Those sneaky Salvadorans almost got you.
And your soldiers in Gracias look like they're in Nicaragua. Confused me there. :wacko:
And your soldiers in Gracias look like they're in Nicaragua. Confused me there. :wacko:
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Good going. At this rate you ought to be able to dominate the entire isthmus before very long.
If this immigration continues at this rate you wont be comtemplating changing the title to Spanish but German. Good work on your neighbours 
anonymous4401, stnylan, Duke of Wellington: Thanks for commenting.
1856 - 1860
This is how things stood in 1856. As you can see, the population is booming, although the initial immigration rush had slowed into a steady stream, mostly due to the Republicans coming to power in the US a few years back. The econony was strong and healthy, and so it was decided that now would be a good time to finish Guatemala off.
On August 5th, with 8 divisions mobilised, Honduras declared war, Costa Rica bravely but stupidly honouring their alliance and joining them against the Hondurans.
The invasion of Guatemala
Guatemala's defence consisted of two understrength divisions totalling about 8,000 soldiers in all. The defences in Flores and Gueguelenango were set upon each by 40,000 Honduran soldiers, and by the end of September Gueguelenango was occupied by General Munoz, the paltry 1,000 Guatemalan troops swept aside with ease. However, the defence of Flores was more vigorous, but ultimately doomed. On November 30th Guatemala City itself fell, occupied by General Munoz's army, and joined the rest of the army who were heading for Costa Rica.
A single division was assigned at the border to keep the Costa Ricans busy until Guatemala had been finished off. The division, commanded by General Posada, tentatively invaded, and were met by a single Costa Rican division outside Nicoya. The to-and-fro battle raged for weeks and weeks, and it was the Costa Ricans who came off worse. By late April they were joined by the eight other divisions, and as they marched onwards they were reputedly heard singing a rather catchy war chant, something like this:
"Do you know the way to San Jose?
I've been away so long
I may go wrong and lose my way
Do you know the way to San Jose
I'm going back to find some piece of mind San Jose -a
Nicoya is a great big railway
Put a hundred down a by a train
In a week - or maybe two - they'll make you a pain
Weeks turn into years and quickly pass
And all the stars there never were a parkin' trains and pumpin' steam
I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Wo oh oh oh
Can't wait to get back to San Jose
Wo oh oh oh
Do You know the way to San Jose?"
It was a somewhat one-sided battle, but the defenders were well entrenched and determined and it was not until May 26th that it was won. On June 12th Costa Rica surrendered. However, they were not annexed, but instead had to sign a treaty saying that they were all a big bunch of sissies and that their President was, like, so lame, and that Costa Rica was not so rich as they made out, which was deeply humiliated for them and highly presitigious for the Hondurans.
Honduras after the wars.
Throughout the rest of 1857 peace reigned through the land, and Guatemala became a hotspot for immigrants (because of the iron), which did not bother the administration in Honduras state too much. Things continued in this vein until June 1858, when Nicaragua was invaded and annexed. I could say a bit more about this war, but it just wouldn't be worth the time of day.
In 1859 Honduran scientists discovered mechanical production, a production technique that involved some kind of mechanics. Following on from this invention the government built its first ever factory, a lumber mill in Honduras state, which was great as it gave the Minister for Industry something to do. It was hoped that diversifying the goods produced by Honduras would boost the economy, but in truth after the factory opened most of the real money still lay in faithful, good bananas.
There was shock and dismay when, in an early edition of the September 4th Tegusigalpa Telegraph, there was an explosive article about how certain plantation owners were bribing individuals high up in the government to keep the lumber mill understaffed so as to not threaten their own business and profit. It appeared that the corruption went all the way to the President, and Jose Cabanas was left with no option but to resign in shame, holding his hands up and accepting his fate with good grace. Snap elections were called, and two rather unexpecting men were thrust into the limelight as Presidential candidates. The Conservador candidate was José Santos Guardiola, who favoured stronger ties with the British and had opposed the idea of a Central American union, being an adversary of ex-President Morazan. The Liberal opponent was the youthful José María Medina, who only stood as no one else in the Partido Liberal could be persuaded to do so at such short notice. The result was no surprise.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 527,009
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 963,994
Guardiola became Honduras's 6th President, and of those six only one, Guerrero, had managed to serve two terms. With Guardiola's election all eyes turned to British Honduras, otherwise known as Belize, as rumours about possible negotiations to facilitate the areas transfer from British to Honduran control began to surface. Guardiola was on his guard, however, and kept silence.
