacturer between the Urals on western coast of America. As I mention a few replies back, currently they dominate the aero industry in Asia. Not that hard when you're the only one. They other company is Dennison. They make the engines Pearce-Walsh put in their aircraft. Light weight efficient reliable air cooled radials with a very good power to weight ratio. The other thing other factor in Pearce-Walsh's success is a by product of Richard Pearce's never ending quest to develop and aircraft which can take off and land with the shortest possible run. He came up with and patented flaps. Very simple and basic ones, but they do work. Pearce-Walsh aircraft have excellent STOL characteristics.
Pearce-Walsh have two product ranges. The Mallards, the are bog standard canvas over wood, upsprung undercarriage aircraft like most other manufacturers make. The only things setting the apart is the efficient standard Dennison engines, the Walsh Brother attention to aerodynamics and that sometimes they have flaps. Then there's the Muscovy's. These are not like most other aircraft. Canvas over a delirium frame, always have flaps, good aerodynamics, a high end engine Dennison engine (better than a standard Dennison but more costly), fitted with static line parachutes in case of emergency, undercarriage with spring and hydraulic shock absorbers, and last but not least, brakes on the wheels. As might be expected way more expensive than a Mallard, but equally acknowledged as way better. As yet Pearce-Walsh and Dennison are the only commercial aircraft or aero engine manufacturers in New Zealand, though their success is beginning to inspire other start ups.
AND FINALLY WE GET TO.... FIJI (aka wtf is Fiji doing attending every Imperial Conference on the same terms as the White Dominions)
So how on earth did Fiji get to be a Dominion? Well the actually truth is in the formal sense they're not. In a strict legal sense according to Imperial law, they're just another colony no different from say Sierra Leonie or Barbados. They should fall under the control of the Colonial Office not the Dominion office. Except is utterly convinced they are a Dominion, just nobody's bothered to actually check the Paperwork. So why is everyone so utterly convinced they are a Dominion?
It goes back to the creation of something called The Federal Council of Australasia. Created in 1883, it was a very early attempt to create what would eventually come to be the Commonwealth of Australia. However it was simply a pointless talking shop where you sent retired politicians you didn't want around so you could forget about them. This council consisted of the six colonies which would go on to become Australia plus New Zealand and Fiji. Why Fiji was included I can only put down to clerical oversight. But as long as that council existed, all those six Australian colonies and New Zealand attended Imperial Conferences and got a say in running the Empire not because they had Dominion status, but because they were members of that council. Thus Fiji, also a member of that council, had to be allowed to attend as well, despite not having Dominion status. OMG, I so hate this kind of strict legalistic thinkings, it robs you of all flexibility and ties you in knots.
But regardless, that's how Fiji got to attend Imperial Conferences in the first place, and that twisted convoluted legalistic reason remained in place for eighteen years. It's what happened over those eighteen years which explains why everyone is so convinced Fiji is a Dominion. While initially nobody expected anything the Fijians said to be worth listening to, the discovered that when they listened to what the Fijians said, it turned to be useful and worth listening to. As a result they wanted the Fijians to keep coming (gotta love selective racism).
Thus to dot the i's and cross the t's, it was intended to formally grant Fiji dominion status. The matter was extensively discussed in 1892,. But there were concerns it create a precedent leading to other "less worthy" colonies demanding to allowed to attend (really that selective racism gets me every time). Therefore no decision was ever reached and due to other pressing matters it was never discussed again. Therefore Fiji never got Dominion status and when that council came to an end in 1900, should no longer been allowed to attend. But that point everyone had pretty much forgotten the legalistic gymnastics behind all this. Probably some recalled the 1892 to some extent and assumed Fiji had been made a Dominion then. This is how the mistaken belief Fiji was a Dominion became so firmly entrenched. Irony is, if the truth came out now, the precedent it set would be so much harder to refute than the one feared in 1892.
And this is why the Fijians are so incredibly pro Empire, more pro Imperial than any other place in the Empire. Why you will find a picture of the king and queen prominently and proudly displayed in every Fijian home. Unlike any other non European in the Empire, they are so important they can sit at the top table as an equal with the Dominions. Not even India gets that. Yes attends Imperial Conferences, gets to speak and be heard respectfully. But India doesn't get a vote when consensus can't be reached, Fiji does. As far as Fijians are concerned, the Empire sees them as more important than India. Really hope nobody ever lets on its all just a clerical error.
And what is so huge and about to happen to Fiji. Scattered around the Empire are a tiny number of what are called Imperial fortresses. Extremely heavily defended huge naval and military bases (though give the Empire is a maritime Empire, primarily naval) at points considered so vital to Imperial security no effort should be spared to hold them. These Imperial Fortresses are incredibly expensive to build and maintain, both in terms of money and resources. A squadron of four dreadnoughts, nope probably more expensive.
Currently there are three of them, Bermuda (okay currently a bit of an anachronism but maybe not in the future), Gibraltar and Malta. Since the end of the Isan crisis in 1907, the very highest ranking Army and Navy officers, a handful of the most senior civil servants and very top politician within the government (PM, chancellor of the exchequer, first lord of the Admiralty and minister of war) have been holding extremely confidential discussions regarding creating three new ones.
A great deal of costly planning and preparatory work has already been done in order to speed construction if it is decided to go ahead. These discussions have been kept so confidential, not even the highest leaders in the Dominions have been told yet. The final decision will be made at the 1911 Imperial Conference. A huge amount of thought, discussion research and consideration went into the of selection of the optimum locations for these bases (really not something you want to get wrong). The three sites finally chosen are Suez, Singapore and Fiji. And if this does go ahead, Fiji will be changed beyond recognition forever.
