República Federal de Centroamérica: a USCA AAR

[Panzerfaust779]

As the title says I will take hold of the New and Fragile USCA and (hopefully) rise to become the ruler of the Caribbean. I'll be using a few mods to make this more interesting:
1. The Concert of Europe: a timeline extension mod for PoD
2. PDM Dx0 (Rise of the Other States) USCA Minimod
3. Freedom and Chains - CSA/Slavery Mod
I myself have modified some of the events and decisions in the mod, namely by making some of the aggresive claim land decisions into purchase decisions

Now, on to the story!
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A New Republic (1821-1826)
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The FRCA in 1821

Since Independence on September 15th, 1821, The FRCA faces an uncertain future. The Union of states is unstable, with many of the states within it uncomfortable with their positions and influence in the government. Manuelo Duraz, a young up-and-coming politician, was chosen by the congress to be the 1st president of the republic.

Manuelo Duraz, 1st President of the Republic

His first move as president was to make El Salvador the Capital of the Nation, to alleviate fears of a Guatemala-dominated federal government. He also proposed several bills to congress, concerning more funding into education and infrastructure. While initially things were calm in the nation, this all changed when on January 8th, 1822, Mexican Emperor Iturbide sent an official message, offering the FRCA a place in the Mexican Empire. President Duraz, to the surprise of many, refused.

Infuriated by the Central American rejection, Mexico cut ties with the FRCA and signed a military alliance with Gran Colombia, while pressuring the Federal Government to cede the Central American portion of Chimpas (The State of Los Altos) to Mexico. These aggressive moves would have the opposite effect on the Nation, as a common enemy made more and more people identify as "Central American" instead of "Guatemalan","Nicaraguan" or "Honduran" . President Duraz was quick to regain the cooperation of the conservatives, by passing a series of laws that would change the laws concerning elections, allowing the conservatives to have a clear, but not certain, majority in future elections, while at the same time passing other reforms requested by the Liberals, as a requirement for their support of the bill.

By 1826, The government had stabilized. A structured taxation system had been set up, an Army and Navy had been constructed, and literacy rates were increasing among the populace. On August 28th of 1826, the Haitian Government, who had signed a military alliance with the FRCA in 1824 after relations soured between the FRCA and Mexico, approached the Central American Ambassador to Haiti, Paco Aceves, With an urgent request. Several days before, The newly independent Dominican Republic had officially joined Gran Columbia. Fearful of an invasion, the Haitian Government sent a request for the annexation of Haiti by the FRCA, which would have Haiti join the FRCA as the 7th State,with full citizenship extended to all current Haitian Citizens. President Duraz, hoping to further inspire unity and a common identity among central america, Announced the Haitian Annexation and his plan to purchase Belize from the United Kingdom. Belize had long been considered a rightful part of Central America and many conservatives and liberals alike campaigned for a deal for its purchase, or even war for the more radical politicians. President Duraz intended to use this international deal as proof that the FRCA was the rightful ruler of central america, and he hoped that good relations with the UK could prevent a future invasion by Mexico.

The United Kingdom agrees to sell Belize to the FRCA, much to the celebration of the Young Republic

A major event occurred on December of 1828, when Gran Colombia into the states of Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

With the first elections of coming up in 1828, President Duraz looks poised for an easy win and landslide victory. Mexico is in a war with its former colonial overlord for Cuba, and South America is in chaos, though what all this means for the future of the Federal Republic remains unknown

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Authors Note(s)
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Welcome to The AAR! I plan to try to keep the FRCA interesting and stable, and attempt to create a greater central american empire. Hopefully it'll go well, unless Mexico decides to try to be expansionist . Expect an update every day or every other day, as i try to make them for every 5 years of game time, unless they're extraordinarily boring.

Also: FRCA = USCA = UPCA

 

[Duke of Awesome]

Interesting that Haiti would petition for annexation, and even more interesting that the USCA would accept.

