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Alternate Wikibox Thread
- Thread starter gentleman biaggi
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Anarcho-Occultist
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This American Century-Part 1
The great realigning event that would define the 21st century may have technically began with the victory of John McCain in the 2000 election. McCain was something of a maverick among Republicans, having a more moderate set of beliefs than his main rival George W. Bush. McCain worked with Democrats on things like education and campaign finance reform and negotiated a tax bill focusing on cuts for the middle class while doing less for the wealthy. The moment that would define his presidency, however, came on September 11th, 2001. Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the White House with hijacked airplanes, killing around 3,000 people. Among the dead were First Lady Cindy McCain, Vice President Tommy Thompson and several cabinet members. McCain was enraged by this and vowed to hunt the ‘scum behind this atrocity to the ends of the earth.’ Thus marked the beginning of the War on Terror.
McCain declared there was no room for the usual petty partisanship in the post-9/11 world. Now was the time for the country to unite. And unite it did. McCain boasted 91% approval in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and few in Congress objected when the McCain administration made its demands. First, McCain shocked many by announcing a ‘new National Union coalition’. He selected Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman as his new Vice President and appointed a number of Democrats to fill cabinet vacancies as a show of bringing America together. It wasn’t all just these overtures, of course. The National Union coalition in Congress passed sweeping expansion of government surveillance powers, gave McCain’s administration to detain suspected enemy combatants indefinitely (albeit with some protections against torture or other abuses) and empowered McCain to pursue the terrorists behind the attacks by almost any means necessary. McCain launched an invasion of Afghanistan in 2002. By 2003, the war had expanded to include Iraq and Libya. In 2004, an attack on a US naval vessel in the Persian Gulf led to the U.S. launching a war in Iran. The wars were not without critics, but the National Union coalition, while not fully formalized, helped stifle much dissent and were broadly supported going into 2004.
The 2004 election saw the new National Union truly formalized. McCain entered both the Democratic and Republican primaries with support from the vast majority of party leadership. Only a few candidates emerged to challenge McCain in the primaries. In the Republican field, McCain was challenged by right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan and businessman Herman Cain. In the end, the two failed to make much of a dent in his support on that side. In the Democratic field, meanwhile, McCain faced more organized opposition from Senator Paul Wellstone, who challenged McCain on foreign policy, civil liberties and economics. Wellstone managed to crack 20% and even won 5 states, but McCain still ended up the official nominee of both parties. Wellstone encouraged his supporters to vote their conscience, but this did not mean that McCain would go unchallenged.
Texas Representative Ron Paul was one of McCain’s only vocal critics among elected GOP officials. He had endorsed Buchanan’s challenge, but when it failed announced a bid for the Presidency as an independent. As his running mate, Paul selected fellow Representative Dennis Kucinich-a left-wing Democrat likewise disgruntled by the National Unionists. Ironically, the Paul/Kucinich ticket built a party coalition of their own-getting cross-endorsed by the Libertarian, Green, Constitution and Reform Parties alongside a few even more minor ones. The ticket had the support of 2000 Green nominee Ralph Nader, former Governor Jesse Ventura, San Francisco Mayor Matt Gonzalez and the majority of antiwar activists. This was not universal, however. More fundamentally leftist antiwar figures were completely unwilling to rally around the paleoconservative Paul and instead chose to rally around the Socialist Party nominee David Cobb (a failed Green Party candidate left disgruntled by what he claimed was Kucinich interfering in the nomination process).
As a result of this unprecedented development, the Commission on Presidential Debates originally announced the cancellation of any official debates with their replacement by a townhall-style event featuring McCain. However, amidst backlash from Paul and Cobb supporters as well as Paul cracking 15% in multiple polls, the CPD restored their original debate schedule, albeit only inviting Paul to debate against McCain. The first debate was a brutal one, with Paul attacking McCain as a warmongering tyrant and McCain at one point losing his temper and threatening to physically fight Paul. The second debate was a comparatively more muted affair, though generally agreed to have been a win for McCain. The Vice Presidential debate, however, was seen as going well for Kucinich compared to Lieberman, though topline numbers didn’t move very much. The third debate was canceled, however, following a civil disobedience action spearheaded by the Cobb campaign that disrupted logistics at the original planned debate site. The event led to Cobb’s arrest, which ultimately may have helped his popular vote total.
