Our Great America: A TL
- Thread starter ChaoticBrilliance
- Start date
Suggestion, scrap the last update but save the idea.
Otl BC had many people that wanted to be part of Canada, use that. The U.S. could be paranoid that their new possession is in danger of joining Canada. They realize that there is no way to get troops and supplies into BC reliably without a railroad going up there. As a result the U.S. puts way more manpower, money and supplies into getting the railroad completed at least as far as lower Yukon.
Otl BC had many people that wanted to be part of Canada, use that. The U.S. could be paranoid that their new possession is in danger of joining Canada. They realize that there is no way to get troops and supplies into BC reliably without a railroad going up there. As a result the U.S. puts way more manpower, money and supplies into getting the railroad completed at least as far as lower Yukon.
Ok, I'll take this into consideration.
By the way, were you thinking of scrapping the whole idea, or just a certain part. And the change and (I hope) a new update probably won't happen till tomorrow, where I can get access to a computer.Ok, I'll take this into consideration.
I'm talking about getting the railroad done in so short a time. It's too far beyond what happened in OTL that you have to have some kind of reason for how it could even be done in the next decade let alone a few months. I'm not sure the latter is even possible. That's not even mentioning why they even wanted to do it so quickly when the otl railroads took so much longer to be finished.
Is this that fabled 1% that keeps popping up in modern political discourse? What is "nearly inevitable" about a few people wanting to join the US and thus forcing British Columbia into the Union? Handwaving the issue wont help matters, because as it is, this is better placed in the ASB forum.
What is "nearly inevitable" about it is their current government passed a law against confederation, but when the one pro-confederationist on the council recovered from his illness, the bill was quickly repealed. I should have put it into more clear detail, yes, but my POD is that the pro-con doesn't recover, and the law isn't repealed, leaving BC no choice but to join the Union. Clear things up? I really don't want to put this into the ASB forum.
What is "nearly inevitable" about it is their current government passed a law against confederation, but when the one pro-confederationist on the council recovered from his illness, the bill was quickly repealed. I should have put it into more clear detail, yes, but my POD is that the pro-con doesn't recover, and the law isn't repealed, leaving BC no choice but to join the Union. Clear things up? I really don't want to put this into the ASB forum.
That is a fine POD, but you cannot just assume people will understand. As they say the devil is in the details. What happens in ATLs is in many cases less important then how and why those things happen.
I see. I guess I'll have to go back and edit that in the 1st Chapter along with the railroad, huh?
Chapter Four
The Great European War Pt. III, Russian Civil War, Sino-American ConflictA TL
These are Japanese officers who fought against their American counterparts in the Battle of the Samoa, which would later proceed to drag both the U.S. and Japan into the Great European War.
“War in the Pacific has begun, with Japanese warships proceeding to attack American merchant ships, slaughtering 43 innocent American sailors…President Rutherford B. Hayes is preparing to give a speech on the attack, hoping to persuade Congress into a declaration of war.” – An excerpt from the Pennsylvanian Chronicles
In the Pacific, the public was shocked to hear the news of an attack on American merchant ships by the Japanese. The ships Old Glory and A Sailor’s Dream were both sunk, killing 43. In their defense, the Japanese warships had been coming from China with recent trading goods, and could not make out the ships, although they looked like warships heading for them, causing them to fire. This caused the American public to openly express anti-Japanese sentiment, and soon they would start pushing President Rutherford B. Hayes to appease public opinion by trying to persuade the Congress to issue a declaration of war to Japan. He succeeded, and on January 21st, 1878, America was officially going to war with Imperial Japan. Britain, who is shocked to hear of a war between its two closest allies, is both unable and afraid to choose a side. The former because many of their focus is to defeat the Germans and Austria-Hungarians in Europe before focusing on the Pacific, and the latter because close ties with Japan have been key in maintaining trade throughout the Pacific and the U.S. has been supplying the Allies since the start of the war. America starts with a blockade of Japanese trade, which angers the British, who have used Japan as a trade partner in the East, but cannot do anything about it. The Japanese respond by slipping some 120,000 troops through the blockade in order to attack the trade posts in American Samoa. The Japanese are angered at the British for not choosing their side; as are the Americans, but the British continue to use their inability as an excuse.
Meanwhile, the Russian National Front has grown substantially, even though public executions of 20 members during a house raid by federal Russian troops had slightly lowered morale, it quickly grew again when the citizens learned of the event. They were disgusted by the actions of their government, and Dmitri saw his chance. On March 2nd, 1878, Dmitri Barisov organized a revolution in the streets of Moscow, overpowering the guards assigned to protection of the Tsar and his family, although few of them betrayed their position. They burst through the gates of the Tsar’s palace, and captured him and his family along with his close friends Adrik Vorobev and Sergei Georgivich, and imprisoned them, reformed the government into their own, and renamed the Russian Empire to the Russian United National Party for the People, or RUNPP for short. When news that the Tsar and his family had been captured spread throughout Russia, some rejoiced, and some feared. Russia soon broke out into civil war, also known as the Russian Civil War of 1878. Many who fought for the Tsar were wealthy people who feared for their lands and wealth being taken from them. Those who fought for Dmitri were farmers who wanted change in their social status. Soon after, Russia pulled out of the Great European War, and the Russian Civil War would last many, many years.