I'll just dump one big one covering the entire Empire in detail from 1891 to 1921. Easier
OTL Population 1891
England 27.7m, Ireland 4.7m, Scotland 3.5m, Wales 1.8m, Canada 4.8m, Newfoundland 0.202m, New South Wales 1.124m, Victoria 1.140m, Queensland 0.400m, Tasmania 0.151, South Australia 0.345m, Western Australia 0.053m, New Zealand 0.7m, Fiji 0.121m, Cape Colony 1.5m, Natal 1m, India 224.5m
UK 37.70m Dominions 11.57m Total 49.27m
TOTAL = 273.736m
ITTL Population 1891
England 28.1m, Ireland 4.7m, Scotland 3.5m, Wales 1.8m, Canada 5.8m, Newfoundland 0.23m, New South Wales 1.26m, Victoria 1.24m, Queensland 0.42m, Tasmania 0.16m, South Australia 0.37m, Western Australia 0.07m, New Zealand 0.85m, Fiji 0.13m, Cape Colony 1.6m, Natal 1.1m, India 226.5
UK 38.10m Dominions 13.23m Total 51.43m
TOTAL = 277.33m
===//
OTL Population 1901
England 30.55m, Ireland 4.46m, Scotland 4.47m, Wales 2.01m, Canada 5.37m, Newfoundland 0.22m, Australia 3.79m, New Zealand 0.82m, Fiji 0.12m, Cape Colony 2.35m, Natal 1.10m, India 238.40m
UK 41.49m Dominion 13.77m Total 55.26m
TOTAL = 293.67m
ITTL Population 1901
England 32.1m, Ireland 4.6m, Scotland 4.6m, Wales 2.1m, Canada 6.8m, Newfoundland 0.27m, Australia 4.01m, New Zealand 0.98m, Fiji 0.15m, Cape Colony 2.41m, Natal 1.3m, India 233.3
UK 43.40m Dominions 16.02m Total 59.32m
TOTAL = 292.63m
1902 Orange River 0.39m Transvaal 1.27m
43.4m UK 16.02m Dominions 1.66m Boer = 60.98m
===//
OTL Population 1911
England 33.86m, Ireland 4.39m, Scotland 4.76m, Wales 2.21m, Canada 7.21m, Newfoundland 0.24m, Australia 4.46m, New Zealand 1.06m, Fiji 0.14m, South Africa 5.97m, India 252.09m
UK 45.22m Dominions 19.10m Total 64.32m
TOTAL = 316.11m
ITTL Population 1911
England 37.82m, Ireland 4.61m, Scotland 4.93m, Wales 2.58m, Canada 10.53m, Newfoundland 0.30m, Australia 4.95m, New Zealand 1.34m, Fiji 0.18m, South Africa 6.78m, India 243.17
UK 49.94m Dominions 24.08m Total 74.02m
TOTAL = 317.19m
===//
OTL Population 1921
England 35.38m, Ireland 4.23m, Scotland 4.88m, Wales 2.66m, Canada 8.79m, Newfoundland 0.26m, Australia 5.46m, New Zealand 1.24m, Fiji 0.16m, South Africa 6.93m, India 251.32m
UK 47.15m Dominions 22.84m Total 69.99m
TOTAL = 321.31m
ITTL Population 1921
England 43.27m, Ireland 4.84m, Scotland 5.52m, Wales 3.21m, Canada 13.56m, Newfoundland 0.35m, Australia 5.65m, New Zealand 1.85m, Fiji 0.21m, South Africa 7.99m, India 239.67
UK 56.84m Dominions 29.61m Total 86.45m
TOTAL = 323.12m
Sorry for forgetting you Fiji! You bizarre pseudo-dominion pick me archipelago you! You... probably should not have that voting power... but sure, why the hell not? The fact that the Pacific dominions have Veto power over all imperial wars is frankly, absurd, and may be impetus for the British to pack the council with new members (by balkanising themselves) later on. The tories hate devolution. But they hate peacemongers more.
Obviously we've gotten whispers of New Zealand's heavy industry before, but having it all laid out is quite alarming. As I see it, the boom can be put down to a lot of Asian and Pacific demand with very little Asian and Pacific supply. Should that change soon (perhaps the US gets its act together or China drags itself out of pre-industrial hell) NZ might be in trouble. But if they keep pushing that Automation strategy, they could stay ahead of the curve through the pure white heat of technology. Very interesting things in New Zealand. Notable that while Australia improves on its 1921 population margins by only about 200k, New Zealand brings more than 600k new people. Despite being a much smaller country population-wise. The high-skilled immigration pull will be very strong I hope.
Obviously we've gotten whispers of New Zealand's heavy industry before, but having it all laid out is quite alarming. As I see it, the boom can be put down to a lot of Asian and Pacific demand with very little Asian and Pacific supply. Should that change soon (perhaps the US gets its act together or China drags itself out of pre-industrial hell) NZ might be in trouble. But if they keep pushing that Automation strategy, they could stay ahead of the curve through the pure white heat of technology. Very interesting things in New Zealand. Notable that while Australia improves on its 1921 population margins by only about 200k, New Zealand brings more than 600k new people. Despite being a much smaller country population-wise. The high-skilled immigration pull will be very strong I hope.
I have a few questions , the slower growth of india population compared to olt is due to better living standarts and a much large middle class or is there other reasons ?
Does chile precense in the imperial federation open the door to other non english speaking nations ? if so places like malta should be prime candidates .
Concerning fiji , i dont know much about it , but itttl they dont have any white population living there ? even if small , they would be the elite of the islands and the ones actually attendind the imperial comferences right ?