If his Presidency will be remembered for only one thing, it must be the raiways. During 1860 the Conservador government invested massively in a new system of experimental railways, indeed spending all the treasury cash reserves in the process.
It was soon possible to transport goods from Guatemala City to Tegusigalpa, and was of great benefit to Honduran industry. Indeed, the world at large was so impressed by Honduras's rapid industrialisation that for a brief few months they were regarded by some academics in Britain as one of the world's great powers.
This view soon fell from favour, but Guardiola and the Conservador dominated Congress took note. In private, Guardiola pledged that one day, Honduras would permanently take her place among the likes of France, Britain and the United States. It was a dream, yes, but then, Guardiola was a dreamer.
Coming Up - I don't know, to be honest.
Honduras
Free, Soveriegn and Independent1856 - 1860
This is how things stood in 1856. As you can see, the population is booming, although the initial immigration rush had slowed into a steady stream, mostly due to the Republicans coming to power in the US a few years back. The econony was strong and healthy, and so it was decided that now would be a good time to finish Guatemala off.
On August 5th, with 8 divisions mobilised, Honduras declared war, Costa Rica bravely but stupidly honouring their alliance and joining them against the Hondurans.
The invasion of Guatemala
Guatemala's defence consisted of two understrength divisions totalling about 8,000 soldiers in all. The defences in Flores and Gueguelenango were set upon each by 40,000 Honduran soldiers, and by the end of September Gueguelenango was occupied by General Munoz, the paltry 1,000 Guatemalan troops swept aside with ease. However, the defence of Flores was more vigorous, but ultimately doomed. On November 30th Guatemala City itself fell, occupied by General Munoz's army, and joined the rest of the army who were heading for Costa Rica.
A single division was assigned at the border to keep the Costa Ricans busy until Guatemala had been finished off. The division, commanded by General Posada, tentatively invaded, and were met by a single Costa Rican division outside Nicoya. The to-and-fro battle raged for weeks and weeks, and it was the Costa Ricans who came off worse. By late April they were joined by the eight other divisions, and as they marched onwards they were reputedly heard singing a rather catchy war chant, something like this:
"Do you know the way to San Jose?
I've been away so long
I may go wrong and lose my way
Do you know the way to San Jose
I'm going back to find some piece of mind San Jose -a
Nicoya is a great big railway
Put a hundred down a by a train
In a week - or maybe two - they'll make you a pain
Weeks turn into years and quickly pass
And all the stars there never were a parkin' trains and pumpin' steam
I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Wo oh oh oh
Can't wait to get back to San Jose
Wo oh oh oh
Do You know the way to San Jose?"
It was a somewhat one-sided battle, but the defenders were well entrenched and determined and it was not until May 26th that it was won. On June 12th Costa Rica surrendered. However, they were not annexed, but instead had to sign a treaty saying that they were all a big bunch of sissies and that their President was, like, so lame, and that Costa Rica was not so rich as they made out, which was deeply humiliated for them and highly presitigious for the Hondurans.
Honduras after the wars.
Throughout the rest of 1857 peace reigned through the land, and Guatemala became a hotspot for immigrants (because of the iron), which did not bother the administration in Honduras state too much. Things continued in this vein until June 1858, when Nicaragua was invaded and annexed. I could say a bit more about this war, but it just wouldn't be worth the time of day.
In 1859 Honduran scientists discovered mechanical production, a production technique that involved some kind of mechanics. Following on from this invention the government built its first ever factory, a lumber mill in Honduras state, which was great as it gave the Minister for Industry something to do. It was hoped that diversifying the goods produced by Honduras would boost the economy, but in truth after the factory opened most of the real money still lay in faithful, good bananas.
