The Marshall Plan
1944-1948
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George C. Marshall, scion of the long and famous family of political heroes of Virginia, was not an imposing figure. Although a military man, he lacked the bravado of MacArthur, the doggedness of Bacon or the heroism of Washington. But for all that he lacked those famous military presidents' most famous characteristics, he made up for it with his determination and dive. Marshall was a man who saw a vision for a better America, and worked hard to make it happen. He took Hoover's and MacArthur's public works and combined it with the motivation and drive of Daniel Clark. Building off the financial buffering of the Mexican occupation, Marshall helped turn the American industrial economy into the greatest in the world. "The Great American Fist" swung heavy and rapid. Marshall used rebuilding Mexico, and American funded rebuilding of England, Germany and Italy. Industrial goods stamped General Motors, Ford and Dupont saw use across the civilized world. The late 40's and 50's were the single greatest period of American economic growth. As the rest of the world shook off the decade long conflict, the United States stood primed to rise.
Europe, including:
Italian States- Savoy, Modena, Florence, The Holy See, The Kingdom of Sicily-Sardinia
The Balkan States- Bosnia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece
But all was not well in the world. The conflagration of the Great War left two great powers in control of the continent, with their satellites and allies in tow. A "Cold War" began between the British Empire, which controlled much of Africa, India, and had allies in Japan, and Scandinavia, and Germany and her allies in Austria-Hungary, the Italies, China and France. The Russian Empire, ever on the verge of disaster and the Ottoman Empire, still endeavoring to survive into the modern era, stayed relatively neutral until the late 1950's. War was everywhere, even if total war was in the rear view mirror. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was split by ethnic conflict and civil strife. The Hungarian rising middle class was distrustful of the Austrian autocrats who in turn were devoting their entire energy into holding down violent nationalist sects in North Italy, Southern France and the Balkans.
During the Great War, Emperor Franz Ferdinand in 1930 left the Austrian throne in contention. By marriage, Franz Ferdinand had male children, but my law they were unable to inherit, and instead the throne passed to Otto I, great-great nephew of Franz Joseph I, who had seen Austria's rise to prominence and industrial independence of Germany. But Hungarian Nationalists, eager to sew discord in the Empire, promoted and crowned Maximilian, Emperor Franz Ferdinand's eldest son. The Austrian Civil War began in earnest in 1945, with pro-Maximilian rebels seizing the arsenal at Budapest. Promising freedom to the Hungarians, Poles and Serbs, Maximilian's coronation sparked off revolts across the country. French Communists organized in Germanic occupied France, Italian Partisans disrupted troop movements to stop them, and the Hungarian-Polish army routed the Austrians at the decisive battle of Gran. As Russia and the Ottoman Empire watched wearily, the Germans took action. As the Kaiser's troops marched across the border, war on the other side of the continent began as well.
Asia including:
German Eastern Colonies- German Persia, German Indochina
English Colonies and Dominions- Saudi Arabia, India, Malay, British China
American Colonies and Dominions- American India, Afghanistan, The Philippines, the Chinese Free States
Independent Asian States- Iran, Nepal, Vietnamese Rebels, China, Japan
In Asia, Germany and England reigned supreme. But the conflict still burning in China, a civil war stretching back over a decade was center stage. American supported Communists, seeing safe haven in America's "Free States" of Coastal China. A legacy of Herbert Hoover, the Free States of China were financially and politically independent zones which paid tribute to China but were defended and effectively still ruled by the United States Navy. With the long history of support for the Chinese Communists, the American Navy was more then happy to see the free states act as protected bases for insurrection, and in one of its darker moments, the USN helped Mao Zedong, overthrow and murder Zhu De. As a result, Mao held sole power in the Communist Party of China, and turned to uniting the rebel armies. For much of the late 30's and early 40's, the Imperial faction was able to rebuild as Mao united the rebel armies and defeated the leaders of the opposition.
But with continued Japanese pressure on the coasts and into Manchuria, the Imperial Chinese were running out of options. The long promoter of the Imperial Throne, Austria, was unable to send aid to their Asian allies, and so the task felt to an already stretched Germany. The Germans, happy to undermine Japanese attempts to extend power into Central Asia, began shipping weapons into Northern China using their bases in formerly French Indo-China. In response, the Americans and British engineered a counter-rebellion. The League for the Independence of Vietnam, led by Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyễn Sinh Cung, began its guerrilla war in Vietnam. By 1947 they had seized control of much of the south of Vietnam. From Manchuria to the south of Indo-China, conflict gripped the Far East.
Africa
Latin Africa- French West Africa, Madagascar, Spanish Africa
Anglophone- British West Africa, Greater Nigeria, British East Africa, South Africa, American Angola
Germanic Africa- The Golden Coast; German Congo, German East Africa
Non-Western- Turkish Libya, Kingdom of North Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia, Egypt
In Africa, post-war nationalism was taking root, but was well checked by the powers that be. Anglo-German Africa, which accounted for at least 80% of colonized Africa was held in an iron grip. With the economic toll of the war still unrepaired, Africa was a vital source of raw material for the rebuilding of English and German industry. In French, Spanish and Turkish Africa, things were different. French Algeria was a source of terrible fighting during the Great War, and native Algerians, promised independence by both sides of the conflict, found themselves once again trapped by their colonial masters. The result: a series of revolts and rebellions throughout the colony. Turkish Libya was the sight of the first open conflict of the post-war era as Sicilian colonial ambitions boiled over into open war. General Annibale Bergonzoli of the Royal Sicilian Army landed in Western Libya, and fought series of battles against Turkish defense forces. By 1948 the war ground to a stand still but the two sides would continue to dispute possession of the colony through the 1970's.
In his support of Mao in China, the Vietnamese nationalists and his neutrality in the face of Austria's disintegration, George Marshall proved to be a dynamic foreign policy leader. His critics called him soft, going so far as to label him the "King of Hearts" for his lack of action. His sharpest criticism came from a junior senator from Wisconsin named Joe McCarthy. A fervent pro-German, McCarthy railed against the "Red Menace" gripping the nation. While Socialists and the Socialist Party were long accepted in America, Communism was always seen its violent cousin. The failure of Roosevelt in the 30's had only worsened Socialism's popularity in the States. Especially in the South and increasingly in the Mid-West, anti-Socialist and Anti-Communist proponents were gaining ground. And now Marshall, the state-capitalist that he was, found himself under siege at every step. For two years he was battered, bruised and assaulted by the "Eagle's Nest", the anti-Communist activists of the Senate led by McCarthy. In the end, Marshall, more the administrator than President, threw in the towel. After only 1 term, Marshall resigned, and 12 years of rule by military men came to an end. The Election of 1948 would be as wide open a race as 1944 had been.
George C. Marshall, Republican, 29th President 1944-1948
watching alternate elections unfold with the same article-like reading as a historical one is rather sensational . Well done as always , zulu 
