Chapter Thirty Four
Connolly's Second Term, 1912-1916
Connolly's Second Term, 1912-1916
Taking a short break from the war, on February 3, 1912 the colonies of Niger and Tchad were added to the to the Irish Empire.
And, the last stages of colonial penetration were being enacted in Al Khufrah.
However, the events of March, 1912, were much more significant. In neutral Stockholm, a beleaguered Austria signed the Treaty of Stockholm.
Wild celebrations took to the streets for days. In the treaty, Germany, being the most territorially ambitious, gained the whole of Bohemia. The Ottomans made minimal gains even though they had suffered the most. The British added to their Venetian territory by taking Treviso and Padua, leaving an Austrian Exclave in Central Italy. The Irish, to their pride and merit, gained Idrsko and Udine. However, the Russians were the true losers. In leaving the war early, they signed away vast swaths of territory, so much so that Austrian technically came out of the Second War of the Entente almost as powerful as the first. But, Bohemia was the heart of Austrian Industry, and that was a loss almost impossible to replace.
Unlike the Irish who were disparaged at the end of the first war, when these troops came home they were cheered and treated as royalty. The reasons why the two receptions were totally different can be attributed to the political climate of the time. The recent declaration of the Irish Empire within the BCEU, which had so unnerved the British, had made most of Ireland complacent with any of Connolly's decisions.
Not long after the Irish arrived home, Britain completed the most one-sided victory in a land war vs. Russia, ever. If Napoleon were alive, he would be blue with envy. The gains were so enormous, they had to split up into different administrative units. Some were directly dependent on the Crown, while some were partially autonomous.
The borders of Nova India encompassed Afghanistan and part of the Amu Darya river valley, and was fully administered by the crown of Britain. Balkash and South Balkash were two large areas centered around Lake Balkash. The Southern one was still controlled by the Crown, with the other one being controlled by a small assembly of local leaders under British 'supervision.' The vast and cold lands of Omsk and East Siberia were fully autonomous, with a few British officials stopping in once a month to make sure no rebellious activities were going on. Trans-Caspian encompassed the East coast of the Caspian Sea, lake Aral, and the Southern Amu Darya basin. Because of it's fertility, this region was directly governed by Britain. Persia, Georgia, Azeri West Caspian, and the South Caucasus were all self-governing regions of Britain, with varying degrees and rights of autonomy. The final region was British Hormuz, which was the British part on the northern coast of the straight of Hormuz. It was directly controlled by Britain due to its vital location on the newly important oil trading routes.
Later in 1912, the United States came to Dublin with an offer they couldn't refuse. Still, after over a decade, the USA was stuck in a war with France. Desperate for funds, President William Jennings Bryan authorized the sale of the American colonial missions and trading posts in Kordufan and Equatorial Africa. For 59,800 pounds, Ireland had bought themselves two new colonies.
Almost immediately, the Irish set to work building up the rest of the un-colonized territory so they could be fully colonized.
A most unusual event would occur in 1914 which would have repercussions for Ireland in the future. 1,183 reactionaries under a man who called himself "The Second Spartacus", revolted in Wexford.
The nation was caught off guard, and the whole army mobilized to meet the threat. It probably wasn't necessary, though it looked good for propaganda, of which PM Connolly was getting quite good at. Wexford was the hometown of the former PM Redmond, who was furious at the revolt. After getting permission from PM Connolly, Redmond personally led the troops to battle in Wexford. It was a crushing Irish victory, and it served to enhance the reputation of both Connolly and Redmond.
In 1915, just as the election season was beginning, the great and powerful Gen. O'Donnell passed away at his desk in Trieste. He was 71 years old.
The nation went into a week of mourning. In a moving display of sadness, the General's widow stood in witness on the floor of parliament to listen to every single member give a speech honoring her husband's life.
In August of 1915, a most unusual event occurred. The province of Saburo, which had been controlled by rebels for many years, defected to Ireland.
When Spain asked for it back, they were met with laughter and a slammed door. At this point, when Spain had backed down in the face of Irish resistance, it had unofficially brought Ireland to the highest plane on the world stage. Only 25 years ago, it would have been unthinkable for Ireland to stand up to the Empire of Spain. Needless to say, this raised eyebrows throughout Europe. Budgets in various countries were suddenly adjusted to court Irish opinion.
The election of 1916 was most unusual, as in 1914 PM Connolly* instructed his own ISP MPs to actually join in with the Whigs. By 1915, they had been fully assimilated into the party within the Liberal Whigs section of the party. Not only that, but the former PM Redmond announced his retirement, and unwillingness to seek the PM-ship in April of 1915. So, it was a shoo-in for the Whigs, once again...
The Conservatives gained quite a few seats in the wake of the political convulsions; however it was not nearly enough for the ditheringly old T.D. Sullivan. At age 89**, he was still quite Lucid, but it was clear that if the Conservative Party was to ever do anything more than simply exist.
*Yes, I know his RL death date is in 1916, but I really don't feel like adding another personality to the Whig/ISPs just yet. Call me lazy if you must…
**Yes, I know his RL death date is in 1914, but I really don't feel like adding another personality to the Conservatives just yet. Besides, it sounds cool to have a 89 year-old guy running for PM!
