iserlohn
New Member
Posts: 43
Pronouns: He/Him/His
|
Post by iserlohn on Dec 15, 2015 19:39:21 GMT
The first ever thread of this category... And I'm creating it xD To celebrate, here's the latest WiP I have released of my current project. Enjoy.
|
|
|
Post by Krall on Dec 15, 2015 19:40:42 GMT
Lookin' good, Iserlohn! Glad you got past the annoying "drawing lots of tiny islands" phase.
|
|
|
Post by Pallida Mors on Dec 15, 2015 19:46:01 GMT
This map greatly intrigues me
|
|
smyg
New Member
Posts: 27
|
Post by smyg on Dec 15, 2015 19:47:30 GMT
Wow, that's interesting.
|
|
|
Post by AblativeMittens on Dec 15, 2015 20:02:07 GMT
Something I did at the start of this year, but hey, now it gets to be on the front page of something! ----- The point where this timeline diverged from our may very well have been when a butterfly was crushed beneath a horse’s hoof out on the steppe… The precise moment of divergence is unclear. What is clear is that the Huns came down on the Romans much harder, sacking Rome in 451 and breaking the Western Empire all the way to the Pyrenees. This angrier Hunnic Empire proved just as ephemeral, though, and as it vanished the Roman world was left wide open to an even more devastating Germanic incursion. A coalition of Ostrogoths, Gepids, and Alans sacked Constantinople in 484, shattering the Eastern Empire and leaving a power vacuum which the Sasanian Persians quickly exploited. The Roman lands descended into chaos. History happened. By the year AD 700, parts of the old Roman Empire have stabilized, and in others enduring state authorities are once again taking root. Much of former Roman Europe (save Hispania and southernmost Italia) is still on the front lines of migratory invasions – the Germanic peoples have mostly settled down, but now the Slavs are coming down in greater numbers than in OTL, and there are Turkic and Uralic peoples hot on their tails. Christianity is weaker, and in Europe the Arian (or “Gothic”) Christians clash with trinitarian Chalcedonians for power. But on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, a new order has taken shape. The Ægyptian or “Alexandrine” Empire dominates much of the Mediterranean world, stretching from Mauretania to Syria; it also holds dominion over parts of Greece and Italia, as well as several Mediterranean islands. Though thoroughly Ægyptian in character – the chief language of government and religion alike is what we would call Coptic, and the officially sanctioned branch of Christianity is the Miaphysite doctrine of Alexandria (called “Alexandrine” Christianity these days - the Church is headed by the Primate of Alexandria, who styles himself a Pope) – the Empire considers itself a Roman successor state, and styles the city of Alexandria a Third Rome (though the locals still prefer to call it “Rhakōte”). The Emperor is both Basileios of the Romans and Erro of the Ægyptians, the government and administration work on Eastern Roman models, and while the *Coptic language is growing in literary and cultural prestige, Greek still remains an important language of administration and culture (and Latin still commands respec, though it is less important to the Empire). The Ægyptians see it as their duty to enforce Miaphysitism throughout the Roman and Christian worlds, and since its inception in the 5th Century the Alexandrine Empire has campaigned aggressively to take back Roman territory lost to the Persians in the East and the Germanic Vandals in the West. The Empire has “restored” the Metropolitans in Antioch and Rome (or, more accurately, installed Metropolitans subordinate to the Alexandrine Pope), and converted much of Italia, North Africa, Arabia, and parts of Spain and Gaul to the Alexandrine doctrine. Through the Alexandrine Church, the Empire’s influence extends as well to East Africa, where Alexandrine Metropolitans sit in Dongola and Axum – though Makouria remains firmly independent and Axum (or Æthiopia) is a great empire in its own right, having brought Christianity (and also quite a bit of violent conquest) to South Arabia. The chief rivals of the Alexandrine Emperors are the Sasanian Shahs of Ērān & Anērān ("Iran & Not-Iran"). This highly cultured and sophisticated Persian Empire grew considerably after Constantinople fell – very nearly conquering Ægyptos and Alexandria itself – but in the last century has gone into decline and lost considerable ground and influence to the Alexandrine Christian realms of the Ægyptians, Æthiopians, and Ghassanid Arabs. That said, the Sasanian Empire is not weak – the Shahanshahs have held onto their conquests in the Caucasus and Asia Minor and have even expanded their borders to the Indus, though the dream of Achaemenid frontiers remains elusive… They may have bitten off a bit more of "Not-Iran" than they can digest comfortably. The Sasanian Empire is officially Zoroastrian, though many other religions are tolerated. Miaphysite Christians sometimes have a hard time of it, being the Empire’s enemies of late, but Nestorians and Gnostics are welcome – some even hold positions of authority in the Sasanian Government, and the