The population numbers of south africa refer to all the ethinicities right ? not just whites i assume .
I have been thinking , i dont believe you have mentioned indian populations outside of india , in otl . there where significant comunities in a lot of british colonies , like south africa , fiji and several other african colonies , are there more of them ittl ? or any interesting changes in that aspect ?
When it comes to religion , since the begining ottl , have thre been any changes to british atitudes when it comes evangelization ? have they been been more or less agressive in there colonies when it comes to that , a more uniform federation in that aspect could be good .
I'm loving this TL! I'd also second lusitano's question above about India's population - I assume it is higher living standards lowering the birthrate, but I'd also assume that fewer Indians have died to famine in the 30 year period. The ITTL pop is higher in 1891, but then grows considerably slower up until 1911 (I'd assume this is due to people moving out of rural areas and into factories, and all the demographic change that will cause), but then by 1921 OTL the pop has decreased, and does so more ITTL, and I don't think India lost so many people in the Great War? Additionally your pop figures don't match the ones on wikipedia, though I assume that's more of a result of measuring different areas - anyway this got me so caught up I decided to graph your population numbers on excel and dig out a book I have on the British Raj so thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole!
And I love Fiji's position in the Empire as, "we enjoyed having them here so much we've kinda forgot to stop them coming, even though we technically stopped inviting them". Perhaps in the future, George Orwell will write, "The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Fiji was a Dominion. Fiji had always been a Dominion."
And I love Fiji's position in the Empire as, "we enjoyed having them here so much we've kinda forgot to stop them coming, even though we technically stopped inviting them". Perhaps in the future, George Orwell will write, "The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Fiji was a Dominion. Fiji had always been a Dominion."
The Federalists? If you rate political opinion from 1 ultra conservative to 20 ultra radical, other than devolution political opinion within the Federalists covers the range of 3 to 19.. One good tap and they fall apart. However when it comes to the Liberals, the cracks and internal strains have been showing all the way through ever since 1870. But the range they cover is only 11 to 18,, A very broad church., but one which can hold together, depends on how hard they are hit. I've worked the TL enough to know when each one will get hit., Liberals first, then the Federalists a few years later.
So what happens when the inevitable crisis hits each? For the Liberals a few at the top end (range 17 to 18) will leave and join Labour. Some at the low end (range 11 to 14) will split off and form a new party (tentatively named the Social Democrats) leaving reduced Liberal Party covering 13 to 18. When the Federalists get hit they will completely disintegrate and the party will cease to exist, their supporters going to the other parties A handful will go to Labour, with the rest roughly equally split between the other three parties. This will broaden the range of the Social Democrats to 8 to 14, consolidating them and preventing what would otherwise have been a gradual but inevitable drift of its supporters back to the Liberals.
Ah here you've missed one of most vital things needed to understand this TL, I think very few if any have seen it though. It's buried in two very early and seemingly minor events, I've added below. But this investment fund provided but the FRC isn't needed. The British government has been openly providing India and the Dominions with development capital since the mid 1870s. I think there were two acts for it, the Imperial Development Act which provided funds to the Dominions and the Colonial Development Act which the same for India and those the colonies, though thus far the vast majority of funding under that act has gone to India. Yes the trick with the FRC is rather neet, but all it means is the British government will be able to spend money it would have spent developing India developing somewhere else. That is what people are missing. Since the 1870s the British have been behaving in a very manner than they did in the OTL, almost incomprehensibly so.
The two events
January 1874: Colonial Secretary William Forster proposes abandoning free trade in favour of encouraging the development of the Dominions and colonies as alternative trade partners and markets. While Gladstone rejects the proposal, it greatly alarms the free trade Whigs within the Liberal Party. The proposal however does find significant support in the Conservative Party.
March 1876: The Long Depression has resulted in a sharp rise in protectionism in Europe and the US. Lord Carnarvon, British Colonial Secretary, proposes a policy of developing and expanding the Empire to provide an alternative market for British goods. The proposal is similar to that proposed by Forster in 1874. The proposal finds considerable support in Disraeli's cabinet.
I once considered an alternate name for the TL, Forster's Vision. Virtually everyone will call Joseph Chamberlain the Father of the Imperial Federation. He's not, William Forster is. Chamberlain without doubt deserves a great deal of credit for it, without him driving it forward it would never have happened. But Forster was the one who came up with the vision of what it would be, laid the initial groundwork and developed the plan for creating it. Forster's vision was to transform the Empire into a world spanning trading confederation consisting of internally completely autonomous self governing "states." These states would be linked together by a single closed trading network creating a single interdependent economy. This network would be based on free trade with its members trading as equals .
The stripped down short form version is he wanted to transform the Empire from providing raw materials which Britain turned into goods to be sold back to the captive market the Empire was till then, into a system where the members of the Empire would take their raw materials, transform them into finished goods, sell them to other members of the Empire and then use that money to buy goods and services from the rest of the Empire. Part of this is all members have to be interdependent, reliant on something produced somewhere else in the Empire. So if they leave, they'll do crippling damage to their economy, there can be no "one stop makes all" members. In 1870 Britain was a "one stop makes all" place. So for Forster's Imperial Federation to work, Britain had to deliberately destroy part of its industrial base., while at the same time creating industries to replace those destroyed somewhere else in the Empire.
You're assigning I'll intent where there is none, this is driven by racist arrogant paternalism not any kind of desire to control or exploit. The British actually want to get out of India, well the Liberals at least. They want India to be run by India for India, just their racism makes them believe the indians have to be shown how to do it first.
