Even without it you could likely feed a billion people well on the Heartland’s soil alone.
Map Thread XXII
- Thread starter Balkanized U.S.A
- Start date
Even without it you could likely feed a billion people well on the Heartland’s soil alone.
AMERICAN TEARS aka "What if everything went badly for a Decades of Darness version of the United States?", with some elements inspired by EDT's Fight and be Right.
THE PAST
Having painstakingly won their independence from the United Kingdom, it seemed that the United States were destined for greatness. The purchase of French Luisiana and the apparent weakness of the neighboring states seemed to confirm the young nation's inevitable territorial expansion.
And then in 1811 the United States allied with the Napoleonic France, declaring war on the British Empire. What should have been a brief and victorious war soon turned out to be a disaster for the United States. Washington and New Orleans were razed to the ground while the nation's north was devastated by clashes between American soldiers and their British counterparts.
It was this devastation that prompted the northern states to declare independence from the United States. Aaron Burr, still furious at being excluded from the 1804 election, persuaded the governors of New England and New York to form the newly independent Federal States of America.
Despite the American Government's attempts to stop the secessionists, the intervention of the United Kingdom in support of Burr and his allies sanctioned the final separation of the rebellious states from their old homeland.
From there, the history of North America and the rest of the world took a decidedly different turn.
Deprived of most of its supporters, the American abolitionist movement completely lost its influence in the United States. On the contrary, the nation ended up being dominated by the interests of southern slaveholders. Slavery soon became a mainstay not only of the economy but also of U.S. culture.
In the long run, the particular institution and white supremacy would damage the United States. The need to constantly keep slaves in check, the refusal to accept immigrants deemed insufficiently Anglo-Saxon, and economic favoritism for plantations at the expense of industrialization nipped American expansionist ambitions toward their neighbors in the bud.
In 1835, the United States declared war on the Mexican Republic to support slaveholding separatists in the Texas region. Although the United States emerged victorious, unexpected difficulties and Mexican resistance forced them to annex Texas only as far as the Nueces River and not as far as the Rio Grande as they had originally hoped.
In the following decades, the United States would therefore fall back on annexing various regions in the Caribbean and Africa as they were deemed easier to conquer and better suited to support the growing need for slaves in the U.S. economy.
The Texas War also had unexpected consequences in Mexico. Successfully resisting the American invasion cemented the country's cultural and national unity, while also providing the civilian government with an excuse to eliminate overly ambitious or dangerous generals.
Events in North America had unexpected consequences in Europe as well. With England too busy with the War of 1811, the Austrian Empire assumed command of the forces opposed to Napoleon.
This position of dominance allowed Vienna to impose conditions favorable to its interests after the defeat of Napoleon's troops, nipping Prussian ambitions in Pomerania and Saxony in the bud. Napoleon's death in battle in 1815 also allowed Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine to appoint his nephew Napoleon II as the new Emperor of France.
The fragile balance established by Vienna failed in 1848, when several uprisings rocked the European continent.
An attempted anti-monarchist insurrection in Portugal was suppressed by Brazilian troops, confirming that the South American country was an integral state of the kingdom rather than a mere colony, while Mazzini and Garibaldi's rebels also succeeded in unifying the Italian peninsula under a single republican government.
The Austrian empire itself was affected by these revolutions. On one hand, Vienna had to recognize Hungary and the other member states of the empire as its equals in personal union rather than colonies directly under its control.
On the other hand, Vienna was able to exploit the rampant nationalism to unify the Catholic states in the southern Germanic Confederation into a new empire. Over the next few decades, the new German and French empires would extend their influence across much of Europe and North Africa.
The new alliance soon encountered the open hostility of Moscow and London. Although the British and Russian governments were in open competition for control of Asia Minor, both considered Austrian and French expansionism a threat to their interests.
In the following decades, the two opposing alliances expanded further. In addition to the Ottoman Empire, the United States also sided with Vienna in hopes of regaining the lost northern states and expanding their sources of slaves in Africa and the Caribbean.
