"The Footsteps of Illustrious Men"- USA GC AAR

[Estonianzulu]

Footsteps Timeline

Color Chart
White- Political News
International News
Economic News
Military news
War

1836
- Martin Van Buren elected 8th President of the United States of America
-Van Buren signs a treaty with Texas guaranteeing its independence from Mexico
-Texas falls to Mexico, US pressure forces Mexico to allow ‘Free City of Austin’ to remain independent

1837

1838

1839
-Cherokee Indians, in response to the trail of tears, revolt in parts of Tennessee

1840
-John Forsyth, despite loosing the popular vote, is elected by Congress as the 9th president

1841
-Forsyth renews the alliance with the Free City of Austin
-The final Indian revolts of Tennessee are put down
-The growth of factories in the South-West helps kick start an economic upturn
-President Forsyth dies in office of old age, he is succeeded by Mahlon Dickerson

1842
-The Mexican army attacks the Free City of Austin, the US honors its treaties and goes to War
The Mexican American War 1842-1844
-General Zachary Taylor is killed at the battle of Green River

1843
-The US army under General Briggs is badly defeated at the battle of San Antonio
-Without a significant victory, the US army had conquered Texas, California and the South West

1844
-Henry Clay is elected 11th President of the United States
-The growth of the Baltimore-Ohio during the war spurs further railway development
-A Mexican raiding party burns the colony of Kansas (later “Kansas City”) to the ground

1845
-The Treaty of Austin is signed- granting the USA minor territorial gains in Utah and ending the Mexican-American war

1846
-Great Britain cedes the Oregon Territory, in its entirety to the USA. Te land later becomes the states of Colombia and Oregon

1847
-The American Party comes to power in New York

1848
-The Ballot Crisis of 1848 extends President Clay’s term in office until 1850.

1849
-The Transcontinental Railroad opens

1850
-Charles M. Conrad of the American Party is named 12th President of the United States
-The Second Mexican American War 1850-1858
-The United States, under a flimsy pretense, invades Mexico

1851
-US forces drive deep into Mexican territory, virtually unopposed

1852
-The US army is stopped deep in Mexico and forced into a long, costly, retreat

1853
-The United States captures all of California
-Colonel Douglas Farr is trapped in Corpus Christi by the Mexicans, his break-out and subsequent death at Kingsville becomes the rallying cry of the war

1854
-The United States wins the battle of the Rio Grande, turning the tide of the conflict
-Conrad is re-elected president

1855
-Revolts by the Métis in Colombia and slaves in Tennessee send shockwaves through the country. A revolt by slaves in the capital puts the White House under siege briefly.

1856
-The Mexican Army is totally routed and destroyed in numerous battles

1857
-The Americans and Mexicans meet at San Lorenz, where the back of the Mexican army is finally broken once and for all
-The Mexican government sues for peace

1858
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
-The Métis is put down
- William Patterson stops Conrad from seeking a third term and is elected 13th President of the United States

1859
-With Federal Aid, the mid-west sees a rapid boost in industrial production

1860
-The Texo-American War 1860
-The US army marches into Austin and it is incorporated into North Texas

1861
-Don Carlos Buell, hero of the Mexican War, resigns his commission to revive the American Party.

1862
-Don Carlos Buell is assassinated, William Patterson is re-elected to the White House.

1863

1864
-President Patterson begins openly influencing the course of South American politics

1865
-The Third Mexican-American War 1865-1868
-General John Pope lands an US army in the United States of Central America and begins a conquest of the small nation.
-The Republican of Mexico declares war on the United States to support the USCA

1866
-General Pope begins his march into the heart of the USCA.
-For violating the Constitutional restrictions on a declaration of war, President Patterson is impeached and forced to resign. His Vice President follows him. Daniel Clark succeeds him as the 14th President.
-The Senate and House quickly pass a resolution to extend President Clark's term until 1868.
-As a result of the resolution, the Southern States, feeling as though the Democratic candidate (Patterson) was illegally removed, declared themselves free of their ties to the Union and established the Confederate States of America.
-The American Civil War 1866-1868
-North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, the Indian Territories and Virginia all join South Carolina in the CSA. Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and both North and South Texas remain neutral
-Colonel P.G.T. Beauregard and his soldiers turn on the US army in Central America
-The Confederates win the battle of Leesburg, holding the Americans out of Virginia