In the end, the election’s final results were never truly in doubt. While Paul managed to animate a decently sized antiwar coalition and achieved a better electoral performance than Ross Perot in 1992, his 21% of the popular vote was nowhere close to McCain’s 76%. While Paul did win the states of Idaho, Wyoming and Vermont and was within Cobb’s margin in Hawaii, West Virginia, Alabama and Minnesota, McCain still won over 500 electoral college votes. Paul did not win a majority of any demographic, with the closest being winning 46% of white men aged 18-29. Cobb’s 2.5% was respectable for a third party as well, but still quite weak overall. In the aftermath of the 2004 election, the National Union Party’s dominance seemed quite stable. Paul and Kucinich both narrowly lost re-election against National Union-backed rivals. And yet, a small hint of what was to come could be seen with the formation of the Coalition for the Constitution bloc in Congress by those Democrats and Republicans who rejected the National Union Party and the McCain administration
The great realigning event that would define the 21st century may have technically began with the victory of John McCain in the 2000 election. McCain was something of a maverick among Republicans, having a more moderate set of beliefs than his main rival George W. Bush. McCain worked with Democrats on things like education and campaign finance reform and negotiated a tax bill focusing on cuts for the middle class while doing less for the wealthy. The moment that would define his presidency, however, came on September 11th, 2001. Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the White House with hijacked airplanes, killing around 3,000 people. Among the dead were First Lady Cindy McCain, Vice President Tommy Thompson and several cabinet members. McCain was enraged by this and vowed to hunt the ‘scum behind this atrocity to the ends of the earth.’ Thus marked the beginning of the War on Terror.
McCain declared there was no room for the usual petty partisanship in the post-9/11 world. Now was the time for the country to unite. And unite it did. McCain boasted 91% approval in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and few in Congress objected when the McCain administration made its demands. First, McCain shocked many by announcing a ‘new National Union coalition’. He selected Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman as his new Vice President and appointed a number of Democrats to fill cabinet vacancies as a show of bringing America together. It wasn’t all just these overtures, of course. The National Union coalition in Congress passed sweeping expansion of government surveillance powers, gave McCain’s administration to detain suspected enemy combatants indefinitely (albeit with some protections against torture or other abuses) and empowered McCain to pursue the terrorists behind the attacks by almost any means necessary. McCain launched an invasion of Afghanistan in 2002. By 2003, the war had expanded to include Iraq and Libya. In 2004, an attack on a US naval vessel in the Persian Gulf led to the U.S. launching a war in Iran. The wars were not without critics, but the National Union coalition, while not fully formalized, helped stifle much dissent and were broadly supported going into 2004.
The 2004 election saw the new National Union truly formalized. McCain entered both the Democratic and Republican primaries with support from the vast majority of party leadership. Only a few candidates emerged to challenge McCain in the primaries. In the Republican field, McCain was challenged by right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan and businessman Herman Cain. In the end, the two failed to make much of a dent in his support on that side. In the Democratic field, meanwhile, McCain faced more organized opposition from Senator Paul Wellstone, who challenged McCain on foreign policy, civil liberties and economics. Wellstone managed to crack 20% and even won 5 states, but McCain still ended up the official nominee of both parties. Wellstone encouraged his supporters to vote their conscience, but this did not mean that McCain would go unchallenged.
