Author Topic: 1920/1922 - Of imperialism and industry (2)  (Read 2394 times)

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Offline TheDOC (OP)

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1920/1922 - Of imperialism and industry (2)
« on: June 25, 2020, 05:10:39 PM »
The world awaits eagerly for the new age, an age of prosperity and economic growth, fueled by the TN revolution. But with new technologies come new weapons, more dangerous than ever.
A balance of power still needs to form in the aftermath of the Great War/Weltkrieg, with many powers eager to obtain more resources. Here we follow the very beginning of mankind's journey in this new era, as we explore the initial steps taken by each empire towards the stars.



January 1920: All the Great Powers begin to research TN Tech in full force.
The majority of industrial development is dedicated to the economy, with the economic downturn caused by the war still weighing on the coffers of many states.
The great powers also begin to develop naval shipyards, to various degrees of effectiveness and speed, as the strain on the economy caused by such a monumental task is extreme.

February 1920: The Malaysian government, which declared independence from Britain in the aftermath of the war, offers a settlement to the british.
Singapore will remain aligned with the british block, forming an alliance with the UK. The preferential trade system will end but mutual tariffs will be significantly reduced.
The British, after a long debate, accept the conditions. Despite the Admiralty's desire to send a squadron and sink Singapore into the straits, fear of a similar offer to Japan prompted the Office of Foreign Affairs to accept.

March 1920: The CSA expresses the desire to occupy the formerly french islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Opposition from the US and the British halts the plan.
The newly elected Confederate President Wheeler points out that the reparations of war imposed by the US will destroy the Confederate economy if new sources of revenue are not found.
The three powers meet in a conference and ratify the Treaty of Kingston:

Martinique and Guadeloupe will join the British west indies
Former French Guyane will become a new territory of the Confederacy, under US and British supervision
If the war reparation payments are not delivered when due, the US will have the right to seize it

Immediately, the former French army loyalists welcome the new CSA government. The prisoners' rebellion in the penal colony threatened to spread like wildfire.
The army officers are integrated as the ruling élite of the state. The former prisoners essentially become serfs in the new plantations and mines.
(CSA: +1 Conventional Industry)

May 1920: An increasing number of troops from the Ottomans and Italy is tied in Egypt.
The unrest in the new colony prevents both powers from making moves elsewhere.

July 1920: Spanish deployment in morocco reaches an entire division's strength. Germany and France protest what they call "unjust occupation", but the Spanish simply reply that the deployment is in defense of the Spanish interests in the region, interests which the supposed "owners" of the land failed to defend. As a result, Spanish troops land on the coast, estabilishing bases.
The CoF sends a LIR Regiment to Algiers, assisting the independent commune holding the city.

September 1920: The Ottoman Empire deploys units in the desert to stop the constant bedouin raids. Some regiments are also deployed in Armenia to oversee the resettlement of the land with Turkish people. The political opposition is already vocal about the Armenian "resettlement", but so far the Ottoman government has kept the affair to a low profile, fearing international backlash.

January 1921: The French People's Army advances from Algiers in the countryside, slowly securing village after village. The resistance is fierce but pre-existing communist guerrillas aid the army.

February 1921: Austria-Hungary is increasingly divided politically, with the nation being virtually paralyzed by the Austrian and Hungarian parliaments.
Kaiser Karl is widely supported by the Slavs in the Empire and the liberals, but his federation dreams are staunchly opposed by the conservatives and Hungarians.
Both sides agree to an anticipation of the Ausgleich by 3 years. In 1924, the dual monarchy will come together and discuss the state of affairs and eventual reforms.
Until then, passing legislation for the state will be extremely hard.

May 1921: The British team led by Peter Reynolds finally cracks the TN code, with the adoption of industrial grade working machinery beginning to take hold of the island.
With powers encroaching on what once was a world dominated by London, the scientific superiority demonstrated is a strong message to any that dare to oppose the empire.
However, maintaining this breakneck pace in research is extremely expensive. Oxford and Cambridge split in their research direction, focusing on economic efficiency and production efficiency respectively. The government hopes that the rapid conversion and subsequent taxation will kickstart the economy and reverse the downturn.

June 1921: So far Germany has been very inactive over matters beyond Europe. The loss of the Hochseeflotte has been devastating for their power projection capabilities.
The Kaiser personally insisted for a fast rebuilding program, which has come at the expense of the army. Any progress in the colonies looks unlikely, as the new nations in Eastern Europe are garrisoned by German units.