1867
-The Confederates, and General Jackson, win the battle of Beckley and capture West Virginia
-General William Sheridan lands in Louisiana with an Union army and begins the conquest of the state
-The Confederate army under Lee wins the battle of Cotting Lake, capturing the Union capital
-The Union wins the battle of Frederick, driving the Confederates back into Virginia and opening up the South for conquest

1868
-The Union defeats the Confederate army at Smithfield, effectively ending the war
-The Mexicans surrender to the United States, ceding territory around the Rio Grande
-Daniel Clark is elected President of the United States
-Philip Sheridan divides the South into five military districts
-Thomas Jackson founds the Southern Christian Army

1869
-New Congressional agreements encourage the spread of immigrants into the North, and the spread of freed Confederate slaves into the far west

1870
-The KKK is disbanded and effectively destroyed by Philip Sheridan.

1871
-The SCA and the Southern League begin their passive-religious resistance against the north.

1872
-Thomas Ewing is elected 15th President of the United States

1873
-The United States Army begins a series of Indian Wars

1874
-The Panic of 1874 damages the US economy

1875
-The Re-Unification Act of 1875 ends Reconstruction

1876
-Thanks to a promise of war against the Italian occupiers of Mexico, Justin Smith Morrill is elected 16th President of the United States

1877
-The Italo-American War 1877-1879

1878
-The US army lands in Italy and wins numerous battles against minor Italian states

1879
-The Italian states cede their land in Mexico to the United States (who sells it to Mexico) to end the war

1880
-Justin Smith Morrill is re-elected
-Leon begins to become populated by Southerners moving west

1881
-The WAA, the Workers Association of America, a precurssor to the Socialist Party, is founded

1882
-The "Eagle" Republicans help spread party power to Maryland and the South-West

1883
-The First American Socialist Party is founded

1884
-Rutherford B Hayes is elected 17th President of the United States
-The "Sherman Plan" for an invasion of Colombia is rejected

1885
The Colombia Invasion (1885)
-Three American Armies land in Colombia and supress the Colombian Army
-William T. Sherman and John Sheridan are removed from their positions for violating Presidential orders

1886
-Benjamin Harrison develops the "Harrison Plan" for admitting the US West into the Union

1887
-President Hayes announces his intention not to run for a second term

1888
-Benjamin Harrison is elected 18th President of the United States
-The final vestiges of Reconstruction fade away

1889
-The Southern Christian Army is refounded
-Columbia, Washington, Minnesota, Madison, Dakota, Deseret, Arizona and New Mexico are admitted to the Union

1890
-Harrison gains supoprt for military action in the Caribbean
The US Invasion of Haiti
-The US Army and Navy assault and overthrow the government of Haiti

1891
-The Island System is put into effect in Hawaii, segregatting the Hawaiins from the Japanese
-Democrats and Republicans in the South cross the isles to the Populist Party

1892
-John Daniel is elected 19th President of the United States, as a Populist
-The US Navy blockades the Heights of Kauai to stop Japanese rebels in Hawaii

1893
-The first parts of the Worker's Bill of Rights are passed, instituting limits to the power of employers.

1894
-The Pullman Strike propells Eugene V. Debs into the public eye

1895
-The Worker's Bill of Rights is finalized
-The US economy fluctuates wildly, but in the end improves
-Thomas Watson and William Allen face off for control of the Populist Party

1896
-William Vincent Allen is elected 20th President of the United States

1897
-Matthew Ransom forms the "Council for the continuance of a Democratic alternative"
-John Peter Altgeld and the Radical Populists throw their support behind Watson

1898
-American Businessmen pour into Panama, driving the Spanish businessmen out of Central America
-The Spanish are blamed for the sinking of the USS Maine
The Spanish American War (1898-1901)

1899
-The US Navy defeats the combined Franco-Spanish Navy in the Atlantic, but is outmanuvered by the retreating Spanish fleet
-The Spanish land in Maryland, sieze Fort McHenry and burn the city of Baltimore before being driven out by the famous "Rough Riders