Nestorian Patriarch of the East is an honoured vassal. Many Chalcedonian Greeks also prefer to live under the rule of the infidel Persians rather than the heretical Ægyptians. Jews live and worship freely in the Empire, as do Buddhists and Hindus, and Manichaeans have a stronger presence than in our world (especially in Central Asia). The Empire also hosts a substantial community of Mandaeans, and the Turks and Caspian Magyars often recruited as mercenaries bring their own gods to the already pluralistic and multicultural army regiments. To the west of the Alexandrine Empire, the Amaziġ (Berber) peoples of Mauretania and the Atlas region have also adopted Christianity, but it was at the hands of Donatists. The “Mauretanian” Donatist Church has taken on a noticeable Amaziġ flavor, and has spread down desert trade routes via partially evangelized Tuaregs to the Kingdom of Ghana. The Ghanaian church is even more localized in character than its Mauretanian progenitor, and many of its rites and practices would seem quite alien to an Alexandrine bishop. Christianity is still spreading along the banks of the Dioliba (Niger) River; how far it will spread remains to be seen. Across the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar) – ruled by the African Romance and Alexandrine Christian Principality of Altava – lies Hispania. Save for the small Republic of Cartagena, which is Alexandrine, Hispania is a land of Arian Christianity brought by the Goths. The rule of the Visigoths (accompanied by the Suevi and Alans, who settled in western Hispania) was not as stable as in our world, and while Toledo and Tarragona are ruled by Visigothic princes, they are thoroughly Romance in character. The Gothic language remains prestigious, however, as it is by this point the language of Arian scripture. The Arian Ostrogoths still rule in the Kingdom of Ravenna, though their power has waned in the recent century under assault from pagan Slavs from the east and the Alexandrine Empire from the south. Former Roman Gaul and the Balkans were hit hardest during the Migration Period. Gaul, for its part, is beginning to stabilize after the Alexandrine liberation of Massilia broke the power of the Arian Burgundians. The Frankish Kingdom of Neustria (more Germanic than in our world) and the Grand Principality of Aquitaine (Frankish ruling house, but heavily Latinized) don’t necessarily get along, but they are both Chalcedonian Christians and it pays to stick together when you share long borders with still half-barbarian Arian heretics and pagan Saxons with a penchant for scalping. The Balkans are a bit messier, but what else is new? The Arian Ostrogothic and Gepid principalities that once held shaky sovereignty over a patchwork of Chalcedonian Greek statelets were knocked down when the Avars came thundering into the region, wrapped in a swarm of angry Slavs. The Turkic Avars now rule a sizeable – though highly decentralized – realm from Constantinople (which is far from the Queen of Cities in this world) and, though accepting of Christianity, are themselves resolutely pagan. The Chalcedonian Greek principalities and bishoprics remain loyal to their pagan overlords mostly out of fear of the Alexandrines - like their brothers subordinate to the Sasanian Shah, they prefer the overlordship of a pagan to that of a heretic. However, the Avar realm will probably not survive much longer, given that the Bulgars are breathing down its neck and the army is now mostly Slavic. The Iazyges (or “Pannonian Alans”) to the north are an odd mix of pagan and syncretic Arian, and are also increasingly influenced by the Slavs as they continue to move in from the north and the east. The pagan Slavs, for their part, are nearing the crest of their migrations. Having pushed the Germanic peoples a fair bit harder than in our world, many Slavic tribes are beginning to settle into their new homelands to get down to some state building, but that state building will likely occur on a foundation of Christian and Germanic plunder… And some Slavs aren't done migrating just yet. On the British Isles, the tribal Celts of *Ireland and *Wales practice their own highly localized variant of Christianity, which they are proselytizing among their kin; but the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes remain firmly pagan and are continuing to push the Celts to the margins of the island… Though their own states are weaker than in our world and are showing no signs of consolidation any time soon… Beyond the frontiers of the Sasanian Empire, history is proceeding more or less in step with OTL. The Tang Dynasty rules China with the Mandate of Heaven - they have cordial relations with the Sasanians and won't have to worry about An Lushan in TTL, so we'll see where that goes... Tibet is reaching new heights of imperial power, India is in flux, in Southeast Asia the great states of the Malays and Khmers are on the rise. Beneath the Eternal Blue Sky, the Turks are riding towards new horizons. But amid the thundering of hooves and the fluttering of the butterflies’ wings, who knows what tomorrow may bring?