At the same time, the North German Protestant states, led by Prussia, joined the Russo-English alliance.
The Great War began in 1899, when Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire following the assasination of a cousin of the Tsar in Asia Minor.
Despite promising early U.S. attacks in Borealia and uprisings in Poland, for nearly three years the front lines remained static. However, in 1903 two important events changed the situation.
The first was the decision by Mexico and Persia to declare war on Vienna and its allies. Both nations had spent decades modernizing, eager to regain lost territories and eliminate enemies along their borders.
The rapid collapse of the United States and the Ottoman Empire prompted France to adopt the second fateful choice. Joseph Mosley, a British socialist leader exiled in Paris, was released from his cell and secretly sent to England in the hope of destabilizing the war effort of France's enemies.
The plan worked too well. Instead of mere protests, Mosley's actions started a syndacalist revolution in the United Kingdom whose flames quickly spread to the rest of the world.
The need to fight the syndacalist rebels in their own territories forced the various warring powers to sign a cease-fire. Vienna and Paris succeeded in destroying Prussia and gaining minor concessions in Eastern Europe, but the United States and the Ottomans were left to their fate.
And so a new phase of world history began.
Having painstakingly won their independence from the United Kingdom, it seemed that the United States were destined for greatness. The purchase of French Luisiana and the apparent weakness of the neighboring states seemed to confirm the young nation's inevitable territorial expansion.
And then in 1811 the United States allied with the Napoleonic France, declaring war on the British Empire. What should have been a brief and victorious war soon turned out to be a disaster for the United States. Washington and New Orleans were razed to the ground while the nation's north was devastated by clashes between American soldiers and their British counterparts.
It was this devastation that prompted the northern states to declare independence from the United States. Aaron Burr, still furious at being excluded from the 1804 election, persuaded the governors of New England and New York to form the newly independent Federal States of America.
Despite the American Government's attempts to stop the secessionists, the intervention of the United Kingdom in support of Burr and his allies sanctioned the final separation of the rebellious states from their old homeland.
From there, the history of North America and the rest of the world took a decidedly different turn.
Deprived of most of its supporters, the American abolitionist movement completely lost its influence in the United States. On the contrary, the nation ended up being dominated by the interests of southern slaveholders. Slavery soon became a mainstay not only of the economy but also of U.S. culture.
In the long run, the particular institution and white supremacy would damage the United States. The need to constantly keep slaves in check, the refusal to accept immigrants deemed insufficiently Anglo-Saxon, and economic favoritism for plantations at the expense of industrialization nipped American expansionist ambitions toward their neighbors in the bud.
In 1835, the United States declared war on the Mexican Republic to support slaveholding separatists in the Texas region. Although the United States emerged victorious, unexpected difficulties and Mexican resistance forced them to annex Texas only as far as the Nueces River and not as far as the Rio Grande as they had originally hoped.
In the following decades, the United States would therefore fall back on annexing various regions in the Caribbean and Africa as they were deemed easier to conquer and better suited to support the growing need for slaves in the U.S. economy.
The Texas War also had unexpected consequences in Mexico. Successfully resisting the American invasion cemented the country's cultural and national unity, while also providing the civilian government with an excuse to eliminate overly ambitious or dangerous generals.
Events in North America had unexpected consequences in Europe as well. With England too busy with the War of 1811, the Austrian Empire assumed command of the forces opposed to Napoleon.
This position of dominance allowed Vienna to impose conditions favorable to its interests after the defeat of Napoleon's troops, nipping Prussian ambitions in Pomerania and Saxony in the bud. Napoleon's death in battle in 1815 also allowed Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine to appoint his nephew Napoleon II as the new Emperor of France.
The fragile balance established by Vienna failed in 1848, when several uprisings rocked the European continent.
