TL-191: Postwar

[AK47Productions]

A TL 191 Japan has the same problem as OTL Japan, a lack of oil. The USA can impose an embargo a la OTL and Germany can in effect do the same with its Ottoman client. "Europe needs Middle Eastern oil to run its economy so you will have to look elsewhere".

I double checked and the Japanese actually purchased the DEI from the Netherlands sometime after the Great War, so it gives them access to oil from Borneo in addition to whatevers there in the Philippines (won from the Spanish presumably in 1905).

Also were the Ottomans German clients? I thought they were mentioned to be their own power after the FGW in the books? But if Berlin is getting too pushy then perhaps an Ottoman-Japanese alliance could be in the card?

 

[Lalli]

Also were the Ottomans German clients? I thought they were mentioned to be their own power after the FGW in the books? But if Berlin is getting too pushy then perhaps an Ottoman-Japanese alliance could be in the card?

Germany hardly is going to be too pushy. It even closed its eyes from Armenian Genocide and probably will ignore all kind of human rights issues as long as it can secure its oil production. And Ottoman Empire is not like Iran and Germany probably can be more lenient towards Ottomans.

 

[YusaEmi]

A TL 191 Japan has the same problem as OTL Japan

No they don't, Indonesia is enough to support them. And since Japan has held onto Indonesia for a generation already it's not out of the question to assume they developed Indonesia in a way in which Japan's bloc is self sufficient enough to support themselves. And that's not taking into account oil in Manchuria, China or the Siberian Far East.

 

[YusaEmi]

Also were the Ottomans German clients? I thought they were mentioned to be their own power after the FGW in the books? But if Berlin is getting too pushy then perhaps an Ottoman-Japanese alliance could be in the card?

Ottomans are on their death bed, they're not German client state but as far as my interpretation at least, Germany is their life support and winning both great wars simply bought them more borrowed time.

 

[Lalli]

Ottomans are on their death bed, they're not German client state but as far as my interpretation at least Germany is their life support and winning both great wars simply bought them more borrowed time.

Is OE indeed in that bad condition? Yes, it has internal troubles but is that in 1944 only just "Europe's dying man"?

 

[Seandineen]

If Texas remains a republic could we see it undertake the role of Italy in the oil industry? An important player, if not quite at OPEC levels?

 

[YusaEmi]

Is OE indeed in that bad condition? Yes, it has internal troubles but is that in 1944 only just "Europe's dying man"?

Well, they're not as bad as Austria-Hungary at least? Which the latter is much more mentioned as having internal strife and conflicts.

 

[Lalli]

Well, they're not as bad as Austria-Hungary at least? Which the latter is much more mentioned as having internal strife and conflicts.

And that is bit odd taking that minorities were pretty pro-Habsburg and A-H survived from two Great Wars. I would had ratherly expected OE being in troubles.

 

[YusaEmi]

And that is bit odd taking that minorities were pretty pro-Habsburg and A-H survived from two Great Wars. I would had ratherly expected OE being in troubles.

I just write it off as Austria-Hungary being geographically closer to Germany than OE which explains why we hear much more of their troubles.

Regardless I think they're both going to die sooner rather than later.

 

[lukedalton]

And that is bit odd taking that minorities were pretty pro-Habsburg and A-H survived from two Great Wars. I would had ratherly expected OE being in troubles.

Well that was the period of nationalism and many group wanted at least more autonomy that clashed with the Hungarian, add the social and consequences of the war and of the recession united at the desire of the Hapsburg to really not give up power will cause a lot of tension, problem and violence and i doubt that another great war even a victorious one will resolve much.
Naturally at this situation you need to add Romania and Italy that from one side want their irredente and will use any A-H crisis to press for concession, expecially Italy that the only Great Power untouched by the war and frankly Italy blitz on Anglo-French territory will make a lot of people in Wien uneasy, even because their major ally aka Germany is not in a good shape

 

[TheLastKnight]

I just write it off as Austria-Hungary being geographically closer to Germany than OE which explains why we hear much more of their troubles.