1900
-The US Navy and Army attacks the Philippines, never fully driving the Spanish out
-Thomas Watson splits the Populist Party, hoping to defeat William Allen, who forms the Democratic-Republicans to stay in office.
-William Allen is re-elected President.
-The Phoenix Movement begins amoung African-American political leaders
-The US Army lands in Southern Spain, wins the Battle of Cadiz
-The Boxer Rebellion drags the Americans into a conflict with China
The Sino-American War 1900-1902
-The US Army captures Formosa

1901
-The US and Spanish sign the Treaty of Gibraltat, ending the Spanish-American War

1902
-The US Army lands in China, defeats numerous Chinese armies and establishes a US Protectorate Zone
-The Tennessee Railway Act fails, ending the life of the Democratic Party

1903
-William Allen proclaims the Republican Party as his ideological successor

1904
-David Clough is elected 21st President of the United States as a Republican

1905
-General MacArthur begins his trip around South America

1906
-An American fleet travels to the Tonkin Bay to enforce US economic access to French Indo-China
The Franco-American War (1906-1911)
-The United States conquers French territory in South and Central America

1907
-The USS Georgia raids the coast of France
-The Shaw Plan is initiated, landing a US Army in Indo-China

1908
-David Clough is re-elected President

1909
-The offensive into Indo-China grounds to a halt.

1910
-The United States reaches agreements with the UK and Germany to put pressure on France to end the war

1911
-The French sign the Treaty of London, ending the Franco-American war

1912
-Robert Bacon is elected 22nd President of the United States as a Republican
-The Socialist Party is nearly split by competing factions

1913
-Bacon manages to outmanuver the Nationalists and Socialists, cementing Republican Power in the House and Senate
-Bacon begins a slow process of repealing the Workers Bill of Rights

1914
-General Leonard Wood is assassinated by Chinese Anarchists
-Robert Bacon begins to establish supprot for the Prohibition Party

1915
-Bacon begins a public fued with Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft for dominance of the Republican Party.
-A series of small conflicts in Europe begin, the Austrian invasion of Serbia marks the unofficial begining of the Great War

1916
-Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 23rd President of the United States.
-Roosevelt reorganizes the American Navy

1917
-To help pay for the continued conflict in Europe, Denmark sells its Caribbean possessions to the United States

1918
-The US military deploys to the Coast of China in vengance for the assassination of Leonard Wood
-The 2nd Sino-American War 1918-1919
-The US Army invades China, aided by Communist Rebels, and overthrows the Chinese authorities

1919
-China descends into Civil War, the Americans take this as an opportunity to end the 2nd Sino-American war
-Theodore Roosevelt dies of old age in the White House, William Howard Taft becomes the 24th President
-France, England, Germany and Austria all become embroiled in the Great War

1920
-Hiram Johnson of the Socialist Party is elected the 25th President of the United States
-Johnson and the Socialists begin a series of socialist economic changes

1921
-In a deal with the Republicans and Nationalists, Johnson approves the purchase of much of England's Caribbean empire
-Russia begins her war against the German Empire
-The Panic of 1921 results in government ownership of over 60% of the National energy companies

1922
-The Socialists turn their back on the Chinese Communists, resulting in massive uprisings in US occupied China
-Big businesses begin to put extensive pressure on the US government to protect their interests in South and Central America
-The United States of Central America begins nationalizing American industries
[color=yellowgreen[/color]The American Invasion of Central America 1922-1923[/color]

1923
-The Phillipines become "Semi-Autonimous"
-The US military under General Douglas Summerall conqueres the USCA
-The USCA is divided into a series of smaller states with US appointed governments

1924
-Hiram Johnson is re-elected to the Presidency.

1925
-President Johnson bans any members of the IWW from his staff
-The Japanese attack Manila Bay
The Japanese-American War 1925-1927

1926
-The American Navy assaults Japanese possitions in the North and South Pacific
-The Battle of Midway is won by the American Navy, effectively ending the Japanes-American War

1927
-The Treaty of San Diego becomes official, ending the war and granting America supremecy in the Pacific.

