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Lists of Heads of Government and Heads of State

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PALESTINE:
Yasser Arafat (FTH) - June 11, 1972 - January 1, 1986
-Elected 1972 (Unopposed)
-Re-Elected 1973 (114-37)
-Re-Elected 1977 (95-50)
-Re-Elected 1981 (81-67)
Mahmoud Abbas (FTH) - January 1, 1986 - January 1, 1990
-Elected 1985 (77-72)
Yasser Abed Rabbo (PDU) - January 1, 1990 - April 15, 1997
-Elected 1989 (56-53-39)
-Re-Elected 1993 (54.1%-45.9%)
Zahira Kamal (PDU) - April 15, 1997 - January 1, 1998
Mustafa Barghouti (PNI) - January 1, 1998 - January 1, 2002
-Elected 1997 (51.1%-48.9%)
Zahira Kamal (PDU) - January 1, 2002 - January 1, 2006
-Elected 2001 (52.6%-47.4%)
Mohammed Dahlan (PNI) - January 1, 2006 - January 1, 2014
-Elected 2005 (51.6%-48.4%)
-Re-Elected 2009 (57.3%-42.7%)
Salam Fayyad (TW) - January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2018
-Elected 2013 (55.2%-44.8%)
Bassem Eid (PDU) - January 1, 2018 - Incumbent
-Elected 2017 (50.9%-49.1%)
-Re-Elected 2021 (53.1%-25.0%-14.5%-6.2%)

Palestinian Democratic Union (PDU):
Leader: Bassem Eid, 9th President of the Republic of Palestine
Executive Council Seats: 5/11
National Council Seats: 54/101
Alignment: Center-Left to Left
Ideology: Social Democracy, Progressivism, Social Liberalism, Reformism
ME Conflict: Strongly Pro-Israel
Women's Wing: Women for Democracy
LGBT Wing: We Are All Palestinians

Third Way (TW):
Leader: Hanan Ashrawi, Vice Chair of the 13th Palestinian Executive Council
Executive Council Seats: 4/11
National Council Seats: 21/101
Alignment: Center to Center-Right
Ideology: Reformism, Centrism, Third Way, Anti-Corruption
ME Conflict: Strongly Pro-Israel
Women's Wing: Third Way Women's Group
LGBT Wing: lol

Palestinian National Initiative (PNI):
Leader: Mustafa Barghouti, 5th President of the Republic of Palestine
Executive Council Seats: 2/11
National Council Seats: 19/101
Alignment: Center-Left to Center
Ideology: Secularism, Social Democracy, Civic Nationalism
ME Conflict: Pro-Israel
Women's Wing: Women for PNI
LGBT Wing: lol

Fatah (FTH):
Leader: Salah Abdel-Shafi, Fmr. Foreign Minister of Palestine
Executive Council Seats: 0/11
National Council Seats: 7/101
Alignment: Syncretic
Ideology: Palestinian Nationalism, Social Conservatism, Islamism
ME Conflict: Neutral
Women's Wing: lol
LGBT Wing: LOL

PRIME MINISTERS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL:
Gold Meir (ALGN) - March 7, 1969 - June 10, 1973
-Elected 1969 (57 Seats, Coalition with Liberals (5))
Yitzhak Rabin (ALGN) - June 10, 1973 - March 19, 1975
-Elected 1973 (50 Seats, Coalition with Liberals (5), Ratz (4), Progress & Development (3))
Shimon Peres (ALGN) - March 19, 1975 - September 25, 1978
-Elected 1977 (35 Seats, Coalition with Dash (15), Meretz (6), Liberals (5))
Menachem Begin (LKD) - September 25, 1978 - November 13, 1980
-Elected 1978 (43 Seats, Coalition with Mafdal (10), Agudat Yisrael (4), Shlomtzion (2), Flatto-Sharon (2))
Yitzhak Navon (ALGN) - November 13, 1980 - March 25, 1986
-Elected 1980 (44 Seats, Coalition with Meretz (9), Shinui (5), Hadash (5))
-Re-Elected 1984 (41 Seats, Coalition with Meretz-Shinui (19), Hadash (4))
Ora Namir (ALGN) - March 25, 1986 - November 18, 1988
Yitzhak Shamir (LKD) - November 18, 1988 - January 31, 1991
-Elected 1988 (40 Seats, Coalition with Yisrael Beiteinu (7) Shas (4), Agudat Yisrael (4), Mafdal (3), UTJ (3))
Amnon Rubenstein (UMR) - January 31, 1991 - April 15, 1998
-Elected 1990 (30 Seats, Coalition with Labor (29), Arab List (5))
-Re-Elected 1993 (39 Seats, Coalition with Labor (22), Arab List (5))
Formed National Unity Government with Likud (33), Yisrael Beiteinu (10)
-Re-Elected 1994 (67 Seats)
-Re-Elected 1998 (57 Seats, Coalition with Labor (8))
Marcia Freedman (UMR) - April 15, 1998 - March 15, 2005
-Elected 2002 (50 Seats, Coalition with Labor (7), Yisrael Beiteinu (5))
Akram Hasson (KAD) - March 15, 2005 - December 4, 2010
-Elected 2005 (24 Seats, Coalition with Likud (22), Yisrael Beiteinu (10), United Religious (6)
-Re-Elected 2006 (29 Seats, Coalition with Likud (21), Yisrael Beiteinu (13)
Tzipi Livni (KAD) - December 4, 2010 - October 7, 2014
-Elected 2010 (33 Seats, Coalition with Likud (18), Yisrael Beiteinu (12)
Isaac Herzog (LAB) - October 7, 2014 - February 6, 2015
-Elected 2014 (Caretaker)
Nitzan Horowitz (UMR) - February 6, 2015 - November 13, 2019
-Elected 2015 (27 Seats, Coalition with Labor (17), Yesh Atid (13), Arab List (4)
Yair Lapid (YA) - November 13, 2019 - January 1, 2022
-Elected 2019 (23 Seats, Coalition with Kadima (20), Yisrael Beiteinu (15), Labor (12)
Meirav Cohen (YA) - January 1, 2022 - November 24, 2023
Stav Shaffir (UMR) - November 24, 2023 - Incumbent
-Elected 2023 (40 Seats, Coalition with Labor (9), Ale Yarok (4), Youth On Fire (4), Arab List (4)

United Meretz (UMR):
Leader: Stav Shaffir, 19th Prime Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 40/120
Alignment: Left
Ideology: Liberal Socialism, Progressivism, Environmentalism, Civic Liberalism
Women's Wing: Meretz Women
LGBT Wing: Rainbow Meretz

Yesh Atid (YA):
Leader: Meirav Cohen, 18th Prime Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 24/120
Alignment: Center
Ideology: Centrism, Social Liberalism, Secularism
Women's Wing: Yesh Atid Women's Caucus
LGBT Wing: LGBT For Yesh Atid

Kadima (KAD):
Leader: Tzipi Livni, 14th Prime Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 20/120
Alignment: Center to Center-Right
Ideology: Liberal Conservatism, Social Liberalism, Fiscal Responsibility
Women's Wing: Women for Kadima
LGBT: Kadima Queer Caucus

Yisrael Beiteinu-Likud (YBL):
Leader: Yoav Gallant, Fmr. Foreign Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 10/120
Alignment: Center-Right to Right
Ideology: Conservatism, National Liberalism, Secularism
Women's Wing: YBL Women's Caucus
LGBT: YBL LGBT Association

Labor (LAB):
Leader: Merav Michaeli, Finance Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 9/120
Alignment: Center-Left to Left
Ideology: Labor Zionism, Social Democracy, Unionism
Women's Wing: Women in Labor
LGBT Wing: LGBT Labor Caucus

Union of Religious Parties (URP):
Leader: Aryeh Deri, Convicted Felon
Knesset Seats: 5/120
Alignment: Far-Right
Ideology: Haredi Nationalism, Racism, Homophobia
Women's Wing: N/A
LGBT Wing: lol

Ale Yarok (ALE):
Leader: Boaz Wachtel, Social Policy Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 4/120
Alignment: Center-Left to Center
Ideology: Marijuana Legalization, Progressivism, Social Liberalism
Women's Wing: Ale Yarok Men's Group
LGBT Wing: Ale Yarok Straight People Support Organization

Youth On Fire (YOF):
Leader: Hadar Muchtar, Member of the Israeli Knesset
Knesset Seats: 4/120
Alignment: Left
Ideology: Democratic Socialism, Consumer Rights, E-Democracy
Women's Wing: N/A
LGBT Wing: N/A

Arab List (ALP):
Leader: Ayman Odeh, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 4/120
Alignment: Left to Far-Left
Ideology: Socialism, Minority Rights, Unionism
Women's Wing: N/A
LGBT Wing: N/A
 
theflyingmgoose said:
Ale Yarok (ALE):
Leader: Boaz Wachtel, Social Policy Minister of Israel
Knesset Seats: 4/120
Alignment: Center-Left to Center
Ideology: Marijuana Legalization, Progressivism, Social Liberalism
Women's Wing: Ale Yarok Men's Group
LGBT Wing: Ale Yarok Straight People Support Organization
Click to expand...
So very much going on here.
 