There was shock and dismay when, in an early edition of the September 4th Tegusigalpa Telegraph, there was an explosive article about how certain plantation owners were bribing individuals high up in the government to keep the lumber mill understaffed so as to not threaten their own business and profit. It appeared that the corruption went all the way to the President, and Jose Cabanas was left with no option but to resign in shame, holding his hands up and accepting his fate with good grace. Snap elections were called, and two rather unexpecting men were thrust into the limelight as Presidential candidates. The Conservador candidate was José Santos Guardiola, who favoured stronger ties with the British and had opposed the idea of a Central American union, being an adversary of ex-President Morazan. The Liberal opponent was the youthful José María Medina, who only stood as no one else in the Partido Liberal could be persuaded to do so at such short notice. The result was no surprise.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 527,009
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 963,994
Jose Santos Guardiola
Guardiola became Honduras's 6th President, and of those six only one, Guerrero, had managed to serve two terms. With Guardiola's election all eyes turned to British Honduras, otherwise known as Belize, as rumours about possible negotiations to facilitate the areas transfer from British to Honduran control began to surface. Guardiola was on his guard, however, and kept silence.
If his Presidency will be remembered for only one thing, it must be the raiways. During 1860 the Conservador government invested massively in a new system of experimental railways, indeed spending all the treasury cash reserves in the process.
It was soon possible to transport goods from Guatemala City to Tegusigalpa, and was of great benefit to Honduran industry. Indeed, the world at large was so impressed by Honduras's rapid industrialisation that for a brief few months they were regarded by some academics in Britain as one of the world's great powers.
This view soon fell from favour, but Guardiola and the Conservador dominated Congress took note. In private, Guardiola pledged that one day, Honduras would permanently take her place among the likes of France, Britain and the United States. It was a dream, yes, but then, Guardiola was a dreamer.
Coming Up - I don't know, to be honest.
Last edited:
I like the style of this AAR, and also the tale of a southern american country is always exciting. Keep up the good stuff!
wow! very nice updates! you practically control central american and a great power! great job!
Well done on GP status. Amusingly it seemed to be that quite a large proportion of your population seem to disprove of your military - perhaps because they've been conquered by it!
Good progress. Nice to see those Costa Ricans humbled. Since I'm unfamiliar with Vicky can you telly me what benefits railroads bring?
The Wookiee: Cheers!
Quirinus308: No, they got annexed. There's a line about it in the previous update.
lifeless: Well, I was only a Great Power for about a month, I got overtaken pretty quickly. I'm about 11th now.
stnylan: Ha, could be.
Duke of Wellington: Railways increase production efficiency and troops speed, as well as adding heaps of industry score as of 1.04.
As the 1860s came, Honduras was in a quiet period of growth. The railway system was finished, and in Tegusigalpa President Guardiola's administration ruled with unremarkable competence over a country of some five million inhabitants, a twelve fold increase from what it was on Independence Day in 1837.
As election time came nearer, Guardiola made his intentions to try and win a second term clear, hoping to emulate the only two-term President in Honduras's history, Guerrero. Of course, this meant that all eyes turned to the Partido Liberal, and who their candidate would be. Many names were bandied about, some suggesting another attempt by José María Medina and others putting forward the name of Heinrich Gottschalk, a German immigrant with ambitions of breaking the grip on power held by the now tiny Spanish speaking elite.
But all these names were forgotten when, lo and behold, the Partido Liberal revealed it's candidate to be none other than ex-President Francisco Morazan, now an old but still very sharp minded man. The Morazanistas still held a lot of sway with the Liberals, and I thought that, to be honest, it smacked a little of desperation. But as Hondurans (and of course Guatemalans, El Salvadorans and Nicaraguans, but they are all just Hondurans in denial) went to the polls, a tense stalemate soon came to pass, and it was undoubtedly the closest election in Honduran history. For several days both candidates sat around nervously as the votes were counted and recounted, scutinised from every possible angle to ensure absolutely no mistake (for we wouldn't want the wrong man to take power!). Eventually, the result was released.
