The World in 1936:
It has been just over 35 years since the Great War ended, and ever since then the political situation of Europe had been going downhill. A series of minor wars, coups, civil wars, as well as economic disaster and the meteoric rise of fascism have transformed Europe into the unstable state it is in 1936.
Western Europe is composed of three states:
England had been devastated in the Great War of the 1900’s – losing its colonies, its men, and much of its infrastructure during the invasion, which eventually plunged the suddenly isolated country into economic disaster. In 1922, the Fascist party was elected, and soon Chairman Louis Radford dissolved parliament and transformed the country into a fascist dictatorship. After recovering from the economic crisis, England has been massively increasing the size of its military, developing some of the world’s best tank armies and covertly building a state-of-the-art navy.
Aquitaine to the south is a powerful and prosperous democracy, but the rise of fascism all around the country has been a very serious concern. Friendly to none of its neighbors, Aquitaine relies on their alliance with Livonia and Al-Turkis to discourage any invaders, as well as a large standing army and widespread fortifications on multiple borders.
Finally,
Isbania lies on the Iberian Peninsula, extending into North Africa as well. They had been part of England’s Western Pact in the Great War, eventually being overrun and losing valuable land to Aquitaine. Shortly afterwards, an enormous civil war plunged the country into chaos for years, with its current conservative republic eventually taking control. The country has struggled financially since then, but never fallen into complete disaster. The fascist movement across Europe has spread to many of Isbania’s citizens as well, forming a large minority within congress, but the fascists were still only one of the three political factions within Isbania.
Central Europe is in worse shape:
The
North German Union, originally created as a way to divide the old Empire of Brabant after the Great War, was later transformed by a Fascist coup and reunified with its brother state. For the last 15 or so years, the Union had fought constant wars against its neighbors, eventually annihilating most of Pomeranija in the east and fighting back and forth with Bavaria, although the extent of their territorial claims on the latter haven’t yet been reached. German society was heavily militarized, with many industries directly owned by the state to supply the huge standing army.
Bavaria is in a state of disaster yet again. Long ago the dominant country in Europe, Bavaria has now been carved up and devastated. The current borders were only a fraction of what they once were, after losing land recently by both invasion and ultimatum to Italy, Genoa, Al-Turkis, Czechia, and the North German Union. While initially one of the first countries to outright ban Fascism, the party was now active again after the recent ultimatum by its two Fascist neighbors, and concerns of popular revolt. The Bavarian situation was very complicated – many of the country’s nationals harbored intense resentment towards its Fascist rivals of Italy and the NGU, but the country’s own fascists hope to cleanse the bloated republic and align with its longtime rivals instead.
Genoa exists in a strange location between Aquitaine, Bavaria, and Italy. During the modern era, the country managed to rise from an obscure country to two empires. They became one of the most prominent Communist states of the 1900s following the defeat of the Second Empire in the Great War, but the government proved to be repressive and deeply unpopular, eventually leading it to be overthrown by Fascism only a few years ago after three attempts. However, ideological similarities hadn’t been enough to reach peace with their rival Italy, who invaded the country along with Aquitaine in 1933 as a response to Genoa’s massive expansion into Bavaria. Ambitions of a third empire flow strongly throughout Genoa, although it’s uncertain where they lie with Italy.
Italy is the final major Fascist power. Livonia had long been ally of the Italian people in the past, instrumental in the independence and eventual unification of the states after they initiated the Great War. They remained allies for the next few decades, but constant diplomatic incidents and disagreements with the Italian Government strained relations. After the Fascists took power, Livonia maintained the alliance briefly, but another diplomatic betrayal and Livonia’s own political shift to the left eventually led the two to cut ties, leading to Italy’s participation in the Fascist Union instead.
Eastern Europe is dominated by the Livonian Empire (Shown on the map as Liivimaa) and its allies, but there are other notable states outside of its influence.
Norvegija has a complicated history with Livonia, but had generally been content to spend the last century as a neutral nation. Recently though, the right-leaning government of Norvegija fought alongside the Germans against Pomeranija, despite their different ideologies. The rising militancy of Norvegija was concerning, although it was unclear where the country lied diplomatically.
Loyal Livonian satellite states surround the empire, forming a powerful economic and military bloc. Farthest away is
Danija, a dense and prosperous country with important control of access to the Baltic Sea.
Kuyavia was the most valuable satellite, with its huge mines and industry which fueled much of the greater economy.