Regardless I think they're both going to die sooner rather than later.

I would imagine that Austria-Hungary plays the same role as the British Empire in the OTL timeline. It was victorious in two world wars, but it bankrupted the empire and eventually the UK couldn't afford to hold onto the empire. I think that Austria-Hungary would collapse in an organized fashion, similar to the UK then as a mega-Yugoslavia. Germany may even encourage it as well. Friendly nations like Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia are created with Hapsburgs on their thrones, while Galicia is divided between Poland and Ukraine, and Austria is absorbed into Germany as an Archduchy with rights similar to Bavaria.

 

[kernel]

1945​

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January, 1945: The Treaty of Copenhagen is signed, formalizing peace between Great Britain and the Central Powers. Provisions of the treaty include:

• Strict limits on the size of the British army, navy, and air force
• Dismantlement of all superbomb installations and internment of all superbomb scientists
• British troops are to completely withdraw from Ireland by March 1945. American and German troops are to be stationed in Ireland for the foreseeable future.
• Britain is to be strictly neutral in foreign affairs, and is not allowed to join any military alliances
• Large reparations payments to European nations
• The establishment of the British Isles Control Authority (BICA), an organization made up of representatives from Central Powers nations (including the US, Ireland, and the Ottoman Empire) that will ensure Britain's compliance with the treaty. B.I.C.A. has the power to unilaterally veto acts of Parliament and dismiss Prime Ministers if they are deemed “threats to the peace of Europe”
• All territories in the Western Hemisphere held by the British (such as the Falklands) are to be transferred to U.S. administration. The exception is Guyana, which is divided between Dutch Suriname and Venezuela.
• Germany annexes Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Nyasaland, and Northern Rhodesia.
• Egypt is transferred over to Ottoman hegemony, and Sudan becomes a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire.
• The Isle of Man is occupied by Ireland, through it is technically still part of Britain

The signing of the treaty marks the last major action of the outgoing LaFollette Administration. At LaFollette’s insistence, the Germans promise to hold their annexations as “trust territories” to prepare them for self-government in the future. [1]

British and German delegations signing the Treaty of Copenhagen​

January 1945 onwards: The Pacific Scramble occurs between Japan and the United States navies, as both powers race to occupy South Pacific islands previously owned by Britain and France. Other than a few skirmishes between aircraft of both nations, there are no open engagements.

Island Chains Captured by the U.S. :

• Line Islands
• Howland and Baker Islands
• Phoenix Islands
• Tokelau
• Cook Islands
• French Polynesia
• Pitcairn Islands

Island Chains Captured by Japan:

• Island of Papua (except for German New Guinea, which is transferred to Germany )
• Solomon Islands
• New Hebridies
• Santa Cruz Islands
• Samoa (except German territory)
• Tonga
• Fiji
• Ellice Islands
• Wallace and Futuna Islands

Japanese aircraft destroy a British naval task force during the Battle of Tonga, shortly before landing on the namesake island. (c. February, 1945) While Japan had to fight its way through island chains during the Pacific Scramble, the Treaty of Copenhagen allowed the U.S. to occupy British and French islands without resistance.​

February 1st, 1945: Thomas Dewey is inaugurated as President of the United States. During his inaugural address, he introduces the “Dewey Doctrine” in which the US and Germany will serve as guarantees of world peace and halt the spread of superbomb technology.

President Thomas Dewey

The Dewey Cabinet
PRESIDENT: Thomas Dewey
VICE PRESIDENT: Harry Truman
SECRETARY OF STATE: George F. Kennan
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: Joe Kennedy Sr.
SECRETARY OF WAR: John W. McCormack
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: John Bricker
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Alben W. Barkley
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: William E. Jenner
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: Henry Morgenthau Jr.
SECRETARY OF LABOR: Dave Beck​

February 1945: The United States and Mexico sign a peace treaty, in which the U.S. formally annexes Baja California. Mexico is also forced to pay reparations to the United States, and cede oil and mineral rights to U.S. corporations. The current emperor of Mexico, Francisco Jose II, abdicates in favor of his son, Alejandro I, who vows to hold free elections in the coming future.