Francisco Morazan (Partido Liberal) - 1,156,009
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 1,154,847
Astonishingly, Francisco Morazan was elected President winning by a margin of just 1,162 votes. The seventy year old President knew that he had barely any mandate to rule, and so declared war on Costa Rica only a few months after his election, showing off his very warlike Presidential style. The Costa Rican Army had been completely obliterated the last time, and so within a matter of months Costa Rica joined Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador as provinces of the Honduran Empire (as some idiots liked to call it).
While Honduras had been wrapped up in it's own affairs, I must tell you of a couple of things that occured elsewhere in the world. The USA was currently undergoing something of a divided house, or a house divided, or something, steeped in rebellion and civil war. As of the election of Morazan, things still very much hanged in the balance, the US seriously weakened by having most of her troops deep inside Mexico (again) when the whole thing kicked off. Honduras vaguely supported the Union, but sent no aid (though we couldv'e done, honest!)
Mexico too was having some problems. After managing to shrug off the Americans with the timely Confederate revolt, the European powers had decided to intervene with extreme discrimination, and Mexico suddenly found all manner of British, French, Spanish and Italian riffraff turning up in unexpected places.
Honduras was also very disinterested in the news that Italy had unified, after a whole load of wars and stuff. This did not really affect Honduras in any way, and so was obviously a fairly insignificant part of history.
Then, all at once, not much happened. The ill fated Confederacy surrendered in May of 1864 after the US made peace with Mexico and turned it's full wrath on the rebels, and suddenly it was 1866 and election time. Morazan, having served two terms, was barred from standing again, and anyway his health was deteriorating rapidly. The Liberal candidate was José María Medina and the Conservador was José Santos Guardiola, making it effectively a rerun of the 1859 election. And, following in that vein, the result also was a re-run of 1859, a victory for Guardiola.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 984,773
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 1,375,304
Guardiola's victory celebrations were dampened as rumour spread the Morazan had died, a fact soon confirmed by his doctors. Guardiola paid tribute to a man respected by all of the Spanish speaking elite, and a constituency in Tegusigalpa was named after him in his honour.
Guardiola's second term began peacefully, and his rule was adequate. However, for New Year's Eve in 1867 he threw a massive party, opening his palace to dignitaries from all the countries of the America's. Among the guests were the Presidents of Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador and Mexico, and the United States sent the only bloke among the President's staff who could speak Spanish, a cleaner at the White House.
And so, the party got underway. The President was on particularly good terms with President Benito Juárez of Mexico, highly regarded among many Latin American leaders for his brave leadership during the European Intervention in our often violated neighbour, for holding off the British, French and Spanish and preserving his nations independence.
Benito Juarez, saviour of Mexico and Guardiola's pal
Anyway, so basically they got as drunk as rats, you see, and for a laugh our El Presidente offered to buy Los Angeles for a joke. The rest of the night is something of a haze, but when El Presidente woke up with an enormous hangover the next morning he found something beside him in his bed, something that shocked and stunned him. The deeds for the lands of L.A.
And so, since then, President Guardiola has gone down in history as the man who bought Los Angeles for a bit of a giggle.*
*And this is indeed why I myself purchased it!
Coming Up - How the hell should I know? I can't see into the bloody future you know!
Quirinus308: No, they got annexed. There's a line about it in the previous update.
lifeless: Well, I was only a Great Power for about a month, I got overtaken pretty quickly. I'm about 11th now.
stnylan: Ha, could be.
Duke of Wellington: Railways increase production efficiency and troops speed, as well as adding heaps of industry score as of 1.04.
Honduras
Free, Soveriegn and Independent1860 - 1868
As the 1860s came, Honduras was in a quiet period of growth. The railway system was finished, and in Tegusigalpa President Guardiola's administration ruled with unremarkable competence over a country of some five million inhabitants, a twelve fold increase from what it was on Independence Day in 1837.
As election time came nearer, Guardiola made his intentions to try and win a second term clear, hoping to emulate the only two-term President in Honduras's history, Guerrero. Of course, this meant that all eyes turned to the Partido Liberal, and who their candidate would be. Many names were bandied about, some suggesting another attempt by José María Medina and others putting forward the name of Heinrich Gottschalk, a German immigrant with ambitions of breaking the grip on power held by the now tiny Spanish speaking elite.
