The History of the World by 1901
(Well, differences from the original time line)
The crowded streets of New York City
The American revolution saw the Canadian colonies join the rebellion and earn their independence alongside their American counterparts. The colonies gained their independence as a result of the war, and seeking mutual benefit, formed the United States of America. The nation would prosper in its early years, expanding ever westward, even gain several thousand square miles of land from Mexico, allowing the nation to stretch truly from sea to sea. However, this expansion also planted the seeds for the Civil War of 1856. The War was a short but bloody affair that occurred when the many of the states of the slaveholding south revolted following the passage of bill sponsored by a Senator from Ontario ending slavery in the nation. The nation would recover from the war and be one of the greatest industrial powers by the turn of the twentieth century.
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
The loss of Canada did not really materially affect the prosperity of the United Kingdom, which would continue to prosper without their North American colony. This allowed the United Kingdom to better allocate its resources to the development of its other colonies. One of the major gains was better control over the Straits of Malacca and the Mediterranean. The Industrial revolution began in the United Kingdom and reached some of its greatest heights the nation with British output only being eclipsed by America’s in the late 1870s. However, Britannia remains the greatest nation on earth, the most populous, the greatest land area, and the greatest fleet the world has ever seen. Will she continue to be at the forefront and maintain her position or will she be relegated to slow decline.
The Industrial Revolution in France
The Bonapartes retained control over the French Empire though they lost many of their gains during the Napoleonic Wars. The coalition having decided that allow Napoleon II to ascend the throne following the death of his father in the Battle of Waterloo, considering the Bourbons had completely lost their credit among the French people when they sided with the enemy. Napoleonic France was seen as a rogue state until the Crimean war, and the Marshals who controlled the country after the Revolutionary wars knew it. They intensified trade relations with the United Kingdom and France is still seen as the second motherland of the numerous French-speaking Americans. Industry didn’t develop in the early XIXth century, as France was prosperous and had very few social conflicts, its population made up at 90% of small landowners. It would cost France dearly, as it lost against the state they built, Bavaria. Napoleon III, following the death of his father in 1853, was nicknamed Emperor Coal for good reasons. He forcefully industrialized the country, favouring mechanization, railroads, big business and industry-militaristic complexes. It was very successful, and made France on par with the Germanies but the social cost was high. The centuries old order was destroyed, as the Church lost much control over the population and socialist and anarchists were heavily repressed by the Gendarmerie. His assassination in 1895 by an anarchist lead to a Terror as impressive as the one that happened merely a century before. It lasted one year and broke the trade unions’ power, and the socialists ranks have been decimated. Napoleon IV, horrified by the slaughters, has greatly reduced the political power of the army and has democratized the society. The French society is now trying a new Bonapartist model, based on a benevolent left-leaning monarch, ruling over quiet masses. The industry is still doing well, as the social peace is good for business, but isn’t as growing as quickly as it was a decade ago.
During the Second Danish-German war, one of the german wars of unification, happening at the height of pan-scandinavism, the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway intervened to help Denmark, and to some extent this had success, allowing the German Empire to only seize control of the southern half of Schleswig before suing for peace. The war, and the following peace treaty made it clear that Denmark alone would not be able to maintain its sovereignty for long, and with pan-scandinavism at its height, the Empire of Scandinavia was born, with the Kingdom of Denmark forming a federal subject of the Empire, setting an example the German Empire would follow after its creation.
Scandinavia, or rather sweden, had lost Finland in the Napoleonic wars, but when Prussia attacked the Russian Empire in the Crimean war, they were quickly joined by Scandinavia, and after Scandinavian troops closed in on St. Petersburg, Russia was forced to negotiate and return control of Finland to Scandinavia. Scandinavia would profit from the declining Portuguese Empire and would acquire two of her large African territories, Angola and Mozambique. There remains issues in Scandinavia, as there is a growing desire for Finland and Norway to receive their own responsible governments. The issue of Finnish nationalism looms on the horizon too, as most of the population has been Swedified and the remaining nationalists grow more and more radical.
The Germanies would be united in 1852 under the King of Bavaria, when the Germanies with the aid of the Austrian Federation stood against the aggression of the Kingdom of Prussia and the French Empire. The war was a result of the an agreement to more closely integrate the small German states in 1850. As many of the smaller states turned to Bavaria for leadership, the Prussian king became jealous and contracted an alliance with the French Emperor to give France the left bank of the Rhine in return for aiding Prussia gain control over the Germanies. The Kingdom of Bavaria being the wealthiest and most powerful of the German states lead the Germanies in the defense of Rhine and eventually, with Austrian help, who desired to regain Silesia and limit French power, reached Paris west and Berlin in the East. The Bavarian King was crowned Emperor of the Germans in Palace of Versailles. The newly united Germany would gain a large colony in central Africa centered on Kamerun, Gabon and the German Congo. She would also gain Northwestern New Guinea and a trade port in China at Tianjin.