February - April, 1945: The First 100 Days of Dewey’s Presidency. The first priority of the administration is to rebuild America after the devastation of Operation Blackbeard, especially in its industrial sector. A series of laws and executive orders are passed creating institutions to aid reconstruction. One of these are the Sector Planning Boards, made up of both government bureaucrats and industry leaders that will help direct economic recovery and rebuild infrastructure. The second is the Economic Relief Administration (ERA), which will use government funds in order to subsidize and invest in companies whose assets have been greatly damaged by the war. The ERA will also encourage the consolidation of corporations to create large firms capable of competing with Japanese zaibatsus and German conglomerates. In a compromise with Socialists in the senate, the Sector Planning boards will include leaders from labor organizations, and the ERA will only fund companies that have unionized workforces and labor-rights guarantees.

Secretary of Agriculture Henry Morgenthau Jr. (L) and Vice President Harry Truman (R) ​

February - May 1945: A period of intense debate within the Dewey administration over future plans for the occupied Southern territories. The Old Democratic faction, led by Vice President Harry Truman, supports reconciliation and fast-paced admittance of all former Confederate states. The New Democratic faction, represented by Secretary of Agriculture Henry Morgenthau Jr., wants a very strict occupation of the South with the aim of destroying the Southern identity. Under his plan, southern states will not be admitted into the United States for another two generations. Two very distinct plans begin to emerge:


The Truman Plan

• Southern infrastructure will be rebuilt through Dewey’s reconstruction plan, with the aim of restarting the Southern economy (therefore improving the US economy as a whole)
• Southern industry will be maintained and rebuilt (but strict controls to ensure that no weapons will be produced). Factories will be expanded to make sure that the South will move away from its “backwards, agrarian” state.
• Land reform from elite landowners to the common Southerner, as well as the introduction of labor unions and labor rights.
• Southern businesses and corporations are to be restored, except those that extensively collaborated with the Featherston regime or played a part in the Destruction
• State constitutions will be rewritten so as to ban extremist political movements and support equality among races.
• State governments and local governments will be restored. Fair and free elections will be held for both local and state positions within two years of the occupation with universal suffrage.
• The Freedom Party is to be banned, but the Whig Party and Radical Liberal Party will be restored as affiliates of the Democratic and Socialist Parties respectively.
• State Police are to be created to monitor the population and ensure no neo-Freedmite movement arises against U.S. occupation.
• The educational system is to be rebuilt and expanded. Schools will focus on the “inherent unity” of the North and South, as well as stressing the crimes of the Featherston regime, including the Destruction.
• All former members of the Freedom Party can be “rehabilitated” if it is found they took no part in the Destruction or war crimes, and if they swear loyalty to the United States
• A state will be admitted if it has

1) created a constitution with a liberal democratic values and has banned far-right Freedomite movements
2) Has laws for equality between all black and white residents
3) very low level of civil disorder and rebellion

• Once a state has been admitted, all residents will be given U.S. citizenship. Congressional delegations from the state will be elected.
• All states should be admitted to the U.S. by at 1965 at the latest