1928
-Socialist campaigners are unable to build upon their success and flounder in early election results.
-Herbert Hoover is elected as the 26th President of the United States as a Republican

1929
-Hoover's agricultural reforms go into effect in an effort to relieve the damage being caused by natural disasters.
-The United Kingdom calls upon the United States to take a more active role in the Great War
The Great War (American Involvement) 1929-?

1930
-Operation Argent backfires, resulting in massive damage to the American navy at the hands of the German Imperial Fleet

 

[stnylan]

Very interesting EZ. Incidentally, you have a code issue during 1844

 

[Estonianzulu]

Very interesting EZ. Incidentally, you have a code issue during 1844

Thanks, all these years on the forums and I'm still awful at typing

 

[Strategos' Risk]

May I reprint this timeline summary on other forums to link to this thread?

 

[Estonianzulu]

May I reprint this timeline summary on other forums to link to this thread?

Go for it. The timeline will be updated to be up to date either tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Estonianzulu]

The Battle of Cadiz
~~

As General Wood dug in and prepared for the Spanish Army, the US navy was working at a high pace to bring him support. With 8 divisions marching the region around the city of Cadiz, from there they had complete control of Spanish shipping into the Atlantic. Likewise, the supply from Cadiz would allow Wood to strike against Seville, and from there the heart of Spain would be open to assault. But the firs step was to secure the entire Cadiz-region coast. The key to this was El Puerto de Santa Maria, which would give the Americans a forward base to land reinforcements. Unfortunately for the Americans, the Guadalete River separated their position in Cadiz from the northern ports in the province. So, it was decided that Wood was to march north, cross the river, and meet up with the US army landing in Puerto Sherry, which would give the American Navy and Army full control of the Bay of Cadiz.

Wood, with the 1st Corp (4 divisions), and General Joseph Wheeler with the 2nd Corp (4 divisions) began their assault west. But the Spanish were prepared, and rushed their own forces, numbering 12 divisions, to block the American crossings. With the heavy arrangement of Spanish troops before them, Wood had to order a halt to the American advance. Securing the South-East side of the bridge, Wood decided to await the arrival of further American reinforcements. These troops arrived in due time, lead by General William Rufus Shafter, and made their landings under pressure form Spanish lines to the north. Thomas McArthur Anderson, General of the X Corp, was the first to move. Taking the example of the brave, if costly, charge of the Rough Riders, Anderson smashed through the Spanish lines and drove north to free the I and II Corp. Meanwhile the Spanish army pressed General Shafter and Nelson A. Miles back towards their landings.

At this point the battle took a turn unexpected. General Anderson's press north stalled short of driving the Spanish out of the region, instead the Spanish lines solidified and dug in. Anderson's momentum dried up, but he did manage to link his forces with the first and second corps. Further south, the American forces managed to stem the tide of the Spanish advance and dig in around Puerto Sherry. The Spanish assault, like that of Anderson, couldn’t dislodge the American and settled in for a siege. With the lines drawn, the two sides settled down to a week of long range warfare, as both sides hunkered down and hoped to blow open a gap in the opponents' lines. The Americans had the superior artillery, but could not mass it due to the split in the fronts. The Spanish unfortunately had inferior artillery, and could never land a decisive blow against the American lines.

Whereas in the past, war had been a day-time affair, where armies would throw themselves at each other until one side withdrew, this was different. Day and night the two sides struggled, with no rest. With heavily entrenched armies, primitive machine guns and long-distance artillery, this was a new kind of war. And it was costly. That being said, the struggle favored the Americans. With stronger artillery, breech-loading rifles and mortars, the American infantry division was able to defend their positions unlike any other. Very slowly, the tenth division was able to turn the flank of the Spanish VI division. This allowed a full assault across the bridge by the I and II divisions. And once these troops crossed the Guadalete, the Spanish would be badly outnumbered.

It was a young Lt. Colonel in the US Army that finally broke the stalemate. After a month of fighting around Cadiz, and reinforcements from both sides, John Pershing arrived with the US 10th Cavalry, an all-black division of cavalry from Missouri. Pershing was a proponent of rapid movement in warfare, and with his cavalry being useless in a trench warfare, he actively pushed to take the assault to the Spanish in force. His superiors, and General Shafter in particular, preferred to let the Spanish throw themselves against the American lines. So, Pershing and his cavalry were relegated to defending supplies and passing messages. Pershing, frustrated, went around Shafter's head and snuck a messenger across the Guadalete with a message for General Wood. If the 10th Corp could open a whole for his cavalry, he would break the stalemate.