The Ozymandiasverse: Presidents of the United States of America (1863-):
Abraham Lincoln (Republican-IL)/Hannibal Hamlin (Republican-ME) (1861-1863)[1]
Solomon Foot (Republican-VT)/Vacant (1863-1863)[2]
Schuyler Colfax (Republican-IN)/Vacant (1863-1865)[3]
George McClellan (Democrat-NJ)/George Pendleton (Democrat-OH) (1865-1873)
George Pendleton (Democrat-OH)/Horatio Seymour (Democrat-NY) (1873-1877)
James Blaine (Liberal-ME)/John Hartranft (Liberal-PA) (1877-1881)
John Ingalls (Liberal-KS)/Benjamin Butler (Liberal-MA) (1881-1885)
Thomas Bayard (Democrat-DE)/Joseph McDonald (Democrat-IN) (1885-1893)
James B. Weaver (Populist-IA)/Whitelaw Reid (Populist-OH) (1893-1897)
Levi Morton (Liberal-NY)/Charles Manderson (Liberal-NE) (1897-1901)
Edward Atkinson (Democrat-MA)/William Frederick Cody (Democrat-CO) (1901-1903)[4]
William Frederick Cody (Democrat-CO)/Henry Davis (Democrat-KW) (1903-1909)
John Johnson (Democrat-MN)/Joseph Foraker (Democrat-OH) (1909-1917)
Theodore E. Burton (Liberal-OH)/Henry Allen (Liberal-KS) (1917-1925)
Robert La Follette (Progressive-WI)/Burton K. Wheeler (Progressive-CA) (1925-1933)
Charles Curtis (Liberal-KS)/Alfred Smith (Liberal-NY) (1933-1936)[5]
Alfred Smith (Liberal-NY)/Vacant (1936-1937)
Alfred Landon (Democrat-KS)/William Lemke (Democrat-DK) (1937-1945)
William Lemke (Democrat-DK)/O. John Rogge (Democrat-NY) (1945-1949)
Joseph Martin (Liberal-MA)/Harold Strassen (Liberal-MN) (1949-1957)
John McCormack (Democrat-MA)/Averell Harriman (Democrat-NY) (1957-1961)
Cecil Underwood (Liberal-KW)/George Bender (Liberal-OH) (1961-1969)
Francis Sinatra (Democrat-NJ)/Don Edwards (Democrat-CA) (1969-1977)
Mo Udall (Democrat-AZ)/Birch Bayh (Democrat-IN) (1977-1981)
Edward Clark (Progressive-CA)/Larry Pressler (Liberal-DK) (1981-1989)
Larry Pressler (Liberal-DK)/Gary Hartpence (Liberal-KS) (1989-1993)
Jerry Brown (Democrat-CA)/Bob Kerry (Democrat-NE) (1993-2001)
Lincoln Chafee (Liberal-RI)/Theodore Stevens (Liberal-AK) (2001-2009)
Bill Richardson (Democrat-AZ)/Thomas Vilsack (Democrat-IA) (2009-2017)
George Pataki (Liberal-NY)/Evan McMullin (Liberal-UT) (2017-2021)

[1] Assassinated by a pro-Confederacy soldier
[2] Died due to a stress-induced heart attack
[3] The third and last Republican President, the party would disband after the 1864 election
[4] Assassinated by a Pro-Imperialism Activist
[5] Died of natural causes
 
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Days of the Future Past​

1969-1973: Richard Nixon/ Spiro Agnew (Republican)
def. Henry Humphrey/ Edmund Muske (Democratic), George C. Wallace/ Curtis LeMay (American Independent)
def. George McGovern/ Nicholas Katzenbach (Democratic), John G. Schmitz/ Cornelia Wallace (American Independent)

- While campaigning his 1972 Presidential campaign, politician George Wallace was shot to death by Arthur Bremer
- The American Independent Party would launch a stronger far-right campaign in 1972 with the support of the Wallace family
- In response to this narrow win, Nixon would pass a two-round system abolishing the electoral college
- President Richard Nixon later resigned in disgrace over his wiretapping of the Watergate hotel

1973-1977: Spiro Agnew/ Nelson Rockefeller (Republican)
1977-1981: Spiro Agnew/ Dave Treen (American-Republican)
round 1. George McGovern/ Richard Proxmire (Democratic), Gerald Ford/ Jacob Javits (Republican)
round 2. George McGovern/ Richard Proxmire (Democratic)

- Agnew would be remembered as one of the most divisive Presidents in American history
- Promoted conservative media companies in the Oval Office, oversaw massive welfare cuts, inflamed racial tensions
- Was narrowly re-elected due to Omar Torrijos' attack on the Panama Canal and the subsequent invasion of Panama
- Would be impeached twice by Congress over corruption charges but left with low approval ratings after pardoning himself

1981-1985: Jerry Brown/ Shirley Chisholm (New Democratic)
round 1. Henry M. Jackson/ John Shelton Wilder (Democratic), Frank Rizzo/ Richard Viguerie (American), Barry Goldwater/ George H.W. Bush (Republican), J. Quinn Brisben/ various (Socialist Worker's)
round 2. Henry M. Jackson/ John Shelton Wilder (Democratic)

- Seen as an otherwise progressive leader who sold out his movement with a devil's bargain with economic conservatives
- Ended the Panama War and oversaw healthcare reforms but was harried by a hostile Congress
- Despised by middle America as too radical and many of his former supporters as out-of-touch with the people
- Would nonetheless preserve his political coalition after being defeated by the subsequent Elvis campaign

1985-19XX: Elvis Presley/ John K. Singlaub (Elvis For America)
round 1. Jerry Brown/ Shirley Chisholm (Alliance '84), John B. Anderson/ Jeane Kirkpatrick (Republican), Bo Gritz/ Maureen Salaman (Prohibition)
round 2. Jerry Brown/ Shirley Chisholm (Alliance '84)

- Formerly seen as a washed-up celebrity who tried to revive his image by running as Mayor of Beverly Hills
- Would win mayorship and subsequently won the 1984 Presidential election, sworn in alongside First Lady Priscilla Presley
- Oversaw a massive rollback on civil liberties to deal with strikes and protests, in his quest to unite America
- Now faces criticism over using the Rex 84 Protocols to send AIDs patients and other "deviants" to concentration camps
 
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Fmr. Treasury Secretary Herbert Hoover (R) - March 4, 1929 - September 10, 1931
-Not nearly as far-right as most people think.
-Died while working on a bipartisan relief bill.
Vice President Andrew Mellon (R) - September 10, 1931 - March 4, 1933
-Objectively the worst President in American history
-Proposed slashing the federal budget by 95% to end the Depression
-Narrowly survived impeachment in the Summer of 1932
-Denied renomination on the first ballot
-Prototype polls showed an approval rating of less than 5% at the end of his tenure
Governor Floyd Olson (SDP) - March 4, 1933 - January 15, 1937
-The "realigning" president
-Legalized labor unions
-Established universal pensions and education
-Created a generous unemployment relief scheme
-Passed the first anti-lynching legislation
-Created a state-owned public utilities company to provide all Americans with plumbing and electricity by 1943
-Introduced the federal minimum wage
-Retired due to poor health
Vice President Frank Lloyd Wright (SDP) - January 15, 1937 - January 15, 1945
-Ended homelessness by 1942 under his Broadacre model (which would dominate all American suburbs)
-Introduced the first corporate taxation laws
-Established universal healthcare
-Passed the Lend-Lease Agreement
-Invested in public transit
-Placed heavy sanctions on Germany
-Entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor
-"Grey Scare", purge of fascists in the government and public life
-Authorized emergency nationalization of most private businesses until the end of the war
-Ratified the Equal Rights Amendment
Vice President Upton Sinclair (SDP) - January 15, 1945 - January 15, 1949
-Authorized the atomic bombing of Tokyo Bay, followed by Hiroshima
-Oversaw the two-year slow discharge of most of the military, with those awaiting discharge being used on public works
-Passed the GI Bill, granting free higher education, job training, and subsidized housing to veterans
-Partially rescinded the Wright nationalization order
-Began the incredibly successful Berlin Airlift, which lasted three yearsPas
Senator Wendell Willkie (LIB) - January 15, 1949 - April 30, 1955
-Rode into power on the back of the nationalization order debate
-Fully privatized the remaining wartime industry
-Pushed the North Koreans back to the 39th parallel
-Abolished the death penalty
-Decriminalized homosexuality
-Passed a tax cut for low and middle income residents
-Gave corporations tax deductions for providing services to employees
-Died in office
Vice President Margaret Chase Smith (LIB) - April 30, 1955 - January 15, 1957
-First woman to become President
-Oversaw the launch of Freedom-1, the first artificial satellite
Senator Norman Thomas (SOC) - January 15, 1957 - January 15, 1961
-First outright socialist elected President
-Implemented sanctions on the USSR for their brutal invasion of Hungary
-Introduced universal free school meals
-Fully nationalized the healthcare sector
-Oversaw the launch of Liberty-1, carrying the first man in space, and Liberty-3, carrying the first woman and first Jew in space
Fmr. President Margaret Chase Smith (LIB) - January 15, 1961 - January 15, 1965
-Passed a large across-the-board tax cut
-Ordered an audit of the entire federal bureaucracy
-Accepted the remaining 5,000 Jews who survived the Soviet Holocaust
-Oversaw the launch of Patriot-3, which landed the first men (and woman) on the moon
Author Max Shachtman (SOC) - January 15, 1965 - January 15, 1973
-Announced the Paris Accords of 1965, creating a Palestinian nation in the West Bank
-Repealed the Chase-Smith tax cuts
-Made college tuition free for all citizens
-Introduced paid parental leave
-Made public transit free and invested more in it
-Established civil unions for same-sex couples
-Introduced sectoral bargaining
-Announced the food stamp program, ending hunger by 1973
-Legalized abortion in the first trimester
UAW President Tom Kahn (SDP) - January 15, 1973 - January 15, 1981
-Appropriated funding for a national high-speed rail system
-Implemented mandatory Holocaust education at all levels
-Tripled funding for public education, with a goal to cut class sizes to a maximum of ten by 1985
-Created universal pre-k for all children
-Established a GMI of 100% FPL for all veterans
-Eliminated life without parole as a sentence
-Legalized gay marriage
-Established a carbon tax and banned CFCs
Governor Jerry Litton (AGR) - January 15, 1981 - January 15, 1985
-Expanded farm price supports
-Allowed the government to purchase excess produce for sale in poorer areas
-Ended all trade with the Soviet Union, signed new deals with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam
-Raised taxes on agri-conglomerates
Fmr. First Gentleman Bayard Rustin (SDP) - January 15, 1985 - October 14, 1987
-Legalized marijuana for recreational purposes
-Implemented sectoral bargaining
-Created a minimum social security benefit of 138% FPL
Vice President Bess Myerson (SDP) - October 14, 1987 - January 15, 1993
-Indexed the minimum wage to inflation
-Established a wealth tax
-Passed campaign finance reform
-Instituted universal background checks on guns
-Enacted a federal jobs guarantee
-Crushed Iraq in the Gulf War
-Required union and worker representation on corporate boards
Governor Barbara Jordan (LIB) - January 15, 1993 - January 15, 2001
-Passed immigration reform
-Launched a "Marshall Plan for Native Communities"
-Cut taxes for most Americans
-Weakened the Myerson-era gun laws
Vice President Al Gore (LIB) - January 15, 2001 - January 15, 2005
-Launched massive subsidies for green energy
-Responded to the 9/11 attacks by successfully toppling the Afghan government
-Granted independence to Puerto Rico
-Ratified the LGBTQ+ Equality Amendment
Senator Bernie Sanders (SOC) - January 15, 2005 - January 15, 2013
-Created a universal basic income of 100% FPL
-Provided free childcare
-Doubled healthcare research spending
-Implemented a financial transaction tax
-Announced the Green New Deal
-Banned billionaires
Governor Barack Obama (LIB) - January 15, 2013 - January 15, 2017
-Lowered taxes for most people
-Expanded the National Parks System
-Removed all religious references in public buildings
Senator Jason Kander (SDP) - January 15, 2017 - June 8, 2023
-Created a 25% UBI bonus for families with children
-Fully nationalized all transportation (airports, ports, railroads, etc)
-Created an inheritance tax on millionaires
-Made high-speed internet a human right
-Prohibited the personal ownership of more than three residences, two cars, or one aircraft (3-2-1 Solidarity Plan)
-Assassinated by Communist
Vice President John Fetterman (SDP) - June 8, 2023 - Incumbent
-Backed Israel and Palestine against Hamas
-Launched an investigation on the Kander assassination
-Strengthened relations with allies as the nation is on the verge of war
-Created the emergency War Coalition in Congress