An attempted anti-monarchist insurrection in Portugal was suppressed by Brazilian troops, confirming that the South American country was an integral state of the kingdom rather than a mere colony, while Mazzini and Garibaldi's rebels also succeeded in unifying the Italian peninsula under a single republican government.
The Austrian empire itself was affected by these revolutions. On one hand, Vienna had to recognize Hungary and the other member states of the empire as its equals in personal union rather than colonies directly under its control.
On the other hand, Vienna was able to exploit the rampant nationalism to unify the Catholic states in the southern Germanic Confederation into a new empire. Over the next few decades, the new German and French empires would extend their influence across much of Europe and North Africa.
The new alliance soon encountered the open hostility of Moscow and London. Although the British and Russian governments were in open competition for control of Asia Minor, both considered Austrian and French expansionism a threat to their interests.
In the following decades, the two opposing alliances expanded further. In addition to the Ottoman Empire, the United States also sided with Vienna in hopes of regaining the lost northern states and expanding their sources of slaves in Africa and the Caribbean.
At the same time, the North German Protestant states, led by Prussia, joined the Russo-English alliance.
The Great War began in 1899, when Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire following the assasination of a cousin of the Tsar in Asia Minor.
Despite promising early U.S. attacks in Borealia and uprisings in Poland, for nearly three years the front lines remained static. However, in 1903 two important events changed the situation.
The first was the decision by Mexico and Persia to declare war on Vienna and its allies. Both nations had spent decades modernizing, eager to regain lost territories and eliminate enemies along their borders.
The rapid collapse of the United States and the Ottoman Empire prompted France to adopt the second fateful choice. Joseph Mosley, a British socialist leader exiled in Paris, was released from his cell and secretly sent to England in the hope of destabilizing the war effort of France's enemies.
The plan worked too well. Instead of mere protests, Mosley's actions started a syndacalist revolution in the United Kingdom whose flames quickly spread to the rest of the world.
The need to fight the syndacalist rebels in their own territories forced the various warring powers to sign a cease-fire. Vienna and Paris succeeded in destroying Prussia and gaining minor concessions in Eastern Europe, but the United States and the Ottomans were left to their fate.
And so a new phase of world history began.
THE PRESENT
Thirty years after the end of the Great War, the world has changed considerably.
Despite the loss of colonies in Asia and Ottoman allies, Paris and Vienna emerged as the real winners of the Great War. Vienna was able to eliminate Prussia and unify the Germans under its control, while Paris greatly expanded its influence in North Africa.
Fear of further syndacalist revolutions and Russian expansionism also prompted many European states to abandon their neutrality and side with the Bonapartes and Habsburgs.
Paris was also able to exploit the end of the British Empire in West Africa to its advantage. Sokoto, Wadai, and Morocco are not exactly democracies (if you criticize the Moroccan king, you should prepare yourself for a one-way trip to the desert), but they are well willing to ally militarily and economically with Paris to prevent any revolutions in their territories.
The meager territorial gains in Eastern Europe have wiped out the influence of the militarists, allowing more liberal politicians to dictate Europe's political future. Today the Sovereign Alliance is a bizarre alliance system that includes genuine allies and puppet states.
The success of the Sovereign Alliance would not have been possible without Mexico. Disappointed by the division of former U.S. territories, Mexico abandoned its alliance with the British Empire almost immediately after the end of the Great War.
The creation of the Republic of Liberia, populated mostly by former slaves freed during the Mexican invasion of New Orleans, also granted Mexico control of numerous trade routes.
Thanks to the economic and political prestige derived from the reconquest of Texas and the control of the Panama Canal, Mexico became the most powerful state in North America.
However, Mexico was not able to enjoy peace for long. A failed military intervention against the Syndacalists in Argentina in 1923 only resulted in the deaths of thousands of Mexican soldiers.
For this reason, the Mexican republic founded the Amistad Pact, its own new, more or less democratic alliance to secure its interests against the imperialists and revolutionaries of the old British Empire.
Diplomatic realignment with the Sovereign Alliance also secured the Pacto de Amistad useful allies for the modernization of its troops and lucrative trading partners.
