Chapter Thirty Eight
Connolly's Third Term, Part Four, 1919-1920
Ireland, Awake!
Grand Finale
From the date of Ireland's independence on January 1, 1836, there had been something of a pride within the Irish people. In the confidence of their convictions, they had spread their Empire across many millions of miles of territory. In this last update, we shall look at the four parts of the Irish nation, 1836-1920.
Part the First
Irish Birth and Early Growth, 1801-1852
In the 43 years of the slide toward Irish birth, several men including PMs O'Connell and O'Brien made their names as fighters for Irish independence. Once achieved, they aimed at industrializing Ireland in the mold of their British counterparts. This process of rapid industrialization attracted many poor British immigrants, who made up a growing middle class of Clerks and Factory workers. However, the aim of the industrialization undermined the political stability and the stronghold the Conservative party held over Ireland. Theses newly empowered serfs quickly found a newer, fresher party to their liking in the form of the very charismatic and very young Michael Doheny. Corruption, too, was rampant and only the superhuman efforts of PM O'Connell kept blood from being shed about them. Around this time, the first vestiges of the greatest African colonial Empire to ever see the light of day emerged when the British sold Freetown, Guinea to the Irish on January 17, 1847. Two years later when the Irish declared lower Cameroon a colony, an irrevocable groundwork had been placed for Irish African hegemony.
Part the Second
The Liberal Revolution, 1852-1876
For many years since the start of industrialization, the Irish had been slowly swinging to the left. This took full force when the great Michael Doheny and his Whig party led the peaceful Liberal revolution at the election of 1852. The great political takeover was received hesitantly by Britain, but relations warmed again when the young Queen Victoria visited Ireland, and made a splendid friendship with PM Doheny. This era saw the improvement of the colonial situation in Africa, the furthering of industrialization, and the total and complete collapse of the Conservative Party.
The era saw the first flexing of Ireland's military might, with the wars against Sardinia-Piedmont, Holland, and Prussia. The Franco-Prussian War, or WWI, won the Irish Groningen in Friesland, now the sight of the largest liquor distillery, called Heineken, in the world. It employs 95% of men in Groningen, which has swelled to accept a vast population of Irish and British people.
The death of PM Doheny gave birth to the moderate vs. radical fight within the Whig party, led by John Mitchel and Charles Gavan Duffy. The split lasted the rest of the century, and a few years into the next. Initially, the moderates, or Mitchelites, had control but slowly it was wrested away from them by the Radicals, or Duffists, that resulted in the great victory of 1876, in which C.G. Duffy won the premiership.
The British Commonwealth Economic Union, or BCEU, was formed in 1873. It included the mother country, Ireland, and the new Dominion of Canada. In the initial agreements of the BCEU was the splitting of British Newfoundland into two halves, the Continental half to Canada and the Island half to Ireland. The BCEU acted as a sort of massive platform, whereby goods could be traded for lesser prices and political grievances of the Dominions could be heard by Britain.
Part the Third
Age of Duffy, 1876-1903
The era of the Age of Duffy lasted for the last 27 years of Charles Gavan Duffy's long life. His godfather-like control of almost every faset of Irish political life was unparalled in Western European democratic history. Under his guidance, PMs Redmond and Parnell and Duffy himslef led Ireland through the great era of African expansion. The technological innovations of this era were also remarkable, with Irish scientists being fought over throughout the world.
The several Crimean wars between the British and Russians saw the British gain vast swarths of territory over the south Siberian and Caspo-Persian areas. Ireland, too, gained land in Africa, closing Russia from the continent with the partition of the Gold Coast in 1886 and the Fall of the Ivory Coast in 1894. Shortly after Australia's admittance to the BCEU, and Queen Victoria's death, Austria aggresively attacked the Ottoman Empire. The OE made a peel of help to the West, which united under Britain in the 'Entente', an Anti-Austrian alliance of several powerful states. Duffy guided Ireland during the first few years of the First War of the Entente, but died in 1903 before he could see his Austrian plans realized.
Part the Fourth
Rule Hibernia, 1903-1920
The great 17 year expanse of 1903-1920 held many battles, revolutions, and changes which would effect Ireland for the coming century. In absense of Duffy's god-like domination of the Irsih political scene, the firey Socialist Connolly took the oppertunity and became the newest political godfather of Ireland.
The 1st War of the Entente ended with the treaty of Siena in 1903, with the Austrians loosing much land, but msot importantly Irish Trieste. But that was certainly not the last the world had heard from Austria, for two more wars would envelop the continent, with Austria loosing both. The Second war saw the advent of tanks for the first time, under the great Irish General O' Donnell. The Third loss is the most significant, as it marks the end of the Habsburg Empire, and the begiing of a humbled Austria under leadership of Karl Renner.
During this era, New Zealand was added to the BCEU, and the British once more fought the Russians, humiliating them and splitting them in half. In 1916, the last dregs of serious, systematic Irish colonization of Africa was finished with the addition of Al Khufrah, Equetorial Africa, and Kordufan.
The most serious ramifications of this era would be the great power struggle beginning to emerge between Russia and Prussia, who had both claimed hegemony after the Austrian defeats. The ramifications of this event would have reverberations that would last for years to come.
With that, Connolly easily trounced all opponents in the election of 1920. However, his failing health spelled opportunity for many wannabe political players. Perhaps a new Duffy could be found? That's something we'll have to wait for HoI2 for!
And thus, this AAR has wound itself to a conclusion on January 26, 2009 after three very fun months. I would like to thank everybody for reading! The next part, the HoI2 addition will be started sometime in February, probably 10th-25th. I hope you've enjoyed this ride as much as I have!
P.S. I'll post a link here when I've got the new AAR up and running. Tell me if you want me to PM you about it when I start the new one too...
And Russia has one heck of a toe-hold in South-Eastern Europe. That can't be good. Or allowed to stand 