The Morgenthau Plan

• No action will be taken for the economic rehabilitation of the South, unless it directly serves the needs of the occupying authorities
• The South is to be deindustrialized. All southern industrial plants and factories (especially heavy industry) are to be destroyed, or dismantled and sent northwards to the industrial states ravaged by the Confederacy.
• All facilities for natural resource extraction (such as coal mines and mineral mines) are to be owned by the U.S. government or sold to Northern corporations
• A requisitioning program is to be instituted for farms across the South. The southerner is only to be given a daily ration of 1,200 Kcal a day in order to halt any sort of rebellion.
• State governments will not be restored for the foreseeable future. Instead the states are to be ruled by military administration. Political authority is to be distributed widely among municipalities, where elections supervised by U.S. officials will be held. Candidates can be disqualified by U.S. authorities, and the right to vote will be given selectively to those deemed loyal. After a decision by the President, a state can have its government restored, but Governors and legislatures are to be chosen by a convention of local leaders from across the state. The decisions of these conventions can be revoked by military authorities.
• Political parties can only participate in Southern elections if they meet the “National Party” doctrine, meaning that they have won states from all regions of the United States. This is to prevent a Southern regionalist or secessionist movement from rising.
• All symbols of the Confederacy and Southern culture are to be destroyed. The occupation authorities should encourage Southers to adopt Northern cultural practices. Schools will play a big role in this assimilation policy. In addition, all forms of mass media (such as radio stations and newspapers) are to be controlled by the occupation authorities.
• All P.O.W.s currently held by the U.S. will not be released until they have completed five year terms of forced labor
• Based on the discretion of occupation authorities within their zone, forced labor can be procured from the civilian population as well.
• Restoration of state governments (with direct elections for governor and the legislature) will occur based on a decision by military authorities/ the President. It is advised that this does not occur until at least 1970.
• Admission of U.S. states, and restoration of political/civil rights, should not occur until at least 1980.
• Black people will not be subjected to the harsh requirements, and will instead be automatically given U.S. citizenship and the right to vote in local elections

The Truman Plan is favored by business groups, members of the Socialist Party, and Old Democrats, while the Morgenthau Plan is favored by New Democrats and Remembrist groups such as the Soldier’s Circle.

February 1945: The Housing Act of 1945 is signed into law by President Dewey. The act will rebuild homes across the United States, as well as expand the number of housing units available to families

February 1945 onwards: Military officials occupying the former Confederacy notice a change in the nature of insurgent attacks. Not only are the frequency of attacks increasing, but insurgent operations are becoming bolder and more sophisticated. Though there are whispers of a widespread, organized Confederate resistance, higher ups dismiss these reports as a paranoid fantasy.

February 1945 onwards: The French Provisional Council undoes several discriminatory laws passed during the Accion Francais government, allowing minority groups such as Jews, Protestants, and “meteques” (foreigners or non-white French people) back into public life. However, political prisoners such as socialists are still kept in prison camps across France.

Debate also begins among the Provisional Council over the future government of France, as some members are in favor of monarchy while others wish to establish a republic.

March 1945: Following the successful Burma campaign, Japan and the INA begin their invasion of India. The goal is to capture key territories in the east in the hopes of sparking a wider rebellion that will overthrow the Raj. The strategically important border cities of Kohima and Imphal are captured, and the British Indian Army is forced out of Northeastern India and into Bengal.

British Indian Army outside of Kohima​

March 1945: The Labour Party wins a landslide in Britain, securing 342 seats and a firm majority in Parliament, which is now based in Oxford. The new Prime Minister, Herbert Morrison, vows to defend India from Japanese aggression, while also continuing a policy of cooperation with the Central Powers and the B.I.C.A.

Time Magazine portrait of Herbert Morrison​

March 1945: After several months of tense negotiations, the Treaty of Bremen marks the end of hostilities between Russia and the Central Powers. Russia agrees to cede a significant amount of territory to Germany’s Eastern European client states, as well as recognize Finnish independence. In addition, the Caucasian Democratic Republic is carved out of Russia's North Caucasus territories.

Flag of the Caucasian Democratic Republic​

March 1945 - May 1945: A series of diplomatic exchanges, known as the Dewey-Higashikuni Letters, occur between the United States and Japan. The correspondence begins when Prime Minister Higashikuni sends a letter of congratulations to newly-elected President Dewey, which contains hope for a peaceful coexistence between both nations and a postwar order that will maintain world stability. The letters set the stage for the Constantinople Conference between the major powers to be held in August. There is hope within the administration that the so-called “Japan issue” can be solved through diplomatic means. However, hardliners remain skeptical. Secretary of State George Kennan encourages the talks, but warns Dewey to be wary of Japanese expansionism.