The real loser of the Great War and of the Vienna-Mexico City rapprochement is the Restored Empire.
With most members of the main Windsor branch dead or "re-educated" by Syndacalist authorities (the current heir to the British throne is a gardener in Glasgow), it has fallen to the cadet branches in charge of the Commonwealth realms to defend what is left of the British Empire.
In some ways, the internal policies of the Restored Empire are a continuation of pre-Revolution English policies: Borealia, the Cape and Australasia are semi-absolutist monarchies, particularly focused on suppressing revolutionary movements and promoting total unification through the superior English culture (to the great detriment of many minorities in their territories).
The Restored Empire still refuses to recognize the peace signed between London and Vienna following the Syndacalist revolution, claiming that it is still at war with France and its allies.
After the loss of almost all English colonies due to Syndacalist revolts, angry natives, and/or invasion by other countries, the Restored Empire also has to worry about insufficient numbers of soldiers (and inhabitants in general) with which to one day retake England.
This has also prompted the Restored Empire to adopt rather strict natalist policies. The right to abortion is nonexistent while women are "encouraged" to marry and have as many children as possible as soon as possible.
Although the Restored Empire officially has allies all over the world, few of them want to assist it in the reconquest of the British Isles. Portugal and Persia are both considered superpowers, but the lack of other palatable allies against Russian and Syndacalism expansionism is the main reason they are part of the Three Oceans alliance.
Even the Federated States of America, believed by many to be the true heirs of the American Revolution, are increasingly unhappy with the policies of the Restored Empire especially now that women also have the right to vote.
Only the madness on the other side of the border prevents the Dominion of Indiana (a state populated by Native Americans carved up from the US after the War of 1811) from abandoning the Restored Empire in favor of neutrality or the French.
All these problems pale in comparison to the situation in Asia, especially in the Pacific Axis. The Nipponese Empire was able to modernize in the late nineteenth century precisely because of the British Empire, and for nearly thirty years it sustained the ambitions of the Restored Empire.
However, recent years have seen the emergence of a new Japanese ruling class, composed mostly of young merchants, who have little interest in the agreements signed by their great-grandparents with an empire that no longer exists. More than one member of the Imperial Diet thinks it is time to open Nipponese ports to French and German ships as well.
The democratization of the Axis, an event that made Edo a first among equals rather than the absolute master of the alliance, has complicated the situation even more. South China, one of the most militarized states in the world where the enjoyment of civil rights is proportional to years of military service and rank in the military, in particular has been pushing for diplomatic realignment with Vienna for years now.
Some Chinese generals have even proposed opening diplomatic contacts with the Workers' International to find new allies in the eternal struggle against the Pact of Steel.
Russia would laugh at the problems of the Restored Empire if it were not in a similar position. For almost thirty years the Tsar has been reduced to a puppet in the hands of the Vitalist Party, whose main concern is to revitalize Russia through war and technological innovation after the "mutilated victory" of the Great War.
For this reason, in 1921 the Vohzd (leader of the party and all of Russia) ordered an invasion of the decadent Taiping Empire, annexing many northern Chinese regions and allying with a particularly ambitious local warlord who was the self-proclaimed new Chinese emperor.
On paper, the Russian Empire is one of the most powerful states in the world. Unlike the other two blocs, the Pact of Steel is a united alliance and not a network of pacts and agreements that overlap with one another.
Of course, the truth is quite different. Despite the numerous resources at its disposal, Russia is forced to spend most of its revenues to finance allied dictatorial regimes and the war in China.
The extreme promotion of Panslavism and Orthodox Christianity has also alienated many potential allies, especially in Europe.
Russia also struggles to control occupied territories. Despite brutal repression, partisan movements in China, Asia Minor, and Turkey have not diminished in any way.