But they're really honestly concerned what will happen when they leave. They are sincerely convinced the way they're running India is the best way to run it and if they leave without ensuring that system remains in place India will collapse into anarchy and chaos and will eventually emerge is a patchwork of hostile despotic states which are run to enrich the rules without concern for the wellbeing of the people.
And why are the INC going along with it? Because those running the INC are all people who've been put through this process and equally as firmly believe this best way to run India. The process is slow and subtle you don't see it happening until you're part of the process helping to perpetuate it.
Yes there are probably are a few in the INA who can see what's going on, likely those who've been through the process and it hasn't worked on, or have fallen or dropped out part way. But the INA leadership doesn't, mostly they just are just driven by pan Indianism and fighting the intended Balkanisation. By the time those who have realised what's going on get into a position they could do something about it, the process will have become so fixed in place there will be little they do about it.
Ah yes the wonderful insanity of the system by which the Imperial Federation is run. This is a product of the fact that the Imperial Federation came into existence, at least in a de facto form, organical without anyone noticing. Exactly when is hard to pin down. Somewhere between 1896 when the Dominions got permanent representation on the British cabinet in Westminster and 1899 when the British felt it was necessary to make the decision on whether or not to start the Second Boer War in consultation with the Dominions (that says it definitely existed then).
I think the best date is 1897 when the British and Dominions agree unanimously they should create an Imperial Federation. What nobody realised was, it already existed, everyone at that point thought of themselves as party of a single state. What the 1987 declaration was in fact them saying "Hey we're in a federation, we should probably figure out how to run it." This is the problem which has bedeviled the Empire ever since, no serious effort has ever been made to that. The Empire is a tate unlike anything the world has seen before, I can not think of another example anything like it, The problems which will be involved in running are incredibly complicated and unprecedented. They're going to have to figure out how to it from scratch. That will require a lot of thought, effort, discussion and compromises. In short, it's hard and because of this attempting to that has always been put off until some undefined time called later. This left the Empire running under the system of unanimous consensus which had evolved along with it.
This worked until Laurier decided to throw his "my way or the highway" spanner in the works and the Empire suddenly ground to a screeching halt. The only constitutional solution available where a) Kick Canada out of the Empire b) forcibly remove his government. Either of these options would have killed the Imperial Federation with no possibility of resurrection. So the only option was simply to wait for Canadians to vote him out, and the longer that took, the more damage was inflicted on the Empire. Fortunately Laurier overplayed his hand and the Canadians voted him out before too much damage was done. But it was now blindly obvious some system of effectively governing the Empire was desperately needed, leading to the Dicey Commission on the running of the Empire.
Unfortunately this was totally the wrong response. Determining how to run the Empire is political decision to be made by politicians, not by a group of seven constitutional experts no matter how preeminent jurists they were. This was simply passing the buck and hoping those constitutional experts would get it right The Dicey Commission was well aware of this so didn't even try, all they did was clear lay out how the Empire was being run and what constitutional tools were currently available to develop a solution with. So what should have happened then is all the governments in the Empire and done all the hard work required to develop a system to effectively run the Empire.
However once again this was rejected and kicked down the road to that wonderful time called later while a quick patch was slapped on the problem to prevent a single member paralysing the Empire again. That patch was that if someone digs their toes in again, a two thirds vote means they can be ignored. This has probably made things worse, because as you've spotted, if three members work together (like the Pacific Dominions who have long well known history of working together) can do exactly the same things by vetoing decisions and now they have constitutional protection if they do it preventing any future quick patches.
Yes there have been a few other hints regarding NZ's growing competence in heavy engineering. Building a railway across the Central North Island volcanic plateau was one, building Ruarimu Spiral another. Both of these where massive engineering challenges which would have pushed the limits of even the best engineers in Europe or the US.
And yes there is a lot of pent up demand in Asia and the Pacific New Zealand (and Australia and the rest of the Empire) is taking advantage of, but there's more to it, a lot more. To start with you have the size, flexibility and efficiency of the Imperial merchant fleet (I think at this point 75% of the worlds merchant ships are Imperial). The Empire is exceptional good at moving things quickly over long distance at the lowest cost possible. And because of the Imperial Preference Trade system Imperial ships charge less to ship Imperial cargos (not much less but still less). This reduces Imperial producers shipping costs, increasing their competitiveness.
But far more important is there has been a shift in mindset when it comes to trading with less developed countries (those who aren't industrialised western countries). The US and Europe sees these as resource pools and has has an exploitative mindset "you sell us raw materials, we turn those in to goods and sell those to you." The Empire used to think like that, but they've shifted to a mutual trade mindset "you make things and sell them to us, then use that money to buy things from us." That exploitative mindset means there is a tendency to not see or not want to fill demand which might move those countries away from resource extraction based economies. The Imperial mindset means they actively look for such demand (well actually they look for any demand, they don't care as long as they're selling things) and will happily fill it.
Next with the exploitative mindset when you build a factory in a less developed country there's a strong tendency to want to retain ownership and control. This means the profits go back to them and they tend to run them without using local knowledge. Under the Imperial mindset they favour joint ventures. The profits get shared, the local have access to Imperial knowledge on how to run a factory and the Empire gets access to local knowledge to run it more efficiently. Plus there is also that people tend to prefer to trade with people who treat them as equals rather than those who want exploit them. Odd that.
This also brings up another feature of TTL. The Empire is moving away from Hard Power Imperialism (turn the place into a colony) toward Soft Power Imperialism (turn the place into a client state) while the US is going exactly the other way (but should be kept in perspective ITTL by far most US Imperialism is still Soft Power Imperialism). There is also a difference between US and Imperial Soft Power. The Empire actively tries to move client states it regards as important up the ladder from client to ally. Chile and Xianfa China are the two they're doing this with at the moment. Though they won't do it with clients they regard as less important, Ecuador and Colombia are on their way become Imperial clients, its unlikely the Empire would do it with them.