|
|
|
Post by ToixStory on Dec 15, 2015 20:02:41 GMT
Looking very nice, Iserlohn! I suppose I'll repost the map I had on the last board, since this is one of the favorites that I've done. Especially since it was in Photoshop. The background of the map is Dimitiar Obshti does not launch a daring raid on the Ottomans in 1872, which causes him to eventually end up in Bucharest instead and leaves Vasil Levski, the great Bulgarian revolutionary, free and uncaptured by the Ottoman Empire. Instead, Levski spends the years leading up to war plotting and gathering strength, and when war does erupt for Bulgarians, they win an even more smashing victory over the Ottomans than in our world, quickly taking Macedonia, parts of Serbia, and threatening Constantinople before supplies force them back. Unlike in our world, where the Treaty of San Stefano that granted Bulgaria Macedonia and more was repealed, here Bulgaria gets to keep most of the land it took in the war. Though it does give up some lands to the Greeks and Serbs in exchange for their support of Bulgaria's enlarged borders. They also help Montenegro enlarge itself and Albania establish itself as a nation as the Ottomans, long before in our world, are forced into only a tiny bit of Thrace in 1878. Following their victory, Bulgaria is nicknamed "the Prussia of the Balkans" due to its victories and rapid economic growth due to industry, increased commerce, and progressive fiscal policies that make Sofia the economic hub of the Balkans and Bulgaria the most advanced nation in the region. For 40 years of peace Bulgaria grows and dominates the area, making itself a middle power and a cultural giant as a new renaissance of Bulgarian art, music, theater, and more sweeps through the nation and the Balkans.
|
|
Hominid
New Member
Posts: 37
Pronouns: he/him/his/his/himself
|
Post by Hominid on Dec 15, 2015 20:02:59 GMT
Very interesting map, Iserlohn.
|
|
|
Post by Huehuecoyotl on Dec 15, 2015 21:27:31 GMT
I don't have anything new, so I'll just share the Map of Obscene Dimensions which I showed off on the other forum not long ago. Methinks I went a bit overboard in the Munroification. Here because it's too big.
|
|
|
Post by zalezsky on Dec 15, 2015 22:07:00 GMT
I suppose I shall re-post my most recent map on here
Map of the short lived Peru-Bolivia Confederation (1836–1839) For more information: Peru-Bolivia Confederation 3 States: ------------------------- North Peru (Capital: Lima) South Peru (Capital: Tacna) Bolivia (Capital: La Paz)
|
|
|
Post by ToixStory on Dec 15, 2015 22:18:44 GMT
That map is still one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen, zale.