The Prussian Army in battle
The Kings of Prussia lost the Rhineland and parts of Western Prussia to the German Empire and Silesia to Austria during the Franco-German War. Prussia would lick her wounds and turn East attacking the Russian Empire while Russia was distracted by the Crimean War. The Prussians would prove victorious in their surprise attack, gaining them the Grand Duchy of Poland. The Prussians were late to the colonial game only gaining the colony of South West Africa. The Poles live under the Prussian yoke and combined to German nationalists, it makes Prussia a rather unstable place.
The Austrian Federation through a series of reforms during the 19th century, was now one of the strongest powers in Europe. One of the key reforms was a return to Latin as the official language of the Empire, which was taught in every school, creating a lingua franca for the empire. Furthermore, the government was reformed along the lines of the United Kingdom with a strong Parliament and less involved Emperor. This new more involved representative government proved more efficient at balancing the needs of the Empire and helped reduce the influence of the Magyars. This new government eager to prove itself acquired the colonies of Togoland and Tanganyika. Although, should the Danubian monarchy ever get in trouble, there are many nationalist groups that are ready to undermine it. The Austrian Federation also plays host to the Pope who currently resides in Trieste, which has become the papal seat following Italian Unification. After a period of failing health, the previous emperor Franz Josef abdicated in 1899, making the way for his son Emperor Franz Ferdinand to ascend the throne. Will he be the strong statesmen to make the hard decisions necessary to create a true Austrian identity, forging a true nation-state?
The bloody birth of the Italian Republic
The Italian Republic was unified under Garibaldi in 1878, during the war of Italian Unification. The successful war of 1893 against the Ottoman Empire made Italy gain friends in Romania and Greece. The failed revolution of 1848 had only set up the terrain for the new round. This time, the Redshirts came well-armed, thanks to weapons in huge numbers coming from Garibaldi’s American friends. The revolution spread like wildfire, as the revolutionaries had timed their actions well. In a few weeks, the Monarchists were driven out of the country, along with some of the wealthiest men in Italy. The Italians launched a few raids on Austrian territory but to no avail, as their men were caught and the Austrians acted like nothing happened. Due to a potential alliance between France and Austria, with a French attack for Nice, Piedmont and Aosta very plausible, Garibaldi was forced to put his revolutionaries to work inside the country and irredentism was postponed. A national railway was soon built, and big-business factories were nationalized and then fractionated, as Garibaldi prefered smaller companies. The Papacy had to retreat to Triest, under Austrian protection, because the Redshirts were invading its territory. Garibaldi enacted universal suffrage and abolished church property, making priests functionaries. He tried to grant equal rights to women, but it was too much for the highly conservative Italian population, that put moderate conservatives in place. The previous reforms stayed in place, but Redshirts were soon sent to hell on earth. Africa was considered a hellhole at the time, and many Garibaldists died to create the vast Italian colonial Empire. The successful war of 1893 against the Ottoman Empire made Italy gain friends in Romania and Greece. Now that colonial expansion and wars seem over, Italy will have to deal with its radicalized liberals and with the Church, that wishes to get its influence back.
The loss of the Spanish colonies
The nineteenth century was a difficult one for the once proud Kingdom of Spain, the loss of several colonies resulted in the Spanish Civil War when several leading generals and officials revolted in favor of the Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne. The war was long and bloody with the Carlist eventually gaining the upper hand. However, even the Carlists were unable to ward off the disaster that was the Spanish American War that saw the last of the Caribbean possessions awarded to the United States of America and the Philippines to Japan. Will the Carlists be able to recover and restore their nation to glory?
Romanian nationalism came pretty late, mostly as an aftermath of the Crimean war, when Moldavia had to reintegrate people who shared the same language but not the same laws. The Danubian principalities were united later, due to French, Russian and British pressure but they were never recognized as Romania, only as a personal union. The war of 1877 granted them worldwide recognition and Russian support, support that made their relation unstable, because the Russians wanted Bessarabia back, and Romanians wanted their diplomatic independence. The recent troubles in the Balkans, which led to the war between Greece and Bulgaria, have deepened the Greco-Romanian friendship but made the relations with Russia much worse. Can Romania live with only hostile powers on its borders?
