Quantum Flux - Roman Solar Empire

April 22, 2014

*Here we go with my first alternate history.  I'm working a little backwards on it, showing how a Roman dominated world might look by 2014!

*In 2014 (2767 AUC) The Roman Empire dominates most of the Earth and has colonies on the moon, Mars, and explorations to much of the remainder of the solar system.

*The Fourth Roman Republic became obsessed with space travel after the disaster of the Baltic Event in 2661 AUC.  Compared to the asteroid that may have killed off the dinosaurs the Baltic impact was not very large, but it did get Rome considering the long-term survival of humanity.

*TIMELINE OF SPACE EXPLORATION (all dates in AUC)*

*2667 - First successful space launch from Congo province in Australia.

*2673 - First chimp sent into space, named Astro.  Astro survives his return to Earth.

*2675 - First man in space, Iuvenalis Viridios Involo.

*2687 - First Roman lands on the Moon.

*2688 - Chinese begin construction of a space lab.  This early research lab is small and has a zero-g environment.  It is used to test concepts for a larger space station that begins construction a few years later.

*2703 - First permanent base on the Moon.  The original name is Luna Alpha.

*2706 - A lunar cycler craft is constructed in a permanent orbit between the Earth and Moon.  This allows cheaper transportation of people and supplies to the new base.

*2711 - A second colony, this one on the dark side of the moon (Luna Beta) is established.

*2714 - First large-scale Chinese space station is completed.  It has two large rings and the station spins to simulate gravity.

*2736 - To help coordinate space exploration and improve relations between the two nations, Rome and China establish the Joint Space Defense Command.

*2742 - As space is seeded with nuclear weapons and mass drivers to defend against space debris the military potential of these systems is noted.  In an historic move the Romans and Chinese transform the Joint Space Defense Command into the Terran Defense Organization.  It is given a great deal of independence from the home nations.  Rome and China still have sovereign territories on other worlds but the weapons of mass destruction and international space-laws are governed by the new entity.

*2743 - Dozens of probes are sent to the asteroid belt in attempt to create accurate maps of it.

*2752 - Joint manned Mars landing.

*2767 - Lunar population reaches 10,000.  Initial mapping of the asteroid belt reveals no immediate threats to the Earth.

*I will continue to build on this timeline (as well as other new ones).

NOTES
This post is a bit of an experiment. It is a copy of a blog post an alternate version of me made to his blog on alternate history! Sort of in the neighborhood of a double-blind what if. I've chosen the Baltic Event timeline (Beta-004) to be the world my analog inhabits. Chances are with a major disruption to European civilization in 1908 I would not have been born, but anything is possible. The Unites States and Ireland were not affected as directly as the Baltic region itself so it is still theoretically possible my great-grandparents and those coming after them would still have met and gotten the timing right on various necessary actions.

In any case here I am in another world with another life (which I'm still working out the details on) but still blogging about alternate history. I envision computer technology being a little bit behind the OTL.

For this first timeline developed by the other-me I've chosen one of my earlier timelines (one where the Roman Empire/Republic kept dominance on Earth) and changed it a second time in AD 1908 for the Baltic Event of the point-of-view universe.

Hope that all makes some sense. Feel free to comment on this post if you have any questions!

Campi Flegrei

7 April 1906 = Mount Vesuvius does not erupt as it did in the OTL. Changes deep underground move the magma and create new pressures in the area.

9 November 1943 = A massive eruption of Campi Flegrei near Naples, Italy takes place. Naples and other nearby settlements are erased. The resulting tsunami obliterates all of the warships in the Mediterranean. Earthquakes rattle the region adding to the chaos.

The resulting ash clouds and dimming of the amount of the Sun's light reaching the Earth's surface leads to major disruptions in human civilization. The combat on the Eastern Front dies down as dropping temperatures make the winter harsher than any in memory. Air operations are cancelled by many powers in Europe due to the ash. Bombs stop dropping on cities for a short time. Rome is destroyed, the Fascist government destroyed. Many other Italian cities are devastated and in chaos. Norther settlements come under direct Nazi control, southern ones are on their own.

1943 = Heavy snows and a late spring in England causes major disruptions in war operations. Fields across the Balkans and Ukraine as well as other regions are unable to produce crops due to late spring and heavy layers of ash. Russian offensives against Germany slow as the summer progresses. The need for increased food production and the terrible weather conditions force many armies to withdraw.