 

[Panzerfaust779]

Yep, though im sure had it survived, Gran Colombia could have easily invaded the Haitians, as could The USCA. It is helpful though, as the USCA will need all the strength it can get for it Mexico invades in the future over Los Altos, which has a Mexican Core. It'll be even worse if Mexico can actually win it's war against Spain for Cuba.

 

[Panzerfaust779]

Expect an update later tonight

 

[Panzerfaust779]

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The 2nd Central American War For Independence (1826-1831)

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The American Alliance Offer


After winning an easy victory in the 1826 Elections, President Manuelo Duraz would start his plan to create freindly relations between The USA and The FRCA. Sensing an opportunity to gain an ally in the Americas, The United States of America would extend an Offer of Military Alliance to the FRCA, which was graciously accepted by the FRCA. Meanwhile in the Caribbean, After losing most of their Atlantic fleet in a costly naval battle off of Cuba, as well as facing the threat of Spanish occupation, The Mexicans were forced to sign a White Peace with the Spanish, Humiliating the new Mexican government.

Territories occupied on October 13th 1828


In an attempt to drum up popular support for the government, The Mexican Government decided enough was enough. After a small skirmish between Mexican and Central american troops in the disputed Chimpas region, on top of years of the FRCA ignoring it's ultimatums, Mexico decided it was time to retake Central American Chimpas. On September 11th, 1830, Mexico would issue a declaration of war against the FRCA.

Much to the relief of the Central Americans and against Mexican expectations, the United States joined the war on the side of it's ally. However, the situation would be made worse for the FRCA when news reached them that Colombia had joined the war against them, on the side of their ally Mexico.

The FRCA quickly mobilized it's reserves and rallied its troops in The Capital of San Salvador. A well respected, but rather unorthodox, commander from a humble background, General Diego Vasconcelos, was to be be put in command of the 1st Army. He ordered his troops north, crossing the border and occupying the Mexican portion of Chimpas. The Mexican Army stationed in Mexcio City responded and moved south; The two armies would meet in Tapachula in The state of Los Altoson February 5th, starting the largest battle of the war.

After 8 days of fighting, The 1st Army under the command of General Vasconcelos managed to shatter the Mexican Army under the command of General Melchor Villa.

With the American forces occupying large portions of the Mexican Northwest territories, the FRCA army was able to redeploy south to the Panama Isthmus, Where they began occupying the area after a brief battle with Colombian troops. It was at this time when the first muzzle-loaded rifles were being sent to the front-line units, though they would see little use before the war ended.

American Forces quickly occupying Northern Mexico

With Further advances being made by the Americans to the North and the Central Americans to the South, Mexico offered to negotiate a peace, hoping to gain a more lenient peace deal than if the current war continued much longer. For the Americans, They demanded that Mexico allow the independence of the Californian rebels, who "declared independence" from Mexico in the beginning of the war. Despite only having enough rebels to garrison a single fort in San Francisco , Most Mexican troops were recalled and deployed elsewhere, leaving the area undefended and allowing their independence to be unchallenged. Determined to not come out of the war empty-handed, the Central American delegation demanded that Colombia be forced to grant independence to Panama; Their reasoning was that with the dissolution of Gran Colombia 5 years earlier, The Colombians had no right to rule the land that culturally was largely Central American. With the prospect of either a semi-acceptable peace or a continued war that could end much more harshly for Mexico, Mexico agreed to the terms, as did Colombia, ending the war on September 1st 1831.

To the surprise of few, The newly-created Panamanian government accepted FRCA offer of statehood, with the federal government receiving the Panamanian petition in the capital San Salvador on September 22nd, 1831. Central American troops officially entered Panama City on October 3rd, delivering the official central american response and hoisting the Federal Flag above the temporary capital building. Meanwhile in the FRCA, The weary soldiers of the 1st army would return home to a jubilant people, with many already referring to the war as "The 2nd war for Independence". President Duraz's reputation grew even further, with both the Liberals and Moderate Conservatives endorsing him for the 1831 election, something that angered the increasingly unpopular reactionary party.