But all these names were forgotten when, lo and behold, the Partido Liberal revealed it's candidate to be none other than ex-President Francisco Morazan, now an old but still very sharp minded man. The Morazanistas still held a lot of sway with the Liberals, and I thought that, to be honest, it smacked a little of desperation. But as Hondurans (and of course Guatemalans, El Salvadorans and Nicaraguans, but they are all just Hondurans in denial) went to the polls, a tense stalemate soon came to pass, and it was undoubtedly the closest election in Honduran history. For several days both candidates sat around nervously as the votes were counted and recounted, scutinised from every possible angle to ensure absolutely no mistake (for we wouldn't want the wrong man to take power!). Eventually, the result was released.
Francisco Morazan (Partido Liberal) - 1,156,009
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 1,154,847
Astonishingly, Francisco Morazan was elected President winning by a margin of just 1,162 votes. The seventy year old President knew that he had barely any mandate to rule, and so declared war on Costa Rica only a few months after his election, showing off his very warlike Presidential style. The Costa Rican Army had been completely obliterated the last time, and so within a matter of months Costa Rica joined Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador as provinces of the Honduran Empire (as some idiots liked to call it).
Honduras, 1863. Observe the British and Mexican fighting in Belize.
While Honduras had been wrapped up in it's own affairs, I must tell you of a couple of things that occured elsewhere in the world. The USA was currently undergoing something of a divided house, or a house divided, or something, steeped in rebellion and civil war. As of the election of Morazan, things still very much hanged in the balance, the US seriously weakened by having most of her troops deep inside Mexico (again) when the whole thing kicked off. Honduras vaguely supported the Union, but sent no aid (though we couldv'e done, honest!)
Mexico too was having some problems. After managing to shrug off the Americans with the timely Confederate revolt, the European powers had decided to intervene with extreme discrimination, and Mexico suddenly found all manner of British, French, Spanish and Italian riffraff turning up in unexpected places.
Honduras was also very disinterested in the news that Italy had unified, after a whole load of wars and stuff. This did not really affect Honduras in any way, and so was obviously a fairly insignificant part of history.
Then, all at once, not much happened. The ill fated Confederacy surrendered in May of 1864 after the US made peace with Mexico and turned it's full wrath on the rebels, and suddenly it was 1866 and election time. Morazan, having served two terms, was barred from standing again, and anyway his health was deteriorating rapidly. The Liberal candidate was José María Medina and the Conservador was José Santos Guardiola, making it effectively a rerun of the 1859 election. And, following in that vein, the result also was a re-run of 1859, a victory for Guardiola.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 984,773
José Santos Guardiola (Partido Conservador) - 1,375,304
Guardiola's victory celebrations were dampened as rumour spread the Morazan had died, a fact soon confirmed by his doctors. Guardiola paid tribute to a man respected by all of the Spanish speaking elite, and a constituency in Tegusigalpa was named after him in his honour.
Guardiola's second term began peacefully, and his rule was adequate. However, for New Year's Eve in 1867 he threw a massive party, opening his palace to dignitaries from all the countries of the America's. Among the guests were the Presidents of Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador and Mexico, and the United States sent the only bloke among the President's staff who could speak Spanish, a cleaner at the White House.
And so, the party got underway. The President was on particularly good terms with President Benito Juárez of Mexico, highly regarded among many Latin American leaders for his brave leadership during the European Intervention in our often violated neighbour, for holding off the British, French and Spanish and preserving his nations independence.
Benito Juarez, saviour of Mexico and Guardiola's pal
Anyway, so basically they got as drunk as rats, you see, and for a laugh our El Presidente offered to buy Los Angeles for a joke. The rest of the night is something of a haze, but when El Presidente woke up with an enormous hangover the next morning he found something beside him in his bed, something that shocked and stunned him. The deeds for the lands of L.A.