The Second World War takes a decade off as the various nations fight famine and disease. There is sporadic fighting but no major battles except for the Americans and Japanese in the Pacific.

1953 to 1957 = The Soviet Union is on the offensive again. While consolidating their hold on Europe and finishing the bulk of their genocidal plans the Nazis managed to stockpile considerable number of rockets and a few squadrons of jet powered aircraft. These weapons allow them to stall the Red Army and force Kruschev to the bargaining table in 1957. Britain is still in a terrible state, much of India lost in rebellion and extremely harsh winters have kept it economically depressed. They are in no position to help their Russian allies.

During this time period China has broken into three regions; Communist, Nationalist, and Japanese dominated.

1960s = The United States, along with Canada, Mexico and a number of other countries, forms the North American Treaty Organization to defend themselves against further aggression by the Third Reich. As politics shift in Europe, Germany forms the European Reich, giving more autonomy to some regions of Europe but retaining control of the European Council that makes up the Reich.

Global sea-levels have reached their low-point in the 1960s. They begin to recover as the volcanic winter beings to end.

1972 to 1975 = The Chinese War takes place as Red China and the Soviet Union attack Japanese Manchuria. The United States aids the Nationalist Chinese against the Reds and Japanese in a three-way war. Communist China collapses as Bejing is destroyed by a Germany nuclear weapon - the first time such a weapon is used in war.

1980 = The United States elects a more isolationist President after the high price paid in the Chinese War. In addition to war fatigue a major downturn in the economy creates a new depression.

In the 1990s NATO increases its military spending and introduces new amazing technologies. Britain is recovering from two decades of hellish winters and is becoming an economic bright-spot in Europe thinks to American support and intervention.

1996 = Der Führer dissolves the Euro-Reich and opens Europe to free multi-party elections. This action surprises some, but the decades of economic disfunction and political unrest finally forced some action on Germany's part. It was luckily a peaceful event, der Führer was a child during the volcanic winter and war years and did not want to be responsible for a nuclear war and winter.

1996 to 2006 = Numerous small-scale wars in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

2000 = Alaska is admitted into the United States as the 50th State.

2014 = The world is in relative peace. A new Führer in Germany takes power on March 14. He appears ready to begin reversing some of the reforms of recent years and yearns for the re-acquisition of lost territories.

Some information on Campi Flegrei and its supervolcano:

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlegraean_Fields

2) http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/italian-supervolcano-could-end-eurozone-crisis-the-easy-way-14271712/?no-ist

3) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1342820/Vesuviuss-big-daddy-supervolcano-Campi-Flegrei-near-Naples-threatens-Europe.html

Travaillis Republique Democratique

1852: Foundation of the Second French Empire.
1856: French victory in the Crimean War. Napoleon III expands his military further after this war. He institutes training of new troops by the experienced soldiers from this conflict.
1859: French victory over Austria in the Second Italian War for Independence. France begins to modernize its army and increase its size for coming conflicts.
1861: French invade Mexico. They have a long string of victories. In order to gain the time needed to consolidate their gains they secretly being to fund the Confederate States of America and smuggle modern weapons to them.
1863: Second Mexican Empire is declared, allied with France.
August 1865: The American Civil War ends with a northern victory. America turns its sights on the French intervention in Mexico.
1867: While in a better position to resist America invading Mexico, Napoleon III decides to withdraw his forces form North America. While he believes his forces could defeat the Americans who knew the price his troops would pay fighting battle-hardened Union and ex-Confederate armies would be too high.
With the growth in strength of the Prussians the French also didn't want to deplete their military with major operations in North America. His agents in America note the speed American troops can be moved across railroads. Napoleon III orders the expansion of rail lines in France to facilitate the movement of his own troops at home.
19 July 1870: Beginning of the Franco-Prussian War.
18 August 1870: After a number of German victories or stalemates in the war the Battle of Gravelotte takes place. The enhanced French rail network, improved artillery, and additional troops give the French an overwhelming victory. The Germans suffer 25,237 killed, 35,000 wounded and have their army routed. Over twenty-thousand German troops are captured.
1871: French forces cross the frontier into Germany. Bismark begins to loose control of the various German states and chaos begins to overtake the German military command. This leads to a French victory in the Franco-Prussian War.
1921: General War in Europe begins. France and Austria unite to divide Europe. Russia, Britain, and the various German states oppose them.
1923: The Ottoman Empire joins Austria and France in the war in order to counter aggressive Russian moves towards Constantinople. Benito Mussolini is assassinated during this period.
1924: The United States joins with Britain and its allies against the French menace. Italy, seeing an opportunity to regain Italian lands held by Austria also joins the allied cause.
1926: General War ends with an Allied victory and French loss. France looses Alsace and Lorraine. France is also thrown into chaos and falls to Communist revolution, forming the Travaillis Republique Democratique.
1930: German Confederation forms.
1936: Spanish Civil War begins. Communists from France intervene.
1937: Start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
1939: Red victory in Spanish Civil War.
1940: Spain joins the Travaillis Republique Democratique.
1941: After civil unrest across Belgium, it too joins the TRD. The Japanese Empire attacks the United States of America, bombing Pearl Harbor.
1942: The TRD annexes Alsace and Lorraine form the German Confederation. The international community doesn't see it being worth fighting over.
The Communist Party grows in Italy.
1943: American advances against Japan. Russia invades Japanese-held Korea.
1944: Japan negotiates an end to the war with Russia and America.
Communist uprisings begin in Italy.
Ethnic unrest in Russia.
1947: Increasing violence in Italy as various Communist and Socialist organizations increase in power and have increasing conflicts with the government.
1949: TRD troops enter Italy after a major riot. European powers threaten the TRD.
Giacomo Matteotti leads the Italian Communists.
Serbia expands its territory by seizing some Italian ports on the eastern shore of the Adriatic.
By the end of the year the Red War begins.