Yep pretty much right on the nose. Australia looks for its migrants within the Empire, NZ just doesn't care where they come from, the only thing is can they do the job (Canada has the same attitude). Plus of course, NZ has far less things actively trying to kill you lol.
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Having said that the Liberal Party might implode there is a potential for a merger with some of the Centre Left factions of the Federalists that could create a stronger party going forward, whilst if the right Federalists end up in Tories i cant see that being a happy marriage.. Then in our history at least the Liberal Party although crippled by the LL-G Asquith split did contain Keynes and Beveridge and produced the most radical manifesto in British history in 1929 "We can conquer Unemployment" whilst the Labour Leadership produced Snowden's ultra orthodox more Conservative than the Conservatives cuts, and of course the Beveridge Report. So there is potential for a dramatic slump in say the late 1910's early 20's to be followed by recovery.
What is Chile doing here is an exceptionally good question and is entirely down to one man who's totally unfounded paranoia has quite possibly but the Empire and Pacific Alliance of US and Japan on a collision course which could result in possibly the most devastating war in human history. As things stand, that war is still extremely unlikely to happen, a lot more pieces have to fall into place. But if that war does happen, the man ultimately responsible will be US President James Blaine. During his four year term from 1885 to 1889, he managed to do irreparable damage to US-Imperial relations by creating within the Empire an unshakable fear that the US may without any warning, provocation or reason suddenly become inimicably hostile and attempt to destroy the Empire.
If you look through the TL, every now and again you'll come across words something like "fear a return to the Blaine Years.". I can't remember when the last one was, but I know there's one coming up in 1911, that's 23 years after the events. Outside of the Pacific Dominions (where it comes up pretty much any time people discuss the US) this fear is pretty deeply buried and only bubbles to the surface occasionally. But it's still there in the back of virtually ever Imperial citizen's mind that the US is untrustworthy, unstable and poses a potential existential threat to the Empire. The period known within the Empire as the Blaine Years has become incredibly deeply imbedded in Imperial Culture. Its part of the basic core curriculum which every child learns at school (including in India), as well as coming up regularly in books, plays and film. Within the Empire the Blaine Years are regarded as the greatest threat the Empire ever faced.
It's worth mentioning the Blaine Years are seen exactly the same way in Chile and Chileans have exactly the same fear. The only difference is in Chile the Blaine Years start in 1881 and don't end until 1892 when the US finally lifted it's trade embargo against Chile.
So WTF exactly did Blaine do to become such a boggieman in the Empire? It really does start back in 1881. This was during the War of the Pacific, Bolivia and Peru against Chile. Blaine was Secretary of State under President Arthur. Chile had already knocked Bolivia out of the war, destroyed the Peruvian army and their capital Lima but the Peruvians were still fighting. Arthur sent Blaine to try and negotiate an end to the war.
For some reason Blaine was convinced the British were behind the war, using Chile as a proxy to force the US out of Latin America. Not only was this belief totally unfounded, the British were actually openly refusing point blank to help the Chileans in any way or even sell them arms, ammunition, ships exactly to prevent anyone in the US believing they were in any way helping Chile.
Cutting a long story short, Blaine's attempt to end the war was to attempt to get Chile to basically give the Peruvians and Bolivians what they had demanded when they invaded Chile. Chile refused oddly enough. While Blaine was doing this President Arthur got assassinated. The new president replaced Blaine as SoS. However because of the support Blaine had given them, the Peruvians refused to attempt to negotiate and the war dragged on until 1884. That's all as per the OTL, this where it goes off the rails.
Blaine was elected President in 1884. In 1885 a rebellion against Colombia in Panama. Blaine sent two warships to "maintain order." What they actually did was force the Colombians out of Panama and give the rebels weapons. It was widely feared, even in the US, Blaine was going to Annex Panama. At this time Colombia was a Chilean ally. In order to prevent a US annexation of Panama. Chile sent a single protected cruiser with secret orders to prevent the US annexing Panama by any means required.
The US navy at this time had been allowed to deteriorate so much that single Chilean cruiser could have destroyed the entire US navy without breaking a sweat. The US was forced to back down and suffered a massive international humiliation. Once again Blaine was convinced this was the British were again secretly trying to use Chile as a proxy to force the US out of Latin America. So he slapped a total trade embargo on Chile and began trying to recruit a South American coalition to force the British out of South America and invade Chile.
Faced with imminent threat of a US led invasion, Chile turned to the British for help. At that time Blaine was also trying to pressure all the Latin American nations in order to force British influence and investment out, plus had also put a full trade embargo on the Empire. So Britain was also looking for an Ally to stop Blaine from doing this, naturally they turned to Chile. This was when the Chilean-Imperial alliance was born.
Blaine would continue his attempts to isolate the Empire throughout his presidency. He also launched a massive expansion program of the US navy with the express aim of creating a fleet capable of challenging the Royal Navy and annexed Hawaii. His actions also gained considerable support within the US and generated a solid base of anglophobia in the US which still remains. For the entire period it appeared the Empire and US were on the verge of war.
Tensions only began to subside when he was defeated by Groover Cleveland. Cleveland invested a great of effort in an attempt to repair relations. On a superficial level at least these succeeded. But the nagging fear and mistrust of the US in the Empire remained as did the anglophobia Blaine generated in the US. Relations continued to improve under McKinley and Roosevelt but are now beginning to deteriorate again due US support of Japanese expansion into China. Basically as the US and grow closer, Imperial fears of a return to the Blaine Years grow stronger.
