The Stuart Restoration
Part 3 - 1868-1901
Andrew II, Emperor of the Americas
r.1868-99
1870-1900 - The era of big business begins in America. Railroad,
telegraph, oil, and other industries stimulate industrial growth throughout
the American Empire. However, worker's rights are not always respected.
The ideas of German thinker Frederick Engels begin to take more hold as
the Collectivist Manifesto is published throughout the world.
The American Social and Labor Party is formed in 1883 to promote "worker's
rights" and welfare state-ism.
1870 - The Spanish throne is vacated by the Bourbons and is
offered to the Hohenzollern Prince Leopold of Prussia. King Henri
V of France (son of King Francois III) opposes this and threatens war if
his second son, Prince Charles (a Bourbon), is not given the throne.
Bismarck, eager to show united German might, convinces Emperor Wilhelm
to attack the French. Seeing where the German situation may be headed,
Britain threatens to attack Germany if they do not withdraw. Even
Bismarck does not want war this badly, and agrees to withdraw after a few
weeks of war. The sides agree to end this "Second War of the Spanish
Succession" to give the throne to a more neutral party - the Habsburg Duke
Karl Ludwig (brother of King Franz Josef of Austria), who becomes King
of Spain as Carlos V, restoring the Habsburgs to the Spanish throne for
the first time in over a century and a half. Mexico, America, and
British Alaska enter into a trade pact, designed to promote free flow of
goods and ideas between the nations.
1871-2 - The fiftieth anniversary of American Independence is
celebrated. Emperor Andrew II proclaims a two-year-long nation-wide
celebration, beginning at Imperial Hall in Philadelphia, where the Continental
Congress deposed former Emperor Victor I and placed Andrew I on the throne.
1872 celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Constitution, guaranteeing
many of the rights which America had taken for granted.
1873-4 - The American Indian situation, which has been simmering
for many years, bursts as white settlers begin diving more Indians off
their Western lands. Some Indians flee to Mexico, others arm themselves
and fight the settlers. Congress sends in the army to fight what
would become the Indian War. Tribal leaders Sitting Bull, Geronimo,
Crazy Horse, and Chief Joseph ally themselves and begin lining up to defend
their territory. While many in Congress would like nothing better
than to send in the entire army and wipe the natives out, others urge moderation
and negotiation. A large Indian force holds off an attack at Ft. Leavenworth
by Federal troops, who are forced to retreat after a twenty-day siege.
This persuades most of the natives to join up in the rebellion. Some
calls for complete annihilation are heard in Congress, but the natives
seem ready to face this. British PM Disraeli and French King Henri
call for Congress and the tribes to negotiate. Seeing that a full-scale
assault will result in the breaking of relations by the great powers, the
moderates win out and arrange a conference at Mexico City, hosted by Emperor
Agustin II and the French and British delegations. After three weeks
of intense negotiation, the Treaty of Mexico City is signed by the two
sides. The Indians are allotted a large area of territory to form
as their own lands. The land is granted in perpetuity to the Indians,
and they agree to permanently relocate there. White settlers will
be limited in these areas and subject to the laws of the Amerindians.
The land may be used by the Federal government for purposes of transportation,
etc. Within five years, the Indian territory is divided into the
new commonwealths of Siouxland, Apachia, Nebraska, Sequoyah, Kansas, and
Idaho, and the tribes thereof are seated in the Assembly and Senate.
1877 - Another year of celebration commences as
the centennial of the formation of the Empire is celebrated. The
celebrating is not as big as a few years earlier, but is still an eventful
time. In Europe, more revolutions occur, this time in Turkish-controlled
Southeastern Europe. With assistance from Russia, Hungary, and the
Italies, most of the Balkans break from Turkey over the next two years.
Greece is liberated by South Italian troops, who are led by former Italian
Consul Garibaldi; a Greek Republic is declared, which immediately allies
with South Italy. The other Balkan territories are placed in "spheres
of influence": Rumania (Moldavia and Wallachia) in Russian control; Albania
and Macedonia to North Italy; Bosnia and Serbia to Hungary, and Bulgaria
becoming autonomous under Turkish rule. Greece has the greatest measure
of independence and self-government, but with large numbers of South Italian
redshirts garrisoned around the country. These occupations are legitimized
by the Treaty of Tirnovo, signed in February of 1878.