Texas Representative Ron Paul was one of McCain’s only vocal critics among elected GOP officials. He had endorsed Buchanan’s challenge, but when it failed announced a bid for the Presidency as an independent. As his running mate, Paul selected fellow Representative Dennis Kucinich-a left-wing Democrat likewise disgruntled by the National Unionists. Ironically, the Paul/Kucinich ticket built a party coalition of their own-getting cross-endorsed by the Libertarian, Green, Constitution and Reform Parties alongside a few even more minor ones. The ticket had the support of 2000 Green nominee Ralph Nader, former Governor Jesse Ventura, San Francisco Mayor Matt Gonzalez and the majority of antiwar activists. This was not universal, however. More fundamentally leftist antiwar figures were completely unwilling to rally around the paleoconservative Paul and instead chose to rally around the Socialist Party nominee David Cobb (a failed Green Party candidate left disgruntled by what he claimed was Kucinich interfering in the nomination process).
As a result of this unprecedented development, the Commission on Presidential Debates originally announced the cancellation of any official debates with their replacement by a townhall-style event featuring McCain. However, amidst backlash from Paul and Cobb supporters as well as Paul cracking 15% in multiple polls, the CPD restored their original debate schedule, albeit only inviting Paul to debate against McCain. The first debate was a brutal one, with Paul attacking McCain as a warmongering tyrant and McCain at one point losing his temper and threatening to physically fight Paul. The second debate was a comparatively more muted affair, though generally agreed to have been a win for McCain. The Vice Presidential debate, however, was seen as going well for Kucinich compared to Lieberman, though topline numbers didn’t move very much. The third debate was canceled, however, following a civil disobedience action spearheaded by the Cobb campaign that disrupted logistics at the original planned debate site. The event led to Cobb’s arrest, which ultimately may have helped his popular vote total.
In the end, the election’s final results were never truly in doubt. While Paul managed to animate a decently sized antiwar coalition and achieved a better electoral performance than Ross Perot in 1992, his 21% of the popular vote was nowhere close to McCain’s 76%. While Paul did win the states of Idaho, Wyoming and Vermont and was within Cobb’s margin in Hawaii, West Virginia, Alabama and Minnesota, McCain still won over 500 electoral college votes. Paul did not win a majority of any demographic, with the closest being winning 46% of white men aged 18-29. Cobb’s 2.5% was respectable for a third party as well, but still quite weak overall. In the aftermath of the 2004 election, the National Union Party’s dominance seemed quite stable. Paul and Kucinich both narrowly lost re-election against National Union-backed rivals. And yet, a small hint of what was to come could be seen with the formation of the Coalition for the Constitution bloc in Congress by those Democrats and Republicans who rejected the National Union Party and the McCain administration
Blackentheborg
Dennis Skinner's molotov
- Location
- Grand Hotel Abyss
- Pronouns
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cooking
The Anarchy refers to the period in German history directly after WWII and the establishment of the Morgenthau Plan by the Wallace administration. The Morgenthau Plan, which had been criticized by some, including former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, for its "starvation policies". However, the plan would go ahead in 1946, as the allies, following the nuclear bombings of Berlin and Nuremberg(1), would divide Germany into "East" and "West", with the United Kingdom and U.S.(2) controlling two "occupation zones" in the West. Eventually these zones would be "united", where Anglo-American efforts would lead to the pasteurization of Germany.
As industry was dismantled in Germany, mass starvation began, as thousands to millions of Germans went hungry during 1946. This was further complicated when Nakam, a radical Jewish group attempting to "get revenge" for the Holocaust, would poison the water supply in Munich(3), leading to the deaths of untold thousands along with the thousands of people already starving to death. Germans, living in bombed-out former cities, or starving in the countryside, or terrified of the drinking water, would flee the nation. Those that fled East into Soviet-controlled East Germany would by utilized as a workforce, being used as forced laborers by the Soviets to help "build up" the nation. Those who fled into the West would scatter. Many would escape to the American continent, where large German pockets had existed for almost 100 years, others to the burgeoning "white states" in Africa, where they were welcomed by Kenyans, South Africans, and less so by Rhodesians for "bolstering" their numbers. The ensuing refugee crisis would lead to the Swiss Bio-Attacks, where Switzerland, the fifth nation to develop nuclear weapons (behind the US, Soviet Union, Japan, and United Kingdom), would utilize mustard gas on German refugees in 1953, causing international condemnation.