WAR COALITION:
Social Democratic Party (SDP)
-Liberal Socialism
-Social Democracy
-Environmentalism
-Civic Libertarianism
-Anti-Communism
Liberal Party (LIB)
-Liberalism
-Social Liberalism
-Civic Libertarianism
-Reformism
Agrarian Alliance (AGR)
-Agrarianism
-Social Democracy
-Protectionism
-Developmentalism
Socialist Party (SOC)
-Democratic Socialism
-Progressivism
-Eco-Socialism
Conservative Unity Pact (CON)
-Liberal Conservatism
-Social Liberalism
-Fiscal Conservatism
-Reformism

Seats In The House: 501/501
Seats In The Senate: 104/104

Anyway, America ITTL is a highly-developed, advanced socialist economy. Nobody goes hungry, everyone has healthcare and jobs, and income inequality is relatively low. Radical politics are very unpopular, and social liberalism (by our standards, at least) is the norm. It's also on the verge of World War III. Can't get everything, I guess.
 
Here's a list made entirely out of foreign politicians who were involved in some way in UK politics, inspired by the very last one on the list.

1929-1934: Peter Fraser (Labour minority) [1]
1934-1943: R. B. Bennett (Conservative-led National Government, then Conservative-led Wartime Government) [2]
1943-1945: Jan Smuts (Independent-led Wartime Government) [3]
1945-1954: V. K. Krishna Menon (Labour majority) [4]
1954-1957: David Lewis (Labour majority) [5]
1957-1959: Ted Jolliffe (Labour majority) [6]
1959-1965: Harvey Ward (Conservative majority) [7]
1965-1967: Denis Walker (Conservative majority) [8]
1967-1980: Harry Lee (Labour majority) [9]
1980-1984: Albert René (Labour majority) [10]
1984-1984: Hastings Banda (Labour majority, then minority) [11]
1984-1990: Ralf Dahrendorf (Democratic-Conservative coalition) [12]
1990-1997: Michael Ignatieff (Labour majority) [13]
1997-2007: Benazir Bhutto (Conservative-Democratic coalition) [14]
2007-2014: Jacek Rostowski (Conservative-Democratic coalition) [15]
2014-2021: Axelle Lemaire (Labour majority) [16]
2021-pres.: Cynthia Wu (Conservative-Democratic coalition) [17]

[1] OTL New Zealander. Involved in the Liberals and ILP before leaving for New Zealand [he was born in Britain]
[2] OTL Canadian. Was a member of the British House of Lords due to an appointment by his friend Churchill
[3] OTL South African. Was part of the British government via the Imperial War Cabinet
[4] OTL Indian. Was so involved in Labour politics that they wanted to nominate him for a seat in 1940.
[5] OTL Canadian. Was involved in the Labour club at Oxford, even was asked to stay in Britain and enter Labour politics, but declined.
[6] OTL Canadian. Was involved in the Labour club at Oxford alongside David Lewis.
[7] OTL Rhodesian. Very involved in the Conservative Monday Club.
[8] OTL Rhodesian. Involved in the Conservative Monday Club.
[9] OTL Singaporean. Campaigned for Labour politicians when he was at university in Britain.
[10] OTL Seychellois. Was heavily involved in the Labour Party when he was at university in Britain.
[11] OTL Malawian. Joined the Labour Party when he was attending university.
[12] OTL German. Sat in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat after being appointed as a life peer.
[13] OTL Canadian. Stated he voted for the Labour Party in the 1997 election while living in the UK.
[14] OTL Pakistani. Heavily involved in her university Conservative branch.
[15] OTL Pole. Member of the Conservative Party [and later on Change UK] up to 2010.
[16] OTL French. Worked for the Labour MP Denis MacShane as a researcher.
[17] OTL Taiwanese. Was once an assistant to Conservative MP Peter Lilley.
 
This was my entry for last month's HoS List Challenge! The current challenge is accepting entries until the end of the month, the theme is The Future, and the link to the entry thread is in my sig.

He Will Say "Who Is The Father"?
​
Supreme Patriarchs of the Lundion Mysteries of Mithras:
[I've given the dates here in the Mithraic calendar--same solar year, but 0 Anno Relevatori corresponds to ~780 Common Era]
4004AM* - 01AR: Mithras
01AR - 02AR: Joshua I (Yeshua ben Pantera)
02AR - 32AR: Paul I (Saul ben Binyamin)
32AR - 49AR: Linus I ("Linus Cornelius"[?])
49AR - 67AR: Clement I ("Flavian Clemens, freeman of Cornelius"[?])
67AR - 235AR: [unclear--the histories were traditionally transmitted orally, so these parts were believed lost after Great Raid of 1924, but I've got a lead on a few personal affects of a Cymric Mithraicist who was known for needing a lot of aide-memoires]
235AR - 244AR: Linus II (Ulpius Silvanius)

Supreme Patriarchs of the Dvin Mysteries of Mehr-El:
4004AM* - 01AR: Mehr-El
01AR - 02AR: Hessua I (Yeshua ben Pantera)
02AR - 29AR: Hakob I (Yaakob ben Yusuf)
29AR - 38?AR: Tserintus I (Cerinthus?)
38AR - 39AR: Lusavoricha I (clearly apocryphal)
39AR - 42AR: Hakob II (no fucking clue)
42AR - 54AR: Hakob III
54AR - 69AR: Hakob IV
69AR - 71AR: Hakob V (somebody please shoot me)
[existence of post-Hessua5 Patriarchs cannot be independently verified]
270?AR - 300?AR: Lusavoricha II (Khosrovidukht Arshakuni)

Ivar,
This is about as far as I've got on my end. Thanks for sending me your work.

I think we can definitely agree that the two groups started off connected to each other--there's too many similarities, and most of those similarities are based around stuff that doesn't even make them look good. Why hark on a great split from "the Romanisers" and a continued flight into exile back to your ''ancestral land' if you could just keep your revelations centred on Armenia? Why establish that a splinter group from you was led by your former leader's actual brother? Why would you lay claim to fulfilling the prophecy of the Jewish Mosiach if you can't even get him to be from the right city? None of it adds up as myth, but it all adds up as real events.

We can definitely draw a link between Joshua I and Hessua I, and based off of their backstories I'm 90% confident they're both the same as the Yeshua ben Pantera mentioned offhand by Pilatus in his memoirs as being kicked out of the army for refusing to sacrifice to Zeus--it's the same name, and it fits both the Mithraicists' ideas of a legionary who received a revelation in his lodge and the Mehr-Elists's ideas of a half-Jew returning to his mother's faith with new zeal. This then makes Hakob I, or Yaakob ben Yusuf, as indicated by the name, his half-brother, presumably by the same mother, who married after Pantera was reassigned. This contradicts what the Mehr-Elists have to say on the matter, but considering ben Yusuf is pretty well-attested to in contemporary sources about the First Jewish War, they'll have to lump it. Said sources do also make the first part of our story a doddle--thank you, Josephus, for deciding the army crushing one cult seeking martyrdom was worth writing down!