Yes, that's right Spaniards! Honduras owns LA! hahaha
And so, since then, President Guardiola has gone down in history as the man who bought Los Angeles for a bit of a giggle.*
*And this is indeed why I myself purchased it!
Coming Up - How the hell should I know? I can't see into the bloody future you know!
Last edited:
Entertaining update and interesting purchase . Very close elections there. Are they actually an element included in the game? Honduras is doing pretty good now.
. Very close elections there. Are they actually an element included in the game? Honduras is doing pretty good now.
Wow, things aren't going well for the US! War on three fronts, losing their future movie capital...
Doesn't the USA have a core on Los Angeles? Maybe he'll do a bit of horsetrading with land for tech.
Just caught up with reading your last few updates...er, well all of your updates actually.
I'm really enjoying your writing style and I'm rather jealous of your obvious gaming skills at guiding a nation like Honduras to prominance.
I'm sure the inhabitants of California will be more than compensated by the import of bananas.
I'm really enjoying your writing style and I'm rather jealous of your obvious gaming skills at guiding a nation like Honduras to prominance.
anonymous4401 said:
I'm sure the inhabitants of California will be more than compensated by the import of bananas.
Duke of Wellington: Yeah, the elections happen within the game, but the numbers are just made up by me based on the percentages shown for each party.
anonymous4401: Nah, the US is doing all right. They won the Civil War and kicked the hell out of Mexico during this update. And it was only two fronts, the red in the top corner is land taken by Britain in a previous war.
Pablo Sanchez: Yeah, but my relations with the US are not all that great.
stnylan: Indeed.
lifeless: For a while, at least...
Garuda: Thanks, although my skills aren't all that great. I'm a bit behind with tech, and have only just started industrialising.
1869 - 1877
Honduras was undergoing a period of peace, but the same could not be said of Europe. On June 2nd 1870 France declared war on Prussia and their ally Italy, a war which saw France severely beaten. The big surprise was the it was not Prussia, but instead Italy that did most of the fighting, occupying a staggering amount of French land. Italy were given Grenoble and Prussia took Metz and some French African territory, and soon Germany was unified, creating one of the most powerful countries on the planet
As the new decade dawned, Guardiola and his cabinet wished to turn Honduras from a regional power into a true world power. This was never going to be easy, but the President was determined to try at least. There was, of course, a slight problem with his dream; Honduras only had a very tiny navy. But that would not be an issue during the Brunei War.
Brunei recieved the declaration of war on September 14th 1870, in what was in no uncertain terms a landgrab by the Hondurans. Two divisions attacked the Brunei positions and triumphed, and by the beginning of November the capital was under occupation. The rest of the country fell easily, and in the peace treaty of February 10th 1871 Honduras gained their first colony, on the Indonesian archipelago.
The lands gained by the treaty.
With the war concluded, it was once again time for Hondurans to turn their eye to domestic politics with an election scheduled for August 12th. There was little argument with the nomination of Ponciano Leiva as the Partido Conservador, but the Partido Liberal struggled to find consensus in any one candidate, and splintered into various warring factions over issues such as trade and expansionism. The Morazanistas, a strong force within the party, favoured the moderate José María Medina, who despite two inconsecutive defeats at the polls was confident that this time would be third time lucky. The ultra liberal wing of the party, however, wanted Céleo Arias as the nominee, a man who advocated strong liberalism combined with isoationism and, oddly, a deep religious conservatism. The Morazanistas won out in the end, but the party was in disarray and desperately needed a victory at the polls, lest it should collapse altogether.
It was a close election, but at the last minute Medina surged ahead, doing just enough to secure victory at the third attempt.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 1,357,946
Ponciano Leiva (Partido Conservador) - 1,299,637
Medina had won, and the Liberals were back in power. His Presidency is most remembered for industrial expansion, which took place under his leadership over the next two or three years. Medina's government sponsored the opening of a chain of steel mills in Guatemala City and textile mills in Managua, as well as helping to fund the expansion of privately owned lumber yards in Tegusigalpa and Trujillo.