Greece is a country with a long history and, according to Greek people, they lived a long parenthesis from 1453 to 1827. The Greek revolution was successful, due to a surge of Philhellenism in Europe and to the intervention of Christian forces. A series of wars against the Ottomans, that culminated in 1877 when they were marching in Asia Minor gave Greece lots of European territory, including the city of Constantinople. But the same city poisons its relations with Russia and support from Russia to Bulgaria and Serbia lead in 1893 to a war against these two powers, that Greece against all expectations won. The Ottoman hands were tied at the time, because of the war with Italy. Greece enjoys good relations with Romania and Italy, but the Slavic and Turkish countries resent them heavily. Maybe new opportunities for an even greater Greece will arise though?
The Ottoman Empire was divorced of its European and African territories is in a period of decline. Its leadership and people currently desire to regain control of Constantinople and its European and African territories. During the early XIXth, facing the rise of nationalism, the Ottoman leaders tried to rule by terror but the combined Christian fleet made the independence of Greece happen in 1827. The involvement of the Tsarist navy gave Russia influence in the area that Orthodoxy and Pan Slavism only made greater. The rule by terror only went worse during the following decades and the slaughter of Bulgarian civilians created uproar in Europe and made room for Russia to intervene. The lack of interests on the part of Western powers during the war of 1877 was the downfall of Ottoman power, as Russia reached Constantinople after a few weeks, establishing semi-puppet states in the Balkans. The Ottomans never forgot about it and plans to regain the lost European territories are to be found in every general’s drawers. The Ottomans tried to regain influence in Egypt afterwards, to gain its vast resources and manpower base to fight the Russians. This was to no avail, as the French and British thwarted their attempts. The Italian attack of 1893 was the finishing move and the Ottomans are no longer a power to be reckoned with. The re-affirmation of the Caliphate might change this, as the Sultan is now mostly seen as a religious leader by both his subjects and other Muslims. If they can’t win by technology, can they win by faith?
Serbia gained autonomy from the Ottoman Empire during the early XIXth century but their interests kept conflicting with those of their overlords and of the Austrians. The rise of Pan Slavism and growing Russian influence proved to be great for Serbia, as it achieved complete independence along with Romania and Bulgaria in 1877. The relations with Greece soured over the years and the war against Greece was a defeat, as saw the loss of Serbian Macedonia. The ties with Bulgaria and Russia are strong, as Slavic friendship is as high as ever.
Bulgarians mingled over the centuries with Turks and Tatars, much more than any other population of the Balkans. The independentist movement came quite late, due to Russian propaganda. Ever since the independance, things seem to go downwards for Bulgaria, as it lost territories to Greece and as Romania is eager to take control of Dobroudja. It can still count on Russian and Serbian friendship and a good ruler could make the Bulgarian Empire rise for the third time.
Albania came to exist after the war that crushed the Ottoman, because Serbia and Greece both wanted full control and because Britain wanted a friendly regime in the area. It has followed a policy of splendid isolation since then, leaving the Albanians of Northern Epirus and Kosovo to their fate. Britain has show less interest in the country than before and Italy has tried to assert its influence over the small Kingdom. But this change of overlord might not be good for the Albanians, and Britain still remains their sole protector, for the time being.
Russia was seen as the savior of Europe at the end of the Napoleonic wars. It asserted itself as a dominant power in Europe when it intervened on the side of the Greek fighters and pushed forward Pan Slavism, as a tool to disrupt its rivals, Austria and the Turks. But when they tried to gain more, the Crimean War began. It was an utter disaster, as they lost eastern Armenia and Azerbaijan to Persia, Congress Poland to Prussia, Bessarabia to Moldova, and the Grand Duchy of Finland to Scandinavia and face to the rest of the world. But it created a spark that led the Tsar to modernize and liberalize his country, to an extent. It was more than ready in 1877 to destroy the Ottoman Empire and it enjoys great influence in the Balkans, freeing Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia and helping its Greek ally to gain control of Constantinople, even though the Tsar would have gladly kept the city for himself. New reforms might be needed, though, and the recent troubles in the Balkans, added to the growing hostility towards the aggressive Russian foreign policy have dwindled its diplomatic support. The country isn’t as economically developed as it could be, but Russia is rising, that’s for sure.