September 1921: The German Empire begins the long industrial conversion program, beginning with the Ruhr valley. In a rousing speech, Reichskanzler von Oostschwerin declares that the German Empire will focus on having the first operational spaceship of mankind.
The research program is scheduled accordingly, with academic institutions working on geological sensors, pressurized nuclear reactors and factory production efficiency.

October 1921: The Red Army declares every major city in Russia free from rebels. The Politburo announces the estabilishment of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, or USSR for short.
Meanwhile, the CoF army secures Constantine, capturing the third largest Algerian city.

December 1921: Spanish and French armies clash in Wehran. The city had come under occupation by the Spanish after the 1919 rebellion, but is still part of French Algeria.
The Commune proclaims the return of the rule of law to the land, inviting the Spanish forces to leave. However, the Spanish troops dig in and request coastal support.
A crisis is quickly escalating, with Germany, Britain and Italy all trying to calm tensions down.
Surprisingly, the CoF Chairman Blum calls for a conference to solve the matter. Despite doubts from the other european powers, Spain accepts.

In the ensuing conference, which marks the first act of diplomacy from a left-leaning country, Germany, Spain and France all have a stake.
Legally, Morocco was ceded at the Treaty of Aachen to Germany. However, Germany was in no position to actually take control of the region, as demonstrated in the ensuing chaos of 1919.
France still owns Algeria in name, and is trying to reassert control. The spanish have occupied Wehran to defend the significant spaniard minority from ethnic violence, and fear what the communist regime might do to their citizens.

The result of the conference, mediated by Italy and Britain, are the accords of Roussillon:

France will take control of Wehran, allowing the Spanish citizens rights of passage to Spain or citizenship if they wish to remain
France will be recognized as the legitimate owner of Algeria
Spain is allowed to extend their influence in Morocco to effectively a puppet state
Germany receives in exchange the equatorial guinea territory from Spain, to be maintained and resupplied by Spain until 1926

All powers walk away from the conference relatively satisfied. In France the settlement is seen as a victory for the state, which is now legitimately recognized by the capitalists as a force in europe. Some object to the move, stating that sitting at a table with the bourgeoisie amounts to treason to the revolutionary cause, but the party propaganda prevents these ideas from gaining traction.
Spain can now secure a rich colony, whereas Germany obtains an important outpost despite its challenges regarding naval power.


March 1922: From the bungled mess that was Indochina a power starts to emerge. The Viet Minh, a coalition of independentists and nationalists, begins to take control of Tonkin and Annam.
The region is still in a state of disorganization, and the Viet Minh themselves house a broad spectrum of ideologies. Most political observers expect the coalition to break down in a civil war as soon as all the opposition in the region is defeated.

May 1922: Philadelphia announces the start of the american industrial conversion program. The US have so far lagged behind the UK and Germany due to a lack of specialists in production, but Boston is home to one of the most talented nuclear engineers of the world, Jacob Stone.
A research grant is released by the US goverment for the development of a Nuclear Reactor using the TN technology, hoping to use its superior expertise in the field to gain ground.
Meanwhile, efforts on the west coast focus on the creation of more stable alloys for armor production.

June 1922: The Commune secures northern Algeria, with minimal resistance remaining. Venturing south towards the desert is seen as not worth the logistic troubles. The Commune adds 5 million people and 15 CI to their nation.
Siberia is still seeing some military action by the soviets, with pockets of white resistance still operating in the countryside. As a result, the Japanese maintain significant military presence in the Amur Republic.

Tensions are steadily growing in Egypt, due to the byzantine system put in place during peace talks.
The codominium between Turks and Italians makes acting unilaterally impossible. This is an absolute nightmare for the colonial administration, as every decision requires the consensus of both parties.
Attempts to mediate the situation by dividing the region between the two powers have failed, mainly due to the concentration of development in the Nile delta.
So far, both sides have constantly increased their presence in the colony, biding their time and eagerly awaiting a faux pas from the opponent to take control and seize Cairo.

World map: July 1922 available in the menu - map bureau

The development of TN industry, coupled with the political situation, creates an interesting conundrum for some powers. A war in the current situation is most certainly undesirable, as it would slow down economic development. However, Africa is a low hanging fruit, with its population ripe for the (re)taking. Flashpoints in Austria and Egypt make tensions inevitable, as the balance of power is still unstable. Whether these issues will be solved by diplomacy or the force of arms remains to be seen.

The next chapter will cover up to 1925, as all the major powers transition in the TN age.



« Last Edit: June 25, 2020, 05:41:17 PM by TheDOC »