The aftermath of Yusuf's death is a lot harder to untangle. You've done a great job on your end with Saul bin Benyamin and his circle, rooting through those Roman sources--I'm frankly astonished you even managed to track down those court records for Linus, let alone what you're currently working on! My work, though, was halted by an enemy even more dire than the Odinswolves--factionalism. Nearly every cult in Armenia seems to have their own list, and the best you can say about them is there's always at least 5 Hakobs, just in case they run out of the local living ones. There's an inordinate fondness for promoting their local heroes into the faith, as well--just last week my "evidence" of a charismatic ironworker in the early cult who went by Kaveh I went up in smoke when I talked to a non-Kurdish priest and a Kurdish academic--which is of a piece with their origins, but doesn't exactly help me.

What's worse is that, of the two figures who consistently appear, one of them is clearly an anachronism. It might be a more egalitarian place now, but the Judaea of Yeshua's time would have eaten alive a cult that dared to stoop to being led by a woman. The first Lusarvoricha's ludicrous range of attributes--had demons expelled from her by Hessua, witnessed the military throwing Hessua to the dogs, was the lover or wife or financial supporter of Hessua--were clearly just a way to butter up the second Lusavoricha, and portray the cult's dependence on an unhinged ex-princess as historically precedented. That leaves us with Tserintus. The only good proof for him is that it seems unlikely so many cultists would agree about where their important doctrines came from, but apart from that? I've found some references to a Judaean with a similar name kicked out by some early Platonists, which would fit the ideas about the "father of the material" that he supposedly introduced, but it doesn't explain how he acclimatised himself to Mehr-El without opposition, since everyone has a different story on that.

Honestly, the more I research these people, the more they frustrate me. I get the whole point of the book being like this--no-one'll pick up a study of the distant past of some random house faith, so you've got to make it about "The Hidden World Religion", but they're not a world religion, they're a bunch of local religions in a silk gown. You said it yourself, the legionary lodge in Lundion is exceptional only because it survived without bending the knee--everywhere else across Europa they degenerated into clubs with funny rules, or even less than that. It's practically the same down here. There was a huge community of Mehr-Elists centred around Mahoze, back when it was under Jewish rule, and do you know what I found when I went down there? Some Mazdakites with a family tradition of eating cherries for the summer solstice. Even in Armenia, the lodges are shutting up one by one as more kids and more money leaves, and not once--not once!--do they think of working together to do something about it.

There's all the ingredients for a world religion there, is the thing. You've got the patronage of a powerful ruler, like how the Sun Buddha School had Thutmose V or how the Nordic Triune had Sigurd Serpent-Eater. You've got a firey message of equality and an end to accumulation that appeals to a downtrodden population, like Mazdakism or Platonism. You've got the unification of disparate theological traditions, even, in a way that eerily imitates the work of Mani himself (blessed be), bringing together the best of Greek, Judaean, and Iranian thought. What's missing is the world. All this faith, all this philosophy, and it's trapped behind layer after layer of rituals and secret codes, as if it were a treasured heirloom no-one else should see.

I managed to get them to show me a collection of Hessua's writings, and one quote has stuck with me. "You who know the truth are the light of the world. Neither do men light a lamp, and place it under a bushel; they set it on a lampstand, to light the whole house. In the same way should your light shine". It's a shame, in some ways, that his followers chose the bushel.

Yours, in infinite light,
Petro.
 
Curse of Tippecanoe continued:

39- Jimmy Carter/ Walter Mondale 1977-1981
40- Ronald Reagan/ George Bush 1981-1981 (Assassinated by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981)
41- George Bush/ Vacant, then Richard Lugar 1981-1989
42- Paul Tsongas/ Al Gore 1989-1993
43- Pete Wilson/ Carroll Campbell 1993-2001
44- Ann Richards/ Jay Rockefeller 2001- 2006 (Died on September 16, 2006 of cancer)
45- Jay Rockefeller/ Vacant, then John Kerry 2006-2013
46- Mitch Daniels/ John Thune 2013-2021
 
PRIME MINISTERS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL:
Benjamin Netanyahu (LKD) - March 31, 2009 - May 13, 2015
Isaac Herzog (ZU) - May 13, 2015 - June 28, 2017
Tzipi Livni (ZU) - June 28, 2017 - December 14, 2017
Benjamin Netanyahu (LKD) - December 14, 2017 - August 9, 2018
Yair Lapid (YA) - August 9, 2018 - January 25, 2023
Bezalel Smotrich (OTZ) - January 25, 2023 - October 30, 2023
Itamar Ben-Gvir (OTZ) - October 30, 2023 - November 22, 2023
Yoav Gallant (LKD) - November 22, 2023 - Incumbent (Demissionary since January 15, 2024)

The victory of the Israeli opposition in 2015 and the subsequent election of Isaac Herzog as Prime Minister of Israel isn't all that surprising, in retrospect. The publishing of a tape just days before election day where Netanyahu admitted that Hamas was an "asset" to "our interests" did a massive amount of damage to a campaign focused on national security.

Ultimately, Likud would manage a narrow first place finish, although the Arab Joint List and Meretz would surge as more moderate Israelis were fed up with the right-wing screw-ups around the peace process. In a shocking result, the single-issue marijuana party Ale Yarok would narrowly get into the Knesset, granting a one-seat majority to the left/center group.

Government formation would take just under two months, but Herzog was eventually able to come to an agreement. Ultimately, Yesh Atid was given several key ministries, and the government also committed to rather extreme secularization measures. The legalization of gay marriage and marijuana legalization were used to get Meretz and Ale Yarok on board, while the Joint List was given a bigger commitment to the peace process.

Herzog would be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Israel on May 13, 2015, and Netanyahu would leave the Prime Ministerial residence two weeks later. Almost immediately, the new coalition would pass a law stripping the Chief Rabbinate of its power. Civil marriage was legalized, and Israel became the 19th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Another major priority of the coalition was the reform of the Haredim laws. Defense Minister Amos Yadlin would announce the immediate conscription of all Haredim, effective at the beginning of 2016. The majority of Haredi tax benefits would also be scrapped, and the majority were forced to work (although the benefits they received were so immense that while workforce participation among Haredi men rose from 50% to 75% poverty still went up).

But the coalition wasn't just focused on cultural issues. The Zionist Union would put forward a proposal to eliminate all tuition fees at Israeli colleges and universities, along with raising the minimum wage to 5,500 NIS. This would narrowly pass in the government's first budget, and would be funded by the legalization of marijuana and implementation of a sales tax on it.

Finally, the coalition would move on to the issue intentionally pushed back as far as possible- renewed negotiations with the Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Tzipi Livni, who had previously served as chief negotiator between Israel and Palestine, was renamed to the post. Ultimately, both governments would agree on placing all Zone B areas under the same status as Zone A (meaning areas previously under full Israeli security control but Palestinian civil control are now under full Palestinian control) in exchange for Fatah ending the Martyr's Fund. Israel also agreed to pay $5.7 Billion in new funds to the Palestinian Authority.

This was further coupled with a decision to increase the number of votes required to repeal signed treaties to 65. Eventually, the agreement was ratified in early 2017, but a full three members of the coalition (all Yesh Atid) abstained, allowing the passage of the treaty by a vote of 58-57. Realizing he had lost the confidence of the Knesset (and receiving assurances by many moderate opposition figures that he would be in contention to succeed President Rivlin in 2021), Prime Minister Herzog would call a snap election and resign.

On June 28, 2017, Tzipi Livni would finally be sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of Israel. During her brief tenure, she oversaw the implementation of the agreement with Palestine (formally called the Treaty of Geneva) and further expansions to secular education. However, to many Israelis the coalition had moved too fast too quickly, and they voted accordingly.

Just two years after leaving office, Benjamin Netanyahu would make a triumphant return to the top job. After cobbling together a 62-seat coalition with a wide array of parties, he would take office for the third time. It was almost immediately down hill from there.

While Netanyahu was able to reverse some of the Haredim welfare cuts, the decisions made by the Herzog and Livni were in many ways doing things that parties like Yisrael Beiteinu and Kulanu agreed with, meaning that Haredi people would continue to languish in poverty for the near future. This was unacceptable to the Haredi bloc, which immediately shut down the government, forcing a snap election.

After just a couple months of Netanyahu, Arab voters were energized. Though the coalition hadn't gotten to ripping up the Treaty of Geneva, many thought if re-elected they would try again, so mobilized to stop it. Come election day, the Joint List would actually finish in a strong second, granting them immense sway over the next government.

Ultimately, Yair Lapid would be given a mandate by President Rivlin and form a comfortable majority government with the combined left and center groups. The new government would immediately scrap the Haredi policies enacted by Netanyahu, and would force Haredi leaders to pay back-taxes on some of their subsidies. Environmental protections would also be expanded, with a comprehensive carbon pricing scheme being implemented.

But by far the biggest accomplishment of Lapid's tenure was the signing of the Abraham Accords at Camp David. The agreement, painstakingly pieced together by President Clinton and her narrow Congressional majorities, contained a variety of provisions, but the ones the media most focused on were:

1) - Israel will withdraw from 90% of the West Bank, which shall become an independent Palestinian state
2) - Israel will retain access to the Jordan River Valley, although it will be under Palestinian civil control
3) - The independent Palestinian state (the State of Palestine) will hold elections by June of 2021
4) - Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait will recognize Israel

The fight to ratify the Abraham Accords was tough, but the treaty was eventually ratified by the Knesset with a vote of 59-57 after further defense adjustments. The treaty was extremely controversial with the Israeli public, and mass protests broke out across the country. Benny Gantz's Unity party was spooked by this, and forced the collapse of the government. The next election was scheduled for June 2, 2020.

Months before that election, however, the COVID pandemic broke out. With a death rate of 4.5%, and extremely contagious, governments around the world leapt into action. Perhaps none more so than Israel. Health Minister Abbas would institute a full lockdown, which would prevent the spread of the virus. This boosted the government's popularity. Ultimately, Yesh Atid would win. The shocking result was who came second.

Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich's Oztma Yehudit party would ride the wave of anti-treaty anger to an extremely close second place. It wasn't anywhere near enough, and the cordon sanitaire was well over 75 seats, but it was extremely concerning for a large percentage of the world. Ultimately, Yesh Atid would form a government very similar to the previous one.

The first part of Lapid's second term was focused on recovery from the pandemic. Large amounts of public investment would be pumped into infrastructure and development, while healthcare reforms would be made to decrease wait times. Confident of his popularity, Prime Minister Lapid would call a snap election for November 1, 2022.

It did not go as planned. Otzma, in a coalition with all other religious parties in a hail-mary attempt to finally win an election (the anti-Haredi reforms passed by Herzog, Livni, and Lapid were heavily secularizing their base) would easily take first place, and form a coalition with Likud to take the reins of government. The cabinet was composed of an all-star team, including Bezalel Smotrich as Prime Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir as Defense Minister, Yitzhak Goldknopf as Culture & Energy Minister, and Miri Regev as Education Minister.

Protests began immediately.

The first item on the agenda of the new government was a judicial reform. Under the new law, the Knesset would be able to vote with a simple majority to override every single judicial decision. This was unacceptable to the public, so protests increased even further.

To keep the cabinet happy, Ben Gvir was given a militia under the command of his department in the few remaining settlements. This was unacceptable to the Israeli public, so protests increased even further. A general strike was called, and entire branches of the military refused orders.

To ensure security (following a giant police strike), troops were withdrawn from the Gaza border to defend the settlements and Haredi communities. This resulted in a massive attack from Gaza that advanced all the way to the West Bank, where many Palestinians actually fought the militants. Protesters went ballistic.

A march of over one million advanced from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as the cabinet figured out what to do. 5,000 people were dead, and in the eyes of the vast majority of Israel it was entirely the fault of the government. The protesters (who had largely been peaceful, with the exception of several riots and acts of violence in Haredi communities) arrived on October 27, 2023.

Prime Minister Smotrich would almost immediately resign, placing the even more incompetent Itamar Ben Gvir in charge. The latter lasted less than a month of completely disorganized chaos before a palace coup brought in Yoav Gallant, who began operations in Gaza and called a snap election. The government would be absolutely crushed in said elections, and a government consisting of Yesh Atid, Labour, and Meretz with support from the Joint List seems inevitable.

2015 Israeli Election:
Likud: 20.4% / 25 Seats
Zionist Union: 17.9% / 23 Seats
Joint List: 11.1% / 14 Seats
Yesh Atid: 9.8% / 13 Seats
Jewish Home: 6.7% / 8 Seats
Meretz: 6.3% / 8 Seats
Kulanu: 6.0% / 7 Seats
Shas: 5.7% / 7 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.1% / 7 Seats
UTJ: 4.7% / 5 Seats
Ale Yarok: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: ZU (23), JL (14), YA (13), MRTZ (8), AY (3) = 61

2017 Israeli Election:
Likud: 21.6% / 26 Seats
Zionist Union: 18.6% / 23 Seats
Yesh Atid: 10.8% / 14 Seats
Jewish Home: 8.5% / 11 Seats
Meretz: 8.5% / 11 Seats
Joint List: 8.1% / 10 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.9% / 8 Seats
Shas: 5.4% / 7 Seats
Kulanu: 4.8% / 6 Seats
UTJ: 4.0% / 4 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: LKD (26), JH (11), YB (8), SHS (7), KU (6), UTJ (4) = 62

2018 Israeli Election:
Likud: 16.1% / 20 Seats
Joint List: 12.3% / 16 Seats
Yesh Atid: 10.8% / 14 Seats
Labour: 10.6% / 13 Seats
Unity: 9.0% / 12 Seats
Jewish Home: 6.1% / 9 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.9% / 8 Seats
Meretz: 5.0% / 6 Seats
Shas: 4.9% / 6 Seats
Kulanu: 4.8% / 6 Seats
UTJ: 4.0% / 4 Seats
Hatnuah: 3.8% / 3 Seats
Otzma: 3.5% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: JL (16), YA (14), LAB (13), UNI (12), MRTZ (6), HAT (3) = 64

2020 Israeli Election:
Yesh Atid: 21.4% / 27 Seats
Otzma: 17.8% / 24 Seats
Likud: 12.1% / 15 Seats
United Left: 10.6% / 14 Seats
Joint List: 7.3% / 10 Seats
Unity: 6.6% / 9 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.5% / 7 Seats
Shas: 4.5% / 5 Seats
UTJ: 3.3% / 3 Seats
Kulanu: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: YA (27), UL (14), JL (10), UNI (9) = 60

2022 Israeli Election:
Otzma-Religious Unity: 27.1% / 35 Seats
Yesh Atid: 20.5% / 26 Seats
Likud: 20.1% / 26 Seats
United Left: 11.6% / 15 Seats
Joint List: 4.3% / 4 Seats
Unity: 3.6% / 3 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 3.5% / 3 Seats
Kulanu: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: OTZ (35), LKD (26) = 61

2024 Israeli Election:
Yesh Atid: 31.5% / 40 Seats
Likud: 15.8% / 20 Seats
Meretz: 11.1% / 14 Seats
Otzma-Religious Unity - 10.8% / 14 Seats
Joint List: 10.0% / 13 Seats
Unity: 7.3% / 10 Seats
Labour: 6.0% / 7 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 3.9% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: YA (36), MRTZ (14), JL (13), LAB (7) = 70

Presidents of the United States:
Barack Obama (D) - January 2009 - January 2017
Hillary Clinton (D) - January 2017 - January 2021
John Kasich (R) - January 2021 - April 2022
Nikki Haley (R) - April 2022 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom:
David Cameron (C) - May 2010 - June 2015
Ed Miliband (L) - June 2015 - October 2016
Zac Goldsmith (C) - October 2016 - April 2020
Theresa May (C) - April 2020 - September 2022
Boris Johnson (C) - September 2022 - December 2023
Keir Starmer (L) - December 2023 - Incumbent

Presidents of France:
Francois Hollande (PS) - May 2012 - May 2017
Emmanuel Macron (RE) - May 2017 - June 2018
Gerard Larcher (LR) - June 2018 - August 2018
Marion Marechal (RN) - August 2018 - August 2023
Yael Braun Pivet (RE) - August 2023 - Incumbent

Chancellors of Germany:
Angela Merkel (CDU) - November 2005 - December 2017
Olaf Scholz (SPD) - December 2017 - August 2018
Alice Weidel (AfD) - August 2018 - March 2022
Marina Weisband (GRUNE) - March 2022 - Incumbent

Presidents of Poland:
Andrzej Duda (PiS) - August 2015 - October 2022
Elizabieta Witek (PiS) - October 2022 - December 2022
Donald Tusk (PO) - December 2022 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of Hungary:
Viktor Orban (FID) - May 2010 - May 2022
Klara Dobrev (UfH) - May 2022 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of the Netherlands:
Mark Rutte (VVD) - October 2010 - May 2021
Sigrid Kaag (D66) - May 2021 - January 2024
Geert Wilders (PVV) - January 2024 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of Belgium:
Charles Michel (MR) - October 2014 - September 2018
Sophie Wilmes (MR) - September 2018 - Incumbent

Chancellors of Austria:
Werner Faymann (SPO) - December 2008 - May 2016
Christian Kern (SPO) - May 2016 - December 2017
Heinz-Christian Strache (FPO) - December 2017 - June 2018
Sebastian Kurz (OVP) - June 2018 - March 2023
Susanne Raab (OVP) - March 2023 - June 2023
Gunther Fehlinger (NEOS) - June 2023 - Incumbent

Presidents of Austria:
Heinz Fischer (SPO) - July 2004 - July 2016
Irmgard Griss (IND) - July 2016 - January 2017
Norbert Hofer (FPO) - January 2017 - January 2023
Alexander Van der Bellen (GRUNE) - January 2023 - Incumbent
 
Last edited:
theflyingmgoose said:
PRIME MINISTERS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL:
Benjamin Netanyahu (LKD) - March 31, 2009 - May 13, 2015
Isaac Herzog (ZU) - May 13, 2015 - June 28, 2017
Tzipi Livni (ZU) - June 28, 2017 - December 14, 2017
Benjamin Netanyahu (LKD) - December 14, 2017 - August 9, 2018
Yair Lapid (YA) - August 9, 2018 - January 25, 2023
Bezalel Smotrich (OTZ) - January 25, 2023 - October 30, 2023
Itamar Ben-Gvir (OTZ) - October 30, 2023 - November 22, 2023
Yoav Gallant (LKD) - November 22, 2023 - Incumbent (Demissionary since January 15, 2024)

The victory of the Israeli opposition in 2015 and the subsequent election of Isaac Herzog as Prime Minister of Israel isn't all that surprising, in retrospect. The publishing of a tape just days before election day where Netanyahu admitted that Hamas was an "asset" to "our interests" did a massive amount of damage to a campaign focused on national security.

Ultimately, Likud would manage a narrow first place finish, although the Arab Joint List and Meretz would surge as more moderate Israelis were fed up with the right-wing screw-ups around the peace process. In a shocking result, the single-issue marijuana party Ale Yarok would narrowly get into the Knesset, granting a one-seat majority to the left/center group.

Government formation would take just under two months, but Herzog was eventually able to come to an agreement. Ultimately, Yesh Atid was given several key ministries, and the government also committed to rather extreme secularization measures. The legalization of gay marriage and marijuana legalization were used to get Meretz and Ale Yarok on board, while the Joint List was given a bigger commitment to the peace process.