Wood, though critical of Pershing's circumventing of the chain of command, believed the plan had merit. He ordered General Anderson to halt his attack East, and open a whole in the Spanish lines to the West. Anderson did just that, at a heavy cost. But the breakthrough was opened, and Pershing took advantage of it. Although the 10th cavalry took heavy casualties getting to the lines, when they hit the hole the broke it open. Pershing, not one to be slowed down by the lines, ordered his cavalry to dismount. With their cavalry carbines and sabres, the men of the 10th cavalry were excellent in the closed quarter fighting in the trenches of the Spanish forces. Jumping from trench to trench, these men fought with a brutal fury. The sight of these black soldiers succeeding where they had failed, sent the rest of the army into a surge, trying to catch up. Anderson himself led the 10th into the fray, and was shot down. His death went unnoticed in the surge.

The Spanish were broken in half. The Spanish V Corp broke and retreated, while the VI tried to consolidate and re-form. It was no good, the US Tenth Corp was unleashed on the Spanish rear. In a few hours, the Americans were able to drive the Spanish out of their positions and away from the sea. Pershing, pressing his already tired cavalrymen hard, gave chase. In perhaps the last effective use of cavalry by the US Army, Pershing's cavalry cut the retreating Spaniards off, forcing many to desert into the hills or surrender. The Spanish General, Ibanez, was trapped and surrounded, and agreed to surrender his army to the Americans. The battle was over, and the Americans were unopposed in Spain.

The cost of the battle was enough to end the war right there and then. 90,000 Spanish soldiers had been killed, wounded or captured in the battle. Another 7,000 had deserted. The shock from this battle sent the Kingdom of Spain into shock. Strikes across the country shut down the nation's economy, and left the whole government shaken. The Americans, who had lost 25,000 dead and wounded, were used to the heavy cost of the conflict (having faced similar bloody struggles in Colombia, the Philippines and at Shiloh), were more than happy to come to the negotiating table. Although the Treaty of Gibraltar would not be signed until March 13th, 1901, the war was over on December 14th, 1900. The victory had helped President Allen retain power, and the resulting treaty was the signature to his second term.

The United States, now embroiled in the conflicts of China and South-East Asia, was granted nearly every single Spanish Imperial possession. The United States took control of the Philippines, Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the other Spanish islands in the Caribbean. Spain was also forced to pay indemnities, specifically targeted to rebuilding and repairing the city of Baltimore. The treaty of Gibraltar brought an end to the political career of Marcelo de Azcárraga y Palmero, and sent President Allen to his highest level of popularity. He was praised for taking the conflict to Spain and avenging the burning of Baltimore. On an international scale, the United States had re-asserted itself as a true power. The French, with their ally defeated, only further distanced itself from the Americans. And with fears that workers in Northern Spain would revolt, the French were forced to put troops on their border, allowing the Austrians to continue their press into Northern Italy. Meanwhile England and the Netherlands, both fearing the growth of Japanese power in the Pacific, were more than happy to allow the Americans into the field, knowing the Japanese-American relations were strained. With the American navy now docked in the Philippines, it was obvious that a conflict with the Japanese would arise, and the winner would dominate the Pacific.

 

[stnylan]

As one war finishes, the other starts to heat up.

An excellent description of the overall battle.

 

[coz1]

The modern age sounds upon us and this was quite the bridge to it. Reminiscent of WWI in it's trench warfare, I appreciated Pershing being the one to break the stalemate.

An exciting chapter. Nice.

 

[Rensslaer]

Definitely looking forward to how the US-Japanese clash will turn out!

Great work, as always, Estonianzulu!

Rensslaer

 

[Jape]

Aye, an early Pacific War will be an interesting to see

 

[unmerged(81979)]

A bit of war with the pacific, eh? Excellent!

 

[Estonianzulu]

stnylan: Yep, but this second war will not be as engaging.

coz1: Thanks. Pershing will come back, but his trench-busting tactics had the advantage of being against relatively pre-modern troops in the Spanish army. Against a true European power, it may not be so easy.