The Empire now regards Chile as a vital ally in the event of any return of the US to the attitudes of the Blaine years and the linchpin of it's position in Latin America. The Chileans for their part likewise regard their alliance with the Empire as their only defence against any renewed US hostility. Thus both sides continue to actively seek to strengthen it. Chile has also been brought into the Imperial free trade system, linking it's economy to the Empire's. Chile is now effectively a de facto member of the Empire
Yes, the Empire has shifted to using Soft Power Imperialism. As you point out, repeat of the Chilean situation is very unlikely, but the Empire is seeking more client states. Especially in Latin America because of continued fear regarding the US again attempting to force them out. They're already cultivating Colombia and Ecuador. But they'll stay as just client states. The only other possible candidate for actually effectively joining the Empire like Chile has is Xianfa China.
The idea of China effectively joining the empire is a terrifying prospect, giving the Empire to the two greatest resource and manpower sources in the world.
The drama of my life sadly continues apace. I have been made homeless. Yes literally I'm living under a bridge lol. As with most issues in my life this has to do with my love life. Unfortunately this means I have to pause the timeline until my living arrangements do not include dealing with day to day life threatening danger. I'll update through to the end of 1912 (where I've written to) then resume ASAP.
Ah man. I've seen some pretty dire reasons for pausing a fic/TL before, but being made homeless is definitely a new one😧. Lots of love and best of luck to you. I hope you find yourself in a safe place soon.
I enjoy your stuff, but getting yourself sorted is way more important. Get a place over your head and then worry about the ATL.
July-Sept 1909: The constitutional tango
~July-Sept 1909: The constitutional tango
July 1909: As part of the INA's continuing terrorist campaign, activist Madan Dhingria assassinates William Wyllie, assistant to the Secretary for India in London. With Dhingria sentenced to death, he is soon seen as a martyr by radical nationalists, while the INC, echoing public sentiment, loudly condemns his actions. Wylie's murder however provokes outrage in Britain and the Anglo-Indian community, with police sweeps seeing hundreds of suspected INA supporters arrested.
July 1909: With the defeat of Wilfred Laurier's government in the 1907, there are high hopes the Brisbane Imperial Conference will see the return of Imperial unity. Accordingly the first matter is discussion of the Dicey Report. While the report is well received and it accepted the actual implementation of Imperial policy falls to Westminster, the Dominions make it clear they expect an increased role in its determination. Though it is agreed policy should continue to be made by consensus, it is equally agreed one Dominion should not be able to override the 'will of the majority.' However defining this proves decisive. Eventually it is decided a vote with a two thirds majority representing the 'will of the majority.' This will become known as the Brisbane Doctrine.
July 1909: Attention then turns to the growing tensions in Europe. With war in Europe now a real possibility, it is noted how rapidly international crises can develop. While it is clear the biennial Imperial Conferences are inadequate to deal with such situations, finding an alternative proves difficult. Finally a solution is suggested by New Zealand Premier William Massey. Pointing to the role of the Imperial Council in developing a united response to the Bosnian Crisis, he proposes in the event of urgent matters, decisions should be made by the Imperial Council, again with a two thirds majority required. This will be accepted as the Massey Extension to the Brisbane Doctrines. The Brisbane Doctrine represents a fundamental constitutional shift within the Empire, with the British giving up full control over Imperial affairs. With this, the term Imperial will come to replace British when referring to Imperial affairs or the Empire as a whole.
July 1909: With constitutional matters settled, focus turns to India. Many of the Dominions express unease at recent moves toward Indian home rule and possibility of Dominion status. Prime Minister Dilke states recent violence by radical Indian nationalists make it clear some form of Indian home rule is necessary. However he goes on to clarify its final form is far from decided and take many years to implement. While Dilke's reassurance settles the matter for the moment, the Dominions remain concerned. While the discussions have been at times tense, the conference is seen as a great success, with high expectations for the 1911 conference, though selection of a venue venue proves controversial. With Britain advocating India and the Dominions pushing for a conference in Britain. Eventually, in light of the British acceptance of the Brisbane Doctrine, the Dominions relent and Bombay is selected.
July 1909: Despite having achieved a considerable success at the Stockholm Conference, the failure to force the Entente to completely accept Germany's demand is regarded as a diplomatic failure in Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm II, still blaming Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow for his humiliation during the Daily Telegraph Affair last year, takes this as an opportunity to force his resignation, appointing Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg as his replacement.
July 1910: With government support, New Zealander Richard Pearse has been continuing his work in aviation, joining with brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh to design a two seat biplane suitable for training purposes. The three establish Pearse and Walsh Aero Company in Christchurch with the Pearse-Walsh Mallard achieving rapid success throughout Asia and the Pacific.
July 1909: French aviator Lois Blériot flies his Blériot XI monoplane across the English Channel, becoming the first person to do so. With a ceiling of 1,000m and endurance of several hours, the Blériot XI will become one of the most popular aircraft in Europe, being developed into two seat version, being widely adopted for both civil and military aviation.
August 1909: Since the passage of the Government of India Act 1907, 528 Princely States have come under direct Imperial rule, leaving only 37 remaining. With this success it is decided to tackle one of the most pressing issues regarding these states. Ending the absolute rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad to allow much needed reform. After several weeks of unrelenting pressure, Nizam Asaf Jah VI is forced to name his two year old grandson as his successor, with any regent appointed by the Imperial resident. To prevent the Nizam rescinding his grandson's succession, he is effectively placed under house arrest.