Central American Forces of the 1st army parade through San Salvador

While the war would be remembered in Mexico as one of the many humiliating wars it fought in the 19th century, it would be regarded as the true unification of the Federal Republic. While the states that made up the union had largely been unsatisfied with FRCA rule pre-war, the quick and decisive actions the Federal Government did not only won the support of it's various states, but it also won the hearts and minds of the Central American people.

 

[Attalus]

Interesting for sure Subbed
I'm still not really content with the annexation of Haiti since it's very unlikely. Would you have taken it by force then no problem but having them joining like that seems too OP.

I guess the rest of Chiapas and Yucatan are next ? You should also "integrate" the rest of Hispaniola while no one spheres them

 

[Panzerfaust779]

I was actually planning to invade Haiti by about 1829, and had already built 5 clippers to prepare when Gran Colombia swallowed the Dominican Republic. The Rise Of The Other States mod actually adds the decision to annex Haiti as long as neither country has slavery and they have an alliance, so i figured that i'd justify it with the Gran Colombia threat

And don't worry, the FRCA will get it's revenge on Mexico, and the D.R. will be an excellent future state

 

[Panzerfaust779]

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After The War (1831-1836)

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Following the 2nd War for independence, There was much to do for the Federal Republic. It had to reorganize the military, integrate Panama as the 8th State in the Union, and increase infrastructure within the Nation. In an effort to increase the power and prestige of the FRCA, on April 5th, 1832, Congress would authorize a large-scale naval building program, with the long-term goal to make the Central American Republic the #1 naval power in the Caribbean.

30 ships were built, composed of 25 frigates and 5 Man 'o' Wars

In the time since Panama joined the Republic in September of 1831, Panama City expanded at an astounding rate; It was the most popular destination for immigrants, and many Central Americans from elsewhere in the republic flocked to the city for new opportunities. By early 1833, It was already clear that Panama City would become the Economic hub of the Federal Republic, and a mixing pot of cultures and peoples.

On March 24th 1833, Texan Settlers, possibly inspired by the California Republic's rebellion, declared independence from Mexico. In an effort to weaken Mexico and befriend this new republic, The FRCA would give war subsides to the Republic of Texas for the duration of it's independence war.

Following a series of Mexican victories, A Mexican victory seemed all but certain. The losing Texan forces would, however, win the war by capturing Mexican leader Santa Anna, who was forced to sign a treaty acknowledging Texan Independence. This would be the start of a large period of unrest in Mexico, and the country would be wracked by rebellions and secession attempts for years to come.

Immigration would continue to increase, with some states such as Los Altos having a population made up of upwards of 25%. This massive growth would both help increase the FRCA's population, and increase the drive for industrialization, with a large number of factories, many of them government funded, popping up around the nation.

In Spring 1836, a prominent business man by the name of Alanzo Amparan would meet with and sign a deal with President Duraz, by offering him a solution to a long-standing problem of the FRCA: Transportation. One of the factors that contributed to the disunity before the 2nd war for independence among the FRCA states was the difficulties in traveling between them; The new government funded railroad system would not only allow easy transportation of people and goods, but it would also allow the quick relocation of Central American troops if another war broke out between the FRCA and Mexico or Colombia.

Meanwhile in Europe, a large-scale war would break out between France and the UK over the subject of Irish independence, With France gaining the support of Prussia and The UK gaining the support of Austria, Belgium, and Sardinia-Piedmont.

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Authors Note(s)
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Sorry about the late upload! To make up for this, I'll be posting Chapter Four tomorrow, rather than Tuesday

 

[Duke of Awesome]

Neato. I'm always concerned about whether a navy is "worth it" after a certain point. I guess the point is a bit moot since the mod starts so much earlier than vanilla, but I never saw the value in building frigates or Men O' War.