|
|
|
Post by ToixStory on Dec 15, 2015 22:25:00 GMT
Full size map here.Another one of my maps. The map itself is below, and here is the background blurb: The world this map takes place in diverges from our own on August 6, 1914, at the siege of Liege in Belgium. There, rather than escape unharmed from the fighting, Erch Ludendorff is hit by stray shrapnel, wounding him and forcing him to move away from Liege and to a field hospital, where the wound ultimately becomes infected and forces an amputation, resulting in Ludendorff's effective retirement from field command. Meanwhile, in the East, the Russian armies invading East Prussia are met with mixed resistance. In particular, while General von Francois makes great progress against the Russians, his aggressive attacks cause him to outrun his supply lines, leading his army to an ultimate defeat when the combined Russian armies encircle and destroy von Francois' army. It is from this point on that Germany is truly on the defensive, and will remain so for the rest of the war. German troops are rushed from the Western Front, essentially halting the advance to Paris under the Schlieffen Plan, and forcing the Germans to dig in to their positions in France early. This allows for the greater reinforcement of French and British soldiers on the western front, who begin to pour in and prepare assaults on the German lines. Meanwhile, in the east, Russian soldiers begin arriving in earnest, as a Russian army under General Samsonov takes Konigsberg while another, under General Paul von Rennenkampf, takes Danzig, allowing the Russian Navy a vital sea port. Without disastrous defeats on the Eastern Front, the Russian economy kicks into a wartime frenzy, beginning to produce mass amounts of goods in quantities unseen in Europe. Despite massive hiccups due to leadership, the Russian war machine carries on, swiftly invading Austrian Galicia and holding back against German counterattacks. Heavy resistance by German soldiers in the west causes British and French soldiers and politicians to take a greater dislike to the German menace, as more lives are lost attempting to make a breakout and split Germany in two with help from their Russian allies. However, much of 1915 in the west, as well as early 1916, is spent bogged down in France and Belgium, though with considerably more land in Allied hands than in our world. However, by late 1916 and through 1917, the German defenses falter as the collapse of Austria-Hungary and Russian victories in eastern Germany allow French and British soldiers to overwhelm German defenses. Casualties are high among allied soldiers, with crossing the Rhine costing the French and British nearly 150,000 men in a single month, but the Allied powers, determined to take down Germany now at all cost, continue to advance. The only victories that last in this stage of the war come from General Paul von Hindenberg, who, against all odds, manages to hold Seelow Heights against repeated Russian assaults in late 1917, keeping the Russians out of Berlin for good. The Russians, instead, are forced to focus on taking more of Austria-Hungary, whatever is left by then, and focusing on Prussian Poland. Meanwhile, the Western Allies reach the Ruhr Valley in late 1917, bleeding all the way there, and it is there that the war will eventually end, on December 8, 1917. The so-called "Christmas Truce" is established due to Allied exhaustion at grinding down the German war machine, and at German exhaustion of fighting an essentially unwinnable conflict for 3 years, much to their despair. Reluctantly, Germany surrenders to Russia, Great Britain, and France. The peace made afterwards, signed in Cologne, is a harsh one to Germany. Rather than allow a German state to continue existing, out of fear that they would one day rise again, the Allied powers ultimately decide to split Germany between themselves, based on their own ambitions and not the will of the German people. Prussia, and many of the smaller states in norther Germany, are formed into a new Kingdom of Prussia, minus territory taken by France, Belgium, and Russia. Despite the name, the King of Prussia has very little power over the nation, with much of the power going to the (more liberally-aligned) Landtag, the Prussian Legislature. It is done so the Landtag, and Landtag President, will generally toe the line of the British and French due to much of the country's leftist leanings, particularly in the industrial areas of West Prussia after the war, which left many Prussians thoroughly agitated against war and conservatism. The only real conservative position of power is that of Chancellor, appointed by the king, which was only gained by a loophole in the system. Paul von Hindenberg becomes the new kingdom's first Chancellor, though knows well enough to avoid war for the time after the Great War. Meanwhile, the other German states are split up in various ways. While Prussia ultimately becomes a product of British desire to control a powerful German state, the southern, smaller German states fall under French influence, who do not wish for Germans to have any real power. Their only consolidation to the southern Germans is the artificial South German Confederation, made up