Rensslaer: Thanks! We've got a little bit of non-Japanese Asian confict coming up first.

Jape: Good, then you will be very interested in a few years.

demokratickid: Lets hope its excellent, getting schooled by the Japanese would not be good.

Update follows.

 

[Estonianzulu]

Boxing Day
~~

After the start of the Boxer Rebellion, and the 8-nation intervention, China was left in a state of disarray. As the Boxers and other anti-imperialist forces in China rose up to throw the British, Germans, Russians and Japanese out of China, the Americans, Austrians and Italians took the opportunity to expand their influence in the struggling East-Asian kingdom. The British, Russians and Austrians were the first to land troops on the ground in China, with the British expanding their sphere of control out from Burma and the Austrians landing in the North and pressing towards Beijing. American intervention, without congressional authorization, began in earnest in July of 1900. With Spanish forces still engaged in the Philippines, President Allen ordered General Arthur MacArthur, with a full 12 divisions (albeit, most of these troops were militia men and marines) comprising the 8th Army, to establish an American presence in China.

MacArthur landed on the island of Formosa on July 1st, 1900. The one division of Chinese imperial troops were no match, and after a few volleys from the American navy, the Chinese force fled. By October 11th, Formosa was completely under American military control. General MacArthur proved to be an excellent administrator, quickly establishing five military districts to control the island. The Chinese inhabitants, many of whom had never had contact with Westerners, were easily cowed into submission. The triumph was proclaimed as a great American mission of civilization in the United States, and in fact the huge influx of money from US soldiers buying silks, tea and other oriental treasures made the inhabitants of Formosa considerably wealthy. By March 13th 1901, the island was officially annexed into the American imperial sphere, and MacArthur was named colonial governor.

South East Asia after the Spanish-American war.

In May of 1901, the Americans made their second incursion into China. As Austria pressed hard towards Beijing, and the British swept over the south of China, General William Stark landed with 7 divisions of regular infantry in the Jiangsu province. The landing was, in a word, botched. Stark's inept handling of the resources cost the Americans thousands of dollars. He was immediately sacked, and General Wood was recalled from his leave (following the victory over Spain) and called upon to command land forces in China. With the now-healed Colonel Roosevelt by his side, Wood organized a plan to establish a sphere of influence in China. His first target was the city of Shanghai. By July 12th, even as English forces withdrew from China, Wood captured the whole coast of the Jiangsu province, including Shanghai.

By August 1st, Wood's forces were expanding into the heart of China, and by October first, with out facing any real challenge from the defeated Chinese Army, Wood had captured a stretch of land equal in size to Texas. The only real battle in the whole engagement came on October 20th, as 30,000 Chinese infantry engaged Colonel Merritt and his 24,000 US infantry in the city of Nanjing. The battle was the greatest example of Western dominance in the war. With only 5 casualties, the American army, using machine guns and artillery, killed well over 6,000 Chinese soldiers, and put the rest to flight. With the bloody victory, the Dowager Empress agreed to come to terms. The United States was granted control of the city of Shanghai, and given full treaty rights to the surrounding region. A few weeks later, the Dowager Empress and her court were captured by the Austrian Army. In retaliation for her support of the Boxers, the Empress Dowager Cixi was removed from power, and replaced with the Austrian puppet General Ronglu Guwalgiya, a Manchu enemy to the Empress.

The Empress Dowager Cixi

The victory of the Americans, at the cost of negligible casualties, was met with indifference by many Americans. It was only through the work of his Republican allies that Allen gained any real support for the intervention. Most Americans were tired of foreign conflicts, and Allen had earned a reputation in the 20th century for ignoring internal issues. Allen had handed most legistlative issues over to his Republican and Democrat allies, but their own internal differences had effectively destroyed the bloc that had kept Allen in power. The Democrats had poured their political weight behind Matt Whitaker Ransom's 'Midwest Plan' for reigniting political support for their near-dead party. The plan called for a series of public works in states like Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, all sponsored by Democrats. But the Populists, worried about loosing what support they had in the Mid-west had blocked them.