1953: After devastation of parts of central Europe and France the Red War ends. Communism has been defeated and is outlawed in Europe. The decisive factor was the use of an atomic bomb by the British on the French city of Bordeaux.
1970: Grand Alliance of Europe forms. It is a very weak international organization dedicated to ending all wars in Europe.
1976: Australia joins the United States. The American flag now has 56 stars.
2001: Muslim terrorists stage major attacks on Constantinople and Moscow. Russia declares a “War on Terror.”
2008: Russian Empire collapses under the strain of the War on Terror and the growing civil war in its borders.
2013: Sixty year anniversary of the fall of the TRD.

This timeline is a brief introduction to the world that will be the basis of my entry for the Double-Blind What If Writing Contest over at Alternate History Weekly Update. I created it so I could have a better understanding of the point-of-view of the inhabitants of that world as I work on my entry. Thought I would share.

Confederation of European States

Here is the first alternate history post for his blog. I've chosen the timeline format because it is one of my favorite. The divergence point is mid-1915 and I've roughly mapped out history until 2013. Let's see what happens.


1915: Baron Leopold von Berchtold and Count Istvan Burian von Rajecz are traveling to an important meeting in Vienna by automobile. Their is a terrible accident. The driver and Baron Berchtold are killed while Count Rajecz is seriously wounded. Count Ottokar Czernin is recalled from his duties in Romania and made the new Foreign Minister of the Dual Monarchy.

Later in the year Italy wants Austro-Hungarian territory containing Italians ceded to it in exchange for remaining neutral in the Great War. Germany pressures the Austrians to give in to the Italians. Count Czernin realizes that the millions of troops that would be needed to defend against the Italians would be better used against the Russians. He advices the Emperor to agree to the terms. It is a difficult sell but the potential gains in the Balkans and against Russia win out over border territory.


Ottokar Czernin (image taken from Wikipedia and credited from a book on Gutenberg.org Before the War, by Viscount Richard Burton Haldane; in public domain due to age)

1916: Germany coordinates with Austria-Hungary on attacks against Russia. The show of force by the Central Powers as well as further actions by Count Czernin keep Romania out of the war.

1917: Vladimir Lenin spreads communism in Russia. Revolution strikes the country and it drops out of the war.

The Zimmermann Telegram brings the United States into the war on the Allied side.

Italy joins the Central Powers and invades France with over two-million men. They hope to gain Corsica, Tunisia, and any other land they can seize from the French. The offensive is stopped by the French, but their lines become incredibly weak.

1918: The weakness of the French position forces American troops to be put into French units as soon as they arrive. General Pershing was opposed to this, but the reality of the war forces American men into French commands. Despite the influx of troops the additional fighting on the Italian front makes the French too weak. By October the Germans get their breakthrough and threaten Paris.