On February 2nd 1873, without much fanfare or acclaim, the two party system that Honduras had had for the last 36 years came to an end with the establishment of the Liberal de Honduras, a splinter party created by disaffected members of the Partido Liberal led by the very youthful Marco Aurelio Soto. Soto stated that at the next election he would seek election as President under this new party's banner, even though he would be only 30 years old when the time came.
In August of 1874 the poluation of Honduras passed 10,000,000, and as that year came to an end relations between Honduras and Colombia severely dropped after Colombian smugglers were caught and hanged by the governor of Costa Rica. Medina had privately indicated a desire to bring Panama into the fold to his cabinet when he first came to power, and this was the perfect excuse. On January 9th Honduras declared war on Colombia, citing piracy and smuggling as the reason. The aim was simple; to take Panama.
Honduras invaded the Isthmus with 60,000 troops, facing no opposition from an unprepared foe. A further 4 divisions landed on Colombia's Pacific coast near the town of Quibdo.
The four divisions soon took control of Quibdo, and fended of a Colombian counter attack with ease. More troops were landed on the coast further south near Buena Ventura, which inflicted a severe defeat on the Colombian division stationed there.
With the Isthmus occupied and Honduras in firm control, Bogota was the next, hopefully final target. However, the Colombians were willing to cede Panama, not wishing to see their capital occupied by foreign troops, a peace offer accepted by Tegusigalpa.
The new territory
In October Honduras went to war once again, this time picking off the hapless Hawaii, who offered no real defence at all.
Honduran Hawaii
However, the islands proved surprisingly difficult to administer, and quickly rose up in rebellion against their new colonial masters. After a while a decision was made, and the Honduran foreign minister Pablo Marquez apporached the British governor of Belize, with a proposition; the exchange of Los Angeles and Hawaii for Belize. The British accepted, and all of Central America was finally united under the Honduran banner.
The May election rather crept up upon Honduras, and was historic as it was the first time in Honduras's history that three men had contested the Presidency. Medina stood as the Partido Liberal candidate and the Conservadors chose Dmitri Vasquez, the son of a Spanish Central American father and a Russian immigrant mother. Soto was the Liberal de Honduras candidate, and as some had predicted the new party's vote, much to Liberal's dismay throughout the country, helped contribute to a Conservador victory.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 1,673,993
Dmitri Vasquez (Partido Conservador) - 1,814,733
Marco Aurelio Soto (Liberal de Honduras) - 311,743
Dmitri Vasquez became President, leaving the Partido Liberal cursing Soto and his party for their defeat.
Coming Up - More Honduras related updates!
anonymous4401: Nah, the US is doing all right. They won the Civil War and kicked the hell out of Mexico during this update. And it was only two fronts, the red in the top corner is land taken by Britain in a previous war.
Pablo Sanchez: Yeah, but my relations with the US are not all that great.
stnylan: Indeed.
lifeless: For a while, at least...
Garuda: Thanks, although my skills aren't all that great. I'm a bit behind with tech, and have only just started industrialising.
Honduras
Free, Soveriegn and Independent1869 - 1877
Honduras was undergoing a period of peace, but the same could not be said of Europe. On June 2nd 1870 France declared war on Prussia and their ally Italy, a war which saw France severely beaten. The big surprise was the it was not Prussia, but instead Italy that did most of the fighting, occupying a staggering amount of French land. Italy were given Grenoble and Prussia took Metz and some French African territory, and soon Germany was unified, creating one of the most powerful countries on the planet
Beware of the Italians!
As the new decade dawned, Guardiola and his cabinet wished to turn Honduras from a regional power into a true world power. This was never going to be easy, but the President was determined to try at least. There was, of course, a slight problem with his dream; Honduras only had a very tiny navy. But that would not be an issue during the Brunei War.
Brunei recieved the declaration of war on September 14th 1870, in what was in no uncertain terms a landgrab by the Hondurans. Two divisions attacked the Brunei positions and triumphed, and by the beginning of November the capital was under occupation. The rest of the country fell easily, and in the peace treaty of February 10th 1871 Honduras gained their first colony, on the Indonesian archipelago.
The lands gained by the treaty.