April 1945: In Arkansas, a group of guerillas disguised as U.S. soldiers halt three army trucks while manning a fake checkpoint. They manage to capture eighteen soldiers, as well as seven black auxiliaries and two occupation officials. The guerillas summarily execute the US soldiers, but the fates of the Black auxiliaries and occupation officials are much worse. Despite efforts of the Dewey Administration at censorship, the Walnut Creek Massacre, as the incident becomes known, causes widespread shock and anger in the United States.

Hundreds of hostages are taken throughout Northern Arkansas by the army and executed when the perpetrators of the massacre do not turn themselves in.

The Joint Committee for the Conduct of War begins investigating why the trucks were traveling inside occupied territory without proper military escort. Socialist newspapers accuse the Dewey Administration of gross negligence, and The Workingman speculates if the Democrats are being soft on the south in order to create a “permanent reactionary majority” once these states are readmitted [2].

Within the Dewey administration, the Walnut Creek Massacre plays a major role with which plan it will choose for the South...

Walnut Creek Massacre Memorial​

April 1945: Frank Sinatra, enjoying his peak in popularity after conducting several tours for frontline troops during the Second Great War, releases his hit single “Love on the Shores of Lake Champlain”. Frank Sinatra’s stardom marks the high point of Big Band music in the United States, a staple among the WASP crowd in big cities across the nation. However, unknown to many, the genre is on its way out, as new musical styles from the rural Midwest, as well as from immigrants from Eastern/Central Europe and Mexico will soon become popular ….

Frank Sinatra​

April 1945: After a vicious urban siege, the Indian port city of Chittagong is captured by Japanese troops. Subhas Chandra Bose makes a speech calling for all Indians to rise and overthrow the British Raj, using the Irish Rising of 1944 as a source of inspiration.

Disorder continues to spread around India, as nationalist pro-Bose rebels besiege Hyderabad and march towards Nagpur. In order to alleviate nationalist fervor, British Prime Minister Herbert Morrison arranges for imprisoned Indian National Congress (INC) members (such as Nehru and Gandhi) to be freed, and ends several of the repressive laws passed during the Chucrchill-Mosely government. Talks begin between Viceroy Archibald Wavell, leader of the INC Jawaharlal Nehru, and leader of the Muslim League Muhammad Ali Jinnah over the future of India.

In order to prevent the total capture of India by the Japanese, the United States sends covert support for the British Indian Army, through financial aid and direct deliveries of arms. The BICA discreetly allows for Britain to temporarily increase its military and send forces to India through the Suez Canal.

Subhas Chandra Bose inspecting INA troops​

April 1945: Composer Aaron Copland debuts his symphony “A Worker’s Jubilee” at Carnegie Hall in New York to mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of Eugene Debs.

Carnegie Hall during the debut of "A Worker's Jubilee"​

May 1945: In an address to a joint session of congress, Dewey outlines his hopes for the upcoming Constantinople Conference, while also mentioning his plan for Southern occupation, which is based on the Morgenthau plan with some additions from the Truman Plan. The approach is widely popular among the electorate, who are eager to punish the South after two world wars and the more recent Walnut Creek Massacre. Even several socialist politicians such as Senator Earl Browder and Henry Wallace, who are normally critical of Dewey’s policies, express their support.

May 1945: The Veterans Benefits Act is signed into law, giving veterans of the Second Great War government assistance in attending college and buying a home. Black Auxiliaries are also included in the legislation. While the bill is technically open for all soldiers “without consideration of racial background”, administrators of the benefits still find ways to discriminate against Hispanic and Far Eastern Americans.