When the Tennessee Railway Act of 1902 was voted down, the Democrats bailed. Ransom, now out of Congress, knew his plan to rebuild the party had failed. There was just too much support for the Populists in the South, and too much resentment for the failure of the Democrats in the post-war years, to keep the party afloat. But the internal strife of the Populist party did leave a gap in political power in the South. William J. Goebel, shrewd, and nearly assassinated Governor of Kentucky, filled that gap. Goebel was elected governor, in great part thanks to laws he had passed through the General Assembly, and was the center of a political fire storm. Using the attention, Goebel stirred up support among outcast Democrats and Populists. Calling for the construction of a new National identity, one based not only on heavy government intervention in business regulation (a strictly Populist ideology), but also for a heavy Federal investment in state infrastructure. Goebel, organizing with out major politicians in Kentucky, formed the National Party, and immediately spread his influence into other South-West states.

William Goebel, governor of Kentucky

Meanwhile the Republicans, fresh from the shared victory in the election, and the apparent implosions within the Democrats and Populists, stood defiant. Two branches, not mutually exclusive, emerged within the party. It was obvious that their was the political momentum, and once more the winner of the Republican nomination would win the national election. On one hand Minnesota Governor David Marston Clough, proposed the 'Clough Doctrine' of foreign and domestic affairs. His plan was simple, the current laws regarding workers rights and laws, were not going to go away. Instead, the Republican Party needed to focus on the opening of foreign markets and using foreign ports as economic strongholds. His International (or, as his opponents called Imperial)-Economic plan involved the forcing open, and eventual dominance, of East Asian economic centers for American investment. Clough felt that American companies in Asia would not only help spread American culture, but would give the United States an extra domestic boost as the price of shipping raw materials and good back to the Americas would be cheaper.

Clough's ideological opponent was Robert Bacon. Bacon did not disagree that an international economy was the way of the future. But Bacon, unlike Clough, had maintained a strict separation from the Populist elements of the American political world. Bacon was a fierce opponent of what he labeled 'Socialist influences' on the American economy. Bacon came from the old guard of the Republican party, the New England big business branches of the party that opposed Government influence in the economy and the so-called "State Socialism" that had developed. While Bacon had a lot of beltway support, it was clear that Clough, with his more Populist-Friendly program, would be the man to lead the party after Allen's term ended in 1904.

 

[coz1]

If Clough gets power, he'll likely have much to work with given the new US possessions in the East. I wonder how long it will take the parties to settle back down. It seems like they have been fractured for quite some time.

 

[Estonianzulu]

If Clough gets power, he'll likely have much to work with given the new US possessions in the East. I wonder how long it will take the parties to settle back down. It seems like they have been fractured for quite some time.

Ok, my excuse is I am stuck at work. Why are you awake this early on a Saturday Coz?

And yes, this is the start of the final crystilization of the political parties. To give you a spoiler, the Republican Party will survive into the future, but both the Populist and Democrat parties are going to go away. For all real purposes, the Dems are already done.

 

[coz1]

Ok, my excuse is I am stuck at work. Why are you awake this early on a Saturday Coz?

Busy day ahead. Figured I'd get some forum stuff done early.

 

[Estonianzulu]

Busy day ahead. Figured I'd get some forum stuff done early.

Aha, well I don't advise you follow my day's plan. I get off work in 2 hours and will be sleeping till about 3:00. So, get some work done for me if you will

To everyone: I'll probably have the next election update done tomorrow (Given that I get to do this overnight thing again tomorrow)

 

[stnylan]

Estonianzulu - those sleeping hours sound like something I might concoct. Only in my guess it would be because I'm an idiot, rather than being at work

The United States is becoming increasingly Imperial.

 

[sanmartin]

The US has done quite well for itself, although I can see BB becoming an issue soon considering how many provinces you've absorbed.

So what's this National Party, and how do they differ from the earlier Democrats?

 

[Strategos' Risk]

So, with the rise of the Nationalist strain, does this mean that the Democrats have finally splintered cleanly? I mean, just a few elections ago they were divided three-ways, and have since basically lost their hegemony over the South. If the Democratic Party continues to exist, will there be a clear idea of what it stands for, one distinct from the National Party? Or will the Dems collapse at last?