With the passing of Empress Cixi in 1890, the inexperienced Guangxu Emperor was thrust into the reins of power. He quickly proved an incapable ruler with his negligence of affairs of state, preferring to indulge himself in leisurely activities and hedonistic practices. Only two years into his self-rule the country was in ruins, the coffers completely empty and the bureaucracy in utter disarray. His generals and other prominent officials had had enough and rose up against him declaring his reign at an end. With their combined might they easily defeated him but with him gone their common goal was gone and each strived to implement their own ideas for China leading to the Civil War that would last four years and end indecisively with the signing of a ceasefire.
The Republicans under Sun Yat-sen were to secure their hold over Southern China and declare the foundation of the Republic of China, known internationally as the Guangxi Republic. The new Republic is by far the most democratic of the states in China, with regulated elections and civil liberties never seen before.
The Monarchists, now under the leadership of Empress Xiaodingjing, wife of the dethroned Emperor, and Prince Chun, hold out in central China still maintaining that they are the Qing Empire, rightful rulers of All of China. The Empire’s bureaucracy is better run than it was but still faces many problems such as corruption and deals with an inefficient and somewhat lacking army.
The Ma family, extremely powerful Muslims in western China, capitalized on the lack of Imperial power during Guangxu’s reign and carved out a new state for themselves in Western China; it comprised of a majority of Muslim Chinese and is known as Xibei San Ma. It is led by the elders of the Ma family and seeks to install a Muslim-based leadership in all of China.
Yunnan, the smaller and rather remote region bordering the Guangxi Republic in the south is led by Cai E, a powerful warlord with a large army to back him up. It is rather unique to the other factions in that it would ultimately like to be left alone to rule itself rather than take the reins of all of China.
In Mongolia when the collapse of Qing authority became apparent, a growing Mongol force started to form, it quickly pushed out the Qing soldiers and authorities there and declared its leader, Bogd Khan, the Great Khan of Mongolia. It is rather primitive but has an army qualified enough to protect it.
The Tibetans were by far the most peaceful in their behavior when the Qing authority fell, they simply declared that they were now independent and that the Dalai Lama was to protect them. A small but capable army was formed to maintain hold of the state and it succeeded, with its soldiers knowing the terrain far better, in keeping invaders out. Tibet, under the direction of its Buddhist leadership, seeks to place a theocracy over all of China.
With the collapse of the Qing Empire in 1892, King Gojong declared that Korea was no longer subordinate to China. The following year he elevated himself to the title of Emperor and took a new era name, Gwangmu. He began instituting many reforms in both the bureaucracy and military leading to the efficiency of both increasing dramatically. Two years later after a minor skirmish between Qing loyalists in Manchuria and Korean soldiers on the border a full-fledged invasion was ordered with Korea securing control in a matter of months. The Korean army went further by marching on Peking and captured it after a month long siege. It came as an ultimate act of humiliation to the Chinese and despite many attempts to retake in the following months it remained in Korean hands. With the Chinese factions settling down and the new territories claimed, the Empire entered into a golden age of economic prosperity with many investors from around the world taking notice. A period of liberal reforms also followed with a British styled constitution being adopted, albeit the Monarch still retained a large amount of power. Korea strives to maintain its current holdings and cautiously watches the Chinese, Russians and Japanese.
During the Cisplatine war (1825-1829), the United Provinces of La Plata gained major victories against the brazilian army, despite the Brazilian blockade and destruction of the Argentine navy which drastically reduced exports, the United Provinces managed to break into Rio Grande do Sul and occupy parts of the Brazilian South.
When Britain felt that its economic interests on the region were being damaged by the blockade it attempted to call both powers to a round of negotiations. Despite Brazilian acceptance the Argentine government refused to negotiate as soon as the British diplomats mentioned the creation of an independent republic of Uruguay, covering Brazilian Cisplatina.
After the breakup of negotiations the British decided to take a stance of open support towards the Brazilian Empire, investing in its capacity to wage war and training its troops. This aid however came too late to make any difference when the Argentines gained full control over Rio Grande do Sul and called for new peace negotiations. On said negotiations the United Provinces of La Plata succeeded at gaining Cisplatina from Brazil in exchange for the recognition of all of Rio Grande do Sul as Brazilian territory, accepting the Brazilian claims on the Missões Orientales.
Despite the Argentine victory the British Empire continued to support the Brazilians due to the favors that the Argentine gave to French merchants in the region and their limitations on British trade. The rivalry between Brazil and the United Provinces would then be used as a proxy by Britain and France during the following years.