May 1945: The film What We Have Left is released, becoming an American classic. The film tells the story of two friends, John Clarkson and Mike Smidt, returning to their working class neighborhood in Los Angeles after serving in the Second Great War. The film explores how both men readjust to civilian life, find love, and discover meaning in their lives. It is one of the first examples of the “Homeland” genre of films, which became popular immediately after the war.

June 1945: In a lightning combined arms offensive, the Japanese break through British lines and capture Dhaka.

June 1945: In the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, The Party of Independence and ‘48 wins a large proportion of seats and is able to form a coalition government. They rise to power on a wave of anger towards Vienna as Hungarians made up a disproportionate number of the dead in the Second Great War. Led by Hungarian right-wing nationalist and war hero Istvan Horthy [3], the party is opposed to Emperor Otto von Hapsburg’s attempts to increase the autonomy of minorities in the Hungarian crown lands. A showdown between Horthy and the Vienna government is in the making …

An election poster for the Party of Independence and '48​

June, 1945 onwards: Following its disastrous defeat in the Second Great War, political and economic turmoil engulfs the Russian Empire. Strikes occur in all major cities, especially Moscow, and are enough to halt many Russian industries. In the countryside, peasants turn their anger against local nobles and kulaks. The worst violence occurs in the Volga Basin, where the city of Tsaritsyn is briefly controlled by socialist rebels before a violent crackdown by Russian troops.

June, 1945: The film Under the Red, White, and Blue is released, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name. The film criticizes the glamorous life of America’s rich during the 1920s economic boom, characterizing them as empty and decadent, without care for one another and the world around them. The main character Ned Carraway, the son of Midwestern farmers, moves to the Hamptons after becoming moderately wealthy and meets a millionaire named Jay Gerlach. The movie depicts Gerlach’s attempts to make Lily, the wife of another millionaire, fall in love with him. After a series of events, which result in Gerlach being killed by a tailor who mistakenly believes Gerlach is having an affair with his wife, Carraway finds that much of Gerlach’s life is a lie, and that noone, not even Lily or her husband, care for him. After this, Carraway leaves New York City in disgust, hoping he can make an honest living in the midwest. [4]

Poster for Under the Red, White, and Blue
​

July, 1945: The first Victory Day Parade is held in Philadelphia commemorating the surrender of the Confederacy. President Dewey, former presidents Herbert Hoover, Charles W. LaFollette, and Upton Sinclair, as well as several dignitaries from Central Powers nations are in attendance.

July, 1945: Architect Alex Schwartz is hired by the city of New York to draft plans to redesign damaged areas. Though there is much skepticism over the young architect’s readiness for the job, his plans amaze both laypeople and city leaders. New neighborhoods will be built with expanded and modern cable car systems, large greenbelts and parks, mixed residential and commercial areas, as well as new buildings in the art deco and neoclassical styles. New York’s urban planning styles will serve as the inspiration for many cities across the United States.

The Schwartz school, as Alex Schartz’s design philosophy will become known, is inspired by the City Beautiful movement, neoclassical architecture, and German architecture. It will become the dominant urban planning school of the mid-20th century.

The Hamilton Arts Center, one of the buildings constructed in New York City as part of the Schwartz Plan.​

July 1945: Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania create the ENIAC computer. It is the first computer to be totally electronic, programmable, and digital, and will be used by the U.S. government for some interesting projects ….

August 1945: The Constantinople Conference is held. Attended by President Dewey of the United States, Prime Minister Higashikuni of Japan, Chancellor Carl Goerdeler of Germany, Sultan Ertrugrul of the Sublime Porte, and Otto von Hapsburg of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the conference seeks to plan out the postwar order.