1880 - The province of Quebec is granted independence from France,
with the King of France as king of Quebec. Quebec then enters the
North American Trading Pact with Mexico, America, and Alaska.
1881 - Russian Tsar Alexander II is assassinated by an anarchist
in St. Petersburg. His son becomes emperor as Alexander III, but
is unable to implement his desire to return to absolutism due to the strength
of the military and their continued control over the nation.
1883 - An anarchist attempts to assassinate Emperor Andrew in
Franklin City, but he escapes. In the ensuing months, he begins to
try to consolidate his own power and increase it to prevent this "threat".
At first, only anarchists are sought out for imprisonment.
1885 - Holy Roman Emperor and King of Prussia Wilhelm I dies
in Berlin. The imperial electors meet to determine the next Emperor:
Austria's King Franz Josef is a contender, as is Prussian King Friedrich
III. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, while not a Franz Josef fan, campaigns
for him against the more liberal Friedrich. The vote is taken, and
Friedrich wins and is declared Holy Roman Emperor Frederick IV. He
promptly fires Bismarck, who goes into retirement. His rule is welcomed
by many, who expect him to rule liberally.
1888 - German emperor Frederick dies of cancer. His son,
who succeeds him in Prussia as King Wilhelm II (whose mother is the daughter
of British Emperor-King Charles and Empress-Queen Victoria), is a good
bet to win the Imperial title, and gains the endorsement of the other chief
candidate, King Franz Josef. He is then elected as Holy Roman Emperor
without much problem.
1890s - The virtual partition of the Empire of China occurs,
as China proper is divided into spheres of influence, and the great powers
take direct control of many of the subject territories, including Tibet
(Britain), Sinkiang (Russia and Britain jointly), Mongolia (Russia), Manchuria
(Japan), Taiwan (Hungary), and Korea (America). Imperialism had been
growing in the rest of the Far East as well. India is finally partitioned
between Hindu areas and Muslim areas, given to Britain and France, respectively.
The German Empire acquires rule over Indochina and New Guinea. Japan takes
charge of the Marianas and Guam, and Hungary and France lay claim to numerous
South Pacific lands. Spain sends more troops to the Philippines to
retain control there.
1892 - Emperor Andrew has grown increasingly heavy-handed in
his attempts to rule and weed out "subversive organizations" in America.
Socialists begin to be arrested by some of the commonwealths. Crown
Prince Andrew, Archduke of New England, begins to openly side with the
more right-wing members of the Assembly and Senate. Many of these
are Senators-for-life, who fear growing popular rights may limit their
power. This year, the Social and Labor Party unites with the Populist Party
to form the Socialist Party of America, but increasing government persecution
keeps their numbers low.
1895 - The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, whose government is
somewhat sympathetic to the right-wingers, raids the headquarters of the
Socialist Party in Philadelphia and arrests as many Socialists and anarchists
as they can get their hands on. The Popular Assembly passes a condemnation
of this action, supported by Democrats, Socialists, and most Nationalists
as well and call upon the emperor to join them. The Senate cannot
pass this due to the strong anti-Socialist bent in the body. In Russia,
Tsar Nicholas II is removed from power by the military after attempting
to curb their control and replaced by his brother, who is declared Tsar
Paul II.
1898-1900 - In the Pacific tensions between America and Japan
have been rising with their territories so close together. The small
Kingdom of Hawaii is contested between Japanese and American control, and
the border between Korea and Manchuria is disputed. In March, a shot
is fired during a standoff, and war is declared between the two nations.
Since America has so much distance to send its forces, the favor lies in
Japan's chances. American commanders such as Gen. Theodore Roosevelt
and Adm. Dewey win some victories, but soon lose command of America's troops
to Prince Andrew, who convinces the Senate to grant him such. In
1899, Emperor Andrew II dies and is replaced by his son, now Andrew III.
