redlightning
Banned
What if Hawaii had never been annexed by the United States or any other power in the 1890s? What if it remained a free and independent nation until the modern day?
Sanford Dole overthrows the Hawai'ian kingdom in 1893, making way for the Hawai'ian provisional government. Hawai'i then declares itself a Republic in 1896. The Cleveland administration is furious and withdraws all diplomats from the Hawai'ian republic. Sanford Dole is confident that his friend, William McKinley will win in the next election cycle and Hawai'i will be annexed.
However, Sanford Dole get some unsettling news Grover Cleveland has just won re-election.
The Hawai'ians and Asian immigrants heard the news too, although it took 6 months for the news to flow to the nonwhite Hawaiians. With machetes and crude guns in hand, they wait outside the Palace. Dole's in hot water. He's ordered to either come to the mainland US to face the Cleveland Commission or face having his American assets seized. Literally, he has to choose between his money or his life.
Naturally, he goes to the US. In San Fransisco, the Cleveland commission finds in favor of the Hawaiian kingdom and orders all but 10% of the troops who are in Hawai'i to come back home, except for troops stationed in Pearl Harbor. Sanford Dole is ordered to return to Hawaii.
Queen Lydia is restored to the throne and swiftly puts Sanford Dole on trial for treason. He is later found guilty and is banished to northern Kahoolawe. In Kahoolawe, a few patriotic Hawai'ians throw him in the ocean, never to be seen again.
Realizing that her kingdom has become multi-racial and multi-ethnic, Queen Lydia decides to open up her country's ruling class to half and quarter bloods. She nominates a quarter blood to the throne, Princes Alani. She wins the election as expected and will rule once Queen Lydia dies.
Queen Lydia then installs a new constitution.
In her new constitution, she also includes the stipulation that only Hawai'ians, spouses of Hawai'ians or half and quarter bloods can own any future land in Hawai'i, and to own Hawai'ian land, you must have a Hawai'ian name. It forces any and all landowners to take Hawai'ian wives, adopt Hawai'ian names and adopt Hawai'ian culture. She also changes the naturalization laws of Hawaii. No naturalized citizens may own land or any major industries in Hawaii.
To become a naturalized citizen in Hawaii, you must be born in Hawaii, lived in Hawaii for 20 years, adopt a Hawaiian name, and demonstrate a working knowledge of the Hawaiian language. Any and all residents who were influential in weakening the crown are excluded from any Hawai'ian citizenship.
Due to the influx of mixed marriages and mixed bloods, Hawai'i becomes more Americanized while staying more Hawai'ian. This changes Hawai'is culture from being more collectivist and open to being more individualist and nationalistic, as well as more racist. Lighter skinned hapa offspring of the American sugar plantation owners have more power over the darker skinned Hawai'ians. The darker skinned Hawai'ians are left in nearly the same place they were during the provisional government. Queen Lydia realizes what's happening and institutes an affirmative action program for all Hawai'ian owned businesses. At least one pureblood must be on the board of any major Hawai'ian-based business.
To show President Cleveland gratification for restoring their independence, Queen Lydia decides to rename the area around Pearl Harbor "New Cleveland". Queen Lydia peacefully dies in her sleep in 1912, but not before naming a new successor to the throne, a Quarter-Blood named Alani, who ironically enough, is a distant cousin of Sanford Dole.
At first, Alani is quite skeptical of the American presence in Hawai'i, preferring to do business with the Japanese and the British. Hawai'i becomes a British protectorate for 29 years, until the British could no longer afford to protect Hawai'i. Hawai'i is vulnerable and on its own. She recognizes the Japanese threat and softens her stance on the Americans.
FDR, fearing Japanese takeover of the islands, sends an ambassador to Hawaii to patch USAmerican-Hawai'ian relations. The meeting was successful. FDR sends thousands of seamen to Pearl Harbor as well as lots of weapons.
Alani then relaxes the rule on naturalized citizenship. Any person who has lived in Hawaii for 10 years, adopts a Hawai'ian first name, has a working knowledge of the Hawai'ian language and is conscripted, has a son who is conscripted, or adopts and raises a native Hawaiian boy in accordance to Hawai'ian culture and conscripts him in the Hawai'ian armed forces is allowed naturalized citizenship. The Hawai'ian military grows from about 20,000 conscripted members to 300,000 6 months later.
DECEMBER 7TH, 1941
NEW CLEVELAND, HAWAIIAN KINGDOM.
December 7th, 1941 is a day that will live in infamy in the Hawai'ian kingdom and in the US. Pearl Harbor, an American naval base located in Hawai'i, is bombed by the Japanese. Japanese paratroopers then land in the surrounding city of New Cleveland and take it over. However, due to FDR's foresight, the rest of Hawai'i had weapon stockpiles and resists the Japanese takeover. Hawaii joins the US, the UK, and the Soviet Union in the war against the Axis. Hawai'i becomes a great strategic point in the war effort, crippling the Japanese's navy.
The Allies win the war. Japanese-Hawaiians are then sent to take over the provisional government of Japan, with the help of the Americans. Japan's economy recovers. Thankful for the Hawai'ians effort in the war, the US hands over the Marshall Islands and Northern American Samoa to Hawaii.
Hawai'i is now a force to be reckoned with. And the Japanese-Hawai'ians make it clear to their ancestors that Hawai'i controls Japan, not the other way around. And America has Hawaii's back.
Hawai'i is now a great power.
What if Hawaii had never been annexed by the United States or any other power in the 1890s? What if it remained a free and independent nation until the modern day?
The OTL annexation's a bit weird anyway. It's not the same kind of thing which happened in Texas (both houses moving to join) nor indeed in Ireland (twin Acts of Union), but a unilateral annexation. Not exactly baseball, what?
The Americans (and to a lesser extent the British) had far too much influence in Hawaii to tolerate any other nation taking it; that likely would mean at least the threat of war.If the British or Americans don't take it, then I'd say Germany would eventually snatch it; if THIS isn't so, the Japanese would surely gobble it up given the opportunity.
If the British or Americans don't take it, then I'd say Germany would eventually snatch it; if THIS isn't so, the Japanese would surely gobble it up given the opportunity.