of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Kingdom of Hesse, Kingdom of Wurttemberg, and Grand Duchy of Baden. Though intended to be a fair and open confederation of German nations, the French intentions fall flat when Bavaria grabs all the real power in the Confederation, moving the capital from Stuttgart to Munich and paying only lip service to the French while plotting to move away from the French and Prussians both, and more toward their own path. The remaining two German states, Thuringia and Saxony, are unfortunately forced to become nations of their own, due to an unwillingness by any of the Allied powers to let them join either major power. Both nations will ultimately stabilize, with Thuringia focusing on light manufacturing and agriculture and Saxony putting its money towards heavy industry and manufacturing, but the early years are full of tumult, strife, and violence. Also in the French sphere are Austria and Bohemia, two nations carved out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that nonetheless managed to have ridden out the war in relative ease, and thus became the richest Central European states until well into the 1920s. In the east, Russia took from Prussia the provinces of West Prussia and Posen, stripping Prussia of its Polish territories, and took Galicia from the dead Austro-Hungarian Empire. Unlike Britain and France, who sought to establish a series of puppet states in Central Europe, Russia annexed the territory outright, growing Congress Poland and creating a new Duchy of Galicia to fit within the Russian Empire. Though, Russia was not completely above creating puppet states, as Russia supports the new Kingdom of Hungary, funneling them money to rebuild from the war and weapons to rearm and fight off the hungry Serbs, Romanians, Austrians, and Slovaks who wanted to carve up Hungary after the war. To the south, Serbia manages to establish its Kingdom of Yugoslavia under Russian guidance, further projecting Russian power. With Russian ships able to dock freely in Danzig, Istanbul (following a favorable alliance with the new Republic of Turkey), and Trieste, Russian naval and economic power can be projected deep into Europe. It is the dichotomy of Russia's slice of postwar Europe and the slice of the Western European powers that creates what can only be described as an early Cold War between the great world powers. Russia, in the east, had the advantage of a roaring wartime economy that carried over into peacetime with a rise of high-wage jobs and consumerism in Tsarist Russia, staving off any real chance of revolution. Britain and France, meanwhile, grew their Entente to include many of the new Central European states to offset Russian power, and began to rely more heavily on the development of their overseas colonies to balance the power on the European continent. The year is now 1941, and the Cold War rages on as it has for the past 24 years. Both sides continue to both wearily arm themselves for the next Great War while simultaneously praying that there is not another, as one between the greatest alliances in the world would surely doom Europe. The United States stands away from Britain and France across its vast ocean, forcing the Western Powers to continually consolidate their power and rely on their German "allies" for help. This reliance, however, has begun to enable the rise of the German people once more to the world stage. Far from the chaotic and poverty-stricken postwar years, the powerful German states, particularly Prussia and the South German Confederation, have rebuilt their economies and war machines, enough that they are well within power to seek autonomy. Prussia in particular has seen its devastated lands rebuilt, and once more challenges the rest of Europe for industrial supremacy. Despite the continued dominance of western, working class Prussians in the Landtag, Prussian politics in general have shifted more in favor of autonomy from the Entente, and seeking their own future. The eastern Prussians in particular watch the border wearily and believe that choosing to stand with Britain and France, the declining imperial powers, may not be the best idea. Meanwhile, the other Central European states, aflush with money from both sides, has helped make the region one of the richest in Europe, if also the most heavily-armed. Hungary and Yugoslavia stand as powerful examples of Russian consumerism turned to massive amounts of cash for the once-struggling countries. Even smaller nations such as Austria and Romania have significant armed forces as a result of their richer benefactors. While it is certainly a period of prosperity, the price of the prolonged growth has begun to stack up. For now, the world rests in peace, but few doubt that it can last forever. Chinese insurrections in Manchuria threaten to reignite hostilities there, the British Raj pines for Independence, French colonies are often in open rebellion, and the Russian economy has begun to rapidly outpace France and Britain both, approaching USA levels of power. It is both a time of growth and prosperity and a time of fear and worry, about a looming disaster just over the horizon. It is a time that has lasted for 24 years, but one that no one believes can last forever.