Andrew is no commander, and Americas losses begin to multiply as the war
drags on. Peace parties begin to speak out, as well as those who
want Andrew's control of the military abolished. Andrew decides to
dissolve the Popular Assembly, which backfires as homeside generals oppose
him. He orders them to stand down, but they line up against him.
Seeing where this is going, Emperor Andrew III flees the country.
Gen. Theodore Roosevelt proclaims the abolition of the monarchy and the
formation of the American Republic. The Popular Assembly elects Roosevelt
provisional Supreme Governor of the new Republic. Roosevelt then
sues Japan for peace, and America is forced to hand Korea over to the Japanese
as well as to pay an indemnity. Many, though, see this as the only
option for America, since the now-deposed emperor had screwed things up
so badly. The government of Texas declares a regency in the
absence of a monarch.
North America - 1900
1901 - Popular elections are held to elect a Supreme Governor. Theodore
Roosevelt, the acting SG, is a shoo-in, and takes the election with 70
percent of the vote. While Nationalists (and not a few Democrats)
have hoped for a new emperor, many Democrats and all Socialists see this
as a necessary change. The Senators-for-life are reduced to nonvoting
status. The Supreme Governor is made head of the Executive, while
the President remains powerful, though not as much as before.
The Stars and Stripes are replaced with the blue-red-white American Tricolor.
(The state banner also has the national symbol of the Turkey, picked by
Governor-General Benjamin Franklin.) The name of the country is changed
to the "United Republic of America". The American Republic's first
overseas venture is the assistance of Japan, Russia, Britain, France, Holland,
and Hungary in suppressing the Boxer Revolt in China. Once firmly
in office, Roosevelt sends assurances to Britain and France that their
coalition is still a priority of the American government. Both governments
decide to take a wait-and-see approach.
1902 - The Supreme Governor makes a goodwill tour to Europe.
He meets with British Emperor-King Edward IX in London, and French King
Francois IV in Paris, to ask that they recognize the new regime and continue
investing in and supporting America. His character and sincerity
win over the European governments, who withdraw their support of the ousted
Andrew III and recognize the new Republic. TR also makes visits to
the republics in Europe, viz. South Italy and Greece, and hail them for
their support of democracy and the rights of the people. He also
begins a process of rearmament, to defend America and strengthen the forces
in America's remaining colonies.
1904 - The Russians release their mandate over Moldavia and
Wallachia, which unite to form the Romania. The new government becomes
dominated by those sympathetic to the Italian, Greek, and American republics,
and they refuse to name a king, though the country remains a monarchy in
name. Around this time, the North Italians lessen their grip on Albania
and Macedonia, but keep the two provinces under their control. Hungarian
rule over Serbia and Bosnia remains strong. The young ruler, King
Matthias II (a grandson of King Louis III Kossuth), does not share his
ancestor's liberal ideals and desires to show Hungarian strength in Europe
and the world. He begins a program of militarization and armament.
By the end of the year, King Matthias and Holy Roman Emperor Wilhelm announce
a pact between themselves.
1906 - The second election for Supreme Governor occurs in America,
with Roosevelt being elected with another large majority. By now,
the Assembly and Senate are controlled by the Democrats, with Nationalists
and the surging Socialist party coming up behind. Also, North Italy
joins the alliance between Hungary and Germany, which is known as the Central
Pact. In response, Greece, Romania, South Italy, and Poland form
a pact to defend each other in case of aggression in the Quadruple Alliance.
1907 - The Kingdom of Hungary annexes the province of Bosnia,
and makes King Matthias king of Serbia over the more popular candidate,
Prince Alexander Milosevich. Serb resistance to Hungarian rule begins
to grow, and pro-independece groups begin to speak out in the open.
The Hungarian government responds first with conciliation, then with threats.