As the British, French and Canadians started their campaign for Alsace-Lorraine in 1878, the found the Germans completely fortified a prepared for a western attack. However, the Canadians and British would still take their objectives, but the French attack would be repelled. This left Strasbourg still under German control, and with Russia out of the war, the Germans and Austria-Hungarians would have a great amount of troops to spare to the western front to defend. This left the Allies slowly inching their way through the war, but at a great cost. Many men had died in battle, and conditions made it worse. With constant movement and fresh supplies only coming once a week, many troops were in worse condition then when they left off. Soon, less and less people volunteered for enlistment, and eventually the Allies would have to install the draft in each of their countries, lessening the opinion of the war.
“The air is warm, but that only means that the bugs can nip at you throughout the day, making you itch…the sky is sunny, but that only means the enemy can see you from afar…the grass is green, but that only means that there is camouflage for the enemies to hide in. There is no collective pride or beauty in war, only individual sorrow.” –A poem recovered from a French soldier in the battlefield of Strasbourg. The author is presumed dead.
The world waits in suspension as war fever begins to spread…
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Japan was actually quite modernized by 1878, IIRC. So, yes, I believe they were ready for war with the U.S., just not very ready.
If I recall correctly, Japan was rather friendly with the west until they were ignored during the peace talks of WWI. This left a bad mark and irked the Japaneses which of course led them into becoming the highly militarized nation we saw in the OTL. Even then, I believe the US would have not entered WWII if we did not cut off oil supply to Japan.
I may be wrong, but you might want to research the relationship at the time to be sure.
Japan had two cruisers by the early 1880s, I wouldn't call that "ready for war."
To whom it may concern, updates will be posted on the weekdays, starting Mon. - Fri.
Chapter Five
The Great European War Pt. IIII, European Economic Failure
A TL
The Canadian Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, a month before his heart failed. An autopsy revealed that the stress from the tensions with America had been too much for him.
“We heard the gunshots firing, and we looked out to see who it was…it was the Canadians, with their rifles aimed, cannons loaded…Smiths was wounded, so I loaded the cannon…and fired.” – A quote from an interview with Pvt. Baker, who was stationed north on the Canadian/American border during the Border Conflict of 1879.
The war in the Pacific was over, with few casualties on the American side, a total of 102, while most of the Japanese offensive had either been killed or captured. Soon after the Battle of Samoa, both parties met in Tokyo to discuss a treaty. It resulted in the Japanese occupied parts of China to be ceded to the United States, and that the Imperial Japanese army disbanded, except for a small part, so that it would prevent any further aggression. This would anger the Japanese, and would set the scene for the future. The United States was growing, and with the Japanese out of the Pacific, the U.S. would grow even more. Britain, watching the war from the sidelines, was now enraged that its most important Pacific trade partner crippled. In response, Parliament responded with the Asian Trade Pact, which ensured peace between the countries that have an Asian influence, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Although it included many other powers, Germany was not included, corresponding to the fact that the Great European War was still going on. This law was mainly aimed towards the U.S. in order to try and prevent American aggression towards European powers during their expansion in the Pacific. The British could not do anything in the Pacific, anyway, for their war in Europe was still going strong. However, Canada had a different view. With its army spread thin, Canada saw its growing neighbor as a threat. And with the recent border clashes, such as the one mentioned in the quote above, they were unsure whether their peace would last long.
Alsace-Lorraine still remained under mostly German control, and the Allies were barely penetrating the German defense. The French finally breached Strasbourg, but only after heavy casualties. Britain and Canada remained halted at their objectives, and would remain there for the rest of the war. Finally, on August 3rd, 1879, the Treaty of Berlin was signed by all five remaining powers in the war. The treaty stated that the Allies could keep what they conquered in Alsace-Lorraine, but they had to give Germany and Austria-Hungary a substantial part of their Chinese territory. It was mostly biased towards the German and Austria-Hungarian empires, leaving France, Canada and Britain with a debt of millions and many young men dead. Another factor that attributed to the debt was the slowdown of economic activity in the Pacific. With Germany and Austria-Hungary taking parts of the Chinese territory from other European countries, the Asian Trade Pact grew to include both Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The Russian Chancellor took notice of the economic ruin that the French and British were in, and took the opportunity to start their own front in both countries. These were headed by Dmitri’s closest friends. These fronts would slowly gain followers, many from families who lost young sons or brothers in the war, and gain political influence too. Soon both France and Britain had a party representing the National Front in each of their governments. This caused friction between Russia, France and Britain, who had the threat of revolution on their hands. But they were in no position to stop this growing movement, and it continued to expand.
The U.S. celebrated their victory against Japan, and with most European countries borrowing both money and resources from America, the U.S. settled into a decade of economic prosperity. However, with a growing German and Austria-Hungarian power in Europe threatening their economic power, tensions would start to escalate, very slowly.
“Our struggle is your struggle, as your struggle is ours. We will unite as brothers, and recover together. Down with the government, up with the people!” –A pamphlet trying to persuade the people of France and Britain to join both the French and British Union National Party for the People.
Badump-BUmp
EDIT: I apologize if this bump offends you, it's just I would like to get some responses to this so I can try and edit it if needed. Thanks for understanding!
EDIT: I apologize if this bump offends you, it's just I would like to get some responses to this so I can try and edit it if needed. Thanks for understanding!
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