The Anarchy would lead to the development of new types of states formed across western Germany. With the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Spain(4) terrified of a united Germany or even a strong West Germany, would create several "city states", while Bavaria, furious about the remaining effects of Nakam, forming a constitutional monarchy. Many of these city-states, in particular Hamburg, would see "economic miracles", as they would go from extreme poverty to wealthy in years, and eventually join the Euro-American Trade Convention. However, the continued anarchy would also lead to the re-formation and dominance of the Ringveriene, a type of German organized crime that would eventually spread to the Americas, Africa, and other parts of Western Europe.
(1) Japan is on the allies side ITTL and a slightly more drawn-out conflict leads to the United States exerting its nuclear strength on Germany as they had originally planned.
(2) FDR's plans for occupying France go through under Wallace (pushed by the Japanese, as French overseas territories would be placed in a UN trust). Brittany is independent ITTL, and a small chunk of north Flanders is Belgian.
(3) OTL planned for Nuremberg, the nuclear bombing of Nuremberg causes Nakam to target Munich
(4) Franco removed from power.
KolyenuKS
Active member
- Location
- Kansas (unfortunately)
part of the Ozymandiasverse
I swear I'm not trying to spam this thread it's just a lot less active the one on the other place
The Mongolian War was a conflict that took place between the Mongolian People's Republic, allied with the Soviet Union, Republic of China, and Warsaw Pact, against the Japanese Empire and its allies in the Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere, with a small number of "Free Mongolian Forces", joined by American mercenaries warring against both sides. The war began on June 13, 1952, when, after a vote in the State Great Khural to have Mongolia join the Soviet Union as the "Mongolian Autonomous Oblast", Japan announced an invasion to "protect pan-Asian sovereignty". The fighting ended in 1959, with a compromise established where Mongolia would remain independent (although still under Soviet influence with a Communist government), and a DMZ would be established between Mongolia and the Japanese puppet-state of Mengjiang.
In 1950, Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal would rise to power in Mongolia after Khorloogiin Choibalsan's death from cancer. Tsedenbal was a noted ally of the Soviet Union, and viewed advancing Soviet communism as significantly more important than nationalism, to the point that even celebrations of Genghis Khan were suppressed due to "nationalism". As such, he became an advocate for Mongolia, a client-state of the Soviet Union, to be fully annexed into the Soviet Union. Although under Stalin his proposals fell on deaf ears, Stalin's death and the rise of Lavrentiy Beria would lead to Tsedenbal attempting to join the Soviet Union as an Autonomous Oblast.[1]
Japan had long attempted to influence politics in Mongolia, and before the conflict, border conflicts between Mongolia and Japanese puppet-state Mengjiang had been a semi-regular occurrence in the years between WWII and the Mongolian War. The attempted annexation of Mongolia into the Soviet Union was a direct threat to Japanese and CPS interests, and as such Japan would invade, declaring in front of the United Nations that the annexation was a "threat to Asian sovereignty". Along with Japan, their puppet states in the area, Mengjiang and Manchuria would join forces and invade alongside the Japanese military. Vietnam and Burma, both members of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, would join the conflict as allies, sending troops alongside the Japanese.
The Soviet Union saw the intervention of Japan as part of a long list of conflicts between the two states and blocs that had been occurring since WWII's end. Almost immediately after the war, the two former allies nearly broke out into war over the Soviet Union backing the establishment of a rump Chinese state south of Japan's sphere, which would be created only out of Soviet-American collaboration to establish a state led by Carsun Chang. Along with this, the Soviet Union had allies in East Turkestan, which, while not of any real interest to the Japanese, had complained of "Japanese interference" in their affairs. Although the entire Warsaw Pact would back the conflict financially, only the Soviet Union, China, and the Soviet puppet states of Tuva and East Turkestan would send troops into the conflict.