With foreign aid both nations would reform themselves and industrialize, gaining a solid industrial base over time. Foreign influences would be seen on the Argentine army that with French aid gained the position as the best trained army in South America, being heavily influenced by French doctrine and tactics, while the Brazilian navy became the largest and most powerful in the region, being also ranked among the strongest in the world.
An unlikely break to the rivalry between the two regional powers happened when Paraguay in 1864, bolstered by the intense militarism encouraged by the dictator Francisco Solano López, invaded both Brazil and the United Provinces, catching them by surprise and quickly occupied vast amounts of land in Mato Grosso, the Brazilian South and the Argentine Northeast.
Despite the initial Paraguayan successes the alliance eventually gained the upper hand and completely crushed the Paraguayan army, killing most of the country's male population and their dictator during the war. During negotiations about the future of Paraguay in Montevideo, the Platean diplomat proposed partitioning Paraguay between the Brazilian Empire and the United Provinces. The offer was quickly turned down as it would increase the size of the border with the Argentines and, with their control over the Uruguay and Paraná rivers, could be potentially dangerous on a future war.
Despite the refusal of their proposal the United Provinces of La Plata attempted to occupy much of Paraguay anyway, being eventually blocked by the much bigger Brazilian army that maintained control over "free" Paraguay, effectively making it a client state of Brazil and de facto part of the Empire.
This did not help the rivalry between both countries, over time there was an increased militarization on the Argentine-Brazilian and Argentine-Paraguayan border. Ironically the threat of war aided the development of industry on the region, especially on the Platean Entre Rios' region, that eventually became the Argentine Industrial heartland, tied with the region around Buenos Aires itself.
Over time Paraguay proper received much immigration from Brazilians, especially from the families of those soldiers that still guarded the frontier, effectively assimilating the entire Paraguayan population, both due to fear and revanchism aimed at La Plata and the benefits that Brazilian investment brought to the region, one of the most industrialized parts of South America. Together, Entre Rios, Uruguay, Paraguay and Rio Grande do Sul are the industrial heartland of South America, housing many of the biggest companies of the continent and modern industry.
Meanwhile in Portugal, during the Christmas of 1869, the world was shocked as a major event happened: The Regicide of 1869. On the Christmas night, as the royal family gathered in Lisbon and celebrated the holiday, republican radicals invaded the palace and brutally murdered the entire family, effectively ending the Portuguese Braganza line and plunging the country into a short but destructive civil war that lasted from 1870 to 1872. This destruction eventually lead to the collapse of the Portuguese colonial government in Mozambique and Angola and, due to the royalist focus in Europe, no attempt to reclaim the lands was made. Eventually the Royalists destroyed the last rebel bastions and won the Civil War. Despite their victory and the support of much of the Portuguese population, the damage was done. There was no viable claimant to the throne in Portugal proper and as such the royalist provisory government looked to their old colony for this: Brazil.
After a year of negotiations in Lisbon both nations announced a treaty of unification. With what remained of the Portuguese colonial Empire, including Guinea-Bissau, Goa and Macao, being inherited by the Brazilians. The Emperor of Brazil was now the King of Portugal and ruled over lands that were bathed by both sides of the Atlantic. In the European lands of the growing Empire the next few years would be spent with the rebuilding of Portugal, despite costly this lead to intense development of the Portuguese lands, with an effective distribution of land, infrastructure and modern industry.
In South America proper the reign of Dom Pedro II in Brazil and a line of good presidents in La Plata led to the development and growth of the economies of both countries, with a smooth abolition of slavery, industrialization, effective educational programs and competent leadership both in the government and military.
Today the Argentine-Brazilian rivalry is closer and closer to a boiling point, as Brazilian and even Paraguayan nationals argue for the complete annexation of all lands east of the Paraná river into the Brazilian Empire, based on what they call the ideal of Brazil's natural border being the Paraná river.
Meanwhile in the United Provinces of La Plata many nationalists desire to see the complete annexation of all lands that once belonged to the Viceroyalty of La Plata, like Bolivia and Paraguay, and, among more nationalistic channels, the annexation of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The Mexican Empire is the second greatest nation in North America, but that is mostly due to a lack of competition. Maximilian I was able to lead his forces to victory during the Mexican Civil War with some aid from the powerful Austrian Empire. Following the war, Maximilian I worked hard to aid the Mexican people, however, there are still diehard Republicans who cause trouble in the mountains greatly limiting the control the Mexican government has over large portions of the nation. His son Maximilian II has a hard task ahead of him, consolidating power with the government and is being continually pressed by his government to adopt emergency powers to end this low level rebellion. We he listen to his government or the Mexican people?