North Italy assures its protectorates that they would keep the peace and
their liberties by keeping quiet. Britain and France do not care
for a strong German presence in western Europe, and Russia does not care
for German-Hungarian hegemony in the east, since it is assumed that the
Germans could roll through Poland easily and join their Hungarian allies
in an attack on Russia. Norway, chafing under Swedish rule, secretly
negotiates with Germany to assure German support for an eventual declaration
of independence. Holland, still bitter over the loss of Belgium,
begins considering joining the Central Pact. Britain, France, Russia,
and Portugal form the European Coalition to combat both German militarism
and "radical" republican thought, though that is a less pressing worry.
The Supreme Governor and Continental Congress begin preparing for a possible
situation by beginning to arm America for the possibility of a need to
defend themselves in case of war.
1908 - Serbia, with Russian support, declares independence from
Hungary, shortly before Norway secedes from Sweden. It is learned
that Germany had a strong hand in Norwegian independence, while the Russian
support for Serb independence was minimal. Hungary proceeds to send in
the brunt of its military into Serbia, and Russia responds with an attack
on Hungary. Germany demands free passage through Poland to assist
Hungary, but the Polish government refuses. Germany and Hungary proceed
to invade Poland, who activates their alliance with Romania to attack Hungary.
North Italy then demands a disputed strip of Epirus from Greece, who refuses
and the North Italians attack from Albania. South Italy, staying behind
its ally, invades the North. In a matter of two months, Eastern Europe
is at war. Britain and France attempt to call on negotiation, but
are rebuffed by all sides. Holland decides to seize control of Belgium,
expecting German support. France, whose king is king of Belgium,
declares war on Holland. Germany sees Holland's move as foolhardy,
but sees its duty to protect its ally, and sends in a minimal force to
attack France. This is enough to bring Britain into the war against
Germany. Germany begins negotiating with Japan to enter the war for
possession of more of the far east.
1909 - Dutch forces in the East Indies attack the British in
Australia to attempt to take a foothold there. Japanese forces attack
the disputed Sakhalin Island from Japan and Russian Mongolia from Japanese
positions in Manchuria. Britain sends an envoy to the Chinese and
offer independence to them, as well as the restitution of some Chinese
territories, if the Chinese will assist the Alliance to fight Japan.
General Yuan Shi-kai launches guerilla attacks against Japanese positions.
Hawaii, seeing Japanese forces occupied as they are in China, declares
independence and invites American forces in to establish a protectorate.
Supreme Governor Roosevelt is more than happy to send them in. Europe
is plagued by war - Germany has conquered most of Poland, Hungary has made
its way through much of the Balkans, and in April Turkey enters the war
on the side of the Central Pact to try to regain some of its empire.
South Italy's invasion of the North is stopped just south of Venice.
France has turned North Italy's invasion back somewhat. Kaiser Wilhelm
begins tightening his grip on Germany itself, and begins to unsettle the
other kings of the German states. The Allies, however, convince Spain's
King Ferdinand VIII (born Franz Ferdinand in Austria) to enter the war
with the promise of Gibraltar and the possibility of land in Africa and
the Mediterranean. A Spanish squadron attacks North Italian positions
on Sardinia, and Spanish forces in the Philippines launch an invasion of
Dutch Taiwan. German troops approach Paris, but are rebuffed by a
fresh supply of British forces and supplies. German foreign minister
Heinrich Hurst sends a message to Mexico's Emperor Juan I to try to lure
them into war with America. Mexico, however, has been informed by
the Republic about its military preparation. Emperor Juan forwards
the "Hurst Proposal" to the American government, which breaks off all ties
with Germany and Hungary. In September, a Japanese fleet is annihilated
by the "Great White Fleet" near Midway Island, paving the way for America
to move into the Pacific. German submarines make attacks on American
ships, which causes America to declare war on all the Central Pact nations.
1910 - As the war enters its third year, it is apparent that
the American pre-war buildup has proved beneficial to the Allied cause.
With the beginning of spring the first waves of Americans reach European
soil. The New Armada of Spain smashes North Italian naval forces
and lands troops on Sardinia. Greek forces have linked up with Bulgarians
to drive into European Turkey, taking Adrianople in three months and threatening
Constantinople. South Italian ships carry Greek troops to eastern
Asia Minor. France and Russia work with Arab partisans in the Turkish
empire to revolt and give the Allies a little more breathing room.