The British Expeditionary Force is cut-off during this breakthrough and is forced to evacuate the continent at Dunkirk knocking them out of the land war. France surrenders shortly afterwards.

1919: The peace negotiations continue for the better part of this year. The United States gains nothing from the war except tens of thousands of its young men killed and many more wounded. America becomes much more non-interventionist as a result. President Wilson becomes one of the most unpopular Presidents ever.

1920s: Despite being on the winning side of the war the Ottoman Empire still collapses. The Arab revolt and continued uprisings of other ethnic groups shatters the Empire. The Italians, Greeks, and British gain control of parts of the Middle East from the Turks.

1930s: Spanish Civil War - Franco wins the conflict with the aid of the Germans and Austrians. The Republican forces were supported by the Soviet Union and France.

The Dual Monarch becomes the Triple Monarchy as the people of the Balkans are given more autonomy.

China is in chaos as communist revolution and Japanese invasion begin. Stalin, facing a strong and economically unified Europe give substantial military support to Mao. Japan captures much of eastern China.

1940s: War continues in China. The United States takes a light-handed approach with Japan so long as the Japanese battle communist forces. Combined Russian-Red China forces push Japan almost completely off the mainland. Only southern Korea, Formosa, and several major coastal cities in China remain under Japanese control. When the Nationalist Chinese are finally defeated the communists agree to an end of the conflict with Japan. Japan retains control over the few territories it controls and the communists have time they desperately need to rebuild.

1950s:North Korean forces, supported by China and the Soviet Union, invades Japanese controlled South Korea. Japan is pushed back in the early months until they are able to deploy enough reinforcements. Among the reinforcements are units from United Kingdom and Australia and several thousand American volunteers. Years for fighting and countless thousands of deaths lead to a stalemate and eventual ceasefire agreement. The Imperial government in Japan collapses and more political freedom is given to the Japanese.

Rebellions throughout German Indochina cause much death and destruction. Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia gain independence as Germany finally withdraws. To cover their withdrawal the Germans detonate the first atomic bomb on Hanoi.

1960s: Many regions of Africa go into rebellion against European imperialists. Some of the worst fighting takes place in the Congo. American corporate interests want access to resources in the Congo so convince the US Government to intervene. This is the largest scale overseas military operation by the United States since the Great War. It turns into a quagmire lasting five years and costing tens of thousands of American lives and many hundreds of thousands of natives.

The poor treatment of blacks in America combined with this unpopular war in Africa leds to the Civil Rights movement in the US. At times violent it never sparks an outright civil war. Laws are eventually passed to finish what was started a century before.

The Triple Monarchy breaks into three independent republics - Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia.

1970s: The Confederation of European States forms. Germany dominates the new Confederation that makes up most of the nations of Europe except for the UK, Soviet Union, and Switzerland.

The Soviet Union continues its decline. It controls a vast international empire but a terrible economy and ethnic strife keep it lagging behind.


Flag of the Confederation of European States in 2013

1975: China breaks away from the Soviet Union. It and Japan both possess nuclear weapons (the Confederation, USA, and UK being the other three nuclear powers).

1980s:The Soviet Union collapses. Civil war breaks out in various regions of its territory.

1990s:Russia itself collapses as nationalist uprisings take place across central Asia.

Japanese and American corporations begin exploiting the cheap labor in China. China's economy begins to grow.

2000s: North Korea nearly brings China and Japan to war. Several hundred on each side are killed in skirmishes. Timely American political and economic intervention help to defuse the situation.

Tensions between India and Pakistan increase as India tests its first atomic bomb.

Struggles between German backed Turks and British backed Arabs & Egyptians lead to wars in the Middle East. Direct European interventions into the conflicts back-fire and turn most of the different factions against them. Events become worse when the Reichstag is destroyed by commercial airliners hijacked by terrorists. The Confederation of European States declares a war on terror as a result.

2013: The War on Terror continues and threatens draw in other nations such as India, Pakistan, the United States, and Japan.

The five largest economies in the world are: 1) The United States, 2) The Confederation of European States, 3) The Japanese Republic, 4) The British Commonwealth of Nations, 5) Peoples Republic of China

It is now a time of growing chaos. The global economy is is a slump, countless small wars threaten to become large wars, and the world continues on into the future.