With the war concluded, it was once again time for Hondurans to turn their eye to domestic politics with an election scheduled for August 12th. There was little argument with the nomination of Ponciano Leiva as the Partido Conservador, but the Partido Liberal struggled to find consensus in any one candidate, and splintered into various warring factions over issues such as trade and expansionism. The Morazanistas, a strong force within the party, favoured the moderate José María Medina, who despite two inconsecutive defeats at the polls was confident that this time would be third time lucky. The ultra liberal wing of the party, however, wanted Céleo Arias as the nominee, a man who advocated strong liberalism combined with isoationism and, oddly, a deep religious conservatism. The Morazanistas won out in the end, but the party was in disarray and desperately needed a victory at the polls, lest it should collapse altogether.
It was a close election, but at the last minute Medina surged ahead, doing just enough to secure victory at the third attempt.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 1,357,946
Ponciano Leiva (Partido Conservador) - 1,299,637
Medina had won, and the Liberals were back in power. His Presidency is most remembered for industrial expansion, which took place under his leadership over the next two or three years. Medina's government sponsored the opening of a chain of steel mills in Guatemala City and textile mills in Managua, as well as helping to fund the expansion of privately owned lumber yards in Tegusigalpa and Trujillo.
On February 2nd 1873, without much fanfare or acclaim, the two party system that Honduras had had for the last 36 years came to an end with the establishment of the Liberal de Honduras, a splinter party created by disaffected members of the Partido Liberal led by the very youthful Marco Aurelio Soto. Soto stated that at the next election he would seek election as President under this new party's banner, even though he would be only 30 years old when the time came.
The three parties.
In August of 1874 the poluation of Honduras passed 10,000,000, and as that year came to an end relations between Honduras and Colombia severely dropped after Colombian smugglers were caught and hanged by the governor of Costa Rica. Medina had privately indicated a desire to bring Panama into the fold to his cabinet when he first came to power, and this was the perfect excuse. On January 9th Honduras declared war on Colombia, citing piracy and smuggling as the reason. The aim was simple; to take Panama.
Honduras invaded the Isthmus with 60,000 troops, facing no opposition from an unprepared foe. A further 4 divisions landed on Colombia's Pacific coast near the town of Quibdo.
The four divisions soon took control of Quibdo, and fended of a Colombian counter attack with ease. More troops were landed on the coast further south near Buena Ventura, which inflicted a severe defeat on the Colombian division stationed there.
With the Isthmus occupied and Honduras in firm control, Bogota was the next, hopefully final target. However, the Colombians were willing to cede Panama, not wishing to see their capital occupied by foreign troops, a peace offer accepted by Tegusigalpa.
The new territory
In October Honduras went to war once again, this time picking off the hapless Hawaii, who offered no real defence at all.
Honduran Hawaii
However, the islands proved surprisingly difficult to administer, and quickly rose up in rebellion against their new colonial masters. After a while a decision was made, and the Honduran foreign minister Pablo Marquez apporached the British governor of Belize, with a proposition; the exchange of Los Angeles and Hawaii for Belize. The British accepted, and all of Central America was finally united under the Honduran banner.
The May election rather crept up upon Honduras, and was historic as it was the first time in Honduras's history that three men had contested the Presidency. Medina stood as the Partido Liberal candidate and the Conservadors chose Dmitri Vasquez, the son of a Spanish Central American father and a Russian immigrant mother. Soto was the Liberal de Honduras candidate, and as some had predicted the new party's vote, much to Liberal's dismay throughout the country, helped contribute to a Conservador victory.
José María Medina (Partido Liberal) - 1,673,993
Dmitri Vasquez (Partido Conservador) - 1,814,733
Marco Aurelio Soto (Liberal de Honduras) - 311,743
Dmitri Vasquez became President, leaving the Partido Liberal cursing Soto and his party for their defeat.
Coming Up - More Honduras related updates!
Last edited:
Well a good start for a Pacific Empire. I hope the ITalians managed to get some decent gains out of that war. They definitely deserved some.
very nice work! lol never knew the italians had it in them only 1 province after taking all that? what a ripoff...
only 1 province after taking all that? what a ripoff...