Herzog would be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Israel on May 13, 2015, and Netanyahu would leave the Prime Ministerial residence two weeks later. Almost immediately, the new coalition would pass a law stripping the Chief Rabbinate of its power. Civil marriage was legalized, and Israel became the 19th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Another major priority of the coalition was the reform of the Haredim laws. Defense Minister Amos Yadlin would announce the immediate conscription of all Haredim, effective at the beginning of 2016. The majority of Haredi tax benefits would also be scrapped, and the majority were forced to work (although the benefits they received were so immense that while workforce participation among Haredi men rose from 50% to 75% poverty still went up).

But the coalition wasn't just focused on cultural issues. The Zionist Union would put forward a proposal to eliminate all tuition fees at Israeli colleges and universities, along with raising the minimum wage to 5,500 NIS. This would narrowly pass in the government's first budget, and would be funded by the legalization of marijuana and implementation of a sales tax on it.

Finally, the coalition would move on to the issue intentionally pushed back as far as possible- renewed negotiations with the Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Tzipi Livni, who had previously served as chief negotiator between Israel and Palestine, was renamed to the post. Ultimately, both governments would agree on placing all Zone B areas under the same status as Zone A (meaning areas previously under full Israeli security control but Palestinian civil control are now under full Palestinian control) in exchange for Fatah ending the Martyr's Fund. Israel also agreed to pay $5.7 Billion in new funds to the Palestinian Authority.

This was further coupled with a decision to increase the number of votes required to repeal signed treaties to 65. Eventually, the agreement was ratified in early 2017, but a full three members of the coalition (all Yesh Atid) abstained, allowing the passage of the treaty by a vote of 58-57. Realizing he had lost the confidence of the Knesset (and receiving assurances by many moderate opposition figures that he would be in contention to succeed President Rivlin in 2021), Prime Minister Herzog would call a snap election and resign.

On June 28, 2017, Tzipi Livni would finally be sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of Israel. During her brief tenure, she oversaw the implementation of the agreement with Palestine (formally called the Treaty of Geneva) and further expansions to secular education. However, to many Israelis the coalition had moved too fast too quickly, and they voted accordingly.

Just two years after leaving office, Benjamin Netanyahu would make a triumphant return to the top job. After cobbling together a 62-seat coalition with a wide array of parties, he would take office for the third time. It was almost immediately down hill from there.

While Netanyahu was able to reverse some of the Haredim welfare cuts, the decisions made by the Herzog and Livni were in many ways doing things that parties like Yisrael Beiteinu and Kulanu agreed with, meaning that Haredi people would continue to languish in poverty for the near future. This was unacceptable to the Haredi bloc, which immediately shut down the government, forcing a snap election.

After just a couple months of Netanyahu, Arab voters were energized. Though the coalition hadn't gotten to ripping up the Treaty of Geneva, many thought if re-elected they would try again, so mobilized to stop it. Come election day, the Joint List would actually finish in a strong second, granting them immense sway over the next government.

Ultimately, Yair Lapid would be given a mandate by President Rivlin and form a comfortable majority government with the combined left and center groups. The new government would immediately scrap the Haredi policies enacted by Netanyahu, and would force Haredi leaders to pay back-taxes on some of their subsidies. Environmental protections would also be expanded, with a comprehensive carbon pricing scheme being implemented.

But by far the biggest accomplishment of Lapid's tenure was the signing of the Abraham Accords at Camp David. The agreement, painstakingly pieced together by President Clinton and her narrow Congressional majorities, contained a variety of provisions, but the ones the media most focused on were:

1) - Israel will withdraw from 90% of the West Bank, which shall become an independent Palestinian state
2) - Israel will retain access to the Jordan River Valley, although it will be under Palestinian civil control
3) - The independent Palestinian state (the State of Palestine) will hold elections by June of 2021
4) - Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait will recognize Israel

The fight to ratify the Abraham Accords was tough, but the treaty was eventually ratified by the Knesset with a vote of 59-57 after further defense adjustments. The treaty was extremely controversial with the Israeli public, and mass protests broke out across the country. Benny Gantz's Unity party was spooked by this, and forced the collapse of the government. The next election was scheduled for June 2, 2020.

Months before that election, however, the COVID pandemic broke out. With a death rate of 4.5%, and extremely contagious, governments around the world leapt into action. Perhaps none more so than Israel. Health Minister Abbas would institute a full lockdown, which would prevent the spread of the virus. This boosted the government's popularity. Ultimately, Yesh Atid would win. The shocking result was who came second.

Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich's Oztma Yehudit party would ride the wave of anti-treaty anger to an extremely close second place. It wasn't anywhere near enough, and the cordon sanitaire was well over 75 seats, but it was extremely concerning for a large percentage of the world. Ultimately, Yesh Atid would form a government very similar to the previous one.

The first part of Lapid's second term was focused on recovery from the pandemic. Large amounts of public investment would be pumped into infrastructure and development, while healthcare reforms would be made to decrease wait times. Confident of his popularity, Prime Minister Lapid would call a snap election for November 1, 2022.

It did not go as planned. Otzma, in a coalition with all other religious parties in a hail-mary attempt to finally win an election (the anti-Haredi reforms passed by Herzog, Livni, and Lapid were heavily secularizing their base) would easily take first place, and form a coalition with Likud to take the reins of government. The cabinet was composed of an all-star team, including Bezalel Smotrich as Prime Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir as Defense Minister, Yitzhak Goldknopf as Culture & Energy Minister, and Miri Regev as Education Minister.

Protests began immediately.

The first item on the agenda of the new government was a judicial reform. Under the new law, the Knesset would be able to vote with a simple majority to override every single judicial decision. This was unacceptable to the public, so protests increased even further.

To keep the cabinet happy, Ben Gvir was given a militia under the command of his department in the few remaining settlements. This was unacceptable to the Israeli public, so protests increased even further. A general strike was called, and entire branches of the military refused orders.

To ensure security (following a giant police strike), troops were withdrawn from the Gaza border to defend the settlements and Haredi communities. This resulted in a massive attack from Gaza that advanced all the way to the West Bank, where many Palestinians actually fought the militants. Protesters went ballistic.

A march of over one million advanced from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as the cabinet figured out what to do. 5,000 people were dead, and in the eyes of the vast majority of Israel it was entirely the fault of the government. The protesters (who had largely been peaceful, with the exception of several riots and acts of violence in Haredi communities) arrived on October 27, 2023.

Prime Minister Smotrich would almost immediately resign, placing the even more incompetent Itamar Ben Gvir in charge. The latter lasted less than a month of completely disorganized chaos before a palace coup brought in Yoav Gallant, who began operations in Gaza and called a snap election. The government would be absolutely crushed in said elections, and a government consisting of Yesh Atid, Labour, and Meretz with support from the Joint List seems inevitable.

2015 Israeli Election:
Likud: 20.4% / 25 Seats
Zionist Union: 17.9% / 23 Seats
Joint List: 11.1% / 14 Seats
Yesh Atid: 9.8% / 13 Seats
Jewish Home: 6.7% / 8 Seats
Meretz: 6.3% / 8 Seats
Kulanu: 6.0% / 7 Seats
Shas: 5.7% / 7 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.1% / 7 Seats
UTJ: 4.7% / 5 Seats
Ale Yarok: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: ZU (23), JL (14), YA (13), MRTZ (8), AY (3) = 61

2017 Israeli Election:
Likud: 21.6% / 26 Seats
Zionist Union: 18.6% / 23 Seats
Yesh Atid: 10.8% / 14 Seats
Jewish Home: 8.5% / 11 Seats
Meretz: 8.5% / 11 Seats
Joint List: 8.1% / 10 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.9% / 8 Seats
Shas: 5.4% / 7 Seats
Kulanu: 4.8% / 6 Seats
UTJ: 4.0% / 4 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: LKD (26), JH (11), YB (8), SHS (7), KU (6), UTJ (4) = 62

2018 Israeli Election:
Likud: 16.1% / 20 Seats
Joint List: 12.3% / 16 Seats
Yesh Atid: 10.8% / 14 Seats
Labour: 10.6% / 13 Seats
Unity: 9.0% / 12 Seats
Jewish Home: 6.1% / 9 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.9% / 8 Seats
Meretz: 5.0% / 6 Seats
Shas: 4.9% / 6 Seats
Kulanu: 4.8% / 6 Seats
UTJ: 4.0% / 4 Seats
Hatnuah: 3.8% / 3 Seats
Otzma: 3.5% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: JL (16), YA (14), LAB (13), UNI (12), MRTZ (6), HAT (3) = 64

2020 Israeli Election:
Yesh Atid: 21.4% / 27 Seats
Otzma: 17.8% / 24 Seats
Likud: 12.1% / 15 Seats
United Left: 10.6% / 14 Seats
Joint List: 7.3% / 10 Seats
Unity: 6.6% / 9 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 5.5% / 7 Seats
Shas: 4.5% / 5 Seats
UTJ: 3.3% / 3 Seats
Kulanu: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: YA (27), UL (14), JL (10), UNI (9) = 60

2022 Israeli Election:
Otzma-Religious Unity: 27.1% / 35 Seats
Yesh Atid: 20.5% / 26 Seats
Likud: 20.1% / 26 Seats
United Left: 11.6% / 15 Seats
Joint List: 4.3% / 4 Seats
Unity: 3.6% / 3 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 3.5% / 3 Seats
Kulanu: 3.2% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: OTZ (35), LKD (26) = 61

2024 Israeli Election:
Yesh Atid: 31.5% / 40 Seats
Likud: 15.8% / 20 Seats
Meretz: 11.1% / 14 Seats
Otzma-Religious Unity - 10.8% / 14 Seats
Joint List: 10.0% / 13 Seats
Unity: 7.3% / 10 Seats
Labour: 6.0% / 7 Seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 3.9% / 3 Seats