Dewey proposes measures intended to stop the spread of superbomb technology, including the creation of an “International Peacekeeping Force” to occupy areas with large uranium deposits. The Peacekeeping Forces will be governed by an “International Parliament” made up of representatives of all nations. While he is supported by Otto von Hapsburg, Goerdeler and Higashikuni balk at these measures, with Goerdeler telling Dewey privately that his proposal would result in “utter chaos” as too many nations will be involved in setting policy. Goerdeler puts forward a counterproposal, in which the five nations will serve as “Gendarmes” over their spheres of influence, ensuring peace and order while also seeking to prevent other nations from gaining superbombs. In addition, annual “Five Power Conferences” will be held to resolve disputes between the great powers and address any pressing issues.

After rounds of tense negotiations, Higashikuni signs the “Marmara Declaration”, promising that Japan will eschew superbomb development, and that German troops will be stationed near major uranium deposits in China to prevent their use by the Japanese. In exchange, Germany and the United States agree to recognize Japanese dominance of Burma and Malaya, and limit the number of troops, ships, and aircraft stationed in their Pacific territories. Furthermore, both Germany and the United States are forbidden from deploying nuclear weapons in the Pacific.

A major impasse occurs over the status of India. While Higashikuni is insistent on the whole of the Indian subcontinent being included in the recognized sphere of influence of the “Marmara Declaration”, Dewey refuses to do so. A compromise is reached in which the U.S. and Germany will recognize the Japanese sphere of influence over the part of India it already controls (as well as several additional territories added on), with the rest of India under British control. The U.S.A. and Germany will use the B.I.C.A. to force Britain to agree to a cease-fire in India.

The three nations also agree to a pact promising to intervene in the case of Russian aggression or superbomb test.

Dolmabahçe Palace, site of the Constantimople Conference​

September 1945: A revolt by Greeks in Salonika is crushed by Bulgarian troops, with assistance from the Ottoman Navy. [4]

Turkish naval vessel off the port of Salonika​

September 1945: In a meeting with President Dewey, intellectual Langhston Hughes advocates for the creation of a Black homeland in North America.

September 1945: NBC’s television news show The New York Times Press Hour begins broadcasting locally in Philadelphia. The format consists of a group of NYT press reporters discussing the news with a guest. The first guest is former cabinet secretary Henry Wallace.

September 1945: A ceasefire in India comes into affect between the Britain and Japan. The British withdraw their forces from almost all of Bengal, including the major city of Calcutta, giving these areas to Japan and the INA. While the war with Japan is over, the British must still deal with putting down nationalist uprisings throughout India, and with the transfer of power to Nehru's Indian National Congress and Jinnah's All Indian Muslim League.

November 1945: Italian nationalist Amilcare Mussolini [5] leads a protest march from Italy towards Trieste in order to demonstrate against Austria’s “occupation” of Istria and the Dalmation coast, which many Italians believe is their rightful territory. Upon reaching the Austro-Hungarian border, the march devolves into a mob that attempts to breach the border gates, resulting in Austro-Hungarian guards firing upon the crowd. Among the dead is Mussolini himself.

The incident causes a diplomatic spat between Italy and Austria-Hungary, whose relations had never been warm. Demonstrations occur in Italy and among Austria-Hungary’s Italian population. In the “Days of Trieste”, Trieste’s Italian community riots and erects barricades, though they are eventually pacified by Austro-Hungarian police.

Amilcare Mussolini (L); Italians rioting in Trieste (R) ​

November 1945 - May 1952: Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu releases his famous Daylight trilogy of films: Bright Dawn (1945), Noon (1948), and Tokyo Sunset (1952). The trilogy deals with the lives of a lower middle class Tokyo couple from their marriage in Bright Dawn to their middle aged years in Tokyo Sunset. The trilogy is deemed as one of the greatest works in the Shoshimin-eiga genre, which deal with the daily lives, dramas, and struggles of working and middle class people in Japan. However, due to censorship by the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, the single legal party in Japan (who prefer the more militaristic and action oriented jidaigeki films), there is very little overt political content in these films. While Shoshimin-eiga films will never become popular among the masses internationally, they will help inspire the American Neo-realist genre in the coming decades.