The Kaiser's demands on his nation begin to brew discontent, especially
among Austria, Bohemia, and Bavaria. Russian troops are freed from
the Far East by China's continued attacks on Japan and are moved west to
the European front. The Russians are able to assist Polish fighters
in pushing the Germans out of Poland and break through to German territory
for the first time in mid-summer. Franco-American forces bombard
Holland, causing the Dutch to revolt against the king, declare a Dutch
Republic, and sue for peace. The Dutch agree to hand Taiwan over
to Spain, renounce their claim on Belgium, and cede their Caribbean possessions
to America. With Holland out of the war in late August, Spanish and
American fleets begin attacks on German Indochina, after goading Siam into
attacking the Germans as well. In West Europe, the Allies begin outflanking
the Germans and cross the Rhine by the end of November. By the end
of the year, Serb and Romanian contingents (with Russian help) push the
Hungarians out of their countries and begin attacks on Hungarian territory.
Slovak and Croatian partisans declare independence from Hungary.
1911 - With a victory at the battle of Florence, South Italy
forces North Italy to withdraw from the war. With losses mounting
and Allied troops on German soil, the Prussian nobles oust King Wilhelm
in favor of his son Friedrich. The Holy Roman Electors then declare
Wilhelm deposed from that throne, and elect the elderly King Franz Josef
to the Imperial throne as Francis III. The new Imperial government
orders its troops to withdraw from foreign territory and inform King Matthias
that he is on his own. King Matthias is promptly ousted by his generals
and replaced by his son, made King as Lajos V. Turkey, the only central
pact nation left in Europe, tries an all-out assault against Allied forces
on its soil, but are smashed at the battle of Izmit on March 5. Turkey
then withdraws from the war. Japan, having no allies left, decides
it's had enough and sues for peace as well. The victorious
Allies begin planning for a peace conference to divide up the spoils of
the war. In America, the Supreme Governor is hailed as a great warrior
and defender of America. Due to his enormous popularity and wise
rule, some Senators and Assemblymen begin proposing that Roosevelt be given
the post for life. After some sometimes heated debate, the Continental
Congress passes this bill by a slim margin. A plebiscite in September
passes the idea overwhelmingly, though Roosevelt does not actively campaign
for this. Nevertheless, he responds to the will of the people by
accepting the post.
1912 - SG Theodore Roosevelt hosts the New York peace conference,
beginning in May. After several weeks, the terms of peace are hammered
out:
-Prussia will cede Posen and West Prussia to Poland
-Austria agrees to give Trieste to South Italy, who also wins Tripolitania
from Turkey
-Sardinia and Algeria are given to Spain
-Greece acquires the western coast of Asia Minor and the Island of
Cyprus from Turkey, and Macedonia from North Italy
-Russia acquires control of Constantinople
-Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, and Croatia are fully independent
from Hungary
-Hungry cedes southern Transylvania to Romania
-Korea is given back to America, and Hawaii is made an American protectorate
-Manchuria and Mongolia are made independent
-Spain is confirmed as ruler of Taiwan
-Laos is ceded to Siam and the rest of Indochina goes to France
-Foreign forces are withdrawn from China
A year after giving his present post to him for life, there is a new
proposal in the Senate - one to bestow upon Supreme Governor Roosevelt
the title of Emperor of the Americas. This is hotly debated - Socialists
don't like the idea of a monarchy, the republican wing of the Democratic
party also thinks it a terrible idea, while most ruling Democrats and practically
all Nationalists come around to the idea. On November 6, the bill
is passed by three votes. Supporters make the statement that this
is merely a title of honor, not intended to increase his power or to become
hereditary again. Roosevelt demands a plebiscite to confirm this.
1913 - A February plebiscite confirms Theodore Roosevelt's new
title. In March, he is crowned Emperor Theodore I. However,
the country still retains the name "United Republic of America", and remains
(at least in name) a republic.
Part
4 (America)
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