August 1909: As with the 1907 Provincial elections the 1909 Xianfa Representative Chamber elections are dominated by the same three parties, the radical Guomindang led by Sun Yat-sen, the moderate Jinbudang headed by current Grand Chancellor Tan Sitong and conservative Baoshoudang of Ma Fuxiang. The elections for the Representative Chamber of the National Assembly results in no party taking a clear majority, with the Jinbudang holding 217 of the 480 seats, the Guomindang 145 and the Baoshoudang 112 with 8 independents. While disappointed at the loss of his in the Representative Chamber, Tan Sitong praises the peaceful and democratic manner in which the elections where held, believing it shows great promise for the future.
August 1909: Despite Liberal government's desire to reduce expenditure, fears generated by the Bosnian Crisis result in the annual Royal Naval estimates including four dreadnoughts, a second Lion class battlecruiser, six more light cruises and twenty new destroyers. The Orion class dreadnoughts continue the trend for capital ships to increase in size, displacing 23,000 tones, with the extra tonnage allowing a fifth twin 13.5” turret while retaining the same speed and protection as the previous Colossus class. This continual growth is significantly driving up costs and in an effort to lower the naval budget a new wave of disposal of obsolete ships is begun, with ten old battleships and twelve cruisers removed from the navy list, the majority going to the breakers.
August 1909: The US Army becomes the first military in the world to purchase an aircraft, obtaining a modified two seat Wright Model A for evaluation and training. Despite the forward looking views of the US Army, aviation in the US is rapidly falling behind Europe due largely to the Wright Brothers aggressive pursuit of patent rights limiting the access of other designers to certain key technologies, including any form of wing control surfaces. Despite the efforts of other US aviation pioneers such as Glen Curtiss to overturn the Wright's patents, showing Alberto Santos-Dumont's use of ailerons before the Wright's use of wing warping, the US courts will continue to uphold them hampering the nascent US aviation industry.
August 1909: The Royal Marine Brigade deployed with the Imperial Army Corps in Egypt has proven to be a great success, leading to the decision to form four similar brigades drawn primarily from the Dominions and wider Empire. The first of these Combined Imperial Brigades is to be formed primarily from the Pacific Dominions and based in Fiji.
September 1909: While the increase in troops numbers deployed to Cuba appear to have confined them primarily to the more rugged or mountainous areas, the rebellion is still showing no sign of relenting. In a speech to Congress President Taft announces his determination to fully restore order before the 1912 Presidential elections. In order to achieve this he asks Congress to authorise the raising of up to 25,000 short term volunteers to give the army sufficient manpower to crush the rebellion. Despite some strong opposition, Congress votes approves his request and recruiting begins immediately.
September 1909: Henri Fabre's successful flight of the floatplane Hydravion the previous year and the advances in aircraft performance has sparked the interest of the French Navy regarding the potential use of floatplanes for reconnaissance, spotting fire and communications. In order to investigate the possibility, the old torpedo boat depot ship Foundre is ordered converted to carry several floatplanes, with four examples floatplane variant of the the new two seat model of the Blériot XI ordered to provide its airwing, with the intention of having the ship returned to service by the end of next year.
September 1909: Despite the resolution of the Bosnian Crisis, general opinion is a European war is now inevitable. In light of this belief. the French Commander in Chief General Henri de Lacroix begin to draw up a new war plan. War Plan XVI call for an initial defensive posture followed by a vigorous counter offensive. The plan calls for the formation of five armies, three, each consisting of four corps, to be deployed on the Germany frontier, one of five corps to be held as a reserve behind the Aragonne Forest and a fifth of five corps deployed in the Meuse Department, ready to advance into Belgium if the Germans should enter the Low Countries.
July 1909: As part of the INA's continuing terrorist campaign, activist Madan Dhingria assassinates William Wyllie, assistant to the Secretary for India in London. With Dhingria sentenced to death, he is soon seen as a martyr by radical nationalists, while the INC, echoing public sentiment, loudly condemns his actions. Wylie's murder however provokes outrage in Britain and the Anglo-Indian community, with police sweeps seeing hundreds of suspected INA supporters arrested.
July 1909: With the defeat of Wilfred Laurier's government in the 1907, there are high hopes the Brisbane Imperial Conference will see the return of Imperial unity. Accordingly the first matter is discussion of the Dicey Report. While the report is well received and it accepted the actual implementation of Imperial policy falls to Westminster, the Dominions make it clear they expect an increased role in its determination. Though it is agreed policy should continue to be made by consensus, it is equally agreed one Dominion should not be able to override the 'will of the majority.' However defining this proves decisive. Eventually it is decided a vote with a two thirds majority representing the 'will of the majority.' This will become known as the Brisbane Doctrine.
July 1909: Attention then turns to the growing tensions in Europe. With war in Europe now a real possibility, it is noted how rapidly international crises can develop. While it is clear the biennial Imperial Conferences are inadequate to deal with such situations, finding an alternative proves difficult. Finally a solution is suggested by New Zealand Premier William Massey. Pointing to the role of the Imperial Council in developing a united response to the Bosnian Crisis, he proposes in the event of urgent matters, decisions should be made by the Imperial Council, again with a two thirds majority required. This will be accepted as the Massey Extension to the Brisbane Doctrines. The Brisbane Doctrine represents a fundamental constitutional shift within the Empire, with the British giving up full control over Imperial affairs. With this, the term Imperial will come to replace British when referring to Imperial affairs or the Empire as a whole.
