1905-1909: The genesis of federation
January 1905: Port Arthur falls to the Japanese.
March 1905: The US agrees to dedicate its portion of the Boxer indemnity to improving education in China.
April 1905: German chief of staff, Alfred von Schlieffen, develops a plan for war in Europe. The plan calls for adopting a defensive posture against Russia while launching an enveloping attack on France through Belgium and the Netherlands.
April 1905: The new liberal Ottoman government signs an agreement with Germany to provide assistance in developing the Empire.
May 1905: The Russian Baltic Fleet is destroyed by the Japanese at the Battle of Tsushima. This defeat, and the Japanese occupation of Sakhalin Island, results in the Russians suing for peace.
June 1905: The vote is extended to non whites in the Cape Colony and Natal.
July 1905: The New Zealand test team tours Canada, marking the arrival of Canada on the test circuit.
August 1905: Haldane's reforms create a Territorial Army of 21 divisions for home defence and Regular Expeditionary Force of nine divisions for service overseas.
August 1905: Conservatives headed General Yuan Shikai, commander of Beijing Army and Dowager Empress Cixi, stage a coup against Cen Chunxuan's government. Unable to counter the strength of the Beijing Army, Cen Chunxuan and his government flee to Nanjing with the Emperor. There they gain the support of General Li Yuanhong's Jiangsu Army. The new Beijing regime declares the Emperor Guangxu deposed and places the infant Pugong on the throne.
August 1905: The Treaty of Portsmouth ends the Russo-Japanese War, ceding the entirety of Sakhalin Island (as Karafuto) and the Kuriles to Japan in return for the Japanese dropping claims for reparations. As a result of the war Russian influence in China is removed.
October 1905: In the response to widespread unrest, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia proclaims limited democratic reforms and the country's first constitution. The constitution provides for a legislative Duma.
November 1905: Korea becomes a Japanese protectorate.
November 1905: The Central Military Academy is reestablished in Guangdong.
December 1905: A coup by conservatives in the Ottoman Empire succeeds in Constantinople, restoring Sultan Abhulhamid II to effective power. However the liberal government is able to muster significant support and retreats to Symra beginning the Ottoman Civil War.
January 1906: The Indian test team tours New Zealand. The Indian side includes several Indian players causing a controversy over the appropriateness of this.
February 1906: Chamberlain wins the scheduled election but suffers a stroke in September and is replaced by Cambell-Bannerman, who rebuffs calls for new elections.
March 1906: Germany places its support behind Sultan Abdulhamid, sending advisors and supplies.
March 1906: The British army adopts the Madsen LMG to replace the Maxim MG with cavalry battalions, issuing two Madsens per squadron to each battalion.
April 1906: As part of the development of the Royal Navy's amphibious warfare capacity, the liners Campania and Lucania are purchased for conversion into specialist assault troopships.
April 1906: Tsar Nicholas, retaining the support of the army, cracks down on liberal elements. The Duma is reduced to a consultative body.
June 1906: Learning from the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War, Austria-Hungary and Germany begin development of super heavy artillery designed for destroying modern fortifications.
July 1906: The Cape Town Imperial Conference Agrees to expand the National Development Board to cover the entire Empire, creating a second Dominion cabinet post. The Australian, Joseph Cook is appointed to the post.
August 1906: Intending to take advantage of the Ottomans Civil War to expel the Ottomans from the Balkans, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia form the Balkan league with Russian backing. This sparks an international crisis as Austria-Hungary, supported by German acts to prevent this.
December 1906: The first all big gun battleship, HMS Dreadnought, is commissioned in the RN. This sparks a world wide naval arms race.
January 1907: The Russians back down in the Balkans due to their weakness after the Russio-Japanese War. The resulting humiliation and defeat by the Japanese causes the Russians to begin significant reforms to their army.