Although the Vohzd has finally begun limited reforms (Jews can serve in the government as long as they do not practice their religion in public), Russia's supreme leader is now an over-seventy-year-old man whose body is ravaged by various diseases and drugs. The more radical Vitalists, the new young tsar and the surviving opponents of the regime are already preparing themselves for the coming power struggle.
Russia's internal problems are having unexpected consequences with its allies in Africa. The Ethiopian Empress has ordered a new round of purges while the leaders of Lunda and Azande are considering granting greater freedoms to avoid a revolution.
The latter solution will never be adopted by the East African Federation. Its leaders are former British and Prussian settlers who had ended their rivalries after the fall of their homelands precisely to preserve their privileges. Even now that much of the interior of the country is controlled by black rebels or devastated by the use of chemical weapons, the idea of granting equal rights to the natives is unthinkable.
Opposed to Russia and all other imperialist powers is the Workers' International, the alliance of Syndacalist countries formed in the aftermath of the 1906 British Revolution and the Argentine Civil War/South American War of Liberation (1912-1919, 1920- 1927/technically still ongoing).
The Union of British, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Syndacalist Republics (UBSWISR) has softened somewhat after Mosley's death in 1925. The new English leader has effectively conceded greater influence to the Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions within the government and allowed other left-wing parties to participate in elections.
The other members of the WI are a mixed bag. India is religiously tolerant but its policy of forced industrialization is certainly not helping the environment or the health of its inhabitants.
Egypt's Syndacalist rhetoric places considerable emphasis on the Arab identity (something that does not help the people of Sudan in any way) and the impending liberation of Middle Eastern workers.
Italy and La Plata are the most militaristic members of the alliance , to the point of being considered military dictatorships. Italy is also one of the few openly atheist Syndacalist countries (Catholic terrorists in North Italy only complicates things further), to the point that it is trying to replace traditional religions with the "worship of love for the country."
La Plata is particularly paranoid after losing hundreds of thousands of its citizens during the civil war and being invaded by most of its neighboring states almost immediately after the end of the first conflict. Its government is also dangerously overestimating its military capabilities after managing to defeat and annex Chile and Paraguay in late 1927.
In one way or another every state in the world belongs to one of these alliances. Now you are either a great power, you are allied with one or you have to prepare to be invaded.
What happened in Gran Colombia is a demonstration of this. The local leader had tried to declare his country neutral in international affairs, so Mexico started supporting the independentists in eastern Gran Colombia in retiliation.
Now the country is ravaged by a multi-frontal civil war and one of the factions is a group of Christian fundamentalists, obsessed with mass crucifixions against "heretics" and minorities of all kinds.
There is one exception, however, a state so brutal that no one wants it as an ally: the United States of America.
After the humiliating defeat of the United States in the Great War and the loss of numerous territories, everyone expected that American democracy would not last long. Obviously they were right, and in 1920 the American Vitalist Party won the White House with the promise to "purify" the nation.
No one batted an eye when the first prison camps were established in Missouri. Although the new President seemed more interested in imprisoning the few minorities left in the United States than political enemies, his actions did not seem too different from what the Russian Vohzd was doing.
And then the definition of "undesirable" continued to expand more and more every day. By the end of the third year, simply having traveled abroad or speaking a second language was enough to be arrested and imprisoned in one of the growing number of camps scattered around the country.
Twelve years after his ascension, the President can proudly say that America has been completely cleansed. A quarter of its population has died or fled while another quarter has been virtually enslaved in the camps.
The remaining half are obviously living under constant surveillance, but they have also been re-educated in preparation for the inevitable new conflict. The number of young Americans has increased vigorously, along with the propaganda in their school curricula.
According to vitalist propaganda, Americans are a superior race destined to unify the American continent under their rule.
Only the poisoning of American blood by external factors prevented the United States from winning the Great War. Now the American Race has enough pure soldiers to win the second round.
Someone might point out to the President many problems with this idea, including the total lack of allies (even the Russians cut ties with the American regime in 1926), the unnecessary fanaticism of the younger soldiers or even the numerous acts of sabotage in the various industries at the hands of the new slaves.