 

[Attalus]

I guess they can be used for helping in the war by blockading ports to help level war exhaustion. but it's sure than they will not be a great tool for long

 

[Panzerfaust779]

Yeah, the frigates + Man o wars are around so that i lose the "no navy/small navy" modifiers, and so i can blockade mexico or whatever country i'm fighting,

I probably wont build anymore for a Loooooong time , probably not until i get better tech + (hopefully) i can build the panama canal

 

[Panzerfaust779]

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La República de Yucatán (1836-1841)

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After several years of fighting, the UK and their allies would prevail against France; This would prove to be just in time for the 1st Opium war with the Qing Empire. Meanwhile in North America, Mexico was quickly overrun by rebels trying to restore the Empire Of Mexico. The government would eventually be forced to surrender, and the new government assumed control.

In Northern North America, the United Kingdom and the United States of America would continue to feud over the Oregon Territory, though there were hopes that a compromise could be reached.

In 1840, The new government in Mexico was highly unpopular, and in February The Republic of The Rio Grande would secede. Mexico would make several attempts to defeat the new republic, but Mexico's armies were still in ruins from the revolution the year before. The Rio Grande's troops would win several battles, partly due to war subsides from the FRCA, in a similar course of action to the Texan War. w Mexico would be further weakened in January 1841, when the Republic of the Yucatan declared independence as well; With their attention fully on the Rio Grande Republic, Mexico completely ignored the Republic of the Yucatan.

In the FRCA, 1840 began with a National Conference and Lavish Exhibition both taking place in Panama City, with many foreign representatives invited to show off Central America's recent scientific and cultural advances.

In March of 1841, The Texan army was defeated by a larger rebel force, who were demanding the government apply for statehood in the United States. Despite the best efforts of the Texans, the American Government would accept the rebel's statehood application, adding Texas as a state.

Now that they shared a border ,The USA would start supporting the Rio Grande Republic diplomatically; Mexico, unable to fight another War with America, signed a peace treaty acknowledging the independence of the republic of the Rio Grande. This forced the newly-established Yucatecan government, as they had no chance of American intervention or the troops to fend off the growing Mexican Army. With the continued prosperity of the FRCA to the south, The Yucatan government decided to apply for statehood, rather than be annexed by the Empire of Mexico

Meanwhile in the Federal Republic, The well-loved president Duraz declined to run for a 5th term. With President Duraz stepping down, congress was finally able to pass a law limiting presidents to serving 2 5-year terms, which had been opposed for some time due to Duraz's popularity. The election itself was relatively uneventful though, with liberal candidate Basilio Alcalde losing to the much more popular General Diego Vasconcelos, a hero of the 2nd war for independence. In his inaugural speech, President Vasconcelos pledged to increase the power and prestige of The Central American States.

General Diego Vasconcelos

The Federal Republic Of Central America in 1841

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Authors Note(s)
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So, many unexpected things happened in this chapter. Texas falling to American Pan-Nationalists was new, and the Rio Grande fighting for so long. Once America annexed Texas via rebels, i did manually end the war in Rio Grande's favor, to see if an independent Rio Grande changes anything in North America. the French-British war would end up just having France dismantle constructions in Normandy, which was a bit of a letdown. Now that President Vasconcelos is around though, The FRCA will have some expanding to do, and the Dominican Republic and Hawaii would be great acquisitions

 

[Duke of Awesome]

Hawaii? That's pretty ambitious for 1840, and having half your ports face the wrong way.

 

[Attalus]

Dominica sure would be an easy and safe acquisition. But I concur with Duke of Awesome about Hawaii, conquering it so early would be a far stretched (but then you avoid it being snatched by the USA)

 

[Panzerfaust779]

Hawaii? That's pretty ambitious for 1840, and having half your ports face the wrong way.

You have a point, i'll probably wait until 1870 or so, and only go for it if it's not in a SoI.