July 1909: With constitutional matters settled, focus turns to India. Many of the Dominions express unease at recent moves toward Indian home rule and possibility of Dominion status. Prime Minister Dilke states recent violence by radical Indian nationalists make it clear some form of Indian home rule is necessary. However he goes on to clarify its final form is far from decided and take many years to implement. While Dilke's reassurance settles the matter for the moment, the Dominions remain concerned. While the discussions have been at times tense, the conference is seen as a great success, with high expectations for the 1911 conference, though selection of a venue venue proves controversial. With Britain advocating India and the Dominions pushing for a conference in Britain. Eventually, in light of the British acceptance of the Brisbane Doctrine, the Dominions relent and Bombay is selected.
July 1909: Despite having achieved a considerable success at the Stockholm Conference, the failure to force the Entente to completely accept Germany's demand is regarded as a diplomatic failure in Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm II, still blaming Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow for his humiliation during the Daily Telegraph Affair last year, takes this as an opportunity to force his resignation, appointing Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg as his replacement.
July 1910: With government support, New Zealander Richard Pearse has been continuing his work in aviation, joining with brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh to design a two seat biplane suitable for training purposes. The three establish Pearse and Walsh Aero Company in Christchurch with the Pearse-Walsh Mallard achieving rapid success throughout Asia and the Pacific.
July 1909: French aviator Lois Blériot flies his Blériot XI monoplane across the English Channel, becoming the first person to do so. With a ceiling of 1,000m and endurance of several hours, the Blériot XI will become one of the most popular aircraft in Europe, being developed into two seat version, being widely adopted for both civil and military aviation.
August 1909: Since the passage of the Government of India Act 1907, 528 Princely States have come under direct Imperial rule, leaving only 37 remaining. With this success it is decided to tackle one of the most pressing issues regarding these states. Ending the absolute rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad to allow much needed reform. After several weeks of unrelenting pressure, Nizam Asaf Jah VI is forced to name his two year old grandson as his successor, with any regent appointed by the Imperial resident. To prevent the Nizam rescinding his grandson's succession, he is effectively placed under house arrest.
August 1909: As with the 1907 Provincial elections the 1909 Xianfa Representative Chamber elections are dominated by the same three parties, the radical Guomindang led by Sun Yat-sen, the moderate Jinbudang headed by current Grand Chancellor Tan Sitong and conservative Baoshoudang of Ma Fuxiang. The elections for the Representative Chamber of the National Assembly results in no party taking a clear majority, with the Jinbudang holding 217 of the 480 seats, the Guomindang 145 and the Baoshoudang 112 with 8 independents. While disappointed at the loss of his in the Representative Chamber, Tan Sitong praises the peaceful and democratic manner in which the elections where held, believing it shows great promise for the future.
August 1909: Despite Liberal government's desire to reduce expenditure, fears generated by the Bosnian Crisis result in the annual Royal Naval estimates including four dreadnoughts, a second Lion class battlecruiser, six more light cruises and twenty new destroyers. The Orion class dreadnoughts continue the trend for capital ships to increase in size, displacing 23,000 tones, with the extra tonnage allowing a fifth twin 13.5” turret while retaining the same speed and protection as the previous Colossus class. This continual growth is significantly driving up costs and in an effort to lower the naval budget a new wave of disposal of obsolete ships is begun, with ten old battleships and twelve cruisers removed from the navy list, the majority going to the breakers.
August 1909: The US Army becomes the first military in the world to purchase an aircraft, obtaining a modified two seat Wright Model A for evaluation and training. Despite the forward looking views of the US Army, aviation in the US is rapidly falling behind Europe due largely to the Wright Brothers aggressive pursuit of patent rights limiting the access of other designers to certain key technologies, including any form of wing control surfaces. Despite the efforts of other US aviation pioneers such as Glen Curtiss to overturn the Wright's patents, showing Alberto Santos-Dumont's use of ailerons before the Wright's use of wing warping, the US courts will continue to uphold them hampering the nascent US aviation industry.
August 1909: The Royal Marine Brigade deployed with the Imperial Army Corps in Egypt has proven to be a great success, leading to the decision to form four similar brigades drawn primarily from the Dominions and wider Empire. The first of these Combined Imperial Brigades is to be formed primarily from the Pacific Dominions and based in Fiji.
September 1909: While the increase in troops numbers deployed to Cuba appear to have confined them primarily to the more rugged or mountainous areas, the rebellion is still showing no sign of relenting. In a speech to Congress President Taft announces his determination to fully restore order before the 1912 Presidential elections. In order to achieve this he asks Congress to authorise the raising of up to 25,000 short term volunteers to give the army sufficient manpower to crush the rebellion. Despite some strong opposition, Congress votes approves his request and recruiting begins immediately.
September 1909: Henri Fabre's successful flight of the floatplane Hydravion the previous year and the advances in aircraft performance has sparked the interest of the French Navy regarding the potential use of floatplanes for reconnaissance, spotting fire and communications. In order to investigate the possibility, the old torpedo boat depot ship Foundre is ordered converted to carry several floatplanes, with four examples floatplane variant of the the new two seat model of the Blériot XI ordered to provide its airwing, with the intention of having the ship returned to service by the end of next year.
September 1909: Despite the resolution of the Bosnian Crisis, general opinion is a European war is now inevitable. In light of this belief. the French Commander in Chief General Henri de Lacroix begin to draw up a new war plan. War Plan XVI call for an initial defensive posture followed by a vigorous counter offensive. The plan calls for the formation of five armies, three, each consisting of four corps, to be deployed on the Germany frontier, one of five corps to be held as a reserve behind the Aragonne Forest and a fifth of five corps deployed in the Meuse Department, ready to advance into Belgium if the Germans should enter the Low Countries.