|
|
|
Post by zalezsky on Dec 16, 2015 2:47:42 GMT
That map is still one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen, zale. Says the girl that's made some of the most amazing map collections ever. I'm just a guy that's still learning
|
|
|
Post by tardis218 on Dec 16, 2015 3:45:54 GMT
(Background knowledge: Instead of landing in Gallipoli the British decide to go ahead with the Baltic Project ('tis a real thing) and take it one step further and land in Denmark) If one were to think about the British attack on Copenhagen in 1917, one’s head would immediately go to the British landing troops and the brave Danish soldiers trying to prevent the attackers from entering the city, even though they knew they were doomed. But, like with many things in history there is much more to it. For the first battle between the Danish and British we have to go to April 25 1917 at 12 AM. For a little more than an hour the British Scouting and Minesweeper fleets slowly entered the area. They were silent, not bringing any attention to themselves. But, it could not last. Several vessels of the Danish 1. Squadron spotted the 200 vessel fleet and the entire squadron turned to investigate the ships. The British fleet left quickly, but as the Danish were approaching the minesweepers detached and left the fleet, but not with the defence force they had accompanying them. Once the Danish came in on the British, a giant volley came hitting the 1. Squadron. The Danish tried to respond with torpedoes from their torpedo boats and submarines, hitting several light cruisers. But, by then it was too late another volley was unleashed and several Danish ships sank. It was obvious who was going to win, with the British having 47 ships versus the Danish 20 ships. After several more volleys and sinkings whatever was left of the 1. Squadron retreated. From there the Minesweepers were re-united with their defenders, and the Battle Fleet was alerted to follow through with their attacks. With 12 light cruisers, 40 destroyers, and 24 battleships the fleet divided up into squadrons of roughly 12 ships. Out of the 6 squadrons 3 were sent to destroy the coastal batteries, while the other 3 were sent to bombard the coastal forts and raise the British flag in them. Several hundred Royal Marines participated in the taking of the forts. By this point the Danish Army (of which there was 19,600 Danish soldiers in the Copenhagen area) was alerted at the situation at hand, in-land batteries and forts sent their men to the coast. One battery managed to arrive at the scene of a coastal battery south of Hellerup being bombarded, they of course joined their brothers-in-arms and fired upon the British. This delayed the destruction of the battery and all of Copenhagen Defence Fleet (excluding the patrol boats) managed to arrive and start bombarding the enemy. They were doomed from the start. The British opened fire, damaging and destroying many of the small vessels, the older torpedo boats fired, only slightly damaging one of the vessels, before being pounded by the British. Quickly the Danish retreated, in an awful condition, save for one or two lucky torpedo boats. The commander of the Patrol Boats welcomed the torpedo boats to join the squadron, to launch a daring attack on the British landing fleet; they accepted. Once all 6 targets were destroyed or captured the 100 landing vessels were sent to land right outside Copenhagen. Once there they slowly dropped the troops off, only to be met by Danish troops and artillery. Quickly the beach turned into a bloodbath, with masses of British troops being hit by shells or killed by snipers. Soon, the Patrol Boats entered the scene mowing down soldiers with their machine guns. Then, the two surviving torpedo boats fired at a landing ship, sinking it, killing most on board. The transports escaped while 25 destroyers bombarded the coast, destroying Danish artillery and ships, along with killing most of the Danish soldiers there before they escaped. The British re-continued their landings, managing to get all men on shore. Soon, they marched down the coast, having fought 4 different battle against the Danish by the end of the the day. The 6 battle squadrons soon reunited after the first landing succeeded, and soon they started bombarding the batteries that were on the other side of Copenhagen. The actions taken on that day would change the rest of European history forever, but not in the way the British hoped for. (This is for the TL "A Timely Death" written by The Tai-Pan: www.alternatehistory.com/discu…)This is my most recent map, and I think I did a fairly good job on it.
|
|
|
Post by einekatze on Dec 16, 2015 3:58:56 GMT
Welp, guess I better post some blank maps and shiet
|
|
Hominid
New Member
Posts: 37
Pronouns: he/him/his/his/himself
|
Post by Hominid on Dec 16, 2015 19:38:48 GMT
Everything in this thread is amazing so far. Maybe I'll post one of my things at some point.
|
|
|
Post by ToixStory on Dec 16, 2015 20:23:09 GMT
Everything in this thread is amazing so far. Maybe I'll post one of my things at some point. Go for it, you should!