15th February 1907: In response to continued agitation for Irish home rule Campbell-Bannerman introduces the Devolution of Government bill. This would creates five regional assemblies (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and a reduced six county Ulster) with significant, but below that the Dominions, competence for home rule. Many nationalists reject this, calling for the full competence granted to the Dominions, the more radical republicans still calling for complete independence. The bill narrowly passes the Commons but is sent back by the Lords. The bill will not finally become law until 1910. Both Austin and Neville Chamberlain oppose the bill and defect to the Unionists.
March 1907: Yuan Shikai's forces defeat Cen Chunxuan's forces under Li Yuanhong's in the Battle of Nanjing. Cen Chunxuan's government retreats to Changsha.
March 1907: With it's navy having fallen seriously behind the Argentinians and Chileans and it's economy booming due to the demand for rubber, the Brazilians order two dreadnoughts from British yards. Both Argentina and Chile immediately repudiate the Santiago Protocols and begin planning a new naval building program.
March 1907: With the Russian weakness exposed by the Russio-Japanese War, German chief of staff Helmuth von Molkte (the younger) modifies the Schlieffen plan reducing the forces in the east and restricting the enveloping attack on France to Belgium alone.
March 1907: The SMLE Mk III, optimised for a new high velocity spitzer bullet is introduced.
April 1907: With German support, the conservatives emerge victorious in the Ottoman Civil War. Sultan Abdulhamid resumes his absolute rule.
June 1907: Five armoured cars based on the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost chassis are ordered to replace the unarmoured 30hp cars in the Motor Corp.
August 1907: The British enter into a similar arrangement to the Entente Cordiale with Russia. This forms the Triple Entente as a very loose alliance to counter the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
September 1907: Li Yuanhong defects to the the Beijing government. Cen Chunxuan's government retreats to Guangdong where he gains the support of Chen Jiongming, commander of the Guangdong Army.
November 1907: The former Boer Republics are granted self government. The immediately set about instituting racist policies excluding non whites from power.
January 1908: The Guangdong government enlists British support in reforming their army. Large amounts of military equipment including surplus Lee Enfield long rifles are supplied to reequip their army.
May 1908: A second squadron is formed in the Motor Corp.
April 1908: Campbell-Bannerman resigns due to his failing health and is succeeded by David Lloyd George. Lloyd George continues Campbell-Bannerman's reforms. By now the political climate in the UK is becoming increasingly favourable to social reform and economic intervention.
June 1908: HMS Invincible, the world's first battlecruiser is commissioned.
October 1908: Backlash against the pro US policies of Laurier's Liberals in the wake of the Alaska border settlement allows Robert Borden's conservatives to win the Canadian federal elections. Borden resumes a pro Imperial policy.
November 1908: The dowager Empress Cixi dies. Yuan Shikai purges Qing elements from his regime. The infant Pugong is deposed and replaced by the Marquis Zhu as purely ceremonial emperor, creating the Yao dynasty. This break from the Manchu Qing dynasty greatly increases his support in China.
February 1909: The reequipped and retrained Qing armies under Chen Jiongming defeat Yao forces under Li Yuanhong in the fiercely fought Battle of Yuzhong, retaking Hunan province and securing their control over Southern China.
March 1909: The Industrial Development Act brings incentives to electrify industry and adopt modern mass production techniques.
March 1909: The French adopt war plan XVI. The plan anticipates a German enveloping attack through Belgium.
March 1909: New Zealand offers to fund the construction of a new Indefatigable class battlecruiser for the RN.
June 1909: The Imperial Cricket Conference is formed to promote the sport throughout the Empire. The Conference regularises test schedules rather than the previous ad hoc system. Responsibilities for the rules of the game however remains with the MCC.
October 1909: The Cape to Cairo railway is finally completed with the commissioning of five rail ferries on Lake Tanganyika. The railway greatly improves communications in British Africa, acting as a spur to further development.
December 1909: Australia orders a battlecruiser of the Indefatigable class as the flagship for the Royal Australian Navy. Three light cruisers and six destroyers are also ordered, one cruiser to be built in Australia. As with the Canadians, two obsolete cruisers are supplied for training.