Obviously this person would end up in a camp after making such a remark. However, the President has a secret weapon.
In addition to enabling the reconstruction of American industry, camp prisoners were also the perfect guinea pigs for various experiments. Thanks to them, the U.S. military has many innovative chemical and biological weapons at its disposal.
Of course, their excessive use could backfire on the United States itself. Unfortunately, the President is willing to lose another quarter or more of his population to ensure the dominance of homo americanus.
Thirty years after the end of the Great War, the world has changed considerably.
Despite the loss of colonies in Asia and Ottoman allies, Paris and Vienna emerged as the real winners of the Great War. Vienna was able to eliminate Prussia and unify the Germans under its control, while Paris greatly expanded its influence in North Africa.
Fear of further syndacalist revolutions and Russian expansionism also prompted many European states to abandon their neutrality and side with the Bonapartes and Habsburgs.
Paris was also able to exploit the end of the British Empire in West Africa to its advantage. Sokoto, Wadai, and Morocco are not exactly democracies (if you criticize the Moroccan king, you should prepare yourself for a one-way trip to the desert), but they are well willing to ally militarily and economically with Paris to prevent any revolutions in their territories.
The meager territorial gains in Eastern Europe have wiped out the influence of the militarists, allowing more liberal politicians to dictate Europe's political future. Today the Sovereign Alliance is a bizarre alliance system that includes genuine allies and puppet states.
The success of the Sovereign Alliance would not have been possible without Mexico. Disappointed by the division of former U.S. territories, Mexico abandoned its alliance with the British Empire almost immediately after the end of the Great War.
The creation of the Republic of Liberia, populated mostly by former slaves freed during the Mexican invasion of New Orleans, also granted Mexico control of numerous trade routes.
Thanks to the economic and political prestige derived from the reconquest of Texas and the control of the Panama Canal, Mexico became the most powerful state in North America.
However, Mexico was not able to enjoy peace for long. A failed military intervention against the Syndacalists in Argentina in 1923 only resulted in the deaths of thousands of Mexican soldiers.
For this reason, the Mexican republic founded the Amistad Pact, its own new, more or less democratic alliance to secure its interests against the imperialists and revolutionaries of the old British Empire.
Diplomatic realignment with the Sovereign Alliance also secured the Pacto de Amistad useful allies for the modernization of its troops and lucrative trading partners.
The real loser of the Great War and of the Vienna-Mexico City rapprochement is the Restored Empire.
With most members of the main Windsor branch dead or "re-educated" by Syndacalist authorities (the current heir to the British throne is a gardener in Glasgow), it has fallen to the cadet branches in charge of the Commonwealth realms to defend what is left of the British Empire.
In some ways, the internal policies of the Restored Empire are a continuation of pre-Revolution English policies: Borealia, the Cape and Australasia are semi-absolutist monarchies, particularly focused on suppressing revolutionary movements and promoting total unification through the superior English culture (to the great detriment of many minorities in their territories).
The Restored Empire still refuses to recognize the peace signed between London and Vienna following the Syndacalist revolution, claiming that it is still at war with France and its allies.
After the loss of almost all English colonies due to Syndacalist revolts, angry natives, and/or invasion by other countries, the Restored Empire also has to worry about insufficient numbers of soldiers (and inhabitants in general) with which to one day retake England.
This has also prompted the Restored Empire to adopt rather strict natalist policies. The right to abortion is nonexistent while women are "encouraged" to marry and have as many children as possible as soon as possible.
Although the Restored Empire officially has allies all over the world, few of them want to assist it in the reconquest of the British Isles. Portugal and Persia are both considered superpowers, but the lack of other palatable allies against Russian and Syndacalism expansionism is the main reason they are part of the Three Oceans alliance.
Even the Federated States of America, believed by many to be the true heirs of the American Revolution, are increasingly unhappy with the policies of the Restored Empire especially now that women also have the right to vote.