 

[Reqinald]

Thoroughly enjoying this AAR so far. Really excited to see what the future holds for the FRCA!

 

[GoshDaMule]

Subbed.

 

[Panzerfaust779]

Sorry guys, i had some RL stuff to attend to
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but i'm back now, so expect the next chapter tomorrow or Tuesday!

 

[Panzerfaust779]

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The Mexican-American War (1841-1846)

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On may 23rd, 1842, The Empire of Brazil would offer the Federal Republic of Central America a military and political alliance. President Vasconcelos, eager to gain allies for his planned expansions, would manage to convince congress to accept the offer.

On December 26th, 1842, President Vasconcelos would give a state of the nation speech to a large crowd (which included many members of congress) in El Salvador, the capital of the FRCA. His speech went on about the threat of the corrupt Dominican government posed to the state of Haiti, and how it was the Federal Republic's duty to liberate the (supposedly) oppressed Dominican People.

The speech was extremely well received, gaining support of many conservatives and liberals alike. Emboldened by his success, and taking advantage of his support, Vasconcelos would convince congress to officially declare war on the Dominican Republic, as well as their ally, Venezuela.

The Central American fleet, under the command of Admiral Ancieto López, would cripple the Venezuelan Fleet. and with no way to effectively transport it's troops, Venezuela was unable to assist it's Dominican Ally.

More rebels in Mexico

On April 16th, 1844, The FRCA would officially annex annex the Dominican Republic as the state of Dominicana, the 10th state in the union.

Mexican Jacobins would topple the Empire of Mexico, briefly ending the nations problems, though this period of rest would be cut short when on March 13th,1845, Texas would apply to join the United States of America, following the example of the California Republic, which had applied to join on January 3rd. On April 25, 1846, a 2,000-strong Mexican cavalry detachment attacked a 70-man U.S. patrol under the command of Captain Seth Thornton, which had been sent into the contested territory north of the Rio Grande and south of the Nueces River. This was followed by a swift declaration of war by the United States,who then called their ally, the FRCA, into the War.

The first strike would once again be done by the Central American Navy, with the decisive defeat of the Caribbean navy in in the Battle of the Yucatan Channel.

Meanwhile, President Vasconcelos would use his status as commander-in-chief to lead the Central American Armies against Mexico once again. Following a series of crushing defeats, the Mexican Army would be annihilated in the Battle of San Luis Potosí.

The Central American 2nd Army, following close behind the 1st Army, would march into Mexico City on June 21st, 1846

Mexico City is Occupied by the FRCA 2nd Army.

Mexico, being crushed on 2 different Fronts, with the Americans on one side and the Central Americans on the other, would accept the Central American demands, restoring the peace between the Empire of Mexico and the Federal Republic of Central America, though war would continue between the USA and Mexico.

The Empire of Mexico would have to cede the contested portions of Chimpas and Yucatan. This would both increase the legitimacy of the annexation of the Republic of the Yucatan, and allow the state of Los Altos (which had claimed it's borders to encompass all of Chimpas, rather than only the Central American portion) to finally resolve it's long-standing border dispute, as well as avoid being absorbed into the State of Guatemala.

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Authors Note(s)
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I did have to tag switch over to the USA, since i realized that the pan-american nationalist annexation of Texas meant that the USA had no cores on texas, which broke the Manifest Destiny decision, so i switched over to USA and released Texas as a satelite,which the USA would re-annex, with cores, about 4 months later

Gameplay wise, I was extremely satisfied with how the war turned out for the FRCA, and, as that last screenshot hinted at , GP status is not far away, which opens up a good deal of interesting decisions if i can sphere nearby nations, like Spain.

Also guys, my deepest apologies for being late with the update , RL stuff means i may have to slow the update schedule ( so once or twice a week). But have no fear, as the story of the República shall continue!

 

[Duke of Awesome]

Take your time with updates, real life comes first. Don't stress yourself! Now that the border with Mexico is nice and clean, where do you look to expand next?