Scene from Bright Dawn (1945)​

November 1945: After almost a yearlong armistice, the U.S. and Argentina sign a formal peace treaty. Other than paying indemnities for U.S. ships sunk throughout the war, the Argentianians get off relatively scott free. The treaty begins an era of increasingly friendly relations between both nations.

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[1] This promise is not likely to be kept
[2] This is most likely Socialist posturing over the Richmond Agreement. The idea that the Democrats will ally with Southern reactionaries is ludicrous.
[3] Son of Austro-Hungarian Admiral Miklos Horthy. While the elder Horthy is a firm believer in Austria-Hungary and loyal to the emperor, the younger Horthy's view of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been changed by his wartime service.
[4] ATL version of The Great Gatsby.
[5] ATL version of Benito Mussolini.

 

[Jett-Power]

Great work, as always; however, there is one minor mistake.

January 20th, 1945: Thomas Dewey is inaugurated as President of the United States. During his inaugural address, he introduces the “Dewey Doctrine” in which the US and Germany will serve as guarantees of world peace and halt the spread of superbomb technology.

Inauguration Day is on February 1 from 1933 onwards.

 

[TheLastKnight]

Awesome post! Keep it up!

 

[kernel]

Great work, as always; however, there is one minor mistake.



Inauguration Day is on February 1 from 1933 onwards.

Thanks! I've edited my post.

Awesome post! Keep it up!

Thank you so much!

 

[Michael B]

• Large reparations payments to European nations
• The establishment of the British Isles Control Authority (BICA), an organization made up of representatives from Central Powers nations (including the US, Ireland, and the Ottoman Empire) that will ensure Britain's compliance with the treaty. B.I.C.A. has the power to unilaterally veto acts of Parliament and dismiss Prime Ministers if they are deemed “threats to the peace of Europe”
• All territories in the Western Hemisphere held by the British are to be transferred to U.S. administration. The exceptions are the Falklands, which becomes Chilean territory, and Guyana, which is divided between Dutch Suriname and Venezuela.

1) Reparations from the previous war were part of the trigger to the one that has just finished. It is unlikely that they would be demanded again. Much better to seize economically valuable territory (which is proposed in the rest of the treaty) along with seizing all foreign British investments. You get the money without the instability.

2) How is BICA going to be enforced when a future British Parliament says "Get stuffed" and a British court concurs?

3) Re the Falklands, are you trying to start a war between Chile that has never claimed the Falkslands and Agentina that has? It is more likely that the US will take over adminstration then convert the islands into a terriotry. That way it would have a notional claim on a slice of the Antarctic and who knows how valuable that might be?

 

[TheLastKnight]

I agree with this as well. Giving Chile the Falklands will just lead to a future war with Argentina, nor would Chile want them. Chile should more realistically be given French Polynesia as their eye would be more on the Pacific. Taking the Falklands from the UK and giving them to Argentina in the peace treaty would almost guarantee the US a new faithful ally. Basically turning a foe into a friend, especially if the Empire of Brazil acts more as an independent power.

 

[lukedalton]

Italy will be invited to the Conference, at least as observer if not as a full partecipant, she is part of the big boys club, untouched by war and already had showed that want to expand or at least not be left out of the games like in the first Great war...unless the Ottoman and Hapsburg are adamant in not wanting them but this will open a diplomatic can of worm big like Texas and increase general tension.
Madrid will probabably become Rome new best fried as they need support, protection and help in rebuild and also any greeks insurgency will probably be given at least some token support

 

[Lalli]

I would see most logical that Argentina would get Falklands and Guatemala British Honduras (Belize). And perhaps Gibraltar could be annexed by Spain.

 

[Jett-Power]

I would see most logical that Argentina would get Falklands and Guatemala British Honduras (Belize). And perhaps Gibraltar could be annexed by Spain.

Argentina was on Britain's side of the war, so I don't see them getting the Falklands.