Only the madness on the other side of the border prevents the Dominion of Indiana (a state populated by Native Americans carved up from the US after the War of 1811) from abandoning the Restored Empire in favor of neutrality or the French.
All these problems pale in comparison to the situation in Asia, especially in the Pacific Axis. The Nipponese Empire was able to modernize in the late nineteenth century precisely because of the British Empire, and for nearly thirty years it sustained the ambitions of the Restored Empire.
However, recent years have seen the emergence of a new Japanese ruling class, composed mostly of young merchants, who have little interest in the agreements signed by their great-grandparents with an empire that no longer exists. More than one member of the Imperial Diet thinks it is time to open Nipponese ports to French and German ships as well.
The democratization of the Axis, an event that made Edo a first among equals rather than the absolute master of the alliance, has complicated the situation even more. South China, one of the most militarized states in the world where the enjoyment of civil rights is proportional to years of military service and rank in the military, in particular has been pushing for diplomatic realignment with Vienna for years now.
Some Chinese generals have even proposed opening diplomatic contacts with the Workers' International to find new allies in the eternal struggle against the Pact of Steel.
Russia would laugh at the problems of the Restored Empire if it were not in a similar position. For almost thirty years the Tsar has been reduced to a puppet in the hands of the Vitalist Party, whose main concern is to revitalize Russia through war and technological innovation after the "mutilated victory" of the Great War.
For this reason, in 1921 the Vohzd (leader of the party and all of Russia) ordered an invasion of the decadent Taiping Empire, annexing many northern Chinese regions and allying with a particularly ambitious local warlord who was the self-proclaimed new Chinese emperor.
On paper, the Russian Empire is one of the most powerful states in the world. Unlike the other two blocs, the Pact of Steel is a united alliance and not a network of pacts and agreements that overlap with one another.
Of course, the truth is quite different. Despite the numerous resources at its disposal, Russia is forced to spend most of its revenues to finance allied dictatorial regimes and the war in China.
The extreme promotion of Panslavism and Orthodox Christianity has also alienated many potential allies, especially in Europe.
Russia also struggles to control occupied territories. Despite brutal repression, partisan movements in China, Asia Minor, and Turkey have not diminished in any way.
Although the Vohzd has finally begun limited reforms (Jews can serve in the government as long as they do not practice their religion in public), Russia's supreme leader is now an over-seventy-year-old man whose body is ravaged by various diseases and drugs. The more radical Vitalists, the new young tsar and the surviving opponents of the regime are already preparing themselves for the coming power struggle.
Russia's internal problems are having unexpected consequences with its allies in Africa. The Ethiopian Empress has ordered a new round of purges while the leaders of Lunda and Azande are considering granting greater freedoms to avoid a revolution.
The latter solution will never be adopted by the East African Federation. Its leaders are former British and Prussian settlers who had ended their rivalries after the fall of their homelands precisely to preserve their privileges. Even now that much of the interior of the country is controlled by black rebels or devastated by the use of chemical weapons, the idea of granting equal rights to the natives is unthinkable.
Opposed to Russia and all other imperialist powers is the Workers' International, the alliance of Syndacalist countries formed in the aftermath of the 1906 British Revolution and the Argentine Civil War/South American War of Liberation (1912-1919, 1920- 1927/technically still ongoing).
The Union of British, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Syndacalist Republics (UBSWISR) has softened somewhat after Mosley's death in 1925. The new English leader has effectively conceded greater influence to the Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions within the government and allowed other left-wing parties to participate in elections.
The other members of the WI are a mixed bag. India is religiously tolerant but its policy of forced industrialization is certainly not helping the environment or the health of its inhabitants.
Egypt's Syndacalist rhetoric places considerable emphasis on the Arab identity (something that does not help the people of Sudan in any way) and the impending liberation of Middle Eastern workers.
