The Great Lakes Confederation is a confederation surrounding the Great Lakes, consisting of Michigan and Illinois. At present, the Great Lakes Confederation is experiencing great political upheaval and instability.
During the years after the Final Civil War leading up the North American War, while the Great Lake Confederation possessed the outward appearance of a democracy, ruling party and opposition alike had their leadership bought and paid for by the commercial trusts. Consequently the governments' policies and legislation mirrored the wishes of the region's great industrial concerns. This was unpopular amongst the Great Lake Confederation’s lower classes but opposition leaders were intimidated, socialised, and the industrial concerns kept order through their control of the military as well as the Pinkerton guard, a private paramilitary army. While there had been internal revolts and rebellions in the past, they were generally ruthlessly suppressed.
The final straw occurred as a side effect of the global recession of the 1980s; exports fell and chaos in the Rocky Mountain Confederation disrupted vitally needed shipments of food and raw materials. The Great Lakes Confederation fell into a great depression as factories went idle and more and more workers were left without a job or a safety net. General strikes began throughout Michigan and Illinois and resulted. The Central government resorted to a declaration of martial law. However, soldiers refused to fire upon their fellow citizens and lead to a general military revolt. Detroit was the first city to formally declare independence under the leadership of its workers collective. Soon the rebellion had spread to the other cities and states. Michigan was independent within a month and Ohio had been taken over by the newly named “red” army by the start of winter. Faced with these intense early defeats the Pinkerton Guard and the remaining loyalist military forces fell back to Wisconsin and Illinois. Michigan force entered northern Wisconsin, capturing Green Bay.
This had negative consequences for New York, which had traditionally relied upon the Great Lakes federation as both an ally against New England and an important supplier of military hardware. In order to help their erstwhile ally, Canada as well as some British auxiliary forces, began to mobilize an expeditionary force to stabilize the region and end the civil war. The Loyalist government in the GLC enacted conscription in its remaining territory in a desperate move to stem and communist tide and prepared for its last stand in Chicago. Gary, Ohio became the first casualty of the Battle of Chicago as both sides' artillery and air power rabidly reduced the industrial metropolis to rubble. Four months of extensive street fighting followed before the “Red” flag of Michigan was hosted over the ruins of it’s city hall. Chicago proved more difficult to conquer; a steady stream of reinforcements came from both southern Illinois and Wisconsin, its defenders had enough time to stockpile supplies and the city itself had been prepared for the eventualities of a long siege. As artillery bombarded the city, infantry and armored vehicles attacked the city's strong points as they advanced towards the city’s north side.
However, Canadian expeditionary force was finally ready for combat. A three week long air war ended with the destruction of most of the Communist air force and landings were being soon being conducted in the UP and northern Michigan. It was during this time period that one of the combatants released a potent bio-weapon into the environs of Chicago, killing anywhere from a third to a half of its population and ravaging both the defenders and invading forces. This was followed up by extensive bio/chemical weapons use in southern Illinois by the rapidly crumbling Michigan commune. Soon after, a series of targeted Canadian air strikes gutted much of Michigan’s military and political leadership. Michigan was defeated but the Great Lakes Confederation was heavily destabilised. a few people lost their lives and billions of pounds (trillions of rubles) worth of property was destroyed, with massive reconstruction being needed throughout Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. At the same time, Wisconsin, which had never been terribly friendly to the GLC's central government declared independence. The New Republic of Wisconsin immediately seized as much territory from the shell of the GLC and the Iowa Free State, whose Minnesota province had always held closer ties to the Great Lakes than the Great Plains.
In 1874 after the second outbreak of Veterans Fever, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota close their borders to prevent spreading of the Fever. The U.S. government orders them to re-open the borders, but they do not. In early 1875 U.S. troops are sent to re-open the borders by force. As the troops arrive at the Ohio border from Pennsylvania and West Virginia local Ohio militias meet them and put up a strong resistance. By May the U.S. has taken control of Ohio and opened the borders. After seeing the destruction in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan begin to build defences along the Ohio border. After three years of fighting along the Indiana border Illinois begins to send their own militias to Indiana to fight the United States. The U.S. quickly realizes that this is fast becoming a full scale war. They then begin deploying more troops to the region and sends ships into the great lakes to stop supplies from coming in from Minnesota and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Fighting continues for years and in 1882 representatives from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota meet in Chicago, Illinois to discuss the fate of their states. No one from Ohio attened because the U.S. has control of Ohio. They soon come to a decision of secession and to form the Great Lakes Confederation. They vow to retake Ohio. After word spreads of the secessions Kentucky signs a pact with the GLC (Great Lakes Confederation) to provide aid and help retake Ohio. This angers the CSA (Confederate States of America). To prevent a war with the CSA Kentucky soon secedes into the GLC. The CSA still recovering from the First Texan-Confederate War,they allow Kentucky to secede. In 1885 the GCL retakes Ohio and inflicts heavy losses on the U.S. military. The U.S. recognizes the GCL and they celebrate their independence. 20 years old Nelson Patterson is elected president in the new democratic government centered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Taking advantage of the Final Civil War in 1930 between the CSA and the USA, the GLC becomes allied with the CSA and declares war on the U.S. Soon in an attempt to extend their territory the GLC invades the U.S. in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They are soon easily taken and the GCL extends its territory. The U.S. declares victory even with the loss of the states.
In mid-1962 President Thomas Marshall is assassinated on a political trip in Pennsylvania by a Pennsylvanian sepertist group. As a result a large uprising occurs in Pennsylvania calling for Pennsylvanian independence. Support for independence grows over the next 3 years with a similar uprising occuring in Wisconsin and a Mexican backed communist uprising occuring in Kentucky. With the election of the new president, Charles Lawson, of the Great Lake Republican Party in 1965, cries for independence reach an all time high in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Kentucky which are Great Lake Democratic Party states. By the end of the year the GLC is in a state of civil war on three fronts. With Pennsylvania possessing nuclear weapons and threating to use them, the GLC allows Pennsylvania to declare independence with no resistance. Seeing this Wisconsin soon begins its own nuclear weapons program. In 1967 The Free Republic of Pennsylvania shares its nuke technology with Wisconsin. Wisconsin threatens to use them against the GLC. The GLC does not believe they will use them. In 1968 Chicago, Detriot, Cleveland, and the capital, Indianapolis are all hit by nuclear bombs from Wisconsin with up to 300,000 killed. With the new capitol located in Columbus, Ohio, President Charles Lawson gives the order to launch the nuclear weapons that the GLC has been working on secretly since 1964. The bombs hit every major city in Wisconsin, killing over 70% of the population and making 85% of the state uninhabitable. The GLC then no longer wanting the Wisconsin territory, allows them to secede and form the Free State of Winconsin. After suffering devastating losses from the nuclear bombs, the GLC not wanting to lose anymore they allow Kentucky to secede in 1969, becoming a communist state. The People's Republic of Kentucky. The GLC maintains strong allied ties with the PRK (People's Republic of Kentucky) and they are working on a more democratic government for the PRK.