NEW GOVERNMENT: YA (36), MRTZ (14), JL (13), LAB (7) = 70

Presidents of the United States:
Barack Obama (D) - January 2009 - January 2017
Hillary Clinton (D) - January 2017 - January 2021
John Kasich (R) - January 2021 - April 2022
Nikki Haley (R) - April 2022 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom:
David Cameron (C) - May 2010 - June 2015
Ed Miliband (L) - June 2015 - October 2016
Zac Goldsmith (C) - October 2016 - April 2020
Theresa May (C) - April 2020 - September 2022
Boris Johnson (C) - September 2022 - December 2023
Keir Starmer (L) - December 2023 - Incumbent

Presidents of France:
Francois Hollande (PS) - May 2012 - May 2017
Emmanuel Macron (RE) - May 2017 - June 2018
Gerard Larcher (LR) - June 2018 - August 2018
Marion Marechal (RN) - August 2018 - August 2023
Yael Braun Pivet (RE) - August 2023 - Incumbent

Chancellors of Germany:
Angela Merkel (CDU) - November 2005 - December 2017
Olaf Scholz (SPD) - December 2017 - August 2018
Alice Weidel (AfD) - August 2018 - March 2022
Marina Weisband (GRUNE) - March 2022 - Incumbent

Presidents of Poland:
Andrzej Duda (PiS) - August 2015 - October 2022
Elizabieta Witek (PiS) - October 2022 - December 2022
Donald Tusk (PO) - December 2022 - Incumbent

Prime Ministers of Hungary:
Viktor Orban (FID) - May 2010 - May 2022
Klara Dobrev (UfH) - May 2022 - Incumbent
Click to expand...
What happens to Kasich?
 
One-Two-Three Years of White Australia
Ben Chifley (Labor) 1945-1950
1946 [maj.]: def. Robert Menzies (Coalition) and Jack Lang (Lang Labor)
1949 [maj.]: def. Robert Menzies (Coalition)
Arthur Calwell (Labor) 1950-1961
1952 [maj.]: def. Percy Spender (Coalition)
1955 [maj.]: def. Percy Spender (Coalition)
1958 [maj.]: def. Harold Holt (Coalition)
Harold Holt (Coalition) 1961-1963
1961 [min.]: def. Arthur Calwell (Labor)
B. A. Santamaria (Labor) 1963-1967
1963 [min.]: def. Harold Holt (Coalition)
1964 [maj.]: def. Harold Holt (Coalition)
Harold Holt (Coalition) 1967-1970
1967 [maj.]: def. B. A. Santamaria (Labor)
Bob Katter (Labor) 1970-1976
1970 [maj.]: def. Harold Holt (Coalition)
1973 [maj.]: def. Steele Hall (Coalition)
Steele Hall (Coalition) 1976-1981
1976 [maj.]: def. Bob Katter (Labor)
1979 [maj.]: def. Condon Byrne (Labor)
Brian Harradine (Labor) 1981-1985
1981 [maj.]: def. Steele Hall (Coalition), Syd Negus (Australia First) and John Singleton (John for Canberra)
1983 [maj.]: def. Steele Hall (United) and Tom Drake-Brockman (National)
Steele Hall (United) 1985-1986
1985 [min.]: def. Brian Harradine (Labor) and Tom Drake-Brockman (National)
Brian Harradine (Labor) 1986-1987
1986 [coal. with Nationals]
Don Chipp (United) 1987-1996
1987 [maj.]: def. Brian Harradine (Alliance) and John Button (Democratic Labor)
1990 [maj.]: def. Graeme Campbell (Alliance) and John Button (Democratic Labor)
1993 [maj.]: def. Graeme Campbell (Alliance) and Brian Howe (Democratic Labor)
Elaine Nile (Alliance) 1996-2002
1996 [maj.]: def. Don Chipp (United) and Stewart West (Democratic Labor)
1999 [maj.]: def. Malcolm Turnbull (United) and Stewart West (Democratic Labor)
Malcolm Turnbull (United) 2002-2008
2002 [min.]: def. Elaine Nile (Alliance) and John Cherry (Democratic Labor)
2005 [min.]: def. Tony Abbott (Alliance) and John Cherry (Democratic Labor)
Mark Latham (Alliance) 2008-2012
2008 [maj.]: def. Malcolm Turnbull (United) and John Cherry (Democratic Labor)
2011 [maj.]: def. George Brandis (United) and Hall Greenland (Democratic Labor)
Rob Borbridge (Alliance) 2012
Tony Abbott (Alliance) 2012-2014
Rob Borbridge (Alliance) 2014
Mark Latham (Alliance) 2014
Bob Brown (United) 2014-2021
2014 [maj.]: def. Mark Latham (Alliance) and Hall Greenland (Democratic Labor)
2015 [maj.]: def. Bob Katter Jr. (Alliance) and Hall Greenland (Democratic Labor)
2018 [maj.]: def. Bob Katter Jr. (Alliance) and Lee Rhiannon (Democratic Labor)
Tania Mihailuk (Alliance) 2021-2022
2021 [min.]: def. Bob Brown (United) and Lee Rhiannon (Democratic Labor)
Jacqui Lambie (Alliance) 2022-present
2023 [maj.]: def. Janet Woollard (United) and Natasha Stott Despoja (Democratic)

With the passing of the Immigration Reform Act in early 2024, a long-held dream of the Democrats and Unionists was finally reached.

After 123 years, the White Australia Policy, long hailed by Labor as a "guarantor of Australian welfare" and the one sticking point that made Australia fairly isolated on the international stage, was finally abolished. Liberal papers all over the world celebrated.

The new immigration policy was still restrictive - one must not forget that it is still a Labor government at the end of the day - but the final drop of a race-based immigration system was still meaningful. The legacy of the Labor Party of 1901 was finally at an end.

When Prime Minister Jacqui Lambie announced the reform, it was both expected and unexpected. As Australia's first indigenous Prime Minister, she was seen as naturally opposed to such a policy, but her own party and alliance was known as one of its strongest defenders. Memoirs will doubtlessly come out detailing the many heated nights of negotiation behind the final end of her party's most significant legacy. The Unionists and Democrats gave their endorsement to the Immigration Reform Act, but so did 3/5 of her own Alliance, with a significant rebellion.

What does Australians think? Well, the polling shows that a majority think the White Australia Policy an "embarrassment", and that they were "reassured" that this "necessary" reform would still be very firm on immigration and on "protecting Australian jobs", including a greater funding for the Immigration Office to deal with the greater number of immigration applications expected to come.

Meanwhile, to shore up her Alliance's dissenting right-wing, the Prime Minister has pledged to "crack down" on the potential "migrant wave" from the Pacific, building off her cabinet's concern that New Zealand's 'problem' with "boat people" would now come to Australia with this law change.
 
Last edited:
Reposting a list I did for the vignette competition last year. Been expanding this ATL, and thinking a lot about how much more plausible it is that the Soviet Union collapses earlier rather than later than OTL

1964-1979: Leonid Brezhnev (CPSU) †
1979-1983: Dmitry Ustinov (CPSU)
1983-1984: Nikolai Tikhonov (CPSU)
1984-1994: Yelena Bonner (Sakharov Bloc-Glasnost)
1984: Volodymyr Shcherbytsky (Communist)
1989: Yury Vlasov (Communist), Pyotr Demichev (Independent)
1994-1997: Sergei Kovalev (Glasnost)
1994: Anatoly Kashpirovsky (Patriot Union), Yury Vlasov (Communist), Yegor Ligachev (Independent)
1997-2000: Konstantin Kobets (Independent)
2000-: Valentina Tereshkova (Motherland)
2000: Viktor Anpilov (Communist), Mikhail Gorbachev (Social Democratic), Anatoly Marchenko (Independent)
2005: Sergei Kovalev (New Glasnost), Viktor Anpilov (Communist)

The collapse of the Soviet Union was nasty, brutish and short. Analysts in the Humphrey and Bush Administrations could not have know just how dire the Soviet economy was by the end of the 1970s. While Western economies overheated and found themselves overtaken by rampant inflation, continued low oil prices through the decade meant there was no respite for the Soviet Union's economic woes, as debts mounted and basic living standards began to collapse after a decade of collapse. When the ailing Brezhnev died of a stroke in 1979, this slow collapse began to become apparent to Western analysts. The Ustinov-led troika of hardliners attempted harder and harder crackdowns on dissent which could not cover up the fact that basic public services were breaking down, shops were running out of food and even the military were struggling for basic supplies. The quick collapse in the standard of living quickly inflamed dissent and protests across Soviet Union, which in turn only led to crackdowns that quickly escalated in their violence and disorganization.

The crimes of the Ustinov era were left officially underexplored, with only a select handful of midranking scapegoats ever properly held to account for the spasms of of violence and repression that flared up increasingly and undeniably across the Eastern Bloc. For the West, a pivotal moment in this slow collapse was in February 1983 when Andrei Sakharov, sent into internal exile and de-facto house arrest as the crisis escalated, was killed in his home by armed guards. Whether this was the actions of a panicked flunky amidst a fast-changing situation in Russia's streets or on the direct orders of the Kremlin is still hotly debated, but it only further discredited the regime at home and abroad. Ustinov's failing health saw him replaced with an inoffensive placeholder presided over the full collapse of the empire.