|
|
|
Post by ToixStory on Dec 16, 2015 20:26:13 GMT
Here's another map of mine, this one done in the more simple world-a style. The scenario is called Gotterdammerung. Diverging from our own world in 1940, this is a world where the Germans were not nearly so successful in their invasion of France. For one reason or another, a few good decisions kept the Nazis from overrunning France in 1940 and allowed the Franco-British forces to counterattack. Though they were not able to make Germany collapse right away, the Nazis were not long for the world. In the East, Stalin eventually decided to invade Germany on the pretense of freeing the rest of Poland and helping put the Nazis down. However, after months and months of fighting, Stalin met the Franco-Brits in near the middle of Germany, where they demanded Germany be freed rather than put under Soviet influence. Stalin was not willing to do so. With a large army and powerful industry, the USSR quickly made it clear it would not be bullied as surprise attacks and huge offensives gradually pushed the Soviets' former allies back over the Rhine and toward France the Low Countries. It was only, at this point, that what might have been Soviet dominance of all of Europe was stopped when the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on the naval yards in Nagasaki, Japan. While Europe had burned, the United States had swept the Japanese aside in the Pacific and plowed into them in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Indochina. After the dropping of the bomb, the United States turned toward the USSR. With Soviet forces already in Korea, the United States made it clear that the war was to end with Western Europe still free or the US would be more than willing to show the USSR its new weapon. Stalin, ever the opportunist and shrewd politician, agreed to terms. Germany was split into three states: the People's Republic of the Rhineland, the Soviet Republic of South Germany, and the Prussian People's Republic. The USSR has, ever since, made sure to keep the three separate and unable to bring the full might of the German people together. Scandinavia, which the Soviets had overrun on the pretense of "freeing" Norway and Denmark and accusing Sweden of selling valuable supplies to the Germans, was made into a single communist republic similar to Yugoslavia, though much more prosperous. As the Communist World settled down after the Second World War to enjoy the fruits of its bounty, the rest of the world was thrown into chaos. France and the rest of "Free Europe" fell to far-right governments with fascist qualities due to the sheer shock of Soviet success. The fights over decolonization were far messier, with Africa prying itself away from anything to do with Europe while France, Italy, and Portugal fought brutal, failed wars to keep their colonies. The British Commonwealth at least fared somewhat better, letting most of their colonies go peaceably, though the London government damningly supported apartheid governments in South Africa, Rhodesia, and Kenya (which has since fallen) for far too long. The only real "success" of decolonization was in India, where the Indian Congress, after a very different start of the decade in the 1940s, eventually decided to make a go as a single dominion, then single nation. Balochistan and Kashmir were released amicably and some land given to Afghanistan as "repayment for imperialist British ambitions". The Indian Union, the world's largest Muslim and Hindu nation, has since been on the rise as modernists have since captured a majority of Parliamentary seats in every election. India's cottage industry and village mentality is slow to die, as the traditionalists are still a major political force, but the nation as a whole has greatly improved. Though in theory the United States, the Commonwealth, and the European Common Defense League are all allied against Soviet incursions, great rifts lie between the blocs. Besides the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, the United States has largely stayed out of overseas conflicts, preferring instead to remain quasi-isolationist and focus on its affairs in the Americas. Only in East Asia does the US have a real presence, and only that is mostly from the Second World War and Vietnam War. Though it has an economy rivaling the USSR (both are typically neck and neck for top spot), the USA is far from an interventionist that the USSR is, which angers the Western Europeans who see it as a "betrayal". As long as the US remains the democratic superpower, however, the Europeans won't say it too loud. 40 years after the fateful turn of events in France, the world is a different place. Africa and Asia are rapidly catching up in terms of quality of life and national power as nations there, free from European control and not wishing to be part of the Democratic-Communist game, seek to find their own paths. Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa vie for their own power blocs in Africa while India has created one of the most powerful economic blocs in the world that is likely to see it become a superpower by the end of the century. With such a diverse, multipolar world, it is hard to tell what lies ahead for the Earth as European power, particularly German, wanes and the rest of the world begins to rise. Link if picture is not working.
|
|
|
Post by Sythesol on Dec 17, 2015 23:12:15 GMT
A few maps I've finished somewhat recently. Not super high quality, but fun to make
|
|
ankh
New Member
Posts: 14
|
Post by ankh on Dec 18, 2015 11:33:30 GMT
My first contribution to the board: One of my old maps form a MoF contest. All the information is on the map. Any constructive feedback is welcome. Map link in case you can't see it.
|
|
ruth
New Member
pining for the fjords
Posts: 35
|
Post by ruth on Dec 18, 2015 11:41:52 GMT
The image is broken. You have to link to the image's url, not just the imgur page.
|
|