In response to the Soviet Union's attempted annexation and Japan's attempted interference in Mongolian affairs, a third army was founded by Altaniin Kuchar [2], a former solider in the joint Mongolian-Soviet-Japanese intervention to defeat the Nazi-aligned Kuomintang in World War II. Kuchar's military, the Free Mongolia Forces, advocated nationalism, which was antithetical to both the Soviet and Japanese goals for Mongolia. The FMF would gain financial support from the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Philippines, all of whom had interests in the greater Chinese area against both the Japanese and Soviets. Stories of the brave FMF fighters, warring against oppression from both the Soviet Union and Japan would garner interest from Americans, which would lead to several mercenaries, led by former Navy commander and congressman George Lincoln Rockwell, who had served in the war against China, going to Mongolia to join the FMF. Rockwell's participation in the conflict would lead to the perception of him as a "freedom fighter", leading to him being elected to the senate from Illinois in 1960, and later President in 1964.
The Mongolian War would terrify observers across the war, as both the Soviet Union (1949) and Japan (1951) had successful nuclear weapons tests. Although the fear of nuclear weapons would lead both sides to avoid using them in the conflict, both sides would utilize chemical weapons, leading to long-term negative health and environmental effects in Greater Mongolia.At the beginning of the war Japan would see great success, largely owing to Mengjiang troops attacking through the south, they struggled to get through the Khangai Mountains, which largely protected Mongolia's population centers. The result would be an offensive from Soviet-Mongolian forces, which pushed out Co-Prosperity Sphere forces. As the war went on, the conflict would largely come to a standstill, with most of the war being focused on border conflicts, where mass atrocities were committed by both sides. The FMF would largely fail to make much of an impact, and seven years into the war, after a minor rebellion amongst Mengjiang troops, an armistice would be signed, establishing a DMZ between the two nations and keeping Mongolia as a nominally independent country.
[1] Tsedenbal was a major advocate of this OTL, but his plans fell on deaf ears. ITTL, with Japan bordering Mongolia through Mengjiang, and a paranoid Soviet leadership in the east, his plan has more appeal.
[2] Generated name
AceofShovels
Well-known member
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How much of China does Japan control in this timeline?
Manchuria + Mengjiang with de facto control of borderlands of neighboring states
Baconheimer
Berserker of Chaos
- Location
- Democratic Republic of the Potomac
The 1864 National Union National convention was the nominating convention held by the National Union Party to select a ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. The Party was formed by the majority faction of the Republican Party and a minority of War Democrats. President Hamlin was easily renominated by the assembled delegates. Some votes were cast for 1856 Republican nominee John C. Frémont and the ineligible Italian-born general Giuseppe Garibaldi. For Vice President, the leading candidates were from the upper south and Midwest. Ultimately, delegates chose the assassinated Abraham Lincoln’s rival, Stephen Douglas, a former Democrat. The ticket of Hamlin and Douglas went on to win every state in the general election.
The Radical Party was a short-lived political party in the United States that was founded and disbanded in 1864. It was formed by Radical Republicans who hoped for an even more radical alternative to Hannibal Hamlin in that year’s presidential election. Party leaders held hopes that they could attract a national figure to their banner but ultimately nominated pastor and college president Jonathan Blanchard alongside Brigadier General John W. Phelps. The party’s platform called for the expropriation of all land held by men holding elected office or serving in the military of the Confederate states and its redistribution to freed slaves. The party’s platform was considered too radical and the ticket performed poorly in every state.
The Radical Party was a short-lived political party in the United States that was founded and disbanded in 1864. It was formed by Radical Republicans who hoped for an even more radical alternative to Hannibal Hamlin in that year’s presidential election. Party leaders held hopes that they could attract a national figure to their banner but ultimately nominated pastor and college president Jonathan Blanchard alongside Brigadier General John W. Phelps. The party’s platform called for the expropriation of all land held by men holding elected office or serving in the military of the Confederate states and its redistribution to freed slaves. The party’s platform was considered too radical and the ticket performed poorly in every state.