The first and (mostly) free elections of the new Russian Federation were won by a national and international hero. Yelena Bonner had a lot on her side: the vast international support and aid of the Brown Administration, goodwill with the new leaders of post-Soviet states, and an explosion in hostilities in the Middle East that caused massive oil shortages in the West and boosted the oil exports of a ruined economy in the East. While the truth commissions didn't go as far as they were supposed to and mutualised and democratised state industries increasingly fell into the hands of private conglomerates who were backed up with extreme physical force. While Yelena Bonner retired popular, the cracks in democratic Russia were starting to fall, with the economic boom and personal popularity in their leader papering over the cracks of dissatisfaction with capitalism and a greatly diminished Russia that had decisively lost the Cold War.

The cracks spread into collapse under Bonner's less charismatic successor. While most observers believe that he won the most votes in 1994, it is clear that Western and business interests helped him along, fearful of "unpredictable" celebrity demagogues who wanted to reverse the private enterprises of the previous decade. But the economic boom was ending, and market shocks and the collapse of the price of oil hit Russia especially hard, as did a new American administration that demanded harder and harder austerity in return for economic aid. Legislative elections in 1995 ended in deadlock between the nationalist right and the Communists, and Kovalev was forced to appoint a hostile right-wing cabinet and Prime Minister. Soon, just like in the decade before, protesters were marching in the streets, watched by anxious law enforcement barely in control. The ultimate trigger for the collapse of democracy was the sinking of an aged nuclear submarine Barents Sea, which not only killed the crew but spread radiation over hundreds of miles, causing mass panic across Russia and much of Europe, and Kovalev was forced to appeal for international aid. The total diminishment of Russia at the hands of liberal democratic neglect was the final straw for an ailing, dysfunctional state, and in October of 1997 the world woke up to the news that Sergei Kovalev had resigned and that Prime Minister (and former general) Konstantin Kobets had assumed the presidency, as troops moved to "protect" the Kremlin, the White House, the airports and the television stations.

The crackdown on opposition parties, on the media, on civil society, on Chechen nationalists and all manner of "subversives" that followed received far less condemnation than Ustinov's had a decade earlier, even as Western observers were increasingly unnerved by Kobets Administration's increasingly militant rhetoric regarding lost Russian territory. They were relieved by the eventual announcement of much-delayed elections in the year 2000, and the Western media preferred to talk more about the milestone of the first woman in space becoming the most powerful woman in the world instead of Tereshkova's increasingly militant record as an opposition member of the Duma under Bonner and Kobets, lamenting the end of the Soviet Union and the diminished status of Russia, as well her loudly cheering on the coup and crackdowns and Kobets. When after her landslide victory she appointed her predecessor as a particularly powerful Prime Minister, there were no more illusions.

As the Motherland Union consolidated it's power over Russia, rebuilding it's military and stationing more and more troops on the borders of Poland and the Baltics, Tereshkova insisted that she was merely restoring Russia's lost greatness. In 2005, violence against Russians in Crimea apparently warranted a full-on occupation, a "referendum" on sovereignty getting held on the same day as her landslide re-election. Across Europe's capitals diplomats began to wonder if the dissolution of NATO was perhaps the greatest blunder since the end of the Second World War.
 
Last edited:
Callan said:
Reposting a list I did for the vignette competition last year. Been expanding this ATL, and thinking a lot about how much more plausible it is that the Soviet Union collapses earlier rather than later than OTL
Click to expand...
I have to say, I’m kind of annoyed I’ve not thought of it before. Particularly Brezhnev dying in the late 70s meaning a hardliner group gets in and shreds things up seems incredibly plausible.
Callan said:
Yury Vlasov (Communist)
Click to expand...
This another one of those “this work’s incredibly well and I’m surprised no one has done it before”. I would say the type of setting would also work well for ‘Boris Yeltsin: The Populistic Communist who says he can Rebuild Russia’ or something similar.
 
Callan said:
The ultimate trigger for the collapse of democracy was the sinking of an aged nuclear submarine Barents Sea, which not only killed the crew but spread radiation over hundreds of miles, causing mass panic across Russia and much of Europe
Click to expand...

huh, wonder why Gen. Kobets spends so much time in his Caribbean retreat with his suspiciously British adopted son
 
Callan said:
Reposting a list I did for the vignette competition last year. Been expanding this ATL, and thinking a lot about how much more plausible it is that the Soviet Union collapses earlier rather than later than OTL

1964-1979: Leonid Brezhnev (CPSU) †
1979-1983: Dmitry Ustinov (CPSU)
1983-1984: Nikolai Tikhonov (CPSU)
1984-1994: Yelena Bonner (Sakharov Bloc-Glasnost)
1984: Volodymyr Shcherbytsky (Communist)
1989: Yury Vlasov (Communist), Pyotr Demichev (Independent)
1994-1997: Sergei Kovalev (Glasnost)
1994: Anatoly Kashpirovsky (Patriot Union), Yury Vlasov (Communist), Yegor Ligachev (Independent)
1997-2000: Konstantin Kobets (Independent)
2000-: Valentina Tereshkova (Motherland)
2000: Viktor Anpilov (Communist), Mikhail Gorbachev (Social Democratic), Anatoly Marchenko (Independent)
2005: Sergei Kovalev (New Glasnost), Viktor Anpilov (Communist)

The collapse of the Soviet Union was nasty, brutish and short. Analysts in the Humphrey and Gurney Administrations could not have know just how dire the Soviet economy was by the end of the 1970s. While Western economies overheated and found themselves overtaken by rampant inflation, continued low oil prices through the decade meant there was no respite for the Soviet Union's economic woes, as debts mounted and basic living standards began to collapse after a decade of collapse. When the ailing Brezhnev died of a stroke in 1979, this slow collapse began to become apparent to Western analysts. The Ustinov-led troika of hardliners attempted harder and harder crackdowns on dissent which could not cover up the fact that basic public services were breaking down, shops were running out of food and even the military were struggling for basic supplies. The quick collapse in the standard of living quickly inflamed dissent and protests across Soviet Union, which in turn only led to crackdowns that quickly escalated in their violence and disorganization.

The crimes of the Ustinov era were left officially underexplored, with only a select handful of midranking scapegoats ever properly held to account for the spasms of of violence and repression that flared up increasingly and undeniably across the Eastern Bloc. For the West, a pivotal moment in this slow collapse was in February 1983 when Andrei Sakharov, sent into internal exile and de-facto house arrest as the crisis escalated, was killed in his home by armed guards. Whether this was the actions of a panicked flunky amidst a fast-changing situation in Russia's streets or on the direct orders of the Kremlin is still hotly debated, but it only further discredited the regime at home and abroad. Ustinov's failing health saw him replaced with an inoffensive placeholder presided over the full collapse of the empire.

The first and (mostly) free elections of the new Russian Federation were won by a national and international hero. Yelena Bonner had a lot on her side: the vast international support and aid of the Brown Administration, goodwill with the new leaders of post-Soviet states, and an explosion in hostilities in the Middle East that caused massive oil shortages in the West and boosted the oil exports of a ruined economy in the East. While the truth commissions didn't go as far as they were supposed to and mutualised and democratised state industries increasingly fell into the hands of private conglomerates who were backed up with extreme physical force. While Yelena Bonner retired popular, the cracks in democratic Russia were starting to fall, with the economic boom and personal popularity in their leader papering over the cracks of dissatisfaction with capitalism and a greatly diminished Russia that had decisively lost the Cold War.

The cracks spread into collapse under Bonner's less charismatic successor. While most observers believe that he won the most votes in 1994, it is clear that Western and business interests helped him along, fearful of "unpredictable" celebrity demagogues who wanted to reverse the private enterprises of the previous decade. But the economic boom was ending, and market shocks and the collapse of the price of oil hit Russia especially hard, as did a new American administration that demanded harder and harder austerity in return for economic aid. Legislative elections in 1995 ended in deadlock between the nationalist right and the Communists, and Kovalev was forced to appoint a hostile right-wing cabinet and Prime Minister. Soon, just like in the decade before, protesters were marching in the streets, watched by anxious law enforcement barely in control. The ultimate trigger for the collapse of democracy was the sinking of an aged nuclear submarine Barents Sea, which not only killed the crew but spread radiation over hundreds of miles, causing mass panic across Russia and much of Europe, and Kovalev was forced to appeal for international aid. The total diminishment of Russia at the hands of liberal democratic neglect was the final straw for an ailing, dysfunctional state, and in October of 1997 the world woke up to the news that Sergei Kovalev had resigned and that Prime Minister (and former general) Konstantin Kobets had assumed the presidency, as troops moved to "protect" the Kremlin, the White House, the airports and the television stations.

The crackdown on opposition parties, on the media, on civil society, on Chechen nationalists and all manner of "subversives" that followed received far less condemnation than Ustinov's had a decade earlier, even as Western observers were increasingly unnerved by Kobets Administration's increasingly militant rhetoric regarding lost Russian territory. They were relieved by the eventual announcement of much-delayed elections in the year 2000, and the Western media preferred to talk more about the milestone of the first woman in space becoming the most powerful woman in the world instead of Tereshkova's increasingly militant record as an opposition member of the Duma under Bonner and Kobets, lamenting the end of the Soviet Union and the diminished status of Russia, as well her loudly cheering on the coup and crackdowns and Kobets. When after her landslide victory she appointed her predecessor as a particularly powerful Prime Minister, there were no more illusions.

As the Motherland Union consolidated it's power over Russia, rebuilding it's military and stationing more and more troops on the borders of Poland and the Baltics, Tereshkova insisted that she was merely restoring Russia's lost greatness. In 2005, violence against Russians in Crimea apparently warranted a full-on occupation, a "referendum" on sovereignty getting held on the same day as her landslide re-election. Across Europe's capitals diplomats began to wonder if the dissolution of NATO was perhaps the greatest blunder since the end of the Second World War.
Click to expand...
MORE👏FEMALE👏DICTATORS👏
 
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