Italy and La Plata are the most militaristic members of the alliance , to the point of being considered military dictatorships. Italy is also one of the few openly atheist Syndacalist countries (Catholic terrorists in North Italy only complicates things further), to the point that it is trying to replace traditional religions with the "worship of love for the country."
La Plata is particularly paranoid after losing hundreds of thousands of its citizens during the civil war and being invaded by most of its neighboring states almost immediately after the end of the first conflict. Its government is also dangerously overestimating its military capabilities after managing to defeat and annex Chile and Paraguay in late 1927.
In one way or another every state in the world belongs to one of these alliances. Now you are either a great power, you are allied with one or you have to prepare to be invaded.
What happened in Gran Colombia is a demonstration of this. The local leader had tried to declare his country neutral in international affairs, so Mexico started supporting the independentists in eastern Gran Colombia in retiliation.
Now the country is ravaged by a multi-frontal civil war and one of the factions is a group of Christian fundamentalists, obsessed with mass crucifixions against "heretics" and minorities of all kinds.
There is one exception, however, a state so brutal that no one wants it as an ally: the United States of America.
After the humiliating defeat of the United States in the Great War and the loss of numerous territories, everyone expected that American democracy would not last long. Obviously they were right, and in 1920 the American Vitalist Party won the White House with the promise to "purify" the nation.
No one batted an eye when the first prison camps were established in Missouri. Although the new President seemed more interested in imprisoning the few minorities left in the United States than political enemies, his actions did not seem too different from what the Russian Vohzd was doing.
And then the definition of "undesirable" continued to expand more and more every day. By the end of the third year, simply having traveled abroad or speaking a second language was enough to be arrested and imprisoned in one of the growing number of camps scattered around the country.
Twelve years after his ascension, the President can proudly say that America has been completely cleansed. A quarter of its population has died or fled while another quarter has been virtually enslaved in the camps.
The remaining half are obviously living under constant surveillance, but they have also been re-educated in preparation for the inevitable new conflict. The number of young Americans has increased vigorously, along with the propaganda in their school curricula.
According to vitalist propaganda, Americans are a superior race destined to unify the American continent under their rule.
Only the poisoning of American blood by external factors prevented the United States from winning the Great War. Now the American Race has enough pure soldiers to win the second round.
Someone might point out to the President many problems with this idea, including the total lack of allies (even the Russians cut ties with the American regime in 1926), the unnecessary fanaticism of the younger soldiers or even the numerous acts of sabotage in the various industries at the hands of the new slaves.
Obviously this person would end up in a camp after making such a remark. However, the President has a secret weapon.
In addition to enabling the reconstruction of American industry, camp prisoners were also the perfect guinea pigs for various experiments. Thanks to them, the U.S. military has many innovative chemical and biological weapons at its disposal.
Of course, their excessive use could backfire on the United States itself. Unfortunately, the President is willing to lose another quarter or more of his population to ensure the dominance of homo americanus.
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Mexico, Reorganised
This map is the third in a series based on @erictom333's subdivision reorganisation thread.
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Wow, I'm impressed by the effort you're putting into covering my series of maps. Are you planning to do every single one, or just the most important ones?
Anyways, there are a few errors. The Campeche-Quintana Roo border should follow the same straight line it follows in OTL, Tabasco's eastern panhandle should be part of Campeche, you accidentally mislabelled Campeche "Chiapas", and Huasteca doesn't have a capital (I thought I gave Tampico to Huasteca, but apparently I didn't).
Unfortunately, the image is now gone. Did you delete it?
Mexico, Reorganised
This map is the third in a series based on @erictom333's subdivision reorganisation thread.
I see the image, might be a problem with your device/internet.
Fair. I've recently done Argentina, and Brazil will be next after Chile. Also I can no longer see the image, it is just "If you are looking for an image, it was probably deleted".
Could you please put all of this text into a spoiler box? It's way too long.
An interesting concept - how did you decide the boundaries of each state?
Mexico, Reorganised
This map is the third in a series based on @erictom333's subdivision reorganisation thread.