Kiev in the south was more agrarian in nature, but also benefited from economic cooperation and Livonian investments.
Al-Turkis spans the Balkans and Anatolia. While historically one of Bavaria’s major rivals, the decline (and recent collapse) of the state has allowed the Turks to expand in the Balkans. Decently industrialized but still lagging behind Europe, Al-Turkis relies on its large army and decent navy for security, as well as its alliance.
Other minor states in the area include:
Pomeranija – Formerly Livonia’s most recent satellite, Pomeranija later broke from the country’s influence and grew to become a very wealthy nation, before their more recent conflicts with the Germans led to most of the country being lost.
Czechia - A breakaway state from Bavaria, they have mostly remained isolated. After the recent shift in Livonian politics, the country recognized the Communist government of the Czechs and promised to defend the country against the spreading influence of Fascism.
Bulgaria – Amazingly, this state has managed to survive for centuries despite neighboring large, expansionist empires. Bulgaria remained neutral in most wars, although they had recently seized land from Bavaria along with the Czechs. There is a decent amount of oil within the country, attracting far more trade and interest from countries than before.
Karenia - The massive and multicultural state on the edge of Europe, Karenia has been a Livonian ally for decades, finally pacifying what had been a treacherous set of borders for hundreds of years. Industry is very weak, primarily existing on the border with Livonia, but the country’s access to resources and Asian trade helps fuel its economy.
The Americas are home to many countries, but the major player here is the
Kingdom of America (despite the traditional name, the state functions as more of an authoritarian democracy in modern times).
During the Great War, America had been the first to join the Coalition, and was largely responsible for its control over the Atlantic after destroying most of England’s navy. In the aftermath of the war, America’s colonial empire was formed when they annexed land in Africa and Asia. Colonial ambition in Asia continued after the war, while at home a powerful economy was developed. America’s diplomatic situation is rather enigmatic – they have no formal ties to any European nations, so it is uncertain how they might react to the outbreak of another major war.
The Empire of Haiti dominates the Caribbean, fueled by a strong economy and heavy American investments. Their dominion over the coast of South America has a complicated history, but now after several advances in recent years they have pushed back Colombie to a tiny amount of land near Peru, while the rest of the region conquered from Colombie and Bresil exists as a semi-autonomous province within the empire.
Off the northeast tip of neutral
Canada is Livonian dominion
Newfoundland, which was originally established as a coastal trading post to the colonies back in the age of sail. In the northwest is
Beixue, the former Chinese colony which now sits within Japan’s sphere of influence. Finally, Livonia owns the last direct western colony in Guyana, home to valuable aluminum mines and a naval base.
Africa is home to three independent nations and four sets of foreign colonies.
Aquitaine and Italy’s colonies were established after the Great War when England’s empire was dismantled (along with minor extension of Livonia’s colonial borders), while America annexed the valuable former Isbani protectorate of Zaya in the north. The state of
Misr was overtaken by Communists after the disastrous aftermath of their fighting with the Coalition, while
Ethiopia was freed and turned into an Italian protectorate during Misr’s period of transition.
Finally, the independent state of
Khalij occupies the south, formerly a colony of both Isbania and Aquitaine. They were an important ally to Livonia in the Great War, but ultimately were defeated by the English advance and given nothing at the end of the war. Now, the state remains strictly neutral.
Southeast Asia was a more recent target of colonialism.
Livonia occupies the valuable colonies of Malaya and Barusiak (Philippines), while the rest of the islands were split between Aquitaine and America after the war. The island nation of Java remains independent after aligning with the Coalition during their fight for independence against Isbania in the Great War. More recently, the American colony states of New Virginia and Concordia were conquered a few years after the war ended, while Indochina was partitioned by Livonia, Italy and Japan.
The rest of
Asia had a few major states:
Japan is the greatest independent Asian power, after eventually managing to rise after the colonial race of the Indies opened up European trade on a large scale. Japan now dominates northeast Asia with its puppet states of Korea, Manchukuo, and Buryatia. Recent expansionism against Xi granted Japan the island of Taiwan, but imperialists within Japan have further ambitions.
The
Xi Dynasty of China has existed for quite a while, relatively untouched by the colonial powers due to their previous alliances and massive population. Regardless, the state has failed to modernize and now is at great threat of invasion as their heavily decentralized government fails to reform itself in the face of great foreign power.