Baconheimer
Berserker of Chaos
- Location
- Democratic Republic of the Potomac
The 1864 Democratic National convention was the nominating convention held by the Democratic Party to select a ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in the last year of the First Southron Revolt, as federal armies were occupying much of the South. Additionally, the party was still in disfavor with the general public following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. By the convention, it was all but certain that the Southron Revolt would soon come to a close but the exact nature of the peace to follow was still in question. Few Democrats had a coherent vision of the future and they defined themselves in opposition to policies proposed by the Republicans. For eight ballots, a disunited party skirmished internally. Finally, there was a surge in support for former President Franklin Pierce. Pierce was reluctant to accept the nomination but did so believing that a National Union administration would treat the South so poorly as to lead to another several war and that, as a former President, the country would be willing to vote for him than any other Democrat. Pierce is paired with an old member of his cabinet, James Guthrie of Kentucky. Hopes that the Democratic ticket will rejuvenate the party nationally are dashed when Pierce fails to win even a single state in the fall and his trouncing marks the period of steep decline in party history.
The 1864 Constitutional Union National convention was the nominating convention held by the Constitutional Union Party to select a ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. Having been formed in 1860 as a moderate party primarily focused on avoiding secession and civil war, the Constitutional Union went into hibernation between the 1860 and 1864 presidential elections. The so-called men that assembled in Saint Louis had primarily been elected to office under the label of Unionist. The Constitutional Union was similar to the Democratic Party in that its platform was defined by a concern for the post-war order of the United States, but unlike the Democrats, they were firmly in support of continuing the war and forcing an unconditional surrender. The Party sought the votes of the Upper South states and therefore was not hampered, like the Democrats were, by constituencies with varying wishes. The Constitutional Unionists hoped to nominate a Republican from the Upper South or a military man. One of their hopes was Joseph Holt but he declined to run. The nominee was Senator Reverdy Johnson of Maryland, a strong supporter of the war effort but opponent of harsh treatment for the defeated south. For vice president, the Constitutional Unionists voted for William A. Hall of Missouri, a failed congressional candidate known for his unionist views. The Johnson-Hall ticket did not receive much traction and did not receive over 40% of the vote in any state. The party disbanded after the 1864 election.
The 1864 Constitutional Union National convention was the nominating convention held by the Constitutional Union Party to select a ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. Having been formed in 1860 as a moderate party primarily focused on avoiding secession and civil war, the Constitutional Union went into hibernation between the 1860 and 1864 presidential elections. The so-called men that assembled in Saint Louis had primarily been elected to office under the label of Unionist. The Constitutional Union was similar to the Democratic Party in that its platform was defined by a concern for the post-war order of the United States, but unlike the Democrats, they were firmly in support of continuing the war and forcing an unconditional surrender. The Party sought the votes of the Upper South states and therefore was not hampered, like the Democrats were, by constituencies with varying wishes. The Constitutional Unionists hoped to nominate a Republican from the Upper South or a military man. One of their hopes was Joseph Holt but he declined to run. The nominee was Senator Reverdy Johnson of Maryland, a strong supporter of the war effort but opponent of harsh treatment for the defeated south. For vice president, the Constitutional Unionists voted for William A. Hall of Missouri, a failed congressional candidate known for his unionist views. The Johnson-Hall ticket did not receive much traction and did not receive over 40% of the vote in any state. The party disbanded after the 1864 election.
wilcoxchar
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Taking a bit of a tangent from doing more states in my US State Soccer Leagues universe to do a quick box on the first American Championship. It's been mentioned once of twice in some of the state boxes, but I've slowly been working out how I want the format to be and thought a look at the early days would be fun. A lot of the inspiration for this early format came from a mixture of the European Cup Winners' Cup, the NCAA basketball tournament, and the National Challenge Cup.
